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This Week at Bungie – 12/14/2017
This week at Bungie, we delivered Masterworks.
Update 1.1.1.1 introduced more than just a few extra 1s to the version number. There are some new ways to invest in your favorite weapons, overhauls to vendors, new ways to gift rewards to your fireteam, and more. The Patch Notes can be found right here. Give them a read, and see if any of them address things you’ve been talking about—or wishing for secretly.
These are some of the first significant changes to the player experience that are based on your feedback. Iterating on Destiny has always been a process that involves you, and that process will continue. We have more updates to Destiny 2 planned for the New Year. Once January arrives, we’ll talk about what we have planned for the next one. And then for the one after that.
In the meantime, your voice is a welcome addition to this conversation. If you’re talking about Destiny, we’re listening. More importantly, we’re adding features and content to the game.
Origin Story
Next week, we’re launching a webcomic series, starting with an Osiris and Ikora origin story, “Fall of Osiris.”
Margaret Stohl, Destiny 2 Narrative Director (who currently writes Marvel’s The Mighty Captain Marvel) notes:
“Destiny’s first-ever original comic short is written by Eisner-winning, New York Times bestselling writer Ryan North (Dinosaur Comics, Marvel’s The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl) in collaboration with our own super talented Destiny 2: Curse of Osiris narrative lead Christine Thompson, with interior art by Destiny community fan favorite Zé Carlos. Here’s a peek at the cover, by Marcio Takara (All-New Wolverine).
Osiris was once the champion of the Last City. Vanguard Commander. Seeker of secrets and discoverer of wonders. And then everything changed. How did Osiris go from hero to traitor?
Coming soon, for free, on Bungie.net!
Before the Dawn
The celebration of a new Golden Age is about to arrive at the Tower—and the Farm.
Check out what you’ll find in Destiny 2 as it becomes a winter wonderland.
Adding without Subtracting
Earlier this week, we updated this same blog with some notes on how we intend to handle expansions differently going forward. You should read ’em. Essentially, our goals are to continue adding new challenges to Destiny, and to keep old challenges relevant without taking them away from anyone. It’s a delicate balance, and we intend to do a better job of striking it.
In the most immediate version of the future, that means making changes to Faction Rallies and Iron Banner so that they include everyone, no matter their level of investment in new content. We’ll talk to you more about that work as it gets done. These events will come back very soon, and they’ll be available to all.
Argos Defeated
Last week, the race to World’s First was held for the “Leviathan, Eater of Worlds” raid lair. The unexpected happened, and we’d like to congratulate the rag-tag team of Guardians who conquered their new foe with speed, grace, and deadly coordination. Not only did this fireteam form up the evening before the raid lair went live, their quick troubleshooting and in-game skill led them to take the crown. You can hear their reaction to earning the title here.
Additionally, we’d like to give props to the Traveller of Guardians clan for their completion of the raid lair. This fireteam consisted of six deaf players, communicating via video chat to troubleshoot the puzzles laid before them, leading to the defeat of Argos.
These reactions are pure gold, and fantastic examples of what the teams at Bungie wish to create: unforgettable experiences, with new friends or old. Cheers to all who have made it through the Eater of Worlds.
As always, thanks for playing.
To All a Good Night
This is the last weekly address on Bungie.net for 2017. The conversation about Destiny 2 won’t stop, but the blog is being laid down for a long winter’s nap. Communication will continue on our forums and social media, where it can happen faster and from anywhere our holiday travels take us. We’ll be reading your feedback about the Dawning. We’ll be calling the shots for the live game. We’ll be addressing issues if they arise.
Here are some places where you can make your voice heard.
We’ll be back on the blog upon the conclusion of the Dawning to put the next conversation on your radar. We’ll even celebrate the triumphant return of Cozmo to the front lines! I won’t be disappearing, mind you. Now that I’ve taken a turn at the CM lectern, I’ll be a more visible member of the Player Support team that serves the Guardians every day.
A Patchwork of Notes
When bugs launch a full-scale attack, Destiny Player Support is on hand to fight for you in the war rooms at Bungie. To us, the only good bug is a dead bug. Would you like to know more?
