2017    Say Hello to the New Ubisoft Swirl

Trust the science? Na. I say trust the memes.

Well, the 8800 is supposed to be between 7900XT and XTX in terms of raster performance with just 64CU. Going from this, I suspect that the 8600 will not quite reach 7700XT levels of performance, but won't be too far off, either.

Either way, the 8600 will be a dangerous foe for the new B580, as both are supposed to come with 12GB VRAM, but going by this the AMD card would be significantly faster than it's Intel counterpart as it should be at least 4060Ti in terms of performance

As much as I distrust MS, they are so far one of the bigger publishers on the planet that still have closer ties to PC gaming, so they could very well be likely to purchase the Anno/Settler franchise, but I feel they would also need to purchase BlueByte as well (there's no sense in buying the IP if you don't have the staff who help make the game good, and emulating what came before with new studios takes too much time, at least in this current era of gaming). 

This "shutting down" of Ubisoft and them choosing to go private so they can then gut themselves is the more logical conclusion than to simply be taken over outright and IP's scattered to random winds. My only hope is that when they do go private, they choose carefully for where their IP's go, so as to keep their legacies alive and well (A poor choice will just end up repeating Embracer's scenario, where the IP's get bought out and left to rot in some corner).

So far as it stands, MS really is one of the bigger players that could better benefit with more PC IP's to help strengthen it's ties with the platform. I don't see Valve buying them up, but if they did that would also be nice. Had MS not bought out Blizzard, I would have said they would be fitting, but seeing as how current day Blizz is both different and now owned by MS, that leaves only MS and Valve (I don't consider Epic even a choice, simply because they willingly cast off their PC mantle a long time ago when they chose to become more console focused). 

Given these rumours though, I do not have good faith nor trust in the Guilmont family. They have a history of being rather rash and making bad decisions, and their current focus seems more on preventing outright takeover/money than their actual legacy (which honestly should be more important if you want to be remembered for something, rather than becoming a blotted footnote in the pages of history). 

Ubishit selling their IPs can be a good and bad thing.

Imagine Assassin's Creed be given to EA of all devs lol



Speaking of Assassin's Creed, seems like they loaded trophies for Black Flag....which I finished earlier this year. They say you can sync trophies, we'll see.

The DLC is still broken I bet.

Its my favorite AC main gameplay wise but because of the DLC being broken and some content not loading - I had to give it a lower score.

Another day, another round of news:

SALES /PLAYER COUNT & DEALS

GOG has a new sale: the Slitherine Publisher Sale, with games up to 90% off during 5 days: https://www.gog.com/en/promo/20241210_slitherine_publisher_sale.

Steam has new deals:

• The Thief Simulator collection is 66% off. The individual games are on sale until the 19th, so it’s fair to assume this is also the case for the bundle: https://store.steampowered.com/bundle/35313/Thief_Simulator_collection/
• Publisher tinyBuild has launched its Everything Must Go Sale, with up to 80% discounts. It should last until December 17, but you should check it out, just in case: https://store.steampowered.com/developer/tinybuild/sale/everything
• The Kalypso Publisher Sale features up to 90% discounts and, in theory, will last until the 19th of December: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/KalypsoMediaPublisherSale2024

And Fanatical has been the fastest of the lot and has launched its Winter Sale, with up to 96% discounts. And that’s not all, because there’s also a new Star Deal: DRAGON BALL Z: KAKAROT Legendary Edition is going to be 79% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/dragon-ball-z-kakarot-legendary-edition.

