Nvidia’s RTX 4070 is a popular mid-range graphics card that delivers good rasterised performance with best-in-class RT and upscaling/frame generation features. Normally it costs around $550, but today you can get a three-fan Gigabyte Windforce model for just $530 thanks to a $20 off voucher at Newegg. To get this price, just use code VGAEXCGBET625 at the checkout.
If you’re a Baldur’s Gate 3 modder who’s been frustrated with having to uninstall, reinstall, update, and re-juggle your mods every time a new patch is released, fear not: it sounds like developer Larian Studios has your back, and official mod support is on its way.
We generally don’t talk about things til they’re ready, but as you may have read, we’re making an exception. We’ve been working on a robust, cross-platform plan for mod support to be released later in year. We love our modding community and we want to support them. It’s coming. https://t.co/54GsxNshlQ
— Very AFK (@Cromwelp) February 22, 2024
A tweet from Larian Studios director of publishing Michael Douse acknowledges that patches such as the most recent Hotfix #19 frequently break installed mods and force users to wait for updates, uninstall, or otherwise play without desired mods for a time in order to run the most recent version of the game. However, he adds that the team has “been working on a robust, cross-platform plan for mod support to be released later in year.”
“We have a system but it needs to be tested and still requires work,” reads a follow-up tweet. “We’re excited about it. I understand that it suck’s when the game is updated and mods break. Our community teams will start talking with and looping in modding community. For now, work continues :)”
More information was provided in a post from Larian senior community strategist WombatMedic on Discord. In a lengthy post, Wombat similarly acknowledged the player experience of patches being incompatible with popular mods, and spoke further on the company’s plans to move toward official support in the future:
We are working on official mod support, and have been for a while. We want the very best for you, which includes establishing a pipeline that lets mod authors release their mods across different platforms. Together with the platform holders, we are working on making this a reality, and are forming a team to support mod curation. We’re aiming to offer modding support for things like classes, UI, customisation, spells, and certain assets and game mechanics. As this is no small task, we hope to introduce the initial stages of modding support in our next big patch, which is still several months away. Frustrated as you might be now, we’re keen to work with you on this – and have plans to reach out to popular mod authors to talk further and work together to avoid issues in the future.
Despite the current lack of official support, Baldur’s Gate 3 players are using mods for all kinds of things, such as adding new spells, character races and backgrounds, UI adjustments, carrying more items, new character customization features, control and camera tweaks, removing the party size limit, giving Astarion a gun, and tons of other things. It’s good news that Larian is actively working on ensuring all those mods and more will be compatible with future updates, especially given a long Larian community history of actively and ambitiously modding its past games, like Divinity: Original Sin 1 and 2. And the possibility of console support in particular is an incredible touch.
We at IGN love Baldur’s Gate 3 with or without mods, giving it a coveted 10/10 at launch for its “crunchy, tactical RPG combat, a memorable story with complex characters, highly polished cinematic presentation, and a world that always rewards exploration and creativity.”
Rebekah Valentine is a senior reporter for IGN. Got a story tip? Send it to rvalentine@ign.com.
Announced for Japan only.
Japan’s Nintendo Direct: Partner Showcase, which aired yesterday, had a fair few differences from ours. And one of the biggest of them was the announcement of The New Denpa Men RPG Free!, a brand new free-to-play game from Genius Sonority (thanks, Gematsu!).
This is the first game to feature the Denpa Men since 2017’s The New Denpa Men on mobile. At the time of writing this, the game has only been confirmed for a Japanese release.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Innovation often comes from blending distinct genres to create a new, engaging experience for players. Geometry Survivor is a testament to this creative process, merging the fast-paced shooting action of Geometry Wars with the addictive progression and survival elements of Vampire Survivors.
The idea for the game originated from a desire to combine the high-adrenaline gameplay of classic arcade shooters with the strategic depth and character progression found in modern survival games. Geometry Wars provided the perfect template for the game’s intense shooting mechanics, renowned for its vibrant visuals and dynamic enemy patterns. Meanwhile, Vampire Survivors offered a blueprint for incremental progression and survival against overwhelming odds, where players enhance their character’s abilities over time to withstand hordes of enemies.
