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Archived News:
A new video developer
update for Overwatch addresses some popular topics raised by the
community about Blizzard's upcoming teamplay shooter. The debut topic reveals
their plans to release additional characters and maps for free following the
game's launch. "We have ideas for additional maps and heroes that we'd like to
add to the game. So, we thought about this, and decided the best way to add them
to the game is to patch them in as free content, and not as DLC. So hopefully
that alleviates some concerns that people have." The description includes a working index to the various topics covered,
which doesn't seem to work from here: Game director Jeff Kaplan discusses some popular community topics
including current plans for additional heroes and maps post-launch, updates
regarding an in-game killfeed and scoreboard, and other minor changes coming as
a result of player feedback.
0:33 - Plans for
additional heroes and maps post-launch
1:52 - Turn off
music/control music volume separately
2:49 - Option to have
sound play or not play when client is minimized
3:10 - Updates re:
in-game killfeed
4:23 - Updates re:
end-of-round player commendations
5:26 - Updates re:
current scoreboard design
5:54 - Updates re:
the "Fire" system
6:45 - Option to
always skip Kill Cam
Steam News announces a
free week is underway for
Action Henk that
will run until midday Sunday, and the Windows, Linux, and OS X racing game is on
sale for 50% off during that period. Developer RageSquid has added new daily
challenges to the game,
this news post outlines how those work and offers
this video
illustrating the news. Here's word on why you might want to check this out:
"Run, jump and butt-slide into the glorious toy-filled world of Action Henk!
Become a master of momentum and defy physics as you race against a band of
ragged 90s action figures to once and for all prove that Action Henk is the
fastest of them all!" Continue here to read the full story.
DiRT Rally is now available
on Steam, offering the
Windows edition of this rally racing game and saying it is coming to consoles on
April 5th based on the success of its run on early access.
This news post has details on a new version 1.0 "Winter Wonderland" update
that marks the release, adding a couple of new cars, Steam Workshop support, and
more. Here's a PC launch
trailer and here's word: Codemasters is bringing DiRT Rally’s enticing blend of
authentic, uncompromising realism and edge-of-control thrills to console players
in April. Starting today, PC gamers who have invested in the Early Access game
get the complete version including the new “Winter Wonderland” update on Steam
for no additional cost.
“The launch on Steam Early Access has been a resounding success. We want to
thank the community for their valuable feedback and support which has guided our
development for the past eight months, resulting in a 92% positive user score.
We are now ready to launch the final version of the game on PC,” said Frank
Sagnier, CEO Codemasters. “Following this success on PC and a vocal demand from
consumers, we are delighted to bring Dirt Rally to console players on April 5,
2016. “
Today’s Steam launch brings with it the “Winter Wonderland” update featuring a
new rally, set in the snow and ice of the Varmland region of Sweden. These
snow-filled stages with snow banks showcase Codemasters’ new soft edge
technology, which simulates the density of snow. As a result, players can now
lean into the snow banks when pushing for stage records.
The update also brings two new cars to the game, the Hyundai Rally and the
Volkswagen Polo Rally, recent additions to the pinnacle of the
sport.
Continue here to read the full story.
Epic Games announces the FINAL FANTASY VII Remake is being built using
the Unreal Engine 4. "We’re humbled that Square Enix has chosen Unreal Engine 4
to recreate one of the world’s most beloved video games of all time," said Taka
Kawasaki, territory manager for Epic Games Japan. "It is a joy to work with the
talented developers behind the franchise, and this marks an unforgettable moment
in Unreal Engine history." This is the second FINAL FANTASY VII Remake, as one
was released three years ago, but
to our dismay, they are not calling this a remake of the remake. Here's more on
the engine news: “We realize how special FINAL FANTASY VII is to fans,
and we place our trust in Unreal Engine 4 technology and tools to help deliver
this long-awaited remake, crafted for modern platforms,” said Yoshinori Kitase
at Square Enix. “Working with the team at Epic and having their support
throughout this process was invaluable and we’re excited to bring the product of
that collaboration to long-time fans and newcomers to the series.”
Link of the Day:
7 Facts You Didn't Know About Pearl Harbor.
R.I.P.:
Forever Holly Woodlawn, Warhol’s Superstar dead at age 69. Holly came from
Miami F L A, hitchhiked her way across the U S A. Yes, that Holly.
A
Steam Community Group Announcement has word that the new version 4.1.2
update for Fallout 4 is now out of beta, and is live in the action/RPG
sequel. This apparently breaks mod support for the game, which is not mentioned
in the patch notes, so it's not clear if this is intentional. A
post on the Nexus Forums outlines a way to work around this for now, though
there are also posts noting that some mods will need to be reworked, as they
still don't work even if you get them to load. Thanks Duane.
