Any suggestions on what shaders should be? 

It’s time for the Friday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

The Humble Store has launched the Heartfelt Interactions Sale, with up to 95% discounts during 6 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/heartfelt-interactions-sale/.

Fanatical’s new Star Deal is Marvel’s Spider-Man Remastered, 49% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/marvel-s-spider-man-remastered.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

We may soon get an unofficial PC port of Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/we-might-soon-get-an-unofficial-pc-port-of-pokemon-brilliant-diamond-and-shining-pearl/
Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Pokemon Shining Pearl are remakes of the 2006 Nintendo DS role-playing video games Pokemon Diamond and Pearl. These games came on Nintendo Switch as a collection in 2021. And, from the looks of it, modders are working on decompiling them, so that they can bring them on PC.
Below you can find a video, showcasing Pokemon Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl booting up. This is a big step at bringing these two Nintendo Switch games to the PC.
As Team Luminescent noted, this project aims to be a platform for creating future 3D Pokemon games. It will also come with more legal protections so that Nintendo won’t shut it down. For instance, the project already requires you to have a legit BDSP rip. The project does not include any assets. So, basically, you can only use created assets or ones from the game.
It’s also worth noting that performance will be way better with these native PC ports. So, expect these Pokemon games to run on a wide range of PC configurations. Moreover, inserting assets will be much easier than it currently is with a romhack.

A modder is trying to make Elden Ring play like a traditional RPG by reworking major gameplay features, adding new classes, bosses and more
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/a-modder-is-trying-to-make-elden-ring-play-like-a-traditional-rpg-by-reworking-major-gameplay-features-adding-new-classes-bosses-and-more/
Modder ‘Muugiboy’ released a beta version of their gameplay overhaul mod for Elden Ring that attempts to make it play like a traditional RPG. This is a cool mod that some Elden Ring fans may find interesting. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
The W.I.P Traditional RPG Mod turns Elden Ring into a far more aggressive experience overall. The game will be now more focused on fast-paced action than slow-paced hit an run gameplay.
Like with all DnD, players will now be able to pick a race. Each race has a upside and a downside, with the default option giving you neither a buff or debuff. Additionally, every single class has been replaced with a more traditional RPG-styled version. For instance, the Astrologer is now being called Mage. Not only that but each class now specializes in a stat. There is a class for each stat now. The class is also given 20 points in its respective stat at the start of the game. For example, the Tank class starts with 20 vigor.
Moreover, NPCs can now sell things based on how far you progress in their questline. Weapons will be no longer discovered in the world. Instead, they are forged by speaking to Hewg after obtaining the Whetstone Knife. Weapons are also locked to specific classes. You know, like a traditional RPG.
And that’s not all. The mod adds three new classes which are Assassin (replaces Confessor), Fighter (replaces Prisoner), and Summoner (replaces Wretch). It also adds multiple new bosses, including a Melina boss fight. Furthermore, there are multiple bosses throughout the game that now respawn by fast traveling to the grace after beating it. These bosses can be farmed for Elemental Gems, which are used to forge all of the elemental weapons in the game.
It’s also worth noting that this mod reworks the game’s Stamina system, as well as its dodging animations and its casting system. It also reworks all of its Affinities. Plus, it adds new features like Active Abilities, and a “Break Meter” for bosses.
Finally, leveling up has completely changed. Instead of manually leveling up your character, you’ll get attributes through an Accessory. This Accessory gets stronger as you play the game, so it’s like the game levels you up on its own. The attributes you get depend on your class. So, you’ll be leveling up by collecting Fulfilled Lives, which you get from beating strong bosses.
>> The article has three videos.

A modder has brought all the foxes, wolves, bears, alligators, bison and wild boars of Red Dead Online to Red Dead Redemption 2
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/a-modder-is-bringing-all-the-foxes-wolves-bears-alligators-bison-and-wild-boars-of-red-dead-online-to-red-dead-redemption-2/
It’s no secret that Rockstar has added some animals in Red Dead Redemption 2 that you can only find in its Online Mode. For unknown reasons, these animals are only present in Red Dead Online, and they can’t be found in the single-player mode. Well, until now. Modder ‘PlayRedThenStayDead’ has decided to bring a lot of those animals to the SP Mode, making the game’s wildlife more diverse and exciting.
Right now, the modder has released seven mod packs that cover Online Foxes, Wild Boars, Bison, Wolves, Alligators, Panthers and Bears. All of these animals have working skinning animations with even correct colored pelts.
These packs are really cool as you won’t be witnessing the same type of animals over and over throughout your playthrough. Since they are also official skins for RDO, they won’t break any of the game’s immersion. They will feel right and fine. So, make sure to get them if you’re still playing it.
>> The article has no screenshots nor videos.

