Friday gaming news, part two:

ZA/UM doesn't want 'to invite too many comparisons' to Disco Elysium with new game Zero Parades—'We didn't feel like we wanted to repeat our greatest hits'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/za-um-doesnt-want-to-invite-too-many-comparisons-to-disco-elysium-with-new-game-zero-parades-we-didnt-feel-like-we-wanted-to-repeat-our-greatest-hits/
Seven years on from Disco Elysium's release and we are once again getting a game with the ZA/UM studio name on it. Zero Parades is a CRPG spy thriller that—when I played its demo a few weeks ago—felt very Disco-Elysium-shaped indeed.
Which is weird, because when our Wes Fenlon chatted to principal writer Siim Sinamäe at this year's Game Developers Conference (GDC), he said the studio doesn't want "to invite too many comparisons" to its predecessor.

Subnautica 2 developer video reveals a 'brand new' base building system with some pretty fabulous windows
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/subnautica-2-developer-video-reveals-a-brand-new-base-building-system-with-some-pretty-fabulous-windows/
I loved Subnautica, and I could not have cared less about Subnautica's base-building. For me, it was all about exploration, discovery, the horrors of the black depths, and the sweet relief of escape to the warm, well-lit shallows. I built what I needed to get by, but honestly my base was utterly basic: As George Carlin put it, just a place to keep my stuff while I went out to get more stuff.
Apparently I'm in the minority in that regard, though, because Unknown Worlds' latest Subnautica 2 dev vlog is all about base building, and it's clear the team is putting a lot of effort into it—and based on the responses, fans are very happy about that.

Indie deckbuilder All Will Rise's dev joins No Games For Genocide boycott and plans to hand back funding it received from Microsoft
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/indie-deckbuilder-all-will-rises-dev-joins-no-games-for-genocide-boycott-and-plans-to-hand-back-funding-it-received-from-microsoft/
Indie deckbuilder All Will Rise is, as Andy Chalk wrote last year, "clearly a game with something to say". The deckbuilding RPG is particularly interested in the rich and powerful, and getting revenge on the billionaires destroying the world. It's deeply anti-capitalist and political, but developer Speculative Agency received funding from Microsoft, which puts it in an awkward position.

Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster, a hi-def update of the 2012 Silicon Studio classic, shadow-drops on Steam
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/rpg/bravely-default-flying-fairy-hd-remaster-a-hi-def-update-of-the-2012-silicon-studio-classic-shadow-drops-on-steam/
We said last year, while comparing the Steam Deck and Nintendo Switch 2, that one of the few advantages the Switch 2 has on the games front is exclusive access to Bravely Default Flying Fairy HD Remaster. Well, you can strike that one off the list, because it just shadow-dropped—out of nowhere, no warning, today, holy cow right now—on Steam.

Dave the Diver DLC adds a little Stardew Valley time management and relationship building to the formula when In the Jungle releases in June
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/action/dave-the-diver-dlc-adds-a-little-stardew-valley-time-management-and-relationship-building-to-the-formula-when-in-the-jungle-releases-in-june/
Dave the Diver will tread further into unfamiliar waters soon as the explorer and his friends set a date for the fishing RPG's next expansion. During today's Future Games Show Spring Showcase, Mintrocket announced that the In the Jungle DLC will release on June 18.
As Dave moves his operations to Utara—a jungle village nestled alongside a giant freshwater lake—life gets a bit more Stardew Valley-esque. Utara follows a real-time schedule, so task prioritization gets far more granular than Dave's earlier adventures allowed. Time management is more of a factor, meaning Dave will have to make extra effort to juggle new villager sidequests, minigames, and other activities in Utara.

Marathon got deadlier overnight, and some think yesterday's sound change is the culprit
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/marathon-got-deadlier-overnight-and-some-think-yesterdays-sound-change-is-the-culprit/
Did anyone else just have an off night in Marathon? Mine was a bloodbath: nonstop fights, third-party ambushes, and sneaky Assassin solos sending me back to the menu. While I'm happy to chalk that up to the random nature of competitive FPSes, matchmaking working itself out, and generally not being good at Marathon, I hadn't considered that the uptick in intensity could be related to this week's patch.

