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JEMC on 10 November 2025
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Welcome, once again, to the Monday gaming news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Arc Raiders is taking over Steam with a new all-time concurrent player high of 462,488, surpassing Helldivers 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-is-taking-over-steam-with-a-new-all-time-concurrent-player-high-of-462-488-surpassing-helldivers-2/
I spent a good chunk of my weekend introducing a couple of friends to the wonders of going topside in search of trinkets, robots, and even perhaps friendship in Arc Raiders, and it looks like 462,485 other people had the same idea.
Arc Raiders has been on a monumental run since it launched a couple of weeks back. Hitting 100,000 concurrent players in just 30 minutes and briefly surpassing Battlefield 6 in concurrent players a few days ago, it seems like the gaming world has been enamoured with Embark's new extraction shooter, and I can't see the enthusiasm waning anytime soon.
Just 14 hours ago, at the time of writing, Arc Raiders managed to hit another milestone: overtaking Helldivers 2 in all-time peak of concurrent players, reaching 462,488 or 462,485, plus my two friends and I. Helldivers 2, in contrast, has an all-time peak of just 458,709, and that's including my squad.
>> Looks like they’ve fixed the problems they had the previous weekend.

'The unimaginable has happened'—Dune: Awakening's player count drops below Funcom's other survival game released eight years ago, as engagement with Arrakis dries up
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/the-unimaginable-has-happened-dune-awakenings-player-count-drops-below-funcoms-other-survival-game-released-eight-years-ago-as-engagement-with-arrakis-dries-up/
Things aren't looking so hot for Funcom's sci-fi desert survival MMO Dune: Awakening. After the strongest launch in the Norwegian studio's history, Funcom announced layoffs at the start of October, citing a shift from "development to long-term operation" as well as an upcoming console launch as the reasons for restructuring.
But there may be another reason behind those layoffs, namely that the player count for Dune: Awakening is dwindling. In fact, for the first time since Dune: Awakening launched, the number of players recently dropped below that of Funcom's other survival MMO, Conan Exiles, which released way back in 2018.
The shift was spotted by Reddit user m3d1t8 (via GamesRadar), who posted a screenshot showing that, at the time it was taken, 7,458 players were exploring Arrakis, while 7,706 players were enjoying Conan Exiles. "The unbelievable has happened and Dune now has fewer active players than Conan," m3d1t8 marvelled, adding. "I remember two months ago someone foreseeing that Dune would dip below Conan and thinking no wayyyy. I expected player numbers to settle around 20k."
At the time of writing, there was an even bigger gap between the two games, with 4,562 players in Awakening, and 5,685 players in Exiles. Exiles also enjoyed a higher 24-hour peak than Awakening on Sunday, reaching 10,899 players while Awakening topped out at 10,593. This is especially remarkable considering Awakening has an all-time peak that's greater than Exiles by almost fourfold, with 189,333 players arriving on Arrakis at launch while Exiles has only ever seen a max of 53,402.
There is one big caveat, however, which is that Conan Exiles is currently on a humongous discount, available for 80% on Steam off until later today. That's likely given Exiles a bump it otherwise wouldn't have had.

GOG starts the week with two new sales:

Steam has two new deals and a sale:

Humble Bundle has the new Frogwares: Lovecraft and Sherlock Classics Bundle, with up to 12 games to get during 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/frogwares-lovecraft-and-sherlock-classics.

Fanatical has new Flash Deals and bundles:

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

Steam's wider store pages are now live, and Valve says it tested them on 'a tiny old iPod' to make sure they'd still work on narrower screens
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/steams-wider-store-pages-are-now-live-and-valve-says-it-tested-them-on-a-tiny-old-ipod-to-make-sure-theyd-still-work-on-narrower-screens/
Steam has increased the width of its product pages from 940 pixels to 1,200 pixels. It's a change that would go unremarked on for most other online stores, but this is Steam, the place we've been buying PC games since the 2000s, and Valve, a company from which we've come to expect things like 750-word blog posts about page width. (Even though it will also kick off public testing of a whole new videogame without acknowledging its existence.)
The great Steam enwidening came to the Steam beta client in August (you can opt into beta updates in the "Interface" tab of the Steam settings), and has now rolled out to everyone. As one effect, the screenshots on Steam store pages can now be displayed at a higher resolution, and there are new theater and full-screen browsing modes for images and trailers.
The wider product pages also come with new formatting options for game publishers, and they aren't the only part of Steam that's had a nice stretch: Search results, bundle pages, the Steam Charts, and a few other Steam pages have also become roomier.

