Played a bit of Borderlands GOTY Enhanced over the weekend.

Damn, some of these missions took me an hour or so (and they were side missions too).

Spring Sale 2024
on 14 March 2024
Your local time: 14 March 2024 at 10:00
Wish it would come closer i need to buy more unessary games to get the 5000 games badge!

Is there no Lunar sale? I would have expected them to do a dedicated lunar sale like the last 2 years.

I would expect them to have a lunar sale but looking over the 2024 sales. No lunar sales that is very surprising.

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam's Top 10

(Click here for the top 100)

GOG has launched the Dragon Sale, it's New Lunar Year Sale, featuring up to 92% discounts during 7 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/2024_lunar_sale_dragon_year.

Steam has new sales and weeklong deals:

• Thymesia will be 40% off until next Monday: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1343240/Thymesia/
• There's a Disney Publisher Sale, with up to 75% discounts until February, the 12th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/disneypublishersale2024
• There is no announcement or anything like that, but most Playstation games are on sale with up to 75% deals until the 12th: https://store.steampowered.com/publisher/playstationstudios
• There's another publisher sale featuring Excalibur Games, that puts its games up to 80% off until the 12th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/excalibur-games/sale/excaliburgamespublishersale
• Square Enix does a New Lunar Year Sale with up to 90% discounts until the 12th: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/squareenix/sale/lunarnewyear
• Microsoft also does a Xbox Game Studios & Bethesda Lunar Sale, putting its games up to 85% off. Most deals will last until the 13th: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/lunar2024
• Headbangers: Rhythm Royale is on sale with a 33% discount until February, the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1761620/Headbangers_Rhythm_Royale/
• And these are a glimpse of the weeklong deals you'll find:
  • Longvinter, still in Early Access, is 25% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1635450/Longvinter/
  • UNDYING gets a 30% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/638990/UNDYING/
  • Master of Magic is half its price: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1623070/Master_of_Magic/
  • Neverwinter Nights: Enhanced Edition features a 68% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/704450/Neverwinter_Nights_Enhanced_Edition/
  • Craft The World will be 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/248390/Craft_The_World/
  • And Zombie Army Trilogy gets a 90% deal: https://store.steampowered.com/app/301640/Zombie_Army_Trilogy/

The Humble Store has two new sales:

• The Playstation Lunar Sale brings up to 75% discounts during 5 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/playstation-lunar-sale/
• And the Celebrate Diversity Sale has games up to 90% off during the next 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/celebrate-diversity-sale/

And Fanatical has a new Star Deal and a sale:

• The new Star Deal is RAGE® 2 - Deluxe Edition, 90% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/rage-2-deluxe-edition
• And Koei Tecmo puts its games on sale with up to 58% discounts: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/koei-tecmo-games-co-ltd

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

The Witcher 3 Mod removes the fake “hero” lights from cut-scenes
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/the-witcher-3-mod-removes-the-fake-hero-lights-from-cut-scenes/
Modder ‘oldflipgamer’ has released a new mod for The Witcher 3 Next-Gen that aims to remove the fake “hero” lights from its cut-scenes. As such, the game will now look more realistic than before. For those unaware, developers use fake “hero” lights in their games to highlight some of their characters. This can make some characters look weird and unnatural. And, since The Witcher 3 now supports RTGI, it would make sense to remove them, right? Well, CDPR did not, which is something that prompted oldflipgamer to release this mod. (...) Do note that this mod will make the game’s cut-scenes look darker. This is to be expected. So, if you don’t want a more realistic approach to the game’s dialogues, you can skip it. If, on the other hand, you want a bit more realistic graphics, you can go ahead and download it from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find some comparison screenshots. The vanilla version is on the left, whereas the modded version is on the right.

