Saying, "I grew up reading Carmack’s .plan files for Quake, so it’s fun to be writing one of my own," Sean Murray announces a new patch for No Man's Sky. This is the expected update to pave the way for this week's release of Hello Games' space opera. He also explains the promised server wipes, saying beside today's there will be another tomorrow. The full post contains some spoilers, but this part seems unspoiled:

When we went gold five or six week ago, we posted on twitter, and literally every reply was like “hope you are going on a nice holiday!”. Some of us have, but I didn’t want to, not yet. I pictured myself somewhere staring out the window thinking about this game I’ve been working on for five years.
We’re under a pretty intense spotlight right now, and hopefully it’s easy to imagine how hard it would be to switch off from that, or how deeply we care about people’s first impression of the game.

In fact most of us were back here the day after we went gold, working on this update. We’re already proud of what we put on a disk, but if we had time, why not continue to update it?

Hello Games will continually update No Man’s Sky this way. This is the first of many.

It will be available on Monday for press for review once it exits submission, and on launch for public on PC and PS4. We expect future updates like these to continue to be free.

For 99.9% of people, all you have to do is install the update before you begin to play.
If you had an early copy somehow, your save game will technically work post update, but you will miss out on new content and experiences if you don’t delete your save before updating (should be obvious why from notes below). We highly recommend deleting your save if you have played before updating your game (we won’t do this in future, but it’s a day zero update).

Servers will be wiped on Sunday and again Monday in the lead up to launch.

A new Star Citizen Newsletter has word that alpha 2.5 for Star Citizen nears. Cloud Imperium opts for a "road" metaphor for a space flight game and offers some details on the new version. There's no word yet on when the game might reach beta. Nor is there a release date for the new alpha, though it sounds close. Here's word:

As I write this, the team is putting Star Citizen Alpha version 2.5 through its paces. We’ve recently released it to the first wave of PTU testers, who are helping us identify bugs to smash and improvements to gameplay for the upcoming live release. Once that happens, you’ll be able to explore the Grim HEX outlaw base, fly the community-selected Reliant and try out the brand new Argo shuttle. This will be the first time in the mini-PU that we have different spawn locations and I’m excited to see what happens now that Citizens and outlaws have their own bases.

Recent developments are making  it harder to use Xbox One controllers on Windows PCs, according to Ars Technica. In spite of Windows Bluetooth support, new Bluetooth-powered controllers for the Xbox One S are part of the problem. This support thread has details, and Ars says, "Some games no longer recognize when Xbox One controllers are connected via Bluetooth or through the official Xbox One wireless adapter. Other games, as well as Steam's Big Picture mode, think a single Xbox One controller is two controllers simultaneously." At the same time, the recent Windows 10 anniversary update seems to have broken homebrew workarounds for third-party controllers. Finally, they also note only a single Bluetooth controller can connect to a PC at once, and this must be running Windows 10. Here's a summary of the mess that leads them to suggest gamers uninstall the Win10 anniversary update:

Another issue is less likely to receive an update: the new Xbox One controllers' Bluetooth support is severely limited. As in, only one pad can be connected via Bluetooth at once.

Microsoft isn't advertising this limitation, but an official Xbox Support page confirms it: you can only connect one Bluetooth pad to a Windows 10 PC at a time, and those Bluetooth pads require running on Windows 10 with the Anniversary update. If you want to use more wireless Xbox One pads on a single PC, you'll need to purchase the official Xbox One wireless adapter. Otherwise, don't rush out and buy a bunch of updated Xbox One pads expecting them to sync up to any laptop for the sake of wild, on-the-go multiplayer sessions of Push Me Pull You or Towerfall: Ascension.

The situation gets worse. Your sole Bluetooth controller won't even function in Windows 10's Anniversary update until you update the controller's firmware, which users aren't told when they connect the pads. Instead, users must manually find and install the Xbox Accessories app from the Windows Store. Boot that with the Xbox One pad connected via Bluetooth, and you'll then get the prompt to update the pad's firmware. The new Xbox One controller does not include instructions to this effect, possibly because Xbox One consoles automate this process in a way that Windows 10 PCs do not.

Until Microsoft announces an update to these controller-based woes, the gaming geeks at Ars recommend that you avoid the Anniversary update. If you've already updated and want to return to the "it just works" days of XInput support on wireless controllers, toggle to the "revert to your previous install of Windows" option, which isn't hard to find in the options menus.

Here's Valve's accounting of the 10 bestselling titles on Steam for last week:

1. No Man's Sky
2. DOOM
3. ARK: Survival Evolved
4. Fallout 4
5. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Siege
6. RimWorld
7. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
8. Batman - The Telltale Series
9. ABZU
10. Grand Theft Auto V

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• We Happy Few on Just Adventure.

• "Halo" Series Is Still "Alive" Says Xbox Chief. I'm making a note here. Huge success. Thanks Ant.
• Watch: 6 new things Xbox One S can do (and one it won't).
• SMITE Console: Force of Nature - 3.14 Patch Notes.

• Mozilla experimenting with Wayback Machine integration.

• How can I bring my ancient car stereo into the modern era?

• BBC detector vans are back to spy on your home Wi-Fi – if you can believe it.
• Researchers learn about wire-fraud scam after Nigerian scammers infect themselves with their own malware.
• Symantec appoints first cybersecurity czar to woo hacking talent.

• US Politicians tell DEF CON it'll take Congress ages to sort out how to regulate crypto. Takes ages for anything there but giving themselves raises.

• Cryorig H5 Ultimate CPU Cooler on Play3r.net.
• Linksys WRT1900ACS Dual-Band Smart Wireless Router on TweakTown.
• Phanteks Enthoo Evolv ATX Tempered Glass Edition Gehäuse on Technic3D. German.
• Razer Leviathan Mini Speaker on Mad Shrimps.
• Shuttle XPC Nano NC01U5 Barebones System on Play3r.net.

