Author: Trafficblast

The tradeoff between AA Batteries and internal rechargeables in controllers is more complex than people think. It’s a debate that’s raged for years, and there are good points on both sides. The toughest part is that it’s a binary decision – choosing one alienates the other.

— Albert Penello (@albertpenello) March 31, 2020

One thing worth mentioning is that when I did broad customer research (among all types of gamers around the world) AA batteries were favored. Core gamers and tech enthusiasts lean heavily towards internal, but AA actually has benefits.

— Albert Penello (@albertpenello) March 31, 2020

AA have very little draw when not in use, so a controller with AA can sit for longer periods of time. AA can be replaced easily mid-game when batteries die. AA can use disposable OR rechargeable cells. There is no battery maintenance required with AA and batteries don’t degrade

— Albert Penello (@albertpenello) March 31, 2020

Of course internal has benefits such as convenience and cost, and I hear a lot of comments about making the product “seem more modern”. If you stay diligent on keeping them charged or don’t play for long sessions your play sessions aren’t interrupted.

— Albert Penello (@albertpenello) March 31, 2020

I think the environmental impact is a wash for each.
Personally, I favor AA since it gives players the most amount of options and research tells me that more people prefer it.
In the end, it turns out to be more complex and there isn’t a simple way to satisfy both sides.

— Albert Penello (@albertpenello) March 31, 2020

TaleWorlds Entertainment has released another patch for Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, which is now out via Steam Early Access. This patch follows on the heels of a day one update and day two patch, the latter of which addresses a pesky bug that was affecting the Rival Gangs quest.

Like the March 31 patch, the April 1 patch for Bannerlord addresses a bunch of bugs that have been causing the game to crash. The patch doesn’t focus on any one quest though–instead it addresses several problems associated with both Bannerlord’s single-player campaign and multiplayer modes. The full patch notes are listed below.

“We know that many of you are experiencing issues that are preventing you from enjoying the game right now, for which we are very sorry,” TaleWorld wrote in a blog post. “With the help of you, our community, we are finding and fixing these issues and pushing updates out as soon as we can. Unfortunately, as was the case with [the March 31] patch, this [April 1 patch] may result in previous save files becoming unplayable for some people. We will always try to ensure that your save game remains compatible with each update, however, sometimes this will not be possible.”

Despite the pressing need for further bug fixes, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord is Steam’s biggest release of 2020. Within its first day, the medieval action RPG managed enough sales to propel it into the top 10 games on Steam, only trailing behind Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2.

Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord April 1 Update Patch Notes

• Some of the crashes from older saves are fixed and these saves can be used again. (especially caused by fencing stolen goods & rival gang leader quests).
• Enabled Steam cloud saves.
• A bug that was preventing some players (especially Windows 7 users) from logging into the multiplayer lobby has been fixed. There may be further issues in this regard. We are investigating the matter.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when entering a custom battle.
• Various localisation fixes. Some texts are only in English due to lacking localisation tags. Now they can be updated by translators and will be added to the game soon.
• Some variable texts were not shown correctly. Some of them are fixed, more will be fixed in upcoming patches.
• Some Turkish translation corrections and typo fixes.
• Fixed an AI-related issue that crashed the game.
• Fixed an AI calculation error on aiming ranged weapons against mounted enemies.
• Fixed launcher not being visible for some users.
• Fixed errors and crashes after changing language in multiplayer.
• Fixed encyclopedia faction “Part of” crash on creating player faction.
• Hero crafting stamina is now saved. Loading does not restore stamina.
• Localized text manager does not crash on invalid source file.
• Fixed a crash that occurs in some towns when we try to take a walk.
• Fixed a crash that occurs during a conversation with various characters.
• Fixed a crash that occurred after activating the “Fencing Stolen Goods” quest.
• Fixed a crash when creating a new hero. Mainly happened when opening a new campaign or having a baby.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when “Headman Needs Grain” issue time out.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when the player clan gained renown while the player character is a prisoner.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when a quest time out in Quest Manager.
• A crash caused by initiating peace barter with heroes that do not have parties has been fixed.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when the player has created their own kingdom and the conspiracy progress quest starts.
• Added notifications to certain parts of the Main Storyline.
• Fixed a bug where using the ransom all prisoners button didn’t give roguery XP.
• Removed ransoming prisoners’ trade skill gain.
• Decreased ransoming prisoners’ roguery skill gain by 40%
• An issue with the 3rd banner piece fixed.
• Party initialization in Radagos’ Hideout is changed to a more stable version.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when selecting “You’re breaking the law.” option when the “Family Feud” quest is active.
• Fixed quest NPC remains in the player’s clan at the end of the Family Feud quest bug.
• Fixed quest NPC remains in the player’s clan at the end of the Lord Needs Tutor quest bug.
• Fixed getting Family Feud quest NPC as a companion and progressing in Rebuild Your Clan quest bug.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when Lord Wants Rival Captured Issue Quest Quest Giver becomes a prisoner.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when trying to force village notables to give supplies/recruits.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when a game that is saved during the Extortion By Deserters quest is loaded.
• Fixes a possible crash that might occur if the player loads a game that was saved during the following quests: Merchant Needs Help With Looters, Escort Merchant Caravan, Locate And Rescue Traveller (tutorial quest), Travel To Village (tutorial quest), Istianas Banner Piece, Arzagos Banner Piece.
• Players that are at war with minor factions will now be able to join kingdoms even if the kingdom is not at war with that minor faction.
• Fixed the bug where war state with factions that have been destroyed was not being cleared.
• A crash related to successfully making peace through barter has been fixed.
• Changed Strong Smith perk description to Controlled Smith
• Fixed a charm skill exploit which happens in marriage barter.
• Fixed a bug where companions were unable to be used after sending them to fix an issue.
• If you have some troops outside of the hideout, you are no longer taken as a prisoner anymore when you lose an encounter.
• Fixed a crash that occurs sometimes after a siege battle (after dying in siege battle, after go to defend in a siege, after trying to exit from a siege etc.)
• Fixed a crash that occurred when the player tried to select & sell prisoners.
• 200 cap removed from workshops.
• Exploit at smithy and wood workshop is fixed.
• Defection amounts of clans decreased.
• Sally out probability decreased.
• +1 base daily militia for villages removed.
• Starving effect is halved for garrisons at fortifications.

