Indeed. If you really want to make a remake of a game, any game, one of the basic rules should be to keep the identity of it. Sure, post Fallout games were in 1st/3rd person, but the first ones were isometric games and should stay that way.

I don't want to believe it, but MSoft is obsessed with AI and both Intel and AMD need to be on their good side to avoid "problems" in Windows, so it's not completely unrealistic.

By the way, guys, have you seen Gabe Newell's new pic? Someone send it to me and I don't know if I believe it or not, because it looks like he lost half his weight.

Absolutely. Though, to be fair to them, they might be trying to preserve original feeling of Fallout 2 to some degree - later games gave you continuous world that you can freely roam, but that is not how original Fallout was structured.

in FO1/2 you can freely roam the world, but you do that on the world map, and aside from some random encounters/events, there is not much to see in post nuclear world, until you find actual pockets of civilization or remnants of the old one. That is what Fallout was about - those hubs of societies that are very different from each other and how they're doing in world that was consumed by nuclear fire. (mandatory quotation from Tim Cain - "My idea is to explore more of the world and more of the ethics of a post-nuclear world, not to make a better plasma gun.")

If this mod is set out to do that (like Fallout 1 remake mod is trying to do), with actual world map, and only actual locations (and random encounters) from Fallout being recreated as playable in FO4 engine, then at least some part of original is preserved.

I still don't like that it's not isometric - from my perspective Fallout should've never transitioned to FPP/TPP - but given that Bethesda never understood Fallout (or just didn't care), that is the least of the concerns in their Fallouts.

Well the RTX 4000 cards aren't exactly power efficient or cheap, not to mention the 4090, which doesn't exactly feel like a consumer grade card unless you want to deem it a halo flagship product as well. I mean does the 4090 not count at all then?

You also have the RX 7900 branding when it should really be 7800, which AMD did to try to appear to be competing with the highest Nvidia tier, so would it really count for them to be truly competing this generation either?

To keep from muddying the waters too much, to me it looks like the times that are clear when AMD only aimed at mid tier generations were the 400/500 series and the upcoming 8000 series.

They kind of are, though (efficient, I mean, not cheap). Of course, they're also flattered by the small efficiency increases of AMD and the GeForce 30 series.

The Wednesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Elder Scrolls Online has made nearly $2 billion in its lifetime, 9 years after the big comeback that doubled its player count overnight
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/9-years-after-its-unlikely-comeback-the-elder-scrolls-online-has-made-nearly-dollar2-billion-in-lifetime-revenue/
The Elder Scrolls Online doesn't always get the credit it's due for being a genuinely good MMO that's been putting out regular expansions and new storylines for a decade. Even though I mained it for a few years myself, I'm guilty of sometimes overlooking it in the shadow of Skyrim's eternal relevance and flashier MMOs. But the numbers win out, as Zenimax Online Studios director Matt Firor revealed during a talk at the Game Developers Conference this year. Over its lifetime, TESO has made nearly $2 billion and has no plans to stop expanding its world and story.

GOG has two new Deals of the Day and also two sales:

• These are the DotD, available during 46 hours:
  • The first one is Pillars of Eternity: Definitive Edition, 75% off: https://www.gog.com/en/game/pillars_of_eternity_definitive_edition
  • The second one is Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire - Obsidian Edition, also with a 75% discount: https://www.gog.com/en/game/pillars_of_eternity_ii_deadfire_obsidian_edition_release
• The Story Rich Sale has games with great stories up to 92% off. No idea of how long it will last: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240410_story_rich_sale
• The Feast For Ears Sale also features up to 992% discounts, and also for an undisclosed amount of time: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240410_awesome_soundtracks

Steam has two new deals:

• Force of Nature 2: Ghost Keeper will be 50% off until the 16th of April: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1316230/Force_of_Nature_2_Ghost_Keeper/
• The Sinking City gets a 75% discount until the same 16th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/750130/The_Sinking_City/

Fanatical has new deals as well:

• The new Star Deal is The Elder Scrolls Online Deluxe Collection: Necrom, 72% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-elder-scrolls-online-deluxe-collection-necrom
• Devolver Digital puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts during 11 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/devolver-digital
• By the way, for evert purchase over $12 from the Level Up Sale, you’ll get a free game. Learn more here: https://www.fanatical.com/en/blog/get-a-free-game-with-purchases-on-fanatical-level-up-sale

