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

[JEMC]

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Valve's new top-played chart for the Steam Deck shows that people really, really like both Hades and Hades 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/valves-new-top-played-chart-for-the-steam-deck-shows-that-people-really-really-like-both-hades-and-hades-2/
Valve's Steam charts now have a new live category exclusively for the Steam Deck, letting you view the "Top Played" games for the Deck in the past week, month, and year. The list, which tracks changes in rank compared to the previous time period, also shows prices and whether the game in question is verified for Steam Deck. It's a great way to see what other people are playing—and pretty dang good at highlighting deals, since the prices show current sale prices for the 2024 Steam summer sale.

Team Fortress 2's player count doubles after fan pressure sees Valve step in with a bot-demolishing banwave and a firm line on appeals: 'No'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/team-fortress-2s-player-count-doubles-after-fan-pressure-sees-valve-step-in-with-a-bot-demolishing-banwave-and-a-firm-line-on-appeals-no/
Team Fortress 2's bot problem is an ongoing drama in PC gaming land: the issue seemingly went into overdrive when developer Valve stepped back from major work on the game in 2017. To be clear, whatever some in the community may say Valve has never abandoned TF2, and continues to periodically release bug fixes and community-authored expansions for the 17-year-old game. But the bots… the bots have definitely gotten out of hand. 
(...)
It seems to have finally got some results. Over the weekend a new FAQ page has appeared on Steam, and it's dedicated entirely to players banned from Team Fortress 2. It opens with the line, and you really have to imagine this delivered in the Heavy's voice, that "Team Fortress 2 game bans are permanent, non-negotiable, and are not removed by Steam Support."
(...)
Big words, but the appearance of this new page on Steam was accompanied by the kind of bot banwave that instantly had the fanbase reaching for the celebration gifs. The estimates based on SteamDB activity are that about 16,000 bots lurked among the humans until June 27 when, all of a sudden, that portion of the player population disappeared in an instant.

GOG has a new Deal of the Day, the Early Access title Quasimorph, 20% off during 22 hours: https://www.gog.com/en/game/quasimorph.

Despite running its Summer Sale, Steam has launched new weeklong deals. There’s so few of them that I’ll leave it to you to check them out.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Nothing-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Nerf Arena Blast RTX Remix Path Tracing Demo Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/nerf-arena-blast-rtx-remix-path-tracing-demo-mod-released/
Modder ‘Kralich/David’ has released an RTX Remix Demo Mod for Nerf Arena Blast. This mod will allow you to play the game’s Twister Arena Mode with RTX Remix Path Tracing effects. So, let’s see what improvements this mod brings to the table.
For those unaware, RTX Remix is a tool that can add full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing effects to older titles. If you are regular here, you certainly have seen some of the mods we’ve shared.
In Nerf Arena Blast Twister Arena, almost every texture has been remastered, with a combination of AI upscaling, hand-painting, and PBR texture generation using Materialise. Since the mod uses PBR materials, it looks better than the first RTX Remix Mods that appeared online a couple of months ago.
Moreover, the mod adds Emissive Neon effects. Emissive textures are textures that give off light. In older games, this was faked by putting a separate light source near the texture. But with RTX Remix, modders can do it the modern way. Now, all the neon lights in the arena now give off light and volumetric effects.
And that’s not all. PC gamers can also look forward to Parallax Occlusion Mapping. This technique makes surfaces look more 3D-ish by using heightmaps. It creates a realistic depth effect without needing to model everything in 3D. In this RTX remaster, the modder used this technique on many things like doors, neon strobe lights, and walls to make them look better and more detailed.
Finally, you will get some cool path-traced glass effects. The modder has replaced the game’s fake mirrors with realistically-simulated glass that reflects the world behind it.
>> The article has a less than 2 minutes video.

