Updated: Mar 18, 2024 7:31 pm EDT (GMT -04:00)

Monday, Mar 18, 2024

SAND LAND Demo

A playable demo for SAND LAND is now available for PC and consoles, giving the chance to see if you have the sand to play this action/RPG when it launches on April 25th. Bandai Namco Entertainment offers a new trailer to show off how well this captures the original work of manga artist Akira Toriyama, the late Dragon Ball creator. The Windows demo is on Steam. Here's word:
This explosive new demo invites players to experience a slice of the exciting vehicle and melee combat and exploration in SAND LAND. Step into the roles of the Fiend Prince Beelzebub, his chaperone Thief, and the fearless Sheriff Rao as the band of heroic misfits journeys across this colorful world via Battle Tanks, Battle Amors, and Motorcycles. Fans who play the demo will receive 30 B-grade steel and 30 B-grade bolts in the final game after launch, which can be used to enhance vehicles in Spino.
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Steam Families Beta

Valve announces Steam Families is now available in beta through the Steam client, offering a set of family related features that replaces both Steam Family Sharing and Steam Family View. This includes game sharing, parental controls, governance over child purchases, and more. The post has instructions on how to opt in if you're interested. Here's a bit on how family sharing works:
When you join a Steam Family, you automatically gain access to the shareable games that your family members own and they will also be able to access the shareable titles in your library. The next time you log in to Steam, this new 'family library' will appear in the left column as a subsection of your games list. You maintain ownership of your current titles and when you purchase a new game it will still show up in your collection.

Best of all, when you are playing a game from your family library, you will create your own saved games, earn your own Steam achievements, have access to workshop files and more.
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NVIDIA Shows Off AI NPCs

NVIDIA kicks off GTC 2024, calling this "the #1 AI conference for developers. And to prove its point, the NVIDIA Newsroom now has no fewer than 19 press releases with today's date. NVIDIA Digital Human Technologies Bring AI Game Characters To Life has some game-related news, discussing ways to create more lifelike game characters. It includes this Covert Protocol demo trailer to show some results. Word is: "To accelerate developer adoption, Inworld will be releasing Covert Protocol’s source code in the near future, enabling developers to learn from the tech demo, and use it to create their own innovations." Here's more:
At GDC 2024, Inworld and NVIDIA collaborated on a new technology demo called Covert Protocol to showcase NVIDIA ACE technologies and the Inworld Engine. In the Covert Protocol tech demo, you act as a private detective who completes objectives based on the outcome of conversations with characters in the scene. Covert Protocol unlocks social simulation game mechanics with AI Digital Humans acting as custodians of crucial information, presenting challenges, and catalyzing key narrative developments. Digital humans play a critical role in the experience.

Powered by the Inworld Engine and leveraging NVIDIA ACE, each player's journey through Covert Protocol is unique. Players’ real-time decisions and strategic planning lead to different game outcomes, ensuring that no two playthroughs are alike. This level of AI-driven interactivity and player agency opens up new possibilities for emergent gameplay, where players must think on their feet and adapt their strategies in real-time to navigate the intricacies of the game world.
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Steel Seed Announced

ESDigital Games and Storm in a Teacup announce Steel Seed, a stealth action/adventure coming to PC and consoles late this year. Attendees of the Game Developers Conference can check this out when demonstrations start later this week. Here's an Official Gameplay Trailer and here's word:
Steel Seed is a stealth action-adventure game set in a dark, sci-fi world where humanity is on the brink of extinction due to seemingly irreparable climate change. Join protagonist Zoe and her flying drone companion KOBY as they investigate the depths of a hostile underground facility in search of answers and the key to mankind's survival.
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Police Simulator: Patrol Officers - Highway Patrol Expansion Announced