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Nope-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 RTX Remix Path Tracing Mod Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/rollercoaster-tycoon-3-rtx-remix-path-tracing-mod-released/
Modder ‘Hemry’ has released the first version of his RTX Remix Mod for RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. This mod will add full Ray Tracing/Path Tracing to this classic construction and management simulation game.
RollerCoaster Tycoon 3 originally came out in 2004. And, by today’s standards, it looks kind of average and flat. Thanks to this RTX Remix Mod, though, the game can be, once again, enjoyed by a lot of gamers.
NVIDIA’s Jacob Freeman shared the following screenshots, which showcase some of the game’s Path Tracing effects. As we can see, the game now has more realistic lighting. Moreover, everything seems more grounded on the terrain thanks to the advanced shadows.
>> The article has some screenshots, and there’s also a link to a video.

Skyrim Special Edition Gets a New Expansion Mod for Its Infiltration Quest
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/skyrim-special-edition-new-expansion-mod-infiltration-quest/
Modders ‘TheOscar0’ and ‘JaySerpa’ have released a new mod for Skyrim Special Edition that aims to expand and overhaul the Infiltration quest. As its title suggests, this mod will expand and improve the game’s Infiltration quest. So, let’s take a closer look at its improvements.
According to the modders, the Infiltration quest was one of the most disappointing quests in Skyrim. So, in order to make things right, the modders have expanded it. Moreover, they tried to stay true to the game’s lore and source material.
This mod also features fully-voiced NPCs. Not only that but it promises to offer full player choice. Players will be able to listen to all sides and make their own choice. That, or they can save everyone. Or they can kill everyone.
Finally, this mod will restore content that was cut from the quest. Oh, and compared to the original quest, this time you’ll have to infiltrate the castle.
>> There’s an over 15 minutes video of the mod.

Half Life RTX Remix Mod Is in Development, First Screenshot
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/half-life-rtx-remix-mod-first-screenshot/
Modder ‘MochaTheTransProto’ has announced that they are working on an RTX Remix Mod for the first classic Half-Life game. And although there isn’t any ETA on when it will come out, the modder shared the first WIP screenshot from it.
This screenshot showcases the fully path-traced reflections that players will enjoy in it. It also shows some lighting improvements due to the path-tracing lighting that the game will now have.
>> A screenshot, in singular. That’s all we have of this mod.

GAMING NEWS

Star Wars Outlaws Release Date Leaked by Ubisoft Japan
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/star-wars-outlaws-release-date-leaked-by-ubisoft-japan/
Ubisoft’s official Japanese YouTube account has leaked the release date for its upcoming Star Wars game, Star Wars: Outlaws. According to the leak, Star Wars: Outlaws will be released on August 30th.

Assassin’s Creed Mirage Title Update 1.0.8 Releases Today, Is 3.34GB in Size, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/assassins-creed-mirage-title-update-1-0-8-releases-today-is-3-34gb-in-size-full-patch-notes/
Ubisoft has announced that Title Update 1.0.8 for Assassin’s Creed Mirage will go live later today. In addition, the French company shared its full patch notes, so let’s take a closer look at them.

The news, the second part. A bit longer than usual to save us from a third post:

Call of Duty's new Godzilla X Kong B.E.A.S.T. Glove costs $80 worth of in-game points, and it won't even corpse-launch your enemies
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/call-of-duty/call-of-dutys-new-godzilla-x-kong-beast-glove-costs-dollar80-worth-of-in-game-points-and-it-wont-even-corpse-launch-your-enemies/
Activision has released a new melee weapon as part of a collaboration between  Godzilla X Kong: The New Empire, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, and Warzone. However, players are finding out the hard way that this glove isn't worth its price tag. 

Destiny 2 is so back? The Final Shape stream just showed a completely OP new subclass, an entirely new race of enemies, and a wild new type of exotic armor
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/destiny-2-is-so-back-the-final-shape-stream-just-showed-a-completely-op-new-subclass-an-entirely-new-race-of-enemies-and-a-wild-new-type-of-exotic-armor/
Going into today's livestream showcase of new gameplay from The Final Shape, most players were expecting a retread of the new Light subclass powers revealed last year, and maybe a walkthrough of a campaign mission.
What we just got was nothing like that. With Bungie's backs against the wall amidst layoffs, pressure from Sony, and missed financial targets, the Destiny 2 studio needed to come out all guns blazing in order to reignite interest in the climactic expansion of its decades long saga. What it actually did was nuke expectations from orbit.

