The news:

SALES/PLAYER COUNTS & DEALS

Steam has three new deals/sales:

• Hidden Through Time 2: Myths & Magic wil be 50% off until the 25th of February: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2304640/Hidden_Through_Time_2_Myths__Magic/
• The I3 Indie Expo has upcoming games, demos and discounts. The up to 40% discounts vary in length, with some ending in three days while others will last until March 3: https://store.steampowered.com/curator/40257677/sale/I3IndieExpo
• And D3PUBLISHER puts its games on sale with up to 85% discounts until the 4th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/sale/D3P2025

Fanatical

• The new Star Deal is The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition, 77% off during 24 hours: https://www.fanatical.com/en/game/the-elder-scrolls-v-skyrim-anniversary-edition
• The VIP Mystery Bundle features three unknown games to grab: https://www.fanatical.com/en/bundle/vip-mystery-bundle

SOFTWARE & DRIVERS

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MODS, EMULATORS & FAN PROJECTS

This GTA 5 mod improves the material & texture relief of all roads
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/this-gta-5-mod-improves-the-material-texture-relief-of-all-roads/
Modder ‘Alex Hornet’ has released a new Texture Pack for GTA5 that improves the material and texture relief of all roads. This is a simple yet important mod for everyone who plans to replay this old GTA game.
Going into more details, PC gamers can expect new smooth road textures, as well as better road normal maps and LODs. The pack is around 1.7GB in size, and you can download it from this link. At the end of the article, you can also find a video for it. So, make sure to watch it as it can give you a pretty good idea of what you can expect from it.
For those wondering, there is still no word when we’ll get the Next-Gen Console features of GTA5. In September 2024, Rockstar announced those plans. However, after almost half a year, we still don’t know when this will happen. The biggest graphical feature of the next-gen console version is, obviously, ray tracing. PS5 and Xbox Series X support Ray Tracing for reflections and shadows. So, let’s hope that among them, we’ll also get native support for NVIDIA DLSS and AMD FSR.
>> There’s a two minutes video.

Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 Just Got New 4K Texture Packs
https://www.dsogaming.com/mods/kingdom-come-deliverance-2-just-got-a-new-4k-texture-pack/
Modder ‘CHECKER90’ has released a must-have 4K Texture Pack for Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 that overhauls its environments. With this pack, you will get better textures for vegetation, rocks, mud and most terrain surfaces. As such, I highly recommend getting it.
Going into more details, this pack focuses on improving textures and materials across various surfaces, including ceramic, metals, rocks, terrain, and more. As the modder has noted, significant attention has been given to small details such as footprints, tree textures, certain plants, and other landscape elements.
The 4K version of this mod is 1.3GB in size and you can download it from this link. You can also find a 2K version of it (in case your GPU does not have enough VRAM to handle the 4K version).
>> The article has some comparison screenshots.

Good boy modders fix Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's worst issue—all the dog treats rolling away when you're trying to feed Mutt
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/good-boy-modders-fix-kingdom-come-deliverance-2s-worst-issue-all-the-dog-treats-rolling-away-when-youre-trying-to-feed-mutt/
Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is a very good videogame, fatally undermined by a single flaw. That flaw being that damn near every bit of dried meat you try to give your dog as a treat ends up rolling off into the horizon if you try to feed him on any kind of incline whatsoever. You really feel for the poor hound—subjected to a constant gamut of psychological warfare from a seemingly sadistic owner forcing him to watch infinite meat scraps disappear into the realm of the impossible.
It happened constantly in my own playthrough, and I felt bad about it every time. Well, it's a problem that modders have finally turned their hand to, now they've finished removing the horse drinking sounds and turning the buckets slightly green. An enterprising creator named Fatwalrus has made the prosaically titled Dried Meat—Sausages, which solves the game's most pressing issue by, yeah, turning all the dried meat into sausages.
You might think that sausages are just as prone to rolling as the game's ordinary bags of dried meat, but this is because you lack an appreciation for the precise contours of Bohemia's pork. They turn up a little at the end, you see, thus preventing them from rolling away even if you happen to drop them on a gentle slope like some kind of fool.
>> There’s one screenshot, but it doesn’t show much.

