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

[JEMC]

The a-bit-longer-than-usual-but-also-last part two:

Overwatch 2's Hacked Event Double Trouble is almost over, which is probably for the best
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2s-hacked-event-double-trouble-is-almost-over-which-is-probably-for-the-best/
Blizzard is trialing some small changes to Overwatch 2's format in a series of short-lived Hacked Events. According to a Blizzard blog post earlier this year, this is an effective way to "quickly understand what [players] like and possibly implement changes to improve gameplay." 
The Previous event introduced faster respawn times, payload speeds, and match starts. While I didn't massively adore most of these changes, they didn't make a real difference to my games, unlike the most recent event, Double Trouble. 

Stardew Valley's 1.6 update is finally live, and Eric Barone wasn't kidding: it is massive
https://www.pcgamer.com/life-sim/stardew-valley-16-update-live-patch-notes/
BaroneWatch 2024 has concluded: The Stardew Valley 1.6 update is now live, and that means we've finally got the full rundown of all the changes in the long-awaited update.

After 10 years, Destiny is getting a game mode that fans wanted from the start
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/after-10-years-destiny-is-getting-a-game-mode-that-fans-wanted-from-the-start/
Of all the odd decisions Bungie has made over the course of Destiny's existence, one of the oddest has to be the reluctance to add a true horde mode. Sure, we've had quasi-horde seasonal activities like Escalation Protocol and The Menagerie, but never a proper hunker-down-and-defend deal. That changes on April 9 with the release of the free Into the Light update, which includes the new Onslaught mode that pits teams of three players against up to 50 waves of enemies, escalating in difficulty. 

Ubisoft shows off AI-powered 'Neo NPCs' at GDC: 'It could be the start of a fantastic paradigm shift,' but let's be honest, it probably won't
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/ubisoft-shows-off-ai-powered-neo-npcs-at-gdc-it-could-be-the-start-of-a-fantastic-paradigm-shift-but-lets-be-honest-it-probably-wont/
Ubisoft unveiled a new project called Neo NPCs today at GDC, offering an early look at its "first player-facing generative AI (GenAI) prototype that could transform the way players interact with non-playable characters (NPCs) in videogames."
>> I was curious to see out which company would be the first to show a demo with AI, and I’m not surprised that it’s been Ubisoft.

Roblox reveals new AI-powered 3D modeling tools to 'empower the creation of anything, anywhere, by anyone,' which we're probably not meant to read too closely
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/roblox-reveals-new-ai-powered-3d-modeling-tools-to-empower-the-creation-of-anything-anywhere-by-anyone-which-were-probably-not-meant-to-read-too-closely/
Today at GDC, Roblox unveiled a pair of AI technologies aiming to streamline 3D modeling for the platform's boundless legion of content creators. The tools aim to automatically prepare 3D models for animation and provide AI-powered texture generation, offering either a way to offload some creative tedium, or to accelerate the expansion of the company's exploitable labor pool, depending on how charitably you want to look at it.
>> Question: do you care about Roblox news? I’ve posted several, but I’m not sure if they fit the thread or not. What do you think?

Helldivers 2 patch tackles patrols appearing out of thin air, over-the-top meteor swarms, and accidentally blowing yourself up with your own mech
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-patch-tackles-patrols-appearing-out-of-thin-air-over-the-top-meteor-swarms-and-accidentally-blowing-yourself-up-with-your-own-mech/
Attention, patriots! A new Helldivers 2 patch is here, though this one's mostly just bug fixes and tweaks to the game's new fancy weather system. 
The full list of patch notes is available on Steam and the game's official Discord, but here's the broad strokes: The weather's looking nicer, relatively speaking. While fire tornadoes, meteor swarms, earthquakes, and every weapon mother nature has to throw at you will still bother you during missions, it should be happening a little less frequently now. 
>> Well, time to reset the “days without Helldivers 2 news” counter back to zero.

