Steam News announces a free weekend is now underway for PAYDAY: The Heist, and that the first-person shooter is on sale for 75% off during the event:

Kick off the weekend by playing PAYDAY The Heist for FREE starting now through Sunday at 1PM Pacific Time.

Additionally, pickup PAYDAY The Heist all this weekend at 75% off the regular price! Sale ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time.

Cloud Imperium announces they have launched a Kickstarter Campaign for Star Citizen, the upcoming space simulator from Wing Commander creator Chris Roberts. This will supplement, rather than replace the fundraiser on the Roberts Space Industries Website, which has had ups and downs since it launched almost a week ago. Here's what's happenings:

Last week’s high profile announcement of Chris Roberts’ return to gaming and his highly anticipated PC space sim game, Star Citizen™, caused such a rush of support, the servers at www.robertsspaceindustries.com (the Star Citizen site) that hosted the game’s independently maintained crowd funding program simply collapsed leaving thousands of would-be pledgers and supporters on the outside looking in for days.

Today, the legendary game designer announced a solution to that problem. Roberts and his newly formed company, Cloud Imperium™, launched a Kickstarter campaign, http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/cig/star-citizen, which will provide a stable and scalable crowd funding platform in addition to the custom one hosted on the Star Citizen site to help Roberts reach the company’s stated goal of raising a minimum of two million dollars for Star Citizen.

Despite the problems, which included multiple days without any pledge service on the Roberts Space Industries site, the company still managed to raise one million dollars in one week. “It’s a testament to the will power of our amazing fans,” said Roberts. “At a time when most would have given up, some dedicated fans kept trying to log on and eventually were able to get through and make a pledge. We appreciate all those efforts and now with Kickstarter, we believe we have an answer for everyone.

Continue here to read the full story.

Publisher Tripwire Interactive and developer Power of 2 announce the release of Dwarfs - F2P,a new free-to-play version of their indie strategy game. This can be supplemented with three separate purchases which add all the features of the retail edition of Dwarfs!, or can be used as-is to enjoy the game's arcade mode. Here's what's included in the F2P version:

• Addictive Arcade Mode with two difficulty levels
• Challenge Mode, where you can put your overseer-abilities to the test with, well, challenges
• Tutorial mode, voiced by none other than Simon of Yogscast fame
• Leaderboards and Achievements to show everyone the size of your beard
• ...and Zombies!
• All that, for exactly NOTHING

Steam News announces the release of The Landwehr Canal Pack, offering new DLC for Sniper Elite V2:

"The Landwehr Canal Pack" provides another brand new single-player mission and three new weapons. The Landwehr Canal mission tasks players with taking out three German generals as they convene in night-time Berlin.

This challenging mission requires players to devise their own plan for success, and provides a stern test of skill, cunning and ingenuity. The pack also grants access to two new sniper rifles: The Lee Enfield Mk. III and the Japanese Type 99. The addition of an MP44 SMG rounds out the pack.

CD Project RED reveals Cyberpunk 2077 as the official title for their upcoming RPG, along with a few other details about the game  previously known as simply Cyberpunk. They have launched a new blog for the game at Cyberpunk.net, and here's word:

CD Projekt RED has officially announced the title of its in-development role-playing game. “Cyberpunk 2077” will be set in the world created by Mike Pondsmith, one of the fathers of the cyberpunk genre and the creator of the cult-classic pen-and-paper RPG, Cyberpunk.

“The Team has to love the material. The Team has to want to be faithful to the material. The Team has to have the skills to execute the material and see that vision through to the end. They have to be on fire with the desire to make an extraordinary game.

And that leads, at last, to why we hooked up with CD Projekt RED” – Mike Pondsmith commented, why he has chosen to work with the Polish game developer.

The cyberpunk atmosphere, well known from William Gibson’s novels, the “Blade Runner” movie and the famous pen-and-paper game, “Cyberpunk 2020”, will surround the player. The creators promise that “Cyberpunk 2077” will be true to the essence of the cyberpunk genre. Players will be thrown into the dark future of the year 2077 and into a world where advanced technologies have become both the salvation and the curse of humanity. A multi-thread, nonlinear story designed for mature players (a CD Projekt RED trademark) will take place in the sprawling metropolis of Night City and its surroundings. Players will have a chance to visit places well known from “Cyberpunk 2020”, including a combat zone completely taken over by gangs, the legendary Afterlife joint and the nostalgic Forlorn Hope.

