Cross-platform play was one of Fortnite’s biggest strengths when it came out but it has gone rather underappreciated given the dominance of one platform in every segment.
The cross-platform nature of the game allows players to play with a wide range of players across major platforms. Fortnite for one boasts the widest range of cross-platform multiplayer among all of the top first-person shooters.
Certain platforms like Windows always prevail over Mac in terms of gaming capabilities so there is a good chance that players might not have an optimal experience even though both platforms allow it.
Fortnite supports cross-platform play between several systems, including:
PC and Mac: Players using computers can play together regardless of their operating systems.
PlayStation and Xbox: Cross-play between these major consoles is supported.
Nintendo Switch: Players on the Switch can also join the cross-play experience.
Mobile Devices: Both iOS and Android users can also play Fortnite and join cross-play lobbies with other platforms.
Although we can argue a lot of games have enjoyed success without the ability of cross-platform play Epic doubling down on it may have had implications for the games to come in the future. While not many gamers enjoy the cross-platform ability, the fact that Epic took time to build it speaks for the fact that they care about the widest range of users.
Counter-Strike 2 (CS2) community recently experienced a significant issue with Valve’s Anti-Cheat (VAC) system. Several players received wrongful bans due to an unusual situation where rapid mouse movements, resulting from high DPI settings, were misinterpreted by the VAC system as ‘spin-botting’, a form of cheating that was common in CS:GO.
This issue became apparent when players who adjusted their mouse DPI settings found themselves receiving VAC bans for innocuous in-game actions, such as accidentally hitting a teammate in Casual mode.
Have you also received a VAC ban on your CS2 account? Let’s check out how you can revert it:
How to Revert False VAC Ban?
Valve has officially acknowledged that the VAC system had mistakenly triggered game bans on innocent players. The developers also confirmed that they have fixed the issue and started rolling back the bans.
Therefore, you just have to wait and watch for a few days. However, if you don’t get unbanned even after a few days, you can contact Steam support and raise a ticket.
Even though there were also speculations that these bans might be linked to recent updates for NVIDIA GPUs or issues with AMD processors, there was a lack of clarity on the exact cause of these bans.
Yesterday's update mistakenly triggered game bans. We've fixed the issue and ban rollbacks are in progress.
EA Sports has unveiled the much-anticipated Title Update #6 for EA FC 24, also known as the Holiday Update. This update, a response to the community’s feedback, introduces significant changes to the gameplay, aiming to enhance the overall experience for players.
Let’s dive into the official patch notes of the EA FC 24 Holiday Update:
GAMEPLAY
MORE OFFENSIVE MINDED WINGBACKS
[PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Only] Significantly lowered the track back speed of AI teammate wingbacks in 3 and 5 at the back formations.
With this change we are looking to ensure that 3 and 5 at the back formations are playing more towards their authentic nature, attacking high up the field. As you can see in the videos below, players will still return to help on defence but not as quickly, encouraging the attacking team to take more advantage of open space.
Here’s how Wingbacks could have acted before the Holiday Update:
And now here’s how Wingbacks can act after the Holiday Update, note that their track back speed is not as quick as before.
REDUCED MIDFIELD CONGESTION
[PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Only] Strikers and wide midfielders will tend to be less aggressive when trying to mark central attackers.
With these changes, we are looking to promote more tactical variety when attacking through the centre of the pitch. Central areas could have sometimes felt overly congested in the past, making it hard to find passing options. Players in the midfield and on the wings are now going to mark less aggressively in order to prevent over-congestion in central midfield. We expect these changes to open central areas up for a bit more passing plays and creativity, and we look forward to hearing feedback from players.
REDUCED SIDELINE PRESSURE
[PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC Only] Significantly reduced the amount of pressure the defensive team can apply to players along the sidelines.
