Well seems Godot shit the bed recently.

Their community manager went rogue and just went off on one, blocking people left and right and calling people that don't agree with their pol view as "evil"/"vermin". Their CM even blocked Titanium-level backers for the engine as well...

See this is why you don't hire people who are radical/politically charged, because chances are so sky high that they will let themselves be heavily influenced by those views to a point where they will act emotionally and do so without acting logically.

Personally I just wish companies would stop hiring ppl who are so heavily vested in the already toxic culture war crap. It's ruining games and setting up a bad precedent in general (not only for gaming, but the rest of the world, and I say this as a Bi guy).

My impression is that Godot has been supportive of minorities for at least a good while now, or at least that's what I remember seeing on Twitter. My impression as someone that's no fan of the way the rights of women, minorities etc. are often advanced these days is that Godot has generally been very reasonable about their stance too.

If you're unhappy with what Godot is doing, you shouldn't have jumped aboard in the first place, but if you did and expect the situation to change, well, shame on you really, backer or not. This particular drama just seems stupid to me at a fairly quick glance. If you want to benefit from the free work provided by others, you've got to play by their rules too, and if you're volunteering to pay for that work, just take your money elsewhere. If you think you've invaluable, you can try to negotiate, but if you choose to go whine and pressure on social media, that doesn't exactly sound like a reasonable approach to me.

Then again, much of the drama probably comes from people that aren't even potential users of Godot, let alone actual users. I'm not sure I'd call such opinions at all relevant, even though they might get high visibility.

Also, social media was largely a mistake. For some reason, humans seem really bad at interacting via social media.

320bit bus for 20GB would be quite normal for NVidia. I mean, it's not the first one and neither was the 3080. For example the 8800 GTS 320MB and 640MB or the GTX 470/570?

In fact, they had even more odd bus widths sometimes. Remember the 448 bit bus on the GTX 260 or the 352 bit bus on the 1080Ti?

And that's without the oddities of assigning asynchronous buses where parts of the memory was connected to slower RAM like on the GTX 550Ti/555 or infamously the GTX 970...

Source? Would love to know more about that.

I appreciate the information on CPU vs GPU. I have no played any strategy or Sims yet, but Frostpunk 2 looks interesting.

Afaik it wasn't about that. Their CM (Community manager) over on Twitter/Discord went off on one (went nuts), due to how they perceive the culture war (and I guess the pushback), and went out of their way to block people who basically said nothing at all, or asked a question or two. No matter how you look at it, the CM went off in an unhinged manner.

I'm all for supporting this and that, but I draw the line when a Marx is involved, or someone who goes off on a power trip, because people didn't adhere to their ideology. That particular side the CM is on is meant to be tolerant, and that was not an act of tolerance, that was an act of malice. Calling backers and the like "vermin/evil" wasn't a good call at all.

Their CEO is basically doing nothing about their unhinged CM, which is just a bad look no matter how many times you spin it. 

Social media was always a mistake. It was designed to be a watering hole, but instead it ended up drawing far leaning folks from both sides, and we all know how that often turns out. 

Here come the Monday news!

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG presents the Akupara Publisher Sale, with up to 90% discounts during 13 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20240929_akupara_publisher_sale.

Steam has two new deals:

• Spell Disk, that has a demo, is going to be 30% off until October 6: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2292060/Spell_Disk/
• Weedcraft Inc gets a 75% discount untilt he same 6th of October: https://store.steampowered.com/app/622720/Weedcraft_Inc/

We have a new Humble Bundle: the Jurassic World Evolution Completionist Bundle, featuring up to 21 items (the 2 games and lots of DLCs) during the next 18 days: https://www.humblebundle.com/games/jurassic-world-evolution-completionist-bundle.

Fanatical has a new Star Deal ,a sale and a bundle:

• The Star Deal is TEKKEN 8, 53% off during 48 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/tekken-8
• The SEGA Week features up to 86% discounts during 7 days: https://www.fanatical.com/en/publishers/sega
• And the BYO Resident Evil Bundle: Reawakened has 8 games for your bundles of 2+ or 3+: https://www.fanatical.com/en/pick-and-mix/build-your-own-resident-evil-bundle-reawakened

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Baldur’s Gate 3 just got a must-have 27GB HD Texture Pack
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/baldurs-gate-3-just-got-a-must-have-a-27gb-hd-texture-pack/
Modder ‘WestAard’ has just released a must-have HD Texture Pack for Baldur’s Gate 3, which is around 27GB in size. This pack will greatly enhance some of the low-res textures that players could find in this RPG. So, let’s take a closer look at it.
The BG3 Texture Upscale Project is 11GB in zipped form, and once you extract it, it will be around 27GB. To enhance the textures, the modder used AI tools. To be more precise, he upscaled most textures by four times. As such, the new textures retain the art style of the original ones.
WestAard did not go into more details about the textures featured in in this pack. From what I gathered, it covers most of the game’s textures, except for armors and clothes.
>> The article has some comparison screenshots.

