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Archived News:
An
update on Bethesda.net has details on the upcoming open beta test for
DOOM as well as an outline of post-release content for the upcoming return
to id Software's shooter series (thanks Frans). They remind everyone that the
open beta will run from April 15-17 and that no codes will be required to join
in. They also explain what will follow once the game is officially released on
May 13th, outlining plans for free and paid content, including a three DLC
season pass: We know the DOOM community has always been about great
user-generated content, and that’s something we want to continue to encourage
with
SnapMap, an innovative new component of DOOM designed to make creating,
sharing and playing new game experiences fast and easy. On top of being able to
access and play new modes and maps created by your fellow gamers, id plans to
offer content updates for SnapMap, including map modules; props and objects;
additional features and functionality; AI enhancements; editing tool
enhancements and more. Multiplayer will also receive content updates in the form
of new game modes. Both of these SnapMap and multiplayer updates will be free to
use and play.
In addition to the planned free support and content updates, we will also be
releasing three premium multiplayer DLC packs after launch, which will get you a
number of new maps, hack modules, playable demons, weapons and more. The first
DLC will be available this summer and give you access to:
- Three new maps
- One new weapon
- One new playable demon
- One new armor set
- One new piece of equipment
- New hack modules and taunts
- New customization colors and patterns
Each DLC pack will cost $14.99 (£11.99 [UK]), or you can get them all at a
discount with the Season Pass for $39.99 (£29.99 [UK]). Check your preferred
retailer to pre-order the DOOM Season Pass.
Steam now offers a
playable demo for Moving Hazard, offering the chance to sample this
Windows early access zombie shooter. Here's word on the demo, and how progress
will carry over into the full game: “We’ve been incredibly encouraged by
our player feedback on Steam – everyone who plays Moving Hazard really seems to
enjoy weaponizing creeps,” said Rocco Scandizzo, Managing Director, Psyop Games.
“Our early adopters have helped us refine gameplay, determine new content, and
make Moving Hazard a much improved game already. Now we feel that we owe it to
them to add in as many new players as possible to create an even larger
community. We’re hoping that the Trial Version will bring in a new batch of PC
players to discover the joy of commanding ravenous zombies to eat their foes.”
The free Trial Version of Moving Hazard will provide full multiplayer play
versus players from around the world, including access to all of the maps and
game modes. The free trial will allow players access up to Level 5, with plenty
of weapons and loadouts, unlockable items, hideouts, matchmaking, and more. Any
and all progress made in the demo will carry over when players purchase the
Early Access game, and higher level unlocks will become available at that
time.
Blizzard Entertainment
announces Blizzcon 2016 will take place on November 4th and 5th in the
Anaheim Convention Center in California, outlining plans to put tickets on sale
in two batches in addition to the tickets to their annual charity dinner.
This page
has all the details, and here's the general plan: Summon your mounts,
open up a portal, and set a course for Southern California for BlizzCon 2016!
Blizzard’s tenth epic gaming convention and community celebration is returning
to the Anaheim Convention Center on Friday, November 4 and Saturday, November 5,
2016.
Group up with your fellow Blizzard gamers and get ready for two days of in-depth
discussion panels with our developers, hands-on play time with our latest games,
and intense esports tournaments featuring top pro gamers from around the world.
We hope you’ll join us as we celebrate 25 years of Blizzard games—and you, the
players everywhere that have helped bring them to life.
BlizzCon 2016 Tickets
BlizzCon 2016 tickets will go on sale in two batches on Wednesday, April 20 at 7
p.m. PT and Saturday, April 23 at 10 a.m. PT through the online event ticketing
service Universe, priced at $199 each (plus applicable taxes and fees). Check
out the BlizzCon Ticket webpage for all the details.
We’re also planning a special pre-BlizzCon Benefit Dinner the evening of
Thursday, November 3 in support of Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC),
where guests will have a chance to raise a glass and geek out with developers,
artists, community team representatives, and other members of the Blizzard
family. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, April 27 at 7 p.m. PT, priced at $750
each, and attendance will be limited—visit the Charity Ticket page for more
information.
Virtual Ticket and Goody Bag – Coming Soon!
