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JEMC on 20 November 2023
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Get ready, because here come the Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Half-Life's 25th anniversary celebrations have caused a resonance cascade in its Steam player-count, surging to a new all-time high over the weekend
https://www.pcgamer.com/half-lifes-25th-anniversary-celebrations-have-caused-a-resonance-cascade-in-its-steam-player-count-surging-to-a-new-all-time-high-over-the-weekend/
Half-Life, the little-known game about a monorail enthusiast who undergoes the most brutal job interview in history, reached its 25th birthday on Sunday. And Valve was in a surprisingly celebratory mood for a company that is normally as reticent as it is forward-looking. On its YouTube channel, Valve released a brand-new documentary that brought the original Half-Life team together for a captivating chew over its development.
Even more remarkably, the studio issued a major update for the Steam version of Half-Life, reverting the menu screen to its original form, fixing a few particularly stubborn bugs, and adding some brand new multiplayer maps.
It seems the occasion and the update has given everyone Half-Life fever (and no I don't mean radiation poisoning), as the 1998 shooter tore through reality to reach a new all-time peak concurrent player count on Steam. One necessary caveat is that such numbers have only been tracked since 2012, so it's possible Half-Life had higher numbers than this at some point in the past. But you use what you've got.
As reported by gamedeveloper.com, Half-Life originally broke its existing peak concurrent of 12,280 players on Friday, increasing by 16.4% to 14,300 according to stats tracked by SteamDB. Since then, however, it's beat that number too, rising to a whopping 33,471 players around 6pm GMT on Sunday. At the time of writing, 13,372 people were playing Half-Life, a higher number than the game's all-time peak concurrent before the anniversary celebrations started.

Strangely enough, GOG doesn't seem to have any new sale nor even new Deals of the Day. What are they up to?

Steam puts Tavern Master up to 50% off until the 28th of November: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1525700/Tavern_Master/.

It's time to check Humble:

Fanatical has also launched its Black Friday Sale, and with it some new deals:

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Unity 6 seems miles behind Unreal Engine 5 in its first tech demo
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/unity-6-seems-miles-behind-unreal-engine-5-in-its-first-tech-demo/
This week, Unity Technologies introduced Unity 6, the latest version of its Unity Engine. To demonstrate what it can do, the team released a video showing off its key features. But when you compare it to what Unreal Engine 5 has accomplished, Unity 6’s tech demo falls short. So, let’s take a look at it.
>> They're also building an AI suite.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This Metal Gear Solid 3 PC Mod implements crouch walking
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/this-metal-gear-solid-3-pc-mod-implements-crouch-walking/
Modders ‘Zoft’ and ‘Triggerhappy’ dropped a cool mod for the PC version of Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater. The mod adds a crouch walking feature, like the one in the Nintendo 3DS version of the game. It’s a must-have if you’re currently playing MGS3 on PC.
This latest version of the mod no longer requires the D-Pad to crouch-walk. Instead, it now adds a new movement style. Players can now press X to crouch and then simply begin walking. By holding X, they can go prone. Guard visibility has been changed to no longer see the player as standing up when crouch-walking. Not only that but crouch-walking into a wall will now result in the player using the correct animation.
>> There's a video that's slightly over 1 minute long.

Valheim Plus brings numerous gameplay tweaks to the game
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/valheim-plus-brings-numerous-gameplay-tweaks-to-the-game/
The Valheim Plus Team just dropped a new version of the Valheim Plus Mod. This mod brings to the game lots of tweaks and improvements. One awesome addition is the FOV setting. Now, you can adjust your field of view for a better view of the action. So, if you’re into Valheim and want to level up your gameplay, this mod is the way to go.
Valheim Plus changes things up for a completely different gaming experience. With this mod, stamina lasts longer, food stays fresh forever, and you can carry more stuff. Plus, if you’re into hand-to-hand combat, your punches pack more punch. But that’s not all. It can also disable food degradation, and you can tweak or skip the death penalty. Not only that but it removes shake screens, can disable portals, and you can sleep without setting your starting point.
With this mod, in the server, everyone will be forced to show where they are on the map. And get this, you can share all the cool places you’ve explored with your friends as long as your map position is displayed. And guess what? You can spot boats and carts on the map too, thanks to some handy icons.
There are even more changes to all aspects of the game. Valheim Plus brings new camera options and new HUD improvements. It also brings changes to the inventory system, game difficulty, items, crafting and the game’s monsters. Seriously, this is one of the most advanced gameplay mods you can find for it.
>> The article has an over 6 minutes video.