Aesir Interactive and astragon Entertainment announce the Highway Patrol Expansion for Police Simulator: Patrol Officers, saying this is coming this summer to the procedural simulation for Windows and consoles. The Announcement Trailer lets the CHiPs fall where they may with a look at gameplay. But if you're hoping to get in touch with your inner Ponch or Jon, you may be disappointed, as this does not seem to include access to the motorcycle garage. But fans of the vintage show will be pleased to see that for some reason you are chasing modern cars in what appears to be something like a 1977 Ford LTD Police Cruiser. You will get the chance to use it to menace the taxpayers who bought it for you, so there's that. Here's more, including an explanation of why one of your cars is a death trap:
The Highway Patrol Expansion for Police Simulator: Patrol Officers extends the game map beyond Brighton's borders, opening up driveways to the bustling Brighton highway district and introducing new tasks like high speed monitoring, cargo checks on trucks, and highway assistance. However, with the highways open, car thefts surge, leading to thrilling chases and tactical maneuvers. Equipped with the new spike strips and roadblocks, officers have even more tools to stop fleeing criminals which are particularly helpful when playing with two players in multiplayer mode. Additionally, when it comes to accidents on the highway, they must be ready to tackle fires at accident sites using fire extinguishers. To help them accomplish all these new tasks even better, the expansion includes two new vehicles: the new Interstate Police Vehicle ensures that officers can perform their duties with a touch of vintage flair, and the Endurance Police Vehicle is equipped with a heavy-duty device that officers can use to stop fleeing vehicles at full speed.
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Highway Police Simulator Announced

We're feeling a touch of déjà vu as we share the announcement of Highway Police Simulator, another chance to patrol US highways from a different German developer. Aerosoft and Z-Software plan for it to hit the road in September for PC, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X|S. This one has its own weird Teaser Trailer which focuses on your magical transformation into a uniformed officer before a breakneck chase down a highway that looks an awful lot like a single-lane back-road. Here's word:
Don the uniform and step into the shoes of an American police officer tasked with maintaining law and order on busy highways. Patrol on foot and behind the wheel in an immersive, open-world environment with heart-pounding cases to solve across multiple biomes. Protect and serve across a single-player experience, seamlessly blending freeplay missions and a narrative-driven story campaign punctuated by career progression and exhilarating events.

Experience a realistic simulation in a dynamic and reactive world inspired by North American locales. Field calls from Police HQ or tackle tasks assigned at the station and assist with traffic stops, vehicle accidents, and dangerous shootouts. Complete story missions to advance the overarching narrative, impacted by a dynamic morality system based on officer behavior. Keep the citizens of Caminora safe by handling cases with care and mastering tactical driving, firearms and patrol helicopters.
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Into the Black

Last Link of the Day: Rebel Moon — Part Two- The Scargiver - Official Trailer. Thanks RedEye9.

Game Developers Conference 2024

This year's Game Developers Conference gets underway right around now in San Francisco. This Schedule lays out when sessions take place and this post has details on how to watch the Independent Game Festival Awards and Game Developers Choice Awards ceremonies on Wednesday. Here's a bit from the announcement of the convention that bills itself as "the game industry's premier professional event":
The 2024 Game Developers Conference (GDC), the world’s largest gathering of game industry professionals and enthusiasts who are devoted to the art and science of making games, begins its 38th edition today at the Moscone Convention Center in San Francisco. The week-long conference will feature more than 1,000 experienced speakers, 700 insightful sessions, workshops, roundtable discussions and networking events alongside 345 exhibitors on the GDC Expo floor.

Starting with two days of GDC Summits on March 18 and 19, the conference offers deep dives into specific game development disciplines, with central topics that include level design, art direction, artificial intelligence, user interface design, community management, technical artistry, game narrative, math in game development and much more. The summits equip attendees with actionable skills and philosophies to incorporate into their careers and hobbies.

Denuvo TraceMark for Gaming Announced

Denuvo by Irdeto announces TraceMark for Gaming, calling its latest DRM "a revolutionary new anti-piracy solution for the gaming industry." Though presented with great fanfare, gamers typically do not embrace such news due to concerns about how DRM can harm the experience of legitimate customers. The new scheme is a method of using both visible and invisible watermarks to trace leaked content back to the source, considered to be particularly important during a game's pre-release phase. Word is this leverages technology already being used in other sectors:
TraceMark™ for Gaming uniquely addresses the challenge of content leakage, especially during the sensitive pre-release phase of game development. It introduces a deterrent effect by enabling the precise tracing of leaked content back to its source. This capability makes potential leakers think twice, knowing that any unauthorized distribution can be directly linked to them. As a platform-agnostic tool, TraceMark™ effortlessly integrates into various stages of the game's lifecycle, providing a consistent layer of protection. Its adaptability ensures that, irrespective of the development phase or platform, TraceMark™ serves as an effective measure to discourage leaks by holding individuals accountable, thereby contributing to the overall integrity of the content distribution process.
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New Steam User Peak

