Another week, another edition of the news!

SALES & "SALES"/DEALS

Steam's Top 10

1. PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
2. Subnautica
3. DRAGON BALL FighterZ
4. DRAGON BALL FighterZ
5. Total War: WARHAMMER II - Rise of the Tomb Kings
6. Slay the Spire
7. Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
8. ELEAGUE 2018 Boston CS:GO Major Championship Mega Bundle
9. Human: Fall Flat
10. My Time At Portia

Get Doom for $10 in Fanatical's weekend special
http://www.pcgamer.com/get-doom-for-10-in-fanaticals-weekend-special/
If you haven't got around to playing the new(ish) Doom yet, now would be a good time to trip over to Fanatical, which has kicked off a Bethesda Softworks sale that, for the next 48 hours, includes the 2016 reboot for just $10.

>>They seem to have extended the sale, as it finishes in 4 days.

And now let's see GOG:

• The jRPG sale is still going on, and will last another couple of days: https://www.gog.com/promo/20180124_jrpg_sale
• The weekly sale, dubbed "I CAME FOR THE EXPERIENCE" features games as Tacoma, Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons, Transistor, up to 90% off: https://www.gog.com/promo/20180129_weekly_sale

SOFTWARE

CI Games completely removes Denuvo from Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3, does not improve performance at all
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/ci-games-completely-removes-denuvo-from-sniper-ghost-warrior-3-does-not-improve-performance-at-all/
In an interesting turn of events, CI Games has completely removed Denuvo from Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3. Now as you may be aware, a lot of gamers still believe that Denuvo introduces a big performance hit in games, even though we’ve already seen a number of Denuvo-powered titles performing extremely well. Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain, Injustice 2, Mad Max and DOOM are four great examples. As such, we’ve decided to re-test the latest Denuvo-free version of Sniper: Ghost Warrior 3.
Let’s start with some good news; the loading times have been reduced significantly. (...)Unfortunately, though, the game still suffers from major performance issues.

Valve appeals $2.4 million Australian lawsuit loss
http://www.pcgamer.com/valve-appeals-24-million-australian-lawsuit-loss/
The lack of a refund policy on Steam prior to 2015 resulted in a $2.4 million fine against Valve, arising from a lawsuit filed in 2014 by Australia's Competition and Consumer Commission. Valve appealed the decision, but the fine was upheld. So Valve took the natural next step, and appealed again.

MODS/EMULATORS

Prey Real Lights plus Ultra Graphics mod removes low polygon LODs & textures, optimizes performance
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/prey-real-lights-plus-ultra-graphics-mod-removes-low-polygon-lods-textures-optimizes-performance/
Our reader ‘jmx777’ has released a brand new version of his Real Lights plus Ultra Graphics mod for PREY. This new version removes the low polygon LODs and textures for several specific objects and mimics, adds more parts of operators when they explode and optimizes the mod variables in order to offer better performance (5-10 fps depending on the setup) without any visual differences.

>>Interested? Download it from Nexus Mods.

Duke Nukem 3D turns 22 years old and here are some of its greatest mods
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/duke-nukem-3d-turns-22-years-old-and-here-are-some-of-its-greatest-mods/
On January 29th, 1996, 3D Realms released the shareware version of its classic first-person shooter, Duke Nukem 3D. Duke Nukem 3D is one of the best shooters released, featuring some clever one-liners that were voiced by Jon St. John. And in order to celebrate Duke’s 22nd birthday, we are presenting you some of its greatest mods.

Mass Effect 2 is now 8 years old and here are some of the greatest mods that you can install for it
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/mass-effect-2-is-now-8-years-old-and-here-are-some-of-the-greatest-mods-that-you-can-install-for-it/
On January 28th, 2010, Electronic Arts released Mass Effect 2. A lot of people consider Mass Effect 2 to be the best part of the series and since the game has just turned eight years old, we’ve decided to celebrate it by sharing some must-have mods for it so that players can re-experience it.

Vita3K is an open-source Playstation Vita emulator that already runs some homebrew
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/vita3k-is-an-open-source-playstation-vita-emulator-that-already-runs-some-homebrew/
Playstation Vita is Sony’s latest handheld and an emulator is currently under development for it. According to its description, Vita3K is an open-source PSVita emulator for Windows and MacOS. At the moment, Vita3K runs a few homebrew programs in .vpk format, though no commercial games are as of yet playable.

