Mission Builder is an exciting new feature that puts the process of creating and editing missions in your hands. We want to give you the tools to get the sense of being part of a space program?s Mission Design Division by tailoring your own missions and narratives in a friendly and intuitive interface. Once created, you will be able to easily share your missions with the wider community. History Pack are pre-made missions for you to play immediately. You will have the opportunity to re-live historical missions from humankind?s own space history, all with that unique Kerbal Space Program twist! The pack will include a new set of parts and a new astronaut suit for your brave heroes.
* Enabled Pangolier in Captain’s Mode * Neutral Creep Stack bounty increased from 15% to 20%
* Clarity: Mana Regeneration reduced from 3.2 to 3.0
* Heart of Tarrasque: Strength increased from 40 to 45
* Moon Shard: Attack Speed increased from 120 to 130
* Nullifier: Projectile speed decreased from 1200 to 900
* Refresher Orb: Mana regeneration increased from 3 to 5
* Satanic: Duration increased from 4.5 to 5 seconds
* Silver Edge: Break duration decreased from 5 to 4 seconds * Silver Edge: Cooldown reduced from 24 to 22
* Skull Basher: Bash duration increased from 1.4 to 1.5 * Abyssal Blade: Bash duration increased from 1.4 to 1.5
* Spirit Vessel: Enemy current health based damage changed from 3% Direct HP modification to 4.5% Magical Damage
* Anti-Mage: Mana Void damage increased from 0.6/0.85/1.1 to 0.8/0.95/1.1
* Arc Warden: Flux cooldown reduced from 18 to 16 * Arc Warden: Magnetic Field AoE increased from 275 to 300
* Axe: Battle Hunger duration increased from 10 to 12
* Bounty Hunter: Shuriken Toss manacost increased from 120/130/140/150 to 150
* Bloodseeker: Thirst linger bonus duration increased from 2 to 4
* Chen: Holy Persuasion can no longer target non-player allied creeps
* Clinkz: Strafe duration increased from 3 to 3.5 seconds
* Crystal Maiden: Base damage increased by 3 * Crystal Maiden: Arcane Aura self mana regen increased from 1/2/3/4 to 1.3/2.2/3.1/4
* Dark Seer: Vacuum AoE increased from 250/350/450/550 to 400/450/500/550 * Dark Seer: Vacuum cooldown rescaled from 32 to 60/50/40/30 * Dark Seer: Vacuum cast range rescaled from 500 to 450/500/550/600 * Dark Seer: Vacuum Pull duration increased from 0.5 to 0.3/0.4/0.5/0.6 * Dark Seer: Vacuum damage rescaled from 40/80/120/160 to 25/50/100/200 * Dark Seer: Wall of Replica incoming illusion damage reduced from 400% to 300% * Dark Seer: Wall of Replica width increased from 1000 to 1300
* Dark Willow: Terrorize cast time increased from 0.8 to 1.0 * Dark Willow: Bedlam cooldown increased from 40/30/20 to 40/35/30
* Dazzle: Poison Touch damage increased from 10/20/30/40 to 10/24/38/52
* Death Prophet: Spirit Siphon charge restore time increased from 45 to 60/55/50/45 * Death Prophet: Silence manacost increased from 80 to 80/90/100/110
* Disruptor: Static Storm no longer lingers on your hero for 0.5 seconds after walking away from the AoE (it already ends immediately once the spell is over) * Disruptor: Kinetic Field cooldown increased from 13/12/11/10 to 19/16/13/10
* Drow Ranger: Precision Aura attack damage bonus increased from 10/18/26/34% to 10/20/30/40%
* Elder Titan: Echo Stomp Initial Stun duration reduced from 0.8 to 0.2
* Ember Spirit: Base armor increased by 1
* Enchantress: Untouchable slow rescaled from 40/70/100/130 to 20/60/100/140 * Enchantress: Enchant cooldown rescaled from 30/24/18/12 to 55/40/25/10 * Enchantress: Enchant slow increased from 2.25/3.5/4.75/6 to 3/4/5/6 * Enchantress: Enchant dominate duration rescaled from 80 to 50/60/70/80 * Enchantress: Impetus manacost rescaled from 55/60/65 to 40/55/70
* Gyrocopter: Flak Cannon cooldown increased from 30 to 40 * Gyrocopter: Homing Missile hits to destroy reduced from 3/3/4/4 to 3
* Io: Tether now sets your movement speed to match the tethered target’s speed * Io: Relocate cooldown increased from 120/100/80 to 130/110/90 * Io: Tether no longer has a duration * Io: Tether movement speed rescaled from 10/12/14/16% to 7/10/13/16% * Io: Tether regen sharing rescaled from 1.5x to 1.2/1.3/1.4/1.5 * Io: Base damage reduced by 4