When players had the ball along the sidelines, there sometimes could have been an excessive amount of pressure applied to them by the defensive team using a high line. So we have significantly reduced the amount of pressure the defensive team will apply in these situations, giving some more space for attackers to get out of tricky situations with additional passing options.
DECREASED GOALKEEPER MOVEMENT AND POSITIONING SPEED
Reduced the movement speed of goalkeepers when using the Move Goalkeeper input.
Additionally, goalkeepers will now hold their final position for a short time before returning to their normal position
Being able to manually move your goalkeeper into the right positions can have a major impact on saving incoming shots when performed successfully. When moved manually, goalkeepers would run back to their original position immediately after releasing the input request, making it harder than intended for attackers to capitalise on these mistakes.
In this update, the goalkeeper manual movement speed has been slightly decreased, and goalkeepers will take a moment before returning to their original position after being moved. We are looking to ensure that players who excel at reading the game can be rewarded for their efforts when outwitting their opposition’s goalkeeper movement.
Here’s an example of goalkeeper movement before the Holiday Update.
And now here’s how goalkeepers can act after the Holiday Update, note that their movement speed is not as quick when using the Move Goalkeeper input.
FINESSE AND FINESSE+ PLAYSTYLE ADJUSTMENTS
Slightly reduced finesse shot accuracy when performed by players with the Finesse and Finesse+ PlayStyles.
With this update we have adjusted the shot accuracy by players with the Finesse and Finesse+ PlayStyles as they were more effective than intended, resulting in an excessive amount of goals with this type of shot. Our intent with this change is to reduce the number of inauthentic goals scored from players with the Finesse and Finesse+ PlayStyles.
MORE AUTHENTIC CONTROLLED SPRINT SPEED
Slightly reduced the top speed of players when using Controlled Sprint.
Our intent with this change is to bring the top speed of Controlled Sprint closer to more authentic real-world player movement. This change does not prevent players who excel at exploiting space with their Controller Sprint from doing that, but we anticipate that this slight top speed reduction can result in more authentic match flow.
POWER HEADER AND POWER HEADER+ PLAYSTYLE ADJUSTMENTS
Significantly reduced header shot accuracy when performed by players with the Power Header and Power Header+ PlayStyles.
Players with the Power Header and Power Header+ PlayStyles were more effective than intended in the air, resulting in an inauthentic amount of goals scored. With this change players with these PlayStyles will still be more effective than their counterparts without them, but with the more life-like results we see in real-world football.
ULTIMATE TEAM & MORE
We always strive to bring as much authenticity to our game as possible, and our Holiday Update brings Player Item additions and star head updates so that more players can experience EA SPORTS FC™ 24 with their favourites.
NEW PLAYER ITEMS IN ULTIMATE TEAM
Title Update #6 brings 94 Players Items to Ultimate Team that will become available following a Squad Update that will come shortly after the Holiday Update. You will see many familiar faces among the added Player Item list, including Santi Cazorla, Adama Traore, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. We also have an Ultimate Team fan favorite returning back to LaLiga EA SPORTS and Sevilla, Sergio Ramos.
To further highlight our Holiday Update changes, two SBCs will soon be available in Ultimate Team.
PLAYER MOMENTS ADAMA TRAORE
The role of Wingback in today’s football is highly dynamic and demanding. And with recent gameplay changes we aim to represent this role as authentically as possible. The Adama Traore Player Item will be a RWB with the Quick Step+, Flair and Rapid PlayStyles. This unique combination of position and PlayStyles can help players dominate over the sideline with an offensive minded wing back with deadly forth and back runs. As noted above, the base Adama Traore Player Item is one of the 94 additions you’ll see in Ultimate Team.
RADIOACTIVE ISMAËL BENNACER
With our gameplay updates we are looking to make deep lying playmakers a more viable option. The Ismaël Bennacer Player Item will be a CDM with the Tiki Taka+, Pinged Pass and Incisive Pass PlayStyles—both can help players orchestrate attacks and control possession through the middle. Also, be on the lookout for an update to Ismaël Bennacer’s star head.