GAMING NEWS

Valve’s official Facebook page: “We’re also still making games”
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/valves-official-facebook-page-were-also-still-making-games/
Now here is something interesting. The official Facebook page of Valve Software has just posted, stating that the company is still making games. While Valve did not reveal any additional details, we strongly suggest tempering your expectations.

Epic’s Paragon is going down, to be shut down on April 26th
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/epics-paragon-is-going-down-to-be-shut-down-on-april-26th/
Remember Paragon? You know, Epic Games’ MOBA game that featured some incredible character models in its teaser trailers, showcasing the visuals that Unreal Engine 4 can achieve? Well, Epic Games will be shutting it down on April 26th as it cannot grow it into a MOBA that retains enough players to be sustainable.

>>Shikamo made a thread about it.

The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is coming to Steam on February 14th
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/the-legend-of-heroes-trails-of-cold-steel-ii-is-coming-to-steam-on-february-14th/
XSEED Games has announced that The Legend of Heroes: Trails of Cold Steel II is coming to Steam on February 14th. Trails of Cold Steel II (Sen no Kiseki II in Japanese) is a direct sequel to Trails of Cold Steel, picking up one month after the decisive collision that changed the fate of the entire nation of Erebonia.

Ubisoft backs from Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege price increase, re-introduces the Standard Edition
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/ubisoft-backs-from-tom-clancys-rainbow-six-siege-price-increase-re-introduces-the-standard-edition/
A couple of days ago, Ubisoft revealed some new prices and new editions for Rainbow Six: Siege. The French company was planning to completely remove the Standard Edition and replace it with the Advanced Edition. And since the Advanced Edition is more expensive, a lot of players expressed their frustration to Ubisoft via its social media.
After the backlash, though, Ubisoft decided to re-introduce the Standard Edition.

Here is some raw gameplay footage from the alpha build of Dead Dozen
http://www.dsogaming.com/videotrailer-news/here-is-some-raw-gameplay-footage-from-the-alpha-build-of-dead-dozen/
Fntastic has released a video, showing 2 minutes of raw gameplay footage from the alpha version of Dead Dozen. In DEAD DOZEN, eleven players are being chased by a Ghoul and they have to survive by looting, barricading and cooperating. However, once a player is killed, he/she will turn into a Ghoul that their comrades will have to kill.

Atlus asks gamers whether they’ll be interested in PC versions of its titles such as Persona 5 or Persona 6
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/atlus-asks-gamers-whether-theyll-be-interested-in-pc-versions-of-its-titles-such-as-persona-5-or-persona-6/
Back in September 2017, Atlus tried to take down the Patreon page of RPCS3. Although the publisher failed to take it down, it acknowledged the interest for a PC version of Persona 5 and claimed that while it does not have anything to announce, it is listening to its fanbase. And a few days ago, the publisher shared a lengthy survey, giving players the opportunity to express their interest in a number of games.

>>OTBWY made a thread about this survey.

Epic Games assures fans that it will continue supporting Fortnite
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/epic-games-assures-fans-that-it-will-continue-supporting-fortnite/
After the announcement of its decision to stop the development of Paragon, Epic Games assured fans that Fortnite will not meet the same fate and that it will continue supporting it. Not only that, but it appears that the end of Paragon’s development will also allow the team to bring even more content to it.

Microsoft blames Valve for the lack of a Steam version for Age of Empires: Definitive Edition
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/microsoft-blames-valve-for-the-lack-of-a-steam-version-for-age-of-empires-definitive-edition/
Age of Empires: Definitive Edition will release on the PC next month and as you may have guessed, it will be available exclusively via Microsoft’s Windows Store. And from the looks of it, the company does not plan to bring this game to Steam. Not only that, but Microsoft blames Valve for it.

>>And that's because the game will use Xbox Live, and Valve doesn't support it. I give them three months before they bring the game on Steam.

Demo released for Unreal Engine 4-powered indie horror adventure game, HalfLight
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/demo-released-for-unreal-engine-4-powered-indie-horror-adventure-game-halflight/
Indie studio MatchB has released a free demo for its upcoming horror adventure game that is powered by Unreal Engine 4, HalfLight. HalfLight is a 3D adventure game with classic puzzles. Players follow in the steps of the young boy Xi-sheng as he strays into an extraordinary phantom world.