The 32-bit classic RPG, The Legend of Dragoon, has received an unofficial PC port, supporting 4K and 60fps
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-legend-of-dragoon-unofficial-pc-port/
Now here is something that came out of nowhere. A team of modders has been working on an unofficial PC port of the 32-bit Playstation JRPG, The Legend of Dragoon. This unofficial PC version supports native 4K resolutions and 60fps, and you can already download it.
For those unaware, The Legend of Dragoon is a game that used pre-rendered backgrounds, similar to those found in the 32-bit Final Fantasy and Resident Evil games. The game also had a combination of turn-based mechanics and real-time commands. And no. The Legend of Dragoon has NOTHING in common with Panzer Dragoon.
So, its unofficial PC port is called Project: Severed Chains. This is a reverse-engineered PC port and a full reconstruction of its game engine. So, it’s quite incredible what this team has managed to achieve.
This unofficial PC port has higher-quality audio and more accurate controller input. It also has full mouse support for its menus. It also aims to have near-0 loading times with instant save. And yes, there will be unlimited save slots.
>> Is BraLOD still on the site? Because he'll lose his sh*t over this. By the way, the article has an almost 5 minutes video of the port.

This Quake level pack transforms iconic multiplayer maps into thrilling singleplayer death mazes
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-quake-level-pack-transforms-iconic-multiplayer-maps-into-thrilling-single-player-death-mazes/
When I was a kid, I used to boot-up multiplayer maps in games like Counter-Strike and Unreal Tournament and wander around them alone. I loved exploring the design of spaces like Facing Worlds and de_dust2, but was less enthused by the other people trying to kill me in them. I like my FPS enemies to be distinctly non-human, able to blast me into a quivering chunk of meat, but unable to call me "n00b" afterwards.
So it was with considerable joy that I learned about the Remix Jam map pack. It's the result of a recent level design jam, whereby Quake mappers have taken iconic multiplayer maps, and redesigned them to work as single-player levels. The result is a 30-map Quake episode that takes you on a whistle-stop tour of multiplayer shooter history, with dozens of enemies to blast along the way.
I had a little poke around the map pack's innards this morning, and it's a surprisingly comprehensive experience. The map has its own Quake-style hub level that lets you jump through a slipgate to any of the available maps. I picked one at random and found myself crawling through the vents of GoldenEye's classic Facility level, but with the guards and scientists replaced by Quake Enforcers. Other maps I recognised included a Death Knight filled de_dust2, and Unreal Tournament's Facing Worlds, reworked with a squirrelly theme. I was impressed by how well the latter functioned as a single-player map despite its geometric simplicity, with canny enemy placement keeping the action consistent.
>> The article only has a couple of screenshots.

GAMING NEWS

First major patch for Enshrouded brings performance and optimization improvements
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/first-major-patch-for-enshrouded-brings-performance-and-optimization-improvements/
Keen Games just dropped the first big update for its co-op survival RPG, Enshrouded. This update will improve the game’s performance. Plus, there are numerous bug fixes. So, let’s check out what they’ve done.

Tuesday news, part two:

Apex Legends is making its biggest change since launch: an upgrade tree for every legend that adds 120 new variables to every match
https://www.pcgamer.com/apex-legends-upgrades-season-20/
The eras of Apex Legends can be mapped out by a handful of milestone patches: the arrival of Evo Shields, the introduction of the map rotation, the first objective mode that'd eventually become Mixtape, and more recently the new iteration of Ranked. Experimentation is baked into Apex's identity. Respawn has never shied away from making foundational changes if it believes it makes the game better.
Season 20 is likely to mark another era with the arrival of legend upgrades—a new mid-match progression system that adds four unique abilities to all 30 legends. Upgrades are by leveling up your legend, which goes hand-in-hand with an overhaul to Evo Shields arriving at the same time.

Former Skull and Bones director says making a separate solo campaign 'would have prevented the team from creating a really deep open world'
https://www.pcgamer.com/former-skull-and-bones-director-says-making-a-separate-solo-campaign-would-have-prevented-the-team-from-creating-a-really-deep-open-world/
Ubisoft's long-awaited and much delayed pirate adventure Skull and Bones has been elusive not just in terms of its release date, but in what kind of game it actually is. First it was a match-based, multiplayer exclusive affair, then it was going to feature multiple game modes including single-player, and now it's supposed to be a shared-world experience similar to Sea of Thieves. It's changed direction more times than a sloop stuck in a whirlpool.
But a new report by IGN lays out the whole, twisting saga of the game's development in step-by-step detail, along with the reasons behind its multiple changes of tack. As part of this, former creative director Elisabeth Pellen reveals the fate of the game's touted single-player campaign, and why Ubisoft Singapore opted to ditch it.