Freedom of action and diversity in gameplay will be delivered thanks to the sandbox nature of the game and mechanics inspired by the “Cyberpunk 2020” pen-and-paper system, fine tuned to meet the requirements of a modern RPG. Gameplay will pump adrenaline through players’ veins and be consistent with the celebrated Cyberpunk spirit – rebellion, style, edge, uncertainty. And of course, a cyberpunk reality cannot be deprived of murderous steel – guns, rifles, implants, dozens of gadgets and other varied pieces of equipment needed to survive on the streets of Night City. The developers are focused on making the technology of 2077 credible and exciting.

For more info please visit the newly launched blog: cyberpunk.net and read some articles written by both the developers from CD Projekt RED and Mike Pondsmith himself.

This section on GOG.com reveals that this digital distribution service has added Mac OS X titles to its catalogue, including the OS X edition of The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. This announcement offers details:

It's official! GOG.com supports Mac OS X.

We're bringing a part of our massive catalog of all-time classics to Mac, starting with an impressive 50 titles for Mac gamers to play and enjoy. 28 of the 50 titles, the best games in history, including Syndicate, Ultima series, or Wing Commander, will be playable on the Mac OS X for the first time ever--exclusively on GOG.com. The complete line-up reflects the diversity of available games unmatched by other distributors: classics like Simcity 2000, Crusader: No Remorse, Little Big Adventure, Theme Hospital mix with Anomaly Warzone Earth, Tiny & Big: Grandpa’s Leftovers, Botanicula, and The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings. Speaking of monster-hunter Geralt and The Witcher 2, the Enhanced Edition of this award-winning mature fantasy RPG was released on Mac just today and is available on GOG.com with a 25% discount (that's only $29.99) for the next 48 hours.

We have also prepared a set of specially selected games from various genres that will be available 50% off for the next week: The Witcher Enhanced Edition, Crusader: No Remorse, Theme Hospital, Little Big Adventure, Postal Classic and Uncut, and Simcity 2000 are all available for 50% off--that's as little as $2.99 for unforgettable classics.

Remember, the 50 is just the beginning--we promise to release more amazing games on Mac in the near future. What titles? To find out and play even more best games in history check our website regularly, become a fan on Facebook, follow us on Twitter, or give us a nice +1 in Google+.

2x2 Games announces that Unity of Command: Stalingrad Campaign is now available on Steam, and the World War II strategy game is being sold at a 25% discount in its first week on the service. They also announce plans for new DLC for the game by the end of this year:

2x2 Games have announced that Red Turn, the game's first DLC, will be made available before the end of 2012. "Red Turn: The Road To Berlin 1943-45" follows the historical Red Army offensives to defeat Nazi Germany, putting the players in command for the second half of The Great Patriotic War.

The main part of the Red Turn DLC will be the gigantic Soviet campaign game, consisting of 17 scenarios. On top of that, there will be 2 standalone German and 4 multiplayer scenarios, for a total of 23 - more than in the original game (which had 20 scenarios). http://unityofcommand.net/blog/2012/10/17/introducing-red-turn-the-road-to-berlin-1943-45/

• 3SwitcheD on Steam. Save 75%.
• Sleeping Dogs on Steam. Save 50%.

• Facebook and Twitter apps removed with Xbox 360 dashboard update – report.
• Wii U will support in-game chat, but only through licensed headsets.

• Google announces new $249 Samsung Chromebook. Thanks HARDOCP.

Thanks nin.

• Yelp Conducts Sting To Catch Businesses Who Buy Reviews.
• Apple removes Java from all OS X Web browsers.
• Man behind 'Jailbait' posts exposed, loses job.
• IE10 coming to Windows 7 sometime, maybe. Thanks HARDOCP.

Thanks Ant.

• Take a Virtual Tour Of Google's Previously-Secret DataCentre.
• OpenOffice graduates from the Apache Incubator.
• VLC media player version 2.0.4 is now available. Thanks Free-Codecs.com.
• Google filing error shocks investors, exposes process.

