I was thinking of possibly dipping into Fortnite's base game (don't care at all for it's BR mode). I forgot that it wasn't on Steam and that it required Epic's client, which I wasn't going to download and install (because fuck having more than 5 clients).

I then tried to go to their site to buy it directly, but discovered that it's all in dollars and doesn't translate to UK prices at all. The base game also includes far less and basically baits me to grab the much more expensive deluxe/gold versions.

In short


Might have sold me if it was actually on Steam or GoG, but hey, Epic wants to play it's own tune, they'll just have to do without me as a customer in the future if that's the path they've taken.

Chazore said: I was thinking of possibly dipping into Fortnite's base game (don't care at all for it's BR mode). I forgot that it wasn't on Steam and that it required Epic's client, which I wasn't going to download and install (because fuck having more than 5 clients). I then tried to go to their site to buy it directly, but discovered that it's all in dollars and doesn't translate to UK prices at all. The base game also includes far less and basically baits me to grab the much more expensive deluxe/gold versions. In short Might have sold me if it was actually on Steam or GoG, but hey, Epic wants to play it's own tune, they'll just have to do without me as a customer in the future if that's the path they've taken.

Isn't the base game going free to play this year, anyway?

Probably, which likely means more MT's being shoved in. 

Still porn.
Even an old Intel Atom makes me moist if you are overclocking it with exotic cooling. Haha

The i5 8500K is a great chip. It should last the distance.

It's not like it will have any kind of load ever. Its most common task will be taking care of the RAID^^

Speaking of RAID. A lot of good things came together yesterday.

One of my Seagate 3TB drives completely crashed yesterday while transferring stuff to the new storage. Storage spaces did not realize it crashed so it continued to try to load data from the broken drive, which didn't go over well with the explorer. So I restarted the PC and my mainboard told me that one of the drives crashed. I checked Crystaldisk and it couldn't even check the broken drive. Yet in storage spaces Windows marked the drive as OK. So I went to remove the drive physically from the RAID5. AFter that everything went back to normal.

The main takeaways here are:

RAIDs are awesome
Storage Spaces is shit
Seagates are shit

Which basically is just confirmation of things we already know.

I can second that. I've owned many brands of hard drives including; Seagate, Samsung, Maxtor, Hitachi, Western Digital, Toshiba.. and former are by far, THE worst for reliability.

My experience with Seagate is 100% fail rate. Four of four of my SG HDD's have died from early failure. To tip things off they died just out of warranty. Lasting an average between 2-3 years (I buy OEM's), while others stay strong well after. I think I've learned my lesson now to avoid their junk.

Just buy WD or Hitachi imo if you want a long-working, reliable harddrive. Toshiba a pretty good too apparently for reliability.

It really is.

In 2010~ when I decided to give Seagate another chance with my Phenom 2 x6 rig... I ordered half a dozen drives. They were all dead on arrival, that was the perfect reminder that they haven't changed for me.
It's Ancedotal, sure. But holy crap does Seagate leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Never had any luck, not even back in the 90's.

Happy running Western Digitals to be honest, used to be happy running Samsung Spinpoints before they got sold off, used to love the little whine they made when they spun up too. Haha

It's Monday already? Wow, time sure flies fast when you're not around here XD. I guess that means I'll have to do the news:

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

Steam's Top 10

1. PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
2. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI: Rise and Fall
3. The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt - Game of the Year Edition
4. Subnautica
5. Kingdom Come: Deliverance
6. Dying Light Enhanced Edition
7. DRAGON BALL FighterZ
8. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
9. Slay the Spire
10. FINAL FANTASY XII THE ZODIAC AGE

Activision Blizzard earned more than $4 billion on in-game purchases in 2017
https://www.pcgamer.com/activision-blizzard-earned-more-than-4-billion-on-in-game-purchases-in-2017/
Activision earned $7 billion in net revenues in 2017, which is an awfully impressive number, although maybe not all that surprising surprising given the games in its stable: Overwatch, Hearthstone, World of Warcraft, and a few others you may have heard of. But what's really interesting (or potentially terrifying, depending on your perspective) is that more than half of that amount—over $4 billion—comes from in-game purchases.

