So I just got off playing L4D2 because I somehow ended up playing on someone's publicly hosted server that had ChatGPT operating everything and...yeah, that was some super weird shit.

Like it started off normal at first, but the AI kept displaying it's commands in the top left notification area and shit just went so whack. A Jockey limped towards me and then in a split second, turned into a charger running at full speed, or a tank that took Coach's model and was laughing like some madman.

At one point we did make it to one of the safe rooms, but the tank bust the door down somehow and then turned into 20 tanks, then time slowed down and the room filled with explosives, and this carried on for like 15 mins. The AI eventually let us load into the next level and time was slowed down Max Payne style for most of the remaining round.

I swear to god ChatGPT running games with AI directors is utterly cursed shit to watch unfold. It's like watching a kid set fire to a lego set, then smashing it at the same time with a hammer.

I hope I never run into that server ever again lol, it just doesn't make any sense at all, and anyone that joins gets utterly bewildered. 

^Excuse me, what did I just read... That's really messed up.

My dude, it was beyond messed up.

Like none of it, I repeat, none of what I witnessed made any fucking sense, like at all.

people go on about ChatGPT being this wonderous tool, and I saw how it handled L4D2's AI director and it was pure ass fuckery hell. Like you know L4D's AI director stacks the odds against you right?, well throw CGPT into the mix and it just fucks around with what the director is doing, which in turn makes nonsensical decisions within seconds, meaning you quite literally have no time to react to what is going on around you 80% of the time.

People legit thought the server was hacked or something, but the notifications on the left side were telling everyone that ChatGPT AI was modifying what was what, what was being spawned in, etc.

When I say this, I mean it; I do not wish ChatGPT AI on anyone playing L4D, or any game that also happens to feature an AI director, it will never make sense and will just fuck with you.

I honestly hope I never ever run into that server ever again, because that was truly some cursed shit to ever see in a video game. I've seen some nightmarish Skyrim mods, but those are usually for lulz and meme status, but seeing an AI take control of another type of Ai in a game just to fuck around is just nightmarish to see, ebcause you cannot make sense of what it's trying to do, let alone figure out a pattern of how it thinks (which is what makes it terrifying to me). 

At least AMD is up a bit, probably due to the cheap prices for RDNA2 cards right now. Doesn't look very good for Intel on the GPU side though, but at least their laptop CPU share has increased quite a bit last quarter.

Eurogamer, Edge and some others didn't have their copy of Starfield like some others did. Not a very good sign.

Gears 6 seems to be a bigger open world than Gears 5 which is a great news for me. I hope Kait is still the main character !

Let's go with the news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has five new Deals of the Day, available until Friday:

• The first one is Grim Fandango Remastered, 75% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/grim_fandango_remastered
• Torment: Tides of Numenera - Immortal Edition also has a 75% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/torment_tides_of_numenera_immortal_edition
• Legacy of Kain: Soul Reaver 2 is going to be 86% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/legacy_of_kain_soul_reaver_2
• Homeworld: Deserts of Kharak gets a 90% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/homeworld_deserts_of_kharak
• And the last one is The Whisperer, also with a 90% deal: https://www.gog.com/en/game/the_whisperer

Steam has two new deals:

• Afterimage will be 40% off until September, 5th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1701520/Afterimage/
• The Messenger gets a 75% discount until the same 5th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/764790/The_Messenger/

Fanatical has two deals for us, plus something interesting:

• The new Star Deal is ONE PIECE ODYSSEY Deluxe Edition, 58% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/one-piece-odyssey-deluxe-edition
• The VR Adventures BYOB has 17 titles to choose from for your 3, 5 or 7 games bundle: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-vr-adventures-bundle
• And here's something that may interest you: from yesterday and until September 30th, if you buy a new game at Fanatical, you'll get another free game! Not only that, but the free game will be one rated Overwhelmingly Positive or Very Positive on Steam. Learn more about the conditions and an extra discount you may apply in your purchase here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/free-game-with-new-releases

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

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GAMING NEWS

Horror game Paranoid gets a 12-minute Gamescom 2023 gameplay video
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/horror-game-paranoid-gets-a-12-minute-gamescom-2023-gameplay-video/
Madmind Studio, the team behind AGONY and SUCCUBUS, has released a 12-minute Gamescom 2023 gameplay video for Paranoid. Paranoid is a horror game that will attempt to combine an “extensive, psychological story with dynamic and brutal combat.”

Starfield Day-1 Patch released, is 13GB in size, full changelog
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/starfield-day-1-patch-released-is-13gb-in-size-full-changelog/
Bethesda has just released the day-1 patch for the Early Access version of Starfield that will be playable on September 1st. This first update is 13GB in size on PC, and below you can find its complete changelog.
>> By the way, the preloads are now live on Steam.