MORE STAR HEADS
Title Update #6 brings 102 updated player star heads into EA SPORTS FC™ 24 as well as 6 managers. You can expect to see improved likeness for players like Gregor Kobel, as well as managers like Luis Enrique.
Please note that these star heads will become visible following a Server Release that will come shortly after the Holiday Update.
REFRESHED MAIN MENU
The first thing you might notice when launching EA SPORTS FC™ 24 after this update is the touch of holiday spirit in our refreshed main menu background. During the month of December, players will see a seasonal change with snow, added cold breath effects, and players appearing in their winter kits. And in January this environment will change to rain weather.
NEW DIOGO JOTA CELEBRATION
The final addition we are covering in the Pitch Notes today is that we’re adding a new signature celebration for our ambassador Diogo Jota – a viral Triangle celebration that is an homage to our EA SPORTS FC™ Logo.
The CS2 community is eagerly waiting to watch the first major which will take place in Copenhagen in March 2024. To qualify for the Major, teams need to get through the Regional Major Ranking also known as RMR. Today, PGL has revealed the much-anticipated locations for the upcoming Regional Major Ranking (RMR) events. These events are critical as they serve as the final qualifying stage for the eagerly awaited PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen.
PGL has chosen diverse and strategic locations across three continents, reflecting the global nature of Counter-Strike esports.
European RMR in Bucharest, Romania
PGL is set to host the European RMR in its home city of Bucharest, Romania. Scheduled from February 14-24, this event will feature 32 teams. They will compete in two Swiss groups and a last-chance bracket, promising an intense battle for supremacy in the European circuit.
Asian RMR in Shanghai, China
The Asian RMR takes us to Shanghai, China, from February 26-28. This event, although smaller with eight teams, is crucial for the Asian teams aiming to leave their mark on the global stage.
Americas RMR in Monterrey, Mexico
The Americas RMR is slated to occur in Monterrey, Mexico, from March 1-4. This 16-team event will bring together the best from the Americas, showcasing a blend of established powerhouses and emerging talents.
These tournaments are stepping stones to the PGL CS2 Major Copenhagen, scheduled for March 17-31. The distribution of spots for the major is heavily influenced by previous performances, with Europe holding 17 spots, Americas 5, and Asia 2.
⭐️ PGL Regional Major Rankings (RMR) 2024 to take place in Bucharest🇷🇴, Monterrey🇲🇽, and Shanghai🇨🇳
✒️ The Registrations for the Open Qualifiers are now live!
💡 Find out all the details about the RMR tournaments and the Open Qualifiers Registration links by reading the full… pic.twitter.com/HQ7cEvl6ey
Teams who made it to the top 16 in the previous BLAST.tv Paris Major have a direct invitation to these RMR events. Others must prove their mettle through a two-stage online qualifier starting January 8. This open-stage qualifier is an opportunity for aspiring teams to challenge the status quo and earn their spot among the top teams.
As CS2 teams from across the globe are preparing, fans are eagerly anticipating the high-octane action that is going to happen in the PGL Copenhagen 2024 Major.
It has only been a few days since the ‘Chromedek’ bundle has been added to Valorant, and it seems that the next skin bundle has already been leaked on the internet.
The upcoming Valorant skin bundle, named the ‘Overdrive’ bundle, is an electrifying collection of skins that’s expected to be released within the next few days. It features skins for the following weapons:
The Overdrive bundle is equipped with unique animations, sound effects, and finishers that change with variants. The collection comes with four variants on each skin.
Is the Valorant ‘Overdrive’ Collection Pay-to-Win?
Following the emergence of recent leaks regarding the Overdrive bundle, a portion of the community has expressed concerns about perceived pay-to-win elements within the bundle.
