A 10th Anniversary Live Stream for PAYDAY features the developers at OVERKILL Software discussing the a decade of the heist series. This includes a look forward as well as a look back, offering some details on the upcoming PAYDAY 3. The official PAYDAY Website is home to the anniversary festivities. Word is PAYDAY 3 is set in New York City years after the gang's retirement following PAYDAY 2. It will feature the return of Hoxton, Dallas, Chains, and Wolf, because just when they think they're out, they pull them back in. A new element will be the attention their exploits will attract, as a brazen life of crime will get noticed by the media as well as law enforcement (apparently shooting 600 police officers during a getaway will now make headlines). PAYDAY 3 is currently expected for release in 2023. Continue here to read the full story.

The system requirements for Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy – The Definitive Edition are now listed on the Rockstar Store. Fortunately it seems that the life of crime players will lead in the three included games will not have to begin with the theft of new PC components:

System Requirements
MINIMUM
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel® Core™ i5-6600K / AMD FX-6300
Memory: 8GB
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 760 2GB / AMD Radeon R9 280 3GB
Disk: 45GB

RECOMMENDED
OS: Windows 10 64-bit
Processor: Intel® Core™ i7-2700K / AMD Ryzen 5 2600
Memory: 16GB
Graphics: Nvidia GeForce GTX 970 4GB / AMD Radeon RX 570 4GB
Disk: 45GB

The following list counts off the bestselling titles on Valve's Steam platform for last week:

1. Back 4 Blood.
2. New World.
3. Save 10% on Football Manager 2022.
4. Save 10% on Inscryption.
5. Valve Index VR Kit.
6. The Riftbreaker.
7. Sword and Fairy 7.
8. Pre-purchase Forza Horizon 5.
9. New World.
10. CS:GO - Operation Riptide.

• Save 75% on ABZU on Steam.

• You Want S.T.A.R.S.? Chris Redfield and Jill Valentine Come to Fortnite to Defend the Island.

↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Prince of Persia - HOT NEWS as a fabulous Atari XL/XE port will be released today.
• Project Mojave at Fallout 4 Nexus.

Content creator videos.

• The Inside Story of Mass Effect 3's Endings, Finally Told - People Make Games (NSFW).
• History of Grand Theft Auto - GameSpot.

• Wild Life by Candy Valley Network GmbH — Kickstarter. "Wild Life is an adult open-world RPG with engaging combat mechanics, survival elements, and last but not least, the highest quality erotic experiences in adult gaming!" There's a playable demo on Steam, and here's a Demo Gameplay Trailer (SFW).

• PC Gamer - Call of Duty marketing finds a new level of tastelessness.
  "A pair of photojournalists were given "special camera-like portals [to enter] into the game engine itself," where they captured images just as they would if they were photographing a real conflict. Naturally, they also raved about how realistic the experience was: "As photographers, this is what conflict looks like," war journalist Sebastiano Tomada Piccolomini said afterward. The resulting video of the two photographers at work (above) is as dramatic and over-egged as any Call of Duty trailer."

• Only 6 players hold on to perfect Pick'ems halfway through Worlds 2021 quarterfinals.

• Xbox October update adds 4K Dashboard, Night Mode, and more.
• Switch OLED durability test rates its screen 2-10 for scratch protection.
• Xbox’s Edge browser will soon support GeForce Now.
• Share of the Week- PlayStation VR.

• The Google Pixel 6 is a year behind other flagships — here’s how.
• Google says it's serious about phones again. Should you trust it? When has Google ever abandoned a product?

• Facebook failed to moderate content in developing countries (may require registration or subscription).

Thanks Ant.

• CPU and graphics card shortages could last until 2023, claims Intel.
• Unsupported PCs With Windows 11 Are Receiving Updates For Now.
• AMD FSR vs. Nvidia DLSS: Which Upscaler Reigns Supreme?
• A look inside Apple’s silicon playbook.
• Microsoft reverses controversial .NET change after open source community outcry.
• AMD's Radeon Instinct MI250X Allegedly Sports 110 CUs, 128GB HBM2E, 500W TDP.
• Intel Arc Alchemist GPUs could be pricier than we’d hoped.
• How to create a bootable Windows 11 installation disk.
• No New PC Needed: Windows 11 Runs on a 15-Year-Old Intel Pentium 4 Chip. Thanks Slashdot.
• Devuan GNU+Linux Free Operating System - Chimaera 4.0 stable release. Thanks Slashdot.
• Enhancer Software version 2.1 for AmigaOS4.1 FE update 2. Thanks Slashdot.
• Tablet Computers and 8 Other Pieces of Tech That Date You (may require registration or subscription). Thanks Neutronbeam.

