Hey, look, it’s the Friday news!
SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS
This is a gentle reminder that the Humble Store is running its Black Friday Sale and may, or may not, have better deals than other stores: https://www.humblebundle.com/store/promo/humble-black-friday-2024/.
Fanatical is also running its Black Friday Sale, and also has 24h Flash Deals:
SOFTWARE & DRIVERS
The antitrust lawsuit against Steam is now a class action, and that could have big repercussions for Valve
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/the-antitrust-lawsuit-against-steam-is-now-a-class-action-and-that-could-have-big-repercussions-for-valve/
The antitrust lawsuit filed against Valve by Wolfire Games in 2022 has now been certified as a class action, and that could be a real headache for Valve. Instead of applying only to Wolfire (and Dark Catt Studios, which filed a separate antitrust lawsuit in 2021), the action will now apply to virtually anyone who's sold games on Steam since 2017.
Overgrowth developer Wolfire originally filed suit against Valve in April 2021, contending that Valve uses Steam's dominance in the PC gaming marketplace to suppress competition and extract an unfairly high cut of sales made through the store. The case was dismissed in November of the same year, but Wolfire was given 30 days to amend and refile its complaint, and so it did, bringing the case back to life in 2022. In July of that year, Wolfire's suit was combined with a similar antitrust lawsuit filed by Dark Catt.
The suit has ground on through various bits of legal wrangling since, but this latest decision is interesting because it broadens the action to include, well, just about everyone. The ruling (via GamesIndustry) certifies the class as "all persons or entities who, directly or through an agent, paid a commission to Valve in connection with the sale or use of a game on the Steam platform on or after January 28, 2017, and continuing through the present until the effects of its scheme are eliminated (the 'Class Period'), and where either (1) the person or entity was based in the United States and its territories or (2) the game was purchased or acquired by a United States-based consumer during the Class Period."
The "commission" would be Valve's cut on sales made through Steam, which starts at 30% and drops to 20% as sales increase. Valve defended the percentage as "industry standard" when Wolfire's lawsuit was first filed, but that's no longer the case: The Epic Games Store and Microsoft both take just 12% of sales made through their stores.
MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS
STALKER 2 Draw Distance Mod is a must for all high-end gamers
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/stalker-2-draw-distance-mod-is-a-must-for-all-high-end-gamers/
One of my biggest issues with STALKER 2’s visuals was the constant pop-ins of trees, grass, and objects. Even on its highest settings, the game had a very limited draw distance. As a result of that, a lot of objects appear right in front of you. It’s really awful. Thankfully, though, there is a mod that completely addresses this issue.
So, the mod I tried is called “MVT Trees and Grass LOD Tweak for 4090 users and QUALITY enjoyers”. This mod will significantly improve the draw distance of grass, vegetation, and trees. And, you know what? It actually works.
Thanks to this mod, I had very minimal pop-ins on sunny days. On rainy days, it was impossible to notice the pop-ins. Similarly, at night, everything feels great even when sprinting.
I cannot stress enough how important this mod is for all high-end PC owners of STALKER 2. While this does not match the quality of Nanite, it is miles better than what we got in the vanilla version. And although it comes with a performance hit, it is worth it. Seriously, this will make you better appreciate the big forests and the world that GSC GameWorld has created.
You can go ahead and download the mod from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find two videos. The first video shows the pop-in issues that can be easily noticed in the vanilla version. The second video shows the modded version which fixes those annoying issues.
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time Road To Great Fairy Remake in Unreal Engine 5.5 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-legend-of-zelda-ocarina-of-time-road-to-great-fairy-remake-in-unreal-engine-5-5-released/
YouTube’s ‘CryZENx’ has released a new version of his The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time Remake in Unreal Engine 5.5. This new version focuses on the Road to Great Fairy.
So, as the modder noted, the new demo starts where you ended the Ging Dodongo fight. So, after obtaining the red stone, players will now have to go to the Great Fairy to get the magic bar. And yes, in case you are wondering, the magic bar works the way it was meant to be used.
This is one of the best fan remakes of a classic game in UE5. Contrary to other fan remakes, this one has proper gameplay mechanics. As such, players can explore the environments and fight several enemies. They can also use their ocarina, break objects, collect items, and speak to NPCs. Not only that but this fan remake of this classic N64 Zelda game has in-engine cut-scenes and an inventory system.
Since the demo uses Unreal Engine 5.5, it also takes advantage of both Nanite and Lumen. From what I know, it also supports NVIDIA DLSS 3. Thus, owners of high-end RTX 40 series GPUs can enjoy it with high framerates.
>> The article has a 15 minutes video.
This Starfield Mod attempts to convert the Shattered Space DLC into a fully-fledged Star Wars story
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-starfield-mod-attempts-to-convert-the-shattered-space-dlc-into-a-fully-fledged-star-wars-story/
In August 2024, we shared the best Star Wars mod for Starfield. That mod attempted to make the base game feel like a Star Wars game. And today, we present you with a mod that attempts to convert the Shattered Space DLC into a fully-fledged Star Wars story.
Right now, the mod replaces all of the game’s armors and the Varuun enemies. It also replaces VaruunKai with Korriban, Dazra with Dreshdae and Dazra Outskirts with Valley of the Dark Lords. Plus, it changes various Shattered Space NPC outfits, as well as the loading screens.
In future versions, the modder promises to introduce story rewrites and revoices. There are also plans to bring Sith Temple Overhaul with bosses.
So, basically, in its current state, the mod changes the appearances of most characters. This by itself should be enough for most Star Wars fans. As for the story rewrites, I’m not sure whether we’ll get such an update. This feels too ambitious for just a single modder.
Anyway, you can download Star Wars – Sith Empire Shattered Space Conversion from this link. To install it, you’ll have to first install the Moff Gideon Armor, then the Sith Cultists Conversion, and then this mod. Needless to say, you’ll also need the Shattered Space DLC.
>> There are some screenshots in the article.
GAMING NEWS
Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 vs Real Life Video Comparison
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/microsoft-flight-simulator-2024-vs-real-life-video-comparison/
YouTube’s ‘ElAnalistaDeBits’ has shared a new interesting video. This video compares a lot of areas from Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 and 2020 with their real-life locations. And, as you will see, Flight Simulator 2024 is perhaps one of the most photorealistic games to date.
First STALKER 2 Update Released, Fixes Over 650 Issues, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/first-stalker-2-update-released-fixes-over-650-issues-full-patch-notes/
As promised, GSC GameWorld has released the first major title update for STALKER 2, and shared its full patch notes. This first update is 13.7GB in size on PC, so let’s see what it brings to the table.
Title Update 1.0.1 brings over 650 fixes. Among them are visual, gameplay, AI and quest fixes. So, let’s take a closer look at them.
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