Doom and Doom II, which were launched on PS4, Switch, and Xbox One last year (alongside Doom 3), have received another substantial update. The new update adds the No End In Sight expansion to both games, which provides another 30 levels for your Doom Marine to shoot, rip, and tear their way through.

This update is coming to the mobile and PC versions of the game, too. Doom I and II’s relaunch came with invasive DRM originally, but it has since been removed, and the games have received several free expansions. No End In Sight is generally well-regarded as a challenging, deep expansion on Doom, so players who feel like they have mastered these classics will be able to truly prove themselves by beating it.

The 1.0.6 update, announced by Bethesda, adds various other fixes and changes to the game. Here’s the full list of everything in the update.

Audio Updates

• The Audio has been overhauled, and positional audio should now work in all cases.
• Sound distance falloff is now accurately using the same volume ranges from the original DOS release.
• Objects that make consecutive sounds (such as the Chaingunner’s gun firing) will now correctly interrupt each other.

Add-On Specific Updates

• Chainsaw firing in Add-ons has been fixed to its original optimal buzz.
• Sounds at 22khz (such as the Double Barrel Shotgun) now play correctly in Add-ons.
• In the Add-on “No Rest for the Living”, Hell levels now use the correct hell sky texture.
• Add-ons that are made up of multiple episodes can now be selected correctly.

Fixes

• Fixed stalls that may occur when quick loading the game several times in a row when Add-ons are active.

Changes

• Quick Load and Save can now be bound from Customize Controls and will work without pausing the game.
• Automap colors have been changed. It will now clearly mark doors, and keyed doors using red, yellow, blue, or white lines, making it quicker to find parts of the map that are unexplored.
• Automap is drawn with pixel doubling to increase visibility and fix issues with lines disappearing.
• Kills, items, and secrets are now shown on the automap during gameplay.

Performance Optimization

• Quick Load now loads quicker by skipping the screen wipe animation when loading a game.
• Minor rendering optimizations.

The latest Doom game, Doom Eternal, is available now for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Stadia. A Nintendo Switch version is being worked on.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has commented broadly and non-specifically about the price of the Xbox Series X. Speaking to IGN, Spencer said he feels confident about the price point, adding that he believes Microsoft has a “winning plan” for the next-generation console as it competes with the PlayStation 5.

“I feel good about the price we’re going to be able to get to,” Spencer said. “I feel good about the price and the performance capabilities that we have for Series X. I feel incredibly strong about the overall package.”

The Xbox Series X price isn’t set yet, it seems. Spencer said he is “eyes wide open” in regards to the final price of the console, adding that Microsoft will be looking at what Sony does in terms of pricing for the PlayStation 5. No matter what, however, Spencer said Microsoft believes it has a “winning plan” for the console.

“I believe we have a plan that can win; now we have to go execute,” he said.

Spencer went on to say that the overall goal with the Xbox Series X price is to “stay agile” and set a price that meets or surpasses the expectations of fans. He added that the value of the Xbox Series X is beyond the console alone, also factoring in the appeal of services like Xbox Game Pass and backwards compatibility. He also mentioned that the “Smart Delivery” feature is an offering that players might find value in to help them feel comfortable buying into the Xbox platform.

