Another free fly event is now underway in Star Citizen, allowing the chance to experience an updated New Player Experience in the theoretically upcoming space exploration game. This will give gamers a chance to see what $713+ million dollars and 12 years of development gets you. This is part of the game's Foundation Festival, and this trailer illustrates the news. This also involves a Foundation Festival 2024 Referral Bonus because we can all use a little extra cash. Here's word:

Foundation Festival, a civic program in-lore aimed at strengthening community spirit, returns to Star Citizen from July 12-31, with an accompanying Free Fly making the game free to play from July 12-19. With the ‘verse abuzz with talk of the release later this year of the long-awaited Pyro system, an outlaw system teeming with wealth and dangers in equal measure, Foundation Festival event organizers are taking the opportunity to ensure all citizens are flight-ready and prepared for whatever comes their way.

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Classic Marathon 2 is now free-to-play for Windows and macOS on Steam, offering the second installment in Aleph One Developers' revival of Bungie's 1990s first-person shooter series. Here's word on the original game and the updates in this community-supported re-release:

Fresh from your triumph on the colony ship Marathon, you are seized by the rogue AI Durandal to do his bidding in a distant part of the galaxy. Within the ruins of an ancient civilization, you must seek the remnants of a lost clan and uncover their long-buried secrets. Battle opponents ancient and terrible, with sophisticated weapons and devious strategies, all the while struggling to escape the alien nightmare…

This classic 1995 Bungie™ FPS is now maintained by the fan community. Experience authentic game play using the original data files, with optional widescreen HUD support, 3D filtering/perspective, positional audio, and 60+ fps interpolation, just in case the original is too authentic.

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The Last Alchemist is now available for Windows via Steam, as Vile Monarch and Marvelous Europe loot to turn ones and zeros into gold in this magical puzzle game. The transformative Launch Trailer takes a look. Here's more on the game, which carries a 10% launch discount for the next week:

Embrace your weird and wonderful role as The Last Alchemist in the world as you build your workshop from the ground up, practice alchemy by solving puzzles, befriend and understand the Agari folk, and roam a vibrant world packed with brilliant resources to bring home and make use of.

Explore colorful and enchanting landscapes rich in resources, secrets, peculiar plants, fungi and minerals and extract essences from each item you collect, fuse them together and obtain the Properties you need to discover the wonders of this charming world. Craft your alchemical laboratory and optimise production by working closely with the Agari, these cute but cryptic mushroom folk, that will help you find the cure for your mysterious disease.

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• Larian CEO Swen Vincke says there were only two other RPG series he was interested in working on if he couldn't get Baldur's Gate: Fallout and Ultima - PC Gamer.

• Summer Sims 2: astragon anthology (pay what you want and help charity) - Humble.*

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

• Saudi Money Makes a Big Splash in Video Games - The New York Times. Thanks Neutronbeam and j.c.f.
• India Games Market Analysis 2024: India Emerges as Fastest Growing Video Games Market in Asia with Revenue Surpassing $830 Million in 2023 - Yahoo!.

• The First Descendant on X: 🎉 10 Million Descendants! 🎉 We've reached 10 million Descendants in just 7 days! Thank you.
• Re-Logic's Terraria has sold 58.7 million copies in 13 years - Game Developer.

• Once Human is the centre of a storm of data privacy concerns over a policy line about collecting government ID.

• Play 7000 PC DOS games quickly and easily (eXoDOS Review) - MetalJesusRocks (video). Thanks Ant.

• Dungeon Fighter Online - Season 8 Act 4. Asrahan: Curtains of Mu.

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

• Latest version of the PlayStation 4 emulator, shadPS4, can now run Turok and boot Bloodborne with correct colors - DSOGaming.

• Techland is taking most of its staff to on-site and hybrid work models - Game Developer.

• You don't lose all your progress when a Once Human season ends—here's how the survival game's server resets work - PC Gamer.

Official trailers.

