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THE PCG Q&AFind all previous editions of the PCG Q&A here. Some highlights:
- What should boomer shooters be called?
- Do you check how long games take to finish before you play them?
- Have you learned a real-world skill from a game?More and more, devs have had to balance shooters where some players use gamepads, and others rock mouse and keyboard. The latter's dominance in FPSes used to be unquestioned, with some PS4 players apparently turning to absurdities like the HORI Tactical Assault Commander for that m&k edge. Now though? Overwatch's controller aim assist is so good that they disabled it in PC-console crossplay matches, while some players in Destiny or Apex Legends proactively make the switch for a competitive advantage.
Would you play an FPS with a controller if aim assist helped you win more?
Here are our answers, as well as some from our forum.
Jody Macgregor, Weekend/AU Editor: I'm not a real competitive person, though I do like to win—there's a Magic: The Gathering card called Meathook Massacre that just got banned from Standard for being too overpowered, and I had three of them in my deck at the time. What I am is an incredibly lazy person, and the effort of having to adapt to a controller would stop me from bothering.
The other day I launched a new game, saw one of those "this game is better experienced with a controller" messages, looked across the room to where a wired 360 controller was sitting, and then played something else instead of walking over to get it. So no, I wouldn't play an FPS with a controller for the sake of racking up some wins, not out of a sense of nobility and fair play, but because I just couldn't be arsed.
(Image credit: Future)
Andy Chalk, NA News Lead: I would take my PC outside, stack up the components in a nice pile, pour lighter fluid on it, and set it on fire before I played an FPS with a controller. The whole idea of having a PC is that you don't have to use a controller. Kinda like how having a car means you don't have to use a horse. I mean, if I ever actually considered using a controller to take advantage of aim assist—and to be perfectly clear, I would not—why wouldn't I just download a bot and let it do all the work? "Hey, look at me, I'm a videogame superstar, woooooo! A winner is me! My mom says I'm a handsome boy!"
And to expand a little bit on what Jody said, any game that claims it's "better experienced with a controller" is lying.(Image credit: Team Meat)Phil Savage, UK Editor-in-Chief: I wouldn't, but not because of any grand, noble gesture. The simple fact is that decades of playing FPSes on mouse and keyboard means I don't have the muscle memory to easily switch to a controller. Yes, shotgunning in Apex is much more effective on a pad. Yes, handling The Last Word in Destiny 2 is way harder with a mouse. The aim assist bonuses undoubtedly give specific advantages in those games, in those situations. But what I'd lose out on is basically everything else. My movement, positioning, and, yes, even aiming would be worse for having to learn a new control method. And I'm not prepared to go through months of relearning all those skills, being demonstrably worse overall for game after game, just to end up in a place where—maybe—I am marginally more effective in very specific scenarios.
(Image credit: Bungie)Chris Livingston, Features Producer: I wouldn't go as far as Andy does, but I'm a little baffled at how people manage to play an FPS with a controller, the same way I have no idea how people manage to play Fortnite or PUBG on a phone. I just don't have that kind of talent. I haven't used a controller regularly since I had an N64 in the late '90s and have lost any controller skills I may have had in the 20+ years since. There's no amount of aim assist that could help me in an FPS other than "total."
(Image credit: StupidMarioBros1Fan)Lauren Morton, Associate Editor: I'm only here because Andy thinks that no games are better on controller, but we all know that Real Yakuza Use A Gamepad, actually. The truth is that I play most games with a controller if possible and I really don't play shooters that often, even less FPSes specifically. I suppose I did play PUBG with a mouse and keyboard for quite a while at its peak. If it had proper controller support and aim assist yeah, I'd for sure have used my preferred input device if it helped me be less 'frack' at shooters. But it's not like the gunplay was my focus. I just like creeping to the final circle as if it were a PvP stealth game.
(Image credit: KRAFTON)From our forum
Zloth: No. Aim assist really bugs me. I don't like missing, but when I do miss and it hits anyway, it's even worse. That makes me wonder how much I've been missing and scoring hits anyway, which makes me think I don't really deserve to be doing as well as I am. Blah.
I'll still turn it on if the game is one where mouse/keyboard doesn't work out well, but I'll grumble as I do it.DXCHASE: Today, no. I started off using one when I first switched to PC and hadn't fully embraced playing with a KB+M. Certain games (Destiny 2) were just so much easier to get a better K/D against other players because of the aim assist but after a few years of getting better and better with a KB+M in PvP I now loathe the ability one gets with a controller in PvP.
Crapulence1337: The only game I've ever played with a mouse and keyboard is Phasmophobia. For whatever reason it's the only game I can't sufficiently play with a controller. I play everything else, FPS games included, with a controller (or steering wheel and pedal setup if applicable). My wife has made it clear to me that I already won the game/life with her, so no need to in a video game.
Pictured: the next forbidden technique pursued by esports superstars. (Image credit: Future)ZedClampet: Yeah, I love the idea of handing over control of my character to algorithms. Can I have movement assist and "look in the right direction" assist, too? Really, I don't see why I have to do anything. Can't I just log in and have the assist play while I alt-tab out and watch funny animal videos on reddit?
WoodenSaucer: I just want to mention that there are two main types of aim assist. One kind attracts your reticle to the target when you get close, like a magnet. The other kind just lets you shoot in the general direction, and your bullets are attracted to the target. Horizon: Zero Dawn uses the second type, and I hated it. I much prefer the kind where your reticle gets attracted to the target.
(Image credit: Sony)But I agree with Kaamos in that it needs to be subtle and not extremely noticeable. The magnetic zone around a target needs to not be too big, and it shouldn't be really quick and jarring to snap to the target. If it's done right, it's great in my opinion. But it's easy to do it wrong.
Shodan_: I'm fluent in both. So I have, I would, and I'd do it again. Although I usually turn off auto aim, I enjoy playing FPS games with a controller very much. Matter of fact I used Joy2Key to make Dark Forces 1 playable on an Xbone gamepad and twin sticked it on hard. It was honestly fantastic and the fiddling around with settings was 100% worth it.
(Image credit: LucasArts)My PC is plugged into a big 'donkey' TV through HDMI and I usually game 7 feet away from it, slouched in a La-Z-Boy. I work at a desk all day, I'm not gaming at one. I'm that guy. I can absolutely M&K with the keyboard in my lap no problem (you're not twin sticking Apex Legends) but if it's a slightly slower paced game or the emphasis isn't necessarily on combat (Things like the Long Dark) I'll go for a gamepad and regret nothing. When I play multiplayer with friends I will go M&K. Mechwarrior 5, Ready or Not, 7 Days to Die, ARMA 3, etc., I'm using M&K.
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At the 2022 Minecraft Live event, Mojang revealed some key details about the upcoming 1.20 update for the long-lived survival game, as well as its planned release window in the spring of 2023. Mojang also announced that the update's first playable features and snapshots would be accessible "a few days from now," and revealed the winner of its 2022 mob vote: The noble and honorable Sniffer.
Contrary to previous big updates, Mojang has not yet named 1.20, and instead hopes to shape and characterize it in conversation with the community. The developer did reveal some of the new features on the way, including seven new default skins alongside the classic Steve. Mojang hopes this will allow players to feel represented in the game without having to immediately turn to custom options, and will also be characterizing the new default characters and including them marketing in a similar way to Steve.
Mojang also revealed a snazzy new bamboo construction material, complete with intricate window designs, as well as jaunty hanging signs. Minecraft will also see the addition of ridable camels that, unlike the game's horses, can dash over rivers. The camels can also be ridden by two players at once, finally allowing you and your closest friends to share the intimacy of a camel ride, in Minecraft.
After tallying 3.5 million mob votes, the charismatic and adorable Tuff Golem was robbed by the sham of democracy and placed dead last. The Sniffer made it the distance, and will be the new
president of Minecraftmob added to the game. Sniffers will be grown from eggs found underground, and go through a life cycle ending in a giant full-grown state.1.20 is looking like a fun time then, though Mojang has yet to reveal a specific date for the first snapshot, instead stating that it will arrive in "just a few days." In the mean time, you can check out our guide on everything we know about Minecraft's 1.20 update.
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Hop on up here and join us for a Minecraft camel tour. While the Minecraft 1.20 update is still out on the horizon, we've got an oasis of info on the newest cute and derpy mob.
As you may have guessed, the next upcoming mob will populate Minecraft's deserts, giving some life and diversity to the endless hills of sand and occasional cactus. Even better, they're absolutely adorable and the perfect floppy-eared companion to choose for your latest build. Here's what we know about the Minecraft camel as it makes its way towards release.
What do Minecraft camels do?
Meandering around the sands of the desert and clustering in desert villages, the new camel will join the exclusive—and small—family of desert dwelling mobs. But more than just hanging out as four legged scenery, the camel will be in a few other exclusive clubs. While the cutest club it joins with release may be animals that can sit, there are a few other more important things the camel brings to the table.
More Minecraft guides(Image credit: Mojang)Minecraft update: What's new?
