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

[JEMC]

Ok, guys, now that the weekend is over, we can start posting in the thread again. I'll start with the Monday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has two new sales:

• The Tomb Raider Franchise Sale has its games up to 89% off during 10 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241011_tomb_raider
• And the Shooter Promo features up to 91% discounts during 14 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241014_shooter_promo

Steam has three new deals:

• We have a daily deal! Moncage will be 35% off during 26 hours: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1195290/Moncage/
• The Suicide of Rachel Foster has a 90% discount until the 27th of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1057750/The_Suicide_of_Rachel_Foster/
• And publisher Headup Games celebrates its 15th anniversary puttings its games up to 95% off until October 27: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/Headup/sale/15th-Anniversary-Sale

We have two new deals at Humble:

• At Humble Bundle there’s the new Madcap Multiplayer Missions Bundle, with up to 7 games to get during 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/madcap-multiplayer-missions
• At the Humble Store there’s the Tomb Raider Spotlight Sale, with up to 86% discounts during 10 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/tomb-raider-spotlight-sale/

And Fanatical has a new Star Deal and a bundle:

• The new Star Deal is RimWorld, with a 30% deal during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/rimworld
• The BYO Fall Bundle 2024 has 15 games to choose for your bundle of 3+, 5+ or 7+: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-fall-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam's new disclaimer reminds everyone that you don't actually own your games, GOG moves in for the killshot: Its offline installers 'cannot be taken away from you'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/steams-new-disclaimer-reminds-everyone-that-you-dont-actually-own-your-games-gog-moves-in-for-the-killshot-its-offline-installers-cannot-be-taken-away-from-you/
Steam has apparently made a little change to its shopping cart page in the form of a new message that very clearly lays out to one and all that you're not buying a game—you're buying a license.
I say the message is "apparently" new because I can't swear it hasn't been there for days, weeks, or maybe even months already. But it's definitely there now, and was only noticed by the internet at large within the past 24 hours. Given the absence of scathing "you fool, you absolute buffoon" messages on Reddit, though, I strongly suspect it is indeed new. 
(…)
Never missing an opportunity to weigh in on such matters, GOG took a moment to mull a checkout message of its own.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

New Red Dead Redemption 2 Mod overhauls all main characters
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-red-dead-redemption-2-mod-overhauls-all-main-characters/
Modder ‘instanity’ has released a must-have high-quality HD Texture Pack for the PC version of Red Dead Redemption 2. This pack will overhaul all of the game’s main characters. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Now in case you’re wondering, instanity is the same modder behind the 4K Improved Story and Side Characters Mod. For that mod, the modder used AI tools to upscale the original textures. In this new pack, however, we get custom hand-made textures.
As said, this mod improves the faces and clothes of all main characters as well as side characters. And, since it has custom textures, I highly recommend using it. From what I could see, it has better textures than it. Still, if you want the original textures at a higher resolution, you can stick with the previous pack.
>> The article has some screenshots.

New Skyrim Mod enables AMD FSR 3.1 Native AA & NVIDIA DLAA
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/new-skyrim-mod-enables-amd-fsr-3-1-native-aa-nvidia-dlaa/
Skyrim fans, here is something for you today. Modders have released an SKSE plugin that implements AMD FSR 3.1 Native AA and NVIDIA DLAA for ENB in Skyrim Special Edition. This will allow you to enjoy Skyrim with less aliasing. As such, it’s a must-have for everyone.
This mod works by directly replacing the game’s temporal anti-aliasing. Unlike the Skyrim Upscaler, this runs before some post processing effects, and uses more optimal hooking methods resulting in improved performance.
If the mod detects a GPU that supports DLSS, it will use NVIDIA DLAA. Otherwise, AMD FSR 3.1 Native AA will be enabled. Both of them are running natively on D3D11.
You can download the mod from this link. Do note that it will NOT enable Frame Generation or other Super Resolution settings. If you want to use Intel XeSS, AMD FSR and NVIDIA DLSS Super Resolutions, you should use this mod. Plus, this mod will NOT work in VR. So, avoid it if you’re playing Skyrim in VR.
>> There’s no media in the article.

DreamPunk 2.1 aims to make Cyberpunk 2077 as photorealistic as possible
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/dreampunk-2-1-aims-to-make-cyberpunk-2077-as-photorealistic-as-possible/
YouTube’s ‘NextGen Dreams’ has shared a video, showcasing a brand new version of their DreamPunk Mod for Cyberpunk 2077. Version 2.1 promises to make CP2077. And, as you can tell from the header, it looks absolutely incredible.
Now the bad news here is that this is a paid mod. Right now, DreamPunk is only available to NextGen Dreams’ patrons. Thus, most of you won’t be able to make CP2077 look THIS good. Thankfully, there are other free alternatives. However, from what I’ve seen so far, nothing can come close to DreamPunk.
As the modder noted, Update 2.1 remakes the graphics configuration, indirect dighting, light diffusion, LUT saturation, and more.
Sadly, the modder has not included any performance overlay. However, we know that they have used DLSS 3.7.10 to get playable framerates at 8K on an NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. Plus, Path Tracing was enabled. So, basically, this is the best CP2077 can look on PC.
>> The video is almost 5 minutes long.

Modders have changed Angela & Maria in Silent Hill 2 Remake to make them more beautiful & feminine
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/modders-have-changed-angela-maria-in-silent-hill-2-remake-to-make-them-more-beautiful-feminine/
A lot of players were disappointed with the new looks of Maria and Angela in Silent Hill 2 Remake. To put it simply, they did not look as hot as they did in the original game. And, to the surprise of no one, modders have figured out ways to make them more beautiful and feminine.
I’ve seen a lot of excuses online about why some games don’t have 3D female characters that can resemble their live actresses. And, honestly, those are mere excuses and nothing more. There is no technological difficulty here. In fact, with the tools we now have, it should be easier than in the past. That’s why we have more advanced tools and more advanced game engines.
So, the different looks of Angela and Maria were purely artistic changes. And, you know what? James also looked worse when Konami first showcased the game. Contrary to Angela and Maria, though, Bloober Team improved the 3D model of James after the harsh criticism. So, it’s not like it’s SO difficult to make changes to the 3D models.
Not only that but the fact that modders, without proper tools, have improved the 3D models in record time is proof enough that Angela and Maria look the way they do on purpose. Again, I’m saying this because a lot suddenly assume that it’s a tech issue. It’s not.
Anyway, you can go ahead and download the Angela and Maria mods from here and here, respectively.
Now while the mods improve these 3D models, they are not perfect. So, you should expect some minor glitches and visual issues. Still, and despite those issues, I know that a lot of SH2 will greatly appreciate them.
>> The article has some screenshots.

GAMING NEWS

Until Dawn Patch 1.05 Released, Brings Performance Improvements, Fixes AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/until-dawn-patch-1-05-released-brings-performance-improvements-fixes-amd-fsr-3-1-frame-generation/
Ballistic Moon has just released Patch 1.05 for Until Dawn. According to the changelog, this new update brings performance improvements for lower spec PCs & Steam Deck. Moreover, it fixes AMD FSR 3.1 Frame Generation which was not working. As such, PC gamers can now use it to boost their performance.

Free demos released for AI Limit, The Precinct, Delta Force, Empires of the Ants & Amerzone Remake
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/free-demos-released-for-ai-limit-the-precinct-delta-force-empires-of-the-ants-amerzone-remake/
Steam Next Fest October 2024 Edition launches today, and a few cool free demos have already been released. Right now, you can download the demos for AI Limit, The Precinct, Delta Force, Empires of the Ants and Amerzone Remake.