We had severe winds around the blue tower today as part of the heavy storms we've had in the area for the past few days. This knocked out the power this afternoon, as well as all cell phone service, so we are pretty cut off right now. I had to drive several miles to get a very spotty internet connection with my phone to be able to make this update. But I wanted to let you know that it's extremely unlikely there will be an update this evening. Fact is, from the carnage on the roads to get here, it's very possible this outage will last into tomorrow. It is a treepocalypse out there, with trees hanging on power lines all over the place. There's no sign of any repairs in our immediate area at this point, so they may be concentrating on higher priorities for now. Sorry about the downtime, just wanted to let you know what was up. Hopefully things will be back to normal soon enough.

GDC Summer is now underway, offering this year's virtual version of the annual Game Developers Conference. This runs between now and Thursday and they are still offering the chance to register and attend, including a free Community Pass with limited access. Here's what to expect:

Informa Tech, the organizers of the Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest and longest-running event for professionals dedicated to the art and science of making games, have kicked off GDC Summer, the first completely virtual GDC, consisting of three days of multidisciplinary educational and inspirational talks, running today through Thursday, August 6.

GDC Summer was built from the ground up as a virtual conference and capitalizes on the unique benefits of going fully online with a tailored platform to present all-new types of sessions and community activities alongside the top-notch content on which GDC has built its industry-leading reputation.

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CD PROJEKT RED has kicked off a second season of the Journey system for GWENT: The Witcher Card Game. This progression system offers the chance to earn new free rewards for the collectible card game for Windows, iOS, and Android. This is free for all players, but there's also a Premium Pass offering even more rewards, so any way you want it, that's the way you need it. Here's the Journey #2 Launch Trailer and here's what the cards hold:

Journey is GWENT’s new progression system which rewards players as they level up by earning victories in the game’s Standard, Seasonal and Arena mode matches. Season 2 of Journey brings over 100 levels and even more rewards, including unique ornaments and special points, which players can redeem for items available in GWENT’s in-game Reward Book. Over the course of Journey’s three-month duration, players will also be able to follow a brand new story starring Ciri, with new chapters published every week — along with a selection of related quests.

In addition to the base tier of Journey, which is free for all players, the Premium Pass also returns for Journey’s second season — granting players instant access to the customizable Ciri legendary leader skin. The Premium Pass also includes even more rewards to unlock — including card kegs, titles, borders, animated cards and avatars, and more. Additionally, players can also purchase a special bundle, which includes the Premium Pass as well as an instant Journey progression boost. Details are available on the dedicated Journey website.
GWENT: The Witcher Card Game is available for free on PC via GOG.COM and Steam, as well as on Android and iOS. For more information on GWENT, please visit playgwent.com.

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Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout is now out for Windows and PlayStation 4, with the PC edition of this party game available on Steam. You can see some of the game's madcap action in the Launch Trailer which shows how you must overcome various obstacles to outlast your opponents in a cartoony take on the battle royale genre. Here's more:

Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout flings hordes of contestants together online in a mad dash through round after round of escalating chaos until one victor remains. Battle bizarre obstacles, shove through unruly competitors, and overcome the unbending laws of physics as you stumble towards greatness. Leave your dignity at the door and prepare for hilarious failure in your quest to claim the crown.

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Relicta is now available on Steam, offering a physics-based first-person puzzle game for Windows that sounds like it was named by a pharmaceutical company, though thankfully it does not come with a list of side-effects. You can see this in action in the Launch Trailer and read on for more:

Ravenscourt and Mighty Polygon today release Relicta, the physics-based puzzle game that lets players explore a derelict research facility on the Moon. Players can don their hi-tech gloves and start bending the laws of physics to their needs on PC, Google Stadia, PlayStation®4 and the Xbox One family of devices including the Xbox One X.

Today’s launch trailer sets the mood for a field trip through the terraformed craters of Luna, filled with complex physics-based puzzles that call for a combination abilities and creativity. The different biomes with their lovingly detailed environments will test the players’ imagination and power of deduction as they advance through Chandra Base and reach their ultimate goal.

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Someone notify Mulder that Skully is now available for PC and consoles, and the Windows edition of this adventure game can be found on Steam. Here's the Launch Trailer showing off how you play as a reanimated skull. Fill your skull with these details:

Indie publisher Modus Games and developer Finish Line Games today released Skully, a reanimated skull’s delightful platforming adventure across a magical island, on Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC for $29.99.

Skully’s accompanying launch trailer is packed with gameplay which perfectly demonstrates our cranium-sized star’s agility and knack for wielding clay-boosted powers. Pools of magical clay can be found while hopping through this colorful land, lending strength in battles and opening new routes through Skully’s beautiful world.