Kickstarter campaign launched for Swat Next Generation, SWATNG
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/kickstarter-campaign-launched-for-swat-next-generation-swatng/
SwatNG_Team has launched a Kickstarter campaign for its next-generation SWAT title, SWATNG. SWATNG is a tactical police simulator that follows the style of old tactical shooter games (like SWAT4 / RAINBOW SIX), with an emphasis on solving tactical situations with the correct use of men and equipments at players’ disposal while minimizing casualties.

SEGA and Interior Night are working on a brand-new narrative driven IP
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/sega-and-interior-night-are-working-on-a-brand-new-narrative-driven-ip/
SEGA Europe and the recently formed studio, Interior Night, have today announced that they have agreed a publishing partnership that will see both companies collaborating on the development and launch of a brand-new narrative driven IP.

Metal Gear Survive Official PC System Requirements
http://www.dsogaming.com/news/metal-gear-survive-official-pc-system-requirements/
Metal Gear Survive will release next month on Steam and Konami has unveiled its official PC requirements. From the looks of it, we won’t need high-end PC components in order to play this latest Metal Gear game (though I’m not so sure that a lot of players will be interested in this spin-off).

The news, the long part two:

Fe creator says publisher EA has not 'meddled' with game's vision, main story will last 7-8 hours
http://www.pcgamer.com/fe-creator-says-publisher-ea-has-not-meddled-with-games-vision-main-story-will-last-7-8-hours/
Pretty platformer Fe is out next month, and ahead of its release developer Zoink has been talking about what it's been like to work with EA—the game was the first to be picked up by the publisher's indie support arm, EA Originals. The gaming giant hasn't interfered in Fe's development, according to game director Andreas Beijer, which is promising news for future EA Originals titles.

Steamworld Dig and Fe developers merge to become studio Thunderful
http://www.pcgamer.com/steamworld-dig-and-fe-developers-merge-to-become-studio-thunderful/
Steamworld Dig 2 developer Image & Form is merging with Fe developer Zoink to form a new studio, Thunderful, the pair jointly announced.

The Monster Hunter: World launch trailer is here
http://www.pcgamer.com/the-monster-hunter-world-launch-trailer-is-here/
Monster Hunter: World is finally out today—but alas, only for consoles. The PC version won't be out until sometime in the fall. But that isn't going to stop us watching the launch trailer, eyes filling with tears throughout, no sir.

Underworld Ascendant gameplay video showcases stealth, magic, and 'hero kits'
http://www.pcgamer.com/underworld-ascendant-gameplay-video-showcases-stealth-magic-and-hero-kits/
We got a quick look at the updated Stygian Abyss in last week's Underworld Ascendant trailer out of PAX South, but the bits showcasing the game's "authored" visual style were broken up by longer segments of the developers talking about the game.
That's where this new trailer, shared earlier this week by fanbolt and confirmed official by OtherSide and publisher 505 Games, comes in.

You're a sword-wielding fox in animal action game Vulpine
http://www.pcgamer.com/youre-a-sword-wielding-fox-in-animal-action-game-vulpine/
Developer Clockwork Giant Games holds a very literal understanding of the term "armed to the teeth," or so their game Vulpine leads me to believe. It's a low-poly action game with procedurally generated worlds where you play as animals wielding swords and hammers. Like, between their teeth.

Sea of Thieves beta datamining reveals ship customization, harpoons, and a player-eating Kraken
http://www.pcgamer.com/sea-of-thieves-beta-datamining-reveals-ship-customization-harpoons-and-a-player-eating-kraken/
After playing the closed beta of Rare's Sea of Thieves, Tyler and I put together a wishlist of what we hoped we might see in the open world multiplayer pirate game. Rather than just hoping and guessing, a redditor named m4rx did some actual digging around in the game files and extracted a bit of information. While m4rx hasn't been able to decrypt the actual assets yet, the resulting post appears to confirm some elements we saw in the Sea of Thieves 'Pirate Legend' video and reveals a few new ones.

Side-scrolling shooter Mercenary Kings is getting a free 'Reloaded Edition' with extra guns and characters
http://www.pcgamer.com/side-scrolling-shooter-mercenary-kings-is-getting-a-free-reloaded-edition-with-extra-guns-and-characters/
Good news for anybody that enjoyed side-scrolling shooter Mercenary King (think a more explosive Metal Slug)—the 2014 game is getting a free 'Reloaded Edition' that adds two new characters and a stash of guns and knives. The update lands on February 6.