If you can’t make it to the show in person, don’t fret! You’ll be able to
participate in our tenth BlizzCon from the comfort of your home with the
BlizzCon Virtual Ticket, offering comprehensive live coverage of the event via a
multichannel Internet stream. Once again this year, Virtual Ticket buyers will
have the option to purchase a special BlizzCon Goody Bag filled with a cache of
loot to mark the occasion (while supplies last). Further details on the Virtual
Ticket, including pricing, availability, programming info, and Goody Bag will be
announced at a later date.
Check out the BlizzCon Ticket page for more information, and be sure to visit
the Universe ticket page at the dates and times above for a chance to purchase a
ticket to the show. We hope to see you there!
Update on the
Overwatch website with a preview of how competitive play will work in
the upcoming teamplay shooter, saying that an in-development version of this
system is now in place in the closed beta test. An important part of how any
such system works is matchmaking, so here's a bit on how they will handle rank
and progression: Providing players with a sense of progression is an
important part of any competitive system—in Overwatch's Competitive Play mode,
advancement comes through a system of divisions and tiers.
Competitive Play features four distinct tiers: Challenger, Advanced, Expert, and
Master. Each tier also has five divisions, ranked 1 through 5. Challenger 1 is
the lowest tier and division (all players will begin here) and Master 5 is the
highest tier and division. To progress, you'll need to earn a specific amount of
points. You’ll gain points for winning competitive matches and, depending on the
which tier you're in, lose points for being defeated. The number of points
awarded or deducted varies depending on the tier and the specific win/loss
condition.
With this, while you can always be promoted to a new division or tier by earning
enough points, you can never be demoted out of a tier once you've reached
it—regardless of how many points you may lose, you can only ever move to a lower
division.
Additional details:
- Players will start at Challenger 1 with 0 points
- Players will earn 20 points for a victory
- Players will lose 20 points for a defeat
- Progressing from one division to next requires 100
points
- Progressing from one tier to the next requires 100
points while at that tier's final division
- While in the Challenger tier, players will not
lose points for a defeat
- While in Challenger, Advanced, or Expert tiers,
players will earn 40 points (instead of 20 points) for consecutive victories
- While in Advanced or Expert tiers, players will
lose 10 points (instead of 20 points) for a defeat if the match is lost
during a tie-breaking round
- Players may only queue as a group if they are
within 10 divisions of one another
Players at Master 5 will also have the opportunity to advance to a special
fifth tier: Heroic! This tier has no divisions—instead, every player who reaches
Heroic will receive a unique numeric rank* relative to other players in the
tier. In the future, we also want to provide in-game leaderboards to showcase
the top-ranked players in Heroic each season. Learn more about our plans for
seasons below.
*Please note that this functionality won't be available during our pre-season
testing phase.
A new launch trailer
from Banner Saga 2 celebrates plans to launch the upcoming RPG sequel on April
19th. The game is on Steam
for preorder for Windows and OS X, and here's word on the release: The
Banner Saga 2 for PC will launch on Tuesday 19th April, 2016. The Banner Saga 2
is the exciting sequel to the award winning, BAFTA nominated, indie hit The
Banner Saga, an epic Viking role-playing strategy game where a player's choice
directly affects their personal journey. The console versions of the game are
set to launch this summer.
The Banner Saga 2 will also be showcased at London’s Rezzed event this week
which runs from 7th-9th April, 2016 ahead of its eagerly awaited launch.
The Banner Saga, which launched to much critical acclaim has received several
awards and nominations, including winner of the 2014 Geekie Awards for “Best
Video Game”, winner of 2014 Game Developers Choice: “Best Debut” award, finalist
placement for “Excellence in Visual Arts” category at the Independent Game
Festival, 3 BAFTA Award Nominations, and winner of Pocket Gamer’s 2015 Best
Adventure/RPG Game and Best Android Game of the Year. The sequel, The Banner
Saga 2 for PC is available now for pre-order through Steam:
http://store.steampowered.com/app/281640/
Continue here to read the full story.
- Nidhogg on
Steam. Save 75%.
UbiBlog has details on the upcoming patch for The Division that will update
it to version 1.1 and add the free Incursions DLC to the third-person shooter.
They include this trailer
showing off new Operation ISAC content along with complete patch notes outlining
additions and fixes that will come when version 1.1 is released next Tuesday.
Here's the description of the video: "Dive deeper into the world of The Division
with weekly assignments, new rewards and more with the all new series of
Operation ISAC. New Operation ISAC missions posted every Tuesday at 9:00 A.M.
