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Archived News:
Eugen Systems now offers
Act of Aggression, their new real-time strategy game, which is available
on Steam with a 15%
launch discount. They also
announce a day one patch with a couple of quick fixes. Here's
yesterday's launch trailer
and here's word on the game: Set in the near-future, Act of Aggression is
an explosive techno-thriller real-time strategy game hailing from the Golden Era
of RTS. With three global super-powers, there can be only one victory.
Across three distinct factions each armed with the greatest modern and prototype
military weaponry, head into some of the world’s most volatile conflict zones,
building bases for mass production, establishing resource supply lines, and
waging war in Eugen Systems’ explosive RTS.
Build and manage the cogs of war in a return to strategic base-building,
resource harvesting, and dynamic tech-trees. Capture banks and enemy soldiers to
generate cash income. Upgrade units with specialization and unlock new skills.
Embark on an epic single player Campaign with a thrilling original story, and
fight throughout the world on realistic environments. Compete online in visceral
PVP battles and become the best commander!
In a world facing ever-looming global instability, will you repel or engage in
an Act of Aggression?
Continue here to read the full story.
Renowned Explorers: International Society is now available, offering an
adventurous strategy game from Abbey Games. The
Renowned Explorers website has
details on where to get a copy and also offers a
launch trailer with a
look. Here's word: Shortly after the success of the god-game Reus, the
monks of Abbey Games decided to abide with their vision by creating another
original PC game of one of the classical genres. They did this by combining
strategic gameplay with an adventurous theme and art style. This rare
combination, together with their innovative ‘Attitude-based gameplay’, makes
this game truly one of its kind.
According to Adriaan Jansen, co-founder and game designer; ‘’We took our
inspiration from FTL and XCOM, plus an unlikely source; the Sims. We created a
world full of procedurally generated locations to explore that feels like those
of Indiana Jones and Tintin. The player can choose how to approach any
encounters ahead: violently or verbally.’’
Attitude-based gameplay is a new type of tactical turn-based combat. While
guiding your explorers across the globe in search for treasure you can encounter
locals that require a strategic approach to deal with them, be it through a
physical or social course of action. Each explorer has his or her own expertise
and character traits when dealing with the locals. Players can choose among 20
unique explorers divided into Fighters, Scouts, Speakers and Scientists. The
speaker Yvonne Lefevre for example is Montreal’s cruel mistress. Assertive,
intelligent and the center of attention, her charm and powerful lectures can
confound any thug. Do keep in mind that your choices have an impact on your
reputation.
Continue here to read the full story.
Amplitude Studios now offers Shadows, a new DLC pack for Endless
Legend on Steam,
adding new espionage gameplay to the 4X strategy game. A new
Shadows of Auriga trailer accompanies the release, and here's an outline of what it involves:
The Forgotten are the latest major faction to be introduced in Endless
Legend Shadows. Masters of deception and subterfuge, they were assumed lost or
dead by all. Against their will, the faction were forged into a tight society of
violent and distrustful survivors, having spent the final years of the cataclysm
alone on the surface of Auriga. A violent and distrustful society, who after
many years have emerged from the shadows once more in the hopes that the other
factions will accept them - or kneel before them.
Endless Legend Shadows Features:
- A new major faction, The Forgotten, experts in the
new espionage skills.
- New invisible units, with the new Camouflage and
Stealth capabilities.
- Infiltrate rival empires to steal, capture,
sabotage and assassinate.
- Pillage villages, extractors and watchtowers to
slow your enemy’s progression.
- Heroes can be equipped with Scope accessories to
give them espionage abilities.
- Players can defend themselves with new counter
espionage and the new Detection capacity.
Continue here to read the full story.
EGOSOFT announces the release of a new patch for the Windows edition of X
Rebirth, updating the space simulation to version 3.60. They also announce
that the OS X and Linux editions of the game are now in open beta testing, and
can be found on Steam. You
can find the patch notes buried somewhere in
this forum post.
They also discuss future plans, saying the new version offers a change they are
testing for future games, the ability to turn off flight assist, offering
this video to show how
this works. The future plans they cover include patches, DLC, and a new game.
Here's word: Are more DLCs coming for X Rebirth?
In the future we will of course continue to bring many new exciting features to
X Rebirth, but parallel to that, there could also be DLCs or even new games from
us.
We would consider making a DLC if we wanted to add a large amount of additional
content into the universe. For example, this might include new systems with many
stations and ships or weapons, etc. Only then would such a DLC package be
worthwhile. All new gameplay features in the game, such as improvements to the
UI or new AI commands, that could also be added to such a DLC, would instead be
put into a free update alongside but separate to a DLC.
Is there a completely new X Game coming?
Yes. At some point there will be a new game because we want to improve a lot of
things that we unfortunately cannot improve using a DLC or update. These are
things that would cause massive changes to balancing or completely change the
structure of the economy.
Because of this, we are working exactly as we did in the X3 times: In parallel
working on a new project and improvements to the games already released. This
won't just include making improvements to X Rebirth and The Teladi Outpost, but
maybe also further updates for X3: Terran Conflict or Albion Prelude.
What are the features that are only possible in a new game?