Minecraft skins: New looks
Minecraft mods: Beyond vanilla
Minecraft shaders: Spotlight
Minecraft seeds: Fresh new worlds
Minecraft texture packs: Pixelated
Minecraft servers: Online worlds
Minecraft commands: All cheatsWhile joining animals like the horse, pig, and llama as an animal you can ride, what's even cooler is that the camel is the first animal in Minecraft that you can ride with a friend. Based on their unique size and real life capacity for multiple riders, the Minecraft camel is going to let you bring a pal along to ride with you. Perfect for those long sightseeing expeditions, or just bringing back your latest mining haul with a buddy.
We also know that the camel is going to have a "unique riding experience" and will be able to dash horizontally across ravines or rivers instead of having a high vertical jump like the horses. While mounted, Mojang says that certain mobs won't be able to reach you to attack, making them great desert battle mounts.
So lets recap what we know about our new camel buddies:
(Image credit: Mojang)- Where do you find camels? Deserts, specifically desert villages.
- Can camels be bred? Yes, camels will eat cactus, as some do in real life.
- Can camels be tamed? It seems likely, since they can be bred, but we don't know for sure.
- Are camels hostile? Nope. They're friendly fellas.
- Can camels jump extra high like horses? No, Mojang has said their specialty will be the dash feature.
- Will camels have inventories like donkeys? Nope, no inventories on them.
- Can you ride camels? Absolutely, and so can a friend!
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As we'd all been anticipating, Minecraft 1.20 will be the next major Minecraft update coming in 2023. It doesn't have its own title yet though. Mojang has recently said that it has learned from showing off features too early, leading players to be disappointed when things change during development or get pushed back into later updates. So this time, we've only seen part of the total features list for 1.20, and don't have a name to hang our expectations on.
What we do know is that Mojang has said the themes of update 1.20 are "self expression, creativity, and intrinsic motivation." That second part is something that I got to hear quite a bit about from Minecraft's game director Agnes Larsson and gameplay designer Nir Vaknin when I interviewed them earlier in 2022. They don't want Minecraft to feel clingy, they've said, and always want players to keep coming back because they're feeling inspired, not because they're compelled by the crafting grind.
It's no surprise then that several of the new features we know about for 1.20 are centered around building: new aesthetic blocks and a functional bookshelf. We're also getting a nod towards adventure with the new camel mount found in the deserts.
The feature list does feel a little short right now, but we know Mojang will be revealing more features for version 1.20 as we get closer to its launch. Here are all the details about the next update we know so far:
When does the Minecraft 1.20 update launch?
Minecraft 1.20 will launch sometime in 2023, though Mojang has not given a specific date yet. Since Mojang has explained that features in the update are closer to complete development, it feels likely that we will see the new version launch a year after the latest one, sometime in the summer of 2023.
Even though the full update will not launch for a while yet, we'll get to start messing with Minecraft 1.20 features really soon. Mojang has said that it will begin releasing 1.20 snapshots and Minecraft Preview builds just a few weeks after the reveal stream on October 15.
(Image credit: Mojang)What new blocks are getting added in Minecraft 1.20?
So far, the new blocks for Minecraft 1.20 we've seen are mostly centered around personalizing builds and telling stories through new contraptions. There's the new bamboo wood type, the functional chiseled bookshelf, and hanging signs too.
- Hanging signs: they'll come in wall, ceiling, and narrow hanging varieties.
- Bamboo wood: a full set of wood blocks made from bamboo including doors, stairs, trapdoors, and planks.
- Raft: the bamboo version of a boat is actually a flat raft you can ride on.
- Bamboo mosaic: A new decorative block type just for bamboo.
- Chiseled bookshelf: A functional bookshelf that you can place up to six books on.
The chiseled bookshelf is particularly neat thanks to its redstone signal capability. It will give off a redstone signal based on how many books it currently holds, which Mojang suggests could power some very cool secret doors. The shelf doesn't have an inventory UI, Mojang says. That likely means you'll place books on the shelf by clicking on it with a book in hand or taking a book by pointing with your reticle and clicking with an empty hand.
(Image credit: Mojang)The new Minecraft 1.20 mobs are the camel and sniffer
So far there are two new mobs coming in Minecraft 1.20: the camel, which Mojang chose itself as a new desert-dwelling mount, and the sniffer, which won this year's community mob vote.
Camels will be found hanging out in desert villages walking, sitting, and flopping their little ears. They are indeed a new type of mount, which is part of their coolest feature: They seat two players. That means you can bring a friend along for a trek between bases without needing two different mounts. Camels also have a special horizontal dash ability for crossing ravines.
The sniffer is an extinct overworld mob that you'll have to resurrect by finding their eggs. They're very large and slightly turtle-shaped with mossy backs, a large yellow snout, and floppy pink ears. Once hatched, sniffers will dig ancient seeds out of the ground for you to plant.
Minecraft will have seven new default character skins
(Image credit: Mojang)No longer will you have to choose between Alex or Steve for your default Minecraft face. Mojang is introducing seven new default characters: Makena, Efe, Noor, Kai, Ari, Sunny, and Zuri. Mojang says that this is another part of its efforts to help players with self-expression, by offering lots of new default characters to play as.
Granted, Minecraft Bedrock players can still use the dressing room to create their own personalized Minecraft character and Java players can download tons of free Minecraft skins designed by other players, but the nod to new characters is nice.
The new default characters for Minecraft are actually coming prior to update 1.20 sometime in November or December of 2022, Mojang says.
Is there a new biome in Minecraft 1.20?
Unfortunately no, it doesn't seem likely, Mojang said during a Q&A with press about update 1.20. That said, Mojang has made it clear that it hasn't announced the full feature list for the update yet, so it may still be holding back a biome surprise. Best to take Mojang at its word and not get our hopes up just yet but, well, anything's possible.
The last major Minecraft update to not include any new biomes was Minecraft 1.15, Buzzy Bees, in 2019. That update put a big focus on the bee mob and all its related items like honey blocks and bee nests. If version 1.20 also doesn't include a new biome, we can probably expect a similar focus on other areas instead.
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Need to know
What is it? A sci-fi 5 vs. 5 hero shooter set in a near-future Earth.
Expect to pay Free-to-play
Release date: October 4
Developer: Blizzard
Publisher: Activision Blizzard
Reviewed on: RTX 3080, Ryzen 9 3900X, 32GB RAM
Multiplayer? Yes
Link: Official siteIt's taken every single cell in my brain to try to determine why Overwatch 2 is a sequel.
As a free-to-play successor to Blizzard's 2016 hero shooter (that also replaces the original game), Overwatch 2 is both reinvigorating and regressive. It's an exciting new reason to play a game that shaped modern shooters and get a glimpse at why nothing in the last six years has bested it. But its biggest changes and invasive monetization system threaten to drain the joy out of it until there's nothing left.
Overwatch 2's greatest strength is that it's still Overwatch. Behind all the updated menus, the battle pass, the challenges, and the reworked maps is the game that demonstrated an alternative FPS, where a variety of skills were acknowledged and rewarded. Despite how much it's stacked on top of it, Blizzard hasn't buried the boldest aspects of the original game.
Overwatch 2 is Overwatch 1 at 1.5X speed. It's the same game, but compressed. Two teams battle over an objective in beautifully rendered, near-future locations around the world. Each side has a tank hero, two damage dealers, and two support. It's an FPS in form, but matches unfold a little differently than they do in most other shooters. Both teams fight to occupy space on the map with all their various hero abilities and ultimates. A tank who charges into the fray is backed by their team of support and DPS who use that aggression to punish enemy mistakes, whether they stepped within range of a killing blow or made themselves vulnerable by misusing all of their abilities.
The predictable rhythm of a match has warped, losing detail in the process.
Team fights are an exchange of resources, punctuated by powerful ultimates that swing it in a new direction. Instead of split-second firefights or large-scale sniper duels, Overwatch fights urge you to think of it like chess. Eliminations are a result of predicting and punishing your opponent's next move. And when you can't, the slow time-to-kill (lengthened by support and tanks) gives you the space to respond.
Overwatch 2 takes the timeline of a match and squeezes it. Its chaotic battles erupt and end slightly, but noticeably, faster than they do in the original game. The intricacies of Overwatch 1's teamwork have been reduced with heaps of changes that let heroes solve problems on their own, empowering selfish play. Many of the heroes across all of the roles can move through the maps faster and deal more damage than ever before. Collaborative strategies still matter—and still supersede individual performance—but the predictable rhythm of a match has warped, losing detail in the process.
Damage control
Overwatch 2 kicks a tank off of both teams. Tanks that were once designed to complement each other have morphed into the equivalent of a Dark Souls boss. Orisa used to sit behind a barrier shield, spew suppressive fire, and yank people out of position with her Halt ability. She was built to be the nucleus of a team, with a co-tank circling around her to cover flanks and off-angles. Now she's shieldless, absurdly resilient, and armed with a spear. Like many Overwatch characters—two of its Japanese heroes are ninja, its Korean hero is an esports player, and one of its Black heroes, Doomfist, is an imposing villain—Orisa has become yet another stereotype that references the young Black inventor that created her in the game's near-future version of Africa. She's no longer the protector of Numbani; she's the aggressor. Orisa, and most of the other tanks, are equipped to deal almost as much damage as a DPS hero if you let them, and they can often turn a fight in their favor on their own.
