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JEMC on 04 March 2024
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Another week, another round of news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Cartoon spaceship disaster sim Space Crew is free to keep on Steam for a limited time
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/cartoon-spaceship-disaster-sim-space-crew-is-free-to-keep-on-steam-for-a-limited-time/
Back in 2017, indie studio Runner Duck released Bomber Crew, a game we said wasn't quite a World War II version of spaceship sim FTL, but was pretty close—a cartoony management game where you've got a mission to accomplish and a team of experts to do it with, until you accidentally lose an engineer over the English Channel and it all goes a bit pomaceous.
In 2020 Runner Duck followed Bomber Crew with a game even closer to its inspiration called Space Crew, a game of juggling plates only instead of plates you're actually juggling Star Trek redshirts, and also the gravity has just failed. Its "legendary edition", which includes a new campaign, away missions, and unlockable legendary crew, is available for a grand total of zero space or Earth dollars on Steam until March 13.
The giveaway is to promote Runner Duck's next game, Badlands Crew, which will let you build and operate your own adorable Mad Max war rig for tactical post-apocalyptic shenanigans. The studio has found another genre to mine for chaotic good times, and it's the one where a gigantic repurposed truck covered in guns, fuel tanks, and possibly one musician playing extremely loud, hurtles across a wasteland while fending off attacks from rival gangs. Also, it's got sandworms.

Steam has two new deals for us:

Fancy a new Humble Bundle? The Games Done Quick – Frost Fatales 2024 Bundle has seven games to get during 11 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/games-done-quick-frost-fatales-2024.

And Fanatical has a few new deals:

In another news, Fanatical is changing the way it handles its Build Your Own Bundles. Learn how here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/changing-the-way-we-handle-build-your-own-bundles.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam just set a new record as it surpassed over 34 million concurrent players
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/steam-34-million-concurrent-players/
Steam just set a new record of concurrent players. Back in January 2024, Valve’s digital platform surpassed 33 million concurrent players. And yesterday, Steam hit over 34 million concurrent players.
It’s also interesting to look at the Top 20 Most Played Games (for the last 24 hours). As we can see, the most played game remains Counter-Strike 2, followed by DOTA 2. It’s shockingly impressive how these games are still so popular. In third place, we find PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, followed by Apex Legends, Helldivers 2 and NARAKA: BLADEPOINT. Palworld is in seventh place, whereas GTA5 and Baldur’s Gate 3 are in eighth and tenth place, respectively.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Take a look at FlatOut 2 with RTX Remix Path Tracing
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/take-a-look-at-flatout-2-with-rtx-remix-path-tracing/
Last month, we shared some screenshots showcasing FlatOut 2 with a WIP RTX Remix Mod. This mod aims to add Path Tracing effects to this old PC racing game. And yesterday, NVIDIA’s Jacob Freeman shared a video, showcasing the latest version of this mod.
This RTX Remix Mod for FlatOut 2 currently overhauls its lighting system. Right now, it does not make any changes to its assets. So, don’t expect any PBR materials, higher-quality textures, or better 3D models.
Despite these shortcomings, the new lighting does make the game shine. It obviously cannot compete with the latest Need for Speed or Forza games. However, it looks leagues better than its vanilla version.
For those wondering, this mod is still a WIP. This means that its final version may look better than what is being showcased here. So, make sure to keep that in mind.

Palworld just got a must-have mini map radar mod that displays the locations of all Pals, players and fast travel points
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/palworld-just-got-a-must-have-mini-map-radar-mod-that-displays-the-locations-of-all-pals-players-and-fast-travel-points/
Modder ‘T3R3NC3B’ has released a must-have mod for Palworld that displays the locations of all Pals, players and fast travel points. This mod will make it easier to find the Pals in the map, so be sure to use it if you are currently playing it.
Now the good news is that this mini map radar mod is compatible with both the single-player and online modes. Do note though that for online modes that use dedicated servers, the mod must be installed on clients.
This mini-map has a mega zoomed-out mode for easier navigating without opening the full map. It also has slightly auto-zoom functionalities based on your speed. Not only that but it can show rare/shiny pals on minimap, as well as the game’s chests. The minimap is also adjustable in-game with ease, and you are able to rotate it.
>> The article only has one screenshot.

You can now play Lies of P in first-person mode
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/lies-of-p-first-person-mode/
Modder ‘Cristiferbeast’ has released a new mod that allows you to experience NEOWIZ’s Bloodborne/Dark Souls-inspired game, Lies of P, in first-person mode. This is a really a really cool mod for those who have completed it but want to replay it. So, if you are one of them, make sure to download it.
Since Lies of P is a Souls-like game, it can be pretty difficult to play it in first-person mode. From what I can see, dodging works pretty well. However, you might have some difficulties with blocking enemy attacks. Dodge rolls may also feel a bit disoriented. And then there are some 360-degree special attack moves that can also feel a bit weird.
Again, this is for those that have already finished the game. If you haven’t completed it yet, or if you have just started it, I suggest staying away from it. This isn’t what you’d expect from an official first-person mode. Still, it can let the game’s veterans experience it in a completely different way.
>> They have forgotten to add the link to the mod in the article, but the embedded Youtube video about it, 9 minutes long, has the link to the mod in its description.

