The second part of the news:

Forza Horizon 5 developers are working on a 'premium open-world game' at their new studio
https://www.pcgamer.com/forza-horizon-5-developers-are-working-on-a-premium-open-world-game-at-their-new-studio/
Another day, another new studio—this time from the talented folks behind the excellent Forza Horizon 5, which won our best open world award in 2021. Maverick Games—big Top Gun fans, clearly—announced its launch today, led by Forza Horizon 5 creative director Mike Brown.

This classic 1970s text adventure now has Google AI graphics
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-foundational-1970s-text-adventure-now-has-google-ai-graphics/
Zork was the first game made by the great Infocom, and one that would influence an entire genre. (...)
Sophisticated text inputs and outputs are very much a contemporary topic and, Zork being an entirely text-based game, the inevitable has happened.
"Some adventure game fans at Google wondered what would happen if you used the output from the classic text adventure game 'Zork' as the input to Imagen, Google's text-to-image diffusion model," writes Google principle engineer Matt Walsh.

Marvel's Midnight Suns has competition from an indie game with an extremely similar name and premise
https://www.pcgamer.com/marvels-midnight-suns-has-competition-from-an-indie-game-with-an-extremely-similar-name-and-premise/
For a while now I've been getting very confused by press releases for a game called Path of the Midnight Sun, thanks to its proximity to Marvel's Midnight Suns. This isn't just a case of the games sharing similar names—the confusion also stems from the fact that they're similar in just about every other way, too.
>> Kudos to Firaxis and 2K for not doing a Bethesda and force a name change to the smaller title.

Duelyst source code is now free for everyone, 'no strings attached'
https://www.pcgamer.com/duelyst-source-code-is-now-free-for-everyone-no-strings-attached/
Nearly three years after its doors closed, collectible card game Duelyst returned in December 2022 as Duelyst 2, an updated version of the game created by a team of fans who were given a license to make the game from original developer Counterplay Games. Now Counterplay is expanding that opportunity to everyone: The studio announced today that it is making the Duelyst source code and assets free for everyone to use in whatever way they'd like.

Fortnite on the fritz as Epic struggles to squish multiple major bugs
https://www.pcgamer.com/fortnite-on-the-fritz-as-epic-struggles-to-squish-multiple-major-bugs/
Fortnite returned after unscheduled downtime of around an hour today, but a short while ago players became unable to login to the game. These issues seem to stem from a gathering storm of game-breaking glitches that all related to recently added features. The biggest bad seems to have been the Shockwave Hammer, a weapon that was designed to be powerful up-close with a gigantic distance-closing leap… except the cooldown on the latter wasn't triggering.

Hearthstone Battlegrounds is getting 32 new minions next week, many of whom stink
https://www.pcgamer.com/hearthstone-battlegrounds-is-getting-32-new-minions-next-week-many-of-whom-stink/
Hearthstone's Battlegrounds on my phone is my go-to game when watching anything on TV that my ADHD brain refuses to engage with. I love the mode so much that I consider myself a Battlegrounds rather than Standard main these days, and look forward to new content drops almost as much as full card expansions. Today Blizzard began detailing what to expect from Season 3 of Battlegrounds, and I'm glad to say we're getting a bunch of new minions—32 in total—as that always seems to shake the meta up the most.

Madden NFL 23 will cut CPR touchdown celebration following Damar Hamlin's cardiac arrest
https://www.pcgamer.com/madden-nfl-23-will-cut-cpr-touchdown-celebration-following-damar-hamlins-cardiac-arrest/
In the wake of the medical emergency suffered by Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin last week, Electronic Arts said it will remove the CPR touchdown celebration from Madden NFL 23 in a future update.