Soulslike shooter Witchfire gets massive early access update: New classes, content, events, and they finally fixed Calamities
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/soulslike-shooter-witchfire-gets-massive-early-access-update-new-classes-content-events-and-they-finally-fixed-calamities/
Rather than going off on a tangent about how good Painkiller is (it's really good), I will open by simply saying that Witchfire, the new shooter from The Astronauts—founded in 2012 by the co-founders of People Can Fly—is really good too, but also very different: Studio co-founder and creative director Adrian Chmielarz said in 2023 that Witchfire is "much closer to Souls" than straight-up shooters like Doom, and having played it a good bit myself, I can say that's absolutely correct.
Witchfire has been in early access on the Epic Games Store since September 2023, and today it got its first major update, which adds a pile of new content and aims to address a couple of the biggest complaints about the game, difficulty scaling and "Calamities."

Total War: Warhammer 3's Thrones of Decay reveal has finally made me excited about the game again
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/total-war-warhammer-3s-thrones-of-decay-reveal-has-finally-made-me-excited-about-the-game-again/
Total War: Warhammer 3 has been in a weird place for a while, with 2023's experimental Shadows of Change DLC being so poorly received that Creative Assembly ended up reworking the whole thing and giving out freebies in the form of new lords. Things have been steadily improving, though, and with the reveal of Thrones of Decay they're poised to get even better—if CA sticks the landing. 

EA's Iron Man game is making 'excellent progress' but still sounds like it's a long way off
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/eas-iron-man-game-is-making-excellent-progress-but-still-sounds-like-its-a-long-way-off/
EA Motive studio director Patrick Klaus has written about what's going on at the studio in an update post that touches on both the studio's upcoming Iron Man game and the wider situation with the Battlefield series. What we already know about the Iron Man game is what you'd expect. EA calls it a "third-person, action adventure" featuring "an original narrative that taps into the rich history of Iron Man, channeling the complexity, charisma, and creative genius of Tony Stark, and enabling players to feel what it's like to truly play as Iron Man."

World of Warcraft Classic continues to speedrun history with Cataclysm launching next month
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/world-of-warcraft-classic-continues-to-speedrun-history-with-cataclysm-launching-next-month/
World of Warcraft Classic has officially looped all the way back around to the very expansion that, in many ways, sparked the desire for it to exist in the first place. On May 20, Cataclysm Classic will release and move WoW Classic into a new era that is ironically similar to the live version of WoW.

A year and a half after its bitter breakup with NetEase, Blizzard has made a new deal to bring its games back to China—with NetEase
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/a-year-and-a-half-after-its-bitter-breakup-with-netease-blizzard-has-reportedly-made-a-new-deal-to-bring-its-games-back-to-chinawith-netease/
After being gone for more than a year, Blizzard's biggest games will soon return to China. Blizzard confirmed tonight that it has struck a new deal with NetEase to bring all the games covered by the previous publishing agreement, including World of Warcraft, Hearthstone, "and other titles in the Warcraft, Overwatch, Diablo, and StarCraft universes," back to the Chinese market. The new deal will take effect this summer.

Tekken 8's Steam rating takes a dive as fans lament 'scummy' monetisation and battle pass
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/tekken-8s-steam-rating-takes-a-dive-as-fans-lament-scummy-monetisation-and-battle-pass/
After a roaring start, rave reviews and a microtransaction-free launch, Tekken 8's honeymoon phase appears to be over. Steam reviews have slumped in the last few weeks, bringing the recent score down to a measly 'Mixed' rating of 54% as of writing, quite the difference from the game's overall rating of 80%. The culprit? Microtransactions, mostly.

Helldivers 2 reward system will get an 'overhaul' because right now it's 'about as reliable as a solar-powered watch in Malevelon Creek'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-reward-system-will-get-an-overhaul-because-right-now-its-about-as-reliable-as-a-solar-powered-watch-in-malevelon-creek/
In response to complaints from players about slow or missing medals, Helldivers 2 community manager Twinbeard said the game's reward system will get an "overhaul" in the future that should make the awarding of medals for completed major orders faster and more reliable.
>> And here’s a behind the scenes video of how the intro was made.

