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

[JEMC]

The Tuesday news, updated with some weeklong deals:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Starfield blasts past Skyrim's peak player count on Steam, but it's still well behind Fallout 4
https://www.pcgamer.com/starfield-blasts-past-skyrims-peak-player-count-on-steam-but-its-still-well-behind-fallout-4/
As expected, Bethesda's sci-fi RPG epic Starfield saw a major player spike on Steam over the first weekend since its full release on September 6, surpassing more than 330,000 concurrent players according to SteamDB. That's good enough to put it well past Skyrim, which broke more than 287,000 when it launched back in 2011, but still well back from Bethesda's number-one game, Fallout 4, which had nearly 473,000 concurrents in 2015.
It's a big number by any measure, and of course there are a lot of caveats attached. For one thing, it's just one slice of a pie that also includes the Microsoft Store edition of the game and Xbox Series X/S consoles: Xbox boss Phil Spencer said last week that Starfield had surpassed one million concurrent users across all platforms. And that figure includes not just people who purchased the game, but also Game Pass owners who were curious enough to give it a rip. Game Pass didn't even exist when Skyrim and Fallout 4 were new.

GOG has launched yet another Deal of the Day and two new sales:

• The DotD is Steel Division 2, 80% off during 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/steel_division_2
• There's a new Weekly Sale, with up to 90% discounts during 6 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20230911_weekly_sale
• And the Indie Festival brings up to 94% deals on indie games during the next 13 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2023_the_indie_festival

Steam has sseveral new deals and sales, as well as new weeklong deals:

• The Save and Sound Sale brings up to 70% discounts until the 14th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/saveandsound2023
• The Amnesia Franchise Sale is on sale with up to 75% discounts until the 15th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/AmnesiaFranchiseSale
• The Naruto Franchise goes on sale, up to 84% off until September, 15th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/NarutoSale
• Children of Morta is free to try during another 26 hours and 75% off until September 18: https://store.steampowered.com/app/330020/Children_of_Morta/
• Publisher 505 Games puts its games on sale, up to 90% off until Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/505GamesPublisherSale23
• Dead Space gets a 40% discount until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1693980/Dead_Space/
• The Monster Hunter Rise + Sunbreak pack will be 50% off until September, the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/sub/692569
• Arma 3 celebrates its 10th anniversary with an 80% discount until the 25th of September: https://store.steampowered.com/app/107410/Arma_3/
• The last one is the Mexican Entertainment System, featuring games developed in Mexico with up to 90% discounts. The length of the discount varies from game to game, with some ending on the 17th while others will last until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/43874062-DevsMX/sale/mexicanentertainmentsystem
• And these are some of the weeklong deals:
  • Tiny Thor is 25% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/541310/Tiny_Thor/
  • The Black Heart gets a 40% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1431780/The_Black_Heart/
  • Lost in Play has a 50% deal: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1328840/Lost_in_Play/
  • Lonely Mountains: Downhill, that has a demo, is 60% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/711540/Lonely_Mountains_Downhill/
  • The Painscreek Killings gets a 75% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/624270/The_Painscreek_Killings/
  • And the last one, Pony Island, with an 80% deal: https://store.steampowered.com/app/405640/Pony_Island/

Humble Store has three sales:

• The Kepler Interactive Spotlight Sale comes with up to 70% discounts during 3 days. There are keys for Steam and EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/kepler-interactive-spotlight-sale/
• The 505 Games Publisher Sale also arrives here, putting its games up to 90% off during 6 days. There are keys for Steam and EGS: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/505-games-publisher-sale/
• And the Stick to the Shadows Sale also brings up to 90% deals during 6 days. There are keys for Steam, UbiConnect and to download: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/stick-to-the-shadows-sale/

Fanatical has launched the Killer Bundle 27, featuring 20 games with a 95% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/killer-bundle-27.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

NVIDIA GeForce Game Ready 537.34
https://videocardz.com/driver/nvidia-geforce-game-ready-537-34
Highlights

Game Ready for Mortal Kombat 1
This new Game Ready Driver provides the best gaming experience for the latest new games supporting DLSS 2 technology including Mortal Kombat 1 and Lies of P.

Support For Newly Validated G-SYNC Compatible Displays
Our newest Game Ready Driver adds support for 6 new G-SYNC Compatible displays that deliver a baseline Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) experience that makes your gaming smoother and more enjoyable.

New Games Supported By GeForce Experience’s Optimal Settings
GeForce Experience’s one-click optimal settings enable you to instantly configure game options for your system’s hardware, giving you smooth, optimized gameplay. Over 1000 titles are supported, and since our last driver release we’ve added support for 5 more:

• ARMORED CORE VI FIRES OF RUBICON
• Immortals of Aveum
• Starfield
• The Texas Chain Saw Massacre
• Wayfinder

Fixed Issues

• [Starfield] Profile updated for Microsoft Store/Xbox Game Pass version [4266797]
• [Counter-Strike: Global Offensive] black screen when using the GeForce Experience InGame Overlay [4257572]

>> Check the article for the list of validates monitors.