Cyberpunk's latest patch means the cops now care if you kill drunk NPCs
https://www.pcgamer.com/cyberpunks-latest-patch-means-the-cops-now-care-if-you-kill-drunk-npcs/
CD Projekt Red may be done adding new features to Cyberpunk 2077, but the studio isn't completely finished with the game yet. It's still issuing patches to fix bugs and further refine both the core game's much-improved experience and its excellent expansion Phantom Liberty. The latest patch, 2.11, makes a wide array of tweaks and adjustments.

A year after Dark and Darker became one one of the biggest games on Steam, a newcomer is trying to steal its thunder
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-year-after-dark-and-darker-became-one-one-of-the-biggest-games-on-steam-a-newcomer-is-trying-to-steal-its-thunder/
One year after the Steam Next Fest demo for Dark and Darker become one of the biggest games on Steam, another extraction-dungeon-crawler called Dungeonborne—first teased in September 2023 as Project Crawl—is replicating the feat with gameplay that looks a whole lot like its predecessor.

Blizzard dares its richest World of Warcraft players to pour 70K gold down the drain for a meager achievement
https://www.pcgamer.com/blizzard-dares-its-richest-world-of-warcraft-players-to-pour-70k-gold-down-the-drain-for-a-meager-achievement/
A new achievement tied to World of Warcraft's annual Valentine's Day-themed event might be one of the most transparent gold sinks in the MMO's history. For the next two weeks, players who are carrying around 70,000 gold, can toss it straight into the void for 10 achievement points and the sting of being played.

This Enshrouded spell is so ridiculously OP I've been one-shotting bosses with it—and I'm not even a wizard
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-enshrouded-spell-is-so-ridiculously-op-ive-been-one-shotting-bosses-with-itand-im-not-even-a-wizard/
I'm not much of a magic user in survival RPG Enshrouded. I carry a magic wand so I have a ranged attack ready if I run out of arrows, and I have a decent staff I can use to fling fireballs, but my build is more of a survivalist tank: lots of points in HP, stamina, and melee weapon damage, plus copper armor and a nasty sword. Magic and mana are almost an afterthought for me.
That makes it especially weird that a magic spell I collected during my adventures let me one-shot a couple of boss monsters that would have taken ages to fight with my usual weapons.

Assassin's Creed Origins voice actor says heading up his own studio has been 'terrifying' but the Steam Next Fest demo for its first game is pretty great
https://www.pcgamer.com/assassins-creed-origins-voice-actor-says-heading-up-his-own-studio-has-been-terrifying-but-the-steam-next-fest-demo-for-its-first-game-is-pretty-great/
The Steam Next Fest is now underway and that means we've got an awful lot of game demos to plow through in a very short amount of time. One early standout I've run is a metroidvania called Tales of Kenzara: Zau, a story about a shaman in the land of Kenzara attempting to reclaim his father's spirit. Tales of Kenzara: Zau was first revealed at the 2023 Game Awards: it's the debut project from a new studio headed up by Assassin's Creed Origins voice actor Abubakar Salim.

Amid mounting rumors of Xbox games coming to PlayStation, Phil Spencer announces a 'business update' for next week
https://www.pcgamer.com/amid-mounting-rumors-of-xbox-games-coming-to-playstation-phil-spencer-announces-a-business-update-for-next-week/
Evidence is mounting that Microsoft will release a host of its Xbox console exclusives on PlayStation, potentially marking the end of a tradition nearly as old as the medium: the viciously partisan console war. Xbox head Phil Spencer has tacitly acknowledged the rumors and reports too, and if the partial end of Xbox console exclusivity is really looming, then we'll find out how as soon as next week.

This cozy cooking platformer is so sweet that I went back for seconds of the demo
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-cozy-cooking-platformer-is-so-sweet-that-i-went-back-for-seconds-of-the-demo/
I was having such a good time with the demo for Magical Delicacy that I said "aw…" out loud when I realized I'd completed it. It's a "Metroidvania-inspired wholesome cooking game" where you're also a witch, because why not? You can play the hour-ish long demo yourself until February 12 as part of this week's Steam Next Fest.