They Are Billions adds weekly community challenges with leaderboards
http://www.pcgamer.com/they-are-billions-adds-community-challenges-with-leaderboards/
Zombie plague RTS They are Billions has added community challenges in its latest update, meaning that everyone can play through the same survival map and compete for a high score on the new leaderboards. A new challenge will arrive every Monday, starting tomorrow, and players will only get one shot at each map, which is the right way to implement challenges like this, in my opinion.

PopCap founder's next game is a Friday the 13th puzzler about grids and cartoon murder
http://www.pcgamer.com/popcap-founders-next-game-is-a-friday-the-13th-puzzler-about-grids-and-cartoon-murder/
I can't decide whether Friday the 13th: Killer Puzzle is cute or horrifying. Its voxel-based design and exaggerated cartoonish characters seem completely innocent until masked killer Jason Voorhees comes along and shoves a kebab skewer through somebody's skull.

Street Fighter's Ryu and Sakura will be coming to Monster Hunter: World
http://www.pcgamer.com/street-fighters-ryu-and-sakura-will-be-coming-to-monster-hunter-world/
We'll have to wait until autumn for Monster Hunter: World on PC, but when we finally get it we're likely to be able to skin our characters as Street Fighter favourites Ryu and Sakura. Capcom likes these types of crossovers—it has mixed the two franchises together in the past, and it's already said that Mega Man is also coming to Monster Hunter: World as a Palico, (essentially a companion to help you during quests), so this is no surprise.

>>Hiku has a thread about this.

You cannot keep ships you steal in Star Citizen, Cloud Imperium Games says
http://www.pcgamer.com/if-you-steal-a-ship-in-star-citizen-it-will-disappear-when-you-log-out-of-the-game/
Any ships that you steal in Star Citizen will disappear the moment you log out of the game, making it impossible to build your personal fleet through theft, Cloud Imperium Games has said. Stealing ships should be a "short-term goal" for "joyriding, piracy or selling them for scrap", not for growing your collection, system designer Will Maiden said on a forum post. But some players are miffed by the decision, which appears to limit the scope for being a space pirate.

Star Citizen: Squadron 42 trailer shows off giant deadly gas cloud called 'The Coil'
http://www.pcgamer.com/star-citizen-squadron-42-trailer-shows-off-giant-deadly-gas-cloud-called-the-coil/
Chris Roberts calls it "a menacing mass of planet fragments and static electrical storms," senior graphics programmer Ben Parry "a technical nightmare." The Coil is a dangerous patch of space that will feature in Squadron 42, the single player component of the Star Citizen project.

DYO is a co-op platformer where you can hop between two halves of a split screen
http://www.pcgamer.com/dyo-is-a-co-op-platformer-where-you-can-hop-between-two-halves-of-a-split-screen/
A split screen usually puts a hard barrier between the player on the left and the player on the right, but not so in BYO. In this puzzle-platformer about two minotaurs escaping a labyrinth, you can cross over from one side to the other, essentially teleporting between different parts of the level. That means that you can boost your friend over jumps that are too tall, move objects between different areas and push platforms into place before hopping back to your own section of the screen.

Assassin's Creed: Origins will get a New Game Plus mode at some point
http://www.pcgamer.com/assassins-creed-origins-will-get-a-new-game-plus-mode-at-some-point/
Assassin's Creed: Origins is an exceptionally long video game. It took me about 60 hours to finish the bloody thing, though I enjoyed most of it. But if you've done the same and still want more, you'll probably be happy to hear that a new game plus mode is coming.

Out of the Park Baseball 19 release date set for March
http://www.pcgamer.com/out-of-the-park-baseball-19-release-date-set-for-march/
The top Major League Baseball management sim series returns to PC on March 22 with a redesigned interface, 2018 opening rosters and "dramatic 3D enhancements".

Deceiver is a 'philosophical shooter' that lets you shoot drones through enemies
http://www.pcgamer.com/deceiver-is-a-philosophical-shooter-that-lets-you-shoot-drones-through-enemies/
Deceiver has an inviting premise: "explore a vast cyberpunk city. Shoot things in the face. Question your basic beliefs." The philosophical aspect isn't explored in the trailer above, but you do get to see a player piloting some dangerous drones around the vector-rendered city.

