Archived News:

Friday, Apr 14, 2023

Diablo IV Beta Inspires Changes

An Open Beta Retrospective from Blizzard reflects on recent beta testing of Diablo IV. This discusses lessons learned that will be applied to the action/RPG sequel before its launch. This includes a boost to the chances an event will spawn within a dungeon, some character balance tweaks, UI and QOL changes, and more. One helpful change is how navigation in dungeons will involve far less backtracking than in the beta. Here's word on that:
Our primary goal with the Layout changes was to reduce certain kinds of backtracking which detract from a player’s experience. An example of this change is that players previously needed to enter side rooms to interact with Structure Objectives, causing them to retread the same path. Now, many of our Structure Objectives have been repositioned along main dungeon pathways, making them easier for players to reach and allowing them to readily explore the dungeon after defeating the Structure.

Boundary Sells 100K

Skystone Games and Studio Surgical Scalpels announce the Boundary has managed to sell over 100,000 copies in the less than 24 hours since the zero-G shooter floated out into Early Access on Steam. Here's word:
Skystone Games and Studio Surgical Scalpels please to share that Boundary has already moved over 100,000 copies via Steam, with a "Mostly Positive" rating from its user reviews so far. Powered by AMD FidelityFX™ Super Resolution 2, along with other leading technologies, Boundary is making waves in the online competitive FPS genre.

“We always knew that our fans were just waiting to get into the game when it was ready to share,” said Frank Mingbo Li, Director of Studio at Surgical Scalpels. “I'm beyond-excited that everyone seems to be enjoying themselves so far, and we can't wait to share what the road ahead for new content and updates has in store.”

New Intel Drivers

Intel now offers new Windows drivers for Intel Arc graphics cards, saying these are the Game On Driver for running the newly released version 3.0.0 "Mirror of Madness" update for Total War: WARHAMMER III. Here are some details:
Intel® Game On Drivers deliver the best experience for gamers playing on Intel Graphics with optimized launch-day patches and performance updates as new games release.

Several hard-hitting games launch in April and today’s driver has the strength to bear the brunt of them all. Intel Arc graphics are game-ready for Dead Island 2*, Minecraft Legends*, and Boundary*. Free DLC for Total War: Warhammer III just launched today too — Mirror of Madness — and Intel Arc graphics are ready to delve into the fray.

On Sale

*Blue's News may receive a commission on sales of this item.

Into the Black

Last Link of the Day: Explaining concrete while getting buried in it (video). Those views don't come easily.

LawBreakers News Teased

A tweet from Cliff Bleszinski has intriguing news about LawBreakers, the vertically oriented shooter which launched in 2017 to, as we put it at the time, great reviews and poor sales. It was shut down a year later, ending a project many felt deserved better. Now its designer suggests we haven't seen the last of this game:
Just got a text from my lawyer about...

LawBreakers.

Stay tuned.

Star Citizen Free Fly Event

A new version 3.18 Free Fly event is now underway in Star Citizen, offering the chance to check out progress on the space combat and exploration game without spending between $40 and $100,000+ for the privilege. Existing players should check out the Free Fly Referral Bonus FAQ for details on how you can earn a free P-52 Merlin by enticing new players to buy into the game's ongoing crowdfunding scheme. Here's more:
Follow the steps below to download Star Citizen for FREE and explore the universe in five iconic vehicles through April 20.

If you’re signing up with a referral code, don’t forget to add the code upon account creation. Click here for more information.

To continue your adventure, pick up your very own ship with a discounted Starter Pack . Available now for a limited time through May 2.

Sparky Marky Released

Forget about Scary Terry, Sparky Marky is now available for Windows on Steam after previously launching on Itch. This is a free prologue for Do you see Sparky?, an upcoming co-op first-person horror game for one to four players. Developer Clapperheads offers this along with a Launch Trailer to show us how creepy this will be. Here's what to expect:
In this 30-minute prologue, you take on the role of a young investigator looking to get to the bottom of the mystery of Sparky. Solve puzzles and use gadgets to unlock clues that will help you solve the mystery The abandoned camp certainly fits the stories that you’ve heard about Sparky, but will you uncover its secrets in time? In addition to giving players a feel for the world of Do You See Sparky?. Sparky Marky introduces you to the titular Sparky, although it’s recommended that you keep the introductions brief. While he may seem cuddly on the outside, who knows what terrible evil is lurking within...
Continue here to read the full story.

Out of the Blue

We got very upsetting news from our friends who abandoned us for Oklahoma last year. Jedi the Jindo is not doing well. He recently started experiencing seizures, and the experiments with medications to address this has so far been quite unsuccessful. The latest is he is also now laboring with the effects of overlapping medications, and it's at the point where it's possibly it for the little fellow. I'm pretty wrecked as I write this. It's been a year since we've seen each other, but Jedi and I are BFFs. The only thing worse than thinking about losing him is thinking about him suffering, so here's hoping this gets resolved soon. Any sort of good juju you want to throw out there for my buddy is welcome.

Saddened Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

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