PST. Get your weekly assignment and help take back New York." Continue here to read the full story.
Last Days of Old Earth is (are?) now out for Windows
on Steam as an early
access release, offering the chance to play an in-progress version of this
virtual card-based strategy game developer Auroch Digital and publisher
Slitherine describe as a "spiritual successor" to Armageddon Empires.
This has actually been available for a around a month, and has just received a
major update that includes new stealth mechanics. Word is: "Players can now
upgrade their decks with new Heroes, Units, and Facilities, with specific
abilities such as Assassination, Sabotage and Detection adding a completely new
layer of strategy to the game. Sneak up on your opponent’s hero to assassinate
them or destroy building facilities to thwart your enemy’s best laid plans."
This product
section has all the details on the game. Here's more: Last Days of Old Earth is a rich and deep turn-based strategy game set in our
far, far future where the sun is finally dying. Can you command the last noble
tribes of humanity as they attempt to survive among the rogue machines and
marauding clans? Join us on our Early Access journey as we craft gameplay from
the ends of time!
Spiritual successor to the cult classic PC game Armageddon Empires, Last Days of
Old Earth invites you to become the leader of the human Skywatchers or the
robotic Automata, two fundamentally opposed factions. In a hostile environment,
where natural resources are almost depleted, you must fight your way to survive
for one more turn. With scarcity goes rivalry, and only the law of the wild
applies in this icy and desolate world.
Noble Master Games now offers Age of Conquest IV, a new installment in their
turn-based wargame series described as a cross between Risk and Total War. This
is free-to-play, with one map included for free and the ability to purchase
others for cash or in-game currency. You can find this on the
Age of Conquest website, and you can
have a look at gameplay in
the official trailer. Here's word on gameplay and cross-platform support: A
player commands his armies in one of the many ancient to modern countries
including the Roman Empire, the Greeks, Carthage, Sparta, Britain and the United
States. From Rome to Celtic nations, one creates his own warring experience,
wages colossal wars solo, against the AI, or takes on gaming friends in
multiplayer games. One can form alliances and fight co-op style with the AI and
other players for ultimate victory. The game supports cross-platform multiplayer
matches against players on PC, Mac, Linux, Android and iOS (iOS pending
approval).
Features:
- Turn-based grand strategy wargame with maps &
nations from all over the world.
- Challenging AI for single player games based on a
genetic algorithm.
- Cross-platform multiplayer & hotseat-play
including co-op team games.
- Diplomacy, economy and population management
- Map scenarios including Europe, Colonization,
Asian Empires, American Wars, World Conquest and more.
- Map editor and a central server to host and
distribute player-modded maps.
- Hundreds of factions including the Roman Empire,
Carthage, Persia, Celts and Inca amongst others.
- High scores, playing statistics, achievements and
multiplayer ELO-ranking.
Continue here to read the full story.
Publisher astragon and developer stillalive studios announce the release of
new MAN Lion's City A 47 M DLC for Bus Simulator 16
on Steam. You can get a
look at the new content this adds to the transport sim in
this trailer, and
here's a rundown on the route this takes: In addition to the official
licensed MAN bus the first official extension will also offer three new decals,
three ads as well as three brand new songs for the bus radio.
In Bus Simulator 16 the player slips into the role of a bus company owner in the
city of Sunny Springs. Thanks to the new DLC he will not only have access to the
6 originally modeled city buses of the main game, but will also have the
opportunity to sit behind the steering wheel of an official licensed MAN Lion's
City A 47 M. This bus by the well known German bus and truck manufacturer MAN is
a small and extremely maneuverable vehicle that every fan of this genre will be
happy to add to his fleet!
In addition to the new bus the DLC will also offer access to three new decals
for the decoration of the player's buses as well as three new ad banners. The
ads will not only serve as a visual enhancement of the buses, but also as an
additional source of income for the bus company, while the three new songs for
the game's bus radio will not only be enjoyable to the player but also to the
virtual passengers during their cummute.
Continue here to read the full story.
I'm getting to the breaking point with the weather around here, as there's still
more wet snow in the forecast for this weekend, which may interfere with my
opening day plans for Manstovia. I have never managed to work out a proper
shelter for my outdoor cooking operation, so precipitation puts a damper on
things, but I'm getting near a breaking point for me to get in my first round of
primitive cooking since last fall that I will probably be out there lighting a
fire even if there's a blizzard.
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