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JEMC on 17 September 2024
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The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10
 
(Click here for the Top 100)

GOG has four new sales:

Steam has new deals for us, including new weeklong deals, obviously:

Fanatical has several sales and a new bundle:

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD Adrenalin 24.20.11.01 Driver Released for God of War: Ragnarok, Frostpunk 2 & Final Fantasy 16
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/amd-adrenalin-24-20-11-01-driver-released-for-god-of-war-ragnarok-frostpunk-2-final-fantasy-16/

Highlights
New Game Support

  • Frostpunk 2
  • God of War Ragnarök
  • The Sims 4 DirectX 11 Update

Expanded AMD Radeon Boost Support

  • FINAL FANTASY XVI

Expanded HYPR-Tune Support

  • HYPR-Tune support allows HYPR-RX to enable in-game technologies like AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution and AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2.
  • Support has been added to automatically configure AMD FidelityFX Super Resolution 3 with frame generation in:To compare the difference between Anti-Lag 2 On and Anti-Lag Off, hold the right CTRL key.
    • Black Myth: Wukong
    • Creatures of Ava
    • God of War Ragnarök
  • Support has been added to automatically configure AMD Radeon Anti-Lag 2 in:
    • Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT

Fixed Issues

  • Intermittent driver timeout or application crash while playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2.
  • Intermittent driver timeout or application crash when loading into certain maps while playing Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon RX 5700 XT.
  • Intermittent driver timeout or application crash during certain cutscenes while playing FINAL FANTASY XVI on some AMD Graphics Products, such as the Radeon RX 6600 XT.
  • Overly dark shadows or desaturated colors may be observed while playing Black Myth: Wukong when Global Illumination is to Medium or higher.
  • Intermittent in-game corruption may be observed while playing Ghost of Tsushima DIRECTOR'S CUT with AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition Record & Streaming and HDR enabled.
  • AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition may unexpectedly initiate upon system wake from sleep mode.
  • Audio and video may intermittently become out of sync while recording using the AV1 codec in AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition.


>> Do note that this is a “Beta” driver. That’s why the article doesn’t come from Videocardz as usual, since they seem to only do “proper” driver articles for full releases.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Half Life 3 fan game, Project Borealis, gets new teaser trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/half-life-3-fan-game-project-borealis-gets-new-teaser-trailer/
It appears that the Half-Life 3 fan game, Project Borealis, is back from the dead. A couple of days ago, the team behind it shared a new teaser trailer from its Prologue. Not only that, but this Prologue will be released in Fall 2024.
From what I know, Project Borealis will be still using Unreal Engine 4. And while we’ve seen some other HL3 games, this one aims to be one of – if not THE – best. The game will be based on the Epistle 3 script published by Half-Life writer Marc Laidlaw.
The last time we heard about Project Borealis was in 2020. So, it might have taken a while but we’ll finally be able to play a demo of it really soon.
Back in October 2018, the team released a tech demo for Project Borealis. Sadly, though, this tech demo is no longer available for download.
Again, I’m pleasantly surprised by this teaser trailer. After all, I thought this HL3 fan game was silently canceled. But apparently, I was wrong.
As said, the team will only release the game’s Prologue in Fall 2024. Right now, there is no ETA on when the full game will come out. I also don’t know whether they will be able to complete it. I don’t want to be harsh but when we get a Prologue after 4 whole years, you can kind of expect this to be the only thing we’ll get. That is unless the devs use this demo to expand their team.
>> The teaser trailer is 30 second long.

Max Payne RTX Remix Path Tracing Demo V0.5 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/max-payne-rtx-remix-path-tracing-demo-v0-5-released/
Max Payne fans, get ready for a treat. Modder ‘Slasks Psykbunker’ has released a new version of his RTX Remix Path Tracing Demo for Max Payne. So, let’s see what this new version brings to the table.
As the modder noted, version 0.5 removes the normal-maps from the character’s head/face and arms/hands. As such, there won’t be any vaseline faces in this project anymore. It also removes other obsolete normal-maps from surfaces that are supposed to be perfectly flat.
Not only that but it adds lighting to the outside area that is shown during the cutscene at the beginning of the level. Plus, it reworks the lighting throughout the level to make it brighter in general.
And there is more. V0.5 adds experimental physical lighting to muzzle flashes, illuminating the environment when shooting. Moreover, it further tunes material roughness and metallic values.
>> The article has no media.

Final Fantasy 16 producer Naoki Yoshida asks that modders please don't run amok with 'offensive or inappropriate' shenanigans now the game's on PC
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/final-fantasy-16-director-naoki-yoshida-asks-that-modders-please-dont-run-amok-with-offensive-or-inappropriate-shenanigans-now-the-games-on-pc/
A truly blursed cornerstone of PC gaming is the countless mods that get created for just about any game in existence. Thomas the Tank Engine dragons in Skyrim, Abraham Lincoln in Guitar Hero 3: if someone's twisted mind can conjure the idea up, chances are it's already been uploaded to Nexus Mods.
Well since Square Enix has been chucking the Final Fantasy games on PC, they too have succumbed to the clutches of beautiful and bizarre mods. There's the Final Fantasy 7 Remake with the jacked-up Aerith and Tifa mods with traps I could only dream of having, and one that puts everyone's favourite babygirl Cloud in a crop top. Final Fantasy 14's modding community continues to thrive despite it hovering in some dicey TOS-breaking territory, with Harvey Randall highlighting a particularly neat John Wickesque animation mod for Ninja. 
Now that Final Fantasy 16 is about to land on our rigs, I had to ask director Hiroshi Takai if there were any particularly goofy mods he would be down to see in the game. Except, er, I didn't get an answer from Takai. Instead, producer Naoki Yoshida stepped in, all dad-style, seemingly in an attempt to make sure modders don't run riot with Clive and crew. 
>> Saying that will only encourage them more.