This Townscaper-like building game on 'the dark side of cozy' is the perfect lock screen photo designer
https://www.pcgamer.com/this-townscaper-like-building-game-on-the-dark-side-of-cozy-is-the-perfect-lock-screen-photo-designer/
It's not often that I get to call a cyberpunk cityscape "cozy" but chill building game Dystopika describes itself as "the dark side of cozy," if you find neon-streaked skylines to be soothing. I've taken this city building toy for a spin in its new demo, which you can try for yourself on Steam this week as part of the current Steam Next Fest and it is great at churning out new candidates for my desktop wallpaper.

Obsidian says combat in Avowed will be good, actually, following criticism of battles shown in last month's game overview trailer
https://www.pcgamer.com/obsidian-says-combat-in-avowed-will-be-good-actually-following-criticism-of-battles-shown-in-last-months-game-overview-trailer/
Obsidian recently showed off a sizeable chunk of Avowed, its upcoming first-person fantasy RPG. As you'd expect from the developers behind Pillars of Eternity, Avowed looks like a colourful, characterful affair. As we've also come to expect from Obsidian, it currently looks a little bit wonky. In particular, the combat depicted in the video drew criticism from the community, with complaints that fights lacked a sense of dynamism and impact.
As reported by IGN, game director Carrie Patel has now responded to these criticisms. Speaking on the Dropped Frames podcast, Patel explained that the footage shown in the video is from an older build of the game. "We're getting to show more and more, but all of that is while the game is still in progress," Patel said. "One of the heartening things has been seeing fans call out some of the things we are actively working on, like the sense of hitting impacts as you're attacking enemies."

Roblox introduces real-time AI chat translation, says the next frontier is seamless voice translation including the 'tone, rhythm, and emotion' of its users' lil voices
https://www.pcgamer.com/roblox-introduces-real-time-ai-chat-translation-says-the-next-frontier-is-seamless-voice-translation-including-the-tone-rhythm-and-emotion-of-its-users-lil-voices/
Roblox has introduced a new AI text translation feature, which translates users' chat in real-time into other languages. The feature is available to all Roblox experiences (the terminology used by the platform for user-created worlds) via the TextChatService, and Roblox Corp said it means "the chat window will automatically show Korean translated into English, or Turkish translated into German, and vice versa, so that each person sees the conversation in their own tongue."
The company rather grandly points out that translating text chat like this in real-time (the latency between input and translated output is apparently around 100 milliseconds) is "something that isn’t even possible in the physical world." At launch these 16 languages are supported, including Chinese, English, Russian and Spanish.

Surprise!

https://store.steampowered.com/sale/lunarynewyear2024

The games for Humble Choice February have been revealed.

• Beacon Pines
• Children of Silentown
• Destroy All Humans! 2 - Reprobed
• Life is Strange: True Colors
• Oaken
• Scorn
• Snowtopia
• There Is No Light

I'm happy for Beacon Pines and Destroy All Humans! 2. Life is Strange and Scorn aren't that bad either.

Here are some hardware news:

ASUS announces 2-year warranty for OLED burn-in issue, MSI pledging 3-year warranty for OLEDs
https://videocardz.com/newz/asus-announces-2-year-warranty-for-oled-burn-in-issue-msi-pledging-3-year-warranty-for-oleds

AV1 video decode and H.265/264 encode support has been added to Vulkan Video
https://videocardz.com/newz/av1-video-decode-and-h-265-264-encode-support-has-been-to-vulkan-video

Nubis Communications and Alphawave Semi Showcase First Demonstration of Optical PCI Express 6.0 Technology
https://www.techpowerup.com/318776/nubis-communications-and-alphawave-semi-showcase-first-demonstration-of-optical-pci-express-6-0-technology

AMD Readies X870E Chipset to Launch Alongside First Ryzen 9000 "Granite Ridge" CPUs
https://www.techpowerup.com/318719/amd-readies-x870e-chipset-to-launch-alongside-first-ryzen-9000-granite-ridge-cpus

The source is MLID, and the biggest (only?) change is that AMD is forcing motherboard makers to include USB4.

"Not available on other formats at least until 5/29/2024"

PC release then? Or just Xbox? An extra 3 months would be an easy wait, but a year or more...