Table of contents for Issue 265 in Hyper

CATEGORY Arena Brawler DEVELOPER Stunlock Studios PUBLISHER Stunlock Studios PLATFORM PC DUE 2016 (Early Access) Battlerite is a team-based arena brawler offering adrenaline-pumping action and a unique approach to character progression. Players compete in best of three style team death matches with two to three players on each team. Matches are quick but fun, with level design encouraging tight combat encounters and fast-paced action. Two versus two matches can be fun but are far less entertainingly chaotic and strategic than three versus three encounters. You can play in standard, private, player vs AI, training and ranked matches, and there’s a short tutorial for newcomers. In ranked mode, you gain a new player rank the more rounds you win, but you aren’t punished for losing matches. In this way, the game’s…

“PLAYERS NOT ONLY CONTROL THEIR CHARACTERS AND COOLDOWNS BUT ALSO A TECH TREE AND ECONOMY FOR BUILDING MINIONS” CATEGORY MOBA DEVELOPER Primal Game Studio PUBLISHER Bandai Namco Games PLATFORM PC DUE Open Beta In the past, developer Primal Game Studio has referred to Supernova as a MOBA/RTS hybrid, a statement that could be construed as being more than a bit muddled given how MOBA gameplay arose from RTS. With a little digging, however, it makes complete sense: Supernova is bringing elements of RTS gameplay back to a genre that had previously excised them. On the surface, it looks like a sci-fi take on a traditional three lane MOBA, with teams of five taking each other on to destroy the enemy’s base. Dig a little deeper, though, and Supernova reveals itself…

SITS SOMEWHERE BETWEEN A THIRD› PERSON MOBA LIKE SMITE OR PARAGON AND A HERO›BASED SHOOTER LIKE OVERWATCH CATEGORY Third Person MOBA DEVELOPER Motiga PUBLISHER Perfect World PLATFORM PC, Xbone DUE Open Beta Aside from being one of the best looking games we’ve seen in ages, there are a few other things in Gigantic that make it one of our top picks for upcoming esports games. Sitting somewhere between a third-person MOBA like Smite or Paragon and a hero-based shooter like Overwatch, Gigantic pits teams of beautifully cel-shaded characters against each other as they struggle to awaken and fight alongside their massive guardian creatures. Due to the third-person shooter nature of the game, there is a welcome sense of speed and verticality in Gigantic, but this is just icing on an…

Set in a post-apocalyptic American landscape where the laws of gravity are more like suggestions, Lawbreakers is an intense first-person shooter that empowers you to play with one of the fundamental forces of the universe. Players take on the role of the law enforcers or law breakers in team-based encounters where each side is pitted against the other. Unlike other team-based games, though, the game emphasises individual player achievements over those of the group. Gameplay is clearly inspired by arena shooters of the 90s. The Titan class, for instance, calls back to the Juggernaut character of Unreal Tournament, with immensely high HP and a rocket launcher to boot. Matches are as intense as classic arena shooters, too, with many encounters resolving bloodily in cramped, funnel-like corridors. Multiplayer modes subvert and…

The reveal trailer for the Switch had something that has been missing from the reveals of all prior Nintendo devices – an acknowledgement of the existence of esports. Two teams were shown mapping out plays on a chalkboard, playing a new version of Splatoon on their personal units, and strategising. The teams meet in a packed arena, greeted by an enormous cheering crowd, plug their portable screens into the Switch units in front of them and start playing. This is the note the trailer ends on, and while it may seem uncharacteristic for Nintendo – often thought of as a company that caters more to families than the hardcore– the truth is that Nintendo already has several games with large competitive scenes. MARIO KART Mario Kart 8 is, by far,…

“YOU NEED A GREAT WORK ETHIC, PATIENCE, ABILITY, ATTITUDE, CONFIDENCE, AND EXTREMELY THICK SKIN IF YOU WANT TO MAKE IT IN ESPORTS” HYPER: What’s involved in owning and running an esports organisation like Mindfreak? NAKEZE: Owning and running Mindfreak is basically a part time job in which I have errands/goals I need to get done during the day and night. I'm often forced to take time off work, or interrupt my workday with online calls from international partners as time zones wouldn't permit us to chat when it's more suitable. The reward is seeing my old team mates, and the different teams in Mindfreak, having such great support, which I sometimes lacked during my competitive career. HYPER: How has the esports scene in Australia grown and changed in the time…