Final Fantasy 16 finally gets 60fps pre-rendered cut-scenes
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/final-fantasy-16-finally-gets-pre-rendered-cut-scenes-at-60fps/
One of my biggest gripes with Final Fantasy 16 was its 30fps cut-scenes. And while we got a mod that could unlock the in-engine cut-scenes, all of the pre-rendered cinematics were still at 30fps. Well, not anymore as someone has re-rendered all those cut-scenes at 60fps.
To achieve these 60fps cut-scenes, modder “tenshiken” used AI tools. And, to be honest, I’m glad he did. The end result is great and it will greatly enhance your gaming experience.
(...)
Anyway, you can go ahead and download the mode from this link. Do note that you will still need FFXVIFix for this to work properly. However, the modder suggests disabling the Cutscene Frame Generation setting.
>> The article has no media.

STALKER Anomaly V1.5.3 Available for Download
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/stalker-anomaly-v1-5-3-available-for-download/
STALKER fans, here is something for you today. The team behind the stand-alone mod S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Anomaly has released a brand new version of it. So, let’s see what’s in store for us.
For those who don’t know, the STALKER Anomaly project is designed to be the most stable and customizable version of the S.T.A.L.K.E.R. games for fans. It’s powered by the Monolith 64-bit engine, which is a custom version of the X-Ray engine. So, if you want to replay STALKER, this is the way to go.
Players have different ways to enjoy the mod. They can play story mode, which has 4 chapters of exciting quests. If they like to create their own adventure, they can try sandbox mode. And for those who enjoy action, there’s the warfare mode, where factions battle for control over parts of the zone.
Not only that but STALKER Anomaly is also highly customizable. This means that you can play it the way you like and have the most fun. There are hundreds of settings that can be tweaked in the options menus. Also, for more advanced changes, there are over 4000 addons that were created by other players.
Version 1.5.3 brings general improvements to the engine stability. It also fixes some potential causes for crashes, and it fixes a couple of quests.
Moreover, V1.5.3 adds a 3D PDA. And there is more. The Lost to the Zone Storylines have been added to Update 1.5. Every single level has been reworked, and the weather system is improved and expanded to offer variety and an atmospheric feel.
Finally, the A-Life system has also gotten big updates. Stalkers will now move around the Zone more often. They will also share more often what they’re doing in other areas. The Zone will keep changing, with anomalies and mutants also shifting around. Special characters and regular stalkers will offer more unique missions. The disguise system is also improved too. As such, your gear and behavior will affect how stalkers see and remember you.
>> The article has two videos.

One of Baldur's Gate 3's pioneering map modders is recreating the opening area of Baldur's Gate 2
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/baldurs-gate/one-of-baldur-s-gate-3-s-pioneering-map-modders-is-recreating-the-opening-area-of-baldur-s-gate-2/
Lotrich, a member of Baldur's Gate 3's nascent map modding community who has been uploading videos of their work to YouTube, has just provided a peek at their latest creation: An in-progress, but still very recognizable take on Waukeen's Promenade, one of the opening areas of Baldur's Gate 2.
The promenade is a bit bare at the moment, but its distinctive archways and amphitheater-like layout are immediately striking⁠—Waukeen's Promenade always felt like someone turned a sports arena into an open-air market, fitting for the mercantile city of Athkatla. The circus tent where you can recruit companion Aerie is visible in the distance, and Lotrich includes a special treat toward the end of the video: A peek inside Ribald Barterman's Adventurer Mart, one of the best shops in the game.
>> The article has some screenshots and a video.

