RANDOM VIDEO GAME NEWS

[ShadySands]

Dead State also released an enhanced edition a couple days ago

 

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Hi everyone,

 

We’ve spent a couple of months of solid development time making Dead State stronger, smarter, and faster, and we’re happy to say that the results are fantastic. We’ve brought new life - or is it unlife? - to every aspect of the game. This isn’t just Dead State anymore - this is Dead State: Reanimated!   DS:R isn’t just an update - it’s our definitive enhanced edition with brand-new content, full of improvements and fixes requested by you, our community!  The highlights are listed below, but you can check out the full changelog here: Dead State: Reanimated Announcement and Changelog .  

 

And don't worry - if you have it installed on Steam you'll get the update for free immediately, and GOG's is coming soon

 

The Highlights 

 

Major overhaul of combat balance! Core combat systems have been thoroughly reworked to take advantage of all the data and feedback we’ve gathered over the months since Dead State’s original release. Ranged weapons, melee weapons, armor, special attacks, ally / PC healing, and more have been reworked and carefully tested to create an engaging and challenging combat experience. Even the core combat system has been tweaked so that AC is calculated before damage reduction; this change makes combat more consistent and more fair, and corrects the “invincible” armor problem. 

 

Smarter AI! Medic, Guard, Grenadier, Sniper, and more - New AI behaviors and schemas exist for human enemies, making them more interesting and more challenging to fight! Enemies will notice your presence more quickly, follow you around corners and through doors, and fully utilize all of their tactical options, thrown weapons, and special attacks. 

 

New PC Infection option on New Game menu! Create a new game with PC Infection checked and your character will be as susceptible to infection as your allies are. Carefully manage your antibiotics and change your combat strategies to ensure your own survival! 

 

Hardcore Mode! Just in case living in the apocalypse wasn’t hard enough for you. In Hardcore mode combat becomes more dangerous, allies consume more resources and heal more slowly, and Morale is harder to keep up. Turn on Hardcore, Iron Man, and PC Infection for the ultimate challenge! 

 

Alarms! That’s right - we’ve added alarms to buildings in several areas. Red, blinking lights warn you that there’s an active alarm on a building. Use your Science skill to deactivate an alarm and prevent a looting distraction from becoming a noisy attraction!

 

New areas and random encounters! Several new levels and random encounters have been added. Make sure to keep an eye out for the Chemical Plant, an area with a unique twist… 

 

New combat sounds and animations! We’ve added new special attack, reloading, and healing animations and sounds. Special attacks feel smoother and more impactful now! 

 

Stability improvements! We’ve rooted out every crash and progress blocking bug to make sure you have the smoothest possible experience. Several popularly requested usability improvements have been added, such as friendly fire conformation, looting piled up bodies, and an option to toggle Live Shelter movement on and off. 

 

Pathfinding improvements! Both allies and the undead have received major pathfinding adjustments that will reduce lag some people have experienced as well as make movement more consistent and natural.

 

We are so grateful to all of you for helping us come this far - we couldn't have done this without your support, and from everybody on the team we want to give you a sincere Thank You.

 

Oh - and in case you're wondering, we'll be letting you know our status on backer rewards in our next update, so hang in there!

 

 

Edit-spoiler tagged the wall of text

Edited May 15, 2015 by ShadySands

[HoonDing]

Looks like I finished Pillars of Divinity just in time then.

[Gfted1]

For Two Years, This Kanye West Game Has Been Hiding a Disturbing Secret.

[Keyrock]

Soooo, Swery wants to make a game where a girl solves murders via masturbation.

 

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“Aside from that, I’m also working on a story about a high school girl detective who uses the imagination (fantasizing) energy from masturbating to help her solve murders. But all the publishers keep telling me ‘There’s no way we could put out such a perverted game!’ [laughs]”

 

Oh Japan, thank you for being Japan. 

 

My wallet's open if you want to run a Kickstarter, Swery. 

 

Edit: As an aside, if this was a real world mechanic, I could have been a really great detective. 

Edited May 16, 2015 by Keyrock

[Humanoid]

I'd have thought that games like that were already being made all the time in Japan, not sure why he'd have difficulty finding a willing publisher.

[Shadow_Arms]

did someone else saw this?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1062682568/umbra/video_share

[Keyrock]

  On 5/16/2015 at 9:54 PM, Shadow_Arms said:

did someone else saw this?

