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

[JEMC]

Monday gaming news, the long part two:

'Valve isn't interested in a nuanced conversation' says indie dev suffering from Steam censorship
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/platforms/valve-isnt-interested-in-a-nuanced-conversation-says-indie-dev-suffering-from-steam-censorship/
Indie creator Robert Yang—who makes good, funny, incandescently homosexual videogames—has an ongoing project. Radiator Forever is a free megabundle/remaster of Yang's experimental, short-form games that includes titles like Hurt Me Plenty (description: "consent, negotiation, spanking, and aftercare"), Succulent ("juicy cheek physics and demonic possession") and Stick Shift ("autoerotic night-driving, manually pleasure a gay car").
I'm sure we both agree that this news piece would have been worth writing just to get a chance to tap out "manually pleasure a gay car," but there's more: in a recent blog post on the experience of putting together Radiator Forever, Yang shone some light on the ongoing fallout from last year's purge of "adult" material from storefronts like Steam and Itch.io, for which right-wing anti-porn group Collective Shout claimed credit after putting pressure on payment processors, as well as on the impact of regional censorship laws like the UK Online Safety Act.
(...)
But even on Steam, these sorts of games continue to run into problems. "Unfortunately Valve has tagged my game as "frequent nudity and sexual content" and now hides it from most Steam users," writes Yang. "Since no one changes their default settings, this amounts to a delisting / shadowban from 99% of the Steam user base.
>> I’m pretty sure that anyone who might be interested in this kind of genre/games will have changed the necessary settings to see it, but who doesn’t like a good old controversy to raise awareness?

Ubisoft tells Black Flag microtransaction critics that they control the DLC they buy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/assassins-creed/ubisoft-tells-black-flag-microtransaction-critics-that-they-control-the-dlc-they-buy/
Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced is here and violently colon-less, despite my deep-rooted ancestral urge to fill every gap between those words with dots and dashes, as our forefathers did in the days of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
But it's not Ubisoft's crimes against grammar that prompted the game to hit Mixed Steam reviews at launch (it's picked up since, and at time of writing is at Mostly Positive). It was the fact that, in typical Ubisoft fashion, the game's store page ripples with microtransactions for outfits, weapons, and the obligatory 'Pay $5 to play less of the $60 game you just bought' map-reveal pack.
(...)
Ubi, perhaps inadvisably, is actually responding to some of these reviews, though. The studio's boilerplate response to a bunch of complaints about the game's microtransactions reads as follows:
We've seen your feedback since launch, and we're reading all of it. Thank you for caring this much about Black Flag Resynced. We want to be clear on one point: the standard edition is the full, complete experience. Every mission, every island, the full story and the complete world are all there, with nothing held back. The additional packs are entirely optional extras for players who want them, never a requirement to enjoy or complete the game.
>> It doesn’t happen often but, in this case, Ubisoft is right.

Indie dev defends criticism of Steam refund abuse amid review bombing of his game: 'It's wrong to refund a game after having fun with it and completing it'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/indie-dev-defends-criticism-of-steam-refund-abuse-amid-review-bombing-of-his-game-its-wrong-to-refund-a-game-after-having-fun-with-it-and-completing-it/
Developer Mateo Covic, who went viral for complaining that thousands of people had refunded his game after finishing it in less than two hours, says he's not actually unhappy about the number of refunds or money he lost, or even Steam's policy in general—he was merely expressing frustration with players who "bragged about having a fun time with the game and refunding it after completion."
(...)
The message quickly blew up, and not entirely in good ways. Discussions about the obvious loophole in Steam's refund policy and what might be done about it followed, but so did a brief review bombing of Paddle Paddle Paddle, which holds a "very positive" overall rating on Steam, but is "mixed" in recent reviews. Many of those negative reviews aren't aimed at the game but at Covic himself, for suggesting that playing a game to completion and then refunding might be uncool.
>> The world is full of entitled brats that don’t like being called out for their BS.