The changes to supports aren't as drastic, but new hero Kiriko suggests that the role is headed in a similar direction. Many of the supports now veer much closer to MOBA design where you debuff enemies and occasionally prevent or soften incoming attacks more often than you heal. Kiriko isn't a pure healer like Mercy or Moira, she's a support who teleports and wall-climbs around the map looking for targets to flick her kunai at, dealing DPS-levels of critical headshot damage. Similarly, when I played as the sniper healer, Ana, I found more success splitting damage and healing more evenly than in the first game. Like tanks, if a support is in an advantageous position and has the skills to land their shots, they can almost single-handedly finish out a team fight.
The DPS category continues the trend. They've been stripped of their crowd control abilities and had their kits sharpened for maximum damage output. Cassidy loses his Flashbang for countering fast flanker heroes for a sticky and homing Magnetic Grenade that simply deals a lot of damage when it goes off. Bastion can now move in his devastating turret form, previously the thing that made him most unique. And Sombra, a hero who fed her team information while invisible and timed ability-disabling hacks for her team to follow up, now has a personal 40% damage buff on hacked targets to do it all herself. Overwatch 2 forgoes friction for the kind of abilities that provide flat increases to a hero's damage output. As frustrating as being hacked by Sombra was in Overwatch 1, it was a necessary tool for a hero that wasn't designed to be an assassin. So much of Overwatch 2's design minimizes the non-lethal abilities with ones that supplement a player's proficiency at controlling their crosshair. This focus on aim as the most important and "fair" skill simplifies the game's fights and filters out the creativity in its DPS heroes.
Spread thin
(Image credit: Tyler C. / Activision Blizzard)As the synergistic but distinct roles within Overwatch 2's hero roster begin to consolidate, the necessity of teamwork is diminished. Most of the game's roster is now designed to eliminate the enemy team as fast as possible. The original Overwatch's most skilled players were already playing this way. Overwatch League and Top 500 matches showcased the most lethal heroes in the hands of players who were held back by the ways the game used non-traditional FPS abilities to add friction to every fight. In the last few years, Overwatch's balance began to prefer heroes like Cassidy, Echo, and Soldier: 76, who could consistently send an opponent back to the spawn room in seconds over slow heroes like Junkrat, Symmetra, and Genji, who relied on their teammates to create openings. Now, through sweeping balance changes to most of the heroes and powerful passive role bonuses, Overwatch 2 has fully canonized that playstyle for almost all levels of skill.
In the process, the most distinct heroes have had their strengths and weaknesses blurred so they more closely resemble each other. Bastion's mobile turret form mirrors Soldier: 76's run-and-gun style, Doomfist as a hyper-mobile tank is a xeroxed Winston, and Mercy can now glide in all directions with a wonky new meter system to keep up with the other supports. Many heroes have so many highly mobile and highly lethal abilities that they've become self-sufficient. Tanks and supports used to operate on the edge of Overwatch's core FPS framework, complicating firefights with life-saving and disruptive abilities that had to be worked around. Now, tanks and supports battle in the arena like everyone else, their unique abilities mere footnotes in the saga of a match.
Overwatch 2 sells the illusion that to win, you have to carry your team.
All of these changes make Overwatch 2 a more approachable game than the first one, and more immediately rewarding as a solo player. You can hop in, choose a hero, and intuit your role in the team quickly. But as everyone races to score a kill, counter-play is deemphasized—you can almost always simply eliminate the enemy team faster. Heroes who used to be kept in check by stuns and other crowd control abilities, such as Genji, can now slice through a team before they even know he's in the game. The call and response between the two teams as they exhaust abilities and resources to gain an advantage in the fight can often fragment into one- or two-player skirmishes around the map. Objective modes feel like deathmatches. When most matches end, it's like I stepped out of a concert, ears ringing and hands trembling. It's all adrenaline with little time to think.
Every fight in Overwatch 2 is an audition to be the main character, the hero that will steal the spotlight and clutch it out. It doesn't always happen; sometimes it really is a team-wide effort, but the increase in opportunities for everything to hinge on a single player means a decrease in strategic depth. Overwatch's design thrives on its uneven heroes and roles that lock together like puzzle pieces. Mercy's damage boost amplifies the threat of a Pharah in the sky, scattering the enemy team so that her's can move in. And Wrecking Ball's ability to withstand loads of attacks drains the enemy team of their resources for when a glass cannon hero like Tracer swoops in to assassinate a low-health target.
Instead of highlighting this strategic play as an alternative path to victory for players more interested in teamwork than mechanical acuity, Overwatch 2's relentless pacing causes these interactions to happen so frequently on both teams that their impact is nullified in uncoordinated play. There are far too many engagements where the time it takes to study your opponents and look for mistakes takes way longer than it does to use yours first and win via a surprise attack. Overwatch 2 lets you skewer the layers of strategy and leave it all up to reflexes. And when you find the right opportunities at the right time and execute on them, you're rewarded as if you did it alone.
Even if that's not technically true—experienced players can identify the ways teamwork led to a victory—it illustrates how much Overwatch 2 obscures the subtle dynamics of team play and encourages players to chase their own "pop off" moments. Without any clear indicators of that teamwork, whether via the game's new mid-match scoreboard or the same old post-match Play of the Game clips, Overwatch 2 sells the illusion that to win, you have to carry your team.
Daily grind
(Image credit: Tyler C. / Activision Blizzard)That sort of individualism in Overwatch 2 fuels its new, backwards monetization scheme. Overwatch 2's heroes are no longer immediately playable for everyone like they were in the first game. New accounts start with a handful of heroes and have to play around 100 matches to unlock the rest, and current players need to grind to tier 55 (out of 80) in the freemium battle pass to get the newest additions, or spend the $10 to get them instantly. By removing the guarantee that everyone has access to the same heroes, the possibility for synergy within your team is limited and inconsistent. You have no choice but to play for yourself and hope that your team meets you halfway.
To earn XP on the battle pass and Overwatch Coins to spend on cosmetics in the shop, you have to complete daily, weekly, and seasonal challenges. Some of them are as simple as winning a match and others give you specific goals like healing 10,000 health or landing a triple-kill. None of the challenges are so off-topic that you have to grief a match to get them finished, but it was hard to find the motivation to do more than I needed for my daily on nights I had other plans. I'm sure I'm not alone, which has me worried about which of my teammates are there for the grind and which are there for the win. It's easy to earn four or five tiers of the battle pass in a few hours of play, but if you plan on racing to the new hero or grabbing the customizable mythic skin, matches might start to look more like chores than opportunities to adapt and collaborate with your team.
Purely for attaining cosmetic items, the battle pass and the challenges are a slight improvement on Overwatch 1's loot boxes. You have the ability to earn or buy skins, emotes, weapon charms, and more without having to worry about probability. But by locking heroes behind a months-long grind for Overwatch Coins (weekly challenges reward a maximum of 60 and heroes will cost 2,000), both systems start to chisel away parts of the core game that's already on the verge of being hollowed out.
The commodification of heroes and the way it influences how you play the game almost makes me want loot boxes back.
Overwatch 2's monetization tries to mimic contemporary free-to-play shooters like Valorant and Apex Legends, but hasn't convinced me why it had to in the first place, especially with how unnecessary all of the new systems seem to be. Overwatch's strategic depth, variety of heroes, and fun cosmetics are enough to keep my attention. The battle pass and challenges complicate progression and introduce FOMO to incentivize you to pay money or spend loads of time grinding.
A better version of Overwatch 2 is a game that keeps the structure of the original, expands it with PvE, and restarts its regular release schedule for new heroes, maps, and modes. Overwatch 1's biggest problem was a lack of regular new toys to play with and an unfulfilled promise to add story and characterization to a cast of heroes that you wanted to learn more about. Overwatch 2 misinterprets the problem and delivers an overly complicated solution. The free-to-play grind for currency to buy cosmetics is conceptually more fair, but the commodification of heroes and the way it influences how you play the game almost makes me want loot boxes back.
Not dead yet
Overwatch 2 could have launched in a more stable state, too. Even apart from server queues and DDoS attacks, it's a mess. UI elements overlap each other, navigating all of the menus is a hassle, and players have reported tons of bugs, from being able to endlessly spam Bastion's ultimate ability to having most of the heroes locked as if you were a new player. Once I was in a match I was able to hit a consistent 144 fps and keep high graphical settings on without any stuttering or crashing. But that doesn't seem to be the case for everyone: I've seen reports of blue screens, frequent audio glitches, and inexplicable mouse lag.
Blizzard has issued several hotfixes and patches that attempt to clean the game up, and said it will look to smooth out any balance issues in December, when Season 2 starts. Overwatch 2 is officially a live service game. Rough starts can be fixed with time and it's possible that its worrying obsession with 'solo carry potential' and its grindy battle pass could be addressed. The Overwatch I love is still in there. It's stretched thin, but Blizzard's commitment to supporting it has made me more optimistic than the worst periods of the original game, when it was nearly stagnant.
There are still moments where I've salvaged a losing game with a sneaky Bastion as my team distracted them on the objective, or Nano Boosted a Pharah in the last seconds of a game to eke out a win. All those weird and brilliant interactions that can happen between the heroes is why Overwatch is still unparalleled. And having a lot of friends online and ready to group up again has reminded me what it was like when the game had enough new material to make everyone eager to experiment. Overwatch 2 has repeatedly brought me back to the joy of playing Overwatch at its peak in 2017 and early 2018 despite how so much of its design tries to sand those parts down.