* Leshrac: Base movement speed increased from 325 to 330 * Leshrac: Lightning Storm damage rescaled from 50/100/150/200 to 80/120/160/200 * Leshrac: Lightning Storm slow duration rescaled from 0.7/0.8/0.9/1.0 to 0.4/0.6/0.8/1.0 * Leshrac: Lightning Storm cast point reduced from 0.45 to 0.4
* Lich: Sacrifice mana conversion increased from 30/50/70/90 to 55/70/85/100
* Lifestealer: Open Wounds manacost increased from 140/130/120/110 to 140
* Lion: Earth Spike manacost rescaled from 100/120/140/160 to 70/100/130/160
* Magnus: Skewer AoE increased from 125 to 135 * Magnus: Reverse Polarity stun duration increased from 2.25/3/3.75 to 2.75/3.25/3.75
* Mirana: Base attack damage range from 39-50 to 43-48
* Monkey King: Wukong’s Command soldier attack rate improved from 1.4 to 1.3
* Necrophos: Heartstopper Aura increased from 0.5/1/1.5/2% to 0.5/1.1/1.7/2.3%
* Necrophos: Death Pulse manacost rescaled from 125/145/165/185 to 100/130/160/190
* Ogre Magi: Multicast no longer increases Fire Blast manacost
* Omniknight: Repel manacost increased from 50 to 85
* Phantom Assassin: Stifling Dagger can be targeted on Spell Immune (the slow won’t have any effect, but the physical damage will go through)
* Phoenix: Supernova radius increased from 1000 to 1300 * Phoenix: Supernova now turns night into day for the duration (has highest priority)
* Razor: Static Link cast range reduced from 600 to 550 (break range still 800) * Razor: Unstable Current damage reduced from 100/130/160/190 to 60/100/140/180
* Riki: Tricks of the Trade reworked. Instead of hitting every hero in the AoE once per second, it hits a random hero once per 0.5/0.45/0.4 seconds. * Riki: Tricks of the Trade will hit creeps if there are no heroes available * Riki: Tricks of the Trade duration increased from 3/4/5 to 4/5/6
* Rubick: Telekinesis cooldown increased from 22 to 28/26/24/22
* Sand King: Burrowstrike stun duration rescaled from 2.17 to 1.9/2.0/2.1/2.2 * Sand King: Base movement speed reduced from 295 to 290
* Shadow Demon: Demonic Purge slow now always scales linearly with time from 100% to 20% * Shadow Demon: Demonic Purge cooldown increased from 40 to 60 (affects charge replenish) * Shadow Demon: Demonic Purge duration increased from 5 to 7 seconds * Shadow Demon: Demonic Purge no longer roots non-hero units for 3 seconds * Shadow Demon: Demonic Purge now continuously dispels the target
* Slark: Base HP regen increased from 1.5 to 2.75 * Slark: Turn rate improved from 0.5 to 0.6
* Slardar: Guardian Sprint no longer has a 15% damage amplification * Slardar: Guardian Sprint duration reduced from 12 to 10
* Sniper: Assassinate manacost reduced from 175/275/375 to 175/225/275
* Spectre: Spectral Dagger damage increased from 50/100/150/200 to 90/140/190/240
* Spirit Breaker: Empowering Haste active no longer reduces your movement speed afterwards * Spirit Breaker: Empowering Haste cooldown increased from 12 to 20
* Templar Assassin: Movement speed increased from 300 to 310
* Timbersaw: Chakram manacost per second reduced from 20/25/30 to 16/23/30 * Timbersaw: Chakram initial manacost reduced from 100/150/200 to 80/140/200
* Tiny: Base Health Regen reduced from 2.5 to 1.5 * Tiny: Avalanche cooldown increased from 17 to 20/19/18/17
* Treant Protector: Base intelligence increased by 3
* Troll Warlord: Berserker’s Rage base attack time improved from 1.5 to 1.45
* Tusk: Ice Shards cooldown increased from 19/16/13/10 to 21/18/15/12
* Undying: Undying Zombie critical health attack speed boost increased from 50 to 75 * Undying: Flesh Golem hero kill heal increased from 10% to 15/20/25%
* Warlock: Golem’s attack damage increased from 75/100/125 to 75/125/175
* Windranger: Fixed some clunkiness with how Windranger attacks the target during Focus Fire
* Winter Wyvern: Arctic Burn attack range changed from 275/375/475/575 to 350/425/500/575 * Winter Wyvern: Base intelligence increased by 1
* Zeus: Attack range increased from 350 to 380 * Zeus: Base damage increased by 5
Titan Quest: Remastering a PC Classic for Xbox One
Releasing a PC classic like Titan Quest on modern console generation seems like an easy task, but in fact the way technologies and user expectations shift over time can mount to a herculean effort.
