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

[JEMC]

Tuesday news, the second part:

'You deserve better customer service': Path of Exile 2 studio apologizes for long support wait times but with 545,000 emails received, it's kind of understandable
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/you-deserve-better-customer-service-path-of-exile-2-studio-apologizes-for-long-support-wait-times-but-with-545-000-emails-received-its-kind-of-understandable/
Grinding Gear Games says it's sorry for the slow response times to Path of Exile 2 customer support requests, but it's dealing with an absolute avalanche of them—roughly 545,000 email requests since the game launched in November, far more than it was prepared to deal with.

The first multiplayer demo for my most anticipated RTS, Tempest Rising, is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rts/the-first-multiplayer-demo-for-my-most-anticipated-rts-tempest-rising-is-out-now/
There are a surprising number of RTS romps knocking about these days, but few of them have managed to leave a mark. Pessimism has overtaken me, but there are some exceptions. Tempest Rising—Slipgate Ironwork's sci-fi throwback—is one of them. If you've ever dreamed of a reality where EA didn't completely wreck Westwood's Tiberium saga, this one's for you.
(...)
Multiplayer might not be at the heart of real-time strategy (despite the number of developers who have been mistakenly convinced that it is), but it's still a vital component. Certainly it's one of the reasons why StarCraft 2 managed to sit at the top of the pile for so many years. The good news, then, is that Tempest Rising's latest demo is showcasing its multiplayer chops.

Vertical extraction shooter Exoborne holds its first playtest soon, and you can sign up now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/vertical-extraction-shooter-exoborne-holds-its-first-playtest-soon-and-you-can-sign-up-now/
We got some hands-on time with Exoborne, the new extraction shooter from Sharkmob, in August 2024, and it looked potentially very promising, particularly for more casual players interested in an experience that isn't built to punish them at every opportunity. In February, curious shooter fans will have an opportunity to try it for themselves in Exoborne's first-ever public playtest.

'You’re not supposed to say this out loud!': Baldur's Gate 3 dev reacts to analyst who says some game makers 'hope' Grand Theft Auto 6 will cost up to $100 at launch
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/youre-not-supposed-to-say-this-out-loud-baldurs-gate-3-dev-reacts-to-analyst-who-says-some-game-makers-hope-grand-theft-auto-6-will-cost-up-to-usd100-at-launch/
Larian head of publishing Michael Douse warned that game companies are saying the quiet part out loud after industry analyst Michael Ball wrote that some of them are hoping Grand Theft Auto 6 will launch with a price of at least $80, and possibly as high as $100.
>> spynx has made a thread about the statement from this analyst.

Marvel Snap is back online after falling afoul of TikTok's temporary ban, and unsurprisingly, its creators are on the search for a new publisher
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/marvel-snap-is-back-online-after-falling-afoul-of-tiktoks-temporary-ban-and-unsurprisingly-its-creators-are-on-the-search-for-a-new-publisher/
When TikTok was temporarily blocked in the US at the weekend, one of the unexpected knock-on effects was the simultaneous blocking of Marvel Snap, a CCG starring the usual gaggle of buoyant American superheroes. TikTok access was reinstated after 12 hours, but the game remained offline for another 12 hours.
Now it's back (on PC at least: it's still absent on smartphones at time of writing) which is good news for its California-based studio Second Dinner, and fans of card games and superheroes in general. But it may not be good news for Marvel Snap publisher Nuverse, which is a subsidiary of TikTok owner ByteDance and, as a result, clearly the source of this card game getting caught up in the mess.
In its announcement on X, Second Dinner was unusually straight-to-the-point: "MARVEL SNAP is back online in the U.S. But to make sure this NEVER happens again, we’re working to bring more services in-house and partner with a new publisher," the official Second Dinner account tweeted.