Thanks Ant.

• Valve doubling office space to make room for more hats, presumably…
• NASA celebrates Curiosity's fourth year on Mars with a game. Thanks Slashdot…
• DOOM - Great SnapMaps Round #8…
• First person mode at The Witcher 3 Nexus. Thanks DSOGaming…
• Command & Conquer Renegade X 5.2 Released…
• What I learned playing Metacritic’s all-time worst-scoring PC games…

Today is a big milestone on the NFL calendar, as the first preseason game is tonight. The Hall of Fame game will be a matchup of two of the NFL's most storied franchises, setting the Packers against the Colts. I'm somewhat excited about the coming of the football season, which is telling. The amount of attention I pay to the preseason generally reflects the fortunes of the Mets. The team is still hanging around the playoff hunt, but if things were going better in Flushing, I'd be a lot less concerned with the NFL right now.

Links of Fame:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Word Crush.
Story:	Rio Paralympics 2016- Russian athletes banned after doping scandal. Seems extra-wrong.
Science:	New Form Of Light Could Make Study Of Quantum Phenomena Easier.
Media:	FUTURAMA best scenes remade in FALLOUT 4 using Mods. Thanks VG247. HeroStorm Ep 17 Dragon Knight's Shrining Moment. McDonald's - Alltime Facts. Cat Olympics 2016.

Accompanied by two apologies, Sean Murray of Hello Games tweets an announcement that No Man's Sky will come on August 12th. This was due on the 9th alongside the PS4 version of the space game. He says, "PC NMS release will now be global and will be August 12th worldwide. It's so important we get it right and make the best version we can." On a related note, Harry Denholm tweets a server wipe is coming on Sunday, which should reduce the impact of early leaked copies. Thanks GameInformer.

Battle.net announces the commencement of Season 7 in Diablo III, their action/RPG sequel. Looking back on this post outlines the journey of the season and this one details Season 7 rewards. Here's the overview:

Seasons are an optional, recurring game mode that offers PC players the opportunity to periodically start fresh, leveling new Normal or Hardcore heroes from level 1 without any currency, resources, items, or previously earned Paragon experience. Similar to the separation between Normal and Hardcore game modes, Seasonal heroes will also have their own shared stash and Artisan progression. Any currency, materials, recipes, items, Paragon experience, and Artisan progression earned during a Season will be rolled over to a player's non-Seasonal profile once the Season concludes.

Season 7 will offer unique rewards and new challenges for players, including new cosmetic items, pieces of an exclusive Transmogrification set only available to those who participate in Seasons, and Season-only achievements called Conquests. Progress within a given Season will also be tracked on the Leaderboard system, and in the Seasons Journey interface.

At QuakeCon id's Marty Stratton revealed plans to add a score attack mode to DOOM. In a conversation with GamesRadar the game's director revealed plans for a free update to add a competitive leaderboard to the shooter. Here's word:

"I want the game to reward me in a way that it's recognizing how badass I'm playing", Stratton said. "And it's arcadey to begin with, so as we've started to present that to the player and call that stuff out, it actually works pretty well. So I'm excited about that."

"Leaderboards, ways to compete with friends, all that kind of stuff. We'll be talking a lot more about it down the road. It's kind of in its early-ish development. But I think it will be a very cool way for players to come back and play the campaign again, experience it again, and even again and again, as they shoot for the really good runs."

• Counter-Strike: Global Offensive » Release Notes for 8/5/2016.

• The International 2016's main event bracket reveals Dota teams in fight for $20m survival.
• The International: Lockless and Trove Immortals - Dota 2.
• Team Fortress 2 - The Summer 72hr TF2Jam Showcase.

• Microsoft says popular Xbox 360 title Blue Dragon will become backwards compatible on Xbox One.

• Pokémon Go banned in Iran due to "security concerns."

• This Company Has Built a Profile on Every American Adult. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

Thanks j.c.f.

• FBI Chief Calls for National Talk Over Encryption vs. Safety.
• How to Hack an Election in 7 Minutes.
• How many zero-day vulns is Uncle Sam sitting on? Not as many as you think, apparently.
• Meet the 'average paperclip threat'- Why Airbnb rentals are the next big attack surface.
• Jeep hackers: How we swerved past Chrysler's car security patches.

• Judge Must Decide If YouTube Channel Is Worth $79 Billion or Nothing At All.
• Rio Olympics 2016: GIFs of the games are banned by the International Olympic Committee.
• How Queen got Trump to stop using their music.

• Edimax EW-7438RPn Mini Wi-Fi Extender on Big Bruin.
• Netgear ReadyNAS 214 Four-Bay Consumer NAS on TweakTown.
• NVIDIA GeForce GTX 1060 Founders Edition & ASUS Strix GTX 1060 Graphics Cards on AnandTech.
• PowerColor RED DEVIL RX 470 on Vortez.
• Sapphire Nitro+ RX 470 OC Graphics Card on eTeknix.
• ZealSound HDE-300 Earbuds on APH Networks.

Hiroshima Bombing Anniversary: 71 Years On, Japan Calls For World Without Nuclear Weapons.

Links:	Thanks Ant and Acleacius.
Play:	Dead Ahead.
Stories:	Star Wars prequel trilogy coming to 3D Blu-ray, Rogue One in editing, and new Star Wars TV in the works. Wait, Did The Wright Brothers Just Get Dissed at the Olympics? Related video.
Science:	No major US hurricanes in 11 years. Odds of that- 1-in-2,300. Why it's hard for adults to learn a second language.
Media:	Zombies. Racing Pigeon Races Cars On The Freeway. "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" Trailer Teased.