Our aim was to create a game that not only pays homage to these influences but also create a game that stands on its own as a unique title. The core concept revolves around navigating a large arena, surviving against waves of enemies, and evolving the player’s abilities through strategic choices.
Blending two distinct gameplay styles presented several challenges for the development team. One of the primary hurdles was balancing the game’s pacing. The team needed to ensure that the shooting mechanics complemented the progression and survival aspects without overwhelming the player or making the game too easy.
Another challenge was designing enemy patterns and progression systems that would keep players engaged over time. We had to conduct extensive testing to fine-tune the difficulty curve, ensuring that the game remained challenging yet fair.
A fundamental element of the game harks back to the essence of arcade classic shooters, where a player’s bullet would immediately annihilate an enemy ship, disintegrating it into fragments. We decided to use a simplistic health system where each entity can be eliminated with a single bullet.
This departure from the conventional damage/health paradigms introduces distinctive challenges in the design of varied and engaging weaponry. Given the one-shot kill mechanic, the game strategy involves flooding the screen with enemies spaced at various intervals. Each adversary exhibits unique movement behaviors, which, when combined, result in highly challenging combat scenarios.
Players are required to adeptly navigate through hordes of enemies, making tactical use of weapons to dispatch foes before becoming overwhelmed.
The implementation of the Entity Component System (ECS) in Unity significantly contributed to enhancing the performance of Geometry Survivor, enabling the game to achieve a solid and high framerate even during intense gameplay moments. ECS architecture separates data and behavior, which allows for more efficient data access and manipulation, reducing the overhead typically associated with object-oriented programming. This approach was particularly beneficial for Geometry Survivor, where the screen can be inundated with numerous enemies, projectiles, and effects simultaneously. By utilizing ECS, we were able to take advantage of highly optimized, multithreaded code execution, ensuring that the game’s performance remained fluid and responsive.
This optimization was crucial for maintaining the fast-paced action and visual clarity that were central to the game’s design, providing players with a seamless and engaging experience without compromising on graphical fidelity or gameplay complexity. We hope you enjoy Geometry Survivor! The game is available now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.
Brain Seal Ltd
– One hand gameplay: Use just one hand to control the direction of your ship
– Auto-Shooter: Your weapons fire automatically, letting you concentrate on staying alive
– Weapons: Each run allows you to get a unique combination of weapons
– Credits: Earn credits and permanently unlock new upgrades
– Enemies: Enjoy the multitude of enemies each with their own AI
– 20 minutes of intense gameplay
– Retro visuals and music straight from the 80s
– Delicious gameplay!
Geometry Survivor is the ultimate survival game, do not miss it!!
The post The Making of Geometry Survivor, Out Now on Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S appeared first on Xbox Wire.
Last Epoch developer Eleventh Hour Games is giving players an in-game gift while it continues to address the online connectivity issues that have kept many from enjoying the experience.
Last Epoch brought its full hack-and-slash, action RPG gameplay to PC yesterday, February 21, after cooking in Early Access for nearly five years. Not everyone is having fun with the release of 1.0, however, as many who try to jump in online are finding that they are unable to connect. The gift they are receiving in return is The Autumnal Wrap back-slot item, which offers game owners an orange, leafy cape to wear.
“Thank you once again to those who continue to support us, sending us your positive messages, and continuing to spread that positivity while we continue the work on getting more servers up and running,” the Last Epoch team said in a Steam post.
Last Epoch boasts a “Mostly Positive” Steam review banner after more than 35,500 reviews. Recent reviews, however, currently sit at “Mixed” as fans are chiming in to report their problems with the online component.
“Do not buy yet if you want to have the multiplayer experience, servers don’t work still 15 hours after the launch,” a Steam review from user Akimbo Lahmacun said. “You can play offline but you won’t be able to switch your offline character to online.”
It’s a bumpy start to launch, but many players are saying that they’ll change their reviews if a fix arrives soon enough. Steam user Szoker, for example, says Last Epoch is “great” because it offers an alternative to similar games like Path of Exile and Diablo 4.