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

-Empty-

MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

PSA: The creator of PoE's foremost loot filter released an experimental 'light filter' for Path of Exile 2, just in time to help sort all the freshly buffed loot drops
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/psa-the-creator-of-poes-foremost-loot-filter-released-an-experimental-light-filter-for-path-of-exile-2-just-in-time-to-help-sort-all-the-freshly-buffed-loot-drops/
Path of Exile is, in part, a game about comparing items. As we progress our character builds into the endgame and continue specializing our skill setups, stat and gear needs become more specific. Most melee characters won't need to bother with spell damage; DoT builds might skip over critical hit chance. Gradually, more and more items become irrelevant, unless they're providing—or can be made to provide—the narrowing set of modifiers a build relies on. With how much loot PoE throws at you, however, weighing the stats of every individual drop would leave you spending more time assessing items than actually playing the game.
Enter the loot filter. Back in 2015, Grinding Gear Games added built-in functionality to filter what items are displayed and highlighted as they tumble out of the countless thousands of slain goatfolk, helping players quickly identify useful items before they've even picked them up. Making your own loot filter can be an involved process, so a cottage industry of loot filter designers emerged, offering bespoke filters for players to install that highlight and emphasize the gear and currency drops that matter most.
Among the most popular PoE loot filter creators is NeverSink, whose filters for PoE 1 uses "over 500 different rules that highlight and hide items based on usefulness and value," which can be fine-tuned further to meet a player's specific criteria with the FilterBlade platform. While that existing filter isn't compatible with Path of Exile 2, NeverSink's already released an experimental PoE 2 "light filter", providing an initial, basic set of loot-highlighting features that'll gradually expand in functionality. It comes at a good time, because PoE 2 just boosted loot drops across the board.
>> There is no media of this “mod” that, by the way, is available from GitHub.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Demo in Unreal Engine 5.3 Released
https://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-elder-scrolls-iv-oblivion-demo-in-unreal-engine-5-3-released/
Now here is something really cool. Greg Coulthard has ported the entire map of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in Unreal Engine 5.3. This project lets you explore Oblivion with remastered graphics thanks to UE5. And yes, this project is currently available for download.
Going into more details, this project took the artist two months to complete. The landscape is rendered using Procedural Meshes with layer-painted textures as specified by the ESM and all assets are using Nanite.
Apart from the foliage, all the assets and textures are from the original game. For the lighting, the artist also used Ultra Dynamic Sky. This sky system is designed to be more dynamic and natural than most sky solutions.
Now what’s really cool here is that the C++ plugin he developed can also work with Skyrim, Fallout 3, Fallout New Vegas, Fallout 4, and even Starfield. So, in theory, it should be possible to get similar “remasters” for these titles in UE5.
According to Coulthard, an Intel I5 12400 with 64Gb RAM and an NVIDIA RTX 3060 can run this demo with 60FPS at 1080p. So, this should give you an idea of the performance hit you can expect from it.
You can go ahead and download the demo for The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion in Unreal Engine 5 from this link. Below you can also find two videos for it.
>> Keep in mind that what’s available is the map, the world of Oblivion. There’s nothing to do besides walking from one place to another.

Red Dead Redemption gets an RDR 2 makeover with Reality Redemption 3.0
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/red-dead-redemption-gets-an-rdr-2-makeover-with-reality-redemption-3-0/
If you're still scratching your stubbly chin about how a 14-year old game can come to Steam with a $50 price tag, then keep scratching, because we can't justify that for you. On the other hand, there's no question that since Red Dead Redemption landed on Steam a couple of months ago, PC has become the definitive way to play Rockstar's western classic (though apparently it's not half-bad on the Asus ROG Ally X either). And a big part of that is the fact that it can now be modded until the cows come home.
Modders have wasted no time in getting stuck in either, with 335 Red Dead Redemption mods available on Nexus Mods right now. By far the most popular and sweeping of these is the Reality Redemption Overhaul Project, which goes a long way to giving the game that 'RDR 2' feel. The mod has just entered its 3.0 iteration, which packs in nearly 4 GB worth of high-res textures and character models, as well as improved reflections, physics, draw distances, particle effects, and many many other improvements. It looks like it's received a Reshade too, with vibrant colours punctuating that iconic contrast of the high desert's coppery landscape with the blue skies above it. 
Looking at the pictures, it looks like a whole other proposition to the gristly game I played on the PlayStation 3 back in 2010.
The mod goes beyond just the graphics too, and makes various tweaks specifically aimed at bringing the original more in line with Red Dead 2. The camera behaviour has been adjusted to resemble the sequel's tighter, more cinematic perspective, and the weather system is in the process of being overhauled to be more dynamic, with improved time cycles, lighting, and cloud variations and shadows.
The minds behind Reality Redemption are seemingly far from done. The mod has a long to-do list, including a work-in-progress entry aimed at "Updating the game's lore with new textures, dialogue, and subtitles." Sounds great! Now, if Rockstar would just deign to cut Red Dead Redemption's PC price in half, then I might just be compelled to saddle up and revisit John Marston's stomping ground (and by that I don't mean his OnlyFans page) once more.
>> The article has one screenshot to showcase the improvements.