GAMING NEWS

9 minutes of gameplay from the PC version of Phantom Blade Zero
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/9-minutes-of-gameplay-from-the-pc-version-of-phantom-blade-zero/
At the TGS 2024 event, S-Game had a playable demo for its upcoming action RPG, Phantom Blade Zero. Not only that but the TGS 2024 demo was running on the PC, giving us PC gamers a first look at the WIP PC version. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

First Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown Patch Released, Bringing Performance Improvements & 300+ Bug Fixes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/first-test-drive-unlimited-solar-crown-patch-released-bringing-performance-improvements-300-bug-fixes/
KT Racing has just released the first major patch for Test Drive Unlimited Solar Crown, and shared its full changelog. According to the devs, this first update brings a number of performance tweaks and improvements. Moreover, it packs over 300 bug fixes.

Monday news, part two:

Vampire Survivors dev opens publishing arm, tells Web3 and F2P mobile games to stuff it
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/vampire-survivors-dev-opens-publishing-arm-tells-web3-and-f2p-mobile-games-to-stuff-it/
Vampire Survivors developer Poncle is branching out from making videogames that are pure sugar in digital form. It's getting businessy, and has announced that it's opening a new publishing division, presumably to help other devs consume hours, days, months of our time with the most absurdly moreish games ever made.

Deadlock's new hero only wants one thing: A sovereign nation in the US state of Wyoming
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/moba/deadlocks-new-hero-only-wants-one-thing-a-sovereign-nation-in-the-us-state-of-wyoming/
One of my favourite things to do in Deadlock is to read up on each hero's lore. Some are as simple as "Jacob Lash is an asshole," while others give a detailed description of a hero's journey and the tragedies they've overcome, like Bebop turning to a life of crime to pay for his creator's medicine. And Deadlock's latest addition is no different. 
Mirage is the newest hero Valve has added to Deadlock. He's a bodyguard for the Djinn ambassador Nashala Dion, who is currently in New York City on a diplomatic mission: Finding a safe home for their kind and, for some reason, the best candidate for a new sovereign land is Wyoming. I've never set foot in the US, so I can't speak on what Wyoming is like compared to the rest of the States, but it does seem like a random choice for a new utopia.
>> By the way, one of the co-creators of Risk of Rain is now working on this game.

Remedy and Tencent enter into a $17m loan agreement that could lead to it owning a larger chunk of the Alan Wake developer
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/remedy-and-tencent-enter-into-a-dollar17m-loan-agreement-that-could-lead-to-it-owning-a-larger-chunk-of-the-alan-wake-developer/
Alan Wake and Control developer Remedy has entered into a convertible loan agreement with Chinese conglomerate Tencent, to the amount of €15 million/$16,761,075. This unsecured loan could later be converted into Remedy shares "under certain circumstances" on the third anniversary of the drawdown.

French Ubisoft employees urged to strike over new return to office policy: 'The consequence of its decision will be the loss of our colleagues' jobs'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/french-ubisoft-employees-urged-to-strike-over-new-return-to-office-policy-the-consequence-of-its-decision-will-be-the-loss-of-our-colleagues-jobs/
The SJTV (Le Syndicat des Travailleurs et Travailleuses du Jeu Vidéo), a French videogame workers union, has called all Ubisoft employees in France to join in a three-day strike in October, to protest changes in the publisher's global remote work policy. Earlier this week, Ubisoft informed its employees that all workers—in every office, worldwide—would now be expected to return to office work at least three days a week (via GamesIndustry.biz).
>> Poor Ubisoft. It can’t catch a break.

'RPG shooter' Witchfire comes to Steam, and after a year of early access on Epic it's finally turning into the game I always wanted it to be
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/rpg-shooter-witchfire-comes-to-steam-and-after-a-year-of-early-access-on-epic-its-finally-turning-into-the-game-i-always-wanted-it-to-be/
After a year as an Epic Games Store exclusive, the roguelike shooter Witchfire has made its way to Steam—and if you haven't played for a while, or you've been waiting for the early access game to cook a little more, I'm here to tell you that the past 12 months have seen it come a very long way in the right direction.

The Sims 4's Grim Reaper event seems pretty neat actually but, surprising no one, it's also very bugged
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/the-sims/the-sims-4s-grim-reaper-event-seems-pretty-neat-actually-but-surprising-no-one-its-also-very-bugged/
The Sims 4 is running another login rewards event and although, yes, it's still a little weird for a singleplayer game to run a limited time login event, this one actually has some short but fun quests to play through. The trouble is, and this is going to shock you I'm sure, it's pretty buggy for a lot of people.