Diablo 4 Patch 1.1.3 released and here’s its full list of changes, tweaks, fixes and improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/diablo-4-patch-1-1-3-released-and-heres-its-full-list-of-changes-tweaks-fixes-and-improvements/
Blizzard has just released Patch 1.1.3 for its action hack ‘n slash RPG, Diablo 4, and shared its complete changelog. As such, you can find below all the fixes, tweaks, changes and improvements that this latest update brings to the table.

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Patch 25.2 released and detailed
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/pubg-battlegrounds-patch-25-2-released-and-detailed/
KRAFTON and PUBG Corporation have launched and detailed the latest title update, Patch 25.2, for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS 25.2. According to the press release, this new update features the formidable Dragunov weapon, refined AUG assault-rifle adjustments, and the enchanting Chroma Progressive Weapon Skin System.

Former CIG employee comments on Star Citizen’s progress
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/former-cig-employee-comments-on-star-citizen-progress/
Reddit’s ‘Ryden-55 ‘, a former CIG employee, has shared his thoughts about the progress of Star Citizen and Squadron 42. According to this ex-CIG employee, although the team has created amazing systems that work well for the future of gaming, it has not yet stitched it together into its own game.

CD Projekt details the key features of Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.0
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/cd-projekt-details-the-key-features-of-cyberpunk-2077-update-2-0/
CD Projekt RED has detailed the key features that will be coming with Title Update 2.0 for Cyberpunk 2077. According to the team, this upcoming patch will revamp the police system, and it will bring major Combat AI overhauls.

The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in early development phase
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-6-is-currently-in-early-development-phase/
Starfield releases in a couple of days and according to Bethesda’s Pete Hines, The Elder Scrolls 6 is currently in an early development phase.

The news, part two:

Shadow Tactics developer Mimimi Games shutting down: 'Working on increasingly ambitious games took a heavy personal toll on us and our families'
https://www.pcgamer.com/shadow-tactics-developer-mimimi-games-shutting-down-working-on-increasingly-ambitious-games-took-a-heavy-personal-toll-on-us-and-our-families/
Mimimi Games, the studio behind Desperados 3 and Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun, has announced it's shuttering its doors after 15 years.
The developer has only just released Shadow Gambit: The Cursed Crew, which Dominic Tarason called a "superb squad-based stealth strategy" in his highly-scored review. But a blog post on the Mimimi Games website revealed it would be the studio's final game. Co-founders Dominik Abé and Johannes Roth cited burnout at increasing project scales.
>> It's a shame, as not many studios are as good as them with this genre. At least they go on their own terms.

Joe Blackburn on Destiny 2 conspiracy theories, what happened to the PvP team, and The Witness being able to 1v1 anyone in the universe
https://www.pcgamer.com/joe-blackburn-on-destiny-2-conspiracy-theories-what-happened-to-the-pvp-team-and-the-witness-being-able-to-1v1-anyone-in-the-universe/
It's been two weeks since the mood music in Destiny 2 got so bad that game director Joe Blackburn took to his personal Twitter to deliver a video message addressing various community complaints and concerns. For a studio that tends to deal in lengthy blog posts, such a personal approach only underlined the perceived urgency of the situation. Ironically, the latest meltdown had been triggered by one such 'State of the Game' post, which, rather than allaying concerns, had air-dropped petrol onto them.

League of Legends is ditching Mythic items and players are happy to see them go: 'The only sad part was that it took 3 years of asking'
https://www.pcgamer.com/league-of-legends-is-ditching-mythic-items-and-players-are-happy-to-see-them-go-the-only-sad-part-was-that-it-took-3-years-of-asking/
Riot Games has announced that Mythic items will be removed from League of Legends in January 2024, and while removing a key game mechanic doesn't always go over well with a community, in this particular case the player seem pretty happy about it.

In the run-up to the official Grand Theft Auto 6 reveal, Rockstar may have lost one of its most senior writers
https://www.pcgamer.com/in-the-run-up-to-the-official-grand-theft-auto-6-reveal-rockstar-may-have-lost-one-of-its-most-senior-writers/
It looks like Michael Unsworth, Rockstar's vice president of writing, may have quietly left the company after a lengthy career that began in 2007. Unsworth's apparent departure came to light through his LinkedIn page, which indicates that he left Rockstar sometime earlier this year.
>> It took PCGamer quite a while to make an article about this.

Obsidian's RPG design expert reckons he knows why no one's maining Cleric in Baldur's Gate 3, and it's the same reason no one plays them in his games either
https://www.pcgamer.com/obsidians-rpg-design-expert-reckons-he-knows-why-no-ones-maining-cleric-in-baldurs-gate-3-and-its-the-same-reason-no-one-plays-them-in-his-games-either/
Gosh, but we're an ungodly lot. A few weeks ago, Larian put out some stats showing that the Cleric was Baldur's Gate 3's least played class, with the majority of players preferring to play more front-line heroes rather than the humble god-botherers we rely on for healing and buffs. But now we might know why.
Spotted by GamesRadar, a series of tweets from veteran RPG designer Josh Sawyer suggests that the Cleric's unpopularity has nothing to do with its efficacy as a class in D&D or the fact that everyone just wants to keep Shadowheart in their party. Across all the RPGs Sawyer has made—ranging from the original Icewind Dales to Pillars of Eternity 2—Clerics (or their equivalent) are just chronically unpopular.