'Once gamers try it, they won’t want to go back': The curse of wonky high-FOV graphics may be a thing of the past with this single plugin
https://www.pcgamer.com/hardware/once-gamers-try-it-they-wont-want-to-go-back-the-curse-of-wonky-high-fov-graphics-may-be-a-thing-of-the-past-with-this-single-plugin/
If you've just bought a new ultrawide monitor or invested in a top-end headset for some serious VR action, one of the graphics settings you've probably tried changing in games is the field of view. What you've also probably noticed is that opening up the view to make things more immersive just ruins the visual experience. The good news is that one UK team reckons it's cracked the problem, and it's already made the tools for game devs.
Human vision has a horizontal field of view of around 200 degrees or so, but the vast majority of 3D games stick with 75 to 90 degrees. Many will let you play around with an FOV (field of view) setting, but once you go over 100, the edges go all kinds of wonky.
It is possible, of course, to code a game so that it doesn't do this, but it's easier said than done. That's because while it's a piece of cake to increase the horizontal size of the frustrum created by the camera in a 3D world, objects at the edge of the FOV will look distorted and stretched unless this is all accounted for and corrected.
And what might work fine at 110 degrees, for a game that's normally 90 degrees, might not work very well at higher FOV values.
Enter stage left, Fovo Technology Ltd, or Fovotec for short. This UK-based company has developed a software package that handles it all for you, and has created plugins for Unity and Unreal Engine that allow game developers to implement a FOV system that can go all the way up to 180 degrees with only a small amount of distortion at those extreme levels.
>> The article has a video and some screenshots.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Take a look at this Soldier of Fortune RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/take-a-look-at-this-soldier-of-fortune-rtx-remix-path-tracing-mod
Modder ‘Pathtraced Paradise’ is currently working on an RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod for Soldier of Fortune. While this mod is in a very early stage, the modder shared two videos that you can find below.
As Pathtraced Paradise noted, almost all textures have been upscaled 12 times using generative AI to add additional detail to the original assets with PBR materials. He also made over 100 hand-edited textures and emissive masks.
Right now, the first three levels, plus the tutorial, are partially completed with upscaled PRB textures.
As I said, this is still a WIP Mod. This means that the videos do not reflect the quality of its final version. Still, they can give you a pretty good idea of what the modder aims to achieve.
>> The article has two videos.

Mass Effect: Legendary Edition Community Patch 2.0 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/mass-effect-legendary-edition-community-patch-2-0-released
The Mass Effect Community Patch Team has just released Community Update 2.0 for Mass Effect Legendary Edition. So, let’s see what this new unofficial patch brings to the table.
For those who don’t know, the LE1 Community Patch is a simple bug-fix mod for Mass Effect 1 Legendary Edition. This is the spiritual successor to ME1Recalibrated. It mainly focuses on fixing bugs without changing the original game’s design or balance. As such, it’s a must-have for everyone who wants to replay it.
Community Patch 2.0 features a long-awaited feature, the LE1 Framework. This framework will greatly decrease mod compatibility issues between NPC appearance mods and other level modifications. The framework works similarly to the LE3 Community Patch’s framework, as well as the LE2 Prologue Framework.
The Update also includes the LE1 Sideloader Framework as a built-in part of the Community Patch. This tool allows other mods to load additional level files in existing parts of the game with minimal compatibility issues, with no patching of master level files.
This means that every level-focused or NPC-focused mod will need to be updated to be compatible with LE1CP v2.0. After these have been updated, there should be a drastic decrease in the number of compatibility patches you will need to install.
While Community Patch 2.0 does not feature a lot of bug fixes, it marks a huge milestone for the team. Thanks to this unofficial patch, players can enjoy Mass Effect: LE with fewer bugs and glitches. It’s one of those mods you have to install if you want to replay it.
>> The article has the release notes and some screenshots.

The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition 2026 Announced
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/the-witcher-3-hd-reworked-project-nextgen-edition-2026-announced
Modder ‘Halk Hogan’ has just announced a new version of his HD Reworked Project for The Witcher 3 Next Gen. As the title suggests, The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project NextGen Edition 2026 will come out next year, and below you can find a video for it.
The Witcher 3 HD Reworked Project improves the game with top-notch textures that look great and run smoothly, without needing more VRAM. If you’re already playing on Max settings, you’ll be able to use this mod. The pack will include high-quality, accurate normal maps, many of which are made from detailed 3D models. The project also brings better LODs for objects, as well as a better view distance.
While we wait for the 2026 version, you can still get its previous version from this link. And I highly recommend giving it a go. This is easily the best HD Texture Pack for The Witcher 3. So, if for whatever reason you can’t wait for the new version, you can go ahead and replay TW3 with it.
>> The video is 5 minutes long.