• Utah game developer jailed for not paying wages.
• Dutch Propose Powers For Police To Break Into Computers, Install Spyware And Destroy Data -- Anywhere In The World. Thanks HARDOCP.

• For Depressed Military Veterans, Gaming Offers a Second Chance For Improving Life…
• F1 2012 Tweak Guide…

Link of the Day: Posters for non-existent game movies. Thanks Advocate.

The Runic Games Forums have details on another new patch for Torchlight 2, which they tentatively plan on releasing around midday today. In addition to gameplay tweaks and bug fixes, this should also offer this performance improvement under certain circumstances: "LARGE performance optimization to buff/debuff bar displays when there are a large number of overlapping, nonexclusive effects (damage over time, and duration based effects or knockback )." Thanks Shok.

The Miner Wars Website announces the release of DLC for Miner Wars 2081, joking about the arrogance of releasing DLC for a game which is not yet officially released. The DLC is called the Miner Wars 2.5D Experiment based on the code from Keen Software House's previously released Miner Wars Arena in the newer game. Word is: "This DLC is now available as part of Miner Wars 2081 installation – you just have to purchase 'Miner Wars Arena + 2.5D Experiment' on our web site. That will unlock all the 2.5D sectors in Miner Wars 2081," and: "Last but not least, anyone who's purchased Miner Wars Arena at MinerWars.com gets '2.5D Experiment' for free." This trailer offers a look, and here are some details:

Yes, yes, I know, Miner Wars 2081 is not even finished and here we are, releasing some crazy DLC.

Well, let me tell you the story behind this “Miner Wars 2.5D Experiment”: one lonely night I was sitting here in the office, trying to decide what to do next with my life and Miner Wars. Then it struck me: we just released one 2.5D game named Miner Wars Arena – but we actually already had all its functionality in Miner Wars 2081 – only with much higher production value. So I was like “bro, why can’t we just take 2081, set camera to its 2.5D top-down angle and let people decide what to do next with this project?” (Don’t forget I was alone in the dark, speaking to myself)

Next day we did that camera hack; Actually we had to create a few more hacks, for example:

• Bots/AI didn’t take kindly to be limited to 2D movement...
• Missiles tend to fly above the ground...
• Player ship didn’t interact with terminals and cargo boxes

Isn’t it fantastic? Making a brand new game in just few hours? Oh I guess this is what you hate about big publishers. But hate is good. It’s better than apathy.

2.5D experiment inherits all its features from Miner Wars 2081 – code base, destructible environment, weapons, ships, art assets, game mechanics, turrets, cargo boxes, anything and everything.

It’s mostly death-match multi-player experience, although you can play it against bots if you want.

Irrational Games announces details about an Ultimate Songbird Edition and a Premium Edition of BioShock Infinite they will be offering as a pair of collector's editions for the upcoming first-person shooter sequel. These are both currently available for preorder here for North American customers, while the post adds that customers in Europe and Australia will have the chance to preorder beginning Monday. The more expensive Ultimate Songbird Edition will include a nine-plus inch statue and custom artwork along with the following goodies which comprise the Premium Edition:

• A 3-inch baby version keychain of the sold-out Murder of Crows vigor bottle replica.
• A 5 x 7-inch lithograph by Jorge Lacera.
• A 25 millimeter, resin-cast Handyman miniature from the upcoming BioShock Infinite board game by Plaid Hat Games, makers of Summoner Wars.
• A mini art book, full of BioShock Infinite concept art and commentary, with a hand-distressed cover.
• Various digital goodies: exclusive in-game gear, a digital soundtrack, and platform specific downloadable content (Avatar costumes for Xbox 360, and Themes for PC and PlayStation 3).

Epic Games announces the hiring of Laura Fryer as general manager for its new Seattle studio. Word is: "Prior to joining Epic, Fryer spent four years as general manager of WB Games Seattle, where she oversaw game development for Warner Bros.' internal studios in the Seattle area, including Monolith, creator of the recently released 'Gotham City Impostors' and upcoming 'Guardians of Middle Earth'." Epic's Seattle Studio is focused on the company's upcoming Unreal Engine 4, and this page leads to listings of a number of job openings there.