Overwatch 2 could have launched as a much better game and a much more ambitious one. Like the original in 2016, it could have been an FPS for the sort of players and skill sets that other shooters don't often make room for. Instead, it's a confusing sequel that sacrifices its best parts as it transitions to a free-to-play model. The original Overwatch is too robust and too distinct to be completely erased and it's why the sequel remains compelling in spite of itself. But the live service model leaves it in a fragile state. Close as it is to a fully reinvigorated sequel to one of the best shooters in the last decade, it's just as close to collapsing as the pillars of its original design get knocked out.
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Whether you need a helpful clue for today's Wordle, would love someone to provide the answer to the October 15 (483) challenge as quickly as possible, or were hoping to find a guide designed to explain the internet's hottest puzzle game to newcomers, you'll find it all here.
I've been making myself use new openers and follow-ups every day this week as a little word-based exercise, and it's helped a lot. Not necessarily in getting to the answer in fewer guesses, but it has made me actually look at each puzzle in a new light and remind me of connections I'd been glossing over.
Wordle hint
Today's Wordle: A hint for Saturday, October 15
Today's answer describes the action performed when a person grabs something out of the air—a thrown ball, for example. This verb can also apply to colds. There's just one vowel today, and one of the consonants is used twice.
Wordle help: 3 tips for beating Wordle every day
If there's one thing better than playing Wordle, it's playing Wordle well, which is why I'm going to share a few quick tips to help set you on the path to success:
- A good opener contains a balanced mix of unique vowels and consonants.
- A tactical second guess helps to narrow down the pool of letters quickly.
- The solution may contain repeat letters.
There's no time pressure beyond making sure it's done by midnight. So there's no reason to not treat the game like a casual newspaper crossword and come back to it later if you're coming up blank.
Wordle answer
(Image credit: Josh Wardle)What is the Wordle 483 answer?
Not every day can be a win. Oh wait, yes it can. The answer to the October 15 (483) Wordle is CATCH.
Previous answers
Wordle archive: Which words have been used
The more past Wordle answers you can cram into your memory banks, the better your chances of guessing today's Wordle answer without accidentally picking a solution that's already been used. Past Wordle answers can also give you some excellent ideas for fun starting words that keep your daily puzzle solving fresh.
Here are some recent Wordle solutions:
- October 14: FLOOR
- October 13: EQUAL
- October 12: IONIC
- October 11: VALID
- October 10: ENJOY
- October 9: HOWDY
- October 8: VIGOR
- October 7: DANDY
- October 6: SLOTH
- October 5: MARSH
Learn more about Wordle
Every day Wordle presents you with six rows of five boxes, and it's up to you to work out which secret five-letter word is hiding inside them.
You'll want to start with a strong word like ALERT—something containing multiple vowels, common consonants, and no repeat letters. Hit Enter and the boxes will show you which letters you've got right or wrong. If a box turns
️, it means that letter isn't in the secret word at all. 
means the letter is in the word, but not in that position. 
means you've got the right letter in the right spot.You'll want your second go to compliment the first, using another "good" word to cover any common letters you missed last time while also trying to avoid any letter you now know for a fact isn't present in today's answer.
After that it's just a case of using what you've learned to narrow your guesses down to the right word. You have six tries in total and can only use real words (so no filling the boxes with EEEEE to see if there's an E). Don't forget letters can repeat too (ex: BOOKS).
If you need any further advice feel free to check out our Wordle tips, and if you'd like to find out which words have already been used you'll find those below.
Originally, Wordle was dreamed up by software engineer Josh Wardle, as a surprise for his partner who loves word games. From there it spread to his family, and finally got released to the public. The word puzzle game has since inspired tons of games like Wordle, refocusing the daily gimmick around music or math or geography. It wasn't long before Wordle became so popular it was sold to the New York Times for seven figures. Surely it's only a matter of time before we all solely communicate in tricolor boxes.
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Hello baba,
Welcome to UnityHQ Nolfseries Community. Please feel free to browse around and get to know the others. If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.
baba joined on the 10/14/2022.
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Cyberpunk 2077 was no flop, but it certainly disrupted CD Projekt's forward momentum, causing it to postpone Cyberpunk DLC in favor of fixes, and hurting its share price. But the past year of Cyberpunk launch atonement is not part of a long-term scaling back, we learned last week. If anything, CD Projekt's ambition has multiplied: The company says it's going to make a Cyberpunk 2077 sequel, release three new Witcher RPGs over the course of just six years, make a new game set in a new world, and more.
At the same time, joint CEO Marcin Iwiński said he'd be stepping down and taking a new role on the CD Projekt supervisory board. These announcements inevitably led to speculation that CD Projekt might be an acquisition target. The theory goes that its super-ambitious roadmap is either an attempt to attract big investors, or a way to deter a takeover by increasing its share price.
It feels like anything is possible with all the game studio shopping big companies like Microsoft have been doing, but industry analyst Rhys Elliott, who works for gaming research firm Newzoo, doesn't think CD Projekt's bold roadmap justifies any immediate conclusions about its current or future ownership.
"Expansive roadmaps are not a definite sign of a company anticipating an acquisition, and we would not want to speculate about the possibility of CD Projekt getting acquired," Elliott told PC Gamer.
According to Elliott, it's common for mid-sized developers to have ambitious internal roadmaps for the purpose of forecasting revenue and setting deadlines. What isn't typical is telling the world about those roadmaps, as CD Projekt has. Elliott thinks the company noticed that its status was improving—particularly after the success of Cyberpunk: Edgerunners on Netflix—and wanted to seize the moment.
"If [CD Projekt] revealed this roadmap before fixing the state of Cyberpunk 2077, there would have been an outcry from the public and investors, further increasing negative sentiment around the company," Elliot says. "Now that public sentiment around the company is becoming more positive, CD Projekt is hoping to leverage that sentiment and build off it to completely turn the negative narrative. The stock market also responded positively to the announcements."
This is music to the ears of investors.
Rhys Elliott, NewzooThe CD Projekt share price has risen by about 28% over the past month. Elliott thinks investors especially appreciated the announcement of a non-licensed game—one CD Projekt will fully own, unlike the Cyberpunk and Witcher games—as well as the news from earlier this year that CD Projekt is switching to Unreal Engine 5.
"The company wants all to know it has learned from its mistakes, is doubling down on its most successful strategies, and has many projects in the pipeline," says Elliott. "This is music to the ears of investors."
Another analyst, David Cole of DFC Intelligence, had a similar outlook.
"From my perspective, it seems like the announcement was made to provide current and potential investors confidence that there are many exciting things in the works," said Cole.
The Cyberpunk: Edgerunners anime led to a big uptick in Cyberpunk 2077 players. (Image credit: Netflix)But could any of those potential investors be eyeing a controlling share in the company? Elliott won't lean in either direction at this point, but does note that Tencent and Savvy Games Group have both said they want to make big acquisitions in Europe.
Tencent already owns US-based League of Legends developer Riot, as well as pieces of many other studios, including Epic Games. Saudi Arabia's Savvy Games Group recently said it was interested in spending $13 billion on a "leading game publisher." Microsoft, Sony, and Swedish holding company Embracer Group are the other leaders in the game studio acquisition spree.
CD Projekt wouldn't cost $13 billion, which suggests that it's not the company Savvy Gaming Group is looking at, unless the fund is planning multiple acquisitions. It's not too hard to imagine CD Projekt under the Xbox banner instead, or experiencing the embrace of Embracer, or becoming a Sony studio, but these aren't rumors that have been floating around—in fact, all we've heard on the topic recently is the other joint CEO, Adam Kiciński, saying in a 2021 interview: "We have been repeating for years that we plan to remain independent and do not plan to become part of a larger entity. We are also not looking for a strategic investor." (Machine translated from Polish by Google.)
We didn't see Microsoft's Bethesda or Activision Blizzard acquisitions coming, so it feels like nothing can be ruled out these days. But the analysts don't think a bunch of game announcements is enough to go on.
Currently, CD Projekt's largest single shareholder is Marcin Iwiński, the outgoing co-CEO, who owns 12.78% of the company. Adam Kiciński, the other CEO, owns 4.02%. The other major individual owners are Michał Kiciński and Piotr Nielubowicz. The rest of the shares, 66.04%, are publicly traded.
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Last month a few million people collectively laughed at me playing the trombone terribly in music rhythm game Trombone Champ. But what the heck do I know about playing the trombone? Surely expert trombonists could handle a virtual trombone better than a novice like me.
For instance, if you sat down the trombone section of The Philadelphia Orchestra, they'd probably be fantastic at the fast-paced trombone rhythm game even though it uses a mouse and keyboard instead of the actual instrument. Right?
You can find out in the video above, in which The Philadelphia Orchestra's trombone section takes a stab at playing Trombone Champ on a laptop.
It... does not go well.
The players in question are Nitzan Haroz, principal trombone, Matt Vaughn, co-principal trombone, and Blair Bollinger, bass trombone. The three musicians have, as The Philadelphia Orchestra's director of communications told me in an email, over 130 years of combined trombone experience between them.