There is no straightforward approach when it comes to such a “re-modernized” porting goal – since as such there isn’t really a thing like an “easy” port. Consequently we approached Titan Quest for consoles & handheld with the mental and infrastructural readiness that we would re-write a good amount of code, have the necessary tools ready for diverse applications to, for example, increase the quality of textures (and redo them where useful).
As we dissected the original PC version of Titan Quest, we realized we had to change a bunch of features and implementations. The first one we addressed was the input system which handles how a game is controlled and with what hardware it is controlled. Simply said, we had to have gamepad controller input management in order to make sure we can test this new incarnation of Titan Quest as early as possible. We then dived into changing all the bits and pieces of the navigation system to ensure it was working properly with the gamepads.
This led to the next big area, the user interface. Having a controller used in a UI that was originally designed and implemented for mouse & keyboard use only is one of those points where your mental preparation comes into play. You take a critical look at what you have from the original, which is a great game, and make sure that you move forward with two considerations in mind: How do we keep the usability of the original? As you answer this by understanding what made the original good, you ask the next question: What has changed in a decade that shifted gamers’ behavior and expectation?
This where you sneakily modernize the original game: Some will never notice it, but we added a bunch of new features into the UI and the HUD. Threw in a new loot window to make sure the player can actually see everything he is looting because this time around, there is no mouse cursor to hover finely on those pixels, choose the item and then click to loot. Good, but modern gamers will still want some direct information on what they are looting from the ground as well.
We all take it for granted that a modern game will somehow highlight what the player is focusing on and there again we modernized the usability of the game by adding a seemingly tiny feature that highlights that object for you. We then went one more step beyond for readability and accessibility and revised all of this specifically for the Xbox One. So technically, the goal was to port a circa 2006 computer screen (think 19 to 21 inches as standard back then) game to the new norm of 37 to 43 inches TV set screens.
Throughout this process, we increased the quality of the textures on one side of the fence, and streamlined the streaming system for performance on the other – whilst reworking the gameplay system features wherever needed.
Expanding the same approach to fighting, we realized that now there is no longer a mouse cursor to actually fight enemies! So we added a target cone system that allows you to better focus your attention for item interactions and fighting. It does work like a charm for those AoE attacks…
Modernizing the game required us to revisit the way the graphics were handled as well: SSAO, improved shadows and anti-aliasing was implemented to make sure that the visual richness of the game was properly transferred to larger screens to maintain a high quality result. This is relevant for the gamers, however it also made it possible that as much rendering work is done on the GPU rather than the CPU of the consoles – and this is a must for console projects, as it is naturally a must for the players because you want to enjoy a stutter-free game.
What about those HUD or keyboard shortcuts to pop a potion in the midst of combat? While we reworked the quick-slot system, we realized that we are missing a crucial modern feature: Enter the player behavior and expectations shifting, and implement the multifaceted and versatile idea of radial menus. We added radial menu support where needed, and did the user-interface elements around them. Skill assignment screen was also another new feature added into the midst as well as a bunch of options to make the player experience more accessible and modern.
The Nintendo Download has arrived, and the final instalment of the month brings games to the Nintendo Switch, 3DS and Wii U eShops. As usual, it’s a varied bunch of titles to choose from, ranging from HAMSTER’s ever reliable Neo Geo re-releases to some charming indie highlights from across the industry. As always, drop a vote or three in the poll below, and add a comment letting us know what you think of the week’s Nintendo Download update. Enjoy!
