Author: dpugh007

Destiny developer Bungie has revealed a new solution to help combat networking issues in the popular shooter. Say hello to “Connection Recovery.” As explained in the latest Bungie Weekly Update, this new back-end feature should help players “stay rooted in the action” and not get booted back to orbit as often.

Matchmaking engineer Damian Frank discussed the new feature. First, he explained why Bungie decided to develop the new system.

“If you’ve played for long enough, you’ve probably been kicked back to orbit at some point,” he started off. “This happens when basic network problems occur on the Internet. If you can’t talk to our servers because some network router somewhere got too busy, you may be kicked to orbit. We’ve been working hard on improving this aspect of the player experience.”

Frank went on to explain how Connection Recovery should help fix the most common kinds of networking issues for Destiny. However, he also explained that it’s not a perfect system.

“Connection Recovery will leap into action and attempt to reconnect you,” he said. “It won’t always work, because the underlying networking problem may be too severe, but it gives you a fighting chance at rejoining the server you were playing on. If it’s successful, you’ll keep your progress and your Fireteam.”

When a Connection Recovery is in progress, players will see their screen fade to black before being prompted with a message that informs them Bungie is attempting to reconnect them. This message will include the type of error players encountered. If the Connection Recovery is successful, players will be respawned “after a short time.” If not, players will be kicked back to orbit.

The Connection Recovery system will launch with House of Wolves next week on May 19. However, the feature will only be available through the new Trials of Osiris multiplayer event, at least at first.

“We know that disconnections are going to be especially frustrating in Trials, so it seems like a good place to start,” Frank said. “Once we have a better feel for how it’s going to perform in the real world, we plan to add it to almost all activities–if all goes well.”

What do you think about the new Connection Recovery system? Let us know in the comments below.

For more on House of Wolves, check out GameSpot’s roundup of everything you need to know.

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Social gaming giant King is bringing its wildly popular match-three puzzle game Candy Crush Saga to Windows 10, the next operating system from Microsoft, it was announced this week.

In fact, Candy Crush Saga will come pre-installed for everyone who upgrades to Windows 10 or downloads a new copy of the OS “for periods of time,” Microsoft explained in a post on the Xbox Wire.

Candy Crush Saga for Windows 10 also includes cross-platform play with the iOS and Android versions.

What’s more, Microsoft teased that other games from King will be coming to Windows 10. However, none were named outright.

This news comes as King shares have tumbled following an earnings report that warned investors about “softer” revenue for the current financial quarter.

Windows 10 launches this summer, rolling out first on PC before coming to Xbox One later. It will be available as a free upgrade for existing Windows users. The OS also comes with a new Xbox app and will even support game streaming with Xbox One.

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As suspected, Microsoft has now confirmed that it will reveal new IP during its briefing at E3 next month. Xbox boss Phil Spencer revealed the news on Twitter, bluntly stating, “We will have new IP at E3.”

He didn’t share any further specifics. Last month, Spencer sounded unsure about Microsoft’s new IP plans for E3, as he said that Microsoft “should have new exclusive IP at E3.”

Overall, Microsoft boasts that its E3 showing this year–which will focus more on first-party games–will highlight the “greatest games lineup in Xbox history.” It’s a bold claim, for sure, but it’s not the first time Microsoft has talked about having a huge games lineup.

Back in November, Spencer said the Xbox One’s holiday lineup was so stuffed that Microsoft may need to delay some projects. That’s exactly what’s happened, as Microsoft recently pushed Quantum Break to 2016. The company still has marquee games like Halo 5: Guardians, Rise of the Tomb Raider, Forza Motorsport 6, and possibly a Gears of War remaster scheduled to launch this holiday for Xbox One.

Also on Twitter, Spencer shared that Microsoft will talk about more than just games during its E3 briefing. “There are some platform features we’ll want to talk about,” he said. He didn’t go into specifics.

Finally, Spencer addressed the fact that Microsoft will be the first of the Big Three (Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo) to hold its briefing this year. He’s not worried about going first.

“We set our tone and show,” he said. “Others can react if they want to, but I’m comfortable being the first platform briefing.”

As announced yesterday, Microsoft’s E3 2015 briefing is scheduled for 9:30 AM PDT on Monday, June 15. GameSpot will bring you all the news as it’s announced.

E3 2015 Press Conference Schedule

Sunday, June 14

• Bethesda – 6:30 PM PDT

Monday, June 15

• Microsoft – 9:30 AM PDT
• Electronic Arts – 1 PM PDT
• Ubisoft – 3 PM PDT
• Sony – 6 PM PDT (expected)

Tuesday, June 16

• Square Enix – 9 AM PDT
• Nintendo – 9 AM PDT
• PC Gaming Show – 5 PM PDT

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