Can't wait for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2? Sink your teeth into the prequel mod instead
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/cant-wait-for-vampire-the-masquerade-bloodlines-2-sink-your-teeth-into-the-prequel-mod-instead/
I don't know what to make of Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines 2 any more. After all the delays and development resets the game's been through, the long-anticipated sequel has landed on an identity between Dishonored and an action-RPG. That sounds great and everything, though at this point I wouldn't be surprised if the game launches in as rough a state as Stalker 2, or indeed the original Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines.
Thankfully, whatever becomes of the troubled sequel, the original game is—after nearly two decades' worth of unofficial patches courtesy of modder Wesp5—still brilliant. It's got a great mod community too, and one of its most interesting projects of recent years has been VTMB Prelude, an episodic story that charts the events leading up to the first game. Our Andy Chalk spoke to the devs back in 2019 when the first episode of Prelude launched, but now you can dive into the Early Access build of episode two. 
The story sees you starting out as a human vampire hunter working for the Society of Leopold, a violently religious Inquisition-like faction dedicated to ridding the world of vampires, ghouls, and other supernatural entities. The first episode featured new levels, tons of dialogue, boss fights, and—from what I gather reading the community's feedback—a bit of a twist ending. The trailer for Prelude II shows off some lovely environmental work and level designs, and really reminds me just how ahead of its time Valve's Source Engine was. Those clean sharp geometries, the lovely lighting; it fills me with early 2000s nostalgia while still holding up beautifully.
Prelude is being developed by modders EntenSchreck and Hareishan, as well as Werner Spahl (aka Wesp5), whose Unofficial Patch for Vampire: The Masquerade – Bloodlines has turned the once-broken broken game into a complete and polished experience. The unofficial patch is pretty much a necessity to play the base game, and is also required to play Prelude.
>> The article has two screenshots and a short video.

GAMING NEWS

Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.2 Released, Full Patch Notes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/cyberpunk-2077-update-2-2-released-full-patch-notes/
CD Projekt RED has just released Title Update 2.2 for Cyberpunk 2077, and it has shared its full patch notes. According to the changelog, this new patch includes over 100 new customization options for V.

New Assassin’s Creed Shadows gameplay clips show off its combat mechanics
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/new-assassins-creed-shadows-gameplay-clips-show-off-its-combat-mechanics/
Ubisoft has shared a number of gameplay clips that showcase the combat mechanics of Assassin’s Creed Shadows. These clips will give you a glimpse at the different combat strategies and weapons that Yasuke and Naoe will have at their disposal.

Microsoft Flight Simulator Patch 1.2.7.0 Brings Over 800 Fixes
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/microsoft-flight-simulator-patch-1-2-7-0-brings-over-800-fixes/
Asobo has just released a new major update for Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 which packs over 800 fixes, tweaks and changes. So, let’s take a closer look at it.

Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 Patch 5.0 adds support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 & AMD FSR 3.0
https://www.dsogaming.com/patches/warhammer-40k-space-marine-2-patch-5-0-adds-support-for-nvidia-dlss-3-amd-fsr-3-0/
Saber Interactive has released Title Update 5.0 for Warhammer 40K: Space Marine 2 which adds support for NVIDIA DLSS 3 and AMD FSR 3.0 Frame Generation. As such, owners of NVIDIA, AMD and Intel GPUs can use Frame Generation to further boost their in-game performance.
>> But that’s far from the most important things the update brings.

STALKER-inspired FPS MMORPG, PIONER, gets new trailer
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/stalker-inspired-fps-mmorpg-pioner-gets-new-trailer/
GFA Games has released a brand new gameplay trailer for its upcoming STALKER-inspired first-person action MMORPG, PIONER. Moreover, the team launched the game’s Steam store page, revealing that it now targets a 2025 release date. So, let’s take a look at it, shall we?

The second part of the news:

Suicide Squad's fourth season will be its last, but the offline mode promised a year ago is finally here
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/suicide-squads-fourth-season-will-be-its-last-but-the-offline-mode-promised-a-year-ago-is-finally-here/
The end has finally come: Rocksteady has announced that Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League's fourth season will be its last. The good news for those who want to keep playing is that online functionality will continue to be available, and the long-awaited offline mode is finally here.
>> Now the question is what will happen to Rocksteady.

If you've got a passion for baking, gardening, or giving broken things a new lease on life the reveal trailer for Piece by Piece is bound to spark joy
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/if-youve-got-a-passion-for-baking-gardening-or-giving-broken-things-a-new-lease-of-life-the-reveal-trailer-for-piece-by-piece-is-bound-to-spark-joy/
If you love the satisfaction of renovating or repairing something broken, then Piece by Piece is worth keeping an eye on. I'm the sort of person who is quite clumsy with repairs. Usually, I'm satisfied with a slathering of superglue and an optimistic mindset, but there's something about Piece by Piece that tempts me to try particularly hard to breathe a new life into my repaired objects, and maybe I'll find a new passion and care for fixing while I embark on this journey.

