TGV Voyages Train Simulator is now free on Steam, offering the chance to own this standalone Train Simulator spin-off (thanks Ant). It is much like the complete game but limited to a single high-speed rail line in France. It can be yours to keep if you snag it by next Friday. For more, train your eyes on the following:

TGV Voyages allows you to experience high speed train travel through the French countryside in Train Simulator. This is a standalone version of Train Simulator that has limited content. See below for more information. The high speed railways of France, dominated by the iconic TGV® Duplex, are brought to life in the breathtaking new Ligne Grande Vitesse: Marseille Saint-Charles to Avignon-TGV route for Train Simulator.

Construction of the LGV Méditerranée began in 1996, designed as a dedicated high speed line that spans over 160 miles to connect the South-East of France to the nation’s capital, Paris. The LGV Méditerranée extends from the end of the LGV Rhône-Alpes in Valence and terminates at Marseille via Avignon and Aix-en-Provence.

Squad is free to play on Steam this weekend, giving everyone a couple of days to squad up and try out this tactical first-person shooter from Offworld Industries. It is also on sale, so if you decide to enlist at the end of the weekend, you'll receive a 25% discount. Here's the quick pitch:

Squad is a tactical FPS that provides authentic combat experiences through teamwork, constant communication, and realistic gameplay. It bridges the gap between arcade shooter and military simulation with 100 player battles, combined arms combat, base building, and an integrated VoIP system.

Timothy Cain's YouTube Channel has a bunch of recent videos where Tim discusses various projects he's worked on. There's a clip from a couple of days ago called Fallout Was A B-Tier Project and a new follow-up titled Why I Left Fallout 2. The new clip relates to the prior one, as Interplay's lack of support for Fallout was one issue contributing to Tim's departure from the sequel early in its development. He cites several factors, culminating in conflicts with Brian Fargo over how a bug in Fallout affected bonuses after Tim refused to specify which programmer created it. Here's how Tim came to leave early in development of the sequel:

So when the bonuses came in, he reduced mine, twice. Once he said he didn't agree with me reducing the bonus of one of the people, so he gave that person part of my bonus. But the other reason, the big reason, was he said "You didn't tell me whose bug it was, and you said you wanted responsibility for it, so take it." Big reduction of my bonus for that. And I just looked at him and I was like, "Is this supposed to encourage me, in any way, to work on Fallout 2?" He goes, "Yeah, it encourages you to do better next time." I went home and I drafted my resignation. I sat on it for about two weeks. Came in one morning, told Leonard and Jason, "I'm quitting." Went to Feargus, gave him the resignation letter. I gave them the option: I can leave that day, I can give them two weeks, or I can give them to the end of the month. He chose end of the month. He said I had to go talk to the executive producer. I did, she said "people are going to be pissed." And I was like, "okay, I just cannot do it anymore, it's all in the letter. I'm done."

Continue here to read the full story.

Dolphin Emulator blog announces that the Steam launch of this Nintendo GameCube and Wii emulator for Windows is indefinitely postponed (thanks PC Gamer). This is due to a DMCA takedown notice served to Valve by Nintendo. Here's word:

It is with much disappointment that we have to announce that the Dolphin on Steam release has been indefinitely postponed. We were notified by Valve that Nintendo has issued a cease and desist citing the DMCA against Dolphin's Steam page, and have removed Dolphin from Steam until the matter is settled. We are currently investigating our options and will have a more in-depth response in the near future.

We appreciate your patience in the meantime.

Early Access to The Hopebringer is now underway on Steam, hoping to inspire gamers to check out this Windows action/RPG with co-op support from D.N.S.S. Here's a trailer showing off its Unreal Engine 5 graphics and top-down gameplay. The game carries a 15% discount for the next week. Here's a rundown on what to expect:

The Hopebringer is a top down RPG, featuring procedurally generated scenarios in a fantasy setting. Partake in single player, or online co-op adventures. Unlock new scenarios, which you can then repeat at any time in multiplayer.

