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JEMC on 21 November 2024
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Look! The Thursday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

This week, the Epic Store gives away Beholder: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/beholder-8c3b4c
Next week, they’ll give away Brotato.

Steam has three new deals:

Fanatical has quite a few new deals:

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Indie distribution platform Itch.io now requires asset creators to disclose the use of generative AI in their work
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/indie-distribution-platform-itch-io-now-requires-asset-creators-to-disclose-the-use-of-generative-ai-in-their-work/
Indie-focused digital storefront Itch.io has announced a new policy requiring asset creators on the platform to disclose whether their work makes use of generative AI, and to specify what sort of content is AI-generated when it's present.
"We are now requiring asset page creators to tag their use of generative AI in their work," Itch.io wrote on Bluesky. "This tagging tool is available for all pages, but it is a required field for asset creator pages to ensure that buyers are aware of the origins of the material they are obtaining."
Itch.io said it's currently focusing on asset creators, "since their disclosure can impact a larger number of creators that may use their assets." Assets made using generative AI that aren't properly tagged as such "will no longer be eligible for indexing in our browse pages," the platform warned.
>> Good move, imho.

Steam has changed its policy on DLC content and season passes, so now players are entitled to proper compensation if future plans fall through: 'Customers will be offered a refund for the value of unreleased DLC'
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steam-has-changed-its-policy-on-dlc-content-and-season-passes-so-now-players-are-entitled-to-proper-compensation-if-future-plans-fall-through-customers-will-be-offered-a-refund-for-the-value-of-unreleased-dlc/
There's been a significant change as to how Steam will require games to advertise expansion packs or DLCs on the platform. The new guidelines clearly spell out what can be classified as new extra content and how publishers and developers should handle this future content to ensure that it actually benefits customers.
"By offering a Season Pass, you are promising future content," the guidelines say. "In the process of launching a Season Pass, you will be asked to commit to a launch time for each content release in the Season Pass. That launch timing is a commitment to both customers and Steam. If you aren't ready to clearly communicate about the content included in each DLC AND when each DLC will be ready for launch, you shouldn't offer a Season Pass on Steam."
(...)
To protect players further, Steam has also outlined the refund policy that games will have to adhere to if plans for a DLC or expansion end up falling through. "We understand that game development doesn't always go as planned. If you think you aren't going to be able to release a DLC into the Season Pass by the quarter you promised, we allow you to self-reschedule the release date one time only during the Season Pass. You can pick a new date up to 3 months later than you originally selected. If you cancel a DLC in a Season Pass, customers will be offered a refund for the value of unreleased DLC."
>> What a move! I’ll be looking forward which publihsers/devs protest against this, because that’s a clear red flag about how those publishers/devs operate that we should keep in mind.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Last Guardian now runs on PC via the PS4 emulator, shadPS4
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/the-last-guardian-now-runs-on-pc-via-the-ps4-emulator-shadps4/
The Last Guardian is a PS4 exclusive that came out in December 2016. This is a game that Sony won’t ever port to the PC. However, PC gamers may soon be able to enjoy it via the PS4 emulator, shadPS4. Because, right now, the emulator can boot and run it.
Now while shadPS4 can run it, it’s not really playable. As you will see, there are A LOT of visual glitches. Not only that but performance is all over the place. Still, the fact that shadPS4 can boot and run it is commendable.
(...)
Speaking of shadPS4, it appears that the PS4 emulator can also boot and run God of War 3 Remastered (or at least its first cutscene). Performance seems fine, however, there are MAJOR visual issues. So, no. The game is nowhere close to being described as playable.
shadPS4 can also run other 3D games, like Sword Art Online, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and Hatsune Miku: Project DIVA X. The emulator can also run Alien Isolation, Wipeout XL and Marvel Ultimate Alliance.
>> The article has three videos.

First STALKER 2 Mods bring unlimited carry weight and make Bloodsuckers and Poltergeists less tanky
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/first-stalker-2-mods-bring-unlimited-carry-weight-and-make-bloodsuckers-and-poltergeists-less-tanky/
GSC GameWorld released STALKER 2 yesterday, and the first mods for it have appeared online. So, in this article, we’ll focus on the ones that bring improvements to its gameplay mechanics. So, let’s see what’s in store for you stalkers.
The first mod will address the criticism about the game’s low carry weight limit. By using it, you will be able to get unlimited carry weight. As such, you will be able to carry all the weapons you encounter in the game. In my opinion, this takes away a cool aspect of the game. Still, I know that some players want to simply loot everything they can find. So, if you are more of a loot player, you can use it to make the game feel closer to a looter shooter (at least when it comes to how its inventory works).
The second mod will make the Bloodsuckers and Poltergeists less tanky. This was another issue that annoyed some players. For whatever reason, GSC GameWorld increased the health of the Bloodsuckers and Poltergeists, making their fights feel a bit boring. By using this mod, you will reduce their health by 4 times. Thus, it will be easier to kill them, save ammo, and have less boring encounters with them.
(...)
There are also some other “performance” mods, but most of them are just different config files. In my experience, these configs never worked in any UE game. I’ve tried some mods in Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Hogwarts Legacy and Silent Hill 2 Remake. In all these titles, none of them worked. None of them reduced the stutters. So, no. You won’t be able to somehow fix the game with a simple Engine.ini file.
>> The article has no media.

Space Marine 2 will ban mods for public online play in December but promises that better mod support is on the way
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/space-marine-2-will-ban-mods-for-public-online-play-in-december-but-promises-that-better-mod-support-is-on-the-way/
The Space Marine 2 mod scene is starting to pick up steam—Nexus Mods has a mix of everything from basic weapon cosmetics to a "Primarch Power Fantasy"— and game director Dmitriy Grigorenko thinks that's great. But it's also starting to cause some headaches, which is why the game's next big update, set to arrive in December, will incorporate a ban on the use of mods in public online play.
"Our data shows that a non-negligible amount of recent server stability issues are related to mods, and that instability impacts even those users who don't have mods installed," Grigorenko wrote in an update on Steam. "We have also received user reports that their save files were corrupted after playing alongside players with mods."
Because of that, Space Marine 2 players with mods installed will no longer be allowed to enter public games after the December update goes live. The good news is that the dev team doesn't want to take all the fun away, so mods will still be allowed in private Operations lobbies. "We will continue to provide all necessary server infrastructure so you can play online with your friends with mods," Grigorenko wrote. "Once we add custom Eternal War lobbies, mods will work for them as well."
Grigorenko also committed to providing "an easy entry point to our backend for games with mods installed, so modders won't have to spend time hacking the game executable after each patch." Better modding tools are also on the way: "We will be releasing some of our tools to modders so they can develop mods with greater ease," he wrote, although no details were provided.

GAMING NEWS

Star Wars Outlaws Title Update 1.4.0 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/star-wars-outlaws-title-update-1-4-0-released-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has just released Title Update 1.4.0 which is over 8GB in size on PC, and shared its full patch notes. This update mainly focuses on addressing bug fixes and gameplay issues. So, let’s take a closer look at its changelog.
>> The “gameplay issues” fixed is, among other things, dropping the forced stealth of some missions, as PCGamer explains in length.



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.