Shadowstone, the new game from Secret Door and Dreamhaven, kicks off a surprise public playtest at the Future Games Show Spring Showcase
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/roguelike/shadowstone-the-new-game-from-secret-door-and-dreamhaven-kicks-off-a-surprise-public-playtest-at-the-future-games-show-spring-showcase/
Shadowstone, the Sunderfolk spinoff announced in February by Secret Door and Dreamhaven, has kicked off a public playtest that's set to run until the game launches into early access.

Fortnite players revolt over V-Bucks changes as Epic devs appeal for calm: 'Paying the bills frees up our teams to continue driving stories and building stuff you love'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/battle-royale/fortnite-players-revolt-over-v-bucks-changes-as-epic-devs-appeal-for-calm-paying-the-bills-frees-up-our-teams-to-continue-driving-stories-and-building-stuff-you-love/
Fortnite announced this week that V-Bucks—the last remaining currency with any goddamn dependability around here—are about to get more expensive. "The cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot and we’re raising prices to help pay the bills," said Epic.
I'm not a Fortniter (no reflexes at my age, you see), but given the size of the game, my assumption is this news had an economic impact roughly equivalent to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz.
Anyway, you might be surprised to hear the announcement didn't exactly wash with fans, who seem remarkably unfazed by Epic Games' rising gas bill and what-have-you. The community reaction was immediate, dramatic, and decidedly unthrilled at the notion of spending the same amount of money to get fewer V-Bucks. Some cancelled their Fortnite Crew subs (the Crew grant now only totals 800 V-Bucks, as opposed to 1,000), some vented on social media, some are attempting to organise a boycott under the slogan "You cut our V-Bucks. We cut your funding."

2 years after its announcement, FF14's monster-taming Beastmaster job finally arrives this year, along with what looks like a Slay the Spire-esque roguelike mode
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/mmo/2-years-after-its-announcement-ff14s-monster-taming-beastmaster-job-finally-arrives-this-year-along-with-what-looks-like-a-slay-the-spire-esque-roguelike-mode/
Final Fantasy 14's next big patch, 7.5, will be dropping next month—and in subsequent updates will be adding Beastmaster to the game. Players have been waiting a long time for this'un. Given Square's propensity to announce almost everything in an expansion before its launch, we've known about Beastmaster since (checks notes) two entire years ago. Twelve forfend.
Some more details were announced in today's live letter, and it's a doozy (thanks to the Final Fantasy XIV Discord server for the fan translation).

And here’s the third part:

Arc Raiders received 'substantial negative PvP sentiment' during testing, causing the devs to second-guess its big pivot before realising it was really frustration with weapons and matchmaking
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/third-person-shooter/arc-raiders-received-substantial-negative-pvp-sentiment-during-testing-causing-the-devs-to-second-guess-its-big-pivot-before-realising-it-was-really-frustration-with-weapons-and-matchmaking/
>> This comes from a GDC talk that has left not one (link), but two (link) more articles.

Europe's game rating agency takes aim at in-app purchases, loot boxes, and 'unrestricted communication' with new 'interactive risk categories'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/europes-game-rating-agency-takes-aim-at-in-app-purchases-loot-boxes-and-unrestricted-communication-with-new-interactive-risk-categories/

WoW's questing system was inspired by a playtest that didn't work out as planned, because the testers didn't play MMOs and had no idea what they were supposed to do: 'I ran out of quests right away!'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/world-of-warcraft/wows-questing-system-was-inspired-by-a-playtest-that-didnt-work-out-as-planned-because-the-testers-didnt-play-mmos-and-had-no-idea-what-they-were-supposed-to-do-i-ran-out-of-quests-right-away/