Palworld revises some of its most egregious creature designs for its 1.0 release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/palworld-revises-some-of-its-most-egregious-creature-designs-for-its-1-0-release/
Today, Palworld left early access with a massive 1.0 patch that brought an avalanche of changes and has drawn hundreds of thousands of new and returning players with the seductive allure of making creatures work in conditions that OSHA would object to if they were people.
Unmentioned in its massive 1.0 changelog, however, are a series of visual reworks the patch made to a handful of Pals that previously bore the most blatant resemblance to preexisting Pokémon designs.

'Surprised there was anyone left to post this': Fans react as The Elder Scrolls Online debuts seasonal content days after hundreds laid off from studio
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/surprised-there-was-anyone-left-to-post-this-fans-react-as-the-elder-scrolls-online-debuts-seasonal-content-days-after-hundreds-laid-off-from-studio/
For the first time ever, seasonal content is here for The Elder Scrolls Online. Return of the Thieves Guild, its inaugural season, has launched for the long-running MMO, something you'd expect fans would be all abuzz for—if not for the fact that ZeniMax Online Studios has been gutted as part of the mass layoffs at Xbox this week.

After Space Marine 2 'literally changed everything', Saber Interactive has been inundated with offers from major licenses: 'We are in a very fortunate position to turn down more than we can accept'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/after-space-marine-2-literally-changed-everything-saber-interactive-has-been-inundated-with-offers-from-major-licenses-we-are-in-a-very-fortunate-position-to-turn-down-more-than-we-can-accept/
It's a miserable time in the upper echelons of game development right now, but in the midst of all the layoffs, cancelled games, and legendary studios being horribly and inexplicably gutted, one company at least is riding high—Saber Interactive.
Previously known for vehicle simulators and middling action games like World War Z, Saber found itself with a monster hit on its hands two years ago, courtesy of Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2. Saber saw colossal success with the license, and according to Chief Creative Officer Tim Willits, the sequel put the studio on the map for other licenses seeking the videogame treatment.
In an interview with The Game Business (via RPS), Willits said that Space Marine 2 "literally changed everything" for Saber's fortunes. "It not only changed the way that the team looks at making games, it changed how people look at us," he explained.

Star Citizen's next update will switch focus to fixing its bug-riddled previous update, with bigger changes shunted to a later patch
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/star-citizens-next-update-will-switch-focus-to-fixing-its-bug-riddled-previous-update-with-bigger-changes-shunted-to-a-later-patch/
Star Citizen received a major update back in May, one which implemented a "full reset" of its sci-fi universe while also adding a bunch of new features. Unfortunately, Alpha 4.8 also added a lot of bugs to CIG's space MMO. So many, in fact, that the studio has been forced to change course on its next update, postponing plans for several new features and turning it into a gigantic bug-squashing exercise.

College Football 27 to remove microtransactions after player backlash, though EA maintains they were only added to 'give players more choice'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/college-football-27-to-remove-microtransactions-after-player-backlash-though-ea-maintains-they-were-only-added-to-give-players-more-choice/
The latest EA Sports College Football game has finally arrived, which is tantalizing news if you were excited for the series' hotly anticipated comeback a couple years ago. Less tantalizing is the game's reception, which so far has been marred by widespread backlash to its egregious microtransactions. Complaining works: in a post on X yesterday, the official CFB account said those microtransactions are out.

Valve has rewired Counter-Strike 2's bomb to make it more spectacular, but potentially less deadly
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/valve-has-rewired-counter-strike-2s-bomb-to-make-it-more-spectacular-but-potentially-less-deadly/
In Counter-Strike 2, small changes can have huge ramifications. There aren't many games where the addition of volumetric smoke grenades would be a headline feature. But in CS2's hyper tense battles, true 3D smoke cover has game changing consequences.
Now, with the advent of Season 5, Valve has made another tiny-yet-huge change. Put simply, it's changed how the bomb works, giving players more of a chance to survive after it detonates. Valve detailed the changes in a Steam post (via PCGamesN). "Now, when the bomb detonates, an explosive wave of destruction will flow from the bombsite through the map."