God of War Mod for GTA 5 Available in Early Access
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/god-of-war-mod-for-gta-5-available-in-early-access/
Talented modder ‘JulioNIB’ has released the first WIP Early Access version of his God of War Mod for Grand Theft Auto 5. This Early Access version is currently available only to the modder’s Patreon members. However, we expect this mod to become available to everyone once it leaves its Early Access phase.
To create this mod, JulioNIB took inspiration from GoW 3. The modder has implemented custom moves that were heavily inspired by those that Kratos had in the original game. And, to be honest, he did an amazing job at recreating them.
>> There’s a two minutes video of the mod.

Batman: Arkham Asylum Now Has a New HD Texture Pack That Upscales +1800 Textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/batman-arkham-asylum-now-has-a-new-hd-texture-pack-that-upscales-1800-textures/
Modder ‘FCH823’ has shared a new HD Texture Pack for Batman: Arkham Asylum that upscales over 1800 textures. This pack mostly covers environmental textures so that the game can look a bit crisper.
Now the big difference between this mod and Asylum Reborn is that the latter focuses on the game’s characters. As said, this latest pack mostly focuses on the environments. So, you might be able to use both of them.
As FCH823 noted, most diffuse textures have been upscaled X2. Moreover, some of the lower-resolution textures have been upscaled X4. The mod also includes the UI textures from Asylum HD UI.
>> The article has some comparison screenshots.

Cyberpunk 2077 Now Has a New Must-Have HD Texture Pack That Improves the Quality of Architectural, Terrain and Environment Textures
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/cyberpunk-2077-must-have-hd-texture-pack-environments/
Modder ‘nigeez’ recently launched a new HD Texture Pack for Cyberpunk 2077. This pack makes the game look way better by swapping out the low-quality textures with much clearer and sharper ones. Do note, though, that this pack only focuses on upgrading the quality of architectural, terrain, and environment textures.
This pack comes in two versions. The 4K version has mostly 4K textures (though there are some that are 2K). It also includes 2K normal maps (though some large area ones are at 4K). Plus, it has roughness maps at 2K and microblends at 1K (with some large area blends at 2K).
Do note that this mod won’t be compatible with Cyberpunk 2077 HD Reworked. So, you’ll have to disable it to see whether this new one produces better results. Or, you can skip it. The choice is yours.
>> This article also has some comparison screenshots.

Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden Gets a Free AMD FSR 3.0 Frame Generation Mod for All GPUs
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/banishers-ghosts-of-new-eden-gets-amd-fsr-3-0-mod/
Modder ‘elrohir98’ has released a new mod that enables AMD FSR 3.0 Frame Generation in Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden. According to the modder, this mod will work with all AMD and NVIDIA GTX GPUs.
By default, Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden supports NVIDIA DLSS 3 Frame Generation. So, this mod basically replaces DLSS 3 FG with FSR 3.0 FG.
Before installing this mod, you must enable TAA in the game’s options. Otherwise, the game may not launch. So, once you’ve enabled TAA, unzip the mod (which you can download from this link) into the main game folder, and launch it. If you’ve done everything right, you’ll be able to activate the DLSS options.
Since this is an unofficial FSR 3.0 mod, it may have some visual and graphical glitches. Still, it will allow owners of older GPUs to enable Frame Generation so that they can target higher framerates.
>> The article has no screenshots nor videos.

Helldivers 2 Mod unlocks its hidden LAV, RECON & MECH vehicles
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/helldivers-2-mod-unlocks-its-hidden-lav-recon-mech-vehicles/
Modder ‘MadMax’ has released a new mod for Helldivers 2 that unlocks its hidden vehicles, meaning that you can use the LAV, RECON and MECH.
Now for those that are only interested in the MECH, there is a separate mod. This other mod unlocks the hidden two MECH variants with auto cannons and rockets.
You can download these mods from here and here, respectively. Do note that since these mods unlock hidden content, they might get you banned. So, use them at your own risk. From what we know, Arrowhead Game Studios will soon release a patch that will allow you to use the mechas.
(...)
Arrowhead Studios has claimed that 60% of the game’s sales are coming from the PC. In total, the game has sold nearly 3 million copies so far.
>> There’s a seven minutes video in the article.