Company that makes generative AI-powered NPCs reports that 95% of players enjoy their generative AI-powered NPCs
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/ai/company-that-makes-generative-ai-powered-npcs-reports-that-95-percent-of-players-enjoy-their-generative-ai-powered-npcs/

Vin Diesel's character in Ark 2 was originally written as a nerd: 'Yeah, that ain't gonna work'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/survival-crafting/vin-diesels-character-in-ark-2-was-originally-written-as-a-nerd-yeah-that-aint-gonna-work/

Blizzard vet Rob Pardo closed this year's GDC keynote by urging executives to cool it with the layoffs: 'The game team is more valuable than the game itself'
https://www.pcgamer.com/gaming-industry/blizzard-vet-rob-pardo-closed-this-years-gdc-keynote-by-urging-executives-to-cool-it-with-the-layoffs-the-game-team-is-more-valuable-than-the-game-itself/

Over 48% of unreleased games have a Discord server, and I'm sure this is all fine and normal and I don't miss forums at all
https://www.pcgamer.com/software/over-48-percent-of-unreleased-games-have-a-discord-server-and-im-sure-this-is-all-fine-and-normal-and-i-dont-miss-forums-at-all/

Former Overwatch director Jeff Kaplan's favorite hero is Reinhardt, and reveals his charge was inspired by Left 4 Dead 2: 'It's what separates a great Rein from a sh*tty one'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/former-overwatch-director-jeff-kaplans-favorite-hero-is-reinhardt-and-reveals-his-charge-was-inspired-by-left-4-dead-2-its-what-separates-a-great-rein-from-a-sh-tty-one/

'It was supposed to be the greatest time ever': Jeff Kaplan only got 6 weeks to come up with and pitch Overwatch: 'We were probably the most demoralised we'd ever been'
https://www.pcgamer.com/games/fps/it-was-supposed-to-be-the-greatest-time-ever-jeff-kaplan-only-got-6-weeks-to-come-up-with-and-pitch-overwatch-we-were-probably-the-most-demoralised-wed-ever-been/

And now, let’s check the weekend deals at Steam:

+Steam

• while True: learn() will be 40% off until the 16th of March: https://store.steampowered.com/app/619150/while_True_learn/
• MIMESIS , still in Early Access, will hav a 25% discount until the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2827200/MIMESIS/
• Teardown is going to be 50% off until March 19: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1167630/Teardown/
• Atomfall will also have a 50% discount until the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/801800/Atomfall/
• Victoria 3 will be 70% off until March, the 19th: https://store.steampowered.com/app/529340/Victoria_3/
• And now I’d post the new sales/events but ,surprise, surprise, they’ve decided to wait for the weekend to launch a bunch of them. From publisher Sales (THQ Nordic, Square-Enix, Funcom, Yogscast, Devolver and EA), to Special Events (Future Games Show and the Tokyo Indie Games Summit) or other (Relaxing Event or “Computer Worlds”). If you want to learn more, check the events page: https://store.steampowered.com/news/collection/sales/

And just like that, we’ve reached the end of this week of gaming news. Until the next one, I wish you a happy and gaming weeekend.

I thought this would like like LG's IPS, that only monitors using LG panels can use the term as it belongs to LG, but it turns out that it's worse than that.

The ruling seems fair, and it now remains to be seen what TCL does. 

People still use their Vision Pros?

To be clear, it's 1Mx compared to where we've been, so it's only 100x from where we're now. That's still very impressive of course, and I'm not sure we need more than that for affordable path tracing. It'll be interesting to see where we go from there though, because path tracing is supposedly practically photorealism (at least if done properly and not twisted by artistic choices, for better or worse).

 @bold Hopefully to some sort of volumetric world representation, instead of polygonal shells that are still dominating. This will solve both lighting and physics a the same time. But for that to happen, someone has to be bold enough to introduce hardware blocks into GPUs that are optimized for such tasks.

Microsoft will have integrated copiliot on its next PC (oh sorry, I mean Xbox). Sounds hideous, I swear Microsoft said they were going to dial back on AI. Actually, it is coming this year in 2026.