Taking a closer look at the Overdrive skins, a screen is visible on each gun that displays a number between 0 to 100. While the number is initially set at 0, upon firing the gun, the displayed number ascends to ’99’ before rapidly returning to 0. Notably, this sequence closely aligns with the moment when the gun’s recoil resets, raising concerns about potential pay-to-win attributes.
This is especially prominent in weapons like the Sheriff and Stinger which have long recoil reset times. This concern becomes even more apparent in weapons like the Sheriff and Stinger, where the prolonged recoil reset times heighten the impact of the perceived pay-to-win elements linked to the Overdrive skins in Valorant.
Valorant ‘Overdrive’ Bundle Price
As per leaks on social media forums, the Overdrive collection is expected to be an Exclusive-tier bundle, and will likely be priced between 8700 to 9900 VP. Here are the speculated price tags for each skin in the bundle:
Overdrive Vandal: 2175/2475 VP
Overdrive Bucky: 2175/2475 VP
Overdrive Stinger: 2175/2475 VP
Overdrive Sheriff: 2175/2475 VP
Overdrive Melee: 4350/5350 VP
Valorant ‘Overdrive’ Bundle Release Date
The release date of the Overdrive bundle hasn’t been confirmed by Riot Games at the time of writing. However, fans can expect the new skin collection to hit the live servers around December 8, 2023.
In a surprising development within the CS2 community, players have found themselves on the receiving end of wrongful bans by Valve’s Anti-Cheat (VAC) system. The culprit? A simple adjustment in mouse settings to achieve higher DPIs.
This unusual scenario unfolded as the VAC system erroneously interpreted rapid mouse movements, a result of high DPI settings, as ‘spin-botting’ – a form of cheating that was common in CS:GO.
The issue became widely recognized when players, upon tweaking their mouse DPI settings, were hit with VAC bans for seemingly innocuous in-game actions. For instance, one player received an immediate VAC ban simply for hitting a teammate in Casual mode after increasing their mouse DPI.
This bizarre situation led to discussions across platforms like Reddit and Steam’s forums, with numerous players echoing similar experiences.
False Game Bans in CS2
Adding to the confusion, many CS2 players reported receiving false game bans, which differ from VAC bans as they don’t completely lock accounts or prevent trading. However, upon loading CS2, players noticed messages indicating these were VAC-related. This discrepancy added to the mounting frustration within the community as genuine players got VAC banned for no reason.
Notable players like M80 Guatemalan rifler Mario “malbsMd” Samayoa were among those affected, highlighting the widespread nature of the issue.
Speculations arose that these bans might be linked to recent updates for NVIDIA GPUs or issues with AMD processors, both known to have caused problems previously. Despite attempts to pinpoint the exact cause, there remained a lack of clarity on what triggered these bans, leaving the community seeking answers and updates from Valve.
Valve’s Response
In response to the outcry, Valve confirmed that a fix was in progress. The gaming giant acknowledged the slew of false bans, promising corrective action. This announcement brought relief to many players, particularly those with valuable inventories of CS2 skins, which had been rendered effectively worthless by the bans.
The situation underscored the delicate balance between maintaining robust anti-cheat systems and ensuring fair play for all gamers.
Yesterday's update mistakenly triggered game bans. We've fixed the issue and ban rollbacks are in progress.
Valve’s move to rectify the false bans was seen as a step towards restoring the community’s trust, especially considering the company’s history of addressing similar issues, like the previous incidents with Windows 7 and AMD graphics cards.
For an in-depth understanding of the ranks system in CS2, a key aspect of the game’s competitive scene, refer to our detailed editorial on the Counter-Strike 2 ranks system explained.
Skins are an important part of Fortnite and no matter what anyone says to downplay its importance by minimizing its value to aesthetics alone, we cannot deny that it is a big part of the in-game culture.
Fortnite skins may be cosmetic items but over the years they have grown to be one of the most sought-after items in the game. Skins in every game are a cultural phenomenon for the players and when new skins are released, everyone is running to get their hands on the latest skins.
