Month: October 2021

The first Israeli aircraft and dozens of other vehicles have also been introduced in the ‘Ground Breaking’ major update

Gaijin Entertainment announces the release of the ‘Ground Breaking’ major Content Update for the military online action game War Thunder. Terramorphing technology makes the ground battles even more realistic and offers players more tactical options. Aviation fans get the chance to try the first two aircraft from Israel, the next playable nation to be added to War Thunder. The update also brings dozens of other military vehicles and three new maps.

The terramorphing feature allows players to change the ground’s surface in real time and create cover or obstacles. Ground vehicles with self-entrenching equipment installed (i.e. the Soviet BMP-3 or the British Chieftain with dozer blade) are now capable of quickly building tank scrapes everywhere not surrounded by buildings, rocks, boulders, ice or paved roads. Air bombs weighing approximately 50kg or above, heavy rocket and missile explosions now form a crater of which diameter and depth depends on the power of the blast.

Israel, one of the leading producers and operators of military vehicles, will become the next playable nation in War Thunder. The Closed Beta Test of Israeli Air Force will start in the next major content update, but two packs with premium aircraft are available now for purchase in War Thunder. Their owners will be the first to get access to CBT. One of the packs contains a Spitfire LF Mk IXe in the livery of the personal aircraft of Ezer Weizman, a RAF veteran pilot, who later became the president of Israel! An alternative pack is available with the A-4E Skyhawk, a late Israeli modification of one of the best strike aircrafts in the game.

There are even more new toys to play with, including the light Ystervark, South African mobile anti-air unit, Cold War era destroyer USS ​​Mitscher and three versions of fast and deadly German Wiesel armored vehicles. The Wiesel 1A4 is a basic variant with a 20mm Rheinmetall 202/20 cannon. The Wiesel 1A2 is equipped with a launcher for the TOW-2 ATGM, tandem warhead TOW-2A and TOW-2B, able to hit tanks from above. Finally, Ozelot is a version with Stinger SAM on board.

The Aral Sea map puts ground and air vehicles fighting at the shores of a dried out sea, where a port has been abandoned a long time ago with cargo terminals, fish processing plants, bulk carriers and fishing vessels. Bourbon Island is a location for air battles inspired by Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean. A characteristic feature of this large and flat shaped area is the gigantic craters of volcanic origin with a wide flat bottom – calderas. Finally, the Vyborg Bay location for War Thunder coastal vessels has been created using the magnificent northern nature of the Vyborg Bay near Medyanskaya Bay. Players fight inside a dense cluster of rocky islands covered with forest – so called skerries.

The full list of changes in the update is available HERE.

Visit the official War Thunder Website for more game information.

MMORPGs War Thunder | Donster | |

attack-at-dawn-north-africaPanzer Division Games has released a new gameplay video for Attack at Dawn: North Africa. In this video, the designer shows a detailed overview of a game, with a new Advanced AI engine, streamlined User Interface and more.

You can watch the gameplay video HERE.

Map Series
The gameplay video is accompanied by the map series, exploring the battles and operations that took place during the WW2 North African Campaign. The scenario shown in this gameplay video is Operation Brevity, which goal was to recapture the strategically important Halfaya Pass and to clear the frontier area of the German-Italian forces.

For full set of maps and article describing the battle – you can check out the game’s website.

newhardware-iconCheck 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.

Hardware | Donster | |

decisive-campaigns-ardennes-offensiveMatrix Games has announced that Decisive Campaigns: Ardennes Offensive, the fourth wargame in the Decisive Campaigns series, will be released on November 18th.

While we perfect the last details of the game, we want to share with you a couple of technical videos which we hope will help you have the best gaming experience with Decisive Campaigns’ latest DLC.

Decisive Campaigns: Ardennes Offensive is a real, classic hex-and-counter wargame at its core, where the main unit of maneuver is the battalion. The Ardennes setting and the scale both have huge implications when it comes to rules, so make sure to check out this first video to know more about it.

crusader-kings-3-royal-courtSource: Blue’s News

In this post, Paradox Interactive explains the release schedule of the Royal Court expansion for Crusader Kings III, the historical strategy sequel. The add-on did not carry a release date when it was announced, so it’s not actually delayed, but the tone suggests the news that this is now expected in 2022 represents some sort of setback:

With that in mind we are not, at the moment, entirely satisfied with Royal Court’s progress, especially regarding its stability. There are a number of bugs we really need to iron out, and are taking more time to make sure it is in line with the standards you would expect from us.

We also understand the frustration that delays cause, but we would like to make sure we are always as forthcoming as possible and that you hear the news directly from us. It’s a tricky balance between sentiments like “It will release whenever we finish making sure it is ready” and things like giving exact timelines only to make necessary but upsetting changes to that timeline when we do actually need time to review and make those changes.

That being said, you can look forward to news about the 2022 release date Soon™!

nvidia-geforce-logoSource: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA has released the latest version of GeForce Game Ready drivers. Version 496.49 WHQL comes with optimization for “Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,” including support for DLSS. It also features optimization for “Age of Empires IV,” “Battlefield 2042″ (Early Access), “Call of Duty Vanguard,” “Chivalry 2,” “GTA Definitive Edition Trilogy,” “Forza Horizon 5,” “Jurassic World Evolution,” and “Riders Republic.” The drivers also fix certain legacy issues with “DOOM 3: BFG Edition,” and “Tom Clancy’s The Division 2.” A flickering issue noticed at 1080p on LG OLED C1 series monitors, has been fixed. The drivers also add G-SYNC support for several new monitors, and GeForce Experience optimizations.

You can download the GeForce 496.49 WHQL Game Ready drivers via GeForce.com.

