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

[JEMC]

Well yes, today there’s a third part:

Blizzard backs down on unpopular Hearthstone change, so now weekly quests will 'only' waste twice as much of your time, rather than triple
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/blizzard-backs-down-on-unpopular-hearthstone-change-so-now-weekly-quests-will-only-waste-twice-as-much-of-your-time-rather-than-triple/
As our Tim Clark wrote when he complained about live service games wasting players' time just to boost phoney player engagement numbers, "almost everyone reading this will be familiar with games that use predatory design in order to keep players logged in, whether that be to juice those all-important Daily Average User numbers so beloved of shareholders, or just in the hope that you might crack and drop some dollars in the MTX store." 
The main example he gave was of Hearthstone's revised weekly quest system, which tripled the targets players would have to reach to clear those quests while only offering an additional 20% boost in experience points. It was not a popular change, to say the least.
Blizzard responded swiftly with the typical "we've heard your feedback" message, saying, "it's clear that we pushed too far." But rather than scrap the changes altogether, they've simply been revised, and not by that much. As the latest patch notes show, the new weekly quests are things like "Play Battlecry cards 75 times (instead of 100)" and "Win ranked Hearthstone games 10 times (instead of 15)". While the initial change tripled the difficulty of completing quests, this iteration still doubles them, and for the same piddling increase in rewards. 

Visions of Mana won't have multiplayer, but producer Masaru Oyamada wants 'to implement features like that in the future'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/visions-of-mana-wont-have-multiplayer-but-producer-masaru-oyamada-wants-to-implement-features-like-that-in-the-future/
Visions of Mana is the first new entry in Square Enix's Mana series in 15 years, and with that comes some fundamental changes. Following my hands-on preview with Visions of Mana, I had the chance to ask producer Masaru Oyamada if cooperative multiplayer was ever considered for Visions of Mana, and if multiplayer had a place in the Mana series' future.

Helldivers 2 players eradicate 2 billion bugs in less than a day, surprising even themselves
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-players-eradicate-2-billion-bugs-in-less-than-a-day-surprising-even-themselves/
Yesterday, Helldivers 2 players were presented with the simple yet daunting task of killing 2 billion Terminids as part of the newest Major Order. Some soldiers voiced concern over getting the task done within a week, but it seems as if they had nothing to worry about. 
The notification went through this morning that this monumental task is done and tidied away with more than enough time to spare, as 2 billion bugs were killed in just over 12 hours. While a few people still differ in opinion on whether this Major Order was actually difficult, considering how many people consistently play Helldivers 2, the achievement has still come as a surprise to some. 

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 isn't just bigger, it's more diverse, with Warhorse adding a 'wide Range of Ethnicities and Different characters'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/kingdom-come-deliverance-2-isnt-just-bigger-its-more-diverse-with-warhorse-adding-a-wide-range-of-ethnicities-and-different-characters/
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 was revealed yesterday, and is set to be a considerably larger and more comprehensive representation of medieval life. As part of this, it's set to address one of the more controversial elements of the first game, its lack of diversity.

While everyone else gets hyped about Fallout, Todd Howard is promising some 'really good updates' for Starfield
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/while-everyone-else-gets-hyped-about-fallout-todd-howard-is-promising-some-really-good-updates-for-starfield/
(...)
In a new interview with IGN talking about Fallout, Bethesda CEO Todd Howard briefly touches on the studio's upcoming games. He mentions most of the big names, though studiously steers clear of the question's focus on (what else) Fallout 5. Howard has previously said that the rough plan is Elder Scrolls 6, then Fallout 5. Still the case?
(...)
Howard has some kind words for Fallout 76's community ("surprisingly, it's a very, very nice apocalypse") before getting onto Bethesda's most recent title. "We're doing a lot of Starfield work as well," says Howard. "So we have some really good updates that are going to get announced soon for that game. So, a lot going on here."

Here are the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• The first Deal of the Day is Afterdream, 19% off during 70 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/afterdream
• The second DotD is Emperor of the Fading Suns Enhanced, with a 40% discount until Monday: https://www.gog.com/en/game/emperor_of_the_fading_suns
• The third, and last, DotD is the Dragon's Lair Trilogy, 60% off until Monday’s refresh: https://www.gog.com/en/game/dragons_lair_trilogy
• And there’s also a new sale: the Gamera Publisher Sale, with up to 70% discounts until April, the 25th: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240419_gamera_publisher_sale

+Steam

• The first one is Warhammer 40,000: Rogue Trader, 30% off until the 23rd: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2186680/Warhammer_40000_Rogue_Trader/
• The Inquisitor, that has a demo, gets a 20% discount until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1880470/The_Inquisitor/
• Tomb Raider I-III Remastered will be 25% off until Thursday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2478970/Tomb_Raider_IIII_Remastered_Starring_Lara_Croft/
• Escape Academy features a 50% discount until Thursday, the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1812090/Escape_Academy/
• Synth Riders will also be 50% off until the 25th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/885000/Synth_Riders/
• Subnautica Ultimate Collection gets a 70% discount until the 25th of April (or, at least, the individual parts do): https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/21469/Subnautica_Ultimate_Collection/
• The last one is Golf With Your Friends, that’s free to play during the weekend and has a 67% deal until April, 29: https://store.steampowered.com/app/431240/Golf_With_Your_Friends/

And that’s all for this week. Until next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.