Uh oh, people are now using AI to cheat in Rocket League
https://www.pcgamer.com/uh-oh-people-are-now-using-a-machine-learning-bot-to-cheat-in-rocket-league/
I was skeptical when I came across a Reddit poster claiming they "for sure" encountered a cheater in ranked Rocket League. Uh huh, just like how everyone who kills me in Rainbow Six Siege is "for sure" aimbotting, right? Then I watched the video. Well friends, I regret to inform you that people are cheating in Rocket League.
(...)
Sure enough, this is a real problem: People have started using a machine learning-trained Rocket League bot in online matches.

Lost Ark's Witcher crossover begins next week, bringing Geralt, Ciri, Yennefer and others to the game
https://www.pcgamer.com/lost-arks-witcher-crossover-begins-next-week-bringing-geralt-ciri-yennefer-and-others-to-the-game/
Lost Ark's Witcher crossover event kicks off next week, bringing a bunch of themed items and cosmetics to the incredibly on-top Korean ARPG/MMO. It'll also see characters like Geralt, Ciri, and other familiar Witchery faces make an appearance to help players on a new set of story and daily quests. Also, the announcement was accompanied by an image of a Lost Ark-ified Geralt and Ciri, from which I may never recover.

Riot apologises for awful League of Legends cinematic after fan backlash
https://www.pcgamer.com/riot-apologises-for-awful-league-of-legends-cinematic-after-fan-backlash/
League of Legends fans aren't too happy with Riot right now. Since 2018, the beginning of every season for the MOBA has been marked with a cinematic. Hopes were high after Season 2022's stunning trailer The Call absolutely nailed it.

AMD Ryzen 7000X3D series to launch on Valentine’s Day

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-ryzen-7000x3d-series-to-launch-on-valentines-day

If it's good, I'll likely be upgrading around May. The key games I'll be looking for are Ray Tracing games that really push the CPU like Spiderman, Cyberpunk and such instead of only looking at the averages. Hopefully reviewers also test Jedi Survivor as well since that will be the first big name UE5 title that's not variable like fortnite.

AMD RDNA3 ISA guide is now available to help developers with low-level architecture optimizations

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-rdna3-isa-guide-is-now-available-to-help-developers-with-low-level-architecture-optimizations

13 Ways To End Lousy PC Ports in 2023 - Improved Settings, Smoother Gameplay, Essential Features

It's too bad TB is gone as he not only ha the influence but also the aggressiveness to get things done. While Alex does his best, they lack the aggressiveness that TB had and generally try to sugar coat it. With that being said tho, this is a good list. From reddit:

1. Eliminate shader compilation stutter

2. Deliver visually responsive graphical options

3. Include sensible, convention-driven menu navigation

4. Do not overly nest menus

5. Refresh rate and resolution should be separate options

6. Include a field of view (FOV) option

7. Include variable aspect ratios and frame-rates

8. Include half, third and quarter-rate v-sync options with consistent frame-pacing

9. Include multiple quality levels for heavy effects

10. Include console features such as dynamic resolution scaling

11. Include HDR and surround sound if the console versions support them

12. Include console-equivalent settings as an option

13. Support all major image reconstruction technologies

1 and 6 for me. Especially for console ports and/or interchangably. Compilation stutters should be a thing of the past with UE 5 (5.1) taking over from UE 4.

FOV sliders should be in every game tbh. There are so many display setups of different sizes and aspect ratio's it just makes sense to add it in.

The other stuff about more graphics settings for heavy duty effects and stuff should be in as well seeing as the majority still play on potato PC's (mine included lol).

Ah, the announced Manifesto.

Also funny that most of his positive examples are from Sony games.

Awesome point&click adventure bundle: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/wadjeteye-sixteen-years-of-adventure

I love the Wadjet Eye games! And they also are Steam Deck verified.

You can tell Alex has had enough of pubs flip flopping PC ports over the rys when he makes a video like this and also looks defeated and frustrated at the same time.

Sadly he's no TB, he doesn't have the gusto and "oi fucker, listen to me now", that TB had (mostly because Alex comes off as a huuuuuge nerd who also happens to be polite and chooses his words carefully).

