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Bots in ‘For Honor’ are using some next-level taunts that cut as deep as a katana

for honor bots exclusive taunts emotes 2017 02 15  4
Playing any game against really well-designed AI can feel humiliating, but Ubisoft has taken it to the next level in the recent For Honor by giving its bots taunt animations that aren’t even available to players.

Players on Reddit and elsewhere have noticed the bot-exclusive taunts, some of which were collected in a post on Eurogamer. In one example, an enemy samurai draws a katana sword, holds it up sideways in front of his face, and drops it on the ground, spreading his arms wide — a clear mic drop. In another, a large knight rides a halberd like a galloping pony.

For Honor has an extensive selection of emotes for players to direct at one another, but in most games, the AI behaves a little more — courteously isn’t the word — mechanically? It literally is the computer, after all.

Maybe it’s the game’s intimate combat that caused Ubisoft to program in these responses. For Honor features brutal combat that tests players’ ability to anticipate their opponents’ moves while switching rapidly between stances to take advantage of any weakness.  Many battles boil down to simple, heated duels, which can make any conflict — even one against a bot — feel personal. It certainly adds a little salt to the wound when you’re beaten by a bot and then relentlessly taunted, especially when it’s a taunt you can’t even use yet.

According to Eurogamer, the emotes mentioned above are set to be released in the game for players to buy eventually, but they’re currently exclusive to For Honor‘s extremely snarky bots.

Also of note: The AI names generated by the game, including gems like “WhyNotJay,” “Grey2Scale,” “DroolTroll,” “YourNameOnMySword,” “DroidParty,” “MashdButtr,” and “LeftShark.” As Eurogamer pointed out, the developers of For Honor are certainly having fun with their player base, even if it’s somewhat at those players’ expense.

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Michael Rougeau
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Mike Rougeau is a journalist and writer who lives in Los Angeles with his girlfriend and two dogs. He specializes in video…
You'll have one more chance to try out 'For Honor' during its open beta
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Ubisoft has announced that For Honor will receive an open beta from February 9-12 on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
This will give more players a chance to storm the battlefields before the game officially releases on February 14. The open beta reveal came via press release, and follows on the heels of the closed beta, which wrapped up on January 29 after a weekend test period for select users.
“This beta will include the new Elimination mode, a best of five rounds four-versus-four match with no respawns," the statement read. "Elimination joins three additional modes playable in the open beta including Dominion, Brawl and Duel, and nine playable Heroes. At launch, For Honor will feature twelve playable heroes and five different multiplayer modes."

Before hopping into one of the game modes, you will create a character and join a faction. For Honor features three factions: Knights, samurai, and Vikings. Ubisoft collected combat data from the closed beta, and the Vikings are currently in the lead. The open beta will continue the battle of the factions. Players have the chance to win rewards that will transfer to the full game, adding a bit of extra incentive to try it out.
The open beta is not a total surprise, given that the game will require an active online connection to play both multiplayer and single-player game modes. The open beta will give Ubisoft a chance to stress test servers leading up to launch. The closed beta went relatively smooth for most players, but a number of users reported difficulties joining matches and staying connected to the servers. A Reddit thread dedicated to technical issues was fairly active throughout the beta period.
For Honor open beta participants can expect a hack-and-slash title with a twist. A battle system dubbed “The Art of the Battle” adds mechanical depth to player versus player combat. If you plan on picking up the retail release, you may want to get in on the open beta to get used to the complicated control scheme.
Make sure you have some open hard drive space ready, though. The file size for the closed beta was 27GB.
If you want to check out the Elimination mode prior to the open beta, Ubisoft will be streaming a live battle over on Twitch February 7 at 5 p.m. ET.

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Ubisoft has unveiled For Honor's PC system requirements, giving prospective players advance notice of the hardware horsepower required to run the game's frantic 3-on-3 melee battles.

A hardware upgrade may be in the cards for some players, as For Honor requires an Intel Core i3-550 or AMD Phenom II X4 955 processor or equivalent to run at minimum settings. Advanced graphics cards and a surplus of RAM are also recommended in order to achieve the best possible experience.

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For Honor is shaping up to be one of this year's most unique titles, delivering a mix of action and fantasy in both single-player and competitive multiplayer environments, and if you've been itching to try it out prior to its official release, you'll soon be able to. The For Honor closed beta begins across PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC on January 26.

The closed beta will give you access to "War of the Factions," which has players choosing to become a member of the Knights of the Iron Legion, Warborn Vikings, or Samurai of the Dawn Empire. This choice will stick with you for the duration of the beta, and allows you to take part in a cross-platform, ongoing battle for global domination. Even if you choose to play as another warrior in particular matches during the beta, the points you receive will still go toward your chosen faction.

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