Month: April 2017

Source: Blue’s News

UbiBlog has details on Title Update 3 for Ghost Recon: Wildlands, which is now available on consoles, and is coming today to the Windows edition of the shooter. This includes game stability improvements and fixes for some issues with the game. It will also introduce Live Season Challenges, and they provide this explanation of what these are about:

The Title Update also introduces Live Season Challenges – a brand new feature giving players regular access to new objectives. These Challenges will be separated into Seasons, with each lasting six weeks and featuring a specific theme and specific rewards. The first Season starts on April 18th. The update adds a new in-game menu where you can see the current Challenges, check details of how to find them, and monitor your progression.

Because the Challenges are live content, you need to be online to activate them and update your statistics – though the missions can be completed offline during the same game session.

There’ll be a total of five new missions each week, gradually allowing you to discover new pieces of Operation Kingslayer.

• Three challenges playable solo (co-op is available, but your stats are counted individually)
• A challenge dedicated to members of Task Force groups (Task Forces can be created or joined on the Ghost Recon Network)
• A community challenge that requires the contribution of all players to reach an overall objective.

Players will receive a reward after completing each challenge, totaling three rewards per season. During a season, each challenge will be available for one week and will be updated every Wednesday at 9am UTC (that’s 10am BST) – so don’t forget to complete them before then to get the reward.

Source: Matrix Games

Juha Kellokoski is the main programmer and game designer of Armored Brigade. Together with his three fellow comrades Sam, Nikola and Dmitriy, they form the team developing the game.

We met Juha and we had the chance to ask him some questions about its latest work.

First off, thank you for answering these questions about upcoming game, Armored Brigade.

Matrix. Would you like to tell us what has been the driving force behind its design?

Juha Kellokoski. The starting point was to make a game I like to play. I’ve combined elements from games that I have enjoyed, including wargames and simulations, and even flavors from outside these genres. I’ve been an avid gamer since the mid-80′s. The original Steel Panthers is perhaps the greatest inspiration, if I had to name just one, but I’m sure that the players of many other PC wargame classics will feel like home when they try Armored Brigade. Also, especially in the earlier days, I did a lot of research about what the players think is missing from other games, and did my best to make sure Armored Brigade won’t be lacking in those respects.

M. When it was available for free, Armored Brigade got a strong reputation among wargamers. What is the story behind this incredible project?

J.K. Armored Brigade was actually my first game project. The initial steps were taken as early as 2004 when I decided to do something else than just modding the games of others. I considered different ideas, including a “Roguelike” game concept, but with real graphics. A bit later it evolved into making a Steel Panthers clone, with turn-based gameplay. I think the current real-time concept matured in late 2005, and later the ’87 equipment became the data set. Since then it’s been expanding and expanding in all directions. Basically, everything has been redone several times, and even now we’re ditching old stuff we know can be done better. The first freeware version was made public in March 2008. It was a very sincere effort, like “Hey, I made a game, do you want to try it?” I was fairly ignorant about the “grognard scene” and all that. I started receiving emails from the grognards, (ex-)servicemen and established publishers, saying very positive things about the game, even in its early, crude form. Unfortunately, I wasn’t very responsive those days, and even left some of the emails unanswered. Hopefully I’ve improved from that. Around the same time the discussion forum was opened, and I got feedback and help from the players, and kept developing the game. All of the current team members were “recruited” from the forum. I’m still the only programmer and the project leader. Sam is mainly responsible for the textures, Dmitriy makes the maps and additional artwork and Nikola is building the database. In 2016 I decided to work on this project full-time, to give it all the polish and chrome it deserves. For that purpose, I established my company, Veitikka Studios, and signed a contract with Matrix Games. That’s where we’re now.

READ THE FULL INTERVIEW HERE

Check out these latest hardware announcements for today from around the web. Also included are some hardware news bits, and on some days, a few rumors tossed in for good measure. Click on the links below to read the official press release, visit the products web page, or to an independent news source.

• Colorful GeForce GTX 1080 Ti iGame Vulcan AD Revealed
• HIS Radeon RX 570 IceQ X2 Pictured and Detailed
• AMD RX 500 Series Specifications and Slides Leak Onto The Web
• Dell’s Ultrasharp 30-inch 4K OLED Now On Sale: UP3017Q for $3500
• MSI GeForce GTX 1080 GAMING X Plus Close Up Photos
• ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces Strix B250G Gaming and Strix B250H Gaming
• Thermaltake New TT Premium Concentrate Series and C1000 Pure Clear Coolant Create Your Own Color
• Philips Adds 349X7FJEW Monitor in their Curved Range

An all-new battle arena hits the game’s test server bringing bigger maps, larger teams, and intense action

Wargaming has revealed its partnership with Austrian developer Bongfish, who brought over a decade of experience working with well-known publishers to bear on a new game mode for World of Tanks, dubbed Frontline. From today, players can put the new mode through its paces in the World of Tanks test server, Sandbox.

What can players expect from Frontline? Epic 30v30 tank clashes across vast 9 km2 battlefields, with one team pushing the assault while the other defends their territory. Over several rounds, the action spreads deeper behind defensive lines until a winner is declared.

