Here's the link, but so far it only gives an error: https://store.steampowered.com/app/3099210/TurnBased_RPG_Fest

I see. I'm going to reserve judgement since I still don't have a proper picture of the whole thing, and when things seem crazy, they often aren't, but this certainly doesn't sound good. If there's one thing that I can say straight away, it's my strong distaste for using terms such as vermin, because it's almost never appropriate (although it's much easier to make a case for evil).

The discord screencaps I've seen just paint it as an echo chamber of hate being tossed around (especially from the CM).

Like I'll post a video, but I'm honestly not sure what else to tell you. I sit in the middle of the spectrum pol speaking, so I see both far left/right acting like kids on social media (or within game companies as we're seeing unfold).

I just think companies should hire people who are more stable and contain merit, instead of what they believe in or their pol standing. 

I really doubt it's all black and white, even though I'm not liking the look I'm getting from Godot either. But I'm spending 19 minutes of my time on a video whose contents should be compressible to a 5-minute read, and I'm not convinced of the neutrality of the other video either: seems like a lot of clickbaity videos from a channel that admits to having an agenda, one that is at direct conflict with what Godot's been doing, and sounds like it also proceeds to tell in the video what to think, which is not something I appreciate in any reporting. Just give me the facts, and I can draw the conclusions. Anyway, thanks for the effort, but I suspect time is more valuable to both of us than the value we'd get out of continuing this discussion much further.

Honestly, it kinda looks that way to me. No CM goes on a warpath on both twitter and Discord and is ever validated in just nuking people left and right.

Don't forget, this is an open source funded engine, not a private company that can hold it's own pol viewpoint and enforce it (nor should it ever, make an engine, not pol).

Yeah, that's breadtubers, they have a nasty habit of reading a few tweets and turning their videos into 20-30 min padded out ones, based on trying to make money (blame youtube for video length demands and sponsor frenzy).

I'm not sure you're ever going to find a channel for someone like myself that's based in the middle, because when you look at sites like YT, it's largely filled with:

Drama tubers

Breadtubers

Far Left/Right tubers

Gamers

System warriors

Scientists

Historians

Memes

I have yet to find a YT channel that's EU based centrist, because there's a difference between the American centrist and an EU one (I'm EU, and I don't agree with US Centrists, because they tend to have a majority slight sway to the right). 

All I can say is that I don't think the CM acted in objectively good faith and by the letter. I know that's not how a CM is supposed to act (they are supposed to be neutral at best).

Good morning, ladies and genlemen. Here's a little something for you:

*** NEW COMPETITION ***

Win 1 of 3 Fractal Design North XL case & Lumen cooler bundles
https://www.club386.com/win-1-of-3-fractal-design-north-xl-bundles/
or: https://gleam.io/EUmd8/win-1-of-3-fractal-design-north-xl-case-lumen-cooler-bundles

The competition is limited to residents of the UK and Europe ONLY.

Good luck!

https://wccftech.com/horizon-zero-dawn-remastered-pc-upgrade-adds-mandatory-psn-account-requirement/

I knew there was a catch with the "remaster" upgrade.

I imagine they'll eventually go back to all the other games they've released on PC and just "remaster" them with PSN account enforcements (complete with overlay). There was already zero point in me ever going for a £10 upgrade (especially when Bioshock 1-2 and Skyrim SE were given away for free on PC), but a PSN enforcement is just a massive no-go for me.

This just tells me to never buy games from Sony from here on out. I'm getting old and I'm tired of an open platform being taken for granted and smeared with hundreds of accounts/clients, just to play some games. I'm happy with Steam/GoG and Battlenet, that's all I've been comfortable with in life. 

The Tuesday news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

Steam’s Top 10

(Click here for the Top 100)

Steam has numerous new deals, including new weeklong deals:

• KOEI TECMO puts its games on sale with up to 90% discounts until the 7th of October: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/KOEITECMO2024
• Lightyear Frontier, still in Early Access, and that has a demo, is going to be 30% off until October 10: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1677110/Lightyear_Frontier/
• Moonstone Island features a 35% discounts until October, the 14th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1658150/Moonstone_Island/
• And here are some of the weeklong deals:
  • The Legend of Skye, that has a demo, is 20% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2314850/The_Legend_of_Skye/
  • Stay Out of the House has a 40% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/896520/Stay_Out_of_the_House/
  • Happy Room is half its price: https://store.steampowered.com/app/550010/Happy_Room/
  • Endling - Extinction is Forever is going to be 60% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/898890/Endling__Extinction_is_Forever/
  • Wargroove gets a 70% discount: https://store.steampowered.com/app/607050/Wargroove/
  • The last one is Suicide Guy Deluxe Plus, 80% off: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1972820/Suicide_Guy_Deluxe_Plus/

