Author: Trafficblast

Avengers 4 is already among the most anticipated movies of 2019, promising to resolve not just the cliffhanger left by Infinity War, but the entire last decade of Marvel films. The public hasn’t even seen a trailer yet, but there’s reason to believe that may change soon.

The ArcLight Hollywood is hosting a special screening of the film tomorrow evening, November 28, which will be followed by a Q&A from the co-directors, the Russo brothers. The original Infinity War trailer premiered on November 29. Marvel is publishing a “Prelude” comic on December 5, before which we expect the title of Avengers 4 to be revealed. Plus we already know that the Avengers 4 trailer is coming sometime this year.

Putting all the pieces together, it seems reasonably likely that tomorrow’s ArcLight event will premiere the trailer to the small audience in attendance. Then, the full trailer could drop on the Internet later in the evening or the following day–the one-year anniversary of the last trailer. And it would pave the way for the title reveal in time for the comic.

The title for Avengers 4 has been kept under wraps, though the Russos have dropped cryptic hints. So far the most likely one appears to be Avengers: End Game, a reference to a line (and major plot point) from Doctor Strange in Infinity War.

We expect Avengers 4 to conclude the Thanos arc of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. First teased in a post-credits sequence in the original Avengers film, Thanos has not interacted with the MCU heroes directly until Infinity War. In that film his full plan for the Infinity Gauntlet was revealed: to obtain the power to snuff out all life in the galaxy by sheer will and a snap of his fingers. The resulting events killed off lots of well-established characters in the MCU, leaving a cliffhanger ending for Avengers 4.

Before it comes, though, we’ll be getting a dose of reinforcements. In a post-credits sequence in Infinity War, Nick Fury calls in one last contingency plan: Captain Marvel. The implication is that she’ll be the heroes’ trump card, and we’ll see exactly why–and where she’s been all this time–in her own standalone movie on March 8, 2019. Avengers 4 will follow on May 3.

Red Dead Online, the multiplayer mode for Red Dead Redemption 2, has started to roll out to select beta participants building to a full launch later this week. If you pre-ordered or bought a special edition, chances are you have some bonuses waiting for you in the online Wild West, but you may be unsure where to claim them.

For any bonuses, first you have to complete the Red Dead Online tutorial. From there, you can find your extras in a couple of different locations. To claim a horse, just sell the default one to make space and then pick up a new one from the stable. For guns and outfits, you can visit a store, or just consult the catalog that you carry with you wherever you go. The catalog is given to you during the tutorial.

As of Tuesday, November 27, only Ultimate Edition players have access. The next phase will begin on November 28, for anyone who played the game on launch day. After that, on November 29, the beta will open for anyone who played by October 29. Finally, on November 30 the mode will be widely available for anyone who owns any version of Red Dead Redemption 2. The initial launch began at 8:30 AM ET / 5:30 AM PST / 1:30 PM GMT / 12:30 AM AEDT, so we expect each phase to launch at that time on their respective days.

However, the launch isn’t going off without a hitch. Rockstar Support is investigating an issue impacting Xbox One owners of the Ultimate Edition that’s preventing them from accessing the beta. In our own playtime, we’ve gotten into the game but suffered frequent errors that eject us.

Red Dead Online, the online multiplayer mode for Red Dead Redemption 2, has kicked off for select players as part of the progressive beta rollout. As a result we’re starting to get an idea of how the in-game marketplace will work–including its real-money microtransactions.

On the Rockstar Blog, the studio addressed that some of the marketplace options aren’t active: “You may notice some areas of the in-game menus are not yet accessible or available during this early period of the Beta, such as the Red Dead Online in-game Store which will eventually open up to provide the option of purchasing gold bars to directly acquire cosmetic items like Camp décor, or a special style for your weapons.”

In our own playtime so far, though, we noticed one other possible use for gold. One vendor appears to offer to change your honor status (to Dishonorable) for three gold bars. Given that Rockstar has stated that you can buy gold bars for real money, this may mean you’ll be able to purchase changes to your honor status for real money. This could have a real effect on gameplay, as honor can impact missions.

Rockstar went on to say that it hopes that beta progress will be able to stay intact, but there’s a chance that it “may need to implement rank or other stat resets in case of issues.” Presumably, the real-money aspect will be added once the studio is sure it has crossed into permanent progress, since allowing players to spend real money and then resetting progress would likely annoy users.

For the time being, as of November 27, the beta is only available to Ultimate Edition purchasers. On November 28 it will open to all players who logged time on launch day, and then on November 29 that will expand to anyone who played by October 29. Finally, on November 30 the beta will be available publicly to all Red Dead Redemption 2 owners.

For more on Red Dead Online, check out what we’ve learned about the free roam and Battle Royale-style modes.

Red Dead Redemption 2‘s online beta, named Red Dead Online, has begun today for select users with the release of a new update. For the time being it’s only available to Ultimate Edition owners, and it will expand to a wide release beta in two phases to take place later this week. The progressive roll-out is meant to help mitigate any issues from a wide public launch. It has already hit some reports of Xbox access and general errors causing the game not to work, however.

As of Tuesday, November 27, only users of the Ultimate Edition have access to the beta. Some Xbox One Ultimate Edition owners have reported issues with their access, and Rockstar Support has stated that it is aware of the problem and investigating. The support account has not mentioned any similar problems on PlayStation 4. [Update: The Xbox One-specific issues involving Online access have now been resolved, according to Rockstar. In our experience, players are still being periodically booted out the game, though.]