>>And that's why microtransactions won't go away anytime soon. *sigh*

GOG doesn't have a weekly sale yet. That, coupled with the "rumors" of Steam having a Lunar New Year sale from Feb 15-19, likely means that GOG is working on something similar.

SOFTWARE

Here is what NVIDIA’s VXAO looks like in Final Fantasy XV, comparison screenshots
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/here-is-what-nvidias-vxao-looks-like-in-final-fantasy-xv-comparison-screenshots/
As you may already be aware of, the PC benchmark of Final Fantasy XV featured three specific NVIDIA GameWorks effects. These three effects were: Turf, HairWorks and Flow. The final version of the game will support two additional effects, VXAO and ShadowWorks, and Resetera’s member icecold1983 was able to enable VXAO in the benchmark tool, showcasing what gamers can expect from this technique.

MODS/EMULATORS

CEMU 1.11.4 is now available to everyone for download, improves game compatibility
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cemu-1-11-4-is-now-available-to-everyone-for-download-improves-game-compatibility/
The team behind the best WiiU emulator, CEMU, has released a brand new version of it. This latest version of CEMU boots games that weren’t compatible before, like Mario Part 10, Art Academy: Atelier, Wii Party U and Animal Crossing: amiibo Festival.

>>You can download it from the official website.

Unreal Engine 4 Zelda VR fan tech demo is now available, supports both HTC Vive and Oculus Rift
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unreal-engine-4-zelda-vr-fan-tech-demo-is-now-available-supports-both-htc-vive-and-oculus-rift/
A few days ago we informed you about a new fan tech demo for Zelda in Unreal Engine 4. This tech demo allowed players to control Fierce Deity Link and fight the Darknut. And yesterday, its creator released a VR version of this demo that supports both the HTC Vive and the Oculus Rift.

>>You may want to try it, Conina. This is the direct download link.

Grand Theft Auto 5 Redux 1.3 mod is now available, improves NPC physics & enhances animations
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/grand-theft-auto-5-redux-1-3-mod-is-now-available-improves-npc-physics-enhances-animations/
Josh Romito has released a new version of his graphics overhaul for Grand Theft Auto V, GTA5Redux. According to the modder, this new version of his mod is compatible with the latest version of the game and adds a GTA 5 Redux intro video and a GTA 5 Redux menu logo.

>>Available from here.

The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project 5.0 is now available, reworks lots of textures to Ultra HD quality
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-witcher-3-hd-reworked-project-5-0-is-now-available-reworks-lots-of-textures-to-ultra-hd-quality/
Modder ‘Halk Hogan PL’ has released a brand new version of his amazing HD Texture Pack for The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project aims to overhaul CD Projekt RED’s title, featuring high quality meshes with a lot of details (most of them are created from scratch and good optimalization is preserved), very high quality detailed textures with great sharpness and performance, without any unnecessary VRAM losses, very high quality accurate normal maps and specially customized materials for all reworked stuff.

>>If you're interested, head to Nexus Mods.

Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch 2.0.3 is now available featuring numerous Actor, Item, Mesh and Quest fixes
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/unofficial-fallout-4-patch-2-0-3-is-now-available-featuring-numerous-actor-item-mesh-and-quest-fixes/
The Unofficial Patch Project Team has released a brand new patch for Fallout 4. According to the release notes, the unofficial Fallout 4 patch 2.0.3 adds keywords for power armor paint introduced with patch 1.10.64 and keyword data for the Gatling Laser added by patch 1.10.50.

>>This mod is also available from Nexus Mods.

GAMING NEWS

New One Piece World Seeker screenshots showcase environments and characters
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/new-one-piece-world-seeker-screenshots-showcase-environments-and-characters/
Bandai Namco has released a new set of screenshots for One Piece World Seeker. In One Piece World Seeker, players will take an adventure freely to unlock the dark secret behind a mysterious island in a new world where various cultures and environments live together.

New screenshots and trailer for upcoming first-person open-world exploration game, Eastshade
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-screenshots-and-trailer-for-upcoming-first-person-open-world-exploration-game-eastshade/
Eastshade Studios has released new screenshots and a trailer for its upcoming first-person open-world exploration game, Eastshade. In Eastshade you assume the role of a traveling painter, exploring the island of Eastshade and capturing the world on canvas using your artist’s easel.