That is a hell of a lot of trombone expertise on display, so I'm somewhat pleased to see they suck even harder than I do at Trombone Champ. I mean, they really eat it. To be fair, the game has nothing to do with skill at the instrument itself and is more about a steady mouse hand and quick-clicking reflexes. They're also tackling a 5-star song, which is medium difficulty and a tricky piece to start with your very first time playing. But still, I can't help but find myself a bit heartened by their terrible performance. I'm better at fake trombone than real trombonists!
At least they seem to (mostly) have enjoyed playing Trombone Champ, though there are a few looks of confusion when they're getting started. "This toots?" Bollinger says while hesitantly tapping the spacebar. "Now I'm tooting."
He adds: "Yeah, we can't play sixteenth notes on a real trombone, either," during the more frantic moments of the song.
"Mozart is rolling in his grave," says Haroz while struggling through Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, though to be fair he may have never attempted a trap mix of the 1787 composition on his actual trombone.
"I'm humiliated," says Vaughn as the three musicians laugh about their virtual performance after trying the game. "It just goes to show you that practicing the trombone is a waste of time."
"I'm gonna tell your students you said that!" says Bollinger.
"Nasty! Nasty!" yells Haroz, mimicking the game's most famous bit of feedback.
Fun stuff. And since it doesn't feel right to see these three masters humbled by a damn videogame, please take a few minutes to enjoy them (along with a fourth, Eric Carlson) performing Beethoven's Three Equali on trombone in the video below. It's an outstandingly beautiful performance. Or, as Trombone Champ would say: Perfecto.
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The ArenaNet MMO Guild Wars 2 is getting a new NPC in November drawn from the ranks of real life: April Arellano, a Children's Miracle Network Champion child, who's being added to the game as part of the studio's Extra Life Game Day event.
Arellano's right leg was amputated when she was just 15 months old, after septic shock set in following a bout of pneumonia. Now 10, "April happily navigates the world with a prosthetic leg," her CMN biography says. "She loves to sing, dance and perform in local theater productions. The Arellanos attribute April’s life to CHOC and the many doctors and nurses who treated April like their own daughter."
In Guild Wars 2, Arellano will be known as April the Mesmer Wunderkind, an adept mesmer—a magical duelist who specializes in illusion—and "serial meddler" born in the village of Garenhoff, just outside of Divinity's Reach. ArenaNet said it worked with the real-life April and her parents on the creation of the character, but it's holding back the details for the full reveal, which will take place during a 24-hour Extra Life Game Day stream on November 4. It did reveal, however, that April will be voiced in Guild Wars 2 by famed voice actor Jennifer Hale.
"We’re so excited for everyone to dig into April’s little adventure during our Extra Life Game Day," narrative designer Indigo Boock wrote. "I don’t want to reveal too many secrets just yet, but I can say that getting to talk with April Lynn and learn about her story was such a delight. I was immediately inspired by her confidence (and her dance moves, of course). April’s character in-game is resilient, brave, and filled with charm—but she barely compares to her namesake. We can’t wait for you to witness our little mesmer’s shenanigans firsthand."
(Image credit: ArenaNet)Extra Life is a program operated by, and in support of, Children's Miracle Network Hospitals, that raises funds through 24-hour gaming livestreams held each year by individuals and game companies. Since its launch in 2008 (it became a CMN Hospitals program in 2010), Extra Life has raised more than $100 million for CMN hospitals throughout the US and Canada.
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Last week, Valve officially released its official docking station for the Steam Deck. Now that it's made its way into users' hands, Valve is addressing community reports of some issues with the $90 dock. The FreeSync and DisplayPort MST features on the docking station "still require work," according to this Twitter post by Valve.
Valve wrote that the team is "actively working on these bugs, and we'll be shipping software and firmware updates soon." However, Valve did not elaborate on how soon "soon" is. Steam Deck users have been reporting problems with MST and FreeSync on the DeckSupport Reddit for a few days now, though it's difficult to see how widespread those problems are. But they must be significant enough for Valve to announce that a fix is on the way.
MST (or multi-stream transport) enables multi-monitor support on the Deck Docking Station, which requires two external monitors to be connected via HDMI and DisplayPort. FreeSync is AMD's adaptive synchronization tech (similar to Nvidia's G-Sync) that helps eliminate screen tearing and stuttering on an external monitor.
Valve has even updated the official Steam dock product page to say that FreeSync support is in progress and that the update for it and MST is "forthcoming."
The Steam Deck and Steam Deck docking station are now available without reservations or pre-orders through Steam with an expected delivery window of 1-2 weeks.In other Steam Deck news, a recent update will allow you to make even longer custom boot animations because who doesn't love running the intro to Cowboy Bebop when they turn on their Steam Deck?
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Following a bumpy launch week that saw frequent server trouble and bloated player queues, Blizzard has announced that over 25 million Overwatch 2 players have logged on in its first 10 days.
"Since launch, the game has been reaching nearly 3x the amount of players per day as the previous daily peak for the original Overwatch," reads the announcement.
Normally a figure this big isn't too surprising for the launch of a major free-to-play shooter, but the road to Overwatch 2 has been anything but normal. Despite being branded like a whole new game, Overwatch 2 is largely just an expansion of the original game. Blizzard spent years trying to explain what the '2' in Overwatch 2 actually means, leading to confusion and frustration.
The skepticism around the necessity of Overwatch 2 deepened in the weeks leading up to launch as Blizzard detailed changes that original Overwatch players were destined not to like, such as the locking of new heroes behind battle passes, the introduction of expensive cosmetic bundles, and the requirement for new accounts to unlock old heroes over the course of 100 matches.
All the bad news and the internet's general distaste for Activision had many calling "dead game" before it even came out. Turns out, a lot of people are playing Overwatch 2, even blowing past the original game's peaks. As we've seen with the relaunches of other formerly paid games like Rocket League and Fall Guys, free goes a long way.
I won't speak for all 25 million of us, but my friends and I have had a blast with the core design changes that made us all nervous when we first heard about them—5v5 feels pretty darn good, and the same goes for the new maps, Push mode, and new heroes. Our reviewer Tyler Colp is more critical so far, calling Overwatch 2 a "messy sequel that tries to erase one of the best shooters in the last decade."
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Mike Ducker was given a plaque to commemorate his work on Fable, the Lionhead RPG released in 2004 for the original Xbox. In 2010, it went missing under mysterious circumstances—and now, 12 years later, a spot of good luck has put it back in his hands.
Ducker, whose Mobygames profile lists him as a programmer on every Fable game from the original to Fable: Anniversary in 2014, shared the story about the loss and recovery of the plaque on Twitter. "The plaque I was given for making Fable has been missing [and] presumed stolen since 2010," he wrote. "It ended up in a recycling centre auction in Northampton around 2014, then sat in a collection until it went on sale on eBay recently, where a game dev I'd never met saw it and told me.
"The seller returned it for the price they paid for it (less than 10% of what they had listed it for and much less than I was willing to pay). Never thought I'd see it again and so unlikely that I ever did. I am, of course, paying them more than they asked (and throwing in a Fable 1 standee I found in my tiny collection of memorabilia)"
Ducker also called for "many blessings" upon Ichi Sumeragi, who informed him of the auction last week. The auction has since been cancelled, but you can still see the page through the magic of the Wayback Machine. The seller was asking £995 ($1,112) for the plaque, which they said is in "like new" condition—and which Ducker said he was not in a position to pay in order to get it back.
The seller returned it for the price they paid for it (less than 10% of what they had listed it for and much less than I was willing to pay). Never thought I'd see it again and so unlikely that I ever did
October 12, 2022See moreHow exactly the plaque went missing in the first place isn't certain, but Ducker said that "a bunch of stuff" was stolen from his house in 2010, and he doesn't recall seeing it after that, although he added that it might have disappeared prior to that. As for how the plaque ended up in an auction when his name is literally printed right on the front of it, Ducker said he doesn't believe eBay or the seller have an obligation to obtain his permission or approval.
"I guess just because it was clearly once mine doesn't mean they have to chase me up to make sure I sold it / gave it away," he tweeted. "No more than the purchaser did. I'm sure some people would (to get info once purchased) but plenty of people wouldn't think of it."
Fortunately for Ducker, one person did think about it, and a happy ending resulted. Interestingly, he's not the only former Fable developer who's missing the plaque: Neil Grevitt, who worked on Fable: The Lost Chapters, said he hasn't seen his in years and asked if the seller had any others. Alas, the answer was no.
A new Fable game is currently in development at Playground Games, the studio best known for the Forza racing games. Little is known about it at this point beyond the fact that it's happening, but Anna Megill, formerly the lead writer on the project, took over as narrative lead in July.
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Epilogue, manufacturer of the GameBoy emulation tool GB Operator, has revealed that the peripheral now works on the Steam Deck. With the Operator, you can effectively play your GameBoy (original through Advance) cartridges directly on your Deck via the dongle.
The GB Operator has been available since August of 2021, and was originally designed to work on any PC running Windows, Linux, or MacOS—this specific Steam Deck config naturally has a higher buy-in cost. The Operator builds on the open-source mGBA emulator, as opposed to the hardware-level FPGA solution you see in the Analogue Pocket or the MiSTer.