Here’s your first look at Bloodborne running on PC via the PlayStation 4 emulator, shadPS4
https://www.dsogaming.com/pc-performance-analyses/heres-your-first-look-at-bloodborne-running-on-pc-via-the-playstation-4-emulator-shadps4/
It’s no secret that a lot of PC players have been asking for a PC port of Bloodborne. And while Sony does not appear interested in something like that, at least for now, we might soon be able to play it on PC. That is of course via emulation as the latest PlayStation 4 emulator, shadPS4, is now able to boot up and load the game.
Now before getting TOO excited, Bloodborne is NOT playable on the shadPS4 yet. Right now, the emulator can only load the game and go to the character screen (which in itself is a huge step). There are also major color issues and some visual artifacts. So no, you can’t play it yet. Still, this is the first time we see a PS4 emulator running Bloodborne on PC.
Just yesterday, we shared the news about shadPS4 running some 3D commercial games. And, from what we can see, its team released a new version for it. This new version, V0.1.1 is the one that can launch Bloodborne.
>> There’s a short video in the article.

GAMING NEWS

The latest hotfix update for Starfield focuses on Creations, and here is its full changelog
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/the-latest-hotfix-update-for-starfield-focuses-on-creations-and-here-is-full-changelog/
A couple of days ago, Bethesda released a new hotfix update for Starfield. According to the team, this hotfix focuses on issues with Creations. So, let’s take a look at it.

Friday news, part two:

Obsidian went back and made Avowed's combat 'more juicy' because we all collectively winced at its underwhelming first showcase
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/obsidian-went-back-and-made-avoweds-combat-more-juicy-because-we-all-collectively-winced-at-its-underwhelming-first-showcase/
Obsidian's first-person fantasy RPG Avowed is due out this year. In fact, it's due out November 12 if you believe a quickly scrubbed post on the Obsidian website. But the studio is still hard at work tweaking and twiddling with the game ahead of release. One of the things it's been mucking around with? The combat, which looked quite a bit better in Avowed's recent deep dive than it did when we saw the game in its first gameplay showcase in January.

Obsidian says Larian's experience let it knock Baldur's Gate 3 multiplayer out of the park, but it wouldn't have been possible for Avowed
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/obsidian-says-larians-experience-let-it-knock-baldurs-gate-3-multiplayer-out-of-the-park-but-it-wouldnt-have-been-possible-for-avowed/
Once upon a time, Obsidian's upcoming Skyrim-esque (but definitely not Skyrim) RPG Avowed was set to have multiplayer. You'd have been able to jaunt about Eora with a pal or two before the studio realised that, hang on a sec, that's not a very Obsidian thing to do.
So the idea was dropped, almost certainly for the better, and Avowed became the thoroughly singleplayer experience we've seen in its showcases. But in a recent chat with Windows Central, Obsidian shed a bit more light on the decision to go solo, particularly in the wake of the stonking success of Baldur's Gate 3 (and its co-op mode).

Tekken director says that the fighters 'are all like my children' and if players keep pestering him about favourites he'll 'charge you tuition for lectures'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fighting/tekken-director-says-that-the-fighters-are-all-like-my-children-and-if-players-keep-pestering-him-about-favourites-hell-charge-you-tuition-for-lectures/
What started as a jokey retweet, when Tekken director Katsuhiro Harada told a fan to buy 50 copies of Tekken 8 if they wanted Anna Williams to be added to the game, ended with a lengthy argument, a stern talking to, and some business advice. 