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1062682568/umbra/video_share

there's already a thread for it

[HoonDing]

  On 5/16/2015 at 12:27 AM, Keyrock said:

Soooo, Swery wants to make a game where a girl solves murders via masturbation.

 

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“Aside from that, I’m also working on a story about a high school girl detective who uses the imagination (fantasizing) energy from masturbating to help her solve murders. But all the publishers keep telling me ‘There’s no way we could put out such a perverted game!’ [laughs]”

 

Oh Japan, thank you for being Japan. 

 

My wallet's open if you want to run a Kickstarter, Swery. 

 

Edit: As an aside, if this was a real world mechanic, I could have been a really great detective. 

Nancy Drew's terrible secret revealed.

[Malcador]

1.1 patch for Cities Skylines

 

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads%2Fcontent-update-1-1-0-is-live-on-retail.856707%2F

 

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Full patch notes for Cities: Skylines 1.0.7 - 1.1.0

 

Features & New

 

New: European theme added

New: 72 European buildings in the European theme

New: Support for corner and adjacent buildings in the European theme

New: 3 maps added with European theme (Cliffside Bay, Foggy Hills and Grand River)

New: Tunnels for roads and rail added

New: Metro tunnels can be built at different levels

Options: V sync option added

Options: Invert Y mouse axis added

 

 

Editor & Modding

 

Launch options: added -noWorkshop to disable Steam workshop

Asset editor: Increased limit for bridge pillar count

Asset editor: Hedge added to residential props

Asset editor: Added custom vehicle importing

Asset editor: Added the ability to set custom thumbnails and tooltip images for all types of assets (in the save panel)

Asset editor: New editable properties exposed

Asset editor: Added ability to inherit building unlock milestone from template

Asset editor: vehicles have a Steam tag "Vehicle"

Asset editor: Fixed cut off text and missing spaces in the Properties box

Asset editor: Water Service buildings can now have proper pipe connections

Asset editor: Custom harbors and cargo harbors are now usable in-game

Asset editor: Custom airports now get visited by planes, like an actual airport

Asset editor: Fixed issue where some custom assets could not be loaded in-game after editing

Asset editor: Fixed missing texture for landfills

Asset Editor: Fixed a rare issue where holding and releasing the mouse button would not be recognized

Content manager: Introduced a new layout

Modding API: Added OnEnabled/OnDisabled support for IUserMod. Called everytime a mod is becoming active or inactive

Map editor: Fixed issue where users could place a water source outside the map area

Map editor: Fixed free camera hotkey not working

 

 

Bugfixes & Misc

 

Linux: support for JPG workshop previews added

Linux: users can now use numpad-Enter in-game

Linux: Fixed rare issue where users crashed due to a faulty asset

Fixed issue with 1x1 buildings "disappearing" when zoomed out too far

Fixed several localization issues

devInfo.txt is no longer needed

Achievements are now properly localized

Small contrast changes in some information windows to improve colorblind accessibility

Fixed issue where some elevated roads became immune to interaction

Metro and train lines now properly update when changed

Cruise ships no longer travel over land :’(

The 2x2 OreCrusher now has a purpose in life

Ireland is properly represented on the Union Jack

Cursor no longer disappears when you press Esc whilst rotating the camera

Adjusted upkeep cost of some roads to the one displayed in their tooltip

People no longer die when your city is at 0 population

Fixed an issue where right clicking a button would highlight it incorrectly

Fixed an issue where free camera mode was not enabled after viewing milestones

Fixed an issue where changing language in-game would not change language for some menus

Fixed an issue with mouse button key bindings

Fixed an issue where the options menu would not be closed properly by hitting the esc key

Fixed an issue where temporary save files would sometimes be visible

Fixed an issue where roads would snap to inaccessible sections of hydro dams

Fixed a graphics issue where text would sometimes be corrupted at the bottom of save and load menus

Trees in terrain heights view should now have the proper colors for their elevation

Fixed an issue where users could elevate the height of gravel paths, even though they could not place them

Fixed a minor graphical issue in the content manager

Fixed some text alignment problems

Text references to left and right mouse buttons now take left-handed mouse settings into account

Added confirmation prompt for Reset Unique Buildings

[Mamoulian War]

Oh Noes!!! Free European DLC included with the patch!!! Where is this world going to!!!

