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

[JEMC]

Let’s go with the Friday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

City builder, Manor Lords, has sold two million units in three weeks
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/city-builder-manor-lords-has-sold-two-million-units-in-three-weeks/
Hooded Horse has announced that Manor Lords has now sold over two million copies across all stores. The game hit Early Access on April 26th, meaning that it took it less than three weeks to hit that sales goal.

As GTA 6 draws closer, GTA 5 is still making bank
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/grand-theft-auto/as-gta-6-draws-closer-gta-5-is-still-making-bank/
More than a decade after its debut on antiquated consoles, Grand Theft Auto 5 is still a cash cow for Rockstar and its parent company Take-Two. Speaking today during Take-Two's Q4 quarterly earnings call with investors, CEO Strauss Zelnick confirmed that the game has now sold "approximately" 200 million copies, up from the "over 185 million" copies it had sold as of August last year.
Meanwhile, the audience for both GTA 5 and GTA Online grew by 35% and 23% respectively during the last fiscal year. That period has seen GTA 5 appear on subscription services like Xbox Game Pass, which hosted GTA 5 for six months in 2023, and Sony's PS Plus service. Leaving that aside, to sell around 15 million units of an 11-year-old game is still significant. Just for the fun of it, compare those 15 million units with the best selling game of 2023, Hogwarts Legacy, which sold 22 million as of January 2024 (it released in February 2023).

Turn-based 4X fantasy strategy game, ENDLESS Legend, is free on Steam
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/turn-based-4x-fantasy-strategy-game-endless-legend-is-free-on-steam/
SEGA and AMPLITUDE Studios are currently giving away free copies of their turn-based 4X fantasy strategy game, ENDLESS Legend, on Steam. Until May 23rd, PC gamers can visit its Steam store page and acquire their free copy.
ENDLESS Legend is a 4X turn-based fantasy strategy game by the creators of ENDLESS Space and Dungeon of the ENDLESS. In this game, you will control every aspect of your civilization as you struggle to save your homeworld Auriga.
>> It’s not the first time they’re giving it away, but for those that missed it before, you can grab it here.

Epic's 2024 Mega Sale goes live with its first-ever Dragon Age: Inquisition giveaway
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/epics-2024-mega-sale-goes-live-with-its-first-ever-dragon-age-inquisition-giveaway/
The Epic Games Store's annual Mega Sale is now underway, with discounts of up to 85% on a variety of games and a free copy of Dragon Age: Inquisition Game of the Year Edition to get things rolling.
(...)
As for the Mega Sale itself, a few highlights include EA Sports FC 24 and Assassin's Creed Valhalla, both 80% off, Tiny Tina's Wonderlands, Horizon Zero Dawn, and Far Cry 6 at 75% off, and Mortal Kombat 1, God of War, Dead Island 2, Hogwarts Legacy, and Assassin's Creed Mirage all at half price. 
>> So that’s why the free games are a mystery. I should have checked the store more closely to notice that.

The Humble Store has the inkle Spotlight Sale, with up to 80% discounts during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/inkle-spotlight-sale/.

Fanatical has what appers to be the last three 24h Flash Deals of the sale:

• Hell Let Loose will be 47% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/hell-let-loose
• Mortal Kombat 1 - Premium Edition gets a 57% discount: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/mortal-kombat-1-premium-edition
• And Dying Light 2 Stay Human: Reloaded Edition is 61% off: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dying-light-2-stay-human

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

INTEL Arc Graphics 31.0.101.5522 driver
https://videocardz.com/driver/intel-arc-graphics-31-0-101-5522
Highlights
Gaming Highlights:
Intel® Game On Driver support on Intel® Arc™ A-series Graphics GPUs and Intel® Core™ Ultra with built-in Intel® Arc™ GPUs for:

• Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II
• Starfield May Update
• Wuthering Waves
• Xdefiant

Game performance improvements on Intel® Arc™ A-Series Graphics Products versus Intel® 31.0.101.5448 software driver for:

• Starfield May Update (DX12)
  • Up to 8% average FPS uplift at 1080p with Ultra settings
  • Up to 7% average FPS uplift at 1440p with High settings

Fixed Issues
Intel® Arc™ Control Fixed Issues:
Arc Control may show intermittent error when trying to enable Virtual Camera and camera preview on Intel® Core™ Ultra with built-in Intel® Arc™ GPUs.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

So far the Manor Lords modding scene is focussed on the essentials: free beer, bigger punch-ups, and letting you walk around as Geralt
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/so-far-the-manor-lords-modding-scene-is-focussed-on-the-essentials-free-beer-bigger-punch-ups-and-letting-you-walk-around-as-geralt/
Manor Lords is still in early access, and despite developer Greg "Slavic Magic" Styczeń releasing a massive patch that fixes a great deal of the small issues players have encountered so far, there are still some pretty helpful and wacky mods that can also get the job done. 
If you haven't seen the latest experimental patch yet or just don't want to encounter the King's tax, then this mod can help smooth out ale production for you. It can be difficult to get the balance of crops right to maintain constant ale production, especially since villagers tend to go through the supply so quickly.
This is where the Jesus Ale Tech mod can help you out, as it removes the need for malt to make Ale and so makes production cost nothing. The description gets right to the point: "Oh god, those crazy bastards figured it out. That upgraded church sent Jesus to your people and taught them his ways. Except they learned Ale instead of wine." There may even be a possibility for churches to brew beer in the future, something that many monasteries and churches were well-known for during the Middle Ages. 
But not all the mods need to make your game easier. Some, like Adaptive Bandits, will challenge your skills as Lord. This mod stops bandit raids from being capped at a specific number (which is usually four): "The size and frequency of bandit raids now increase according to your total wealth (regional wealth + treasury) and your total units." But if you're not happy with that number, then you can customise the mod's configuration. It's also recommended to use mods Unlock Militia Limit, Increased Garrison Limit, Mercenaries Pool Fix, and Hildebolt's Vanguard Army (Difficulty mod) alongside it, as they'll make sure it's a fair fight. 
>> The article doesn’t have any media about those mods.

GAMING NEWS

Valve’s next game is rumored to be a competitive 6v6 third-person hero-based shooter
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/valves-next-game-is-rumored-to-be-a-competitive-6v6-third-person-hero-based-shooter/
Gabe Follower, a CS data miner/insider, has apparently leaked the first details for Valve’s upcoming game which will be called Deadlock. According to the leaker, Deadlock will be a competitive 6v6 third-person hero-based shooter.
>> And here are some alleged screenshots that have leaked online.

PC appears to be the most popular platform for Tekken 8
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pc-appears-to-be-the-most-popular-platform-for-tekken-8/
Reddit’s ‘NotQuiteFactual‘ has collected and shared some interesting stats about Bandai Namco’s latest fighting game, Tekken 8. According to the latest stats, the PC platform is the most popular one in Tekken 8. Yep, you read that right. Tekken 8 has more PC players than PlayStation and Xbox players.
>> It’s based on replays, so I don’t know how reliable this is, which is why I haven’t posted this article in the “sales” section.

Here’s the first gameplay trailer for Greedfall 2: The Dying World
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/heres-the-first-gameplay-trailer-for-greedfall-2-the-dying-world/
NACON has released the first gameplay trailer for Spiders’ upcoming action RPG, Greedfall 2: The Dying World. Greedfall 2 will hit Steam Early Access this Summer, and this trailer will give you a glimpse at some of its gameplay mechanics.