This is our report.
Destiny Update 1.1.1.1: Known Issues
For a list of issues that were resolved with Destiny Update 1.1.1.1, see the most recent Patch Notes. The following issues have recently been confirmed, and are currently being investigated by internal teams:
Masterwork Weapon Cores are not properly forwarded to the Postmaster when dismantling Masterwork Weapons with a full consumable inventory. As we investigate this issue, we advise players to ensure proper inventory space prior to dismantling their items.
Masterwork Multikills on Floating Enemies: We have verified an issue where multikills on floating enemies do not produce Orbs of Light as intended. This is currently under investigation.
Quickplay Challenges: We have identified an issue where Challenges do not appear to players when they are entering Quickplay in the Crucible.
Ikora Waypoint: We have identified an issue where players are witnessing a waypoint over Ikora when they do not have enough tokens for a reputation package. This is currently under investigation.
Bungie.net Patch Notes
The following items were implemented alongside Update 1.1.1.1:
Players can now submit reports from postgame carnage reports for games they played in (web, Android, and iOS)
Added support for kill trackers on Masterwork weapon details (Android and iOS)
Players can now preview their forum posts before submitting them (web)
Movie of the Week
Guardians around the globe have found inspiration in the worlds of Destiny, leading to amazing content uploaded to the Community Creations page. You can find many players taking on the role of directors, animators, or even actors in their own content. It’s always a pleasure to see the films and to reward people who showcase their creativity or overcome challenges. Winners are crowned in-game with the “Lens of Fate” emblem.
Roll the film!
Movie of the Week: #Selfie
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Honorable Mention: Leviathan: Flawless – Zero Communication – No HUD
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As always, make sure to note your PSN ID, Xbox Live Gamertag, or Battle.net ID when you make your submissions. If you do win, emblems should be rewarded within a week. If you’re not seeing the emblem, let me know!
With all that said and done, we still have work to do. While the blog will be silent for the weeks to come, we’ll still have many in the studio dedicated to keeping things running throughout the holiday season. Keep the conversation rolling, and we’ll keep the communication flowing. @BungieHelp will keep you updated on known issues and server status. I’ll be collecting and responding to feedback wherever I can.
Once we enter the New Year, we’ll have more info concerning updates planned for early 2018, and we’ll keep the conversation going throughout the year.
Battle Chef Brigade features fantasy chefs, including Orcs, Elves, and Humans, who need to hunt dangerous monsters for ingredients. With those ingredients, before the critical eye of the judges, the chefs create culinary masterpieces in an intense tournament.
In the year of 2230, Mining and Research vessel Tartarus (MRS TARTARUS 220478) activates the security protocol near Neptune without any sign. The only chance for crew to survive is to reach the Bridge and restart all systems one by one before the ship crashes into Neptune. We are playing as Cooper(cook and miner of the ship) who has no education or training about electronics or pilotage; to overcome this, vessels engineer ''Andrews'' is helping us as much as he can. Though it's not as easy as it sounds...
Layton's Mystery Journey: Katrielle and The Millionaires' Conspiracy
A new adventure in the Layton series ?with a female protagonist: As the seventh main entry into the core Layton series, LAYTON?S MYSTERY JOURNEY follows Professor Hershel Layton's daughter, Katrielle "Kat" Layton.A new cast of leading and supporting characters:When Professor Hershel Layton (the protagonist of past Layton titles) goes missing, it's up to his daughter and friends to figure out what?s going on. Smart puzzle solving: As Kat, explore different environments and solve a collection of different puzzles that will get you closer to finding your father. Navigation and puzzle solving will be heavily reliant on the Nintendo 3DS touch screen. [Nintendo]
Despite launching in March, a month not usually reserved for home console launches, and with the busy holiday shopping season still in full swing, the Nintendo Switch system has already sold 10 million units to consumers around the world, according to Nintendo’s internal sales figures.
Nintendo Switch is a home console that can be played on a TV, and also taken instantly on the go – it lets people play their favorite games anytime, anywhere and with anyone. And since every Nintendo Switch system comes bundled with two Joy-Con controllers, players can easily share the fun of compatible multiplayer games with friends and family* right out of the box.