In this cozy survival game you're a mouse who knits tiny wool sweaters, bakes pies for his friends, lives in a furnished tree trunk, and I can't even go on because it's so darn cute
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/in-this-cozy-survival-game-youre-a-mouse-who-knits-tiny-wool-sweaters-bakes-pies-for-his-friends-lives-in-a-furnished-tree-trunk-and-i-cant-even-go-on-because-its-so-darn-cute/
One of the reasons I love survival games is there's something inherently cozy about them. You may struggle and starve and bleed, but at the end of a long perilous day when you decompress in front of a fire with a belly full of food in a shelter that keeps out the cold and rain (and sometimes the monsters), what could possibly feel more safe or satisfying than that?
Fully embracing the coziness of survival is Winter Burrow, a survival game from Noodlecake and Pine Creek Games, where you're a tiny little mouse trying to make it through a harsh winter. It's hard to imagine a more cozy sight than a furry little mouse sitting on a comfy chair in its house inside a furnished tree trunk, knitting a woolen hat in front of a roaring fireplace, isn't it? Check out the trailer below, revealed today at the Wholesome Snack showcase.

Factorio, but cozy? Little Rocket Lab is a factory builder with plenty of Stardew Valley vibes
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/factorio-but-cozy-little-rocket-lab-is-a-factory-builder-with-plenty-of-stardew-valley-vibes/
You can do lots of great stuff in Stardew Valley: farming, mining, fishing, crafting, and romancing all the sexy singles—but can you build your own rocketship on the outskirts of town? Likewise, you can spend dozens of hours in Factorio making the automated assembly lines of your dreams, but can you also make friends with the cute librarian while fixing up a sleepy town?
Little Rocket Lab, from developer Teenage Astronauts and published by No More Robots, looks like the best of both worlds: a factory builder constructed inside a cozy life sim. Revealed today at Wholesome Snack, in Little Rocket Lab you'll step into the work boots of Morgan, an engineer who likes tinkering, helping out the locals, and has dreams of constructing her very own rocket ship.

I can finally finish Naiad two years after I played through its demo thanks to it shadow dropping during the Wholesome Snack showcase
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/i-can-finally-finish-naiad-two-years-after-i-played-through-its-demo-thanks-to-it-shadow-dropping-during-the-wholesome-snack-showcase/
I played a demo of Naiad back in 2022, so it's no wonder that I feel like it's been a long time since I've had an update on where this gorgeous minimalist adventure will take us next. But, to my utter surprise and slight disbelief, the game has finally been released during the Wholesome Snack showcase. At long last, I'll be able to finish my journey along the river, and frankly I'm stoked to know I didn't just make this game up during a feverish haze.
>> By now, you’ve probably realized that there was a games showcase yesterday.

Locomoto is worth checking out if you're all about trains, but I'm more excited about character customisation
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/locomoto-is-worth-checking-out-if-youre-all-about-trains-but-im-more-excited-about-character-customisation/
I've never had a particularly soft spot for train games, but after stumbling into Station to Station for hours on end I'm starting to feel pretty brushed up on my railway skills. Locomoto isn't the next railway simulation game, but it does let you complete the (arguably) best parts of any game involving a vehicle—driving, and decorating it.

My favourite idle farming simulator is getting a free new update including a traveling vendor, winter weather, and farmyard pets to lend a paw
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/my-favourite-idle-farming-simulator-is-getting-a-free-new-update-including-a-traveling-vendor-winter-weather-and-farmyard-pets-to-lend-a-paw/
Rusty's Retirement has happily sat at the bottom of my screen on my second monitor since it was released back in April. Even though I've poured hours of my life into farming simulators in the past and created spreadsheets to track profit margins and gift guides for my fellow townsfolk, one thing I adore most about Rusty's Retirement is how non-committal it is. I can easily just keep it running without having to worry about crops wilting between seasons, or severe weather ruining my land rather than being a cute visual addition.
But, as much as I love leaving my little robot farmer to till the soil and sow the seeds, Rusty's Retirement has been feeling a little samey recently.
Luckily, my beloved idle farming sim is getting a lavish new winter update today, as announced in the Wholesome Snack showcase. What's even better is that the update is free of charge so you'll be able to upgrade your farm yards with all new content without worrying about dipping into your gold stash. As shown in the reveal trailer below, elements like a winter map, new crops and animals, and a visiting vendor who sells "genetically modified crop upgrades" are being added as part of the game's Winter update

One of my favorite cozy adventure games just announced a sequel that I'm totally psyched for
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/adventure/one-of-my-favorite-cozy-adventure-games-just-announced-a-sequel-that-im-totally-psyched-for/
One of the best cozy games that I don't ever see enough people putting on their cozy GOAT lists is Toem, a black & white adventure game about completing a photography stamp book challenge. I never anticipated getting more of its silly charm but developer Something We Made has just announced the sequel, Toem 2, during the Wholesome Snack showcase and I am delighted.