“So since they are selling an almost unplayable game for most of the day I’m leaving a negative review so that no one has to look at 30+ bucks spend on loading screen,” they explained. “I will update the review if it changes.”
Eleventh Hour has not provided an update on when fixes will arrive but thanks fans for their “incredible patience as we work hard to address the ongoing issues.” In the meantime, fans are encouraged to follow the progress on the Last Epoch Forums and on Discord.
Michael Cripe is a freelance contributor with IGN. He started writing in the industry in 2017 and is best known for his work at outlets such as The Pitch, The Escapist, OnlySP, and Gameranx.
Be sure to give him a follow on Twitter @MikeCripe.
Satan has vanished, the throne of hell lies empty, and eight Archfiends are all jostling to be its chief seat warmer. It’s a great setup for a role-playing strategy game, and the allure of plotting, scheming, backstabbing and shmoozing your way to victory remains as enticing today as it did when Solium Infernum first came to PC in 2009. At the time, it launched to relative obscurity, and was mostly kept alive by dedicated play-by-email multiplayer groups. It was through one of these groups that Armello developers League Of Geeks first came into contact with it, and now, years later, have taken on the task of remaking Solium Infernum for a modern audience.
The original Solium was, by all accounts, an intensely knotty and dense affair, impenetrable to newcomers, or at least to those who were unprepared (or unwilling) to study and absorb all the countless variations and statistics involved in creating your own unique Archfiend. It was a bit like creating a D&D character sheet, only about ten times more complicated, and whose strategic implications may or may not have made themselves apparent until it was far too late. You could biff yourself before you began, in other words, and League Of Geeks have made admirable attempts to tame and streamline this unruly hell beast, doing away with a lot of that initial fussiness. As is perhaps fitting for the theme here, there are unfortunately still a few pesky gremlins causing mayhem behind the scenes at time of writing (I’m pointing the finger at literal bug queen Beelzebub for this), but for the most part, there’s good fun to be had in this new incarnation of Solium Infernum – and particularly if you have some willing friends who you soon hope to call enemies.
Dungeon Fighter Online from Neople Inc. is a free-to-play 2D brawler/MMO hybrid for PC that’s been online since 2015. That’s a long time for a game to be around, but DFO has withstood the test of time thanks to its vibrant characters, its energetic fanbase, and its regular updates. DFO has just launched their all new expansion Seon – The First World Under the Sky so now’s the perfect time to jump in and forge your character.
The new season takes place in Seon, a visually striking new world where people and nature thrive in harmony. There are mysterious dungeons to explore, bustling towns to visit, and new monsters to challenge, inviting you to explore every corner of this new world.
Nervous about trying to establish yourself in an online game that’s been around for nearly a decade? Don’t worry. This major update also includes streamlined events and boosted Level Up rewards that will propel newcomers towards end-game content faster than ever.
If you’re unfamiliar with the title, DFO is a game that celebrates the legacy of side-scrolling brawlers with vibrant 2D pixel graphics that burst with personality for all 67 class advancements. Every punch, kick, and summon is animated with meticulous detail, immersing you in the classic beat ’em up experience with a modern twist.
Whether you choose a Gunner with a modified mechanical body or an Archer that bolsters and heals allies by playing her Lyra Bow, you can count on seeing eye-catching character details that make the game a visual wonder to experience.
If you prefer the path of the lone warrior, you can opt to explore DFO’s advanced and legion dungeons solo to build up your character. If you decide you’re ready to show yourself off, you can mingle with the community and join cooperative parties for raids and more. It’s easy thanks to DFO’s passionate communities on Reddit and Discord, which includes developers who interact with fan feedback and host streams regularly.
So, whether you’re delving into DFO for the first time, or a veteran player who’s been around since the beginning anticipating the Seon update, now’s the time to log in. Level Up events offer rewards to help you get caught up with DFO’s rich content. Visit DFO’s website to get started, and visit its Discord to get to know your new comrades-in-arms and rivals.
‘mon Dieu.