New Cyberpunk 2077 Mod Aims To Overhaul Its Traffic
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/new-cyberpunk-2077-mod-aims-to-overhaul-its-traffic
Modder ‘cradilyex’ has released a brand new cool mod for Cyberpunk 2077. This mod aims to completely change how traffic works. To be more precise, the mod makes traffic more realistic and unique, depending on which district you’re in. It’s definitely a mod everyone should try out. Let’s take a closer look at it.
Night City Traffic Overhaul adds more variety to the city’s traffic, depending on the district you’re in. You’ll now see gang cars patrolling their turf, NCPD cruisers in rich areas, taxis and buses around the city, and big trucks in industrial zones. Out in the Badlands, you’ll find Militech and Wraith vehicles, while Kabuki will have Moxes driving around. Best of all, you can adjust everything to match your personal preferences.
As said, each district has sliders for customization. So, you can create and implement your own vision of the NC streets. You can also add your modded vehicles for each district to the lists.
All in all, this is a simple mod that can make a big difference in how the game feels. With it, each district now feels more unique and alive.
Best of all is that this mod won’t have any impact on your performance. Well, that is if you use a normal traffic density setting. The vehicle swap is done in every game load, so there is no performance cost from that.
>> The article has no media.

GTA 5 Enhanced Mod Adds 4K Textures To All Story Characters
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/gta-5-enhanced-mod-adds-4k-textures-to-all-story-characters
Modder ‘instanity’ has released a 4K pack for Grand Theft Auto 5 Enhanced Edition that overhauls all of the game’s story characters. In total, this pack improves over 70 characters. As such, it’s a must-have for everyone who is currently playing it.
Going into more details, the mod improves the body, head, and clothes of all the main story characters. By “story” characters, I’m referring to those who appear in the game’s cinematics. These characters will now look better and more detailed.
You can go ahead and download the mod from this link. Those who still play the Legacy Version can also download a previous version of that pack that’s compatible with it.
Another cool mod for GTA 5 Enhanced Edition that has just come out is the Modular Map Builder. This mod lets you create custom maps, placing modular road pieces and adding new objects to make cities and such. This mod is in a very early stage right now. Still, those who want to create new maps for GTA 5 can try it out. You can download it from here.
>> The article has an over 4 minutes video of the Modular Map Builder mod.

23 years later, Morrowind on controller and Steam Deck just got a million times better: The latest version of OpenMW is out now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/23-years-later-morrowind-on-controller-and-steam-deck-just-got-a-million-times-better-the-latest-version-of-openmw-is-out-now/
I've said it before and, unless PC Gamer fires me for all that embezzling I've been doing, I'm bound to say it again: OpenMW is one of the coolest mod projects out there. Much like DevilutionX does for Diablo or Daggerfall Unity does for Daggerfall, OpenMW is an open-source engine reimplementation for The Elder Scrolls 3 that lets you play it on damn near any device and with a lot of mod-cons.
If a phrase like "open-source engine reimplementation" fills you with dread, fear not: using OpenMW is as simple as downloading it and double clicking the launcher (though you'll need base Morrowind installed), and I strongly encourage you to do so—the devs just released OpenMW version 0.50, and it's a doozy.
"This round number release overhauls the gamepad experience, makes foundational steps in dehardcoding combat, further expands our Lua scripting API and, among the host of user interface fix-ups, introduces the highly requested quick item transfer," writes OpenMW team member Capo.
"Dehardcoding combat" is the process by which OpenMW is gradually opening up to Morrowind's core combat functionality to tweaks, expanding the Lua scripting API further enhances OpenMW's capacity for all-powerful Lua modding, and UI fix-ups are, well, self-explanatory. But I confess it's the gamepad stuff that has me going out of my gourd for this one.
>> The article has some screenshots.

Fallout: New Vegas Mod brings over 200 new weathers to the game
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/fallout-new-vegas-mod-brings-over-200-new-weathers-to-the-game
Modder ‘doodlum’ has just released a new mod for Fallout: New Vegas, adding over 200 new weathers to the game. This is a cool new mod that can make the game’s skies look much better than before. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
Perfect Skies brings procedurally generated 4K clouds, a dual-layer lighting system, dozens of completely unique cloud variations, as well as unique locational skies. In total, we’re looking at over 200 new weathers. This will add more variety to the game. As such, world exploration may feel better than before.
In the vanilla version, all textures were made by cutting real clouds from photos in image editing programs. This mod does not use any real pictures. Instead, all clouds are fully computer-generated. Because of that, the clouds look perfect and don’t have the usual problems like bad lighting, blur, or pixelation.
The mod also uses two special textures: one for sunlight or moonlight and one for how the sky’s light spreads through the clouds. This allows the same cloud texture to look great at any time of day and in any location. Overall, this system is even more advanced than the one used in Fallout 4.
The mod includes 30 unique cloud styles and 60 4K textures. These textures are compressed, but they only store transparency data, which helps prevent visual glitches. Everything is also packed into a BSA file, making the mod take up much less disk space.
>> The article has no media.

GAMING NEWS

Here’s your first look at miHoYo’s new Unreal Engine 5 game
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/heres-your-first-look-at-mihoyos-new-unreal-engine-5-game
It appears that miHoYo, the creator of Genshin Impact, is working on a new game that will be using Unreal Engine 5. This game appears to be in a very early development stage, and below you can find a teaser trailer for it.



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.