People Can Fly lays off more than 120 employees as it cuts back on in-development games: 'We need to tailor our plans to our financial capacity'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/people-can-fly-lays-off-more-than-120-employees-as-it-cuts-back-on-in-development-games-we-need-to-tailor-our-plans-to-our-financial-capacity/
People Can Fly, the Polish developer of games including Bulletstorm, Gears of War: Judgment, and Outriders, has laid off more than 120 employees, a move the studio said was necessary "as external market pressures persisted beyond our forecasts."

Forget inheriting a dumpy old farm: your cool uncle left you a 'seaplane delivery service' in this open world life sim
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/life-sim/forget-inheriting-a-dumpy-old-farm-your-cool-uncle-left-you-a-seaplane-delivery-service-in-this-open-world-life-sim/
I've been playing a lot of Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 lately so I've got planes on my branes. That made Lou's Lagoon an instant "Yes please!" for me when I caught its gameplay trailer at today's Wholesome Snack showcase.
Instead of inheriting a dumpy old farm from a relative, as is so often the case in life sims, in Lou's Lagoon you're given a seaplane delivery service. Instead of chopping down trees you'll be soaring above them as you explore the islands of a colorful archipelago. I'm in!

And today there’s also a third part, thankfully short:

Doctor Strange mains are using portals to trick entire Marvel Rivals teams into jumping off a cliff
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/doctor-strange-mains-are-using-portals-to-trick-entire-marvel-rivals-teams-into-jumping-off-a-cliff/
My jaw hit the floor when a recent Marvel Rivals match began and half of my team immediately died. Seconds ago they'd been standing beside me, tagging the walls and emoting to pass the time. Now they were ragdolls flailing off a cliff.
They'd been Doctor Strange'd, I soon realized. Marvel Rivals' 33-hero launch roster is full of quirky abilities with unexpected use cases, but none pack as much comedic potential as Doctor Strange's "Pentagram of Farallah" portal spell.

Well, that's a new twist: save a town by turning it into a giant pinball game in open world adventure Pinbleton Park
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/well-thats-a-new-twist-save-a-town-by-turning-it-into-a-giant-pinball-table-in-open-world-adventure-pinbleton-park/
It's great to see that a game as old as pinball—which first appeared at least in some form way back in the 1700s—can still learn a few new tricks. In this case it's via Pinbleton Park, an open world adventure developed by Turtlesoup Games, where you don't need a pinball table to play pinball: you can use the world itself.

Delta Force says its USB drive ban was a 'translation error' and it won't shunt you to the shadowrealm for keeping a thumbstick plugged in
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/delta-force-says-its-usb-drive-ban-was-a-translation-error-and-it-wont-shunt-you-to-the-shadowrealm-for-keeping-a-thumbstick-plugged-in/
Good news, everyone: You don't have to safely eject your USB drives before playing Delta Force, despite what the game might have told you earlier. In a message to PC Gamer, developer Team Jade clarified that the original post was just a "translation error," and that USB drives are fine—it's what you put on them that could get you banned.

Prisma, an upcoming Persona-like indie JRPG, goes all multiverse theory by filling out your party with alternate versions of its camera-wielding protagonist
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/prisma-an-upcoming-persona-like-indie-jrpg-goes-all-multiverse-theory-by-filling-out-your-party-with-alternate-versions-of-its-camera-wielding-protagonist/
I recently had the pleasure of an early look at Prisma, an upcoming Persona-style RPG from the creators of Crisis Tales, which was an ambitious indie project with a big emphasis on time travel. While it didn't quite hit with our reviewer Alistair Jones at the time, I'm glad to see developer Dreams Uncorporated's back for another swing, because it's got something really interesting cooking.

Speaking as an Xbox fan.

Fuck Microsoft acquiring anymore major publishers after those layoffs.

But also Microsoft legally can't acquire Ubisoft so it's not worth entertaining, Lol.

I wonder if they could still buy IPs if not entire studios or the entire company.

They could, they only aren't allowed the cloud rights for ABK titles that they had to give to Ubisoft to get the ABK deal approved, so they could theoretically acquire studios or IPs but they aren't allowed the entity that owns the ABK cloud rights.