Valve releases 'Team Fortress 2 SDK,' enabling creators to 'build completely new games based on TF2'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/valve-releases-team-fortress-2-sdk-enabling-creators-to-build-completely-new-games-based-on-tf2/
It took almost 20 years, but Team Fortress 2, the team-based FPS that changed a great many lives when it debuted in 2007, now has an SDK that Valve says will enable creators "to build completely new games based on TF2."
The Team Fortress 2 SDK is actually a "massive update" to the Source SDK that adds all of the client and server game code, which opens the doors to pretty much anything. "Unlike the Steam Workshop or local content mods, this SDK gives mod makers the ability to change, extend or rewrite TF2, making anything from small tweaks to complete conversions possible," Valve wrote.
A non-commercial license granted to users means mods made with the SDK can be published on Steam, but must be free, as must all content included in any mods. Acknowledging that the majority of inventory items in Team Fortress 2 are now made by the TF2 community, Valve also encouraged mod makers to avoid making mods "that have the purpose of trying to profit off Workshop contributors' efforts."

GAMING NEWS

Here are 15 minutes of new gameplay from Crimson Desert
https://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-are-15-minutes-of-new-gameplay-from-crimson-desert/
YouTube’s ‘That’s Gaming’ has shared a video, showcasing 15 minutes of new gameplay footage from Crimson Desert. This video shows off a fight with Staglord and packs a few minutes of pure world exploration.

Wednesday news, part two:

Blockchain-based space survival MMO EVE Frontier has a free trial running, with CCP hoping you'll take a chance on its 20,000 star systems, more tactical combat, and 'dark sci-fi Pinocchio story'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/blockchain-based-space-survival-mmo-eve-frontier-has-a-free-trial-running-with-ccp-hoping-youll-take-a-chance-on-its-20-000-star-systems-more-tactical-combat-and-dark-sci-fi-pinocchio-story/
In an expanded documentary produced in collaboration with PC Gamer, CCP Games is providing a deeper look at the hardcore space survival MMO EVE Frontier after its showing at the 2024 PC Gaming Show: Most Wanted. This more unforgiving and zoomed-in sister game to EVE Online is also in the middle of a 10-day free trial of its closed alpha, allowing players to try it out for themselves without committing to an early access founder pack until February 24.

Epic sues Fortnite cheater, donates his winnings to charity, forces him to publicly apologise, bans him for life, and all but sends him to his room without dinner
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/epic-sues-fortnite-cheater-donates-his-winnings-to-charity-forces-him-to-publicly-apologise-bans-him-for-life-and-all-but-sends-him-to-his-room-without-dinner/
Epic has settled with a dirty rotten cheater who made off with a chunk of cash from the 2023 Fortnite Championship Series, making them return the prize and post an apology video to their YoutTube channel. Sadly the player in question, who in a bout of nominative determinism goes by the handle Morgan 'RepulseGod' Bamford, didn't have the stones to deliver their apology in-person, choosing instead to post a 15-second video of text that reads:
>> You’ll have to check the article to see what it says.

Marvel Rivals is changing how the battlepass works so it's easier to grind-out currency for skins: 'Crazy good for people that play the game a lot'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/marvel-rivals-is-changing-how-the-battlepass-works-to-so-its-easier-to-grind-out-currency-for-skins-crazy-good-for-people-that-play-the-game-a-lot/
NetEase has released a new dev update for Marvel Rivals, and it's good news for the grind. The free-to-play hero shooter currently has three different currencies: Chrono tokens, gold lattice, and blue units. Chrono tokens are a battlepass-exclusive currency earned as you progress and can be used to buy skins and various other cosmetics on that battle pass. For months players have complained that, once the battle pass is complete, you just earn more Chrono tokens but have nothing to spend them on.
(...)
From season 1.5 players "can convert those excess Chrono Tokens into Units. If you purchase the Luxury Battle Pass and redeem all its rewards, you’ll be able to convert any leftover Chrono Tokens for Units at a specific ratio."
>> More good news: Blade is coming to the game.

NetEase confirms Marvel Rivals layoffs, says cuts were made 'to optimize development efficiency for the game'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/just-couldnt-dodge-that-big-boot-i-guess-no-matter-how-big-the-success-of-the-gig-marvel-rivals-developers-in-the-us-say-netease-just-laid-off-their-whole-team/
Marvel Rivals is a big hit—the first real challenger to the long-time hero shooter big dog Overwatch. Yet amidst that success, with more than 200,000 people playing on Steam alone right now, NetEase game director Thaddeus Sasser says the Marvel Rivals development team in the US has been laid off.
Recent updates
NetEase has now confirmed the layoffs of Marvel Rivals developers in a statement provided to PC Gamer.