Final Fantasy 14's director confirms that no, Pictomancers weren't meant to manually remove their own buffs for a 1% DPS increase—outlines other job changes for patch 7.01 of Dawntrail
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-14-s-director-confirms-that-no-pictomancers-weren-t-meant-to-manually-remove-their-own-buffs-for-a-1-dps-increase-outlines-other-job-changes-for-patch-7-01-of-dawntrail/
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail has been out for less than a week. I'm barely starting to near the story's final act myself, however that hasn't stopped the admirably ravenous theorycrafting communities of the world from tearing into its new job balance adjustments.

Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail players are baffled by proposed changes to Viper, a job that's existed for less than week, and honestly so am I
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-14-dawntrail-players-are-baffled-by-proposed-changes-to-viper-a-job-that-s-existed-for-less-than-week-and-honestly-so-am-i/
Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail's been out for a week at the time of writing (this is including the Early Access period—which is mostly symbolic and there to split the server load up). In that time, Square Enix has already been quick to promise a glut of job adjustments following player feedback, as posted to its news site yesterday.
Among these changes, game director Naoki Yoshida (Yoshi-P) is investigating what can be done for the poor Viper, one of the new melee combat jobs from the expansion—a vicious warrior that wields twin blades, sometimes glueing them together like Darth Maul.

Escape From Tarkov studio Battlestate Games has put a bounty on cheaters
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/escape-from-tarkov-studio-battlestate-games-has-put-a-bounty-on-cheaters/
Escape From Tarkov has had problems with cheaters pretty much from the start, but despite being vocal about its efforts to rid the game of their influence—and occasionally referring to cheaters as "scum of the Earth"—some players aren't convinced that developer Battlestate Games is all that serious about dealing with the problem. A new anti-cheat effort rolled out in the latest patch might change some minds on that front: The studio is now offering "compensation for reporting players who violated game rules"—in other words, a bounty on cheaters.

All Genshin Impact codes from the 4.8 livestream
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/genshin-impact-codes-4-8-livestream/
The Genshin Impact 4.8 livestream codes are here, giving you a little bump of Primogems to add to your hoard for wishing on new characters and reruns. For those that are new to Genshin, every six weeks miHoYo puts on a livestream detailing the characters and events that are set to arrive in the new version. As an added incentive to watch, there are three codes you can pick up during the stream.

And here are the GOG and Steam deals for the weekend:

+GOG

• Nothing new at GOG, which means that there’s “only” the Summer Sale. Remember that it will end on July 10, so time is running out.

+Steam

• It’s a similar story with Steam, with “only” the Summer Sale (and weeklong deals) going on. Keep it mind that it will also end soon, on July 11.

That’s all folks! Until next time, I wish you a happy and gaming weekend.

Intel Arrow Lake Refresh CPU Might Feature Upgraded NPU Leading To Larger Die Size

https://wccftech.com/intel-arrow-lake-refresh-cpu-might-feature-upgraded-npu-leading-to-larger-die-size/

Samsung HBM3E Memory Still Awaits Qualification From NVIDIA, Firms Preps For Mass-Production

https://wccftech.com/samsung-hbm3e-memory-awaits-qualification-nvidia-preps-mass-production/

ASRock Radeon RX 7900 Creator Series to feature blower fan and 12V-2X6 connector

https://videocardz.com/newz/asrock-radeon-rx-7900-creator-series-to-feature-blower-fan-and-12v-2x6-connector

Geforce 4 Ti 4600. It failed and fried nearly my whole system. I had to replace my my RAM, motherboard, Power Supply and of course the GPU. I ended up getting a Radeon 9600XT.  

Oh, wow. That's awful.

Did you manage to salvage something from your system?

below the max. I've not seen what the setting are like in that game's menu, but just to be safe, have them below the maximum.

Like just today I was playing Palworld, and tried to see if shadows would improve for me on ultra, yet all it did was turn on shadows for the grass at ultra instead, crippling my fps from a solid 60 down to 30's, so stuff like that isn't really necessary to have on ultra (besides, I'm used to grass not having shadowing thanks to playing BotW). 

The CPU, Hard Drive, and case were about it.

GoW 2018 is a great port. Played about 2 hours this morning. Still holds up very well and runs perfectly smooth. Still a great game.

Well, at least it wasn't a complete disaster and you managed to save something.