Baldur's Gate 3's next big patch is 'around the corner,' promises lots of fixes and better 'Origin Character epilogues'
https://www.pcgamer.com/baldurs-gate-3s-next-big-patch-is-around-the-corner-promises-lots-of-fixes-and-better-origin-character-epilogues/
Don't worry too much if the first major patch for Baldur's Gate 3 didn't fix whatever particular problem ails you, because Larian Studios said today that the next big update is just about ready to go.
Update: Larian has provided more details on the update, addressing "cut content" criticism and promising "better closure to the story's final act in the form of a more fleshed-out ending for Karlach." Full details here.

A Baldur's Gate 3 bug is cutting off 1,500 lines of evil companion content, but the next patch will bring them back
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-baldurs-gate-3-bug-is-cutting-off-1500-lines-of-evil-companion-content-but-the-next-patch-will-bring-them-back/
The second patch for Baldur's Gate 3 is right around the corner, and we already know a lot about what's going to be in it. We've got fixes, tweaks, and justice for Karlach heading our way in the near future, but a recent chat between Larian CEO Swen Vincke and IGN has also revealed that one of our companions is about to get significantly chattier, too. That is, so long as you didn't kill her as soon as you met.

Remnant 2 player loses hardcore character to the game's most annoying ledge, which is becoming condemned territory for permadeath runs
https://www.pcgamer.com/remnant-2-player-loses-hardcore-character-to-the-games-most-annoying-ledge-which-is-becoming-condemned-territory-for-permadeath-runs/
Remnant 2's jumping system follows in the tradition of its soulslike cousins, in that it's, uh, not great. Dodge rolling and jumping are bound to the same key, and the jump is often contextual, only triggering when you're near ledges or elevated terrain. This can lead to barrel rolls when you want to leap, and leaps when you need your iframes.
Granted, the game doesn't need good platforming, it's a third-person shooter about blasting horrible creatures across the multiverse, and it rarely even comes up. Except in the Labyrinth, which has this absolute nightmare of an optional jump that recently ended Reddit user MediocrePollution878's hardcore run.

It's certainly strange that those sites didn't get a Starfield copy, but I think it's too soon to make any judgements about it. It can be a mistake, a weird and difficult to explain one, but it's too soon to argue if that has something to do with the game quality.

After all, the game will sell like hotcakes in the first days no matter what reviewers say about it. Like it happened with Cyberpunk 2077.

MSI not listed as launch partner for AMD Radeon RX 7800/7700 XT graphics cards

https://videocardz.com/newz/msi-not-listed-as-launch-partner-for-amd-radeon-rx-7800-7700-xt-graphics-cards

Very weird. I always expect the usual, Asus/Gigabyte/MSI to launch every gpu outside of Intel that is until they get out of their niche stage

Intel’s next-gen Arc “Battlemage” BMG-G10 GPU reportedly already in the labs

https://videocardz.com/newz/intels-next-gen-arc-battlemage-bmg-g10-gpu-reportedly-already-in-the-labs

Really hoping this will shake up the sub $500 market

AMD Radeon RX 7900 XTX & Ryzen 7 7800X3D Starfield bundle lands on eBay

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-radeon-rx-7900-xtx-ryzen-7-7800x3d-starfield-bundle-lands-on-ebay

I do like that they even include custom cables.

NVIDIA Grace CPU Offers Up To 2X Performance Versus AMD Genoa & Intel Sapphire Rapids x86 Chips At Same Power

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-grace-cpu-up-to-2x-performance-amd-genoa-intel-sapphire-rapids-x86-at-same-power/

First party benchmarks so I'd take it with big salt

Intel To Utilize AI To Make Next-Gen Meteor Lake CPUs More Power Efficient & Faster

https://wccftech.com/intel-utilize-ai-to-make-next-gen-meteor-lake-cpus-more-power-efficient-faster/

Intel Discloses 8 Core & 528 Thread CPU Based on RISC Architecture, 66 Threads Per Core

https://wccftech.com/intel-discloses-8-core-528-thread-cpu-based-on-risc-architecture-66-threads-per-core/

ASUS details its cable-free GC-HPWR connector for 600W gaming GPUs

https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-details-its-cable-free-gc-hpwr-connector-for-600w-gaming-gpus

Now THAT's Hyperthreading!

Still needs a cable to the motherboard, which would get much more expensive due to needing many more layers to accomodate all that extra power. It will look cleaner, but cable-free it is not.