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

Activision said 'no' to Skyrim modders 3 years into remaking a semi-obscure vampire RPG it published a lifetime ago, so now those modders are reworking it into a new story
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/activision-said-no-to-skyrim-modders-3-years-into-remaking-a-semi-obscure-vampire-rpg-it-published-a-lifetime-ago-so-now-those-modders-are-reworking-it-into-a-new-story/
The modding team behind Vampire: The Masquerade - Redemption Reawakened was in a weird spot. Hoping to avoid the DMCA/C&D death punch so many fan projects receive, they took their in-progress Skyrim remake of the 2000 RPG to Activision and Paradox, each of which owns the rights to part of the game. With a "yes" from Paradox and a "no" from Activision, the crew is now revising the mod into a "reinterpretation" of the original VtM: Redemption, cutting out everything Activision could sue them for and making it into more of a new story.
Redemption was the first Vampire: The Masquerade videogame, preceding the better-known Bloodlines by four years. It's a much more sprawling, melodramatic story than Bloodlines, following a crusader knight's doomed romance as he gets vamped up in medieval Europe, put in stasis, then awoken in 1999. Redemption's story, characters, and imaginative use of a vampire's immortal lifespan make it worth checking out, but it had some truly horrible early aughts RPG combat⁠—just the sort of game that might benefit from a remake.
Enter Redemption Reawakened, led by modder Galejro. The mod team has made impressive progress bringing both the medieval and modern day portions of Redemption to life, but has struggled with getting the full permission (and attending security from being shut down) they wanted. Bethesda and Paradox⁠—which owns the Vampire: The Masquerade setting⁠—were on board, but Activision, which published Redemption and holds the rights to its specific characters and story, proved squirrely.
In the team's latest development update, Galejro revealed that they were making headway before their contact at Activision was caught up in one of Microsoft's mass layoffs after the acquisition. When Galejro and crew got a hold of someone else at Activision, the answer became a flat no. Redemption Reawakened was dead, long live Vampire: The Masquerade - Reawakened.
Anticipating this outcome, the mod team had focused on building assets and systems that could survive the removal of Activision's IP, with the team now convening a vote to determine Reawakened's new direction: Hew as close as they can to the source material without stepping on Activision's toes, use the premise as a jumping off point into an all-new story, or something in-between?
The modified version of Skyrim they're building certainly seems flexible enough to handle any direction they decide to go in: While the medieval bits are still undeniably Skyrimmy, the modern nights they've created are looking pretty fantastic, and Reawakened supports a number of in-depth and systemic rules from the tabletop game. My favorite is that there's a small chance of your vampire blood feeding being spotted by an unseen witness if you do it in front of a window⁠—that's the kind of freakish attention to detail I crave in a game.
>> The article has an almost 30 minutes video.

GAMING NEWS

Here are 15 minutes of gameplay from Hell is Us
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-15-minutes-of-gameplay-from-hell-is-us/
NACON and Rogue Factor have shared a new 15-minute gameplay video for the action-adventure game, Hell is Us. This video provides new information on the game’s key features, from its narrative to its design features and combat system.

First 13 minutes of gameplay from Like a Dragon: Yakuza Pirate in Hawaii
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/first-13-minutes-of-gameplay-from-like-a-dragon-yakuza-pirate-in-hawaii/
IGN has shared a video, showcasing the first 13 minutes of gameplay from Like a Dragon: Yakuza Pirate in Hawaii. In this video, we get to see some cut-scenes, a couple of fights, and the first main location that players will be visiting.

Assetto Corsa EVO will hit Steam Early Access on January 16th
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/assetto-corsa-evo-will-hit-steam-early-access-on-january-16th/
505 Games and KUNOS Simulazioni have announced that Assetto Corsa EVO will release on Steam Early Access on January 16th. To celebrate this announcement, the teams have also shared a new in-game trailer that you can find below.
>> The article also lists the spec. requirements.

PC demo released for the Super Mario 3D World-like game, The Smurfs – Dreams
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/pc-demo-released-for-the-super-mario-3d-world-like-game-the-smurfs-dreams/
Microids has just released a demo for its Super Mario 3D World-like game, The Smurfs – Dreams. This demo will give a glimpse at what this new platformer is all about. So, make sure to get it.

First details for Lords of the Fallen 2 via leaked document
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/lords-of-the-fallen-2-may-be-exclusive-to-epic-games-store/
According to a leaked document, Lords of the Fallen 2 will be exclusive via Epic Games Store on PC. CI Games and Hexworks claim that Epic made a major investment to get exclusivity. Moreover, the game will be, once again, using Unreal Engine 5.

Tuesday news, part two:

Key Blizzard developers apparently tried for years to get a new Starcraft or Warcraft RTS off the ground, but execs had 'no appetite' for them
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/strategy/key-blizzard-developers-apparently-tried-for-years-to-get-a-new-starcraft-or-warcraft-rts-off-the-ground-but-execs-had-no-appetite-for-them/
Blizzard RTS fans haven't been having it great, since, as a studio, it doesn't seem to have much of an interest in strategy anymore, despite—as our own Fraser Brown put it while lamenting Spencer's t-shirt tease at the Tokyo Game Show, having established "the model for the RTS genre" back in the day.
Well, turns out there could've been a new Blizzard RTS game. There could've been multiple. There could've even been a Warcraft 4—but alas, Blizzard's executives didn't bite.