• Skull and Bones- Season 2 Content & Events Update.
• TEKKEN 8 — Lidia Sobieska Release Date Trailer.
• Trackmania: Formula E London Track.

• Saudi Arabia to host inaugural Olympic Esports Games in 2025 - SportsPro.
• Team Fortress 2 RGL.gg Season 15 LAN Playoffs.

• DROS - Release Trailer - Nintendo Switch.

• Three Never-Released-In-America Game Boy Advance Starfy Games Are Available Now For Nintendo Switch Online - Game Informer.
• calibre - E-book management version 7.14.0. Thanks Console General.

• Chrome beats all comers in web browser drag race, never mind the memory footprint and privacy problems - PC Gamer.
• Meta drops restrictions on Donald Trump’s Facebook, Instagram accounts - The Verge.

Thanks Console General.

• Game publisher claims 100% crash rate with Intel CPUs – Alderon Games says company sells defective 13th and 14th gen chips - Tom's Hardware.
• Scam Warning- MSI Exposes 600,000+ Warranty Records - GamersNexus (video). Thanks RedEye9.
• Releasing Windows 11 Builds 22621.3951 and 22631.3951 to the Release Preview Channel - Windows Insider Blog.
• Announcing Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 22635.3930 (Beta Channel) - Windows Insider Blog.
• Releasing Windows 10 Build 19045.4713 to Beta and Release Preview Channels - Windows Insider Blog.
• Amazon says it hit a goal of 100% clean power. Employees say it's more like 22% - Fast Company. Thanks Slashdot.
• Microsoft PowerToys version 0.82.1.
• Evernote 10.96.5.
• DVDFab 13.0.2.1 and StreamFab 6.1.8.8.

• CISA broke into US federal agency, wasn't spotted for months • The Register.
• CDK Global said to have paid $25M ransom after cyberattack • The Register.

• Big Telecom Prepares For The Final Killing Blow Against Net Neutrality - Techdirt. Thanks DSLReports via Ant.
• Elon Musk's X accused of breaching content rules by EU - BBC.

Last Link of the Day: Judge dismisses involuntary manslaughter case against Alec Baldwin in 'Rust' shooting.

Obituary: Joe Engle, last of the X-15 test pilots who touched space, dies at 91 - The Washington Post.

BINGOBELL announces it's broken the seal on KAKU: Ancient Seal, and this open-world action/RPG is now officially available for Windows on Steam after about a year of Early Access. This can still be sampled through its playable demo, and you can take a look in the Official Launch Trailer. Here's the pitch:

KAKU: Ancient Seal is an open-world ARPG game, filled with puzzles, tales and epic encounters. Embark on a thrilling adventure, play as Kaku, accompanied by Piggy, as you restore balance to the continent. Engage in dynamic combat and solve puzzles. Craft your own combat style, harness diviner power, explore diverse landscapes and unravel the mysteries of the Realm of Ruins.

Set in a primordial, era this world created by the elemental power of the Creator Saga, was one day hit by a calamity from another realm, causing the dispersion of the elemental souls, and the world split into four continents, while its creator went missing...

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Gaming Factory announces a delay to JDM: Rise of the Scorpion saying this free-to-play prologue for JDM: Japanese Drift Master will now arrive on August 8th, in case you are working your schedule around this. The news does come with a new Official Gameplay Video showing off changes made since the demo. This includes a look at tires at the limits of their grip and a listen to redlining engines that could be used as a torture method. There's also a New Release Date Trailer with a more cinematic and less ear-torturing take on what to expect. Word is:

Since releasing the demo, we've been working to incorporate your feedback and add some exciting new features. We want to take time to polish these additions and ensure everything runs smoothly.

One of the new features is a multifunctional smartphone that you can use in the open world. While the smartphone is active, the player can select one of its many available functions, for example, you can view messages from NPCs, check the status of an active mission and review previously completed missions, change your wallpaper, and much more.