Those who are getting into the game are also getting their own share of errors. In our own time with the beta, we’ve seen several errors that have booted us out of the game in progress.

The next phase of the beta will be any early adopters, as defined by those who played the game on launch day, gaining access on November 28. After that anyone who played by October 29 will gain access on November 29. Finally, the beta will go to a full public launch on November 30. The initial Ultimate Edition launch began at 8:30 AM ET / 5:30 AM PST / 1:30 PM GMT / 12:30 AM AEDT, so it’s likely the other days’ expansions will too.

Red Dead Online aims to blend the multiplayer from the original Red Dead Redemption with lessons Rockstar says it has learned since then, likely referring to its years of experience with Grand Theft Auto Online. It touts the “deeply detailed landscapes, cities, towns and habitats of Red Dead Redemption 2 into a new, living online world ready to be shared by multiple players.”

Using Red Dead 2’s vast open world as a the core of the online experience makes sense, given that it was one of the most widely praised aspects of the campaign.

“Red Dead Redemption 2’s version of America is vast and wide open, stretching from snowy mountains and the Great Plains down to the original game’s New Austin in the southwest,” said critic Kallie Plagge in GameSpot’s Red Dead Redemption 2 review. “Further to the east is the Louisiana-inspired Deep South, which is still feeling the effects of the Civil War after nearly 40 years. There’s a distinct shift when traveling from region to region; as grassy hillsides become alligator-filled swamps, Union veterans give way to angry Confederate holdouts, and good intentions and casual racism turn into desperation and outright bigotry.”

While Fallout 76 might not have gone over so well with critics, the game has already reached “millions” of players, Bethesda announced today. The title hasn’t necessarily sold that many copies, but it’s still a notable achievement. What’s more, those who are playing are playing “a lot,” Bethesda stated in a blog post in which it also outlined plans to support the title in the future.

The developer said it’s been following the feedback surrounding Fallout 76, and acknowledged that players are experiencing “a number of frustrating issues.” In response to this, Bethesda said it plans to releases fixes and add new features “on a regular basis,” while changes based on player feedback will also be implemented down the road.

Additionally, Bethesda said it has an “incredible list” of updates planned for Fallout 76, some of which will comprise new quests and events, as well as more Vaults, a faction-based PvP system, and more. “We’re confident, with your support, we can make Fallout 76 an incredible experience for years to come,” Bethesda said.

Previously, Bethesda boss Pete Hines said he expects Fallout 76’s servers to stay online until the sun burns out and humankind is swept into dust.

The first of Fallout 76’s major post-release updates will arrive on December 4. This update will increase the game’s Stash limit, while also delivering new performance and stability improvements, as well as balance changes and some bug fixes. The full patch notes are coming later, but for now you can read a summary of the main points below, as written by Bethesda.

December 4 Patch Highlights

• Stash Limit Increased: We know many of you have been asking for an adjustment to the Stash storage limit, and we’re happy to share that we’re increasing it from 400 to 600. While this is somewhat conservative, we plan to increase the storage cap further once we verify that this change will not negatively impact the stability of the game.
• Boss Loot: Players should correctly receive two to three items after taking down a boss, depending on the creature’s difficulty and level.
• Cryolator Effects: Players hit with the Cryolator are now Chilled, Frosted, or Frozen depending on how many times they are hit. The duration of movement speed reductions applied by these effects have also been decreased from 2 hours to 30 seconds.
• Respawning When Overencumbered: We’ve resolved an issue affecting players who die while overencumbered that only allowed them to Respawn at Vault 76. Now, overencumbered players will be able to respawn at the nearest discovered Map Marker.
• Stuck in Power Armor: We’ve addressed an issue in this patch that could cause players to become stuck inside Power Armor. We’re also aware that there are some additional cases where this can occur, and we are actively investigating them.

A week later on December 11, Bethesda will release the next Fallout 76 update that will include even more bug fixes, as well as new features like the ability respec your SPECIAL and push-to-talk voice chat on PC. What’s more, a bulldozer will be added to Camp that lets you remove trees, rocks, and other obstacles in your way.

December 11 Patch Highlights

• PC Additions: A Push-to-Talk setting for Voice Chat, 21:9 resolution support, and a Field of View setting are all being implemented on PC with this update.
• SPECIAL Respec: After level 50, you’ll be able to choose between a new Perk Card, or moving a SPECIAL point you had previously allocated.
• C.A.M.P. Placement on Login: Your C.A.M.P. will no longer be automatically blueprinted and stored if someone is occupying your location when you log into a server. Instead, you’ll receive a notification that your space is occupied. If you decide to find a new home for your C.A.M.P. on that server, it will be free to do so. However, if you don’t attempt to place down your C.A.M.P., you will be able to switch to a new server where that spot is vacant and your C.A.M.P. will be fully assembled and waiting for you.
• Bulldozer: This is a new C.A.M.P. feature that will allow you to remove small trees, rocks, and other obstructions so it’s easier to create and place your C.A.M.P. when and where you want it. You can also “Bulldoze” to clear these items from the surrounding area to make your C.A.M.P. feel more like home!

Also in the blog post, Bethesda acknowledged the concerns people had about the first patch for Fallout 76 that was more than 40 GB in size on some platforms. Future patches should be smaller, Bethesda said, though the developer shared no details on the degree to which they may be smaller. The developer also warned that the updates could get delayed based on a number of factors.

Fallout 76 was heavily discounted on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, which suggests the game might not be performing so well commercially, but that’s just speculation.