At the very top of our list is the biggest and most popular wish of X3 fans: The
ability to actively fly all ships yourself and also actively command from the
bridges of capital ships. Additionally, we are working on massive changes to the
structure of the universe and, with that, much improved maps and entirely new UI
systems for commanding groups of ships through lists of orders to be executed in
the future.
Continue here to read the full story.
Battle.net announces
they after further analyzing game data, Blizzard will limit the number of
players who can queue together for Heroes of the Storm Hero League to
two, finding that parties of three and four tend to increase the skill
disparities in games, and that fewer parties of three and four play together
anyway. They say this change will come with their next patch, and here are the
details: We made a few big changes to Ranked play with
our latest Heroes
of the Storm patch and, in the days that followed, saw quite a bit of
discussion around the new maximum party size rule for Hero League. After reading
through player feedback, we examined internal data in order to determine how
additional party size limits might affect Ranked play, and have decided to
further restrict Hero League to players who queue alone, or in parties of two.
When we look at the data for parties of three and four players in Hero League,
we often see large skill gaps among party members. This is fine for players in a
party of four, for example, who have agreed to queue together despite any
differences in skill that may exist. However, the matchmaker needs to complete
the team by pulling in a fifth player who queued up alone, and did not
necessarily want to play with teammates of varying skill levels.
This can also create situations in which party members will discuss strategy
with each other, but don’t end up communicating the game plan to their fifth
teammate. On the other end of the spectrum, solo players may disagree with the
party’s decisions, or show unwillingness to help the team. This can result in a
friction for both sides if communication doesn’t improve.
What’s more, parties of three and four players appear in Hero League queues far
less often than solo players and parties of two. As such we feel that large
parties represent a small enough portion of Ranked games that we’re comfortable
removing them from Hero League in order to improve overall match quality.
This change to restrict Hero League to solo and duo queuing players will arrive
with our next game update. As always, we’re going to monitor how the new rule
affects the Hero League experience, and will make further adjustments as
necessary. Play a few Hero League games once the change has gone live, and let
us know what you think in the official Heroes forums. Until next time, we’ll see
you in the Nexus!
As part of a discussion of the
news that beta testing of Star Wars Battlefront will commence next
month, a post
to reddit by a Sledgehammer community manager notes the Star Wars action
game will not have a browser to pick your own multiplayer matchup, as
multiplayer matchmaking will be automated through a skill-based system. That was
actually an anti-summary, as their mention of it is more concise, simply saying:
"Star Wars Battlefront will not offer a server browser, but will utilize a new
skill based matchmaking system." Thanks
Eurogamer.
Valve
announces that the Reborn update for Dota 2 will soon become the
official version of their MOBA, stating that moving away from the Source 1 engine
version of the game will allow them to focus entirely on the Source 2 version to
better support upcoming tournaments. They say this will happen "within the
coming weeks," and here's word on what still needs to be done before the
changeover: With The International behind us and the Majors just around
the corner, we are excited to have the world start playing Dota in the brand-new
Source 2 engine. Within the coming weeks, the main client will receive the
Reborn Update. Moving away from the Source 1 engine soon will allow us to better
focus our efforts entirely on Source 2 in preparation for various upcoming
tournaments. There are still a few features that will need some work when the
update is released, but we plan to finish them quickly. Expect the weeks that
follow to focus on ironing out issues, refining the dashboard and iterating
based on your feedback. Afterwards, we’ll begin shifting our attention toward
the in-game UI, where we plan to redesign the HUD and work on a variety of other
in-game features.
Today’s update to Reborn
contains various bug fixes and improvements, as well as a large number of
backend changes that result in a very large one-time download. Now would be a
good time for everyone to start downloading the Reborn update, as you will not
need to download it again when the main client receives the update in the coming
weeks.
If you do not have the Reborn update installed and would like to get a head
start on it now, launch the Dota client and head over to the Play Tab to get set
up. All of your items are now in the Reborn client, and after today any new
content will be added directly to Source 2 only.
Hi-Rez Studios announces today marks the release of
The
Indomitable Spirit patch for SMITE, their MOBA, adding new emotes, avatars,
skins, and more, as well as Chinese god Xing Tian as the game's newest
combatant. A new cinematic
and gameplay trailer
introduces Xing Tian, The Relentless, and here's word on how he will axe you to
talk to the chest: For Xing Tian there is no defeat; there is no death. As long as there is a
battle to be fought, he will never surrender. And he will never die. SMITE’s
latest addition, a versatile god that can be aggressive in lane and boasts a
unique ultimate ability, is out today on PC.
Using his massive axes and powerful voice from the face in his chest, Xing
Tian can inflict damage and negative effects on his enemies. His ultimate,
Whirlwind of Rage and Steel, deals heavy damage and sweeps multiple enemies up
before throwing them outward and towards waiting allies.
Continue here to read the full story.
- Super Dungeon Run on
Steam is now in Early Access, but developer Proper Games says it is
already completely playable from start to finish, and "hugely fun."…
Here's another reminder that this season we're having another friendly
competition picking winners for tackle football games. Bats has
made a general forum post on how to get in, and like last year there are two leagues, one
to just predict winners, and another to try and outsmart the bookies and beat
the point spread too. The latter can be challenging, but at this rate I think I have
an outside chance of finishing third, since only three of us have entered that
one so
far.
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