Emulation is typically held to be the lower-fidelity way to run games sans original hardware, but it is also cheaper and more accessible: The Operator will run you $50 vs. the Analogue's $220, while constructing a MiSTer is a super cool but potentially challenging DIY undertaking. The mGBA software in use by the Operator, for its part, seems to be a highly-regarded emulation tool.
Compared to just installing mGBA on its own, which works great on Steam Deck, the Operator lets you skip having to dump a ROM from your cart before playing it. Should the novelty of playing games directly off the cart wear off, the Operator does provide a convenient method to flash and dump ROMs. Similarly, the Operator also lets you transfer saves between your computer and the cart.
The Steam Deck's always struck me as more an inheritor to the legacy of the Game Gear or the PSP, you know, the bigger, high-powered, black plastic, rectangular challengers to Nintendo's handheld throne. Still, this feels right somehow, and it doesn't look like Nintendo's going to offer an official GameBoy emulation solution any time soon. Between this and the Deck's potential as a Wii U/Nintendo DS emulator, Valve's portable gaming PC is proving to be quite the retro gaming powerhouse.
The Deck certainly strikes me as a more fitting home for GameBoy emulation than a desktop or, God forbid, the Android smartphone I used to play Fire Emblem a couple years ago. I picked up a Mario and Luigi: Superstar Saga cart awhile ago, and I'd love to replay that old favorite on my Steam Deck.
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Capture cards aren't cheap, especially if you want to record or stream footage at a high resolution and framerate. Even the best capture cards can cost you upwards of $200. So, if you don't have that sort of cash lying about, why not try making your own for just a tiny fraction of that? That's what one DIYer did.
YuzikiHD built the "YuzukiLOHCC Pro," an HDMI to USB 3.2 video capture board (spotted by Hackaday) that uses the affordable MS2130 HDMI to USB HD video and audio acquisition chip on a USB 3.2 Device controller. Following their instructions might be tricky, as buying one of the chips seems like a project in itself right now, but it's a cool project nonetheless.
The YuzukiLOHCC Pro has two HDMI ports for input and output and a USB Type-C port to connect to your computer. If you have ever used an Elgato Game Capture HD 60 S, it's a similar design. Like that card, it can stream and record footage from a gaming console, computer, or camera in 1080p at 60 frames per second. It just won't cost you $150.
According to the project's GitHub page, this chip can support HDMI up to 4K at 30Hz. It supports a bunch of other resolutions as well. (Sorry, no 1440p).
There's a video of the YuzukiLOHCC PRO in action on Twitter, passing Splatoon 3 gameplay from a Nintendo Switch to a PC. The first thing you'll notice about the footage is that there's pretty low latency, which isn't surprising since it's using USB 3.2. If you were using USB 2.0, you'd see a noticeable delay from the source to your output of at least a few seconds.
YuzukiLOHCC Pro With Splatoon3, Loop out, Capture and Streaming pic.twitter.com/RD7mNjNIQxOctober 5, 2022
See moreSteam in your hands(Image credit: Future, FromSoftware)Steam Deck review: Our verdict on Valve's handheld PC.
Steam Deck availability: How to get one.
Steam Deck battery life: What's the real battery life of the new device?
How loud is the Steam Deck? And will it pass the Significant Other test?
Steam Deck - The emulation dream machine: Using Valve's handheld hardware as the ultimate emulator.The DIY device works on any operating system; Windows, Mac, or Linux. More importantly, it works with third-party video-capturing software like OBS Studio or FFmpeg. Not bad for something that will end up costing less than a pizza.
How much less? Just $10. The only problem is that tracking down an MS2130 chip to build your own might be an issue if you live outside of China. You can try finding one on Taobao (which requires a free account to search) or try your luck at a local electronics store like this Twitter user. Your third option would be contacting the manufacturer directly to special order the chip, but you're probably not planning to build these in bulk. It's possible the chips will become more readily available in the future.
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Is it weird to say I absolutely loved the tutorial for early access colony survival game Stranded: Alien Dawn? As in, I enjoyed the tutorial so much I might actually play it again from start to finish before starting a proper game? No joke. It's that good.
In Stranded, you're managing a small group of colonists who have crash-landed on an alien planet. Each has a collection of skills and personality traits, and your job is to guide them from scavenging basic supplies to researching new technology to building a base and defending it from giant alien bugs. And of course, you'll need to make sure they all get along with each other and manage their mental health along with their physical health. Think RimWorld, but in a game that looks more like Rust.
The tutorial is excellent (and honestly I think a great move would be to release it as a free demo so everyone can try it), walking you through the first steps of setting up a shelter, basic gathering and storage, and building the first few workbenches. Once you've completed a few starter tasks it skips ahead in the colonist's lives, teaching you how to manage them in combat and keep them happy and healthy, and gives you a look at overseeing a more technologically advanced base with electronics and automated defenses.
The tutorial took me about 90 minutes to finish, and along the way I got a good look at just how deep the management system is. You can set daily schedules for each colonist, give each of their tasks numbered priorities, or even dictate specifically what they do hour by hour, including breaks for rest and entertainment. It's like Asana: The Videogame. You can also "draft" them, which gives you complete control over what they're doing, especially helpful in combat against alien bugs or if there's a specific task you want done immediately.
And it's not just the human colonists you can micromanage. As they collect or generate resources and food, you can even dictate which items can be placed on which shelves in their storage cabinets. If you don't trust these dummies not to store raw ingredients and cooked meals out in the open, you can specifically tell them what goes in the fridge and what sits on the shelf, and tell them specifically what they can eat and what's forbidden. It's a micromanager's dream come true.
(Image credit: Haemimont Games)You don't really need to monitor and rule over absolutely everything they do—colonists have their own priorities they'll follow—but the point is, you can. I don't imagine I'll keep quite as close an eye on them as the game allows, but it's nice to know the option is there. I've played plenty of management games where one of my citizens kept wandering off and doing something stupid, and I like that in Stranded I'll be able to forbid that behavior. Along with skills for activities like farming, construction, and crafting, colonists may also have interest levels for different tasks, meaning a task may be something they enjoy doing rather than something they simply suffer through.
The tutorial also skips ahead from the survivors living in a crude shelter to building a proper home with a foundation, walls, separate rooms, and all the business that goes along with modern living: electricity from turbines and solar panels, lighting and comfort, air conditioning and temperature control, and even a battery level sensor that tells a diesel generator to kick on when batteries run dry to avoid power loss. Naturally base defenses like auto-turrets and motion sensors also run off the power grid, and setting up different circuits for each system on the grid gives you complete control over your base's power.
(Image credit: Haemimont Games)Stranded: Alien Dawn just launched into Early Access on Steam. It's developed by Haemimont Games, maker of the Tropico series and Surviving Mars, a pretty great pedigree for management. I'm planning to spend my weekend playing—once I've gone through the tutorial again, just for fun.
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Nvidia is taking a step back and "unlaunching" the RTX 4080 12GB. The company had intended to release two RTX 4080 graphics cards next month, the RTX 4080 12GB and the RTX 4080 16GB, with entirely different specs, but it has now decided against releasing the lower-spec card.
"The RTX 4080 12GB is a fantastic graphics card, but it’s not named right. Having two GPUs with the 4080 designation is confusing," Nvidia says in a surprisingly concise blog post.
"So, we’re pressing the 'unlaunch' button on the 4080 12GB. The RTX 4080 16GB is amazing and on track to delight gamers everywhere on November 16th."
When Nvidia first announced the RTX 4080, we were a bit surprised to find there were two of them on the way. From the name alone, you'd suppose they're two models of the same card with different memory configurations, but they're actually two graphics cards with significantly different specifications.
Following Nvidia's announcement of the cards, many called it confusing and questioned why the RTX 4080 12GB isn't named the RTX 4070 to reflect its lower specs.
Surprisingly, Nvidia has taken that feedback on board and done something I really hadn't expected it to do. Even Nvidia had been quite convinced it was the right call until recently.
"It should be intuitive, right? The 16GB, it's a better GPU, it's faster. I don't think anyone is going to think the 16GB is not better than the 4080 [12GB]. We are going to work on being very clear with our product pages, with our retail space, and anywhere that gamers are looking at GPUs, so that gamers can pick the GPU that's right for them," Justin Walker, senior director of product management at Nvidia said during a pre-briefing on the RTX 40-series cards.
Below is a table of the original RTX 4080 lineup:
The original RTX 4080 announcement spec RTX 4080 12GB ("unlaunched") RTX 4080 16GB GPU AD104-400 AD103-300 CUDA Cores 7,680 9,728 Base Clock 2,310MHz 2,210MHz Boost Clock 2,610MHz 2,510MHz Memory Bus 192-bit 256-bit Memory Type 12GB GDDR6X 16GB GDDR6X Memory Speed 21Gbps 23Gbps Graphics Card Power (W) 285W 320W Required System power (W) 700W 750W Launch Price $899 $1,199 Launch date Now unknown November 16 What this means is that we're only now expecting one graphics card next month, the RTX 4080 16GB, and that will arrive on November 16. Assuming pricing all remains the same for this card, it will launch for $1,199.
Following that, it's likely that the card that was once destined to be the RTX 4080 12GB will take on a new disguise as the RTX 4070, though we now no longer have any timeframe for that. Assuming again that pricing remains the same, that card will eventually launch for $899. This potentially would make it a pricey xx70 card, so I wonder if that price is now in flux, too.