First-person puzzler Q.U.B.E. 2 releases on March 13th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/first-person-puzzler-q-u-b-e-2-releases-on-march-13th/
Toxic Games has announced that its first-person puzzle sequel Q.U.B.E. 2 will launch on March 13th. Q.U.B.E. 2 offers a brain-teasing adventure for fans of the original Q.U.B.E. and newcomers alike.

Monday news, part two:

Gleaner Heights is a retro farming sim that mixes Harvest Moon with HP Lovecraft
https://www.pcgamer.com/gleaner-heights-is-a-retro-farming-sim-that-mashes-up-harvest-moon-with-hp-lovecraft/
Gleaner Heights is a Harvest Moon-inspired retro-styled farming sim developed entirely by one man, a very basic outline that sounds a lot like the indie mega-hit Stardew Valley. To a point, that's true. During the day you'll grow crops, tend your animals, hunt, fish, cook, befriend the townsfolk, and perhaps even pursue romance. But things take a turn when the sun goes down.

Years later, My Little Pony-inspired fighting game Them's Fightin' Herds gets a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/years-later-my-little-pony-inspired-fighting-game-thems-fightin-herds-gets-a-release-date/
Here's something you didn't expect to learn today: Them's Fightin' Herd's, the 2D fighting game inspired by the cartoon My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, is due out this month. After raising nearly $600,000 on Indiegogo in October 2015, it will finally release on February 22, according to developer Mane6.

The alien ocean of In Other Waters channels Sunless Sea and Metroid Prime
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-alien-ocean-of-in-other-waters-channels-sunless-sea-and-metroid-prime/
Poisoned and plucked clean, Earth's oceans are long dead. Now humanity roams the stars looking for signs of life—and new planets to raze. Such is the bleak world of In Other Waters, a "unique exploration game" about a xenobiologist and an AI exploring an alien ocean. It's currently on Kickstarter, with lead developer Gareth Damian Martin asking for $30,647 to fund the project. At the time of writing, its campaign has earned $7,310 and will run for another 26 days.

David Gaider has left Beamdog
https://www.pcgamer.com/david-gaider-has-left-beamdog/
It was big news when David Gaider joined Beamdog in early 2016. Gaider has design credits on BioWare RPGs including Baldur's Gate 2, KOTOR, and Neverwinter Nights, and was the lead writer on the Dragon Age series from Origin to Inquisition; Beamdog, after releasing enhanced editions of Baldur's Gate and Icewind Dale, was working on a new Baldur's Gate chapter called Siege of Dragonspear.
Nonetheless, Gaider announced on Twitter today that that he's moving on to other things.

>>Will he come back to Bioware to write the next Dragon Age game?

Grappling hook platformer Remnants of Naezith is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/grappling-hook-platformer-remnants-of-naezith-is-out-now/
Remnants of Naezith caught my eye last month with a flashy trailer showing off its grappling hook platforming, neon lights and limitless speed, and now it's swung onto Steam properly. It'll cost you around $9/£6.50, and it might be worth considering.

Laser League dashes into Early Access with a 30% discount
https://www.pcgamer.com/laser-league-dashes-into-early-access-with-30-discount/
Promising neon futuresport Laser League, in which you try to murder enemies with walls of light, has just hit Early Access, and if you're quick you can grab if for a 30% discount. The game is "polished and fully-formed" and developer Roll7 is aiming for a full release before the end of March, but it'll monitor player feedback and push that date back if it needs to make substantial changes.

Her Story creator's next project is a multi-viewpoint story that changes based on which perspective you watch
https://www.pcgamer.com/her-story-creators-next-project-is-a-multi-viewpoint-story-that-changes-based-on-which-perspective-you-watch/
Our first peek at WarGames—Her Story creator Sam Barlow's next project—in December was not particularly revealing: we found out that it's an interactive series re-imagining the 1983 film of the same name, but that was about it. Now we know that, in Barlow's own words, it's a "choice-based story without choices" that plays out across a number of different viewpoints.