“Players have been asking us for larger teams, bigger maps, and new combat setups for some time,” said Milos Jerabek, World of Tanks Development Director. “Wargaming’s distributed development approach made this a reality and we partnered with Bongfish to create the new mode—all while the in-house team for World of Tanks works on the game’s key mechanics. Bongfish has a ton of expertise to make it happen under our guidance. There’s true chemistry between the both of us, and we look forward to revealing what this collaboration brings to players.”

“We’ve been working on Frontline for a while now, and are excited to finally show it to the world,” said Michael Putz, Bongfish Founder and CEO. “We’re passionate about authentic gameplay and vast open spaces, and so are World of Tanks developers. By working with them, we can channel this passion to create something one of a kind for tankers to enjoy.”

Sandbox has been an integral component in improving the game as well as fostering a conversation between the players. Frontline marks the third time the game tests the waters in Sandbox to ensure World of Tanks continues going from strength to strength.

For more information on World of Tanks, visit the games official website.

Infinity Ward and Activision have released a brand new multiplayer trailer for Continuum, the second DLC map pack for Call of Duty: Infinite Warfare.

The four maps are:

• Turista – A plush spa and resort, Turista is nestled in the middle of a giant skeleton of an ancient creature. With sniper spots scattered across a majestic, central waterfall, Turista also boasts tight interiors for fans of close-quartered combat and a three-lane design that caters to a variety of play styles
• Scrap – Set in an abandoned junkyard on the Moon, Scrap features a combination of extended sightlines and tactical pathways that reward players who engage in both long and short range combat
• Archive – Fast, frenetic engagements set the pace in Archive, a post-futurist art gallery where tight engagements contrast with open exterior battlegrounds in this wide three-lane style map
• Excess – Perched atop a gilded penthouse in a sprawling future metropolis, Excess is a small, circular map re-imagined from the classic Modern Warfare 2 map, Rust, that retains the intense, fast-paced combat from the original

The 2-minute video shows off the varied gameplay styles that suit each map and the screenshots show off the combat of the multiplayer maps and the new zombies experience “Shaolin Shuffle.”

Source: UbiBlog

New targets, new vehicles, and a new approach to taking down the cartel are all coming soon in the Narco Road expansion for Ghost Recon: Wildlands. In order to dismantle a smuggling ring led by the elusive El Invisible, you and your squad will have to infiltrate the gangs under his control and earn the respect of three new bosses. Each boss commands a gang with its own identity, including the thrill-seeking Kamikazes, the muscle car-loving Jinetes Locos, and the Santa Muerte-obsessed Death Riders.

You’ll take on more than 15 new campaign missions, as well as four new types of side missions and racing challenges, all with the goal of earning fame and followers. The more followers you acquire, the more you’ll ingratiate yourself with the gang bosses, and the closer you’ll get to your goal. Along the way, you’ll want to get comfortable with the new vehicles Narco Road is bringing to Bolivia. Muscle cars with nitro boosts, planes built for acrobatic flight, big chopper bikes, and hulking monster trucks will all be available for you to use as you please.

Read more…

First, a big thank to all the community for the patience regarding the long development time for The Operational Art of War IV. Despite some bumps along the way, the TOAW Development Team is working very hard to deliver the great wargame everyone is awaiting.

Today, we are very proud to announce that this project is in its final stages!

The Operational Art of War IV is the new generation of operational wargames. With more flexibility than before and with a new array of exciting features, it will make you relive the most iconic battles from the dawn of the 20th Century to modern day, including the ones that never occurred!

More than 200 scenarios like the Battle of Marne, Dien Bien Phu, the Batte of Arnhem, the Falkland Invasion – and lots more! – will forge your strategy skills and ability to master all kind of troops and terrains!

Check out its official product page for more information!

Order of Battle: Kriegsmarine is the upcoming, newest expansion for the Order of Battle series, and it’s coming out on April 20th!

It features the German Navy in a series of exciting and hard-fought battles. It innovates the naval gameplay of the base game decisively, adding plenty new units as well as several new mechanics and features, including new rules for submarines – naval warfare in Order of Battle has never been deeper!

Watch the Order of Battle: Kriegsmarine release date announcement trailer here.

Learn more about Order of Battle: Kriegsmarine at the games official webpage.

Starting today there are two 6-core and two 4-core AMD Ryzen 5 models available, all featuring AMD simultaneous multithreading (SMT) technology. All AMD Ryzen processors support the new AM4 infrastructure, with motherboard designs already broadly available from top motherboard manufacturers. We’ve gathered a number of reviews from around the internet and posted the links below for your convenience.

• HARDWARE CANUCKS
• LEGIT REVIEWS
• TOM’S HARDWARE
• HARDOCP
• GURU3D
• PC PERSPECTIVE
• HOT HARDWARE
• THE TECH REPORT
• ANANDTECH
• TECHPOWERUP!

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD today released the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.4.2 drivers, its second release this month. The drivers are important if you’ve updated Windows 10 to the latest “Creators Update” (version 1703), since it supports the new WDDM 2.2 driver model. In addition, the drivers fix bugs related to SteamVR asynchronous reprojection, poor multi-GPU scaling for “Battlefield 1″ in DirectX 11 mode, flickering noticed on ReLive running on Windows 7, and a bug with Radeon Settings that removes application profiles upon logout.

You can download the Radeon Software Crimson ReLive 17.4.2 drivers here.