This video features an interview with the developers of A Game of Dwarves, kicking off a series of sort-of developer diaries to lead up to next week's release of this upcoming management game. Here's an outline of the clip: "Utilizing a combination of strategy and management, A Game of Dwarves gives players full reign over a dwarven settlement as they dig, build, and conduct research to expand their underground empire. With a careful hand, players will need to level up their weak dwarflings and transform them into brave warriors, master craftsmen, and diligent diggers as they scour for rare resources hidden in the depths. Defend your dwarves from terrible beasts living in the uncharted regions of the world and make sure to adapt your strategy and tactic because deep down underground, you’ll never know what you’ll bump into." Continue here to read the full story.

• Oct. 18, 1985- Nintendo Entertainment System Launches. Thanks nin.
• Disney Epic Mickey 2: The Power of Two Paint and Thinner Gameplay Trailer and Screens.
• Konami readies myPES for kick off.

• Robbery Bob Free - Android App on Google Play.
• Save Them All for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store.
• Zombie Rollers for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes App Store.

• Newsweek magazine to stop printing, go all-digital.
• EBay posts higher 3Q earnings, revenue.
• Oracle Java SE 7u9 and 6u37 released. Thanks Ant.
• Yahoo's departing CFO to get annual salary, bonus as severance. Thanks HARDOCP.

• Analyst: Best Buy Employees Feel The Most Threatened By Amazon. Thanks HARDOCP.
• Google Stays Ahead of Silicon Valley Pack on Engineer Salaries. Thanks HARDOCP.

• Microsoft Opens Registration For Its Worldwide Windows 8 Hackathon In November. Thanks HARDOCP.
• Apple Lightning cable’s ‘mystery’ chip provides weaker security than a printer cartridge’s.

• Apple loses tablet copyright appeal against Samsung.

• Game Stock Car 2012 on SimHQ.
• Pixel on The Indie Mine.
• Resident Evil 6 on Zero Punctuation. NSFW.
• Retro City Rampage on Ars Technica.
• The Walking Dead Episode 4: Around Every Corner on Strategy Informer.

• ASUS HD 7970 Matrix Platinum on ocaholic.
• AZiO Levetron Mech5 Gaming Keyboard on TweakTown.
• Calxeda EnergyCore ECX-1000 ARM Server on [Phoronix].
• Cougar Challenger ATX PC Case on The SSD Review.
• Fractal Design Node 304 Mini-ITX PC Chassis on eTeknix.
• GIGABYTE F2A85X-UP4 Socket FM2 Motherboard on HARDOCP.
• GIGABYTE Z77X-UP5TH meets WD Velociraptor Duo on TechSpot.
• Inno3D iChill HerculeZ GeForce GTX 660 on Guru3D.
• LEPA Casino, Vortex und 70D Lüfter on Technic3D. In German.
• Magnetyze Apple iPhone 4 - 4S Charger on Test Freaks.
• Netgear Prosafe WNDAP360 Wireless-N Access Point on eTeknix.
• OCZ Vertex 4 256GB Solid State Drive on circuitREMIX.
• SilverStone HE01 on Hardware Heaven and Vortez.
• Thecus TopTower N6850 6-Bay NAS on eTeknix.
• Xigmatek Fan Round Up on Pure Overclock.

I've gotten a couple of complaints about a takeover ad a couple of users have encountered here which should not be happening, so if you are experiencing this you have my apologies. I will get these addressed.

When some picks went awry for me earlier in the NFL season I chalked it up to needing time to learn how some teams will be different this year than in the past, but we all seem to be doing worse as the season goes on, though this is probably as attributable to a wacky couple of weeks as anything. Anyway, my disappointment in my 6-8 record quickly gave way to shock today when I looked and saw that this actually won the week, as Jivaro and Creston were 5-9, and Cutter was 4-10.

Anyway, here's another go: Seahawks, Bills, Cowboys, Texans, Colts, Cardinals, Giants, Packers, Saints, Patriots, Raiders, Steelers, and Bears.

Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	They Took Our Candy.
Stories:	Saints fan files class action over bounty scandal suspensions. Why the New Nielsen Ratings Might Be Viewers' Biggest Hope.
Media:	Star Wars Uncut Scene 149. Dude Beat-Boxes Music from "Street Fighter".
Auction:	James Bond's swimming trunks sold for $71,876.