Steam Charts reports the total of concurrent users on Steam peaked yesterday at 36,339,520, a new record. As always, this represents the number of users simultaneously logged-in, rather than how many are actively playing games. SteamDB puts this figure at 36,354,393, but presumably Valve's data are more official. Whichever tally you go by, it is an almost five percent jump from the record user total of 34,634,254 record reported last week. According to Wikipedia this user count is greater than the population of Afghanistan, and were it a country, would make Steam the 41st largest in the world.

Balatro Sells 1M

A post from Balatro follows up on the surprising success of deckbuilding poker game Balatro. Word is the game has now sold over one million copies, less than a month after launching. Here's the deal:
This morning Balatro hit a momentous milestone...

ONE MILLION COPIES SOLD!

We still have some fun things planned for the future, but for now...

Dune: Spice Wars - House Vernius of Ix

Funcom and Shiro Games announce House Vernius of Ix, the first DLC for Dune: Spice Wars, the sci-fi RTS game. The announcement lags the launch, as we see this came out on Steam almost two weeks ago. Along with the paid add-on comes a new patch which "empowers each faction with controllable Hero units." Better late than never, here's the Release Trailer with a look, and here's the news:
Much anticipated by the community, the Ixians unlock radically new playstyles focused on research and diplomacy. They have the ability to control a larger number of drones than other factions and possess unique ways of controlling and limiting opponents’ technology. With their high reliance on Standing, Alliances are essential to their success. Thanks to their reduced reliance on water, however, they are unusually effective in the harsh environment of Arrakis.

The Heroes of Dune update marks a major milestone for Dune: Spice Wars, allowing players to control legendary individuals from the Dune universe. With each faction offering a choice of two Heroes, players can recruit from a total of fourteen iconic characters, each with its own active skill, global effect, and localized effects. From Duncan Idaho and Gurney Halleck for the House Atreides to Chani Kynes and Otheym for the Fremen, players can now lead their chosen faction with legendary figures, reshaping the course of history on Arrakis.
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Cities: Skylines II: Beach Properties and Modding Announced

With beach weather on the way for some of us, Paradox Interactive and Colossal Order announce a Beach Properties pack will come to Cities: Skylines II on March 25th, adding new high-value real estate to the city planning sequel. As the title suggests, this expands your horizons right up to the shoreline, free from concerns about rising sea levels. It will also mark the launch of a Modding Beta with an editor and enhanced modification options, so maybe you can shrink the beach yourself if you want. The pack is included in the Cities: Skylines II Waterfronts Expansion Pass or the Ultimate Edition, or can be purchased separately. Here's the Official Announcement Teaser and more on mod support:
Starting on March 25, players will be able access mods through the Cities: Skylines II Modding Beta. Upon release, an in-game editor will be available that allows for players to create or implement Map or Code mods. Using the Paradox Mods platform, also integrated into the Cities: Skylines II experience, creations can be played locally and shared globally. The platform also allows players to discover and curate other available mods, organize their preferred mods into one-click Playsets, and more. Asset modding tools and other options will be made available later this year.
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Dark and Darker Epic Listing

Dark and Darker now has a listing on the Epic Games Store saying the PvPvE dungeon crawling FPS is to "coming soon" to Early Access there. You may recall the game was removed from Steam about a year ago after a DMCA takedown from Nexon alleged it was created using stolen source code. Dark and Darker later entered Early Access on the Dark and Darker Website, though it hasn't returned to Steam, even after a recent preliminary court victory. GamesRadar+ has details on the news from the game's Discord:
"Hi everyone, with increased confidence in the quality of our game, we have started preparations on introducing Dark and Darker to a wider audience. As a first step, we are happy to announce the launch of the Dark and Darker store page on the Epic Games Store," Ironmace says on Discord.

"This is a big preparatory step for us in our journey to deliver a polished product to our fans," it continues. "If you have an Epic account, we encourage you to show your enthusiasm and wishlist the game. We will continue working with various partners to give our fans the best options and properly grow the community to foster a long and healthy game. Thanks to everyone for all your love and support!"