Nvidia owners can get a big FPS boost in Starfield with this manual ReBAR tweak
https://www.pcgamer.com/nvidia-owners-can-get-a-big-fps-boost-in-starfield-with-this-tweak/
Starfield is arguably this year's most hyped game. At this point in time, the game runs well on AMD hardware thanks to its partnership with Bethesda, but Nvidia owners haven't gotten as much love. Though the game runs well enough, Nvidia GPUs are uncharacteristically underperforming in Starfield, and official support for Nvidia's bedrock technologies such as DLSS are missing.
Over time things will improve, as Nvidia and Bethesda release driver updates and patches. If you don't want to wait, there's an interim tweak you can do yourself, and if the early testing is to be believed, it can deliver major performance boosts for Nvidia owners playing Starfield.
Okhayko at Nexus Mods (via Reddit) has posted a very handy guide that gives Nvidia owners a welcome FPS boost. The secret is to enable Resizable BAR. Resizable Base Address Register (BAR) is a PCI Express technology. AMD calls it Smart Access Memory. It allows the CPU to access all of a GPU's memory, allowing assets to be transferred faster. Some games don't benefit at all from Resizable BAR, while others do, and Starfield appears to be one of them.
>> Even though it comes from a modder, it's not exactly a mod.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Elden Ring gets a brand new Bloodborne-inspired Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/elden-ring-gets-a-brand-new-bloodborne-inspired-mod/
Modder ‘corvianNoctis’ has released another Bloodborne-inspired mod for Elden Ring that brings to the game the Charred Hunter. This is a really cool Bloodborne Armor Set Mod that most of FromSoftware’s fans will appreciate.
In fact, this is the second Bloodborne Mod for Elden Ring. The first mod, created by the same modder, came out in February 2023 and brought the Gascoigne Set. Going into more details, the mod includes cape and coat physics, as well as proper Bloodborne icons and text. (...)
>> The article has some screenshots.

Heck yeah, this Starfield mod lets you craft your own ammo
https://www.pcgamer.com/heck-yeah-this-starfield-mod-lets-you-craft-your-own-ammo/
I haven't done a whole lot of crafting in Starfield simply because I haven't needed to. Bethesda's space RPG throws a steady supply of enemies at you and those enemies drop tons of weapons and gear, most of it already fitted with useful attachments. I've found very few excuses to spend time at my crafting bench upgrading my weapons at all.
The one thing I did want to craft was ammo, and I was a little surprised to learn there isn't an ammo crafting workbench in Starfield—especially since there was one in Fallout 4 (added in the Contraptions Workshop DLC) and Fallout 76.
It wasn't a huge problem: I just had to remind myself to swing by the traders whenever I visited a major location. But there are a few guns, like the awesome heavy ballistics weapon the Bridger, that it's tricky to find a healthy supply of ammo for.
Now you can make your own. The Craftable Ammo and Utilities mod created by modder pitufocabeza lets you use the Industrial Workbench to cobble together ammo from the materials you collect in Starfield. No need to scour the weapon dealers for 40mm XPL ammo for your Bridger anymore: craft it yourself using lead and copper. Ammo for energy weapons can be made using cobalt, nickel, and lithium.
And it's not just ammo. The mod also supports the crafting of some utility items, like digipicks and medpacks, and throwables like frag grenades and mines. Why pay top dollar in shops when you can DIY?
>> The article doesn't have screenshots or videos, but there's a list of the items you can create.

If you find Starfield's NPC walking speed as infuriating as I do, try these mods
https://www.pcgamer.com/if-you-find-starfields-npc-walking-speed-as-infuriating-as-i-do-try-these-mods/
Starfield is the latest in a long line of games to commit the cardinal but common sin of not making NPCs match the walking speed of the player. It sounds like a minor quibble, but it crops up so often that it's driving me loopy, resulting in me trotting ahead of NPCs while screaming at them as I completely lose the plot.
(...)
Like so many of the recurring issues with Bethesda games, it's been left up to modders to fix this, which they've done with some simple command line mods. These are easy to use, but will require you to make a tweak to the StarfieldCustom.ini file.
>> The article has 2 mods, with no screenshots nor videos.

The Starfield Upscaling Fix mod follows forgotten AMD recommendations to improve texture quality. Modder hopes 'this prompts Bethesda or AMD to fix their implementation'
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-starfield-upscaling-fix-mod-follows-forgotten-amd-recommendations-to-improve-texture-quality-modder-hopes-this-prompts-bethesda-or-amd-to-fix-their-implementation/
Modders have been hard at work since Starfield's release. Adding such important features as DLSS, a better UI, and superstar Nic Cage to your flashlight. Though you should also consider this tiny mod for your ever-growing Starfield mods folder: it's a miniscule tweak to Starfield's upscaling settings that significantly improves overall texture quality.
It's the Upscaling Fix - FSR - DLSS - XESS mod by doodlum over on Nexus Mods, and it simply sets out to fix blurry textures when using upscalers. It's primarily aimed at Starfield's native AMD FSR implementation, and if you're playing the Xbox app version of the game, that's all it's good for. But if you're on the Steam version, and you've modded in Nvidia's DLSS or Intel's XeSS with another mod, this fix will work on those, too.
>> The article has one screenshot.

GAMING NEWS

Forza Motorsport gets official 18-minute gameplay trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/forza-motorsport-gets-official-18-minute-gameplay-trailer/
Microsoft has just released a new trailer for Forza Motorsport, showcasing 18 minutes of new gameplay footage from it. This trailer features gameplay footage from a preview build, meaning that it does not fully represent the quality of the final product. Still, it can give you an idea of the game’s graphics and art design.

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0 can use up to 90% of 8-core CPUs, may overheat PC systems
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/cyberpunk-2077-update-2-0-can-use-up-to-90-of-8-core-cpus-may-overheat-pc-systems/
Cyberpunk 2077’s Update 2.0 will release later this month. And, according to Filip Pierscinski, CDPR’s lead scene programmer, it will stress heavily both CPUs and GPUs.

Here are 20 minutes of PC gameplay footage from Assassin’s Creed Mirage
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-20-minutes-of-pc-gameplay-footage-from-assassins-creed-mirage/
Ubisoft has lifted the preview embargo for Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and below you can find a video showcasing 20 minutes of gameplay from its PC version.

Last edited by JEMC - on 12 September 2023