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

[JEMC]

Here are the Wednesday news (and some of the articles from the two previous days):

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has two sales going on:

• The Weekly Sale features indie games up to 90% off until next Monday: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210920_weekly_sale
• The new Special RPG Sale involves Hack'n'Slash games up to 90% off during the next 7 days: https://www.gog.com/promo/20210922_rpg_month_hacknslash

Steam has several new deals, including the new weeklong deals (which I'm not going to post):

• The new daily deal is Kynseed, still in Early Access, 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/758870/Kynseed/
• The first Midweek Madness deal is Cities: Skylines, 75% off until the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/255710/Cities_Skylines/
• The Naruto franchise is on sale, between 50 and 90% off until tomorrow: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/NarutoSale
• Neon Abyss will be 40% off until Friday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/788100/Neon_Abyss/
• Ultimate Chicken Horse will be 50% off until the 24th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/386940/Ultimate_Chicken_Horse/
• Kasedo is the star of the publisher sale with up to 90% discounts until Friday 24th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/KasedoPublisherSale
• And lastly, there's Phoenotopia: Awakening is going to be 25% off until September 26: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1436590/Phoenotopia_Awakening/

The guys at Humble have numerous new sales:

• The new Humble Bundle is the Fall VR Emporium Bundle, featuring up to 7 games during the next 9 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/fall-vr-emporium-bundle
• And the Humble Store has 5 new sales:
  • The South Park franchise is up to 75% off during the next 26 hours. Needless to say, the keys are for UPlay: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/south-park-franchise-sale/
  • Rockstar brings up to 70% discounts during the next 2 days. The keys are for its social club: +https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/rockstar-publisher-sale/
  • The Watch_dogs franchise is up to 80% off during the next 2 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/watch-dogs-franchise-sale/
  • Publisher Raw Fury puts its games up to 80% off during the next 2 days. The keys are all for Steam, except one that's also available for EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/raw-fury-publisher-sale-september/
  • And the 2K Publisher Sale features up to 84% discounts during the next 5 days. The keys are for Steam and EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/2k-publisher-sale/

Fanatical has several new deals:

• The new Star Deal is HUMANKIND, 23% off during the next 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/humankind
• A new BundleFest is live! Check it out daily for new bundles: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle
• As part of that, there's a new in-game event with VIP scratchcards for several prizes /games, discounts coupons, etc.). Learn more here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/vip-scratchcard-how-it-works-what-you-can-find
• There's also a new contest where three winners will win a bundle and another 100 will get a mystery key: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/chance-to-pick-win-super-games-bundle-during-bundlefest

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Unearthed Steam patent would let users play games as they're downloading
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/unearthed-steam-patent-would-let-users-play-games-as-theyre-downloading/
A patent filed in March 2020 by Valve, which was recently uncovered by SteamDB creator Pavel Djundik on Twitter, shows that Valve is looking to implement a system that lets a Steam user play a game as it downloads with what the company calls "instant play."
The way it works is that Steam will be able to track read operations of an executable file of any game. Steam will use this data to draw a digital map to prioritize specific game files during the download process, letting the player start playing the game without needing the download to finish.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This 36GB HD Mod for Fallout 76 overhauls all of its textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-36gb-hd-mod-for-fallout-76-overhauls-all-of-its-textures/
Modder ‘Wessberg’ has released an HD Texture Pack for Fallout 76 that weighs around 36GB and overhauls all of its textures. This is a must-have for all those that were disappointed by the game’s textures and want to make them look better.
Going into more details, Wessberg ported the Fallout 4 HD DLC in its entirety to Fallout 76. In addition, the modder adjusted the HD DLC to the new texture formats and re-assembled it in combination with the new AO, subsurface scattering, and reflection texture formats that were introduced in Fallout 76.
Furthermore, this mod brings back the textures that were available in Fallout 76 before the Wastelanders Update. Apparently, those textures were of a higher resolution than those found in the current version of Fallout 76.
>> You can find the mod at Nexus Mods, and it's split into several folders based on the category (actors, interiors, etc.).

SA_DirectX 3.0 Beta Overhaul Mod for GTA San Andreas adds SSR, SSAO, Rain Drops & more
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/sa_directx-3-0-beta-overhaul-mod-for-gta-san-andreas-adds-ssr-ssao-rain-drops-more/
In August 2018, we informed you about a graphical overhaul mod for Grand Theft Auto San Andreas, SA_DirectX 2.0. And earlier this week, modder ‘Makarus’ released a brand new beta version of it.
SA_DirectX 3.0 Beta adds new Reflections (SSR), Volumetric Clouds, Screen Space Reflections, SSAO, GodRays and Rain drops. Additionally, it packs some lighting tweaks and improvements.
Unfortunately, this beta build is behind a Patreon wall. Still, Makarus plans to release the mod to the public once it hits a more stable /final version. Until then, you can go ahead and download its previous version. We also suggest using this AI-enhanced HD Texture Pack.

This must-have mod for Tales of Arise improves LODs, Shadows, Lights & Ambient Occlusion
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-must-have-mod-for-tales-of-arise-improves-lods-shadows-lights-ambient-occlusion/
Modder ‘DunArd’ has released a must-have mod for Tales of Arise. This mod raises shadows, lights, postprocess effects, disables Chromatic Aberration, and increases both Ambient Oclussion and LOD quality.
This mod basically resolves most of the graphical complaints I had with the game. Thus, we highly recommend downloading and using it.
Do note, however, that this mod brings a noticeable performance hit. According to the modder, PC gamers should expect around a 5% performance decrease.
>> Head to Nexus Mods to get it.

