Carzy Zarx’s PC Gaming Emporium - Catch Up on All the Latest PC Gaming Related News

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Monday news, part two:

The beautiful, harsh roguelike Below is getting an easier 'Explore mode'
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-beautiful-harsh-roguelike-below-is-getting-an-easier-explore-mode/
I really like the look of Capy's roguelike exploration game Below, but was put off by stories of its unforgiving grind. Not that I mind difficulty, and the one sure thing about roguelikes is that you're going to die a lot, but if you're going to make a beautiful game world filled with mysteries and secrets then I'd rather spend my time exploring it instead of being focused solely on not dying. Hob is a fine example of that: Lots of ways to die, but plenty of time to wander and enjoy the sights, and it's not excessively punishing when you do cack it.

Dwarf Fortress devs are finally about to start working on the Steam version
https://www.pcgamer.com/dwarf-fortress-devs-are-finally-about-to-start-working-on-the-steam-version/
Sinister plots have come to Dwarf Fortress. Somewhere out in its ASCII world there are now bad guys who can send undercover dwarves to steal the artifacts from your fortress, and you can go Dwarf Cop on them. (...)
We wrote up this most recent update when it landed, and developer Tarn Adams has now put out the first of likely a few bugfixing patches. These typically follow big Dwarf Fortress releases, as there are always unexpected problems in its sprawling simulation. This update doesn't actually contain all the villainy features Adams originally planned, which will come after launching on Steam and Itch.io.

Valve is building a system that auto-mutes abusive CS:GO players
https://www.pcgamer.com/valve-is-building-a-system-that-auto-mutes-abusive-csgo-players/
Team-based games like CS:GO require coordination between players. Coordination requires communication, and communication, unfortunately, generally requires talking to other people. This is where the wheels tend to come off, because while some players will use the power of comms to set ambushes or warn about incoming enemies, others prefer less friendly approaches to chit-chat. You know what I mean.
To help clamp down on that sort of garbage, Valve is working on a new system for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive that will help cut down on in-game abuse more "precisely" than current tools.

Many Chinese developers are worried about Steam's upcoming Chinese-only version
https://www.pcgamer.com/many-chinese-developers-are-worried-about-steams-upcoming-chinese-only-version/
A China-only version of Steam might sound like a good thing on paper, but for the Chinese developers for whom Steam is a lifeline, a region-locked version of the platform may actually represent an existential threat. In December I flew to Shanghai to attend WePlay Game Expo, China's only convention for its vibrant but relatively small indie gaming scene. https://www.pcgamer.com/between-censorship-and-steam-chinese-indie-developers-are-hanging-by-a-thread/" target="_blank">You should read the report in order to understand the precarious situation these developers are in, but the gist is that heavy-handed government regulations make it almost impossible for small developers to survive in China's enormous gaming industry.

Pathfinder: Wrath of the Righteous hits Kickstarter target, working through stretch goals
https://www.pcgamer.com/pathfinder-wrath-of-the-righteous-hits-kickstarter-target-working-through-stretch-goals/
Owlcat Games are following up Pathfinder: Kingmaker with another adaptation of a tabletop RPG campaign, this time called Wrath of the Righteous. It's about a mythic hero who challenges demon lords, closes a portal to the Abyss, and leads a crusade. While Owlcat have enough money to make Wrath of the Righteous they've turned to Kickstarter to expand their budget and also drum up some interest.

Space Channel 5 is coming back as a VR game
https://www.pcgamer.com/space-channel-5-is-coming-back-as-a-vr-game/
A fresh version of one of Sega's classic properties that isn't Sonic the Hedgehog was announced last year, with Dreamcast classic Space Channel 5 returning in VR form. Now there's a launch trailer and while only the PlayStation VR version has a release date (February 25 in the US, February 26 in Europe) the website lists Vive, SteamVR, and Oculus versions coming soon.

Dragon Ball FighterZ's third season kicks off this month with Kefla
https://www.pcgamer.com/dragon-ball-fighterzs-third-season-kicks-off-this-month-with-kefla/
Ark System Works and Bandai Namco have announced that its 2D fighting behemoth, Dragon Ball FighterZ, will be getting a third season full of new characters to raise your power levels with.

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare Season 2's leaked trailer reveals a Rust comeback
https://www.pcgamer.com/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-season-2s-leaked-trailer-reveals-a-rust-comeback/
A trailer for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare's upcoming Season 2 has been leaked, letting slip that one of the most popular maps in CoD history is finally making a comeback.

THQ Nordic opens a new studio with former Bohemia Interactive staff
https://www.pcgamer.com/thq-nordic-opens-a-new-studio-with-former-bohemia-interactive-staff/
THQ Nordic has opened up a new studio with former Bohemia Interactive staff to develop a new survival shooter.
Operating out of Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, Nine Rock Games is being headed up by David Durcak. Durcak is best known for his work at ArmA and DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive, where he was a project lead. Joining him are other former Bohemia developers, and others who worked at Cauldron on games like Soldier of Fortune: Payback, Conan (2004), and Chaser. Bohemia Interactive acquired Cauldron in 2014.