Play GOG.com Games on Luna

Amazon and GOG announce that Amazon Prime members will soon have access their GOG.com games through cloud gaming service Amazon Luna. This works both ways, so players will be able to access these games through both GOG.com and Luna regardless of which service registered the purchase. Here's an explanation:
Soon, players will be able to play their favorite games from GOG, such as the Witcher series or Cyberpunk 2077, on multiple devices of their choice. With Amazon Luna cloud gaming service, offering even more ways to enjoy games and DRM-free gaming.

Through Luna players will be allowed to play every game already owned on GOG (and that is also available on Luna). There’s absolutely no requirement to purchase anything twice – once bought on GOG, it belongs to the owner forever. Moreover, it works both ways - games available on GOG can be purchased through Luna’s client, seamlessly integrating into the store library.

Out of the Blue

Well Masters of Air concluded, and it was even better than I'd been willing to hope. The Pacific was fine, but I felt it suffered from a diminished narrative compared to Band of Brothers. The new series rediscovered this balance in my opinion. It focused on a central cast while still managing to touch on major aspects of the war tangential to those characters, such as the underground resistance, the story of the Tuskegee Airmen, being a POW, and the holocaust. Quite an uplifting and also tragic story of bravery in the face of impossible situations.

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Sunday, Mar 17, 2024 St. Patrick's Day

Classic Marathon Announced

A new Steam Listing for Classic Marathon is now online, revealing Aleph One developer Aleph One Developer has plans to revive this classic first-person shooter developed by Bungie for Macintosh computers back in the 20th century. A new installment in this series is also in the works at Bungie and is currently expected in 2025. Aleph One is a game engine that leverages the open-source release of the Marathon source code, but now it appears a full re-release of the first Marathon is "coming soon." The original game from 1994 was groundbreaking, including being one of the first games to offer vertical aiming, perhaps the first, as it launched two days before Heretic. But the state-of-the-art has evolved in three decades, so the re-release promises updates like optional widescreen HUD support, 3D filtering/perspective, positional audio, and 60+ fps interpolation "just in case the original is too authentic." Here's word:
Alien forces have boarded the colony ship UESC Marathon in the Tau Ceti system, in orbit around humanity’s first interstellar colony. The situation is dire, and as a security officer assigned to the Marathon, your duty is to defend the ship and its crew from the alien threat.

This classic 1994 Bungie™ FPS had a foundational influence on the genre, and 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.

STAR WARS: Battlefront Classic Collection Mod Controversy

Following the news of the rocky launch of STAR WARS: Battlefront Classic Collection, IGN has more bad news about the messy re-release. Last month it reported the game allegedly included the work of a modder without credit. At the time Aspyr told IGN that the game "does not include any code or content that is taken from uncredited sources" saying the video "mistakenly" included "content that is not in the product." Apparently this was a deception, as IGN reports the game indeed appears to have launched with content from iamashaymin's Asajj Ventress mod without credit:
But eagle-eyed players discovered evidence to the contrary, at least in the release version of the Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection before it received a last-minute patch. Footage taken from the PlayStation 5 version of Battlefront Classic Collection and published to reddit showed the version of Asajj Ventress from iamashaymin's mod without credit. Players have reported the latest patch replaces this version of the character with an Aspyr-created version. IGN has asked Aspyr for comment.

A disgruntled iamashaymin told IGN they were hugely disappointed by Star Wars: Battlefront Classic Collection. “This release has been a total mess. The fact they had to release patches both before and immediately after releasing two decade old games really says it all,” they said. “Especially considering part of the patches is rumoured to have removed content they had already said was removed months ago.

Out of the Blue

Happy St. Paddy's Day, which has evolved into an annual celebration of Ireland and all things Irish. You know, like the corned beef and cabbage I made a few years ago. Actually I've since leaned that this is only somewhat authentic, and the corned beef is a substitute for the bacon traditionally used back in Ireland. This finally explains for me this convergence between Irish and Jewish cuisine. This swap is a little different to how I would alter the dish. I think keeping the Irish bacon and using the corned beef as a substitute for the cabbage sounds a lot more appealing. Anyway, if you're partying today, remember there are a lot of amateurs out there, so please be safe and careful, and please don't drink and drive.

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