Key Features

• Top down combat in a fantasy survival RPG setting.
• Procedurally generated scenarios which are repeatable.
• Unlock new scenarios as you progress.
• Single player or co-op multiplayer.
• Three unique skill lines for each class.
• Customize your skills by improving them with up to 25 ranks per skill.
• Battle vs. powerful bosses.
• Upgrade your equipment using a socket system.
• Transmute items to create more powerful variations.
• Powered by Unreal Engine 5.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Save 70% on EA SPORTS™ FIFA 23 on Steam.

• Media Molecule Names Former Lead Designer John Beech As New Creative Director.

• Netflix's -The Witcher- Season 5 Confirmed. Thanks Ant.

• Valheim - Patch 0.216.6 (Public Test).
• Valheim - 0.216.7 (Public Test).
• World of Warcraft Hotfixes: May 26, 2023.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Xbox App for Windows [2305.1001.5.0]. Thanks Console General.

↑ Official patches. ↓ Unofficial games, patches, and mods.

• Morrowind Rebirth 6.3.

Content creator videos. Thanks Ant.

• Firearms Expert Reacts To Warhammer 40,000- Boltgun’s Guns.
• Knife Expert Reacts To CS-GO Knives. Thanks phorce phed.
• Lies, Confusion and The Tragedy of Wii U - GVMERS.
• DOS Retro PC with Parts nobody wants.

• World of Warcraft Micro-Holiday: Take a Trip to Zangarmarsh for the Glowcap Festival.

Thanks Console General.

• Microsoft is making it harder for new Xbox games to be just Gamerscore boosters.
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha (2306.230524-2200).
• Xbox Insider Release Notes - Alpha Skip-Ahead (2308.230524-2200).

• Twitter pulls out of voluntary EU disinformation code. No good business case for fighting disinformation.
• Google’s AI Search Feels Like a Content Farm on Steroids.
• Mozilla Thunderbird — Release Notes (102.11.2). Thanks Frans.

• HP printers should have EPEAT ecolabels revoked, trade group demands. Thanks Slashdot via Ant.
• AMD RX 7600 reference design will be fixed to fit all power cables before market release.
• AMD Ryzen Threadripper 7000 -Storm Peak- gets preliminary CPU-Z support.

• 'Hot Pixel' Attack Steals Data From Apple, Intel, Nvidia, and AMD Chips via Frequency, Power and Temperature Info.

• Musk’s SpaceX Shielded From ‘Spaceflight Entity Liability’ in Florida.

• A Most Extraordinary Gnome - Christ Centered Gamer.

• CPU/AIO Cooler: ID-Cooling Dashflow 360 XT AIO Review - TechPowerUp.
• Gaming Chair: Playseat Trophy Logitech G Edition cockpit review - PC Gamer.
• Headset/Earbuds: These high-quality headphones can last years longer than Sony and Bose alternatives - ZDNET.
• RAM: Kingston FURY Beast RGB 32GB DDR5 6000MHz CL40 Dual-Channel Kit - Nikk Tech.
• SSD: SSTC Tiger Shark 1TB SSD Review - Fastest 1TB SSD to Date - TweakTown.

A few years ago already, I mentioned my concern that our HOA rounds up the Canada geese every spring. It was unclear if they were culled or relocated, but I had my suspicions either outcome may not be allowed. My activism in this area was derailed at the time by my car accident, but I finally got back to my concerns this year. It turns out it doesn't matter if I acted then, now, or never, as it seems what they're doing is legal. According to New York State, with few natural predators, the goose population is about triple what would make an ideal ratio of birds to people, and overpopulation causes problems. So there are ways to get permits to kill them, and that's what we have here. I appreciate the problem, and I don't have a solution, but it makes me sad to know the fate that awaits these birds, especially when seeing how devoted they are to safely raising babies.

Cooked Goose Round-up
Thanks Ant and Neutronbeam.

Stories

• Yakuza member arrested for not picking up dog poop. Officially beats the "they got Capone on taxes" story. Thanks Max.
• US to give away free lighthouses as GPS makes them unnecessary. Thanks Slashdot.

Science

• A multivitamin supplement may slightly improve memory and slow decline. Thanks Max.

Media

• Pulp Fiction by Wes Anderson Trailer. Thanks Redwood.
• FJerry - Best of the Internet #6 - I Regret That. Thanks VideoSift.
• Dalíland - Official Trailer - Starring Sir Ben Kingsley.

The Funnies

• xkcd: The Six Platonic Solids.