Following hot on the heels of the February 2024 Nintendo Direct, the inevitable announcement of a Pokémon Presents broadcast to coincide with Pokémon Day on 27th February came along.
Read the full article on nintendolife.com
Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator is, you guessed it, a cozy gardening simulator. It’s a game about planting flowers, enjoying their growth and decorating the garden to your heart’s content. It all comes with a deep focus on non-punishing gameplay, a light story, and a stunning, anime inspired art style. But under that delightful exterior, you might be surprised at how much thought and processing power has gone into the simulation itself.
At Stillalive Studios, we take pride in our expertise in simulation games and their underlying technology. As we started fleshing out the idea of a gardening game, we realized it would be easy enough to create the basic simulation – some of our studio have quantum physics degrees. But the challenge we set ourselves was this – could we create a gardening game that hid all the simulation complexity under a coziness as pleasant as a cup of warm tea on a cold winter’s eve?
It all starts with Kay, our producer. She’s the one that manages the Garden Life project at Stillalive. Kay knows a lot about flowers, as she was a florist in her past professional life. Putting together flower arrangements for festivities and weddings, Kay won prestigious Gold and Silver medals at the world-famous Chelsea Flower Show in London. This knowledge had to be put to good use in a cozy gardening game. With her on the team, we had one of the puzzle pieces down – next, we needed to conquer the tech itself.
Computers are not very good at randomness: the little quirks and irregularities that make nature so diverse and interesting. When artists create 3D models, the computer is always going to recreate those models exactly. We couldn’t imagine anything less cozy than a garden full of identical flowers, like a legion of Stormtroopers growing in lockstep. And this is where our tech department set out to find ways of breaking these patterns – adding randomness and quirks back into the cold determinism of computer processors.
Flowers often only play a background role in games. But in a gardening game, flowers are front and center. They need to look stunning. One of our design goals was therefore to make every flower look unique. So unique that a full garden of flowers would look natural, as in real life. No copies. No Stormtroopers. No tricks.
Every flower model in Garden Life is generated on-the-fly. This is our recipe:
This simple recipe allows for so much variation and produces organic, beautiful-looking flower beds. Every flower has leaves at different places. Some stems are shorter, some longer, with random variations in growth direction here and there.
To realize the variety of flowers we have in the game, every specimen has a slight variation of this recipe. How big and long are the stem segments? How straight, interwoven? How many segments can there be, determining the total height of a plant. And while sunflowers grow very tall and have one stem, Hellebores grow in small bunches, and Roses go all-in on the bushy, entangled structure.
As mentioned above, computers are not very good at coping with randomness. While there are tricks to make hundreds of identical models run smoothly, it was a long and winding road to optimize performance for on-the-fly generated 3D geometry. We’re very happy with the outcome! Together with our anime-inspired art style, Garden Life simply looks gorgeous and promises many hours of relaxing gameplay.
Garden Life is out today for Xbox Series X|S and Xbox One.
Nacon
• ROLL UP YOUR SLEEVES – In Garden Life, there’s no miracle solution: your plants will only flourish with dedication, the right tools and appropriate gardening techniques!
• DESIGN THE GARDEN OF YOUR DREAMS – Using the grid free placement, sow the seeds of your choice and use decorative elements to bring your designs to life. Through the procedural growth simulation technology developed specifically for Garden Life, every plant is unique and adapts to their environment.
• NURTURE YOUR GARDEN – Take care of your seedlings by identifying their individual care requirements; water, fertilize, and clip your plants to maintain their natural beauty and nurture them to health.
• DISCOVER DIFFERENT VARIETIES – Unlock your creativity by breeding beautiful variations and discover the full potential of each plant.
• MEET COLOURFUL CHARACTERS – Help your friendly neighbours by fulfilling their gardening requests and receive rewards such as new plant varieties, tools, and decorations.
• RELAX – After a busy day, unwind and experience the calming ambiance of your garden in a soothing world with relaxing sights and sounds.
The post There’s a Secret High-Tech Simulation Inside Garden Life: A Cozy Simulator appeared first on Xbox Wire.
