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

[JEMC]

The second part of the Thursday gaming news:

The latest ugly-cool immersive sim is scratching my itch for new Deus Ex
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-latest-ugly-cool-immersive-sim-is-scratching-my-itch-for-new-deus-ex/
There's something defiant about the trend of deliberately ugly immersive sims. It is a statement: mechanics are king and beauty is a distraction, so here is something we scraped out of the vents on a PlayStation 1. I admire it. Not the graphics; the graphics look awful. I admire the sentiment.
The latest in this proud tradition is Parkside: Decayed Soul Manipulation (in environments not restricted by the PC Gamer style guide, that title is rendered in all caps) from Banana Hardsoft, which releases on the 31st of July but has a demo you can play right now. It's got a System Shock start with a Deus Ex finish: you're Alexander, a hacker in a rundown world where the billboards blare messages like "Do Not Hinder Law Enforcement". You hack a little too deep and men with guns kick down your door.

The next game on GOG's preservation list would be your favourite ARPG if it hadn't released the same year as Diablo 2, and it's on sale now
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/the-next-game-on-gogs-preservation-list-would-be-your-favourite-arpg-if-it-hadnt-released-the-same-year-as-diablo-2-and-its-on-sale-now/
Ah, NOX. Poor NOX. Westwood's 2000 ARPG last graced our pages three years ago, as one of eight PC gaming classics that are still worth playing today, where Russell Adderson wrote that it "might have been everyone’s favorite ARPG" had it not, you know, come out in the year 2000—just a few months before Diablo 2.
Alas, that's how it shook out. But hey, it looks like NOX is getting a second chance over a quarter of a century on: GOG has announced it won its latest patron poll to choose a game to induct into its Preservation Program—meaning GOG will commit to keeping the game supported and easy-to-run from now until the end of all things. Or at least the end of GOG.
>> Pleae note that the game is NO LONGER on sale. Sorry, but it has already ended.

WoW Classic's latest patch is terrorizing hardcore players with bugged piles of underground enemies, and it's likely due to a decades-old quirk of Blizzard programming
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wow-classics-latest-patch-is-terrorizing-hardcore-players-with-bugged-piles-of-underground-enemies-and-its-likely-due-to-a-decades-old-quirk-of-blizzard-programming/
If you're a WoW Classic player, you might want to tread carefully if you're leveling in certain parts of Kalimdor. As reported by players over on Reddit (via WoWHead), the latest patch seems to have caused piles of bugged enemies to spawn beneath the ground in a specific spot in the Stonetalon Mountains, posing a lethal threat to unsuspecting players.

Latest Palworld patch keeps Victor & Shadowbeak from accidentally teleporting out of existence, prevents Panthalus from breaking everything
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/latest-palworld-patch-keeps-victor-and-shadowbeak-from-accidentally-teleporting-out-of-existence-prevents-panthalus-from-breaking-everything/
While its 1.0 launch has delivered impressive and continued success to the tune of a few million additional players, Palworld is still a bit squirrelly—particularly when it comes to bosses, who have presented some frustrating bugginess for multiplayer users.
Thankfully, Pocketpair has been fairly quick in addressing bugs and persistent issues that have appeared post-launch. The developer has pushed out a fresh patch this week, version 1.0.2, to bring a few of those unruly encounters in line.

BeamNG.drive just had a graphics overhaul so we can finally watch a family hatchback navigate a speedbump at 100mph with dynamic ambient lighting
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/racing/beamng-drive-just-had-a-graphics-overhaul-so-we-can-finally-watch-a-family-hatchback-navigate-a-speedbump-at-100mph-with-dynamic-ambient-lighting/
BeamNG.drive, a mainstay of our list of the best racing games thanks to its dedication to being a vehicular sandbox for soft-body crash-damage enthusiasts, as well as its PvP and modability, just had its biggest update. The patch includes "massive graphics changes", which means shadows should be more stable, there's HDR output support on Vulkan and Direct3D 12, physically correct light attenuation, and dynamic ambient lighting.

Arc Raiders rats are cheating the matchmaking system by throwing themselves in front of friendly fire
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-rats-are-cheating-the-matchmaking-system-by-throwing-themselves-in-front-of-friendly-fire/
Embark has been on a bit of a matchmaking kick recently. It announced some weeks ago that Arc Raiders would be getting a more thorough system which takes into account specific player behaviour across solo, duo, and trio lobbies as well as a more nuanced look at self-defence. Both are solid updates to the game in theory, but in practice it's become clear that you just can't balance for assholes.
(...)
Before long, Arc Raiders rats realised that this self-defence patch basically gave them a free pass to run rampant in PvE lobbies, killing and looting everyone they could find, as long as they didn't shoot first.
But how do you convince a pacifist player to put a bullet in your head? Maybe you say mean things about their mum, perhaps a little jab at their unstylish last-season skin? Or you could just jump in front of their gun while they're shooting at something else—that last one works the best.

The Helldivers 2 x Warhammer 40k Warbond arrives on August 12, bringing three of its most iconic weapons and two Imperial Guard armour sets
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/the-helldivers-2-x-warhammer-40k-warbond-arrives-on-august-12-bringing-three-of-its-most-iconic-weapons-and-two-imperial-guard-armour-sets/
About two months back, during Warhammer Skulls 10th anniversary showcase, Helldivers 2 revealed that its next Warbond was going to be a crossover with Warhammer 40k.
It was exciting news, especially considering the similarity of the settings, both beset on all sides by endless tides of terrifying aliens and robot men, though at least Super Earth doesn't have to contend with Chaos… yet.
However, all we got to see of the Warbond was some clips of folks painting minis with the info that the full reveal would come later. Well, as of today, Arrowhead Studios has shown off the contents of the Warbond and given us a release date of August 12.

Old School RuneScape players are getting their boats stuck Suez Canal-style thanks to a narrow river in its new island: 'Helmp mee'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/old-school-runescape-players-are-getting-their-boats-stuck-suez-canal-style-thanks-to-a-narrow-river-in-its-new-island-helmp-mee/
Old School RuneScape's had a content update this week—Wyrmscraig, an island designed by a player that has a new quest, a repeatable boss, a cool sword, and so on. All the neat little additions you'd expect out of a patch. But some players have been running into an obstacle. Or rather, getting stuck between two obstacles. And by obstacles I mean shorelines.