Fortnite, especially, puts in a lot of effort to design their skins. Starting from crazy animations to crazy collaborations, EPIC has redefined the way skins are done for the entire gaming industry, and for good reason, they generate a significant part of the game’s revenue
How many skins are in Fortnite?
Fortnite gets new skins from time to time and ever since its launch there have been numerous skins that graced the game and the number will probably shock you. At the time of writing and considering the skins from the current Season, the game has a total of 1,762 skins.
Maybe the friends we made are the ones we left behind 😮
The number will go up with time as more and more skins hit the game. Epic finds a way to introduce new skins with every new season, chapter, and event. 2024 will bring more collaborations and even crazier skins as a part of it so the players are spoilt beyond reason.
The patch notes for the upcoming Valorant 7.12 update has officially been revealed by Riot Games, and the patch will bring with it several interesting changes to the competitive shooter.
As we had reported earlier, the new TDM map ‘Drift’ will finally make its way to the live servers alongside the Valorant 7.12 patch, but that’s not all.
The initiators Gekko and Skye are set to receive some significant changes as we head into the next Valorant patch. The 7.12 update has brought with it a couple of major buffs to Gekko while Skye has received a minor nerf to her Trailblazer ability.
We got Gekko and Skye updates as well as a new Team Deathmatch map called DRIFT. Check out Patch Notes 7.12 for these and more.
Let’s take a look at the detailed patch notes for the Valorant 7.12 update, as officially confirmed by Riot Games:
AGENT UPDATES
GEKKO
One of Gekko’s unique strengths is being able to reclaim his creatures. This change aims to make that process faster so you can reclaim them in more situations. In addition, we’re also increasing the reliability of Dizzy (E) to increase Gekko’s confidence when using the ability and to provide more incentive for him to engage with its reclaim.
Reclaim for Dizzy (E), Wingman (Q), and Thrash (X)Reduce reclaim channel time from 2s >>> 1s
Dizzy (E)Once Dizzy is ready to shoot and sees a target, they will shoot faster and the projectile will travel faster.Pre-fire targeting delay decreased from 0.5s >>> 0.35sMissile speed increased from 7000 to 10000
SKYE
These changes are centered around pushing Skye to be more deliberate when using Trailblazer (Q):
By locking the camera on Trailblazer when leaping, Skye has to be more thoughtful when making the choice to get extra distance with the leap vs fully clearing multiple angles without the leap.
Enemies are now rewarded for successfully destroying Trailblazer mid-leap as it will cancel the concussion explosion.
Making the concussion universal in terms of how it affects allies and enemies brings it in line with other abilities like Gekko’s Thrash. This requires more coordination and intentionality for Skye and her team to play around the Trailblazer successfully.
Trailblazer (Q)Camera movement is disabled during the leap.When the Trailblazer is destroyed during the leap, it no longer causes a concuss explosion.Trailblazer plays the destruction voice line when destroyed during the leap.Trailblazer explosion now concusses allies as well as enemies.
MAP UPDATES
Our newest map, Drift, is joining our roster of Team Deathmatch maps! Drift features a long range mid, isolated side lanes and exciting ways to swap lanes.
PERFORMANCE UPDATES
Raw Input Buffer
Beta tag removed
Default value changed from off to on
Existing setting values will not be impacted
PLAYER BEHAVIOR UPDATES
Implemented Party Invite Codes so that party leaders will be able to generate invite codes that other people can use in-game to be able to join the same party.
BUG FIXES
Agent
Fixed a bug where kills would not be awarded to you while controlling an ability. This affected Sova getting a kill with Shock Dart (Q) while controlling Owl Drone (C), Gekko’s Mosh (C) kills while controlling Thrash (X), and Cypher’s Trapwire (C) kills while controlling Spycam (E).