Mass Effect Legendary Edition Community Patch released, fixes numerous issues
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/mass-effect-legendary-edition-community-patch-released-fixes-numerous-issues/
The Mass Effect Community Patch Team has released the first community patch for Mass Effect Legendary Edition. This is basically a spiritual successor to ME1Recalibrated, and aims to make small edits to fix bugs, and fix bugs only in Mass Effect 1: Legendary Edition. Going into slightly more details, this unofficial patch fixes some notorious bugs. For instance, it fixes the random medigel activations, and Corporal Toombs thinking Shepard was on Akuze. Moreover, it fixes the UNC: Besieged Base elevator news bug.
>> It's available from ModDB, but you'll need the ME3Tweaks Mod Manager.

Modders are working on an unofficial remaster of The Lord of the Rings: Conquest
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/modders-are-working-on-an-unofficial-remaster-of-the-lord-of-the-rings-conquest/
A team of modders is currently working on an unofficial remaster of Pandemic’s The Lord of the Rings: Conquest. Lord of the Rings Conquest Reimagined is going to be a reimaged version of the original game using Unreal Engine 4, and you can find below a teaser trailer.
Now I have to be honest here, this sounds TOO AMBITIOUS. The team promises a lot of things like map changes, more units, a new class, better animations for all units and improved AI. And… well… this sounds more like a remake instead of a remaster. This could be the Black Mesa of The Lord of the Rings: Conquest. And we all know the troubles that the Black Mesa team faced. So this will be either abandoned, toned down, or get shut down by EA.

Tales of Arise – Nude Mod released for Shionne, Rinwell & Ashen
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/tales-of-arise-nude-mod-released-for-shionne-rinwell-ashen/
Tales of Arise is a new anime-like action RPG that recently came out on PC. And, as you may have guessed by the title, the first nude mod has been released for it. This nude mod offers naked models for Shionne, Rinwell, Ashen, and some other characters. I know, I know, some will hate it. However, I’m certain that others will also find it interesting. As always, we won’t allow screenshots from this mod. However, you can go ahead and download it from DevianArt.

Good news, everyone: You can now control the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in Minecraft
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/good-news-everyone-you-can-now-control-the-four-horsemen-of-the-apocalypse-in-minecraft/
If you've ever wanted to cause destruction of biblical proportions in Minecraft, creator Whimzee has the exact data pack to help you out. This pack lets you take on the role of The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, you know, that the group of angry dudes from the bible created to rein misery down on Earth.
The data pack adds four new items into the game, each one inspired by the weapons wielded by the four horsemen (Death, Famine, War, and Conquest). When you have the item you can summon a horse that lets you use its special ability.

Here's a mod to boost your outdoor framerate in Skyrim Special Edition
https://www.pcgamer.com/uk/heres-a-mod-to-boost-your-outdoor-framerate-in-skyrim-special-edition/
If you take advantage of the way Skyrim Special Edition handles heavy mod loads to tweak the heck out of it—and especially if you use an ENB to overhaul the graphics—you've probably taken a hit to your framerate. (I've been using Ominous ENB to give things a gloomy, somber look, but it costs up to 20fps in some areas.) If that's you, exterior FPS boost is here to help.
It works thanks to occlusion culling, which prevents geometry you can't see from being rendered. While Skyrim already has occlusion culling, eFPS adds significantly more. Have a look at the changelog in the mod's description to see just how many cells have had occlusion panes added to them. It's a lot.
The existing Project Optimization mod does the same for interiors, and the two mods work together. However, eFPS is incompatible with mods that rearrange structures, like Open Cities and JK's Skyrim. The description also recommends starting a new game, since "We still haven't completely figured out how eFPS behaves with existing saves." I didn't notice any ill effects on my current save, however, and picked up about 5fps in Whiterun even with Ominous ENB making it all dark and smoky.

GAMING NEWS

Jagged Alliance 3 officially announced, first screenshots, details & trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/jagged-alliance-3-officially-announced-first-screenshots-details-trailer/
THQ Nordic has just announced the next part in its Jagged Alliance series, Jagged Alliance 3. In order to celebrate this announcement, the publisher revealed its first screenshots, details, and debut trailer.

New gameplay trailer released for the Dead Space-inspired horror game, Negative Atmosphere
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-gameplay-trailer-released-for-the-dead-space-inspired-horror-game-negative-atmosphere/
In 2019, we informed you about an indie sci-fi horror game that was inspired by the first Dead Space game, Negative Atmosphere. And yesterday, Sunscorched Studios shared a brand new gameplay trailer for it.

Here is an extended look at Forza Horizon 5’s multiplayer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-is-an-extended-look-at-forza-horizon-5s-multiplayer/
Yesterday, Playground Games released the eighth episode of Forza Horizon 5: Let’s ¡Go! which gave players a glimpse at the game’s multiplayer.

Diablo 2 Resurrected will support NVIDIA’s DLSS via a post-launch update
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/diablo-2-resurrected-will-support-nvidias-dlss-via-a-post-launch-update/
Kevin Todisco, Graphics Lead at Vicarious Visions, has confirmed that Diablo 2 Resurrected will support NVIDIA’s DLSS tech. However, the game will not support DLSS at launch. Instead, Vicarious Visions plans to add support for it via a post-launch update.

New reworked version of World War 3 available in Early Access until October 4th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/new-reworked-version-of-world-war-3-available-in-early-access-until-october-4th/
MY.GAMES and The Farm 51 plan to release their reworked tactical FPS World War 3 during the Veteran Alpha Test; an exclusive event for people who bought the game during Early Access. The ‘Veteran Alpha Test’ starts on September 30 at 5AM PT and will end on October 4 at 5AM PT.