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DCS: Afghanistan is now available in the DCS Shop and Steam, adding a new theater of operations to DCS: World, the combat flight simulation sandbox. The Early Access Release Trailer shows off the decades of aerial combat this recreates. The DCS Shop and Steam also now feature DCS: Flaming Cliffs 2024, the latest aircraft bundle for DCS World. This carries a loyalty discount through the end of the month for owners of Flaming Cliffs 3. Here's word:

Afghanistan has been one of the most important and interesting combat theatres of the 40 years or so. From the decade long war following the Soviet invasion in December 1979 though the “War on Terror” that lasted twenty years from 2001 to 2021. Few war zones have seen more continuous combat with such a wide variety of aircraft and equipment from so many nations. Afghanistan offers a highly varied landscape with not just deserts but also rolling hills, towering mountains and lush river valleys. The initial release is focused on the southwest region of the country and includes regions around Kandahar and Herat. DCS: Afghanistan is now available, don’t miss our biggest and most detailed map to date. Watch the trailer and enjoy!

Flaming Cliffs (FC) 2024 will expand the series with the inclusion of three new aircraft: F-5E, F-86F and MiG-15bis. These aircraft are designed to be less complex and easier-to-learn than their full-fidelity sisters, making them ideal for players who prefer a more straightforward flight simulation experience. The new models come with DCS Professional Flight Models that ensure a high level of realism.

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KOEI TECMO and Kou Shibusawa announce that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 REMAKE will be available Oct. 24, 2024 for PC and consoles, allowing players to return to the historical strategy game. A First Trailer accompanies the news to show off the game and key art created by illustrator Keiji Hida. Here's a bit on what to expect:

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 REMAKE is based on Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII with Power Up Kit, complete with both the “All Officers Play” and “All Periods Scenarios” features, as well as a host of new content to deliver the most complete Romance of the Three Kingdoms experience to date.

Through the evolved “All Officers Play” feature, players have the option to take control of the powerful rulers and the officers who serve them or be a free officer and join a vagrant army. This enables players to explore the Three Kingdoms with a fresh and unique experience every time through thanks to the incredible amount of new features and the variety of associations formed both on and off the battlefield highlighted by both “Symbiotic” and “Antagonistic” relationships.

Continue here to read the full story.

• Nintendo's systemic policy of miscrediting is harming external translators - Game Developer.

• The First Descendant Dev Nexon Promises to Change Controversial Icons After Destiny Plagiarism Accusations - IGN.

• Hunt: Showdown -- HOTFIX.
• THE FINALS - Update 3.4.0.
• Microsoft Flight Simulator July 11th, 2024 - Development Update.

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

• This mod adds a Grand Theft Auto-inspired Taxi Driver Mode to Cyberpunk 2077 - DSOGaming.

• Overlord: Escape From Nazarick - Collector's Edition Trailer.

• 5 common mistakes that are killing your laptop's lifespan - PCWorld.
• The $5,650 timepiece that Samsung's Galaxy Watch Ultra looks like. Not a lot of watch expertise.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• NVIDIA Research Presents AI and Simulation Advancements at SIGGRAPH.
• DLSS 3 Coming to Wuthering Waves and Black Myth: Wukong GeForce RTX 40 Series Bundle Available Now - GeForce News.
• How Watermelon Cupcakes Kicked Off an Internal Storm at Meta - WIRED (may require registration or subscription).
• Obsidian explained- The ultimate tool for organizing your thoughts - XDA.
• 3 of the best software programs to control your PC's RGB in 2024. I just let mine free roam.

• AT&T- 'Nearly All' Customer Phone, Text Records Leaked, One Arrest Made - PCMag. Thanks Neutronbeam.
• Signal downplays encryption key flaw, fixes it after X drama - Bleeping Computer.

• YouTube Star SteveWillDoIt Arrested at Universal, Fake Mustache Mug Shot. Movies not allowed in movie theme park.

Thanks Neutronbeam.