New and returning Soulcalibur 6 characters revealed in latest trailer
http://www.pcgamer.com/new-and-returning-soulcalibur-6-characters-revealed-in-latest-trailer/
Soulcalibur 6 is the first in the series to come to PC, and as with all fighting games, we must now embark on a slow reveal of the roster in the run-up to launch. Namco Bandai has confirmed that Nightmare, Kilik and Xianghua are returning in the sixth instalment (or seventh, counting Soul Blade on PSone), while introducing a new character called Grøh, the eyepatched 'agent in black'. Check out the trailer above to see all four of them in action.

Superb, slimey 2D platformer Slime-san getting more free DLC
http://www.pcgamer.com/superb-slimey-2d-platformer-slime-san-getting-more-free-dlc/
Slime-san is a criminally overlooked 2D platformer about a slime's quest to escape a worm's belly by platforming his way out of the beast. It came out last April, and it's due for more DLC next month. Slime-san: Sheeple's Sequel will release on Monday, February 5, free to all Slime-san owners.

If you have doubts, you can try the demo to check some of the new gameplay elements.

Well, that's a problem.

If it helps you, I tried the demo and, while I don't have a problem with the new graphics, I didn't liked some of the new mechanics. But it's hard to see the whole picture with Civilization from a small, timed demo.

"Prey Real Lights plus Ultra Graphics mod removes low polygon LODs & textures, optimizes performance"
Step up your game Arkane Studios, maybe this is why Valve didn't let you work on ep 4.

"Valve’s official Facebook page: “We’re also still making games”"
See, I told you.
Left 4 Dead 3 in 2018!

"Microsoft blames Valve for the lack of a Steam version for Age of Empires: Definitive Edition"
Microsoft, Xbox: We don't want to use Xbox Live.
Quit throwing a tantrum and just put your games on Steam.

"Steamworld Dig and Fe developers merge to become studio Thunderful"
The indies are coming to take down AAA studios.

"Star Citizen: Squadron 42 trailer shows off giant deadly gas cloud called 'The Coil'"
Mmm, that is some good stuff right there.

Yeah, yeah. Unless they actually launch those games, what's the point?

And we all know that Valve can't count to three, so it won't be L4D 3 .

I hope they would put their games on Steam, but it looks like they only do it with games they publish, not develop. Alan Wake and Quantum Break made it to Steam, but Gears, mainline Halo and Forza haven't.

We'll see if this new AoE makes it to Steam like 2 did or not.

But if indies merge together to make a bigger studio, doesn't it make them AA or AAA studios?

No, that makes them double as indie. Like when you multiply fractions.

You don't multiply them, you sum.

Yo, dudes and storage experts. I need some advice.
My new little SPC is gonna get some big storage and I'm planning to do something fun with RAID. Here a few questions.

1. I really like to use Windows storage spaces as a logical RAID option because I like that it's bound to the OS, rather than the Mainboard. The other option would be to build the RAID via the mainboard in the UEFI. Are there noticeable performance differences between the board option and storage spaces? As I understand both are merely soft RAIDs. Hardware RAID with an extra RAID controller is out of the question. Has anyone had experience of moving RAIDs made with Storage Spaces to another system with the same OS?

2. My RAID of choice would be RAID10 on 4 HDDs because of the resiliency and speed. I don't care much about write speed, but I do care a lot about reading speed. RAID10 seems to be the best choice for that. Is that correct? Is there maybe any value in just using a 2x RAID0 and have a daily backup of all files on?

3. Any suggestions towards specific HDDs for that purpose? 4x8TB or 4x 10TB.

I checked out the vast options of HDDs and it seems the HGSTs are pretty loud. I don't really want to go Seagate so the best option seems to be a WD Red.

L4D3:
This year, Source 2, Vulkan, partnered with AMD / Radeon.
Just you wait.
Get ready to have some fun, and buy some microtransactions.

If Microsoft thinks they can push PC users to their store with AoE 4, they will likely fail.
At best, they will be treated as fondly as Origin or Uplay.
Microsoft has virtually no chance of becoming a GOG or Steam: not in Microsoft's current state.

Indie means independent.
I would put Valve under the indie label, as they are free to do whatever they like.
Valve does not have to abide by their shareholders' or publishers' demands.

This partnership looks to be mutually beneficial, and seems to respect both parties autonomy.
Thunderful doesn't look to be a situation where: one company holding power over another.
It looks to be like two buildings sharing a parking space, if that makes sense.