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

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Monday news, part two:

Old School RuneScape developers left mystified as players, whipped up into a religious fervour, demand that gaming's loudest mole-rat get even louder
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/old-school-runescape-developers-left-mystified-as-players-whipped-up-into-a-religious-fervour-demand-that-gaming-s-loudest-mole-rat-get-even-louder/
Today, dear reader, I found out about the accursed Nail Beast. This unassuming creature from Old School RuneScape isn't much to write home about on paper. It's a level 69 (nice), 98, or 141 critter found in the Temple Trekking minigame, and it looks like something between a mole and a panther. They're kind of cute, in a doofy, feline-looking way. They're also goddamn loud. For some inexplicable reason, the Nail Beast has a disproportionately angry screech that seems designed to give you a migraine—sadistically, they also show up in packs of three minimum. Meaning their caterwauling will sometimes overlap to produce a noise that is, I might say, the absolute worst.

Payback, a Destiny spinoff that was not, in fact, Destiny 3, was cancelled two months before the latest mass layoffs at Bungie
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/payback-a-destiny-spinoff-that-was-not-in-fact-destiny-3-was-cancelled-two-months-before-the-latest-mass-layoffs-at-bungie/
Two months before this week's mass layoff of more than 200 staff at Bungie, "Payback," the codename for a third-person perspective spinoff project set in the Destiny universe, was cancelled in order to prioritize development of the upcoming Marathon extraction shooter, according to a report from Bloomberg's Jason Schreier.

Ark 2, blink twice if you're OK: Xbox announces a playable demo of the survival crafting sequel at Gamescom and then unannounces it
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/ark-2-blink-twice-if-youre-ok-xbox-announces-a-playable-demo-of-the-survival-crafting-sequel-at-gamescom-and-then-unannounces-it/
The last time we heard about Ark 2, the sequel to the popular dinosaur survival RPG, it was scheduled to come out by the end of this year in early access. Although it's been over a year since that news came out, when Microsoft put it on its list of playable demos at Gamescom, it seemed like we'd finally get an update on the Vin Diesel-starring sequel. And then it got removed.
>> Likely a mistake given how they also listed games that don’t exist.

Larian's not holding back for its next two RPGs: 'The machine was meant to make large games'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/larians-not-holding-back-for-its-next-two-rpgs-the-machine-was-meant-to-make-large-games/
Now that it's done with Baldur's Gate 3, Larian has two more RPGs on the docket. And because this is Larian, they're likely going to be pretty massive. 
Developing two RPGs concurrently sounds like a huge task, which is why I've been wondering if Larian planned to reduce their scale when compared to the behemoth that is Baldur's Gate 3. It turns out that it's not, CEO Swen Vincke tells me in an interview ahead of BG3's first anniversary. 
>> Here’s the interview, in case you want to read it.

Baldur's Gate 3 was so big that Larian has developed a 'Simpsons did it' problem: 'Whenever we're talking about things, we say we did that in BG3'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldurs-gate-3-was-so-big-that-larian-has-developed-a-simpsons-did-it-problem-whenever-were-talking-about-things-we-say-we-did-that-in-bg3/
Larian is following up Baldur's Gate 3 with not one but two new RPGs. And, unsurprisingly, they'll likely be big 'uns. That's just Larian's style, but it does come with some problems, especially when they're following a game as massive and elaborate as Baldur's Gate 3. 
One of the challenges inherent in following up a massive RPG with more beefy RPGs is finding original ideas to fill them with. Chatting with writing director Adam Smith for Baldur's Gate 3's first anniversary (check out the full interview on Larian's past, present and future), he tells me that this is an issue Larian's currently bumping up against. 
"One of the biggest problems we have now is that whenever we're talking about things, we say we did that in BG3," says Smith. "And it turns out, we did a lot of things in BG3 when we think back to it." It's the classic 'Simpsons did it' problem.
>> Larian has also launched a youtube channel for BG 3.

Don't expect Dragon Age: The Veilguard before October at the absolute earliest
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/dont-expect-dragon-age-the-veilguard-before-october-at-the-absolute-earliest/
BioWare has been vague on the release date of its upcoming pansexual dwarf-romance simulator Dragon Age: The Veilguard, saying only that it'll be out in autumn this year. We can now narrow that launch date a wee bit further, as publisher Electronic Arts has updated its quarterly report to give Dragon Age: The Veilguard a Q3 release—meaning it should be out between October 1 and December 31—as spotted by Eurogamer.

Elden Ring's latest patch tried to sneak a big 'ole chair into a boss arena like we wouldn't notice and immediately ponder the lore implications
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/elden-rings-latest-patch-tried-to-sneak-a-big-ole-chair-into-boss-arena-like-we-wouldnt-notice-and-immediately-ponder-the-lore-implications/
Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree's latest patch seriously shook up the weapon meta and modified some of my favorite toys: Mr. Market is bullish on the Backhand Blades, Rakshasa's Great Katana, and Blind Spot ash of war, but if you're still holding on to your Swift Slash stock, you'll want to sell now. A curious change made it into the patch with no mention in the notes, however: A fine wooden throne was quietly added to Rellana's boss room, the Ensis Moongazing Grounds. What could it mean?
>> By the way, some players have found a way to kill a boss without entering the room

A codenamed Valve project found in a voice actor's résumé has Half-Life fans putting on the clown makeup yet again
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/a-codenamed-valve-project-found-in-a-voice-actors-resume-has-half-life-fans-putting-on-the-clown-makeup-yet-again/
It's that time again. A leak, this time via the résumé of a videogame voice actor, has led to another rumor that Valve is working on a new Half-Life game. 
The voice actor in question, who has credits in games like Starfield, Fallout 76, Valorant, Ghostbusters: Spirits Unleashed, and Call of Duty: Vanguard, listed "Project White Sands" as a Valve game they'd worked on, with a release date TBA. Someone on the Gaming Leaks and Rumours subreddit spotted it, and now we're off to the races one more time.
>> No. It won’t be anything involving a 3. We know that. Let’s move on.