Dark Souls 2 will soon support DLAA/DLSS via a mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/dark-souls-2-will-soon-support-dlaa-dlss-via-a-mod/
Modder ‘Ganaboy’, creator of the DS2LightingEngine Mod for Dark Souls 2, is currently working on implementing support for both DLAA and DLSS. This will allow all RTX owners to replace the game’s TAA with DLAA and DLSS, something that will bring better performance and image quality.
To showcase the improvements that DLAA can bring to the table, Ganaboy shared the following video. In this video, we can see DLAA resolving the shimmering issues that were present in the terrain when using the game’s default TAA.
For those unaware, DS2LightingEngine is one of the best graphical mods for Dark Souls 2. This mod enables modern-effects like Volumetric Fog, High Quality Ambient Occlusion using GTAO and Adaptive Tessellation.
Not only that, but it allows many light sources to cast shadows. Players can also enjoy a new Distant Geometry system, as well as improved material rendering for metals/non-metals. The mod also allows placing new meshes and texture overriding and has an improved postprocessor.
>> There’s a short video of this mod.

Here’s another look at the Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/heres-another-look-at-the-tom-clancys-splinter-cell-rtx-remix-path-tracing-mod/
In May 2024, we shared the first WIP video for an upcoming RTX Remix Mod for Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell. And, a few days ago, modder ‘skurtyyskirts’ shared another video for it, showcasing its WIP Path Tracing effects.
As I said, this is still a WIP video. This means that there are still numerous graphical glitches and issues. So, be sure to keep that in mind while watching the video.
Now the good news here is that once – and if – the mod is complete, this may be the best way to re-experience this classic Splinter Cell game. Yes, Ubisoft is working on an official remake of it. However, the team aims to make changes to it for a modern audience. We can also expect some gameplay changes. So, for all die-hard Splinter Cell fans, this mod may turn out to be a better “remake” than the official one.
It’s also worth noting that Tom Clancy’s Splinter Cell had a lot of dynamic lights that players could destroy. In the original game, Ubisoft also used fake lights to keep the environments lit. So, I’m curious to see how the modder will address this. My guess is that he might need to place some new lights to the environments (something that RTX Remix allows you to do).
>> The a rticle has a 4 minutes video.

Evil Soul is a new horror-themed mod for Grand Theft Auto 5
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/evil-soul-is-a-new-horror-themed-mod-for-grand-theft-auto-5/
Now here is something for our GTA5 fans. Modder ‘AlexDevilish’ has released a horror-themed mod for Grand Theft Auto 5, called Evil Soul.
In this mod, an evil entity will be watching you from 00:00 until 03:00. During that time period, people around you will be dying, lights will be flickering and objects will be floating. Your goal is simple. Survive the night.
As the modder noted, the evil entity will randomly attack players. Then, after she weakens you, she will bring you to the old mine shaft to end you there.
Moreover, if you try to escape with a vehicle, she will burst your tires. So, there is no way to escape her.
This is a cool mod. From what I’ve seen, though, it’s a bit short. Still, it’s something that may please a lot of horror fans.
>> There’s a 6 minutes video in the article.

GAMING NEWS

Black Myth: Wukong just got a new 7-minute 4K gameplay video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/black-myth-wukong-just-got-a-new-7-minute-4k-gameplay-video/
VGC has released a new video, showcasing 7 minutes of brand new gameplay footage from Black Myth: Wukong. From what I can see, this gameplay footage is from the same preview build that Game Science provided the media in early June.

Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster will have Denuvo, PC system requirements revealed
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/dead-rising-deluxe-remaster-will-have-denuvo-pc-system-requirements-revealed/
Capcom has launched the Steam store page for Dead Rising Deluxe Remaster, revealing its official PC system requirements. Moreover, the Japanese company has confirmed that the game will be using the Denuvo anti-tamper tech on PC.

Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess PC demo is available for download
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/kunitsu-gami-path-of-the-goddess-pc-demo-is-available-for-download/
Now here is a pleasant surprise. Although Kunitsu-Gami: Path of the Goddess will be using Denuvo on PC, Capcom has just released a free demo for it.