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

[JEMC]

Monday news, part two of three:

Arrowhead initially planned to make Helldivers 2 in 3 years—instead it took 7 years, 11 months, and 26 days, but 'grit, camaraderie and compassion' saw the team through
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arrowhead-initially-planned-to-make-helldivers-2-in-3-yearsinstead-it-took-7-years-11-months-and-26-days-but-grit-camaraderie-and-compassion-saw-the-team-through/
(...)
"We got asked if we wanted to do a sequel to Helldivers, and we said 'yeah, I think that sounds like a lot of fun, because it'll be easy'. We already know the game … could probably do it in [three years]," reveals Pilestedt, before clicking to the next slide where a giant 'WRONG' stamp layers over his presentation. "Yeah. This was wrong. That's an incorrect assumption."
Pilestedt proceeds to drop the 500kg bomb that Helldivers 2 took, instead, 7 years, 11 months, and 26 days to create—over twice as long as the intended development time. 

Over 90 Deadlock videos have now leaked, but Valve's still acting like nothing's happened
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/over-90-deadlock-videos-have-now-leaked-but-valves-still-acting-like-nothings-happened/
Over the last week stills and clips of a game called Deadlock, which is claimed to be the next big game from Valve, have been leaking online. The 6v6 hero shooter is either legit or an extremely good fake, and the latter's looking increasingly unlikely with the volume of material that's been released: today, there's more. PC Gamer has contacted Valve for comment but, so far, there's no response.
>> Not only that, but you can check at SteamDB the concurrent playtesters and names of the heroes.

Hold fast: Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader is getting its mutinous first expansion
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/hold-fast-warhammer-40k-rogue-trader-is-getting-its-mutinous-first-expansion/
Warhammer 40K: Rogue Trader's first DLC is releasing on August 8, themed around a heretical conspiracy turned crisis unfolding on the lower decks that demands not only the Captain's attention, but the Inquisition's as well. The under-a-minute trailer above gives us a glimpse of our new allies and foes, an Inquisitorial retinue and nascent Genestealer Cult, respectively.

Hyper Light Breaker dev opens up about the stress of depending on a publisher under the corporate carousel of acquisitions, layoffs and closures: 'I don't know who I'm going to be working with in a few months'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hyper-light-breaker-dev-opens-up-about-the-stress-of-depending-on-a-publisher-under-the-corporate-carousel-of-acquisitions-layoffs-and-closures-i-dont-know-who-im-going-to-be-working-with-in-a-few-months/
Hyper Light Breaker, the imminent sequel to Hyper Light Drifter, is one of those sequels that over-reaches itself. The ambition is simple: Take the immaculate vibes and stylish combat of the top-down isometric original, and do it all bigger and better in full 3D. The game is due to release in early access this year, though there's no firm date yet, and going by what we've played there's a good chance developer Heart Machine is going to pull it off.
(...)
In the runup to its initial release, Heart Machine's been taking part in a documentary by the excellent NoClip, during which the studio's founder and Hyper Light Breaker's creative director Alx Preston opens up about the anxieties of living under a corporate merry-go-round of cash and closures that may well one day drop an anvil on you (first spotted by GamesRadar+).

New Kingmakers trailer looks like Mount & Blade with an M1 Abrams modded in
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/new-kingmakers-trailer-looks-like-mount-and-blade-with-an-m1-abrams-modded-in/
Kingmakers, a game that's one part hybrid RTS and another part Earth Defense Force but with Welsh peasants, got a new trailer this week, showing off some impressive physics based destructibility and also tons of peasants getting murdered. 

Naughty Dog's Neil Druckmann is a big fan of generative AI: 'With AI, your creativity sets the limits'
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/naughty-dogs-neil-druckmann-is-a-big-fan-of-generative-ai-with-ai-your-creativity-sets-the-limits/
I'll be blunt: I'm not entirely clear on what artificial intelligence as we understand it today really even is. I suspect it's rather like the metaverse—that is, too loosely defined to really be meaningful as a term—although for a more nuanced take on that perspective you should probably take a look at hardware writer Nick Evanson's evaluation of where things currently stand with the race for "artificial general intelligence." 
Naughty Dog studio boss Neil Druckmann seems considerably more upbeat about it than I am, however, saying in a new Sony interview that the advent of generative AI is "opening the door for us to take on more adventurous projects and push the boundaries of storytelling in games."
Recent updates
While Neil Druckmann's observations on AI still seem to stand, the developer took to Twitter yesterday to contest one of the more controversial statements attributed to him in the Sony interview, that Naughty Dog's next game "could redefine mainstream perceptions of gaming."

Skull and Bones is going free for a week to kick off its second season
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/skull-and-bones-is-going-free-for-a-week-to-kick-off-its-second-season/
We haven't talked much about Skull and Bones lately but it's still cruising along, and with the second season ready to set sail next week Ubisoft is giving everyone another opportunity to check it out for free.

Tiny Glade's castle-doodling demo is packed with delightful little reactive surprises
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/tiny-glades-castle-doodling-demo-is-packed-with-delightful-little-reactive-surprises/
There has been a lot of anticipation for Tiny Glade in the cozy gaming circles I follow. Its an adorable little building toy inspired by the success of Townscaper but has you build idyllic little castles instead of seaside cities. After getting to spend some time with its upcoming demo, I am hurting to play with the rest of it.

Bungie wins a little walkin' around money in first of its kind jury trial against Destiny 2 cheat maker, but the victory will likely make it even easier for game companies to keep taking cheaters to court
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/bungie-wins-a-little-walkin-around-money-in-first-of-its-kind-jury-trial-against-destiny-2-cheat-maker-but-the-victory-will-likely-make-it-even-easier-for-game-companies-to-keep-taking-cheaters-to-court/
First reported by independent journalist and former Kotaku editor-in-chief Stephen Totilo, Bungie has won its lawsuit against cheat maker Phoenix Digital (also known as AimJunkies). The first of its kind jury trial rewarded $63,210 in damages to Bungie⁠—a rounding error for a company of this size⁠—but it more importantly sets a new legal precedent supporting game studios looking to sue cheat makers⁠—or, more worryingly, anyone who violates a company's copyright by modifying its games.

The modern remake of seminal RPG Wizardry is finished and out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-modern-remake-of-seminal-rpg-wizardry-is-finished-and-out-now/
Digital Eclipse's updated port and remake of classic 1981 dungeon-crawler Wizardry has released on Steam, letting you experience a piece of real RPG history with much more modern graphics and a streamlined presentation. In Wizardry you make a party or two of monster-battling heroes and pilot them in first person through a dungeon, fighting monsters and gathering treasure to find victory.