If TB were still here, I'd imagine he'd be able to kick up way more of a fuss a lot earlier on, but without him being here with us, we're just on our own, and gonna be honest, I think we're semi-doomed for a few reasons:

• Hardly many gave a shit about EGS showing up and flipping the table (won't somebody pls think of the billionaire who collects rocks in his back garden and rallies kids to fight his battles!).
• SE and other publishers have made so many deals since TB's passing, that PC didn't collectively stand up and go "knock it off with that shit".
• People over time just stopped kicking up much of a fuss whenever we get a bad port or simply buy into the bad port, this also applies to exclusivity deals.

See, whenever TB kicked up a fuss, ppl tended to follow his word, I know I did at the time, because I shared his mindset. I was fed up of us having to deal with crap from bad ports to exclusivity deals, to lacking proper features.

Without him we've got not much, I honestly do not trust our collective community across the net, like at all, not in this lifetime nor any other, simply because not many truly care, they just need that dopamine fix (look at the die hard weebs for JRPG's for example, they easily settle for whatever lands on PC in whatever state it's in, and I know this from Steam forum examples of me having to deal with G0Sync and weebs going "it doesn't matter, it's an RPG". 

I just don't trust us to get improved results, unless we start to unify more and actually put our foot down. Alex is getting frustrated and I can see this and I agree, it sucks, we should be seeing great stride in PC ports, not good for a few yrs, then bad for 5-6 more yrs, then exclusivity deals, then pubs going back to forgetting we exist, then blaming piracy on why we don't buy from them often, etc. 

Steam reviews are now an utter joke, and that is mostly both a consumer and Valve based problem(Valve related, because they nerfed the effectiveness of review bombing to draw attention, and consumer based, because meme reviews and user reviews tend to go from mixed to positive, then to overly positive in no time, unless your game is on Aliens Colonial Marines levels of garbage). 

Alex needs to grow a bit of muscle, and by that I don't mean physically, I mean mentally speaking, he needs to step on up and take that mantle, because Jim sure as fuck gave up on that torch years ago (I actually hate Jim for semi taking the mantle and then tossing it aside completely for his own politics bs and wrestling, it all felt like an insult to what TB had built up and both of them were supposedly besties at the time). DF are quite prominent in the gaming scene, they absolutely have some form of power to make a show of force, but DF needs to lend Alex more power and Alex himself needs to be more brutal in his critique. 

That being said I pretty much agree and want all those points to be addressed for future ports, and I want it done within 5 yrs, not another decade of waiting for Japanese devs and some Western ones to play the insanely slow catch-up game, while indie devs run around them in circles. 

I am still baffled as to why we still even have games today without an FoV slider, like just looking at FF VIIR's lacking menu for PC options was enough to make me sick, and that's coming from a highly profitable and notable AAA publisher. 

Also can we please, PLEASSSSE, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, stop using CA in gaming, it doesn't at all belong in that spectrum. CA makes me feel sickly and fucks with my eyes, and since I have to wear glasses, it really fucks with my mind and vision, pls stop using it devs, you're actually mucking me up. 

Yeah playing GoW on PC was an amazing experience but the camera is too damn close, its kinda claustraphobic. Same thing with Callisto Protocol. Having sliders gives the players a choice. Particuarly for people who sit closer to their screens and aren't using ultrawides. Having the ability to adjust FoW, for better visual queues and perception or something the artists/devs originally intended should be something in most modern games.

CA reminds me of lens flares and bloom and other camera tricks used to simulate realism. Only it doesn't lol. Game devs need to realise our eyes don't work the same as camera lenses xD No matter how cinematic they want their games to be. CA can look good if done sparingly and tastefully. But usually its plastered on makes things ultra blurry and fuzzy and is something I usually turn off first lol.

The lack of FOV sliders speaks to the laziness of a port since the option often isn't included when there's geometry culling happening right outside the camera's view. That, however, can usually be easily fixed with a few lines of programming...