[Agiel]

 

Seems like it could turn into a spiritual successor to that game, Cryostasis: Sleep of Reason.

[ShadySands]

CIVILIZATION: BEYOND EARTH - RISING TIDE SURFACES FALL 2015

 

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2K Announces Sid Meier’s Civilization®: Beyond Earth™ – Rising Tide Expansion Pack
Extensive addition for sci-fi entry to award-winning Civilization franchise introduces aquatic gameplay, an overhauled diplomacy system, hybrid Affinities and more!

New York, NY – May 18, 2015 – 2K and Firaxis Games today announced Sid Meier’s Civilization®: Beyond Earth™ – Rising Tide, the expansion pack for 2014’s turn-based strategy title, Civilization: Beyond Earth, is currently in development for Windows-based PC. Created by Firaxis Games, Rising Tide will enhance the Beyond Earth experience by adding a variety of new gameplay capabilities and providing near limitless ways for players to create a new future for humanity on an alien planet. The expansion pack is currently scheduled for release in fall 2015.

 

Rising Tide will expand Beyond Earth to new frontiers on the planet’s surface and across its seas, adding more choices and diplomatic options as players build “one more turn” toward a new vision for humanity’s future. New aquatic gameplay will explore the oceans for colonization by dramatically extending the play space, while an overhauled diplomacy system will provide players with additional layers of dynamic choices and options to shape the diplomatic landscape while engaging with the AI and one another.

 

“Firaxis Games has an impressive track record of delivering robust and innovative expansions that radically change player experience while adding extensive replay value,” said Sarah Anderson, SVP of Marketing at 2K. “Rising Tide is no exception, offering new features and overhauled gameplay systems that will challenge players embarking on a quest for planetary domination.”

 

“Rising Tide builds upon the lore of Beyond Earth, breaking away the historical boundaries of the original franchise and furthering mankind’s search for a new home in outer space,” said Sid Meier, director of creative development at Firaxis Games. “Whether colonizing the planet’s oceans, acquiring new Affinities or meeting exotic new leaders, aliens and units for the first time, Rising Tide offers more ways for players to write their own stories on a new world.”
Key features of Rising Tide include:
• Building floating settlements and accessing natural resources hidden beneath the seas of the alien planet, while alien beasts with unique abilities inhabit the water and challenge players in distinctive ways;
• Shaping the diplomatic landscape by upgrading traits, changing diplomatic relationships, and leveraging the benefits of your allies, all with political capital;
• Unlocking a dynamic set of Diplomatic Traits while activating different combinations in response to the changing world;
• Playing as one of four new factions, including the Al Falah, a group of nomad explorers descended from wealthy and resilient Middle Eastern states;
• Investing in multiple Affinities to unlock hybrid Affinity units and upgrades for the first time;
• Collecting and combining alien relics via a new Artifact System that unlocks powerful benefits;
• Exploring one of two new biomes, Primordial world, an untamed biome rife with volcanic activity and indicative of a chaotic landscape still forming in the new world.

Sid Meier’s Civilization: Beyond Earth – Rising Tide is not yet rated by the ESRB and will be available for Windows PC in fall 2015 for $29.99. For more information on Rising Tide, please visit www.civilization.com, become a fan on Facebook, follow Civilization on Twitter and subscribe to Civilization on YouTube.

 

[Jaesun]

 

New Torment video. Looks SWEET! <3

[sorophx]

no RTWP no care

[Keyrock]

  On 5/21/2015 at 1:21 PM, Jaesun said:

 

New Torment video. Looks SWEET! <3

The area at 0:30 looks freakin' amazing. 

 

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no RTWP no care

 

I'm just the opposite.  After Pillars, I might just be done with RTwP for good.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Keyrock

[Bartimaeus]

  On 5/21/2015 at 1:26 PM, Keyrock said:

 

 

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no RTWP no care

 

I'm just the opposite.  After Pillars, I might just be done with RTwP for good.

 

 

Hey man, don't diss on RTwP for the faults of one game. PoE's combat woes were outside the scope of merely RTwP!