You know the drill: Avowed's default waypoint and UI settings are way too handholdy, so you should change them ASAP
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/you-know-the-drill-avoweds-default-waypoint-and-ui-settings-are-way-too-handholdy-so-you-should-change-them-asap/
There's a sweet spot between Dark Forces/Marathon Infinity "what the hell am I supposed to do next" level design and handholdy objective tracking that might as well just play the game for you. Avowed doesn't nail that sweet spot out of the box, but thanks to a robust settings and accessibility menu, it can be customized into something more old-school. Here's a quick breakdown of the settings I toggled to strike a good balance, all found under Settings, UI when you pause the game:

Relic's new project is a 'smaller indie-style' game about a martian invasion of Earth
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rts/relics-new-project-is-a-smaller-indie-style-game-about-a-martian-invasion-of-earth/
Earth vs Mars is a new RTS in development at Relic, but unlike the studio's big Company of Heroes and Dawn of War games, this one is a "smaller indie-style" game being made under its Relic Labs label, which aims to "explore new sub-genres, experiment, get our creative juices going, and release games more frequently."

Exploit asteroids for resources using automated mining equipment as they hurtle through your space-claim in Astronomics
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/sim/exploit-asteroids-for-resources-using-automated-mining-equipment-as-they-hurtle-through-your-space-claim-in-astronomics/
Earth. It's a great place to live, as far as you know. You've never been there, but all you have to do is earn a quick 600 million bucks and you'll be guaranteed your own little residence on that big blue marble.
That's gonna take a while because it turns out space-capitalism is even harsher than regular capitalism. As an asteroid miner in Astronomics, which is now in early access on Steam, the precious resources you collect from mining space rocks will make massive profits for the Cube Corporation, but you'll receive only the tiniest sliver of the profits.

Just Cause creator's new studio announces 'incredibly difficult' layoffs while still working on its first game
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/just-cause-creators-new-studio-announces-incredibly-difficult-layoffs-while-still-working-on-its-first-game/
It just wouldn't be a day in the games industry without some dispiriting news about layoffs, would it? This time the company cutting back on staff is Liquid Swords, the studio founded by Christofer Sundberg, formerly Chief Creative Officer at Avalanche Studios and creator of the Just Cause series.
In a statement (via Game Developer), Sundberg explained that Liquid Swords was founded in 2020 with the intent "to build a studio redefining game development with a small, expert-driven team and a sustainable work model." Yet while he claims the company achieved "much" of this goal, "shifting market conditions prevented us from succeeding in our timeframe." Consequently, Liquid Swords has made the "incredibly difficult" decision to "part ways with talented individuals who have been instrumental in our journey."

Overwatch 2's new competitive season is as chaotic as ever, thanks to the new perk system, but it's still a huge step in the right direction
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/overwatch-2s-new-competitive-season-is-as-chaotic-as-ever-thanks-to-the-new-perk-system-but-its-still-a-huge-step-in-the-right-direction/
Overwatch 2's Season 16 began last night, and with it came a load of new features like perks and loot boxes, changes to the UI, and a rank reset. It's a big update for the start of the season, but one that was very much needed thanks to the new competition that Marvel Rivals has brought.

Choo choo, here comes Monster Train 2: One of our favorite deckbuilders is getting a sequel and you can play a demo today
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/card-games/choo-choo-here-comes-monster-train-2-one-of-our-favorite-deckbuilders-is-getting-a-sequel-and-you-can-play-a-demo-today/
The first Monster Train had great timing: It pulled into Steam a few months after Slay the Spire left early access, which was right when I was ready for a break from spire slaying, but was still in the mood for roguelike deckbuilding. And it was a lot of fun.
Five years later, history might repeat itself: Slay the Spire 2 was announced last year and is set to release sometime this year, and now Monster Train 2 has been announced and is also releasing sometime in 2025.