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Bandai Namco announces that preorders are now underway for Project CARS 3, the next installment in their racing series. This requires a commitment before seeing the results of any test drives, so they are offering a free Ignition Pack as an incentive with a bunch of options to customize your cars. There is a choice of a Standard or a Deluxe Edition, the latter of which includes a Season Pass and Early Access starting on August 25th, three days before the game's official launch for Windows, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One. Here's a new What Drives You Trailer and here are the details:

Experience how players progress through Project CARS 3 from Weekend Warrior to Racing Legend, compete to acquire new vehicles, upgrade with performance parts and customise both cars and driving heroes.
Starting today, players can pre-order both the Standard Edition and Deluxe Edition of Project CARS 3 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC Digital.

The Deluxe Edition will launch players on their ultimate driver journey with three-days early access (starting August 25), and full access to the Season Pass consisting of 4 Packs crammed with fresh content.
Pre-order Project CARS 3 and secure The Ignition Pack. Players receive a full customisation suite that enables them to customise both their racing heroes and the cars of their dreams.

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A new Esports Expansion is now available on GOG.com and Steam, adding new content to PC Building Simulator. The pretense here is that the building and maintenance of the PCs does more to secure victory in esports than the skill of the competitors, so keep those cable management skills sharp and rise to the top. Here's a trailer and here's what to expect:

Create, fix and upgrade rigs for professional esports players, and make sure your team rises to the top. This new expansion to the smash hit game puts you in control of building team members’ PCs using real-world hardware and software.

Originally launched for PC in 2018, PC Building Simulator has sold one million copies, and has been lauded by critics for its attention to detail. The game’s new esports expansion takes players down a new and exciting path. Featuring eight esports teams, five games and 13 real-world sponsors including AMD, NVIDIA, NZXT, RAZER and Republic of Gamers, PC Building Simulator’s esports expansion brings an additional 12+ hours campaign mode.

Start with a humble team, and rise up the ranks as you juggle demands from players, sponsors and the manager. Manage the team’s tech budget, put the right sponsor parts in your builds, and try to remain calm when something crucial fails on match day.

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Solo developer Daisy Ale Soundworks announces Lost and Hound, a canine adventure game where you play as an intrepid Corgi expected this year for PC on Steam. This boasts accessibility for the visually impaired, and for the sighted they provide this trailer to familiarize the concept. Here are the details:

Winner of multiple Perth awards for innovative gameplay and recipient of the prestigious Epic Megagrant, Lost and Hound follows Biscuit, the strong-willed scent tracking Corgi. As Biscuit players will solve mysteries, track down fleeing criminals or people that are lost, and help those in trouble.

As a fully blind-accessible sound-driven adventure, players in Lost and Hound will utilize Biscuit’s superior canine senses to track and piece together clues in order to solve crimes and help those in need. The plucky Corgi Biscuit has a serious talent for scent tracking, using innovative sound cues players will hear a low humming when Biscuit picks up a scent. Utilizing audio direction, players will hear sound cues coming from the direction that Biscuit needs to head in as well as a change in volume when Biscuit moves closer or farther away from her scent target.

In addition to her scent tracking, Biscuit is also adept at picking up sounds humans cannot. By listening through walls, hearing hushed conversations, and sussing out liars by hearing their heart rate increase, players will pick up clues to solve the case they’re on. Through scent tracking and her acute hearing, players will be able to solve crimes, find missing persons, and perform other real-world service dog tasks such as detecting oncoming seizures.

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• QuakeCon Sale with outstanding titles from Bethesda up to 75% off - GOG.com.

• Fallout 76- Update 21 Patch Notes – August 4, 2020. Thanks MP1st.
• Hunt: Showdown -- Update 1.4.2.
• VALORANT Patch Notes 1.05.

• Gamelodge- User Made Games by Team Gamelodge — Kickstarter. "Gamelodge is a place to play fun games made by other users, and build games of your own. Available for both Windows desktop and VR headsets."
• Len's Island - Build, Fight, Farm and Explore by Flow Studio — Kickstarter. "Len's Island is a blend of peaceful building, farming and crafting, mixed with intense combat, dungeon battles and deep questing and exploration." Already funded.
• This is the Zodiac Speaking by Klabater — Kickstarter. "A noir, fact-based single-player psychological thriller with classic horror elements and multiple endings to discover!" A playable demo is available. Here's a trailer.

• Allied Esports Announces Latest Event in Riot Games’ VALORANT Ignition Series: Allied Esports Odyssey.