New California law inspired by Ubisoft and Sony requires retailers to warn consumers that the digital games they buy can be taken away at any time
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/new-california-law-inspired-by-ubisoft-and-sony-requires-retailers-to-warn-consumers-that-the-digital-games-they-buy-can-be-taken-away-at-any-time/
A new California law set to come into effect in 2025 will make it illegal for sellers to use terms like "buy" or "purchase" in relation to digital goods—movies, books, and of course videogames—unless they provide a "clear and conspicuous" warning to consumers that those goods could be taken away from them at any time.

Mojang reveals the first addition of Minecraft's new year-round update schedule: A creepy forest biome haunted by a tough-to-kill monster
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/mojang-reveals-the-first-addition-of-minecraft-s-year-round-update-schedule-a-creepy-new-forest-biome-haunted-by-a-tough-to-kill-monster/
At today's Minecraft Live 2024 livestream, Mojang revealed the next update coming to the game, the first of a new, more regular cadence of smaller additions. The Pale Garden biome and its resident critter, The Creaking, are set to go live "in the next few months," while players will find them in snapshots, betas, and previews "very soon."

Helldivers 2 players have been tasked with building the 'Democracy Space Station,' a 'gigastructure' of indeterminate firepower that will be aimed by literal democracy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/helldivers-2-players-have-been-tasked-with-building-the-democracy-space-station-a-gigastructure-of-indeterminate-firepower-that-will-be-aimed-by-literal-democracy/
Space stations are rad as hell, and now one of these outposts of the final frontier is becoming Helldivers 2's latest frontier in audacious, community-driven storytelling. The game's new major order sees players engaging in the first of a four-part sequence to build the Democracy Space Station. Once built, the community will get to vote on where and how the Democratic Death Star will be deployed.

Check out this Death metal action RPG based on stylish tabletop game Mörk Borg
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/check-out-this-death-metal-action-rpg-based-on-stylish-tabletop-rpg-mork-borg/
The tabletop RPG Mörk Borg is coming to the world of videogames with Mörk Borg: Heresy Supreme—which you can expect to be something like the world of Scandinavian metal blended with the vibes of Dark Souls. The project was announced in a new trailer, posted to YouTube, and will be funded via a Kickstarter campaign before releasing on Steam.

Monday news, the third and last part:

The original 1997 Backyard Baseball is finally coming to Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sports/the-original-1997-backyard-baseball-is-finally-coming-to-steam/
It was only a matter of time: The original Backyard Baseball, first entry in the explosively popular Backyard Sports series, is coming to Steam. The re-release, titled Backyard Baseball '97, will launch on Steam October 10, making the game available for digital purchase for the first time.

Roguelike horror shooter Dead Estate will get its final update in October
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/roguelike-horror-shooter-dead-estate-will-have-its-final-update-this-october/
Dead Estate is set to get one last update before development finishes, with the Goodnight Update set to release at the end of October. The Halloween release is fitting for the "gory, fast-paced, challenging rogue-like shooter with a heavy emphasis on horror."

Hideo Kojima shows off 8 minutes of new Death Stranding 2 cutscenes, including no less than 2 musical numbers featuring that little puppet guy, whose name is 'Dollman'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/hideo-kojima-shows-off-8-minutes-of-new-death-stranding-2-cutscenes-including-no-less-than-2-musical-numbers-featuring-that-little-puppet-guy-whose-name-is-dollman/
As part of a 90 minute, Japanese language panel at the Tokyo Game Show, Hideo Kojima unveiled nearly eight minutes of never before seen cutscenes from the upcoming Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Kojima Productions subsequently uploaded English versions of the clips to X, "The Everything App." Would you be surprised to learn that they're incredibly strange and surreal?

Monster Hunter fans are excited because a big farting ape is returning for Monster Hunter Wilds
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/monster-hunter-fans-are-excited-because-a-big-farting-ape-is-returning-for-monster-hunter-wilds/
A livestream from Capcom at Tokyo Game Show has confirmed that big farting ape Congalala is returning to the Monster Hunter series for Monster Hunter Wilds, the upcoming main-line release in the venerable series about skinning dragons and turning them into pants. It's quite the return for Congalala, who first debuted in Monster Hunter 2 back in 2006. Also, it's me. I'm Monster Hunter Fans and I'm excited for the poo monkey.

