More Goodness on New World PTR

 Another patch is dropping on the PTR for New World featuring some of the changes discussed in recent developer updates. 

 First the new mutated expedition that mashes up Amrine and Starstone Barrows will be available.  These are both lower level expeditions so I was curious if we'd ever see mutated versions.  It makes sense that they are being mashed up into a single mutated version as standalone they are both relatively light on mechanics and length.  Combined it should be a fun romp down memory lane (though I will admit I've never done Starstone Barrows!).

 Some tweaks to refining and crafting stations are included.  Nothing major but all good changes.

 Probably one of the biggest smallest changes in the patch is that players no longer are required to be in a faction to join a company.  The specific notes are:

Players no longer need to be in a Faction to join a Company, but Companies must still declare a Faction. Non-Faction-affiliated members may not become the Governor or participate in Wars.

 At face value this is pretty simple, but points towards more changes coming to not require players to join into the faction system.  I think this is an excellent change as being in a faction can bring some issues if you, like me, end up bouncing around companies.  I can now think about going factionless but still be in a company which I could not before.  

 The long awaited shell companies and war fatigue system are coming in this PTR as well.  I am not a war player but I have been around and in some competitive companies and the shell company game was truly exhausting and irritating.  I understand why the sweaty tryhards did it but it was a toxic approach so it is good these changes are happening. Hopefully this will open up wars and territory control to more companies and players.

 Leaderboards, the last item from their roadmap, is also included.  From data mining it sounds like there will be leaderboards for EVERYTHING (1500+).  For example; each fishing hotspot has its own leaderboard.  I think we have a lot more to learn about this but I find it neat that I may actually have a shot at finding a niche somewhere to make it onto a leaderboard.  Hopefully the bots keep getting whacked or the gathering leaderboards will be ... well ... bot infested. 

 New World keeps on delivering!  What are your thoughts?  Share a comment.

Call of the Wild: The Angler - THE CHALLENGER UPDATE, COMING 31/10

 Call of the Wild: The Angler has revealed its first major update set to release October 31st.  See the full details here. Here are my thoughts.

Two changes jumped out at me with this update:

• Daily & Weekly Challenges: Put your skills to the test and earn XP by completing periodical challenges. Bragging rights included!
  
• Activity Feed: Who caught that massive fish? With the activity feed, you’ll be able to stay up to date with the latest happening in your multiplayer session.
  

 We'll comment on the activity feed first. This was a clear miss for launch in my book.  Fishing is about bragging and the fact you couldn't see what others were catching in a multiplayer match meant you had to figure out other ways to share the info which most often meant you didn't share anything.  Now they just need to get around to adding chat so we can comment and brag in game.  Community supported in-game tournaments will be much more feasible now!

 The challenges will be a good addition as currently there is very little incentive for players to log in.  With that said the challenges won't solve the problem by themselves.  There are more notes in the update about how progression will change because of the challenges rewarding experience so will have to see how all the changes fit together.  I will at least log in the first few days/weeks to check the challenges out!

 There are also multiple visual improvements in the notes.  Boats will now react to waves, fishing line will look more natural, and water will look better (a constant challenge I think this game will face with every update).  Most important though: The animation of the fish is now more accurate to reflect the speed of movement.  Fish got faster in a recent hotfix but the animations felt off and this change should hopefully put that to rest.

 Looking forward to giving this a spin 10/31.  Are you planning a fishing trip as well?  Leave a comment.