Switch eShop
The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1: A Dreadly Business (Chorus Worldwide Games, $4.99) – The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle is a hilarious tongue-in-cheek point and click adventure game that mixes the classic formula up with riveting action elements all weaved together lovingly by Rumpus Animation.
The Charming Empire (D3Publisher, $24.99) – “The Charming Empire” is a dating simulation game set in the Taisho Roman era of Japanese history. Popular voice actors known for their talent in anime and video games bring our five main characters to life. Your ears will thank you to hear their performances across all the main scenarios.
Zombillie (Forever Entertainment, $4.99) – The world has changed. Irrevocably and completely. Green parks have been replaced by grey ruins. Colourful meadows have become toxic swamps. Once vibrant lands are now littered with dust, rubble, concrete, and debris. Most creatures did not survive the Great Change. The survivors faired rather poorly in the immediate aftermath, becoming prey to all manner of predator. However, a lucky few managed to survive even then, to adapt, to thrive, to evolve. Zombillie was one such creature.
Gotcha Racing 2nd (Arc System Works, $9.99) – Get parts from the gacha and customize your own original machine. Win a variety of races and aim for the top of the Grand Prix! There are about 700 varieties of parts. Roll the gacha by prize money from racing, and upgrade to better parts! You can fuse the parts remaining to make the machine more powerful. Design your own original machine with them!
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Bad Dudes (FTE Games, $7.99) – “Rampant ninja related crimes these days… Whitehouse is not the exception…”. As soon as that occurs, a Secret Service agent asks two street-smart brawlers, the “Bad Dudes” named Blade and Striker: “President Ronnie has been kidnapped by the ninjas. Are you a bad enough dude to rescue Ronnie?”
TENGAI for Nintendo Switch (Zerodiv, $7.99) – A great commander ruled an eastern plain for a long time, but his mind completely changed one day…
ACA NEO GEO SENGOKU 3 (HAMSTER, $7.99) – “SENGOKU 3” is a side-scrolling action game released by SNK in 2001. In order to purge malicious souls, Shinobi travel the world to defeat the undead. Cut, smash, throw, and use weapons as well as Ninja Arts and Ultimate Ninja Arts in this hyper-action ninja game.
ClusterPuck99 (Coatsink Software, $9.99) – Local multiplayer madness! ClusterPuck 99 is an 8 player sports game built for parties, competition and smack talk! Bash your friends to gain control of the puck and then fight your way through to your opponent’s goal. Try to score while avoiding spikes and utilizing speed boosts to blast past other players.
Alteric (Sometimes You, $4.49) – You are alone. Are you lonely? You’re lost. Or stuck? Somewhere…but where? And most importantly, who are you? Available 30th March.
D/Generation HD (West Coast Software. $9.99) – Hours after receiving an urgent call in his Parris apartment, the protagonist of D/Generation, a nameless courier, arrives in London via his Jet-Pack, touching down on the 80th floor of Genoq Biolabs’ medical research facility with an important package for lead Genoq scientist Jean-Paul Derrida. As soon as he enters, however, the doors shut and seal themselves behind him…
Devious Dungeon (Ratalaika Games, $6.79) – et in the Dark Ages, Devious Dungeon is a medieval focused action platformer title. Under orders by the King, players assume the control of a Knight instructed to head into the catacombs beneath the Kingdom, to slay the foul beasts and monstrosities that have invaded the murky depths. You must venture deep within the dungeons eliminating the threat! Available 30th March.
Farm Expert 2018 for Nintendo Switch (SimFabric, $29.99) – The special edition of farming simulator Farm Expert 2018 for Nintendo Switch which succeeded on mobile platforms last year with over 2 million installations now on Nintendo Switch. Available 30th March.
Metropolis: Lux Obscura (Sometimes You, $7.19) – You can’t even tell night from day in this hell where big money runs everything. And the best way to prove you’re right is with brute force. Available 4th April.
Shadow Bug (Muro Studios. $8.99) – You are the overpowered ninja hero Shadow Bug! Save your home forest from the evil factory by slicing monsters to pieces. Adventure through beautiful and twisted landscapes full of action and adventure as the ultimate ninja. Available 30th March.
Spartan (Sinister Cyclops. $11.99) – Block, stomp, run, jump, fall, climb, cling, push, spring & slice your way to victory. Outsmart intelligent enemies, tread carefully through obstacles and use your wits to defeat bosses in epic battles. Available 1st April.