Strategic robot carnage intensifies as autobattler Mechabellum hits its 1.0 release
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/strategic-robot-carnage-intensifies-as-autobattler-mechabellum-hits-its-1-0-release/
Strategy autobattler Mechabellum has hit its full release after 16 months in early access, with developers Game River declaring the PvP or PvE robot battling to be, finally, complete—though development will continue. With large-scale battles taking place over multiple rounds, Mechabellum has you draft, place, and refine your force of attackers to defeat your opponent's choices and claim final victory.

Final Fantasy 14: Dawntrail's first major patch comes mid-November: Alliance and 'Chaotic' raids, allied society quests, and a scant few details on the MSQ
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/final-fantasy-14-dawntrail-s-first-major-patch-comes-mid-november-alliance-and-chaotic-raids-allied-society-quests-and-a-scant-few-details-on-the-msq/
Final Fantasy 14 is getting its first major patch mid-November. While patch 7.1, titled "Crossroads", doesn't have a specific release date just yet, it'll likely be coming on the 12th or 19th, since the MMO updates on Tuesdays. Details about the patch were announced during the "Letter From the Producer Live" at the 2024 Tokyo Game Show—and it's decently chock-a-block with stuff to do.

Nintendo is filing for the patents it's suing Palworld with in the US as well, though some (non-final) rejections could complicate matters
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/nintendo-is-filing-for-the-patents-it-s-suing-palworld-with-in-the-us-as-well-though-some-non-final-rejections-could-complicate-matters/
Just in case you missed it—in the middle of September this year, the famously litigious, Pokémon rights-owning company Nintendo finally decided to roll its sleeves up and sue Palworld developer Pocketpair for patent infringement.
(...)
Patents are country-specific. There is something called the Patent Cooperation Treaty, though it's a separate system with its own positives and negatives—Nintendo, however, appears to be going straight to the source, filing for patents in the United States directly. This makes a lot of sense, considering it has branches in America too, and a seemingly vested interest in making sure no other developer gets to play with the same toys.

The Moo Deng frenzy has officially reached Final Fantasy 14, seemingly causing the price of its adorable hippo minion to skyrocket
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/final-fantasy/the-moo-deng-frenzy-has-officially-reached-final-fantasy-14-seemingly-causing-the-price-of-its-adorable-hippo-minion-to-skyrocket/
We cannot seem to get through a day on PC Gamer right now without someone on the team mentioning Moo Deng, the adorable pygmy hippo that has certifiably taken over the internet. Everyone's trying to get their Moo Deng fix, and it seems that Final Fantasy 14 players are no different.

'The game gets… weird': Frostpunk 2 player figures out that the apocalypse is easier without the annoying implications of fostering a democracy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/city-builder/the-game-gets-weird-frostpunk-2-player-figures-out-that-the-apocalypse-is-easier-without-the-annoying-implications-of-fostering-a-democracy/
Early on in Frostpunk 2, the narrator suggests that you should build a council to vote on and hopefully pass laws, and a research center in which you can research ideas affiliated with certain factions. This, predictably, opens up a whole can of worms, except for one brave player who decided that the apocalypse would be easier without any external input. 
"If you never build the council and never make any research affiliated with either faction, radicals just never spawn," Master_Cricket_1265 explains. "Week 391, no radicals spawned yet." It turns out that preventing democracy from ever starting also means that there'll be no one around to try to take it all down. 

NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 GPU Disappearing In Germany, Lower Stock Points Towards Production Halt

https://wccftech.com/nvidia-geforce-rtx-4090-gpu-disappearing-germany-lower-stock-production-halt/

AMD Confirms Warranty Support For Ryzen 9000 “105W TDP” Mode, AGESA 1.2.0.2 & Many Improvements For Zen 5 Desktop CPUs

https://wccftech.com/amd-confirms-warranty-support-ryzen-9000-105w-tdp-mode-agesa-1-2-0-2-zen-5-improvements/

That poor 4090. Corsair couldn't even come up with a liquid cooler that would cover the vrms. Not to mention all the other issues...

This custom laptop has 450W desktop GeForce RTX 4090 GPU, weighs nearly 7kg

https://videocardz.com/newz/this-custom-laptop-has-450w-desktop-geforce-rtx-4090-gpu-weights-nearly-7kg

I like the look of the case, but good god is the cooling solution complete and utter ass.

Even if you swap out the block for a regular SFF GPU, it'll still act as a solid block to the rest of the airflow, meaning their whole concept of side ventilation is flawed.

They should have gone with that other case (I forgot it's name), the one where the GPU is side mounted facing the front of the case.