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

[JEMC]

Wednesday news, part two:

The next Sims game will be free to play without a subscription or energy mechanics, EA confirms
https://www.pcgamer.com/the-next-sims-game-will-be-free-to-play-without-a-subscriptionor-energy-mechanics-ea-confirms/
The latest update from The Sims team includes another development on the game that's currently codenamed Project Rene, which we're calling The Sims 5 in the meantime. Importantly, Maxis confirms that the next major Sims game will be free-to-play and that its base game will include more features than The Sims 4 did at launch, thank goodness.

I'm digging Abriss, a physics puzzle game like Besiege set in a brutalist sci-fi dimension with rockets and lasers
https://www.pcgamer.com/im-digging-abriss-a-physics-puzzle-game-like-besiege-set-in-a-brutalist-sci-fi-dimension-with-rockets-and-lasers/
It's a good time for games about breaking things. There's the great voxel city smasher Teardown, the medieval demolition simulator Besiege, spaceship salvager Hardspace: Shipbreaker, and now here's Abriss, a cool $17 "physics-destruction building game" I tried out after it exited early access on Steam last week.

Australia's answer to Fallout, Broken Roads has a release date
https://www.pcgamer.com/australias-answer-to-fallout-broken-roads-has-a-release-date/
Drop Bear Bytes doesn't muck around. The release date trailer for the Australian developer's upcoming CRPG lets you know it's coming on November 14 right out the gate, and then gets on with highlighting its post-apocalyptic setting, morality system, and turn-based combat.

PAX Australia's turning 10, and putting on a big birthday show for the occasion
https://www.pcgamer.com/pax-australias-turning-10-and-putting-on-a-big-birthday-show-for-the-occasion/
PAX Australia is 10 years old this year, which means it is officially old enough to solve a mystery by cycling around with its friends while uncovering the town's dark secrets. It is also old enough to put on a gaming convention with a stacked lineup of exhibitors.

Mortal Kombat 1 won't have crossplay at launch, and it's unclear whether it'll eventually come to PC at all
https://www.pcgamer.com/mortal-kombat-1-wont-have-crossplay-at-launch-and-its-unclear-whether-itll-eventually-come-to-pc-at-all/
After quietly removing references to crossplay—or "Kross-Play" as it's been dubbed—from its Steam page earlier this month, NetherRealm Studios has confirmed that Mortal Kombat 1 will be launching without the feature.

Old School RuneScape punishes innovation, prevents player from using their own severed toe to skirt anti-botting rules
https://www.pcgamer.com/old-school-runescape-punishes-innovation-prevents-player-from-using-their-own-severed-toe-to-skirt-anti-botting-rules/
Botting, generally, is frowned upon in MMOs. Using any kind of tool to automate your play and amass experience and resources is against the rules in pretty much every major multiplayer game I can think of, but one Old School RuneScape (OSRS) player thought they'd found a loophole. As spotted by GamesRadar, they asked OSRS developer Jagex if it really counts as using a third-party automation tool if the tool in question is their literal amputated toe.

No Man's Sky is enjoying its 'biggest month in the last few years', coinciding with the launch of Starfield
https://www.pcgamer.com/no-mans-sky-is-enjoying-its-biggest-month-in-the-last-few-years-coinciding-with-the-launch-of-starfield/
No Man's Sky has been spitting out cosmic adventures for seven years and, despite not meeting expectations at launch, has evolved into an incredibly varied sandbox thanks to Hello Games' fantastic post-launch support. With free, expansion-sized updates coming out every year, it keeps beckoning players back.
This month, according to Hello Games founder Sean Murray, is actually its "biggest" in the last few years, despite competition from the long-awaited Starfield, another sandbox that ticks a lot of the same boxes.

Diablo 4 stats boffin grinds over 400 Nightmare dungeons in 18 days for science, proves higher tiers mostly aren't worth the headache
https://www.pcgamer.com/diablo-4-stats-boffin-grinds-over-400-nightmare-dungeons-in-18-days-for-science-proves-higher-tiers-mostly-arent-worth-the-headache/
As spotted by Gamesradar, a particularly stubborn mathemagician has rolled up their sleeves to properly prove whether it's even worth it to run high-tier nightmare dungeons in Diablo 4.