The Witcher 3's director says he has designed his new vampire RPG to explore 'something in pop culture that nobody yet has done' in videogames: 'We will see how people like it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-witcher-3s-director-says-he-has-designed-his-new-vampire-rpg-to-explore-something-in-pop-culture-that-nobody-yet-has-done-in-videogames-we-will-see-how-people-like-it/
(...)
After explaining why he left CDPR to bring this new dark fantasy RPG to fruition, Konrad then elaborated on why he cast Coen, a half human half vampire, as the protagonist of the game's story.
“I felt that I wanted to do a game which would not be a game about, like, a normal, let’s say superhero, which we know from Marvel movies," says Tomaszkiewicz. "It’s hard to do those stories because you are [just] stronger and stronger and stronger. [So] I searched for an idea for the hero, which would be near the ground—or grounded—and needed to solve things in a different way. But, also, I wanted to give some kind of superhero to the players.
"That’s why I designed a protagonist who, in the day, is a human, with all the weaknesses of a human being. [However], at night, you are a vampire, which is stronger and faster, and you have better abilities and supernatural skills. It’s somehow interesting, this duality of the hero, which we know from Doctor Jekyll and Mr Hyde, for example. It’s something in pop culture that is well known and wasn’t yet explored in games. It gives you a different layer to those non-realities, and I think it would be quite interesting because nobody yet has done that. And we will see how people will like it.”

The Blood of Dawnwalker's creative director explains how the RPG's narrative sandbox works: 'the core of it is maximising players' freedom'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-blood-of-dawnwalkers-creative-director-explains-how-the-rpgs-narrative-sandbox-works-the-core-of-it-is-maximising-players-freedom/
I traveled to Rebel Wolves recently to speak to key developers about its debut RPG, The Blood of Dawnwalker, which promises a dark fantasy cinematic adventure involving vampires deep within the Carpathian Mountains.
As well as speaking to the game's director, Konrad Tomaszkiewicz, the man who directed the now legendary fantasy RPG, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, about why he left CDPR and why he decided to cast a half human half vampire as the game's protagonist, I also spoke to the game's design director, Daniel Sadowski about the game's unique 'time as a resource' mechanic and creative director Mateusz Tomaszkiewicz about the studio's 'narrative sandbox' approach to game design.

The cake was a lie, but Silksong 'is real, progressing and will release' say devs, after flurry of conspiracy theories revealed to be a 'nothingburger'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/the-cake-was-a-lie-but-silksong-is-real-progressing-and-will-release-say-devs-after-flurry-of-conspiracy-theories-revealed-to-be-a-nothingburger/
Alright, Silksong gang, pack up the cork boards and sorrowfully spool away your red string—turns out we were being had. Or maybe just drunk on pattern recognition. Most definitely the latter.
In case you've been out of the loop (honestly, you're better off), the Silksong community had a conniption last week after a developer William Pellen's alt account, typically used for shitposting, changed its handle and profile picture to some chocolate, then cryptically tweeted out the words "something big is coming. keep your eyes closed tomorrow".
(...)
Hollow Knight speed and challenge runner fireb0rn posted to X that Matthew Griffin—otherwise known as Leth, who handles marketing and publishing for Team Cherry, had "reached out to me to confirm there was no Silksong ARG, and that the changes to William's account and the tweet were a nothingburger. Apologies to have misled everyone. The cake was a lie."

A Marvel Rivals player 'hit GrandMaster doing 0 damage' through the blindingly simple strategy of healing teammates a lot
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/a-marvel-rivals-player-hit-grandmaster-doing-0-damage-through-the-blindingly-simple-strategy-of-healing-teammates-a-lot/
We're not even halfway through Marvel Rivals Season 1, and one player has already done a GM no-damage challenge. This player, in particular, decided to one-trick the Strategist Rocket Raccoon, and despite getting no damage or kills, has done a terrifying amount of healing.
"I hit GrandMaster doing zero damage," Marvel Rivals player Habooskie, also known as NoDmgRocket, says. They also posted their stats for everyone to see. With 18.6 hours with Rocket Raccoon in Season 1, 2.9 million healing, and a 65% win rate, it seems like being a pacifist isn't an entirely bad idea.
>> His teammates must love him.