Portal: Revolution is a new DLC-sized mod for Portal 2, to be released in 2024
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/portal-revolution-is-a-free-mod-for-portal-2-coming-out-in-2024/
Second Face Software has just released a trailer for its upcoming Portal 2 Mod, called Portal: Revolution. Portal: Revolution will be released in 2024 and, as you may have guessed, it will be free to all owners of Portal 2.
Portal: Revolution will take place before Portal 2 in the dead and decaying Enrichment Center. It’s packed with more than 40 fresh puzzles and cool new gameplay elements. Plus, there will be tutorials to teach you all the new mechanics and advanced portal tricks.
Portal: Revolution runs on an enhanced version of the Portal 2: Community Edition engine. This is a custom version of the Counter-Strike: Global Offensive Source Engine branch. The team used this engine to add lots of cool stuff and make the game even better. They say the new experience they created wouldn’t be possible in the vanilla Portal 2. Oh, and just to be clear, there won’t be any Ray Tracing effects. So, it won’t look like Portal RTX.
As said, Portal: Revolution will release in 2024. To be more precise, it will come out on January 5th, 2024. Below you can also find its official gameplay trailer.

Elden Ring gets an amazing free lock-on camera mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/elden-ring-gets-an-amazing-free-lock-on-camera-mod/
Modder ‘SchuhBaum’ has released an amazing new mod for Elden Ring. This mod allows you to freely move the camera while you are locked on to enemies. This will greatly enhance your gaming experience. So, be sure to download it.
Now, for those unaware, Elden Ring does not let you move the camera when you’re locked on an enemy. This can be frustrating, especially if you’re playing with a mouse. But with this mod, you can fix that. Not only that, but the mod comes with some other tweaks and changes, like how lock-on targets are selected.
This is an amazing QoL improvement for the PC version. And, to be honest, I’d really love to see FromSoftware adding it to the game via a future update. Let’s not forget that Elden Ring will receive an official expansion in 2024. So, fingers crossed that the team will take notes from its modding community. Okay okay, it won’t happen but a man can dream, right?
>> There's a 2:11 video of the mod.

Half-Life 2: Infinite Finality is yet another Half-Life 3 Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/half-life-2-infinite-finality-is-yet-another-half-life-3-mod/
Team Hyperborea has released a trailer for its upcoming “Half-Life 3” Mod, called Half-Life 2: Infinite Finality. Half-Life 2: Infinite Finality will attempt to faithfully adapt the story of Marc Laidlaw’s Epistle Three. Not only that but it will also feature some brand new content.
This is the third Half-Life 2: Episode Three (or Half-Life 3) project that is currently in development. The other two are Boreal Alyph or Project Borealis. From what we know, these two projects are still alive. Both of them are in a serious development hell state, but they haven’t been canceled yet. So, at least that’s something.
>> There's a 8:25 video of this mod.

'For fun and challenge:' The team that ported Jak and Daxter to PC has done the same for Jak 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/for-fun-and-challenge-the-team-that-ported-jak-and-daxter-to-pc-has-done-the-same-for-jak-2/
After successfully porting the Naughty Dog PS2 classic, Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy to PC last June, the OpenGOAL team has now done the same for its edgy, GTA-influenced sequel, Jak 2 (Jak 2: Renegade for you PAL region kiddies). Though still in beta, Jak 2 is playable from start to finish through OpenGOAL.
This is distinct from just running the game on an emulator: the OpenGOAL team reverse-engineered the games to run natively on PC, avoiding the need to emulate a PlayStation 2 at all. The OpenGOAL project is completely legal on a similar basis to emulators, however, as it was built from the bottom up without incorporating any proprietary Sony or Naughty Dog tech—you need an ISO image from your own copy of Jak 2 to use with OpenGOAL's launcher.
The Jak and Daxter games were made in a unique programming language, GOAL, that doesn't seem to have been used anywhere else. The OpenGOAL team seems to relish the hurdles inherent to mastering such an obscure cul-de-sac of tech history. In addition to aiding in the preservation and understanding of these games, OpenGOAL's FAQ describes the project as being primarily motivated "for fun and challenge."
While Jak 2 is "100% completable" through its OpenGOAL port, there remain some bugs for the team to work on. After that, they seem dead set on completing the PS2 trilogy with a Jak 3 port, though they don't seem totally sold on one for Jak X: Combat Racing just yet.
>> There are no screenshots nor videos.

GAMING NEWS

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 November 17th Update Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/call-of-duty-modern-warfare-3-november-17th-update-released-detailed/
Sledgehammer Games has released the November 17th Update for Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3. This new patch brings tweaks, fixes and changes to the game’s Multiplayer and Zombies modes. So, let’s dive in and see all these fixes and improvements.

Alan Wake 2 Title Update 12 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/alan-wake-2-title-update-12-released-full-patch-notes/
Remedy has just released Title Update 12 for Alan Wake 2. This patch packs 100 fixes, tweaks, improvements and changes. So, let’s dive in and take a look at all of them.

Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League gets official PC requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/suicide-squad-kill-the-justice-league-gets-official-pc-requirements/
Rocksteady has revealed the official PC system requirements for Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League. Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice will be powered by Unreal Engine 4 and from the looks of it, it won’t require a high-end PC system.

Starfield Beta Update 1.8.86 Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/starfield-beta-update-1-8-86-released-detailed/
Bethesda has released the latest Beta Update, Patch 1.8.86, for its new space role-playing game, Starfield. This beta patch is around 600MB in size, and you can find below its key features. And, be sure to take a deep breath because its changelog is huge.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.