Stardock plans to release a new patch for Galactic Civilizations III on
Wednesday along with a new DLC pack called Precursor Worlds for the 4X strategy
sequel. They actually don't plan on officially announcing this until Wednesday,
but they whet our appetites with a few new details on the DLC and the version
1.5 update: In v1.5, players will now be able to interact with their
friends and foes through new and different dialogues and choices. This update
also adds a new “Coercion” ability, a new building that will provide a Planetary
Wheel improvement for that world, and enhancements to the multiplayer
experience, including being able to invite friends to play directly through
Steam.
The new DLC, “Precursor Worlds”, introduces new and dangerous anomalies for the
player to discover and explore. They will also have to contend with new colony
events as they explore lost and ancient Precursor worlds throughout the
galaxy.
Iceberg Interactive announces Oriental Empires, an upcoming turn-based
strategy game they say will be released via early access in Q1 of next year.
This may be disorienting to those of us who understand that some find this term
offensive, though this is probably occidental. The game's
official website and
Steam page both offer
videos, images, and details. Here's
a trailer along with
word on the game: Iceberg Interactive is excited to announce that their turn-based 4x strategy
title Oriental Empires (PC) is gearing up for an Early Access release on Steam,
in the first Quarter of 2016. The official Steam page is now up and running,
allowing eager players to add it to their Steam wish-list.
Lead developers, R.T. Smith and John Carline have worked together before, on
the legendary Total War series, and after years of working behind closed doors,
are keen to bring Oriental Empires to the public. The developers are looking
forward to hearing the initial impressions and opinions of the community.
Continue here to read the full story.
A Motiga
Studio Update reveals layoffs at the developer as they push back the release
of their MOBA Gigantic until next year (thanks
MCV). Here's word: Motiga is committed to making Gigantic a great
game, and we’ve established deep connections to our community to help us do just
that. We've received lots of valuable feedback throughout our testing phases,
and as we reflect on the things we must accomplish to meet the expectations we
have set for ourselves, it is clear that we need to move the launch window for
Gigantic into 2016.
Unfortunately this change in schedule has meant Motiga had to make some
difficult decisions this week. As a pre-revenue startup, our resources are
finite. Stretching Gigantic development milestones over more time requires that
we stretch those resources in the same fashion. As a result, today Motiga has
had to lay off 16 employees at the studio. All impacted employees are receiving
severances and job placement assistance.
Saying goodbye to these dear friends and talented colleagues is painful, but we
remain committed to delivering Gigantic at the highest possible quality. As part
of that ongoing commitment, we will soon share our updated production roadmap,
within a post detailing the state, and direction, of our game.
For now, we are wishing our friends a sad but very fond farewell, and we hope to
cross paths with them again soon.
Football Manager 2016 retains the number one spot on the
GfK Chart-Track top 30 chart of the bestselling PC games in the U.K. for the
week ending December 5th, while Just Cause 3 enters the chart at number
four and Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege debuts at number 10. On the
all platforms top 40 FIFA 16 is still number one, Just Cause 3 joins at
number four, and Rainbow Six: Siege debuts at number six. Here's
their summary of all
the action: Last week’s Black Friday deals helped propel ‘Fifa 16’ (-41%)
back to the top, where it remains this week claiming its sixth No1 crown.
It leads an unchanged Top 3 for the second week joined by ‘Call of Duty: Black
Ops III’ (-32%) at No2 and ‘Star Wars: Battlefront’ (-34%) at No3. Despite the
lack of change at the top, two titles do make their debuts in the Top 10 this
week. Square Enix’s ‘Just Cause 3’ is the highest new entry coming to PS4 & Xbox
One for the first time at No4. It’s a triumphant start with the third iteration
scoring a week 1 high for the series with sales up 46% on Just Cause 2. ‘Fallout
4’ (-27%) slips a place down to No5 but is ahead of Ubisoft debutant ‘Tom
Clancy’s Rainbow 6: Siege’ which makes its mark at No6. ‘Minecraft: Story Mode’
(+16%) continues to deliver impressive week on week sales figures holding the
No7 spot for a second week. ‘Grand Theft Auto V’ (-20%) is down two places to
No8 while ‘Uncharted: The Nathan Drake Collection’ (-36%) slides four places to
No9. ‘WWE 2K16’ (+35%) benefits from retailer promotions delivering another
increase in sales to propel it up four places to No10. Wii U exclusive
‘Xenoblade Chronicles X’ debuts at No28 with sales up 73% on the launch week of
the original Xenoblade Chronicles, which released on the Wii in 2011.
All I can think of on this date is the anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor
that brought the U.S. into World War II. There are more recent historical events
where the date doesn't stand out as strongly, and I think it's in part due to
the famous F.D.R. speech where he referred to this as "a date which will live in
infamy," which became a bit of a self-fulfilling prophecy. I did a little
Googling about this, and apparently the emphasis on the date
was intentional, so it
worked.
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