Helldivers 2's new mission type is the glorious Helm's Deep holdout defense that I've dreamed of for months
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2s-new-mission-type-is-the-glorious-helms-deep-holdout-defense-that-ive-dreamed-of-for-months/
Helldivers 2 is, generally, a game about taking the fight to the enemy by destroying nests, factories, and launching ICBMs. On the rare occasion that Super Earth is put on defense, it hasn't always gone over well with players. During the first Automaton invasion in February, players quickly got tired of special escort missions that required protecting fragile civilians while they ran across a battlefield. The next defense assignment came with Termicide towers that had to be protected from bugs who'd relentlessly charge toward them.
Those missions were a lot more fun, but they weren't what I had in mind. A simple, straight-laced wave defense mode seemed like a natural fit in Helldivers 2. Turns out I just had to wait a little longer. Today's surprise re-invasion of Cyberstan by the Automatons brought another special defense assignment: "Evacuate High-Value Assets" by guarding a missile silo from concentrated waves of robots. You'll recognize the mission type by their shield insignia.

Epic removes the item rarity system from Fortnite but some fans ain't happy, and think it's 'trying to gouge players'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/epic-removes-the-item-rarity-system-from-fortnite-but-some-fans-aint-happy-and-think-its-trying-to-gouge-players/
Fortnite's latest v29.20 patch has added Aang and the gang from Avatar: The Last Airbender, as well as five new tracks for Fortnite Rocket Racing: Neon Rush, but many players seem to be hung up on one update concerning how the locker works. 

Star Trek: Infinite reviews crater as Paradox announces it's dead, Jim
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/star-trek-infinite-reviews-crater-as-paradox-announces-its-dead-jim/
It was meant to go boldly where no man has gone before, but instead, Star Trek: Infinite is going quietly into that good night. The Paradox-published space 4X—developed by Nimble Giant—has announced that it will no longer be receiving updates (via RPS).
Actually, it's been dead (Jim) for some time. The announcement came via a dev diary posted on the Paradox forums two weeks ago, on March 27, but it's taken a while for anyone but ardent fans of the game to notice. 

The Elder Scrolls Online dev says the Metaverse is sinking because it ignored 20 years of games doing the exact same thing: 'it's not new, and they should stop treating it like it's new'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-elder-scrolls/the-elder-scrolls-online-dev-says-the-metaverse-is-sinking-because-it-ignored-20-years-of-games-doing-the-exact-same-thing-its-not-new-and-they-should-stop-treating-it-like-its-new/
When the Metaverse's sales pitch did the rounds in 2022 and 2023, anyone who has been playing MMOs like The Elder Scrolls Online likely had the same thought: "Hold on, I can already do this in a game that lets me have legs."
(...)
That's a sentiment (the MMO thing, not the furry thing) echoed by The Elder Scrolls Online's creative director Matt Firor in an interview with Gamesindustry.biz: "[The Metaverse] was last year's buzzword, right? This year it's all about AI and nobody's talking about the Metaverse anymore … My earliest games were text-based, with no graphics at all, and they were very much virtual worlds where people got together, chatted, and had fun."

Rat smashers stay winning as Warhammer: Vermintide 2 gets another free update—a whole new map and enemy type
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/rat-smashers-stay-winning-as-warhammer-vermintide-2-gets-another-free-updatea-whole-new-map-and-enemy-type/
Warhammer: Vermintide 2 might be seven years old, but it's still getting free content updates. There's that long-awaited versus mode, of course, though that's still in testing—in the meantime, says Fatshark, here's a free map and a new enemy type, because why not?

I'd file it under sorta maybe but not really. I think it was the most recent presentation where Nvidia showed how much more performance the upcoming cards were going to have vs past cards, and they used like FP8 for the upcoming cards, FP16 for the present cards, and FP32 for the prior gen. Which of course made the performance gains look monstrous, instead of the truth with each being shown with the same measurement. You don't do that if you're performance/efficiency is good, and that hasn't been the case for a few gen's now for Nvidia. Radeon cards aren't exactly sipping power either though.

That's true, but Huang Maths has been a staple of Nvidia slides for a long time, even when the performance improvements were actually good.

AMD is doing the same thing (25x more "AI efficiency" in five years or something).

True and true. That's why my original point was never about power or efficiency or anything like that.

It was just about how the last 2 times AMD clearly didn't bother to shoot for top tier cards, were during the same period the mid gen consoles launched using that same tech, or some of it anyway.