When KAY/O is downed during his NULL-CMD (X), the red portrait will now show for everyone in the game.
Player Behavior
Fixed an issue where in rare cases, someone would spawn in the next round after being detected AFK, preventing the pistol round bonus for their teammates.
Premier
Fixed an issue in Overtime Voting where “Waiting for Opponents” message appears behind the voting team.
Valorant 7.12 Release Date
The Valorant 7.12 update is expected to hit the live servers on December 5, 2023. The update will introduce all the aforementioned changes to the game.
For Valorant players encountering issues or having queries, contacting the player support team at Riot Games is a straightforward process. Whether it’s reporting hackers, bugs, or resolving technical issues, the support system is designed to assist players efficiently.
In this article, we will explain the step-by-step process to contact Riot player support to generate your Valorant Support Ticket.
Select the Game: Choose the Valorant icon from the available options.
Locate the Ticket Submission Option: Scroll down until you find the option “Can’t find what you’re looking for? Submit A Ticket”.
Choose a Request Type: Select the appropriate request type from the dropdown menu.
Login Requirement: If not logged in, a prompt will appear stating “You must be logged in before you can submit this type of ticket”.
Sign In: Click on “Sign in” and log in with your Riot Games account.
Provide Details: Enter the subject of your issue and choose your specific enquiry.
Describe Your Issue: Fill in all necessary information in the Description Box.
Attach Supporting Documents: If needed, attach any relevant images or documents in the attachments section.
Submit the Ticket: Click on “Submit” to send your request to the player support team.
Once your ticket is submitted, you’ll receive an immediate email confirmation with the Valorant Support Ticket number. This email will also inform you about the expected response time, which can vary based on the volume of requests. You can use the link provided in the email to directly monitor any responses to your ticket.
Moreover, keep an eye on your email notifications for a response from the support team. The time taken to resolve issues can vary depending on their nature.
Responses from the support team are updated on the website and via email, typically within 24 hours, depending on the request’s complexity.
By following these steps, Valorant players can efficiently contact the player support team to resolve their issues or get answers to their queries
The latest Fortnite update has sparked widespread discussion and debate among players. Epic Games has introduced significant changes to the game’s movement mechanics in this update, leading to mixed reactions from the community.
New Movement Changes
The changes, carefully developed over a year by a dedicated team at Epic Games, are not accidental but deliberate. They include:
New animations.
Adjusted run and sprint speeds, which are now slightly slower, but with quicker stamina recovery.
Faster sideways and backward movement.
A slower but stealthier crouching movement.
These adjustments mark a substantial departure from Fortnite‘s traditional movement style, presenting a fresh experience for players.
Let’s talk movement. TBH, it took us a few days to get used to it during our playtests too.
We want to introduce visual improvements & encourage more strategic decision-making in each moment. Here’s what changed:
-New animations! -Run and sprint speed slightly slower (but…
While some players and content creators have shown support for these new mechanics, a significant portion of the community has expressed dissatisfaction. Concerns mainly stem from the fact that these changes drastically alter the game’s feel, a sentiment echoed widely across player feedback and comments.
Despite the backlash, Epic Games has encouraged players to adapt to these changes, suggesting that they might become more natural over time. The company acknowledged the community’s concerns in a recent tweet, emphasizing their ongoing efforts to improve the game and listen to feedback.
Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 1, alongside these movement changes, has introduced other exciting features like the NPC Boss Peter Griffin and Mod Benches, indicating the game’s continued evolution. Such innovations, including new modes like LEGO Fortnite and Rocket Racing, highlight Epic Games’ dedication to keeping Fortnite fresh and engaging.
Epic Games has made it clear that these movement changes are here to stay, at least for now. Recognizing that not all change is immediately embraced, they ask the community for patience and open-mindedness.
According to the developers, the goal is to create a dynamic and ever-evolving gaming experience, where experimentation and innovation are key to staying relevant in the rapidly changing world of gaming.