There’s another article, but this one is more for pointing at and laughing:

Amazon apparently thought it was gonna compete with Steam since the Orange Box, but Prime Gaming's former VP admits that 'gamers already had the solution to their problems'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/amazon-apparently-thought-it-was-gonna-compete-with-steam-since-the-orange-box-but-prime-gamings-former-vp-admits-that-gamers-already-had-the-solution-to-their-problems/
I will never understand, dear reader, why we keep running into this baffling issue of Valve (and PC gaming in general) being underestimated. Starting at its roots, when basically no-one thought it'd work as a distribution platform—and extending into the modern age. Ethan Evans, who was the former Vice President of Prime Gaming at Amazon until 2020, took to LinkedIn recently to share his wisdom as to why the giant never toppled Valve. And, uh, basically, they thought they could just throw money at the problem.
Alright, I'm being glib here—and hindsight is 20/20—but reading through this explanation has me saying 'no doy' like it's my new catchphrase. Evans is at least being a little self-reflective, though: "As VP of Prime Gaming at Amazon, we failed multiple times to disrupt the game platform Steam. We were at least 250x bigger, and we tried everything. But ultimately, Goliath lost.
"The 15+ year long attempt to challenge Steam started before I was VP of Prime Gaming, but we never cracked the code." He then maps out the timeline. First, an ill-fated attempt at making Reflexive Entertainment's online store a thing in 2009: "It went nowhere." Then, an attempt to make a game store after buying Twitch: "Our assumption was that gamers would naturally buy from us because they were already using Twitch. Wrong." Lastly, "Luna", a cloud gaming app that I literally hadn't heard of until this point. "The whole time, Steam dominated despite being a relatively small company (compared to Amazon and Google)." Thorn, meet side.

Some people are speculating that Intel could be broken up within a year.

As the rumor goes, it should divest of Altera in the coming weeks, and then eventually be acquired by Broadcom and TSMC.

So, what's the veredict for the 5070Ti?

From what I've seen, it's roughly on par with the 4080/4080S, faster in some games/resolutions, slower in others. Not a mindblowing upgrade, especially if you compare it to the 4070Ti Super, but it's a bigger jump than the 5080.

At $750, it's supposed to be an ok-ish card (I'm still not used to see xx70 cards that expensive), but anything over that and it loses much, if not all, its appeal.

By the way, it's both funny and sad how some reviews, mostly from youtube channels, mention AMD, asking for them to bring some common sense and competition... only to follow that by saying that they don't believe that because AMD has screwed things up too many times.

If AMD pays attention to reviews, which someone at AMD will, I hope the message gets past to the higher ups and don't mess up this chance.

It would be weird to see an US company being split and sold, in part, to a foreign company when the current US administration is so "patriotic".

Anyway, we'll see how it goes. But it it happens, it will be impressive how the mighty Intel fell so hard and so fast.

They could claim it is not a purchase, but an "investment," the same as the U.S. Steel buyout. Nothing like doublespeak.

GN says do not buy, HU is in a similar boat, as is Linus, so...

The performance uplift is only 7-12% in Raster and even less in RT compared to the 4070Ti Super, so very disappointing. And the MSRP is just for show, expect pricings to be closer to the 4080 Super than anywhere close to 4070Ti Super, let alone below it.

The performance for the msrp is good but majority of the cards are inflated at $900-$1000 prices which is not worth it. If the price was actually at $750-$800, it would certainly be worth buying since it's essentially 4080 performance for $250 less but that is not the case currently.

The question really is how the 9070 XT will perform and it's price. The balls in Radeons court and it's up to them to make Nvidia's prices not look good.

If it were actually a $750 card it would be okay but since it's really a $900+ card don't bother.

They all say to not buy it above MSRP, not to not buy it at all. Sadly, we all know too well that there'll be next to no stock of cards at official price and that they'll last nothing, being replaced by the more expensive siblings.

And yes, if you compare it to the 4070Ti Spuer, the jump isn't all that big, but it still puts it in the ballpark of the 4080, which is the least it could to, to match or top the peformance of the card one tier above it in the last gen. The 5080 couldn't even manage that.

With the 5070Ti and the 4080 so close in performance, it almost feels like Nvidia could have saved time and money and just rebrand the older GPU with the price cut.

The ball being on AMD isn't reassuring at all. They're not good jugglers. And price only matters relative to the performance. If the 6070XT performs like the 5070Ti at the same $750, it'll be perceived as bad value, but if by some miracle it performs like a 5080 (which it won't), then it will be great value and will put Nvidia to shame.

But whatever, we'll see what AMD has planned in 8/9 days and what happens after that.