The robust and diverse library on Nintendo Switch features two of the most acclaimed video games of all time in Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. At The Game Awards last week in Los Angeles, Super Mario Odyssey won the award for Best Family Game. The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild was honored with the awards for Game of the Year, Best Action/Adventure Game and Best Game Direction.
“As you can see in people’s living rooms, on a plane or riding the subway, fans all over the world can enjoy playing Nintendo Switch wherever they go,” said Nintendo of America President and COO Reggie Fils-Aime. “The response from fans has been great, and we’re doing our very best to satisfy demand during the holiday shopping season.”
Nintendo Switch is available at a suggested retail price of $299.99. For more information about Nintendo Switch, visit https://www.nintendo.com/switch/.
Remember that Nintendo Switch features parental controls that let adults manage the content their children can access. For more information about other features, visit http://www.nintendo.com/switch/.
*Additional games, systems and accessories may be required for multiplayer mode and are sold separately.
**Nintendo Account is required. Online services and features, including online gameplay, are free until the paid Nintendo Switch Online Service launches in 2018.
Ubisoft Milan on the pitching process of Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle
“it was very stressful, because we were trying to show something to them that was the same quality and level of polish, but with a twist. Some craziness on it.”
– Creative director of Ubisoft Milan Davide Soliani on pitching original ideas to Nintendo.
In a recent interview, Ubisoft Milan’s managing director Dario Migliavacca and creative director Davide Soliani discussed their experience working with Nintendo on Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.
Migliavacca and Soliani mention their collaboration with Nintendo, citing how generating new ideas for a title with an established IP relies a lot on developers taking risks.
Their prompt was pretty open ended, as Migliavacca recalls: “It started with a very simple mandate. We had to propose a concept with Mario and Rabbids, that’s all.”
According to Soliani, the challenge of pitching something original to Nintendo was daunting, saying that “It’s always better to dare. Worst case scenario, they say no. But at the same time they want to be surprised. Otherwise they will make the game themselves. So they really want you to try.”
Sharing his ideas directly to Miyamoto was a challenge as well, says Soliani. “Knowing that he was expecting something that would surprise him, it’s not so easy to live with. I would say that I was in front of this IP with a lot of respect, but also with the strong will to show my perspective.”
In the interview the pair also speak about the challenges of developing a game with someone else’s IP, as well as what the development process was like for the studio.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox where we bring you the latest details on upcoming games coming soon to Xbox One! This coming week we have several bundles of joy like the console launch exclusive Hello Neighbor, the tactical sci-fi game Battlestar Galactica Deadlock, and the lovely looking platformer A Hat in Time. Read on below for more details on these games and more.
Steep Road to the Olympics is an expansion for Steep, the open world action-sports game that takes you on the journey to become an Olympic champion. Explore a massive open world, including iconic Japanese mountains as well as the Alps, where you will train for qualifiers to reach the 2018 Olympic Winter Games in South Korea. Pre-order now to get the Olympic Winter Games Mascot costume. Requires the full version of Steep.
CREO World presents a wealth of fresh challenges for players in The Surge. Survive the raging mascots and explore the park’s attractions, before taking on a fearsome boss in the devastated park. Face this new threat, cutting and equipping 16 all-new weapons, new sets of armor, and new implants to upgrade and further customize the way you want to play. Requires the base game The Surge.
A frenetic multiplayer fracas in which 4 players swing pointy swords, sling explosive pies & celebrate victory with exuberant aplomb. Choose from a wide variety of characters and bring the Godhead back to your base – before it unleashes its wrath upon you. 10 Godheads, each with its own game-changing ability to end its bearer’s life – including explosions, mind control & the ability to freeze foes
Use your powers and find your playstyle to survive in Boiling Bolt, an immersive and explosive shoot-em-up! Slow down the time to make combos and enjoy the stunning 3D graphics. Help June to save the world alone or with a friend.
Rufus strives to leave Deponia and reach the legendary floating city of Elysium. However, a flaming saw blade grounds Goal and Rufus on Deponia again and, by accident, Goal’s consciousness is split. Now it’s on Rufus to convince all three parts of Goal to become one again. Venture back to Elysium with her and save Deponia from certain doom in this classic PC adventure game coming to console.