Tempest Rising's elusive third faction will get its own singleplayer campaign as a paid expansion, and you can play the demo right now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/tempest-risings-elusive-third-faction-will-get-its-own-singleplayer-campaign-as-a-paid-expansion-and-you-can-play-the-demo-right-now/
When the excellent Command & Conquer successor Tempest Rising released last year, it featured three factions battling for supremacy across a war-torn future Earth. But only two of those factions—the GDF and the Tempest Dynasty—were playable with their own singleplayer campaigns. The third faction, the mysterious Veti, were wholly computer controlled.
Developer Slipgate Ironworks has always said the Veti would be made playable at some point. Indeed, it has been testing the faction's multiplayer integration for some time. But the question of whether the Veti would receive any singleplayer missions has remained unanswered, until now. It turns out the Veti will be getting their own campaign, but you will have to pay extra to play it, as it's arriving in the form of an expansion.

Helldivers 2 dev cracks down on 'suspicious super credit activity', though it would help if earning premium currency wasn't so boring to begin with
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/helldivers-2-dev-cracks-down-on-suspicious-super-credit-activity-though-it-would-help-if-earning-premium-currency-wasnt-so-boring-to-begin-with/
I'd never considered the prospect that some people might cheat at playing Helldivers 2. But I suppose it's inevitable given some people will find ways to cheat at anything. In this case, rogue Helldivers have found ways to game super credits—the premium currency used to buy Warbonds—to earn them at impossible rates, and it's become such a problem that Arrowhead has implemented new ways to tackle it.

League of Legends' 'classic' mode has a release date, and it isn't just an old version of the game—players will vote on new patches, Old School RuneScape-style
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/league-of-legends-classic-mode-has-a-release-date-and-it-isnt-just-an-old-version-of-the-game-players-will-vote-on-new-patches-old-school-runescape-style/
What's old is new in League of Legends Classic, which was teased a couple of weeks ago in the wake of leak after leak. The full reveal came during yesterday's MSI Finals, where the mode debuted in a showmatch starring pros like Doublelift and Cpt Jack. It's a Frankenstein's monster of different eras with a huge emphasis on season three: a bunch of old kits are back, but some of the art has been modernized and various late additions like ward trinkets have made it in.
More details can be found on the Riot Games website, which reveals that the mode will release later this month on July 29. It names a bunch of old, busted builds poised to make their triumphant return: ability power Master Yi (God help us), pre-rework Sion (God help us), any mage with Deathfire Grasp, and so on.

Watch a new Total War: Warhammer 40,000 gameplay video and weep for your graphics card
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/watch-a-new-total-war-warhammer-40-000-gameplay-video-and-weep-for-your-graphics-card/
Last month at the PC Gaming Show we got to bring you a behind-the-scenes look at Total War: Warhammer 40,000 including glimpses of a battle between the Astra Militarum and orks. The video above, revealed at BiliBili World, is a more detailed look at the same battle in the Armageddon Theatre campaign, and looks sick as hell.

Summer Games Done Quick raises $2.4 million for charity, cancels sponsored stream with SNK over Saudi Arabia ties
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/summer-games-done-quick-raises-usd2-4-million-for-charity-cancels-sponsored-stream-with-snk-over-saudi-arabia-ties/
Summer Games Done Quick, the (self-explanatorily) summer version of Games Done Quick, has tallied a lovely $2.4 million in raised money for Doctors Without Borders, a charity that provides medical care around the world to those in need.
The number's been announced via a BlueSky post celebrating the milestone, one which was—and I must emphasise, briefly—undercut by a momentary lapse in sponsorship choice. Yesterday, the organisation announced it'd be doing a speedrunning showcase with SNK, developer of the Metal Slug franchise, for its anniversary.
>> They forgot who owns SNK now, Kind of understandable.