Death Stranding 2's lavish and slightly leery photo mode is what happens when Kojima has a big budget and no oversight
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/death-stranding-2s-lavish-and-slightly-leery-photo-mode-is-what-happens-when-kojima-has-a-big-budget-and-no-oversight/
Kojima Productions hosted a 90 minute panel at the Tokyo Game Show, during which Hideo Kojima and assorted guest stars introduced around eight minutes of new footage from the bonkers-looking Death Stranding 2: On the Beach. Among these was a glimpse at the upcoming game's photo mode, an incredibly lavish take on the idea that initially left me open-mouthed and then with an unmistakeably Hideo Kojima question: Is this genius manifest, or just ever-so-slightly creepy and weird? 

Starfield's Shattered Space patch fixes a modding restriction that could turn your game into a surrealist hellscape
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/starfields-shattered-space-patch-fixes-a-modding-restriction-that-could-turn-your-game-into-a-surrealist-hellscape/
Starfield's first story expansion arrives today: Shattered Space brings a bit of cosmic horror courtesy of those snake-worshipping space cultists we all know and love, and with it comes a fresh batch of fixes in the form of Starfield Update 1.14.70. Our Shattered Space review is on the way, but we've got patch notes to dig through in the meantime—including one particular fix that'll keep your mods from goofing up your game.

Finally, an online game shutting down the right way: Islands of Insight will close servers next month and 'permanently modify the game to be offline-only' so the promising puzzler can live on
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/puzzle/finally-an-online-game-shutting-down-the-right-way-islands-of-insights-will-close-servers-next-month-and-permanently-modify-the-game-to-be-offline-only-so-the-promising-puzzler-can-live-on/
I liked the shared-world puzzle game Islands of Insight quite a bit when it came out in 2023, and so did some of my PC Gamer compatriots. Alas, it wasn't able to find an audience, and today the Islands of Insight community team announced that, like so many other online games, the servers will be shut down at the end of August. But the good news is that even without remote servers, you'll be able to keep on playing.

'They are tearing each other apart like pulled pork': Minecraft players are shipping two of the creepiest mobs around after Minecraft Live
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/they-are-tearing-each-other-apart-like-pulled-pork-minecraft-players-are-shipping-two-of-the-creepiest-mobs-around-after-minecraft-live/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qnX6sPFjXnA&ab_channel=Minecraft">Minecraft Live 2024 has come and gone already, and unfortunately, it wasn't as exciting as previous years. The livestream was short and sweet, leaving out the mob vote and any big announcement of an upcoming major update, but there was a silver lining—a new biome and, with that, a new mob. 
(...)
As soon as I found out about the Creaking, I was horrified. It seems like Mojang is slowly but surely turning the once peaceful, creative survival game into some eldritch nightmare. First the Warden and now this, I may never know rest again. But it seems like I may be the only one who isn't happy to learn of the Creaking's existence. As is usually the case, the internet has taken this new creature and run with it in an oddly sweet yet typically cursed direction. 

Bethesda says it took cues from the best game in its history for Shattered Space, but it's not winning fans over to 'an already catatonic game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/bethesda-says-it-took-cues-from-the-best-game-in-its-history-for-shattered-space-but-its-not-winning-fans-over-to-an-already-catatonic-game/
(...)
The studio just released Starfield's first DLC, Shattered Space, and guess which game studio design director Emil Pagliarulo is namechecking in an interview with GamesRadar? The Elder Scrolls 3: Morrowind. Vindication, baby. This is a big day for irritating nerds everywhere. Kind of.
Shattered Space focuses on the ooky-spooky House Va'Ruun and its capital city of Dazra. Pagliarulo says that designing both meant pulling inspiration from the best game Bethesda's ever made: "Morrowind and its themes and overall vibe were a big inspiration," he told GR. 

Intel Panther Cove Cores Reportedly Bring Huge IPC Gains & APX Support

https://wccftech.com/intel-to-bring-big-ipc-uplifts-on-panther-cove-along-with-intel-apx-support/

NVIDIA App gains multi-monitor RTX HDR, driver rollbacks and G-Sync controls

https://videocardz.com/newz/nvidia-app-gains-multi-monitor-rtx-hdr-driver-rollbacks-and-g-sync-controls

Will be out of beta by the end of the year

AMD Fluid Motion Frames (AFMF) 2 is now part of the official Adrenalin driver

https://videocardz.com/newz/amd-fluid-motion-frames-afmf-2-is-now-part-of-the-official-adrenalin-driver

PlayStation Network is back online following a lengthy outage

https://www.theverge.com/2024/9/30/24258989/ps5-ps4-playstation-network-down-outage-offline

Reasons why we need to keep this garbage out of PC games. At the very least, single player games.

AMD-135 Is The Company’s First Small Language Model, Targets Speculative Decoding For Technological Progress

https://wccftech.com/amd-135-is-the-companys-first-small-language-model-targets-speculative-decoding-for-technological-progress/