Calling all fans of Banjo-Kazooie, Conker: Live & Reloaded, Kameo, and anyone else who’s up for a cute-as-heck 3D platformer! In A Hat in Time, you play as a space-traveling girl with a big top hat. While minding her bees’ wax, an accident causes all her fuel, the Time Pieces, to scatter across a nearby planet. Hat Kid must now jump, fight, and stitch new hats down below to fuel her ride back home.
Rememoried describes itself as a surrealist explorative first-person adventure game. The basic element of gameplay is the ability to forget. Some elements in the surroundings change when the player turns away or leaves, and become more than just a direction sign: they become the way along which the player walks, flies and falls.
Demons Age is a classic role-playing game, designed to be a modern successor to great classic PC western RPGs like Baldur’s Gate and The Template of Elemental Evil. Taking place in a whole new fictional world full of new fantastical locations and interesting characters.
Console Launch ExclusiveHello Neighbor is a stealth horror game about sneaking into your neighbor’s house to figure out what horrible secrets he’s hiding in the basement. You play against an advanced AI that learns from your every move. Really enjoying climbing through that backyard window? Expect a bear trap there. Sneaking through the front door? There’ll be cameras there soon. Trying to escape? The Neighbor will find a shortcut and catch you!
The Cylons have rebelled! Four years of war and a steep price in human lives have not been enough to unlock a deadly stalemate. Take control of the Colonial Fleet from the bridge of the mobile shipyard, Daidalos, and free the Twelve Colonies from the Cylon threat. Build your fleets, protect the Quorum alliance and prepare to dig deeper into the conspiracies of this heroic conflict.
You are Earth’s last hero and it’s up to you to defend civilization from annihilation. Protect the cities, destroy the aliens and upgrade your fighter. Drive back the vile invading scum and save mankind in this frantic twin-stick shooter with its roots based in retro, side-scrolling classic arcade games like Defender.
Franchises like Gran Turismo and Forza may rule the roost these day but whisper the name Out Run or Top Gear into the ear of a seasoned player and they’ll gladly forget all of those hyper-real visuals and authentic physics engines and reminisce instead about the good old days when blue skies and sprite-scaled cars were the pinnacle of the racing genre.
Those nostalgic individuals are the target audience for 80’s Overdrive, a 2D love-letter to the arcade driving simulations of yesteryear. The objective is simple – finish each race ahead of 9 other opponents – but there are some welcome wrinkles in the template which allow this seemingly straightforward speed-fest to draw you in for much longer than you might expect.
80’s Overdrive will certainly strike a chord with fans of coin-op racers from the 16-bit era; the pixel-rich visuals look amazing and the autostereoscopic 3D effect works brilliantly, giving real depth to the fast-moving cars, gloriously undulating hills and plethora of trackside objects. Sprite scaling is smooth and convincing, while the cars which populate each circuit are packed with detail. The controls are precise and responsive – even if it’s not true analogue control we’re talking about here (you’re just as well off using the D-pad) – and even novice drivers will be expertly dodging and weaving in and out of traffic after a few races.
The game’s Career Mode is where you will undoubtedly be spending the majority of your time. You purchase a car and then take it out to compete in a range of ranked road races. Each one carries an entry fee, but the cash prize for winning is more than worth the initial outlay, and from time you time you’ll get the chance to earn bonus money by collecting items, causing a certain amount of damage to a rival or – most usually of all – finishing dead last. These variables add a little spice to the racing action.
Finishing in the points boosts your global ranking which not only pushes you up the leaderboard but also unlocks other races around the world. The cash you earn can be used to enhance your current vehicle, giving it a faster top speed, better steering and more stability – the last one being especially important as it reduces your recovery time should you get into a bump. It’s also possible to equip nitro boost which can be deployed a limited number of times per each race, provided you’re hitting your top speed.