• Case Fan: NZXT F360 RGB Core and NZXT RGB Fan Controller - OCinside.
• CPU/GPU/AIO/SSD Cooler: Enermax LIQMAXFLO 360 ARGB CPU Liquid Cooler - TweakTown.
• Dock: Orico Thunderbolt 4 12-in-1 dock review- Stability sells it - PCWorld.
• Laptop: Gigabyte Aorus 17X (2024) gaming laptop review - PC Gamer.
• Laptop: Lenovo LOQ 15 review- The FHD gaming laptop with an RTX 4060 from around US$1,000 - NotebookCheck.net Reviews.
• Mini PC: Ayaneo Retro Mini AM02 mini PC review - PC Gamer.
• Monitor/Projector: Asus ROG Strix XG27ACS 27- Review - TechSpot.
• Motherboard: x56 AMD B650 Motherboard Roundup - TechSpot.
• SSD: Western Digital WD_BLACK SN770M 2TB Review - APH Networks.

We replaced the coffee grinder in the Blue Tower after a recent mishap. This feels ironic after such a short time, as this was the "permanent" replacement for a temporary blade chopper that refused to die for years regardless of the abuse it suffered. I never did go so far as to get a digital scale for the previous grinder, because weighing the beans only to have some of the grounds remain trapped inside the works seemed pointless. Without weighing I relied on the adjustable timer, which was fine for the most part, though it had an annoying tendency to adjust itself over time with vibrations. But, for a premium price, the replacement has a built-in scale to solve these complaints. So now that I'm being all sciency, I searched for the proper ratio for a Chemex pour-over. The first rule of thumb I found suggests 60g of grounds per liter of water. So I tried 90g for my 1.5 liter water kettle. This turned out to be as much coffee as I used to use years ago when I made it so strong only espresso fans could drink it. Sure enough, it was too strong. Needing a drastic change, another search turned up advocates for as little as 50g of grounds per liter, so I tried 75g. The jury is still out, but this is pretty good. And then I recalled that our kettle actually holds 1.8 liters of water, so our ratio is even lower than this lower suggestion. Maybe the coarseness of the grind is an issue, but the default setting for a pour-over produces what looks like the proper consistency. As I say, in the past I would use too many beans, of French Roast, no less, so it's not that we just have a taste for weak coffee. So this is hard to figure out. Not that it's important, as the coffee is fine, but the mystery is bugging me. I know there are a couple of coffee wonks out there. What sort of ratio have you settled on? And is there any other reason why the recommended ratio would seem too strong for us despite us thinking we prefer a strong brew?

Obituary: Singer Dave Loggins Dead at 76.

Brewed Round-up
Thanks Ant, Neutronbeam, and Max.

Play

• This 1812 Webster's definition of a house cat is insulting to house cats everywhere, even if it may be accurate. I'm told I'm a descendant of Noah Webster.

Breakfast Link

• ‘All things that wander in the heavens’- how I swapped my ivory tower for the world of science fiction. Seven? George is getting upset!

Stories

• Outrage in China over use of unwashed fuel tankers to transport cooking oil.

Science

• SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket fails during routine mission.
• Researchers discover a new form of scientific fraud- Uncovering 'sneaked references' - Phys.org.
• Scientists built real-life “stillsuit” to recycle astronaut urine on space walks - Ars Technica.
• Nanoplastics and 'forever chemicals' shown to disrupt molecular structures and functionality - Phys.org.

Media

• Rick and Morty: The Anime - OFFICIAL TRAILER.
• Captain America: Brave New World - Official Teaser - In Theaters February 14, 2025.
• “The most dumb thing- for energy storage: Hydrogen. Project Hindenburg. Thanks RedEye9.

Creature Features

• Goose Completely Take Over Man's Deck and
• Geese Hiss at Man Walking Along Canal (NSFW). In contrast the Canada geese by us here are extremely chill.

Auction

• A stegosaurus nicknamed Apex will be auctioned in New York. Its remains show signs of arthritis. So be gentle when you walk it.