For comparison, the Xbox One and Xbox One X each launched at a $500 USD price point, before being discounted later in their lifecycles. The Xbox Series X is the fastest, most powerful Xbox console ever made, so it will presumably carry a premium price tag. Another interesting factor at play here is how Xbox Series X might not be the only next-gen console that Microsoft releases. The company is also rumored to release a less expensive, less powerful next-gen console, too.

Spencer has repeatedly said that he does not like the idea of console wars, but of course, Microsoft wants to do better for the upcoming console generation after the PS4 outsold the Xbox One by a large margin.

The full interview with Spencer is incredibly in-depth and fascinating, as Spencer speaks candidly about a number of high-profile topics, including the impact of COVID-19 on Microsoft’s next-gen plans.

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has commented extensively for the first time on the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on the planned launch of Xbox Series X later this year and more. Speaking to IGN, Spencer said he wants people to know that first and foremost, the safety and security of its teams is what is most important to him during this time of crisis.

“The thing I’m going to put front and center is the safety and security of the team,” Spencer said. “There is no decision that I will make, or frankly anybody at Microsoft would even ask me to make, that would compromise the safety and security of the teams for a near-term financial or product gain. The teams are the most important thing.”

Pragmatically, Spencer said he has observed that the supply chains in China have “started to come back,” which would enable the parts to be assembled for Xbox Series X for launch this holiday.

Right now, Xbox Series X remains on track to launch on schedule this holiday period, but Spencer stressed time and again that this is a fluid situation and nothing is set in stone right now.

Also in the interview, Spencer said the game development teams are coming to terms–not always easily–as they shift to a work-from-home setup. “Building a video game from home–a large, distributed team of hundreds of people–is not easy. Video games are big, and there are massive asset bases that each one of these games have,” Spencer said.

Some of the Xbox Game Studios titles that have already been delayed due to COVID-19 have included Wasteland 3 and Minecraft Dungeons. Many are wondering if Halo Infinite, which is a launch title for Xbox Series X, might also be delayed, but Spencer said nothing is decided yet. Right now, Halo Infinite is still on track to launch this holiday with the next-gen console.

“Things right now aren’t easy. Things are stretched. I can feel it in the teams–they are stretched,” Spencer said. “We have nothing right now that says we’re not going to make the dates that we’ve been planning, but I’ll also say this is real-time stuff. I’m gonna put the safety and security of our teams at the top, along with a quality product. I don’t want to rush a product out if it’s not ready.”

Overall, Spencer said he is “feeling good” about where Xbox stands today with regards to preparing to launch the Xbox Series X on schedule this holiday. “Feeling good, but also being eyes wide open,” he said.

Spencer confirmed that Microsoft has no “plan B” in place right now for what could happen if COVID-19 crisis continues for an extended period of time. That being said, Spencer said he does not want to launch the Xbox Series X on a staggered basis as it did with the Xbox One. In Japan, for example, the Xbox One launched a full nine months after the system arrived in other parts of the world. Spencer said he wants the Xbox Series X to have a global simultaneous rollout.

This brings up an interesting scenario with Halo Infinite. Spencer said Microsoft “won’t hold the launch of the platform for any individual game.” Based on this comment, it sounds like Microsoft will ship the Xbox Series X this holiday even if Halo Infinite–or any other marquee first-party game–is delayed. No matter what happens, Spencer said Microsoft plans to be “very transparent” with people about their plans.

Halo Infinite being delayed would be a big loss for the Xbox Series X, as Microsoft hasn’t launched a new Xbox console with Halo as a launch title since the original Xbox back in 2011. For its part, Halo Infinite developer 343 Industries has said the COVID-19 crisis “may get worse before it gets better.”

Final Fantasy VII Remake is nearly upon us, and the latest installment of the Inside Final Fantasy VII Remake video series is here to prime us for the game’s battles. While episode 1 was a general introduction and episode 2 focused on story, the third episode of this documentary series, embedded below, dives deep into the new combat system for the remake.

The reworked combat system came about because action is “the mainstream style right now,” according to director and concept designer Tetsuya Nomura. However, the numbers and stats that fly off enemies during combat were maintained because “they make Final Fantasy what it is.”

The battle system has been designed with the thought that this is how it would work if it was designed for the first time today, but the developers report that it was difficult to decide just how action-focused it would be, and whether things like reflexes would be important. Classic Mode, which automates a lot of the fighting and lets players focus on making choices through menus, was included because a lot of fans online were worried about not being able to play because they are not good at more action-heavy games.