A range of cars are available which are based on real-world vehicles. With names like the Testosterando and De Loan you’re left in no doubt exactly which famous four-wheeled steeds these are supposed to be imitating, and even those with more ambiguous names are clearly modelled on famous rides from the likes of Ferrari, Porsche and Lamborghini. Buying every car in the game costs a lot of cash and upgrading them all to the maximum is similarly expensive; for a long time we stuck with the cheapest car and simply boosted its performance in every possible area, but the allure of owning a Countach-lookalike proved to be too much and we eventually caved. In-between races you’ll also have to replenish your fuel and repair any damage you may have sustained during your previous races.
Progression through the early stages of the Career Mode is relatively easy; should you find yourself in a position where you don’t have enough cash to enter a race then you’ll endure the ignominy of having to clean your rival’s cars using the touch screen, but this doesn’t happen often. The easier tracks can be conquered without too much trouble, but later circuits introduce tighter bends and faster opponents, as well as police cars which attempt to ram you off the road when you overtake them. It’s here that 80’s Overdrive begins to reveal its rather cheap side; rather than give the other racers (some of which are hilariously based on famous ’80s icons, it should be noted) smarter AI, the developer simply turns the tables against you.
Police cars ignore the other drivers and dart in front of you in an attempt to slow you down, which of course means you fall way behind the rest of the group – which is almost always tightly packed together, so you can find yourself going from first to dead last in the blink of an eye, with no chance of regaining the lead. Colliding with trackside scenery often means the contest is effectively over (thankfully you can restart the entire race without any penalty so you don’t lose money) and it’s not uncommon to see other racers drive clean through traffic – however, for the most part, it should be said that your rivals do slow down and react to oncoming cars, giving you the opportunity to dart ahead. However, to counter this, it’s also abundantly clear that they’re capable of taking even extreme corners at full speed while you have to either take your foot off the gas or tap the brakes.
Unfair AI is hardly new in this genre – Mario Kart has been pulling this trick for decades – but here it feels especially unfair, particularly on the later races. Upgrading your car is essential for success in the latter stages of the Career Mode, and there are strategies you can employ to ensure you keep ahead of the pack and out of trouble. But even then, all it takes is one chance encounter with the police to send you to the back of the grid and totally ruin what was an otherwise fine driving performance, and while this doesn’t break the game as such, it does become moderately annoying over time.
In addition to the Career Mode there’s also a Time Attack feature which takes inspiration from the branching pathways seen in Out Run, as well as a Level Editor. You’re able to select the “theme” of the circuit, its length, the number of straights, bends and hills included, as well other aspects. You can share these tracks with other racers using a code, all of which adds a welcome degree of longevity to the game once you’ve finished all of its other modes.
It would be remiss of us to conclude this review without also mentioning the excellent soundtrack, which contains suitably atmospheric tracks from the likes of Angst78, Aceman, Karolis, Vectorwolf and Vocoderion. Some of the songs featured here even come dangerously close to matching Sega’s MIDI-based masterpieces from its coin-op days, which is high praise indeed. Elsewhere, sound effects are workmanlike rather than striking, but the engine sounds are decent, conveying a good sense of the power contained within these fictional beasts.
Conclusion
80’s Overdrive really nails the presentation side of things with its eye-catching 2D visuals, superb 3D effect and pumping soundtrack. It also controls well and the Career Mode is challenging enough to keep you glued to your 3DS for quite some time. The Out Run-style Time Attack mode and the Level Editor extend the lifespan of this title further, but the occasionally cheap difficulty level has an annoying habit of ruining your race as well as your mood. This is a relatively minor complaint in the grand scheme of things however, and fans of old-school arcade racers will almost certainly forgive this issue in order to play a true tribute to the classics of old.
Now Available on Steam Early Access – They Are Billions, 10% off!
They Are Billions is Now Available on Steam Early Access and is 10% off!*
They Are Billions is a Steampunk strategy game set on a post-apocalyptic planet. Build and defend colonies to survive against the billions of the infected that seek to annihilate the few remaining living humans. Can humanity survive after the zombie apocalypse?
Hello Neighbor is a stealth-horror game about breaking into your neighbor?s house. Play against an advanced AI that learns from your actions, and counters them. Find out what horrible secrets your neighbor is hiding inside his basement.
Games