There's an entire Skyrim mod dedicated to making you feel bad and weird about killing anybody, adding over 200 handwritten letters detailing their rich, inner lives
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/theres-an-entire-skyrim-mod-dedicated-to-making-you-feel-bad-and-weird-about-killing-anybody-adding-over-200-handwritten-letters-detailing-their-rich-inner-lives/
An old trick that any D&D Dungeon master knows well has snuck its way into Skyrim—thanks to modder Frib on Nexus Mods. 
Picture this: It's TTRPG night with your mates. You encounter some bandits on the road. You hurl a broad variety of spells, weapons, and arrows at the poor sods—one of them watches their friend get turned into a cow before the barbarian swings in and cleaves his head off. In the aftermath, the DM unfurls a crumpled, tea-stained note they painstakingly prepared: That bandit was Jeff. He had a wife, a family, and a bright spotted dog. Shame on you. Shame!
Well, now you can have a very similar experience in Skyrim. Shame of Skyrim adds over 200 personalised notes to enemies in the game—though they won't all cast them in a sympathetic light: "Reading some of these notes will make you feel ashamed for killing the holder. Other notes may make you feel ashamed that those people existed in the first place. Or maybe you're just dead inside and this doesn't affect you at all. Shame!"
In case you were worried that your Dragonborn might grow encumbered with tear-soaked letters, Frib reassures players that there's only around a 10% chance of getting your heart torn out of your chest. "But if you want more or less, you can simply edit the distribution ini file." (...)
>> There are no screenshots nor videos.

Sims 4 players hate its obtrusive new store button so much that a modder has already removed it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sims/sims-4-players-hate-its-obtrusive-new-store-button-so-much-that-a-modder-has-already-removed-it/
Alongside the new Crystal Creations DLC pack this week, The Sims 4 got a pretty standard game update with bug fixes—but it also brought a new interface icon that caused a bit of an "everyone disliked that" moment in the community. The Sims 4 now has a store icon visible at all times in its main toolbar, which players dislike so unanimously that someone's already made a mod to get rid of it.
"This cart emblazoned button has many uses ranging from sharing pack offers and sales information to recommending packs you might be interested in," says EA in the patch notes. "All accessible without leaving the comfort of your Sims' homes."
The initial issue was that the icon itself had a bug that was causing it to pulse continuously, which is an annoying distraction. That's already been fixed in a subsequent patch, but players are still pretty pissed. One modder, SimMattically, was annoyed enough to make a mod removing the cart button from the interface.
>> There’s only one screenshot in the article, and I don’t even know if it’s from the mod or not.

Skyrim remake of 24-year-old Vampire RPG shows off its modern London level, and the guns are way less janky than I expected
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/skyrim-remake-of-24-year-old-vampire-rpg-shows-off-its-modern-london-level-and-the-guns-are-way-less-janky-than-i-expected/
Skyrim total conversion mod Vampire the Masquerade: Redemption Reawakened just got an updated look at its modern-day portion, with a 10-minute video showcasing London in the year 2000, as well as how the team's managed to get firearms working pretty well in the battered warhorse that is Bethesda's seminal 2011 RPG.

GAMING NEWS

New official gameplay videos for Dragon’s Dogma 2 showcase pretty much all of its different classes
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-official-gameplay-videos-for-dragons-dogma-2-showcase-pretty-much-all-of-its-different-classes/
In the past couple of weeks, Capcom released a new set of short gameplay videos for Dragon’s Dogma 2 that showcase almost all of its different classes. As such, we’ve decided to share them in one big article.

Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora Title Update 3 Released, Packs a HUGE List of Fixes, Reduces FSR 3 Artifacts, Improves Texture Streaming
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/avatar-frontiers-of-pandora-title-update-3-released-packs-a-huge-list-of-fixes-reduces-fsr-3-artifacts-improves-texture-streaming/
Ubisoft has released Title Update 3 for Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora. This patch is almost 10GB in size on PC, and packs a lot of fixes, tweaks and improvements. Moreover, it comes with some PC-specific tweaks. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

No Rest for the Wicked Hits Steam Early Access on April 18th, Gets a 20-Minute Gameplay Showcase
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/no-rest-for-the-wicked-hits-steam-early-access-on-april-18th-gets-a-20-minute-gameplay-showcase/
Moon Studios has announced that its upcoming action RPG, No Rest for the Wicked will be coming to Steam Early Access on April 18th. To celebrate this announcement, the team also shared a 20-minute gameplay showcase that you can find below.

TRIBES 3: Rivals hits Steam Early Access on March 12th, gets official PC system requirements
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/tribes-3-steam-early-access-pc-requirements/
Prophecy Games has announced that TRIBES 3 Rivals will hit Steam Early Access on March 12th. In addition, the developers shared the game’s official PC system requirements which you can find below.

Genshin Impact Patch 4.5 releases on March 13th, adding Training Guide and two mini-games
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/genshin-impact-patch-4-5-releases-on-march-13th-adding-training-guide-and-two-mini-games/
miHoYo has announced that Patch 4.5 for Genshin Impact will be released on March 13th. To celebrate this announcement, the team shared its key features, as well as a trailer that highlights most of them.

Pokemon-inspired creature-collection adventure game, Temtem, will remove microtransactions in next patch
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pokemon-inspired-creature-collection-adventure-game-temtem-will-remove-microtranscations-in-next-patch/
Crema has announced that it will remove all microtransactions from its Pokemon-inspired creature-collection adventure game, Temtem, in its next update. Moreover, the team revealed that it has wrapped up its development. From Update 1.8 and onwards, the game will not receive any new content.



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.