 

I dislike the way they went about deciding to have turn-based combat more than I do the idea of turn-based combat for Torment itself. Don't sell a game on nostalgia alone and then flip one of the core tenants of combat on its head - even if combat is not the major point of the game like it is for PoE or BG. State it clearly in the Kickstarter - or, if it actually was a decision they had yet to come to by the conclusion of the Kickstarter, give a way for the people who want nothing to do with the decision a way to back out.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Bartimaeus

[Keyrock]

  On 5/21/2015 at 3:08 PM, Bartimaeus said:

 

  On 5/21/2015 at 1:26 PM, Keyrock said:

 

 

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no RTWP no care

 

I'm just the opposite.  After Pillars, I might just be done with RTwP for good.

 

 

Hey man, don't diss on RTwP for the faults of one game. PoE's combat woes were outside the scope of merely RTwP!

Yeah, it might not be fair to give up on RTwP on the basis of a bad experience with just one game, though I suspect that RTwP had been wearing on me before Pillars.  That said, I always preferred turn-based to RTwP anyway, so Torment Tides of Nomnomnomnomnom's decision to go with turn-based was one I very much approve of (plus, as someone who has the Nomnomnomnomnom PnP game I think it will just work a heck of a lot better).  Unlike a lot of people, I find turn-based to be far less tedious than RTwP.  Turn-based may take longer (sometimes), but it's generally far less taxing on my brain.  It think for a game where I only control one character RTwP would still work for me, but in a party-based game I don't think I would want to go through the strain, unless the companion AI was really, really, really, really good (essentially allowing me to just control a single character and not have to constantly micromanage everybody).

Edited May 21, 2015 by Keyrock

[Bartimaeus]

Ironically, I think Torment would actually be a good way to showcase decent RTwP: unlike BG and PoE, there's not supposed to be much fighting. One of the biggest problems with RTwP in PoE and the Infinity Engine games? How many gosh danged trash battles there are that waste so much of your darned time. Seriously, they never seem to end. PoE even one-upped the IE games by having all the trash battles wear down your characters for future, more meaningful battles, and, furthermore, made even what should be the easiest of fights have way too much danger for your characters to get screwed over in a number of ways, so you're ALWAYS having to spend time strategizing every single last fight. If you're going to try to make every battle be meaningful and take more than a tiny amount of time...here's a tip: don't present the player with a million different fights to wade through over the course of the game. Or...at the very least, let me CTLR+Y enemies like I can in BG. Every battle in PoE feels like I'm fighting the equivalent of a bunch of spirit trolls in BG2: it's not fun.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Bartimaeus

[Gorgon]

Maybe PoE should have been turn based. Could have made the fights challenging throughout. Would have made succeeding in that element much easier at least.

[Keyrock]

@Bartimaeus - I fully agree about the trash mob filler battles.  I get why they were in Pillars; filler battles were a (unfortunate) staple of Infinity Engine games.  Filler battles are one aspect of RPGs that I dearly wish would go extinct.  To that end, I really really hope TToN delivers on their promise of no filler battles (and the possibility of a zero combat playthrough).

Edited May 21, 2015 by Keyrock

[Bartimaeus]

They sucked in the IE games, too: I have no idea why anybody thinks differently. Best fights of the IE games? Dragon battles. Lich and other spellcaster battles. Other adventuring groups (that are difficult and varied). Other enemies that are difficult, but aren't really super annoying/cheesy (so not dimension-dooring/brain-draining/insta-AoE-paralyzing mindflayers, or stupid trolls most of the time, for example). Not so much fun? The umpteenth group of random demihumans who can't even hit any of your characters. Random, stupid groups of kobolds and goblins when you're like level >=10. Masses of shadows and shades and other garbage undead. They're boring and just a huge waste of time.

Edited May 21, 2015 by Bartimaeus

[HoonDing]

Obsidian should just remove combat from all their future games.

Make episodic games like Life is strange.

[Amentep]

  On 5/21/2015 at 1:21 PM, Jaesun said:

New Torment video. Looks SWEET!

Well I was hoping we'd see a Giant Green Walking guy like in the original Planescape: Torment (around 0:35).

 

 

Mind you, he didn't appear in Planescape: Torment the game, but you know eventually we'll get a game with a giant green walking guy that has Torment in its name. I want to believe!

 

[Bartimaeus]

Maybe it's just nostalgia from when I first watched that when I was like 4, but that animation is still pretty cool.

[Jaesun]

That old trailer is STILL awesome. Even today. And Lustmord's music was so kick ass for that. <3

Edited May 21, 2015 by Jaesun