I still remember the first time the enormity of esports, and the arrival of competitive gaming as a global phenomenon, really sank in for me. It was the 2011 Global StarCraft II League Grand Final, held that year at Blizzcon. It was the first time the event had ever been hosted by a country other than Korea, and I was there to cover it for Hyper's sister mag, PC PowerPlay. While things didn’t go particularly smoothly (there were technical issues with one of the PCs that delayed the match by about half an hour), the crowd’s excitement when MMA (Seong-Won Mun) defeated IMMvp (Jong-Hyun Jung) eclipsed any other sport event I’d been to. In 2017, Starcraft II is just one of Blizzard’s esports pillars: Hearthstone, Heroes of the Storm, and…

1. NO OVERCLOCKING! We love to overclock here at Hyper, but even the most stable, well-tested overclocked PC isn’t as reliable as a machine running at stock speeds. It may only be a 1% difference in reliability, but due to Murphy’s Law, you know that 1% will occur in the middle of a very important match. If a component is factory overclocked, that’s a different story though; it *should* be fine to run at the speeds set by the manufacturer. It’s not always a given though, as we’ve seen graphics cards in the past that weren’t 100% stable when running in their designated OC mode. As such, you might like to set it back to the default speeds designated by AMD or NVIDIA, just in case. 2. STABILITY TESTING Again,…

“MOST OF THE CAST IS MADE UP OF DPS AND SUPPORT ROLES, WHICH FURTHER VARY IN ASSASSIN, CASTER, AND RANGERTYPE BUILDS” CATEGORY MOBA DEVELOPER Epic Games PUBLISHER Epic Games PLATFORM PC, PlayStation 4 DUE 2016 Paragon embodies the virtues of MOBA game design but in a third person perspective. Players work in teams of five destroying enemy towers as they progress through three-lane maps. You can play by yourself against AI, with other players, or in competitive PvP matches, with the latter often lasting between 30 minutes to an hour. Like other games in the genre, your character progression is tied to match duration. You begin a match with few items and only your basic ability, chipping away at enemy minions and towers to level up and progress. You unlock…

 Blood Bowl is one of the most well-known fantasy sports games in the world, but unfortunately, due to arcane mechanics and rushed development, the videogames have failed to truly live up to the potential of their tabletop counterparts. Now along comes a game that, while not quite as bloody as Blood Bowl, is brutal is it own unique way. “A VARIETY OF BUILDABLES AND FAST-PACED PLAY MAKE FOR A SPECTACULAR AND IMMENSELY WATCHABLE GAME¨ Breakaway, an upcoming 4v4 MOBA, sits somewhere between a more traditional MOBA, a capture the flag game, and football, with a touch of basketball as well for good measure. The general fist of the game is that two teams battle to bring a relic located at the centre of the arena to the goal at the…

CATEGORY First-Person WWII Shooter DEVELOPER Bulkhead Interactive PUBLISHER Bulkhead Interactive PLATFORM PC, PS4, Xbox One DUE 2017 Battalion 1944 is a first-person shooter that aims to recapture classic World War II competitive multiplayer experiences. The developers at Bulkhead Interactive draw their game and level design inspirations from growing up playing Medal of Honour and Call of Duty 2. Consisting of former AAA developers, modders, and esports professionals, they are designing the game with both the hardcore competitive and modding communities in mind. There is a great sense of authenticity in Battalion 1944’s weapon design. Unlike other military shooters, Battalion 1944 is exclusively infantry-based. Weapons have a sluggish and heavy feel to them, reminiscent of WWII weaponry. From the hollow sound of your Thompson submachine gun running out of ammunition to…