Materia will play a bigger part in this game compared to the original, and the developers are hoping that players who die in boss fights will change their Materia before trying again to see what will work. Speaking of bosses, they’ve been overhauled pretty substantially, as this video shows. They’re all phase based now, moving between different stages punctuated by cutscenes, and follow the principles of Jo-Ha-Kyu–that is, a slow start, a swift break, and then a rapid end.

There’s also a Chocobo stampede attack shown off, which is a real treat.

The story is discussed further in the video too, and it’s said that in the second half of the game the characters will experience a lot of growth. Subquests have been moved around to better suit the pace of the remake’s storytelling, and minigames are designed to fit in with the rest of the plot. The game is said to be “story-driven” moreso than “open world”.

Depending on where you live, you might already have your hands on Final Fantasy VII Remake–it has shipped early in some places. The game, which covers the Midgar portion of the original, will be greatly expanded compared to the PlayStation 1 classic.

In a recent interview with video game magazine Game Informer, Apex Legends general manager Dusty Welch and game director Chad Grenier touched on which Legends are played the most and how characters evolve over time.

Like most games with a hero or character pool, players drifted towards different Legends more in each season, but Wraith and Pathfinder were consistently high picks across the board. In the interview, Welch and Grenier spoke about which Legends were the most popular.

“Caustic has been from a pro player or tournament standpoint. He’s been an interesting player favorite, especially when they get into the final areas,” said Welch.

“We’ve seen in competitive play Wattson has been a popular pick. It also changes with the game. When we released the Winter Express game mode, Gibraltar was by far the favorite,” said Grenier.

Ever since the 4.1 update, Wattson has become less of a must-have pick thanks to Respawn nerfing some of her more unfair characteristics. Before the patch, Wattson was able to hold six grenades in only three inventory slots, allowing players who found big enough backpacks to stockpile grenades and bombard others with what seemed like a never ending supply of grenades.

Players used this method a lot, with interior spaces becoming a death sentence in most games. The only counter to this was to have a Wattson yourself, with her Interceptor Pylon destroying incoming ordinances, like grenades. Respawn responded to this infuriating meta by patching the character, limiting her to one grenade per inventory slot and bringing the bombardments to an end.

Legends character Bloodhound was changed in patch 4.1 as well, with his abilities being altered to reflect his original concept more. Bloodhound is a recon character, with the ability to track down or “hunt” down players with the Eye of the Allfather, which now has three times the range.

Before the update, this ability was only good for locating a player inside the same building or behind a rock, now Eye of the Allfather can be the hunter he was always meant to be. The only downside is the ability now takes twice as long to recharge.

Welch and Grenier also hinted at what else could be coming in Season 4: Assimilation, with Grenier being cautious to reveal too much.

“I don’t want to spoil too much. We will be having some stuff announced shortly that will be pretty exciting for everyone. I will tell you that we just locked in our plan for some major content coming in 2020 which has made the team very excited… We’re trying to tell more story and we’ll have more characters and depth there. We have more great animated content coming, It’s an exciting year for sure,” said Grenier.

Apex Legends Season 4: Assimilation is currently running on PC, Xbox One, and PS4. Now is a great time to jump back into Apex, with Season 5 set to link the Apex canon with Respawn’s other popular title, Titanfall.

UPDATE 4/1/20 7:55pm PT – George Takei announced on Twitter that his announcement was actually an “April Fools prank, a bit of levity in an otherwise dark time.”

Original story follows.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

George Takei, best known for playing Hikaru Sulu in the original series of Star Trek, will be the final torchbearer for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.

Takei revealed the news on a Facebook post, explaining due to the current global situation he’s had to keep it under wraps until now.

“I am honored beyond belief to have been selected to be the final torchbearer who will light the Olympic Flame in Tokyo in 2021!” the post reads.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2019/07/19/how-george-takeis-real-life-story-influenced-the-terror-infamy-comic-con-2019″]

“This will be such a unique moment, before the eyes of a billion people, lighting the torch as a symbol of hope for the future in 2021 in Tokyo. As a life-long runner, I’m especially grateful to have been chosen, and hope to do everyone in the US of A proud!”

He included a picture with his post which featured him holding the Olympic torch amongst various memorabilia from his career, which included his Starfleet uniform from the show.

Takei’s not just a Star Trek superstar and avid runner: recently we awarded his graphic novel They Called Us Enemy the best original graphic novel of 2019. He’s also working on the AMC horror show The Terror, which made it into our best 20 horror shows of the last 10 years.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2016/10/10/george-takeis-best-of-star-trek”]

Last month the 2021 Tokyo Olympics made history by being the first Olympic Games to be officially postponed. They’re now set to be held during 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]Hope Corrigan is an Australian freelance writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter and Instagram.