Switch DLC
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – New DLC is releasing for owners of the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 Expansion Pass. Buy the Expansion Pass to gain access to titanic new content, including the pack below and a new story this fall. To learn more, visit the Xenoblade Chronicles 2 site. (Full version of game required to use DLC.)
New Quests Pack 2 – Launching at 10 p.m. PT today
Nopon of Good Tastes (Talk to Bipopo near Galad Residential Zone in Gormott. Available after adding Poppi.)
Cleared of All Charges (Talk to Strath in Fonsett, Leftheria. Requires Perun, Godfrey and Perceval.)
Beneath the Aurora (Talk to Len at Rigitte Harbor in Leftheria. Available from Chapter 6.)
Upgrades and Tinkering (Examine the table in Tora’s house. Requires Tora. Available from Chapter 8.)
Most Awful News?! (Stay at the inn in Tantal. Requires Finch’s Birdbrain Lv.3 and Zeke. Available from Chapter 10.)
Fire Emblem Warriors Season Pass (for Nintendo Switch/New Nintendo 3DS) – Expand your Fire Emblem Warriors adventure with DLC. All three DLC Packs for the Fire Emblem Warriors game are now available! Here’s what’s in the new Fire Emblem Awakening DLC pack release: three new playable characters (Owain, Tharja and Olivia), three new History Maps, new costumes, new armor break models, new support conversations, new weapons and new weapon attributes. If you already purchased the Season Pass, this DLC Pack, as well as the Fire Emblem Fates Pack and Fire Emblem: Shadow Dragon Pack, are available to you at no additional cost. The Fire Emblem Warriors Season Pass, as well as the Fire Emblem Awakening DLC Pack, can be purchased on the game’s site. Note: new costumes, character-exclusive weapons and weapon attributes must be unlocked as rewards from playing through the new History Maps. The full version of the game is required to use the DLC.
Switch activities
Upcoming ARMS Events – Exciting new ARMS events are stretching your way! It’s hard to believe, but ARMS, the stretchy fighting game for the Nintendo Switch system, is almost a year old. Whether you’re a newcomer to the game or a seasoned veteran, there’s no better time to get into the game, thanks to three upcoming ARMS events:
ARMS U.S. & CANADA ONLINE OPEN – After fighting through a tough online qualifier, eight top ARMS players and four alternates will meet in the online finals at 10 a.m. PT on March 31. The finals will be streamed online for all to see, so be sure to check it out.
ARMS Global Testpunch – A global Testpunch demo for the ARMS game, which lets Nintendo Switch owners try out select modes for free, will be running for three days starting at 9 p.m. PT on March 30 and ending at 8:59 p.m. PT on April 2. To participate, players just have to download the Testpunch in Nintendo eShop on Nintendo Switch.
Save on ARMS – Ready to buy? Starting at 9 p.m. PT on March 30, you can get the ARMS game for 30 percent off in Nintendo eShop or on Nintendo.com. Act fast, though, as the sale ends at 8:59 a.m. PT on April 6.
WAKU WAKU SWEETS: Happy Sweets Making (Sonic Powered Co, $24.99) – With easy operation, you can make sweets happily! You can learn how to make sweets with over 100 kinds of fun while playing! There are many recipes including cakes, cookies, Japanese sweets and so on.
Dodge Club Pocket (JAMES MONTAGNA, $4.99) – The underground ravers of Dodge Club invite YOU to play in their pixel dance party. Dodge the red hot fireball and electric spark in a variety of unique minigame challenges, each one more wild than the last!
Witch and Hero 3 – (CIRCLE Ent., $3.99) – Witch and Hero 3 is an action game where you control the Witch, Hero and Little Hero at the same time. The two Heroes are physically strong and will keep fighting no matter how many times they’re beaten. The Witch, however, is vulnerable and even weaker in stone form; if she goes down the game is over.
Wii U eShop
Spellcaster’s Assistant (Ultra Dolphin Revolution, $3.99) – You are Emmy Epheremelda, a sorcerer in training/magical assistant. Your master is out on a mission and has left you in charge. All was fine and well till these annoying Tomeverme showed up and decided to wreck the magical library! It’s up to Emmy to do away with these nuisances before Master shows up! And remember, it wasn’t your fault!