“NINTENDO HAS A LONG AND CELEBRATED HISTORY OF INNOVATION, BUT ITS ROLE IN FOSTERING COMPETITIVE GAMING IS UNDER APPRECIATED” 1990 was a great year to be a kid. The Simpsons debuted on TV, the Ninja Turtles rushed cinemas, and the Nintendo World Championships propelled videogames from suburban bedrooms to centre stage in LA. Held at Universal Studios in Los Angeles, the tournament was a watershed moment for the industry, and helped lay the groundwork for competitive gaming’s eventual rise. Almost three decades later, the battles that were fought and won on that cool winter day continue to reverberate. Here’s the abridged story. COMING TO A SHOPPING MALL NEAR YOU Nintendo has a long and celebrated history of innovation. From its Game and Watch range to its revolutionary control pads, and…

HYPER: Tell us a little about your job and what it involves on a day-to-day basis. What’s involved in being an esports manager? DAN McHUGH: My responsibility as a senior esports manager is to ensure that we are providing exciting, healthy, and competitive environments for all of the titles that we support. My general work load includes managing league operations, creating event schedules, being the point of contact across various internal and external teams to accomplish common goals and tasks, keeping up to date on recent esports rules and trends, facilitating budgets and event logistics, and more. HYPER: How long have you been involved with esports, and SMITE in particular? How has the esports scene grown and changed during your involvement with it? DAN McHUGH: My first direct involvement in…

“THE ESPORTS SCENE HAS GROWN A LOT SINCE I BEGAN WORKING IN THE INDUSTRY, AND NOW IT’S MORE POPULAR AND PROFITABLE THAN EVER” HYPER: To begin, tell us a little about your job and what your day-to-day responsibilities are as head of APAC competitive gaming for Wargaming. JINI JUN: Competitive gaming includes esports and clan wars and all the other competitive gaming modes – team battles, clan wars, platoons, random battles – that are included in Wargaming titles. What I do is make sure the player’s introduction to all these is more structured, so that hopefully they’ll become more involved and eventually make the journey to league and even pro play. HYPER: How has the esports scene grown and changed in the time you’ve been involved with it? JINI JUN:…

I DON'T CARE WHETHER IT'S VIEWED AS A SPORT OR NOT, AND NEITHER DO THE 36 MILLION PEOPLE WHO WATCHED THE 2015 WORLDS FINAL. HYPER: Tell us a little about your job and what it involves on a day-to-day basis. What’s involved in organising esports for Riot Games in Oceania? DANIEL RINGLAND: I'm the team lead. I spend my time working alongside the people who work on esports and focus on alignment, vision/strategy building, and tactical execution. Esports involves five main areas: The operation of the Oceanic Pro League (OPL) and its two feeder leagues, the broadcast, business development, publishing and operations. HYPER: How long have you been involved in esports? How has the scene grown and changed in that time? DANIEL RINGLAND: I've been working with Riot on esports…

“YOU CAN CHOOSE FROM TWELVE DIFFERENT SHIP CLASSES, EACH WITH UNIQUE WEAPONS, STATS, AND AESTHETIC QUALITIES” CATEGORY Action MMO DEVELOPER Allods Team PUBLISHER My.com PLATFORM PC DUE 2016 Cloud Pirates is a tactical PvP multiplayer game involving sky pirate combat. Working together with your ten person fleet, you compete in basic capture the objective and team death match-style battles in the sky. Combat is very strategic. The health, speed, altitude, and angle of your ship each have a tactical purpose. When manoeuvring around the map, speed and altitude not only determine how fast and high you are, but also the chance of incoming projectiles hitting their mark. Your angle marker signals nearby enemies and debris within five metres, but the overall radius display points out enemies from a further…

CATEGORY FPS DEVELOPER id Software PUBLISHER Bethesda Softworks PLATFORM PC DUE TBA When Quake Champions, the first game in the venerable shooter franchise since 2005’s decidedly average Quake 4, was first announced fans were a little sceptical. Not only was the game coming a decade after the franchise essentially died, it was also announced that for the first time in the series, each character would have unique abilities. This may not sound like a big deal, but given the fact that Quake multiplayer has always been about speed and player skill with all the characters being nothing other than reskins of a base model, it’s quite a large thing to fans of the franchise to accept. Luckily there is a workaround for purists. Tim Willits, Creative Director for id Software…