• “Killware”: Is it just as bad as it sounds? Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Windows 11- How to Use These 11 Key Security Settings (may require registration or subscription).

• Ransom Disclosure Act would mandate ransomware payment reporting. Thanks RedEye9.
• Third juror dismissed in trial of Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Crysis 3 Remastered PC Performance Analysis - DSOGaming.
• Lone Echo 2 Review - IGN.

• Headset: Razer’s New Seiren Mics Look Like Big Seiren Minis - Tom's Hardware.

• Shadow of the Tomb Raider runs noticeably faster without Denuvo. Thanks fakespyder…
• ‘Wu-Tang Clan’ RPG in the works at Microsoft, it’s claimed…
• Sounds like the Halo Needler is finally getting the Nerf blaster it deserves. Thanks Neutronbeam…

It's impossible to figure out if Curb Your Enthusiasm has some sort of actual schedule, or if they just shoot as season and air it whenever the impulse strikes. If impulse is the answer, then it has once again struck, as a new season premieres tonight. I'm trying to get over the shock that this will be the show's eleventh season. This means that Curb has already had more seasons than Seinfeld! And while the longer seasons of network TV and bygone times means that Seinfeld is still ahead in number of episodes, even that's closer than I would have guess. Heading into tonight there have been 100 episodes of Curb, while there are 180 episodes of Seinfeld.

Episodic Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Story

• Plastic industry pollution to overtake coal in US by 2030, report says.

Science

• Climate change: How technology is helping cities tackle climate disasters.
• The tongue-eating louse does exactly what its name suggests. Thanks RedEye9.
• 2.5 billion-year-old traces of life locked inside primeval ruby.

Media

• Clever Humpback Whale Pops Up for a Snack. Thanks VideoSift.
• CycloTech First Flight. Thanks VideoSift.

Early Access to Sword of the Stars: The Pit 2 is now underway on Steam. This Windows game from Kerberos Productions revisits the turn-based roguelike gameplay of the original while taking the plunge into 3D. This recent Coming Soon trailer cranks up The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets and takes a look at gameplay. Here's the pitch:

Kerberos Productions has launched Sword of the Stars: The Pit 2 - a sequel to Sword of the Stars: The Pit, the science fiction Roguelike which many players still list among the best of the genre - into Early Access today.

In beta, The Pit 2 has moved from 2D to a full and vibrant 3D environment. Instantly clear to players will be new features, such as mini-bosses, and player advancements such as the ability to break down items into components which can then be re-used to craft different items. Alongside the perspective shift which allows for full camera control, and the more flexible approach to crafting, players get a preview of the variety of weapons, armors, and scavenged items that Kerberos fans have come to expect from the original game and its DLC.

Continue here to read the full story.

A playable demo is now available on Steam, for Phobos - Subhuman, an action/adventure from Underdog Virtual. This involves a quest to learn the fate of a mission to the red planet (DOOM players could have warned them about Phobos). But unlike the movie Mission to Mars, this apparently largely takes place on Earth. Here's the game's timeline:

2026...
During the first manned mission to Mars a group of Astronauts visit the small moon of Phobos, one of the two Martian Satellites, where they mysteriously disappear without a trace. No one has any indication of what happened, except the all powerful A.I. named G.O.D. (Growth Operations Defence), keeper of all the missions data.

2047...
In a very different, brutal, post war world, plagued by famines, global warming, radioactivity as well as social discrimination, the daughter of one of the missing Astronauts is called to solve the mystery and uncover truths that will shake the foundations of modern social structures...