Baldur's Gate 3 modders are already using its jailbroken level editor to make the game's first custom maps, including a proof-of-concept level in Hell
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/baldur-s-gate-3-modders-are-already-using-its-jailbroken-level-editor-to-make-the-game-s-first-custom-maps-including-a-proof-of-concept-level-in-hell/
It only took two days for modder Siegfre to crack open Baldur's Gate 3's official mod tools, unlocking a level editor that could let fans create their own custom modules or even full campaigns. A week later, and that's already started to bear fruit, with some modders sharing images and videos of playable custom levels.
The most impressive creations I've seen so far come from a channel simply called S on YouTube, with the standout being a work in progress take on Avernus, the top layer of the Forgotten Realms' Nine Hells and a significant part of Baldur's Gate 3's backstory⁠—we also briefly glimpse it in-game through the Nautiloid tutorial and House of Hope endgame dungeon. S seems to have used a combination of assets from the Shadow Cursed Lands, as well as from the Avernus bits in the final game (like that really distinctive skybox with a floating fortress) to produce the area, which somewhat resembles Caelid from Elden Ring.
(...)
Another modder, Lotrich, has produced a small wilderness area that resembles the original party camp of the base game. Crucible Gaming, meanwhile, has a tutorial on creating new maps, as well as ones for implementing dialogue and scripting. Going off S' video descriptions, some of these modders are organizing a Discord server to collaborate and share findings related to the level editor.
>> The article has screenshots and a 6 minutes video of the Avernus mod.

Modders are rejecting FromSoft's recent Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree nerf by restoring the final boss to his former strength
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/modders-are-rejecting-fromsofts-recent-elden-ring-shadow-of-the-erdtree-nerf-by-restoring-the-final-boss-to-his-former-strength/
The latest patch for Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree made some surprising changes, one of which was nerfing the last boss of the DLC, Promised Consort Radahn. But some players have decided that this is a move in the wrong direction and have begun modding these changes out. 
FromSoft's patch nerfed the damage of Radahn's attacks, stamina damage, and range . Fighting Radahn will be by no means easy, but it won't be as much of an ordeal as it once was. A small part of me is happy to see these changes as I'm yet to fight Radahn, but really, I don't want any help. I don't care how long it takes or how infuriating the final fight is. I want to fight Radahn as intended and do what I do best—somehow scrape by on my hundredth try and then claim that I wasn't even really trying. 
So when I finally get around to the final boss, I'll likely make use of one of the many mods that restore Radahn to his true strength. Pre-Nerf Promised Consort Radahn is one of the projects that aims to "bring back pre-nerf [Radahn] with the new L latest patches." 
Another mod, Better Promised Consort Radahn, does a little bit more than just rework Radahn's recent changes. "Post patch significantly slows down his temp, so this is for anyone who liked his old aggression and speed but not the bugs and interactions that made him unbalanced," modder Interloper says in the description. One of the bugs in question would force Radahn into a wall, causing him to disappear and then just randomly die, which wasn't greatly appreciated by players who had been dedicating blood, sweat, and tears to the fight for hours. 
(...)
Another mod that also introduces some detailed changes is DLC Radahn Prenerf (as well as a version that only nerfed the cross). "I think I found almost all the changes. However, some [players] would consider [the patch] too much of a nerf of the boss—as often I met people who thought that everything except the cross attack was unnecessary," the modder MiquellaTheUnalloyed says in the description. "So I made a mod to reverse all of these changes, as well as a version that leaves the cross-attack nerf in place." 
>> The article has no media.

GAMING NEWS

Dragon’s Dogma 2 September 17th Update Released & Detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dragons-dogma-2-september-17th-update-released-detailed/
Capcom has just released the September 17th Title Update for Dragon’s Dogma 2, and shared its complete changelog. So, let’s see what this new patch brings to the table.

Rockstar may finally bring Ray Tracing to Grand Theft Auto 5 PC
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/grand-theft-auto-5-pc-may-finally-get-ray-tracing/
Earlier today, Rockstar updated the PC version of Grand Theft Auto 5 and added the BattlEye anti-cheat to it. And, according to reports, this may be the first step in bringing the current-gen console version of the game to the PC.

Red Dead Redemption Remastered appears on Steam’s database
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/red-dead-redemption-remastered-appears-on-steams-database/
Earlier today, Rockstar released an update for the PC version of Grand Theft Auto 5. But it looks like R* accidentally revealed some files related to Red Dead Redemption Remastered for PC. On top of that, we now know what the hidden game entry on Steam’s database is.



Please excuse my bad English.

Currently gaming on a PC with an i5-4670k@stock (for now), 16Gb RAM 1600 MHz and a GTX 1070

Steam / Live / NNID : jonxiquet    Add me if you want, but I'm a single player gamer.