Nvidia had never planned a Founders Edition for the RTX 4080 12GB, which may have made the decision to cancel and reconfigure it a little easier. Though surely it has come to a point where some plans are set in stone—Nvidia's GPU partners were likely to have been ramping up their RTX 4080 12GB cards ready for launch next month. Can much at all of that card's spec now be changed as a result? We'll have to wait and see.
If you want a taster of what more is to come from the RTX 40-series cards, you can sink your teeth into our Nvidia RTX 4090 review right now.
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Blizzard has released a big ol' blog post to look back on the first week of Overwatch 2, along with addressing some feedback and issues. First of all, despite the calls for buffs and nerfs, Blizzard says none of the heroes are seriously out pacing the others, as they all have a pretty similar win rate. And rather hilariously, if you've been placed in competitive in a lower rank than you think you deserve, it might not be your fault.
Due to this gaff, Blizzard has apologised to those players who have ranked lower than anticipated. There was actually a bug that was making some players rank far lower than they should have been, so hey, if you're in Bronze five, you may have hope of getting out of there quickly.
"We discovered a bug that was impacting player skill ratings, which is what contributed to many players being placed in Bronze 5 when they should have been placed higher," the post reads. "Our most recent patch included a fix that will help you get back to your true rank quickly, and that will be reflected the next time you receive a competitive ranking update. You will receive a boost as you continue playing to help you get up to the correct ranks. Players who haven’t yet placed in competitive won’t experience this issue after the fix goes live."
(Image credit: Activision Blizzard)I mean, at least some people have an excuse now right? It's a little annoying that there may not be an immediate way to determine where people should be placed, and that they still have to rank up, but at least the bug has been squashed.
Additionally, this section addresses that some players are already giving the devs feedback on how the game should celebrate your skill tiers and divisions. There are changes on the way for that, but Blizzard hasn't got anything to share right now.
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Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord will finally leave early access on October 25, but before it does, developer TaleWorlds Entertainment has been rolling out a few patches and hotfixes to prep for the big day. The latest adds Steam Workshop support to the sometimes-buggy, always-brilliant medieval mercenary simulator.
Until now, the best place to find Mount & Blade 2 mods has been the Nexus Mods site, which you'll almost certainly be familiar with if you've modded almost any game in the last ten years. For now—about two hours after Bannerlord got Workshop support at time of writing—that's still the case, but you can bet that many of the game's big mods will migrate from the Nexus over to Steam pretty quickly. It's a lot more convenient to subscribe to a mod on Steam than it is to futz around with mod managers, even if the Workshop can be a bit more limited.
Workshop support has been a regular request from the Bannerlord community ever since the game released on Steam early access in 2020, and it's one of several bells and whistles that TaleWorlds is adding before the game's release in just under two weeks. Besides Workshop support, the game will also be getting voiceovers for storyline dialogue and greetings, AI updates to stop your men getting stuck on one another during sieges, and various Steam knick-knacks like trading cards, emoticons and so on.
Oh, Bannerlord will also be receiving banners before October 25. You'd think those would have been in there from the start.
We liked Mount & Blade 2, jank and all, when it came to early access, and it's only gotten better since, the occasional bout of existential horror aside. It's a unique thing: a big box of weird and wonderful systems that can't help but produce incredible stories as you play. It's the kind of PC game born for a vast library of mods, and with Workshop support that library just got even more accessible.
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It's been a long time since I've played Dead Space, and my memories of it are predictably hazy. It's fortunate, then, that the new extended gameplay walkthrough released today includes bits that compare the new game to the original side-by-side, so I can really see how much things have improved.
Like this, for instance.
(Image credit: Electronic Arts)It's still very Dead Space: Dark corridors, creepy enemies, and plentiful dismemberment courtesy of industrial cutting tools being put to work in ways that they were definitely not designed for (yet are surprisingly effective at). Isaac Clarke, the unfortunate engineer trapped in this sci-fi nightmare, also puts his heavy metal space boots to good use, because the next-best thing to chopping 'em up is stomping 'em down.
The old and the new might seem blurred by the hazy lens of memory, but there are actually quite a few changes in the Dead Space remake, some subtle and some not. We got a closer look at how it all comes together in a new hands-on preview, which sounds very promising. Assuming pre-release bugs are addressed, "the new Dead Space will be a lot like the old one, except with modern graphics, fewer mid-2000s bugs, and a far more detailed Ishimura," our executive editor Tyler Wilde wrote.
"There are some new puzzles and some surprise scares from the 'intensity AI,' but nothing that drastically alters the original sequence of events. I struggle to think of a better way to remake a recent classic like Dead Space."
Also, he didn't remember the original Dead Space experience very well either, which makes me feel a little better about my own powers of recollection.
The Dead Space remake is set to launch on January 27, 2023.
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I’ve tested a handy few microphones in my time, but not once have I had the pleasure of using an XLR mic. For the uninitiated, the XLR form is arguably the more traditional form that mics can take, given the connector has been around since the 1950s and amongst professionals is the de-facto standard for most audio devices, microphones included. As streaming has become more of a popular medium, XLR mics have taken on a new lease of life as content creators look to create the best content they can, and of course, audio is a big part of that.
As a result, we’ve seen a fair amount of brilliant XLR microphones released for pro use that streamers have also begun to use—think of Shure’s SM7 or Rode’s Procaster. Well, in the last couple of years, we’ve seen more companies join the party, such as Elgato, the Corsair owned brand which has made a name for itself with some of the best all-round kit for streamers, ranging from the Stream Deck to their range of keylights.
But anyway, back to the focus at hand: the Elgato Wave DX is its latest (and potentially greatest) entry in their lineup of microphones, and as you’ve probably guessed it, it’s an XLR one!
As a result of it being an XLR mic, the Wave DX was a little fiddly to set up; it's not the most plug and play device in the world in the sense of plugging in one cable and the mic works. Instead, it's a multi stage procedure that relies on you having a few things to hand.
Wave DX specs(Image credit: Future)Frequency: 50–15,000Hz
Directional patterns: Unidirectional Cardioid Polar Pattern
Controls: Volume dial, mute button (on Wave XLR)
Recording sample rate: 96kHz
Bit depth: 24-bit
Weight: 440g
Price: $99 for mic/$369 for whole kitTo actually get the Wave DX working you'll need the mic itself, as well as an XLR cable (sold separately, but any XLR cable should do) and an interface of some form, which is where you plug the mic into, and the interface then plugs into your PC. I should say at this juncture that this mic should work with any XLR interface, but for the sake of unity and convenience, I'm using Elgato's own Wave XLR, which also gives you access to on board gain control, so not to clutter the sleek design of the Wave DX itself.
Once you've jumped through a couple of hoops and you've set the Wave DX up on a mic arm (there isn't a tripod stand in the box), then you're ready to go. The setup is actually a lot easier than I'm making out—it's literally just plugging in a handful of cables. It's worth noting here how well built every part of this kit is and how simple it is to operate. The Wave DX features this minimalistic and almost elegant look to it. There's no unneeded bulkiness with a shock mount or external pop filter, like you get with other mics—interestingly, the Wave DX has an internal pop filter. It's comprised majorly of metal too, and feels rather sturdy indeed. The same goes for the boom arm and Wave XLR interface too, which, although is made of plastic, doesn't feel cheap in the slightest.
Image 1 of 2(Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 2(Image credit: Future)Of course, the most important thing with a mic is how it sounds, and I'm pleased to report the Wave DX sounds marvellous. It provides vocals that have plenty of body to them alongside some excellent clarity. My only issue with it is that some plosives did still come through with a slightly annoying hissing noise, proving that while the internal pop filter offers more of a design minded way of removing harsh sounds, an external physical barrier may offer a more surefire way.
The Wave DX is actually a dynamic microphone, which means it's better suited to capturing louder noises.
The Wave DX offers a cardioid polar pattern, which is ideal for voices, although intriguingly, isn't a condenser mic, like a lot of other more affordable options are. Instead, the Wave DX is actually a dynamic microphone, which means it's better suited to capturing louder noises—ideal if you're someone who bellows into a mic. As a dynamic microphone, it also doesn't require any external power, unlike condensers, whose XLR based versions will need to draw power from somewhere—usually the interface their plugged into. If you do want to use a condenser XLR mic with the Wave XLR interface, it can provide the 48V of phantom power needed for them to run.
(Image credit: Future)Elgato's XLR mic also did a brilliant job of cancelling out most background noise, so it was just my voice that was coming through, as opposed to any angry typing on a keyboard. In addition, you can get an additional plug-in that can help to cancel noise even further. This brings me nicely onto the support for VST plugins, including Elgato's own EQ, where you can fiddle with the different frequencies of your voice—if you want a little more bottom end or more twinkly, then away you go!
Stream machine(Image credit: Rode, Samson, Blue)Best microphone for gaming: make sure you're heard
Best webcams: be seen while you get your stream on
Best capture cards: lessen the load with a dedicated cardAt this juncture, I realise I haven't mentioned the actual price of the Wave DX, and of course, its assorted kit needed to get things working. The mic itself is $99/£110 which puts it in the more affordable category for XLR mics, and for that, it represents brilliant value for money. Things become a little more fiddly when you add all the other bits needed to get it working, which actually come to more than the mic itself. The Wave XLR interface is $160/£160 while the boom arm clocks in at $90/£90 and the separate XLR cable sits at $20/£20. In essence, you'll be paying close to $400/£410 to get all this up and running, which pushes it out of the 'affordable' category somewhat.