What are you downloading this week? (131 votes)
The Adventures of Bertram Fiddle: Episode 1: A Dreadly Business
4%
The Charming Empire
1%
Zombillie
0%
Gotcha Racing 2nd
2%
Johnny Turbo’s Arcade: Bad Dudes
8%
TENGAI for Nintendo Switch
6%
ACA NEO GEO SENGOKU 3
8%
ClusterPuck99
0%
WAKU WAKU SWEETS: Happy Sweets Making
1%
Dodge Club Pocket
0%
Spellcaster’s Assistant
1%
Alteric
0%
Atelier Lydie & Suelle ~The Alchemists and the Mysterious Paintings~
Well, that’s your lot for this week. Be sure to add a vote or three to the poll, and share your thoughts on this week’s download haul in the comments section below…
Imagine a world where money is at the centre of everything we do, where the rich prosper and the poor suffer. Imagine a world where a handful of cash can bribe you into, or out of, certain situations, where – hang on a minute. Yes, Penny-Punching Princess revolves around the idea of money ruling pretty much everything and, while that might not be too dissimilar to the real world around us, the game uses the concept to create a genuinely interesting and fresh take on classic RPG-style action, fused with some tasty beat ‘em up fun.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an interesting spin on RPG gameplay from NIS America on Switch, with the similarly intriguing (and very enjoyable) The Longest Five Minutes getting a release on the console in February. This time around, we follow the titular princess as she goes on a journey to exact revenge against her world’s corrupt money lenders. The story is presented through some hefty chunks of dialogue in between each round of action, getting pretty bonkers at times, but it’s the gameplay itself that will be holding your attention here.
As the Princess, and later with a second playable character called Isabella, you’ll be taking on waves of enemies that appear in various levels split across each of the game’s chapters. You have various melee attacks at your disposal, such as a quick attack that can build up combos, a stronger attack that deals higher damage, and more, but the real fun comes from the clever use of your magic calculator.
Exploring each level and unlocking treasure chests found within, and also simply by defeating enemies standing in your way, will net you a decent chunk of money to be spent with your calculator. If you have the sufficient funds, you can select an enemy on the battlefield and ‘bribe’ it, effectively rendering it useless for your enemies’ side and allowing you to use it to your own advantage. Generating, and then maintaining, a high enough level of cash in each level is key because of this, and carefully choosing which enemies to join forces with can sway the results of a battle.
Your bribing goes much further than this, too; as well as being used to unlock special locations in each level, often holding important goodies within, your cash can even bribe the scenery around you. We found that bribing things such as fire pits, saws, and cannons that were dotted around the arena, and then using them to unleash attacks on our opponents, was actually a much easier way to wipe out enemies in certain battles. Your tactics will need to change depending on each fight, but a solid understanding of how the calculator can be best used to your advantage will go a long way.
Representing the more traditional RPG side of the game are the skill updates and armour menus. Here, you can upgrade your characters’ stats and learn brand new abilities to use out on the battlefield. Hidden within each level are Zenigami coins, which you can trade in for one skill point. These skill points can then be used to upgrade your maximum health, attack, defence, and even things such as improving the amount of money you’ll earn in battle.
Perhaps the best feature here, however, is the ability to craft your own armour and make Zenigami statues. Between battles you’ll be able to access lists of these armour sets and statues that you can attempt to build, and doing so will give you some much-needed benefits. To do this, you’ll need to spend some of your hard-earned cash (unsurprisingly), and also sacrifice some of your enemy collection. You see, each time you capture an enemy out on the field, you’re also adding one of that particular race to your current tally to spend on these goodies. Thanks to this, bribing enemies within each level becomes a whole different game; do you bribe the one you need to easily win the fight, or the one that gets you another step closer to unlocking the gear you’re desperately after?
Getting hold of different sets of armour, which will each have unique combat abilities included, and the bonus, skill point-rewarding Zenigami statues, will be essential for your progression through the game. The title’s key artwork might make Penny-Punching Princess look all cute and cuddly on the outside, but this is one tough fighter that may well have you seeing the ‘Mission Failed’ screen very frequently indeed – even from the earliest of chapters.