• PS4 Tops 112 Million Units Sold, PS Plus Subs And Digital Sales Are Way Up.
• Take-Two: Next-gen software price hikes -reflect the quality of the experience. What does this say about the current gen?
• DOOM Slayers Collection Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Arkane Anniversary Collection Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Spitlings Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Relicta Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Skully Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Wizards: Wand Of Epicosity Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• This Week’s Deals With Gold And Spotlight Sale - Xbox Live's Major Nelson.

• Xbox Game Pass Ultimate Delivers 100+ Games Directly to Your Mobile Device Beginning September 15.
• Introducing the Latest Designed for Xbox Mobile Gaming Accessories.
• Analogue Pocket Pre-Orders Sell Out in 15 Minutes, and Fans Aren't Pleased. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Diablo Immortal, The Upcoming Mobile Spin-Off, Shows Off Classes And Combat.

• What's Windows 10's fastest web browser in 2020? Thanks Neutronbeam.

• AMD reportedly can’t keep up the supply of Ryzen 4000-series APUs.
• Debian 10.5 released. Thanks Ant.
• There’s No Such Thing As a Tech Expert Anymore.
• Windows 10 now warns you against installing this software. CCleaner. Thanks RedEye9.
• How to Encrypt Files, Folders and Drives on Windows 10. Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Where the System May Break. Thanks JDreyer.
• Rite Aid deployed facial recognition system in hundreds of U.S. stores. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.

• EU antitrust regulators are investigating Google's Fitbit purchase.

• The Last Day Defense - Christ Centered Gamer.
• Hellbound review – a brief bloodletter to Doom and Quake - PCGamesN.
• Skully PC Review - GameWatcher.
• Skully Review – Ain’t That a Kick in the Head - Wccftech.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• AIAIAI TMA-2 HD Wireless Headphones Review - ThinkComputers.org.
• Alienware m17 R3 Laptop Review - Dell Finally Gets Cooling Right - MobileTechReview.
• Anker Soundcore Life Dot 2 Truly Wireless Earbuds Review - RTINGS.com.
• Chieftronic PowerPlay 750 W PSU Review - TechPowerUp.
• Corsair Vengeance a4100 Streaming PC Review - TweakTown.
• Deepcool Gamer Storm Castle 280EX - LanOC Case Reviews - LANOC Reviews.
• Dell XPS 15 Review- A Luxury Windows Laptop - WIRED.
• Fractal Design Define 7 Compact Case review - Guru3D.
• HyperX Alloy Origins Core Mechanical Gaming Keyboard Review - TweakTown.
• Lexar NM700 1TB M.2 NVMe SSD Review - Nikk Tech.
• Z490 Mini-ITX Showdown- GIGABYTE's Z490I Aorus Ultra and MSI's MEG Z490I Unify Motherboards Reviewed - AnandTech.

• Combat Mission Shock Force 2 is coming on August 25th to Steam…
• The Outcast Lovers is now available for Windows and macOS on Steam, offering the free follow-up to The Night Fisherman. This was previously released on itch.io…
• Blizzard Workers Share Salaries in Revolt Over Wage Disparities. Thanks Neutronbeam…
• Celebrating tech's unsung women pioneers, Brenda Romero calls for gender parity in game dev…

We had our second co-op Borderlands 3 gaming session last night and had just as much fun as last week. It's still a little chaotic, and we can take some of the credit for that ourselves, but the game's design and style play into this as well. And one bug in particular doesn't help, as our player names keep disappearing intermittently. A little Googling tells us this is a known issue, and there doesn't seem to be a consistent way to fix it. It's a little frustrating, as you'd hope that one of the advantages of picking up a game months after launch would be that such annoyances would be cleared up already.

Borderline Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Breakfast Links

• The 24 Absolute Best Movies of the 2010s.
• 'Hellboy' Franchise Launching Role Playing Game Kickstarter Campaign.

Story

• The Rolling Stones Release Lost 1974 Collaboration with Jimmy Page. Thanks Acleacius.

Science
Thanks Max.

• The mysterious case of man who can read letters—but not numbers—exposes roots of consciousness.
• Human brain is not more efficient than other mammals' brains.
• NASA’s Perseverance Rover Is Carrying First Spacesuit Materials to Mars – Here’s Why. Thanks Cutter.

Media

• This 1990 TV News Report Is For The Monkey Island Fans In The House.
• World First 360 Double Backflip Tailwhip on BMX.
• Water Hammer Demonstration.

Follow-ups
Thanks Max.

• Should you volunteer for a COVID-19 vaccine trial? Who qualifies, and what are the side effects?
• Next big COVID-19 treatment may be manufactured antibodies. Thanks Cutter.
• Researchers Eliminate SARS-CoV-2 and Bacteria From N95 Masks With Low-Cost Moist Heat Treatment.
• FAA shares new steps for Boeing to return 737 Max to the skies.