The Thursday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Deep Rock Galactic sold millions of copies last year, and I reckon its wholesome community is to blame
https://www.pcgamer.com/deep-rock-galactic-sold-millions-of-copies-last-year-and-i-reckon-its-wholesome-community-is-to-blame/
What can I say? The people have spoken and they love dwarves. A week and a bit after Bay 12 shared news of bumper Dwarf Fortress sales figures, Ghost Ship Games has come out and said that Deep Rock Galactic sold an impressive 2 million copies in 2022 alone. What is it with gamers, dwarves, and mining?

The Epic Store gives away three titles:

• First Class Trouble: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/first-class-trouble
• Gamedec - Definitive Edition: https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/gamedec
• Divine Knockout (DKO) : https://store.epicgames.com/en-US/p/divine-knockout--standard

Next week, they'll be giving away Epistory - Typing Chronicles.

Steam has two new deals:

• Car Detailing Simulator is going to be 35% off until January 18: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1433570/Car_Detailing_Simulator/
• And Lost in Play will have a 40% discount until the same 18th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1328840/Lost_in_Play/

Fanatical has a new Star Deal and a new bundle:

• The new Star Deal is Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Obsidian Edition, 84% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/pillars-of-eternity-ii-deadfire-obsidian-edition
• And the Kalypso Greatest Hits Bundle features 18 games to get split into three tiers of 6, 11 and 18: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/kalypso-greatest-hits-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

AMD Radeon Software Adrenalin 23.1.1 (RX 7900)
https://videocardz.com/driver/amd-radeon-software-adrenalin-23-1-1-rx-7900
Fixed Issues

• Intermittent driver timeout may occur when applying Auto Overclock performance tuning.
• While playing Valheim™ an app crash or driver timeout may occur using Vulkan® API.
• While playing The Witcher® 3: Wild Hunt, an intermittent app crash or driver timeout may occur when Ray Tracing settings are enabled.
• Minor performance degradation may be observed after applying a factory reset of settings.

>> Note that this diver resolves troubles for the new 7900 cards. Skip it if you have any other AMD card.

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This Fallout 76 Mod adds wind physics to lootable floras
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-fallout-76-mod-adds-wind-physics-to-lootable-floras/
Vivec7 has released a pretty cool mod for Fallout 76. As its title implies, FLORANIM adds wind physics to the game’s lootable floras. As such, PC gamers can get a more fluid – and less static – overall image quality.
Going into more details, and contrary to trees and grasses which are animated, the vanilla lootable floras are plain static in Fallout 76. By using this mod, though, you’ll also have animated floras with foliages moving in the wind.
The “Floranim” mod also fixes some floras models not being updated when looted. Not only that, but it adds lights and particles effects to irradiated floras.
>> There's an almost 4 minutes long video.

Here is the first Splinter Cell game with Ray Tracing (WIP)
https://www.dsogaming.com/screenshot-news/here-is-the-first-splinter-cell-game-with-ray-tracing-wip/
Since the release of Portal RTX, modders have been trying to implement its Ray Tracing features in other older games. And a few hours ago, Reddit’s member ‘CartographerNo5079‘ was able to make Portal RTX work with the first Splinter Cell game.
Now before continuing, the following screenshots do not represent the quality of the game with RTX Remix. These Ray Tracing effects are based on Portal RTX, and can be only described as WIP. In other words, once NVIDIA releases RTX Remix, Splinter Cell with Ray Tracing will look significantly better.
With this out of the way, it’s pretty cool witnessing such WIP projects. After all, it can give us a glimpse at what’s about to come.
>> Now that's a game where good lightning and shadows can make a difference.

GAMING NEWS

Dark Souls 3 January 12th Update released, fixes technical/crash issues
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/dark-souls-3-january-12th-update-released-fixes-technical-crash-issues/
FromSoftware has released a new PC patch for Dark Souls 3. According to the team, the January 12th Update brings various technical fixes, and addresses some crash issues.