In fact, the game’s difficulty can sometimes be one of its relatively few downfalls. Often, the hardest part of any level will be its boss, naturally situated at the very end. If you get to the boss and discover that it is too hard for you with your current armour setup, you’ll have no choice but to exit, and then restart, that entire level after shifting around your skills in the menus. Some levels can take upwards of half an hour to navigate (depending on your degree of exploration), so you really don’t want to have keep playing it over and over again if you fail.
This also means that the best way to ensure success is to grind your way through repeat plays of earlier levels, building up your enemy tallies to purchase more skill points. The game is already relatively repetitive, with each chapter and set of levels essentially tasking you with the same idea, so again, this isn’t something that you’ll want to be doing.
This is all a shame as the core idea of the game is immensely fun and we love the way that the calculator and battle bribes influence both the fights, and your attributes. The story is full of humour, the art blends clear cartoon graphics with pixelated goodness, and the soundtrack features several gorgeous tunes that had us humming along during our travels (even if the audio does clip and stutter occasionally). The battles themselves are most enjoyable when you can simply blast your way through, though, using your tactical knowledge to win, rather than waiting to be strong enough to cope. If the grinding aspect of the game wasn’t quite as necessary, this could have been something wonderful.
Conclusion
Penny-Punching Princess offers a great twist on the classic RPG formula, adding a new bribing system that takes your opponents out of the game to use for your own advantage. You’ll find many hours’ worth of content available here, and learning how to best use your magic calculator abilities for maximum success is highly enjoyable. In the end we felt a little let down by the need to repeat earlier sections to unlock essential equipment, and the time wasted thanks to having to redo entire levels that were too difficult in our current state, but we’d still recommend giving this one a go if the core idea intrigues you enough.
This week at Bungie, we’re watching the final Faction Rallies for Season 2 unfold.
Future War Cult has mobilized their faction in full force, in an effort to earn their first win since Destiny 2 introduced this ritual to the Tower. Their fingers are crossed, but the followers of New Monarchy could still pull off their fourth victory in a row.
Remember, this will be the last chance for players to earn Season 2 emblems and armor ornaments from their favorite faction leaders. You have through Tuesday, March 27, to add these to your inventory.
If you’d like to see what we’ve learned from this season, as well as our goals for Faction Rallies moving forward, make sure to check out last week’s commentary from the development team.
Distinctive
Update 1.1.3 introduced Nightfall Scoring and Challenge Cards to change the player experience. Update 1.1.4 brings unique rewards to sweeten each Nightfall Strike. Let’s take a look back to a quote published in February, covering the overall goal for Nightfall activities:
Barrett: Nightfall should be a challenging test that only the bravest Guardians dare face. Fireteams of any size should be able to participate, from organized clan groups to skilled solo players. Players should be able to determine their own challenge level, by going slow and steady or fast and wild, with elective modifiers to test the most hardcore veterans. Your final score will separate the best from the rest, and with high risk comes high reward. Each terrible villain that players face should have a very rare and powerful unique item, themed to them, that tumbles to the ground as they collapse into a pile of bones. Conquering Nightfall should be a badge of honor, with the best players able to show off their achievements with new dynamic emblems and exclusive auras.
One question in particular has been trending throughout the community since the “Nightfall Unique Rewards” bullet was featured on the roadmap: How do I earn these rewards?
These rewards have a chance to drop when you complete a Nightfall activity at any difficulty. You can increase your chances using Challenge Card modifiers to set higher personal best scores. Earning these items may take many attempts to receive a drop, as they are meant to be rare rewards.
Last week, we gathered feedback on how the community would like to discover these rewards – either through a quick tease here on the blog, or from those among you who wish to be the first to show off their newly found loot. We’ll be watching legends unfold as these rewards are earned by players, and hope many among you enjoy discovering these items via gameplay without being spoiled.
Competitive Housekeeping
Crucible isn’t just getting updates to game modes to speed up gameplay. Starting in Destiny Update 1.1.4, the Competitive Playlists will also feature a quitter penalty. Per the dev team:
Because the Competitive playlist disables Join-In-Progress, leaving matches early (for any reason) can ruin people’s games. Starting in 1.1.4, we are adding a system that can issue temporary restrictions, 30 minutes in length, for habitual quitters.
Leaving a match early for any reason, from improper network settings to an idle time-out while getting the door for a food delivery, can result in a temporary restriction. If you’re entering the Competitive playlist, make sure you have a solid connection and the proper time to complete your matches.