To accompany the name change of one of the Overwatch heroes, Blizzard announces all players are entitled to a free Battletag name change for a limited time. Here's what to do if you too have skeletons in your closet you'd like to bury:

As we introduce a new name, you might have the desire to do the same. Starting 22 October, 2021 and continuing through 5 November, 2021, all players will be offered a free BattleTag name change. This applies to anyone who does not currently have a free name change available. Existing name changes will not stack for future use.

Players can request a name change through this form. You will receive a notification once your request has been processed. Please allow up to four weeks for processing.

This trailer shows off a first look at gameplay from Haunted Chocolatier, the upcoming game from Stardew Valley creator ConcernedApe (thanks IGN). Familiarly, it features pixel art, serene music, and much chill. Word is: "This is the next game that I'm making, but It's not going to be ready for a while still." For more we're directed to ConcernedApe's Haunted Chocolatier Website, where word is:

In Stardew Valley, the focus was more humble: living off the land, growing food, and connecting to the people and nature around you. However, with my next game, I wanted to explore more fantastical possibilities… experiences that take you beyond the ordinary. That’s where magical haunted ghost chocolate comes in.

Chocolate represents that which is delightful. The haunted castle represents the allure of the unknown. The ghosts represent the imprint of the past. All of these things are important. However, don’t think for a moment that, because this game features ghosts in a haunted castle, it is an evil or negative game. On the contrary, I intend for this game to be positive, uplifting and life-affirming. However, if Stardew Valley mostly channeled the energy of the sun, Haunted Chocolatier channels the energy of the moon. Both are vital.

Continue here to read the full story.

Official patches.

• Unlocking Oculus Go. John Carmack's unlocked OS build for the Oculus Go headset allowing full root access. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• Team Fortress 2 Update Released.
• World of Warcraft 9.1.5 Content Update Notes.
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes- October 22, 2021.

Content creator videos. Thanks Ant.

• Coming Soon- Chivalry 2 - NoClip.
• Teaching the arrogant player a lesson in D&D - Viva La Dirt League.
• Top 5 Horror Mods To Scare Your Socks Off On ModDB on Halloween 2021.
• Warzoodles (NSFW).

• Skul: The Hero Slayer is Available Now for Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

• What it was like to watch Steve Jobs introduce the iPod 20 years ago.

• Microsoft acquires Clear Software to strengthen process automation offerings.
• Will Apple be the last US tech giant left in China?

• Twitter says Online Safety Bill needs more clarity - BBC News.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• CPU Cooler: SilentiumPC Fera 5 & Fera 5 Dual Fan Review - TechPowerUp.
• Gaming Chair: noblechairs EPIC Compact Gaming Chair Review - For Small Players - TechPowerUp.
• Game Controller: Razer Wolverine V2 Chroma review- Razer's Xbox controller almost feels like cheating - Windows Central.
• Laptop: Asus TUF Gaming F17 Review- Big Screen, Modest Muscle - Tom's Hardware.
• Monitor: Gigabyte M32U Review - IGN.
• Mouse: ASUS ROG Gladius III Wireless Gaming Mouse Review - TweakTown.

MrsBlue and I experienced an unexpected and quite awesome nature treat on a walk. We strolled down to the little man-made beach by the lake as part of our usual circuit. As we walked on the sand I spotted what was clearly a very large bird skimming along above the water. It neared and started to climb and veer a bit more in our direction. And before we knew it, we were looking directly up at a magnificent bald eagle that wasn't more than 20 feet above our heads. It's almost like it saw us and decided to give us the thrill of our lives. Whether or not it was actually intentional, it certainly succeeded in doing just that.

Soaring Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Stories

• 106-Year-Old Berks County Woman Who Credits A Yuengling A Day For Longevity Gets Gift From Brewery.
• Giant 4,000 pound sunfish was rescued from a fishing net off the Spanish coast of Ceuta.

Science
Thanks Max.

• Multiple sclerosis- the link with earlier infection just got stronger – new study.
• New cancer treatment may reawaken the immune system.

Media

• THE MONSTER RETURNS (Halloween Special).
• Nate Smith giving a counting lesson in Chicago. Thanks VideoSift.

Auction

• 'Big John,' the world's largest Triceratops ever found, sells for $7.7 million.