Hardware Video Cards | Donster | |

amd-radeon-software-adrenalin-2020Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD has released Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.10.3 beta drivers. These come with optimization for “Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy,” with over 21% performance improvement measured at 4K Ulra settings over the previous driver, as tested using an RX 6900 XT graphics card. Optimization is also added for “Age of Empires IV,” where a massive 45% performance improvement was obtained at 4K max settings, using an RX 6800 XT. Other games optimized for is “Riders Republic” and “DOOM Eternal 6.66.”

Among the issues fixed are missing CPU tuning feature in Radeon Software for some users with Ryzen 9 5950X processors, elevated disk space utilization with Multimedia Athena, task-switching blackscreens in certain multi-display environments, a game crash noticed in “Battlefield V” with RX 6600 series, and image corruption notived with Radeon Boost enabled in “Cyberpunk 2077″ and RX 6700 XT.

The Radeon Software Adrenalin 21.10.3 drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.

Hardware Video Cards | Donster | |

newhardware-iconCheck 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.

Hardware | Donster | |

hearts-of-iron-4-no-step-backNo Step Back Add-On Tapped for Late November

The bitter fighting of the Eastern Front is given new depth and variety in No Step Back, the upcoming expansion to Hearts of Iron IV. With new alternate history paths and game systems, this eagerly awaited add-on presents new challenges for fans of Paradox Interactive’s best-selling grand strategy wargame. No Step Back will be available on 23 November 2021 for the suggested retail price of $19.99/£15.49 / € 19.99.

The centrepiece of No Step Back is a series of new National Focus Trees, giving players many new ways to imagine the course of World War II in Eastern Europe. Major nations have been entirely reworked to offer unique challenges and original histories.

Watch the Hearts of Iron IV: No Step Back Pre-Order Trailer HERE.

The features for Hearts of Iron IV: No Step Back include:

New Soviet National Focuses: Communist Soviet rulers must also deal with a government system full of distrust and betrayal but players can lift up party opposition to the powerful leader, or even pursue a reactionary path of restored monarchy.
New Polish National Focuses: Write a new history of Poland, with options to reform the government, entrench the military rulers, or support a popular pro-Soviet uprising.
New Baltic National Focuses: Shared alternate history paths for Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, as well as unique paths for each.
Army Officer Corps: Build a general staff, drawing on the talents and expertise of available officers to take advantage of changes in technology and tactics.
Army Spirits: Emphasize certain characteristics of your military arms, adding general bonuses to certain units types or even aiding division design.
Supply System Updates: Scorched Earth tactics, floating harbors and special supply units added to the logistics system.
Tank Designer: Design your own armored force using modules prioritizing speed, gun power, armor or even production cost.
Railway Guns: Commission the grandest, most prestigious of artillery pieces, uniquely designed to deal with entrenched foes, and fortified positions.

As a special bonus, those who pre-order No Step Back will get a musical treat – a new arrangement of the Soviet wartime folk song Katyusha, originally composed before the war, and named for the celebrated Red Army rocket launchers. You can watch behind the scenes footage of the song’s recording HERE.

As usual, this expansion to Hearts of Iron IV will be accompanied by a major update free for all players, including new supply and logistics mechanics as well as many quality of life improvements.

For more game information please visit the official Hearts of Iron IV website.

europa-universalis-4-originsAfrican Themed Add-On Coming 11 November

The gold of Zimbabwe. The ivory of Central Africa. The great city of Timbuktu. The temples of Ethiopia. Africa is the birthplace of humanity and a land of untold wealth and variety. Rediscover and rewrite the history of the continent in a new immersion pack for Europa Universalis IV, coming 11 November 2021. It will be available for the suggested retail price of $9.99/£7.19 / € 9.99.

In Europa Universalis IV: Origins, new African missions add greater variety and new goals for some of Africa’s most powerful and interesting nations. The fading giant of Mali, the holy hills of Ethiopia and the African trade centers of the Indian Ocean are given new depth and richer context.

Watch the Europa Universalis IV: Origins Announcement Trailer HERE.

The Europa Universalis IV: Origins immersion pack adds:

Jewish Religion: The Ethiopian Jews of Beta Israel are included, and Jewish nations can choose from nine religious characteristics to accentuate their national strengths, with new flavor events.
Missions for Mali: Halt the decline of West Africa’s greatest medieval empire and reassert control of former vassals.
Missions for Songhai: Develop your provinces and claim the mantles of Mali and Timbuktu as the new rising power.
Missions for Kongo: Unite the peoples of the Congo River and confront the growing European threat.
Missions for Ethiopia: Ensure religious unity and prestige in the Kingdom of Solomon while unifying the nations of the African Horn. Also adds the noble Ç̌äwa regiments.
Missions for Ajuuraan: Control Indian Ocean trade and bring water to your desert provinces.
Missions for Kilwa: Focus on naval economic power, establishing a colonial empire across the seas.
Missions for Mutapa: Build on the legacy of the founders of Great Zimbabwe and exploit the riches of South Africa to dominate trade.
Minor Mission Additions: New mission options for Jolof, Mossi, Hausa, Oyo and Adal.
New Regional Mission Trees: New Missions for minor powers in Central, East and West Africa, and the African Horn, as well as new estate privileges for many nations and regions.
New Army Sprites: 4 new army sprites each for Congo, Great Lakes, Southern Africa and Bantu nations
Two New Missionary models: African Coptic and African Fetishist missionary animations added.
New Music: 12 minutes of new West African themed music, and 12 minutes of new East African themed music.

As usual, the release of Europa Universalis IV: Origins will be accompanied by a major update, free for all EU4 players.

More game information is available at the Europa Universalis IV: Origins Steam page.