Thursday news, part two:

Marvel Snap's latest update gives credit where it's due
https://www.pcgamer.com/marvel-snaps-latest-update-gives-credit-where-its-due/
The latest update for superhero card battler Marvel Snap includes new cards, balance changes, and new bundles in the store—but also a charming new feature not listed in the patch notes. As announced by senior producer Nicki Broderick on Twitter, you can now view the artist credits for any card you own. As it would in a comic book, it lists who did the pencil drawings, the inking, and the colours.

Starfield is getting a 'deep dive' showcase, but not until after this month's Xbox/Bethesda livestream
https://www.pcgamer.com/starfield-is-getting-a-deep-dive-showcase-but-not-until-after-this-months-xboxbethesda-livestream/
Microsoft has confirmed that a Developer Direct livestream for Xbox and Bethesda will take place on January 25, giving fans a look at what's cooking in games including Forza Motorsport, Minecraft Legends, The Elder Scrolls Online, and Redfall.

Today, Bungie is finally solving one of Destiny 2's biggest pain points
https://www.pcgamer.com/today-bungie-is-finally-solving-one-of-destiny-2s-biggest-pain-points/
Buildcrafting in Destiny 2 can be a complicated beast, especially after this year's big rework of the game's subclasses. While you can go a long way just equipping an exotic armour piece that compliments your chosen subclass element, the real depth is in fleshing out your setup with armour mods. (...)
The problem with that depth, at least up to now, is that it required you to actually own the mods needed for the best version of each build. (...)
Luckily that all changes today, as announced last night in a tweet from the Destiny 2 account.

I can't believe I'm saying this again but Skull and Bones is delayed again
https://www.pcgamer.com/i-cant-believe-im-saying-this-again-but-skull-and-bones-is-delayed-again/
I won't tell you to stop me if you've heard this one before, because I know full well that you've heard this one before: Skull and Bones, Ubisoft's game of high-seas shenanigans in the golden age of piracy, has been delayed again, and is now expected to be out sometime after April 1.

Ubisoft is having a bad time, cancels more unannounced games as its share price plunges
https://www.pcgamer.com/ubisoft-is-having-a-bad-time-cancels-more-unannounced-games-as-its-share-price-plunges/
Ubisoft announced earlier today that Skull and Bones is delayed yet again, and naturally we took the opportunity to have some fun with it. But word of the delay came as part of a much larger update reflecting real trouble at the company: Ubisoft is struggling, and has opted to cancel three more unannounced projects in order to focus on its existing brands and live services.
>> Ubisoft needs to start focusing on what does right and forget a bit about new trends.

A new MechWarrior game is coming in 2024
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-new-mechwarrior-game-is-coming-in-2024/
More than three years after the release of MechWarrior 5: Mercenaries, Piranha Games president Russ Bullock has revealed in an interview with the NoGutsNoGalaxy podcast that an all-new singleplayer Mechwarrior game is currently in development.

Final Fantasy 14's zen farming mode had an unexpected inspiration
https://www.pcgamer.com/final-fantasy-14s-zen-farming-mode-had-an-unexpected-inspiration/
When Final Fantasy 14's Island Sanctuary was introduced in Patch 6.2, it was a great escape from all the stress of savage raiding and saving the world. Gathering materials, petting animals and building cool structures to relaxing music is exactly the kind of wind-down a Warrior of Light needs. On the surface, you'd assume i's a mode inspired by the likes of Animal Crossing, Harvest Moon, and Stardew Valley. Right?

Everquest designer leaves Amazon Games after six years and no games
https://www.pcgamer.com/everquest-designer-leaves-amazon-games-after-six-years-and-no-games/
John Smedley, the former president of Sony Online Entertainment and co-creator of Everquest, is to leave his role as head of Amazon Games' San Diego studio. "After a lot of thought, I've decided it's time for me to try my hand at something new" wrote Smedley in an email to staff obtained by Bloomberg.