All in all though, the Wave DX is a great microphone with some excellent clarity and full bodied audio that should really take your stream and content creation game to the next level. With all the kit bundled in, it is quite expensive, but if you're wanting a sleek and minimalistic looking setup to stream with, this is a fine choice.
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I've become besotted with Vampire Survivors since I bought it to play on my Steam Deck, but I'm now convinced developer Poncle wants to kill me. It's leaving early access next week, on October 20, and the launch version will include the previously announced Endless mode and the just unveiled Inverse mode. It's the latter that will surely spell my death.
Inverse is apparently only for the most talented survivors, which I definitely can't count myself among. Though it boosts the amount of gold you'll earn, that doesn't quite make up for the fact that enemy health is increased by a whopping 200%, and those enemies also grow stronger over time.
I have absolutely no idea what kind of build will be able to handle this, but it certainly isn't one I've come up with. I bet I'll end up being murdered by a plain ol' bat. It's going to be incredibly embarrassing and I fully expect my family to disown me. In my clan, only the best vampire survivors get any love.
The name of the mode comes from its final quirk: the levels will all be flipped upside down. I think I can probably handle that because I haven't memorised all of their layouts yet. Finally, having a sluggish brain comes in handy!
Also coming with 1.0 is Twitch integration, skins, a new UI, more music tracks and more stuff that Poncle has yet to reveal. After launch, Poncle will also be porting it to a new engine, with an update expected by the end of the year. No need to wait until launch to take it for a spin, though: the early access version is fantastic, and at £4/$5, it's ridiculously good value.
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DirectStorage is Microsoft's way of speeding up load times in games and allowing developers to better take advantage of speedy SSDs. It's sure to be one of the biggest steps towards even more impressive and expansive games, once it's actually available in any, but even before we get our hands on it Microsoft's making it that much better.
Following the release of the DirectStorage API back in March (time flies), Microsoft has announced DirectStorage 1.1. Essentially, the newer version adds GPU decompression to proceedings, which offloads the time-consuming decompression work from your CPU and onto your highly-parallel GPU.
Traditionally, compressed game assets are transferred from your storage medium (mostly an SSD nowadays) to system memory, where your CPU will decompress the assets before shifting them on to your GPU as required.
With DirectStorage 1.1, it's possible to skip a whole lot of that and take a much more direct route. Assets are transferred from an NVMe SSD (DirectStorage 1.0 already speeds up this process) and transfers them directly to the GPU for decompression. Thus saving seconds or more in load times for assets.
"...scenes are loading nearly 3x faster and the CPU is almost entirely freed up to be used for other game processes," Microsoft confirms.
The end result should be games load quicker on PC, which is something we've seen the more proprietary Xbox and PlayStation console architectures have an advantage in for a little while now. Though following on from the first wave of games, when DirectStorage compatible PCs are more ubiquitous, developers should be able to really push the limits of what a game can be with more flexibility in load times, asset quality, and scale.
AMD has its own implementation of the tech called SmartAccess Storage. (Image credit: AMD)That's the thing, there are some requirements for DirectStorage, and also specifically DirectStorage 1.1 with GPU Decompression:
- Windows 10 or Windows 11—Microsoft expects the greatest improvement on Windows 11 but "both Windows 10 and Windows 11 will see gains from an efficient GPU decompression implementation."
- An NVMe SSD—preferably a very quick one, such as a high-speed PCIe 4.0 drive. Perhaps PCIe 5.0 drives will be even better when they arrive next year.
- Any DirectX 12 GPU that supports Shader Model 6.0—This shader model has been around for a while now, so most modern GPUs should suffice. However, Microsoft recommends a DX12 Ultimate capable card, which is basically one with RT support and a support for a few other key new rendering features.
- A DirectStorage compatible game—it's all well and good having the hardware, but you need the software to bring it all together. This is the piece of the puzzle we're still missing today.
There aren't any DirectStorage games right now, unfortunately. We were expecting to see the technology arrive in Forspoken first, though the game was delayed in the summer until 2023, kicking the DirectStorage can down the road, too. Whether it'll still be the first game out of the gate with DirectStorage now, we can't be sure, but Forspoken is meant to be arriving in January now, so it's probably still our best bet.
To make DirectStorage work, Microsoft and Nvidia have teamed up to introduce a new compression format, contributed by Nvidia, called GDeflate.
This new file format is reportedly lossless but allows for optimised "high-throughput decompression on the GPU with deflate-like compression ratios.
Peak Storage(Image credit: Future)Best SSD for gaming: the best solid state drives around
Best PCIe 4.0 SSD for gaming: the next gen has landed
The best NVMe SSD: this slivers of SSD goodness
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Best external SSDs: plug in upgrades for gaming laptops and consoles"GDeflate saves CPU cycles by offloading costly decompression operations to the GPU, while saving system interconnect bandwidth and on-disk footprint at the same time," Microsoft's blog on DirectStorage 1.1 says.
Don't worry, however, GDeflate isn't proprietary for Nvidia GPUs. You may have heard of Nvidia's own RTX IO technology, which will be used in conjunction with DirectStorage, but also AMD has its own SmartAccess Storage technology which sounds somewhat similar. Intel, too, has some plans for DirectStorage, it seems, with all three GPU companies (it's still weird that there's three now) set to support GDeflate. That should mean all the latest cards are capable of utilising the new format when the time comes.
With the better part of a year since DirectStorage has been available to developers, I would suspect that 2023 will be the year we get our hands on a good few games that actually support the technology. That should coincide with new GPU launches, PCIe 5.0 SSDs, and speedy CPUs. All our PC gaming ducks are in a row.
You can check if your PC will be ready for DirectStorage using the Microsoft Game Bar.
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So Overwatch 2 is out and, sort of, running. The game has been plagued by a variety of launch issues from server queues to broken hero abilities, but for the most part players are now getting stuck into matches and experimenting with the new meta. And although there may be some that think one or two heroes are broken (overpowered) or broken (terrible) Blizzard hasn't got any plans to rework or rebalance any heroes just yet.
In a post-launch blog update the first order of business was to address heroes and their win rates. The post says that although there are some heroes with higher win rates across different skill levels, there is not one hero that is in desperate need of balancing. All heroes have a win rate within 45 to 55% at the moment, which is pretty good, despite some players feeling like some heroes are far too prominent.
The only exception is that Zarya will be altered for one mode in the next major patch on October 25. Total Mayhem is Overwatch 2's most chaotic mode and allows players to use their abilities much more often, making Zarya seemingly unstoppable.
(Image credit: Blizzard)There will eventually be changes made to Overwatch 2's heroes but it seems they're going to be held off until season two. Whatever these are will keep in mind the "design goal of ensuring the overall game feels balanced and fair while giving each season a more distinct identity." That's now a little bit more difficult considering many effects have been scaled back to just do damage, right Blizzard?
A game with that many characters coming out and only having a disparity of a 10% win rate is quite impressive, though. It helps that some of these characters have been finely tuned in the previous game, but with new heroes and a few big reworks it could have been significantly worse. As new players get the hang of the game and understand the abilities of the heroes more there might be a little more movement in what heroes are obviously over or underpowered. It will take time and a meta to evolve for those details to become clear.
Minecraft Legends shows off its 4 player co-op in new gameplay video
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Today's Minecraft Live saw a lot of neat detail emerge around Minecraft Legends, the real time, third-person strategic spinoff of Mojang's ever-popular blocky world. We learned that Minecraft Legends will launch in the Spring of 2023, and got two cinematic trailers and a long string of four-person gameplay as a team attacks a piglin base.
In it, two developers from Mojang and two from Blackbird Interactive gather a team of overworld mobs and use them to attack the invading Piglins. It also shows how resource gathering works, as Allays gather resources for the players to build with.
The allays also auto-build for players, who can select from a variety of pre-designed structures to put in the world. They'll also place spawners, which players use to recruit units like golems, zombies, and creepers to fight invading Piglins.
Minecraft legends was announced this year, a kind of third-person action RTS in the vein of Nintendo's Pikmin or Codemasters' Overlord series. We knew you'd lead the overworld in force against the invading monsters of the nether, and we knew there was multiplayer, but this is the first confirmation that it'll be up to four players cooperatively. We don't yet know if there'll be crossplay, but Mojang did eventually add just that to spinoff Minecraft Dungeons—at least between Xbox and PC.
The entire presentation includes the trailer embedded above, as well as a longer introductory trailer featuring developer Jens. You can watch the whole Minecraft Legends segment on YouTube, but I've picked out the time below to start right as the gameplay begins.
It's a lot! We see all kinds of neat new mobs, like new golems, but also wild and strange Piglin enemies like a lava launcher, and some kind of crazy centaur-pig and what might be a... gemstone pig? I don't know, but the variety of interactions available seems very cool and speaks well for the actual strategic and tactical level of Legends.
For more on Minecraft Legends, keep an eye on our article of everything we've learned about Minecraft Legends so far.
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