'The floor is lava' among a dozen temporary game modes coming to Fortnite soon
https://www.pcgamer.com/epic-working-on-a-dozen-fortnite-temporary-game-modes-including-the-floor-is-lava/
Fortnite Battle Royale's stream of temporary game modes looks set to continue flowing—Epic will add five to the game within the next month and at least five more soon after, it said yesterday. One of the first five will be a reworked version of the 50v50 game mode it first introduced in December, but the other four will be new, and they include a mode that reduces the size of the map by limiting the drop zone to within the first circle.

Space Metroidvania Planetoid Pioneers blasts out of Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/space-metroidvania-planetoid-pioneers-blasts-out-of-early-access/
"Physicsvania" is the not-so-catchy term that developer Data Realms has slapped onto Planetoid Pioneers, which has just left Early Access, and while I'm not entirely sure it'll catch on it does at least describe the game fairly accurately. You're an astronaut exploring and trying to survive on various mini planets while using a ridiculous physics system to solve puzzles and obliterate enemies. Each planet offers unique vehicles, enemies and items, and you'll be able to explore solo or with a friend in drop-in co-op.

Mount Your Friends in 3D on February 23
https://www.pcgamer.com/mount-your-friends-in-3d-on-february-23/
Mount Your Friends was something of a triumph. You wrestled with fiddly controls to try and and make muscular men stack on top of each other, competing against a friend to see who could get higher while watching lots of physics-enabled dongs wiggle about. It was plain funny, and genuinely tense towards the end of a round. The sequel, Mount Your Friends 3D: A Hard Man is Good to Climb, has just got a release date of February 23.

Rust marks end of four-year Early Access with a visual overhaul
https://www.pcgamer.com/rust-marks-end-of-four-year-long-early-access-with-a-visual-overhaul/
Multiplayer survival game Rust has finally left Early Access, increasing its price from $20 to $35 and tweaking its update schedule from weekly to monthly to ensure changes are properly thought through. There's now a testing branch, too, for those that want to trial new features before they make it into the game. (...)
The biggest change to accompany that transition is a graphics refresh. Environment artist Vincent Mayeur wrote in a blog post that he has rethought the visuals "from the ground up, combing over almost every aspect of the game, striving for consistency".

Destiny 2 to rework Nightfall Strikes, removing timer and adding difficulty modifiers
https://www.pcgamer.com/destiny-2-reworks-nightfall-strikes-removing-timer-and-adding-challenge-cards/
Bungie plans to remove the timer from Destiny 2's high-level weekly Nightfall Strikes and rework the scoring system to encourage players to kill more enemies, it has announced. The current system, which kicks you out of a Nightfall strike if you go over the time limits, "pushes players through the encounters as fast as possible" and "turns a lot of people off", Bungie said in a blog post.

Friday the 13th shows off brutal single-player challenge mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/friday-the-13th-shows-off-brutal-single-player-challenge-mode/
Asymmetric multiplayer slasher game Friday the 13th got its first slice of single-player in December when developer Illfonic added an offline mode with bots, and this week it showed off its next single-player mode: Challenges. The mode will place Jason in a variety of scenarios and ask him to murder everything in sight. Think a streamlined Hitman, but with a lot more blood.

Production sim Rise of Industry enters Early Access
https://www.pcgamer.com/production-sim-rise-of-industry-enters-early-access/
I've kept an eager eye on production sim Rise of Industry ever since Leif tried, and failed, to build a whisky business in it last year. It looks promising, and the idea is that you control all aspects of whatever trade you want to pursue, from sourcing raw materials to sorting supply routes. According to developer Dapper Penguin Studios, it was the top selling game on Itch.io in 2017, and now it's broadened its horizons by entering Early Access on Steam and GOG.

Get lost in a single screen with neat puzzler Swaps and Traps, out today
https://www.pcgamer.com/get-lost-in-a-single-screen-with-neat-puzzler-swaps-and-traps-out-today/
How many times have you heard the phrase 'something is like something else with a twist'? Loads, I bet. Swaps and Traps is a neat puzzle game that really means it.
Due later today on Steam, Swaps and Traps is a run-and-jump platformer, whereby collecting keys spins each level on its head—in turn creating new, dizzying puzzles to overcome. Aha! A literal twist.

By the way, reviews for Ryzen APUs are online. Here's a roundup article with the reviews of the two models: https://videocardz.com/75017/amd-raven-ridge-ryzen-5-2400g-ryzen-3-2200g-apu-review-roundup