Updated: Feb 25, 2024 11:27 am EST (GMT -05:00)

Sunday, Feb 25, 2024

9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far Early Access

9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far is now in Early Access on Steam, a new real-time strategy game that's genre specialist Petroglyph's sequel to 2016's 8-Bit Armies. This post on Steam is a "living roadmap" of what to expect during the Early Access period. This Nextfest Livestream with the Devs video has the most recent look at the game, and here's word:
From Real-Time Strategy veterans Petroglyph comes 9-Bit Armies: A Bit Too Far the sequel to their triumphant 8-Bit series of games. In 9-Bit Armies rally your military forces across a variety of battlefields and act out your strategy over land, sea and air. Deploy your airborne soldiers, destroy bridges, and aim your superweapons in a new kind of pixelated pyromania. Whether you are brand new to real-time strategy wargames or an experienced commander - 9-Bit Armies provides an extra bit of fun.

Need more? Join others online, playing together in co-op campaigns or against them in a mix of skirmishes supporting up to 8 players. Then download new maps, mods and more with full Steam Workshop integration, discovering new ways to render all to burning bits and bytes. You can also upload your own mods to share with friends and foes alike.
Continue here to read the full story.

Salvation for Helldivers 2 Servers?

This x-tweet from Pilestedt has news from the Arrowhead Studios creative director on changes expected to allow up to 800,000 simultaneous players in Helldivers 2. This seems to have worked, as a follow-up from a few hours ago indicates the developer feels it has finally overcome the capacity issues that have plagued the third-person shooter sequel since its launch:
I'm really happy and proud of the @arrowheadgs team for an amazing Achievement, the servers handled all @helldivers2 players this weekend without problem.

Now we have time to focus on improvements to the title and resume our original plan. Many exciting things upcoming!

Rainbow Six Siege Year 9 Season 1 Introduction

Ubisoft unveils details about Year 9 for Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege, including a Rainbow Six Siege: Operation Deadly Omen Reveal Panel Trailer saying a full Season 1 reveal comes today at on the Rainbow6 Twitch Channel. The video says the reveal will be at 10:00 am PST (1:00 pm EST) but the announcement we received says it will be noon EST, which may just be pad time to allow viewers to arrive. Today's clip is pretty detailed already: It's set in a haunted house to highlight the addition of a "sinister" new operator. The developers discuss the "huge" shifts to the meta this season will bring, show off gameplay, and introduce a new Elite Set now available in the game. Here's more:
Today, Ubisoft revealed the first season of Rainbow Six Siege’s Year 9, Operation Deadly Omen. This season introduces Deimos, the first playable villain Operator in-game, improvements to current anti-cheat solutions including data bans on machine learning and meaningful changes to attachments and shields that reinforce tactical gameplay.

Operation Deadly Omen unleashes Deimos, a fearsome new Attacker equipped with the DeathMARK Tracker gadget. The gadget reveals the target’s precise location as a live ping and Deimos’ location until the gadget’s time runs out or one is killed. Tactically, this probe can be used for anti-roaming, avoiding enemy flanking and to distract enemy Operators. A brutal Operator, Deimos can control any map by pinpointing an enemy’s location. Deimos is a two speed, two health Operator, and his loadout features an AK-74M or a M5904A1 as a primary weapon, with a brand-new powerful revolver, .44 Vendetta, as a secondary weapon.
Continue here to read the full story.
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Saturday, Feb 24, 2024 Qtest Released (1996)

Another Once Human Beta Next Month

Starry Studios announces PC beta testing for Once Human will resume on March 28th, coming alongside the launch of a mobile edition of this supernatural multiplayer game inspired by the work of the SCP Foundation. The beta will highlight new gameplay elements, a new creature, and a new area and interested players can sign right here. The news comes with an Official Multiplayer Trailer that's slightly janky and more than slightly weird. Here's word on the weirdness:
With the announcement of the Beta, Once Human released an exciting new trailer, which demonstrates the numerous in-game multiplayer gameplay modes available as players team up to explore the anomalous world and gather resources to build their shelter. They can also delve into aberration-ridden caves, board long-legged buses in search of treasure, and defend their territory from monsters alongside their comrades.

At the end of the video, a player is accompanied by a magic alpaca, who instantly produces a rabbit from a hat that can be used as a food source, making people wonder if this could be a clue that a pet or companion gameplay will be coming in the future.

Hoversteppers Prologue

Hoversteppers: Zone 1 is now available for Windows on Steam as a free-to-play prologue for Hoversteppers, an upcoming freestyle hoverboard game. This takes players back to the future by removing the wheels from their skateboards, so this isn't the same old grind. Here's a Trailer with a look, and here's more:
This is a free prologue for Hoversteppers, and it includes:

  • 2 stages
  • 2 Characters, and the starter hoverboard
    10+ Challenges

Hoversteppers is a freestyle hoverboard skating game. Explore stages, complete challenges against the clock, or freestyle your own way.

Continue here to read the full story.

Trackmania Rally Update Tuesday

Trackmania Website has details on the Rally Update Trailer mentioned yesterday (thanks Frans). While the racing game is not abandoning its titular tracks, the expansion of rally racing will invoke new off-roadish surfaces and new driving mechanics when it launches on Tuesday. The launch will include the chance to win some goodies:
We are now proud to announce the launch of the second episode with the Rally car, on February 27th. More than 240 new blocks & items inspired by the original Rally environment are coming with this update. 166 macroblocks will also be added for the gamepad editor. This release will be accompanied by several activities for a chance to win goodies:

  • A Discovery campaign will be available from February 27th, allowing you to discover this new car. The first three winners on March 20th of the campaign will win Trackmania goodies.
  • Two special Tracks of the Day will be released on February 27th and 28th, mixing sensations between the Stadium car and the Rally car on brand new blocks! The winner of the first Track of the Day will win Trackmania goodies.

The Rally car features a dynamic and reactive gameplay, with a slippery feel. The original gameplay has been kept on tech and dirt surfaces, and it has been adapted to the new Trackmania surfaces such as plastic, ice and wood! The car also works with the new physics, like reactors and cruise control effects.

Continue here to read the full story.

Saturday Multiplex

↑ Official trailers. ↓ Content creator videos.

Out of the Blue

I guess I'm a trendsetter, as just hours after I got sick yesterday came a relative flood of articles like this one citing a noticeable surge in Norovirus cases here in the northeast. The description of the symptoms of Norovirus fit my case, though how relatively quick my recovery was seems anomalous. But I do tend to rebound from being sick pretty quickly, so maybe this is the explanation. Either way, I'm certainly not going to complain about feeling better.

Obituary: Flaco, the owl that escaped from Central Park Zoo, is dead after hitting a building.

Trendy Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Brunch Link

Science
Thanks Max.

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