After players reject the stratagem 3 times, Helldivers 2 devs snap and demand they kill 1.5 billion enemies or suffer the MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines as punishment
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/after-players-reject-the-stratagem-3-times-helldivers-2-devs-snap-and-demand-they-kill-1-5-billion-enemies-or-suffer-the-md-17-anti-tank-mines-as-punishment/
The poor, unwanted MD-17 Anti-Tank Mines stratagem has been foisted upon players yet again in Helldivers 2—these mines, which have been ready-to-go since April, have been rejected by the community three separate times. No, really:
(…)
Essentially, avoiding these mines—which are, objectively, a new gameplay feature players are choosing not to receive—has become a running joke, and developer Arrowhead Games has quietly admitted defeat:
"High Command has ordered an Efficacy Review of the currently available Mine Stratagems," reads an in-game announcement. "To enable this review, the Helldivers are ordered to kill or dismantle the targeted number of Liberty's enemies," that is, a whopping 1.5 billion foes, and far too little time to kill them in.
The kicker? A new stratagem, which is, again, a straight upgrade for the player base at large, is being used as a failure state: "If the targeted number of enemies are eliminated, then the currently available Mine Stratagems will be deemed sufficient, and no additions will be authorised at this time."
>> Imagine what other crazy ideas may they come up with now that they’ve gone to Reddit to ask for ideas.

Sega files mysterious 'Yakuza Wars' trademark right after Like A Dragon studio teases fans that the next game will leave them 'surprised'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/sega-files-mysterious-yakuza-wars-trademark-right-after-like-a-dragon-studio-teases-fans-that-the-next-game-will-leave-them-surprised/
You ask me, you're not a real series until you have a decent "Wars" game in your arsenal. GTA: Chinatown Wars, Dune: Spice Wars, Star Wars: Empire at… Wars. Who had ever heard of any of those series before they had some wars to their name? No one, I bet.
Now another joins the fray: Sega has filed a trademark for Yakuza Wars (via Gematsu). Actually, it filed it last month on July 26, and we know precisely zero about it apart from the fact that it's related to videogames and—curiously enough—doesn't bear the Yakuza series' current Like A Dragon naming.
>> It wouldn’t surprise me if it was a mobile game. But let’s hope it isn’t.

Devs turn to Patreon after Humble Games collapse leaves studio without support: 'We lost access to the pipeline of critical systems without warning'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/devs-turn-to-patreon-after-humble-games-collapse-leaves-studio-without-support-we-lost-access-to-the-pipeline-of-critical-systems-without-warning/
Squid Shock Studios, the developer behind Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus, has reached out to fans on Patreon to ask for support after the Humble Games "restructure" left them with no post-launch support. 
"It has been a hectic two weeks since we launched our first game, Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus," Squid Shock says on Twitter. "Our launch was not without its challenges. Our publisher shutting down has meant we have missed out on critical post-launch support, which may put our studio's future at risk." 
(...)
"On July 25th, we lost access to the pipeline of critical systems without warning," Squid Shock says. "We can currently only manage the game on Steam, and we were able to push an update this week. Unfortunately, the same can't be said for consoles. Porting and QA support was tied into our deal with our publisher, and at the time of writing we still do not have that pipeline restored. However, steps are finally being taken to restore access." 
The initial funding for Bo: Path of the Teal Lotus began on Kickstarter, and unfortunately, Squid Shock has had to return to crowdfunding, setting up a Patreon to ask for support "in these uncertain times." 

Rust dev is bored of paying Unity '$500k a year' to fix its engine and promises that his Garry's Mod successor won't hoodwink devs with fees
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/game-development/rust-dev-is-bored-of-paying-unity-dollar500k-a-year-to-fix-its-engine-and-promises-that-his-garrys-mod-successor-wont-hoodwink-devs-with-fees/
If you can cast your mind back to around this time last year, you might remember Garry Newman—him off of Garry's Mod, and founder of Facepunch Studios—announcing that "Unity can get fucked" in the wake of sudden, badly thought out changes to the engine's pricing scheme that would have seen devs fork over fees on a per-install basis once certain "fee thresholds" were met.
Unity eventually walked back the most egregious aspects of those changes, but it's probably not surprising that Newman is more committed than ever to his kinda-sorta Garry's Mod sequel/brand new engine s&box, which has been in the works for years now. In fact, Newman spoke a bit about his vision for the engine in a recent dev blog.
"I don't want to pay Unity $500k every year so I can then pay my own staff to optimize and fix their engine," writes Newman, quite reasonably. Facepunch's other game, super-popular survival game Rust, has been based on Unity its whole life, but Newman has already said Rust 2 would be based on a different engine.