Larian CEO Swen Vincke extols the 'incredible achievement' of Baldur's Gate 3 influence Ultima 7, but confesses he hasn't played since the '90s 'because I don't want to spoil the memory'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/larian-ceo-swen-vincke-extols-the-incredible-achievement-of-baldurs-gate-3-influence-ultima-7-but-confesses-he-hasnt-played-since-the-90s-because-i-dont-want-to-spoil-the-memory/
Larian CEO Swen Vincke is obsessed with Ultima 7. You can find its DNA—the many weird systems, the possibilities for emergent gameplay, and the beautifully stackable crates—across Larian's entire catalogue, and especially in Baldur's Gate 3. Vincke says he's "been chasing it ever since" it came out back in the '90s, and yet he hasn't been back and played the game in just as long.
In a chat with PC Gamer at this year's GDC, Vincke said he's loath to return to classics like Ultima 7 "because I've played old games before that I thought I was still going to love… I don't want to do it again, because I'm pretty sure it will have not aged very well.
>> I think that’s something we can all relate to.

Metal Gear Delta's producer says 'we're doing our best' to create a 'modern-style Metal Gear' but the core design will remain unchanged
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/metal-gear-deltas-producer-says-were-doing-our-best-to-create-a-modern-style-metal-gear-but-the-core-design-will-remain-unchanged/
Konami has hosted what it calls a "production hotline" event, featuring some of the key creatives behind the Metal Gear Solid: Master Collection and the upcoming MGS3 remake Metal Gear Solid Delta: Snake Eater. Hey: call these things Hotline Konami. You can have that one for free.
The key figure here is producer Noriaki Okamura, who's in charge of the company's attempts to revitalise the series, and a true Konami veteran who also worked with the old Kojima Productions throughout its lifespan. Okamura has a seriously impressive history: among other things he was key to Policenauts and had senior roles on tons of Metal Gear games. He even got a "special thanks" from Kojima in Metal Gear Solid's credits.

5 years after it was yanked off stores, GOG's bringing underrated spy RPG Alpha Protocol in from the cold with fewer crashes and new achievements
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/5-years-after-it-was-yanked-off-stores-gogs-bringing-underrated-spy-rpg-alpha-protocol-in-from-the-cold-with-fewer-crashes-and-new-achievements/
Good news for those of still fighting the good fight, still holding aloft the proud banner of truth and justice, still committed to struggle for what's right instead of what's simply popular. Five years after it was unceremoniously yanked from sale, Alpha Protocol is back via GOG.

Fallen London studio says its latest game 'didn't sell particularly well', but don't worry—it's been sensible enough with its cash to avoid layoffs: 'We've had better years, but also much worse'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/visual-novel/fallen-london-studio-says-its-latest-game-didnt-sell-particularly-well-but-dont-worryits-been-sensible-enough-with-its-cash-to-avoid-layoffs-weve-had-better-years-but-also-much-worse/
2023—and, unfortunately, 2024—have been dire years for industry layoffs, (…)
Regardless, some good news came out of (appropriately-named) Failbetter games yesterday: yes, their last game didn't sell that well, and yes, they're doing fine. As announced in a state of the studio address, "we've had better years, but also much worse."

Helldivers 2 player photographs two myths—flying bugs and blue lasers—at the same time, like getting a shot of Bigfoot next to a UFO
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/a-helldivers-2-player-photographs-two-mythsflying-bugs-and-blue-lasersat-the-same-time-like-getting-a-shot-of-bigfoot-next-to-a-ufo/
If you listened to your Super Earth superiors—which you should—you would know that flying bugs in Helldivers 2 are a myth created by insect-loving fascists, and blue lasers are a figment of your imagination. Unless you've been looking at video evidence, which is high treason, so you shouldn't be doing that.

Starfield's lead quest designer had 'absolutely no time' and had to hit the 'panic button' so the game would have a satisfying final quest
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/starfields-lead-quest-designer-had-absolutely-no-time-and-had-to-hit-the-panic-button-so-the-game-would-have-a-satisfying-final-quest/
Starfield may have over 1,000 planets, but the ending of the game's main quest (mild spoilers incoming) involves just a single one: Masada 3. (...)
The creation of this lengthy final quest was all very last minute, according to former Starfield lead quest designer Will Shen, and only came together out of "necessity and urgency."