“CHARACTER TITANS HAVE TWO MODES: A FAST HITTING FORM AND A SLOWER SIEGE MODE FOR DISHING OUT APOCALYPTIC DAMAGE TO ENEMY BASES” CATEGORY Action MOBA DEVELOPER NCSoft PUBLISHER NCSoft PLATFORM PC DUE 2018 Master X Master is a bit of an odd beast. It’s a strange hybrid of action RPG and MOBA with the unique quirk of players taking the role of not one but two heroes (hence the title). With characters from established NCSoft games such as Guild Wars 2, Blade and Soul, Wildstar, Aion and lineage, as well as unique new heroes, Master X Master will boast around 30 playable heroes, with more promised after launch. The selection of heroes may be large, but even more impressive is the diverse selection of game modes. In addition to a…

HYPER: Let’s begin with the basics: who are you and what is your involvement with esports? DAN SCHECKENBACH: G’day, I’m Dan – Team Immunity’s General Manager. I’ve been involved with Australian esports since around 2003 where I started off playing Counter-Strike: Source and eventually transitioned into a management role. HYPER: Tell us a little about your work as a manager of Team Immunity. What’s the daily routine look like for an esports manager prepping a team for a big tournament? DAN SCHECKENBACH: My job with Team Immunity is to look after all aspects of the organisation to ensure we’re operating to our full potential. In the lead up to a competition I aim to make sure all our players have what they need in order to perform at the highest…

2016 was the first year an Australian team qualified for the SMITE World Championships. It was the first year that an Oceanic regional championship was included in the road to Worlds, providing a pathway for a single Australian team to compete on the world stage. It was the first year that an Australian team was soundly knocked-out of the championship in the placement stage, and unless things change significantly in coming years, it won’t be the last. Team Avant Garde wrecked house every time they participated in an Australian SMITE championship in 2016. They didn’t lose a match in the Oceania Pro League (OPL) split that led them to Worlds, and they won six of their seven online matches in the OPL invitational. They were an exceptionally strong team, and…

“HELPING PLAYERS REALISE THAT THERE ARE HUMANS ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THEIR GAME SHOULD BE A PRIORITY FOR GAME DEVS” HYPER: Let’s begin with the basics: who are you and what is your involvement with esports? CAPTCOACH: My name is Job Hilbers, but in the esports industry I am better known as CaptCoach. I am a former SMITE coach and manager, and have briefly been involved in the competitive European Overwatch scene. Currently, I am working outside of the esports industry, but looking for a paid job, however small, in any part of the esports industry. HYPER: Tell us a little about your work as a coach for Avant Garde and Team Titan. What’s the daily routine look like for an esports coach prepping a team for a big…

FPS machines tend to vary the most in their hardware requirements. Games like Overwatch don’t need a lot of grunt, whereas the new Battlefield does. Regardless, high frame rates are a must in shooters, where every millisecond counts during a firefight, so we’re going to make this a beast of a machine. It should also be able to handle high resolutions, as spotting distant enemies is much easier when playing at 2560 x 1440 and above. By making this a beast of a machine, you can play your less demanding games at 100+ frames per seconds, or more demanding games at a minimum of 60 frames per second at high resolutions. Obviously it’s going to be the more expensive machine though. CPU: INTEL 6TH GENERATION CORE I7-6700K + COOLER MASTER…

It wasn’t too long ago that that the idea of playing videogames for a living was considered an absurdity. “Pro gamer?” scoffers would scoff. “What’s next? Pro television watcher?” Part of the reason many people were – and, let’s be honest, sill are – sceptical of pro gaming and esports is that they fail to appreciate how much talent and effort it takes to play games at an international level. Videogames are considered entertainment, and entertainment is not supposed to be difficult. Over the next thirteen pages, you’ll come to understand just how false this assumption really is. You will find out what it’s like to be a pro gamer from pro gamers themselves. What does it take to make it to the top? How much training do you need?…