On our side, we’re also increasing security measures to improve the Crucible environment as a whole.
Our security team informed us that they also have some changes going into Update 1.1.4. Because security is a pretty hush-hush subject, we can’t go into the details of what is changing. If cheaters know how our detection works, they can use that info to avoid it.
The changes we are rolling out in 1.1.4 are going to increase the speed that we can detect and punish cheaters. Keeping the Destiny 2 environment protected from bad actors is a priority for us. We continue to work to make sure cheaters feel the full wrath of the Banhammer. If you believe you’ve encountered someone who’s cheating, please see our Report Suspected Cheating contact form.
Our work isn’t done, we also have plans for more updates to security in the upcoming 1.2.0 update as well.
One (dot) One (dot) Four
Patch notes have been collected, but we’re still applying some elbow grease to get everything in order. Here’s a quick sample of upcoming changes and fixes that you’ll see next Tuesday:
When playing strike or Crucible activities, “repeat reduction” will be introduced to prevent players from having to play the same strike or crucible map many times in succession
Exotic repetition reduction will prevent players from receiving the same Exotic reward multiple times in a row from Exotic engrams
Players can still receive repeated Exotic rewards from Milestones and other sources
Increased the max power handicap from 40 to 45 on the Nightfall Challenge Card
The timer to activate patrols has been reduced from 3 seconds to 1 second
Fixed an issue where players could be prevented from reaching the boss encounter of “A Garden World”
Fixed an issue where some Emblems were not displaying what statistic they track
Fixed an issue where applying or previewing a shader on an item would return players to the top page of the shader inventory
Stay tuned to Bungie.net on March 27 for a full list of patch notes associated with Update 1.1.4.
Air Traffic Controllers
Update 1.1.4 is on approach. Please return your seat backs to their full upright position. Cabin lights are about to go dark, but Destiny Player Support will keep you up to speed until we’ve landed.
Maintenance and Downtime: Tuesday, March 27, 2018
Destiny 2 services will be brought offline for maintenance. Update 1.1.4 will also become available upon maintenance completion. Please see below for the timeline of the maintenance window.
9 AM PDT – (1600 UTC)
Destiny server maintenance is scheduled to begin
Players may no longer sign in to Destiny services
10 AM PDT – (1700 UTC)
Players still in Destiny 2 activities will be returned to the title screen
Destiny 2 Update 1.1.4 will be available to download and install
11 AM PDT – (1800 UTC)
Destiny server maintenance is scheduled to conclude
If you have any issues when downloading or installing Destiny Update 1.1.4, please post a report to the #Help forum detailing your experience.
Spreading awareness:
The Strike activity “Exodus Crash” will not be featured as a Nightfall due to a known issue preventing progress when players attempt to collect energy spikes. Our current goal is to resolve this issue in Update 1.2.0. Until resolved, the Nightfall unique reward associated with this strike will not be available
The removal of Radar from Competitive and Trials of the Nine will also prevent perks involving radar from providing a benefit to players. As an example, Hunters who equip the Knucklehead Radar Exotic helmet will not be granted a radar when aiming down sight.
Lights, Camera… Carnage?
Sometimes, it takes weeks to get the perfect shot. Waiting for the stars to align can feel like an eternity, but some have found they come together a bit more often than expected.
Winner: Leave None Standing
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Runner up: Getting Lost
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Runner up: Brought a knife to a Boss fight
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If you’d like a chance to earn the Lens of Fate emblem, make sure to submit your video to the Creations page on Bungie.net and include #MOTW in your title.
Speaking with the Sandbox team, Update 1.1.4 had a few potential names thrown around in development. One team member in particular campaigned for it to be called the “Supercharged” update. To keep communications clear and set expectations about how all of the changes would feel together, it was ultimately decided that 1.1.4 would forever be referred to as the “Go Fast” update. From my time in playtests, I can really feel the name. The most important piece of this puzzle is how you, the player, will feel once it’s in your hands.
We’re excited to see what new loadouts will be used in PvE – potentially to rack up even higher scores in the Nightfall. Speaking of which, here are the top three fireteams from last week’s Nightfall, “A Garden World”:
Have to admit, it’s always exiting to watch players crunch damage numbers when the sandbox evolves. Exotic weapons are up next in May, with some interesting changes for us to dive in to. More to come, once 1.1.4 has landed. See you next week.
