The Shipping News: Rule Britannia Weighs Anchor March 20

Paradox Development Studio will release the newest add-on to the historical grand strategy classic Europa Universalis IV on March 20. Rule Britannia is an immersion pack that adds greater depth to the British Isles while adding new content for every nation including new approaches to technology and the early industrial revolution.

In Rule Britannia, players will have the chance to push their late game economy to even higher levels through the discovery of coal. Highly developed provinces in some regions will discover this precious resource, allowing rulers to build furnaces that improve goods production across the country.

Other features of Europa Universalis IV: Rule Britannia include:

• New British Missions: Exclusive Mission Trees for England, Scotland, Ireland and Great Britain, embedded in the new Europa Universalis IV mission system (coming with the 1.25 update).
• Innovativeness: Earn rewards for being the first nation to unlock new knowledge, including lower power costs.
• Naval Doctrine: Adopt a general strategy for your fleets, giving you bonuses to ship maintenance, trade power or battle performance.
• Anglicanism: A new Protestant faith can appear in England with new bonuses and religious choices.
• Knowledge Sharing: Help your lagging allies or subjects by promoting the spread of institutions in their realms.
• Trade Steering: Force your defeated enemies to have their merchants fill your coffers.

New Unit and Music Packs: Our artists and composers have new treats for Rule Britannia players, including new army designs for British and Irish nations (including Northumberland and Cornwall) as well as new music to set the mood.

Europa Universalis IV: Rule Britannia will be available in the Paradox store and on Steam on March 20 for the suggested retail price of $9.99.

Pre-orders available HERE.

Source: VentureBeat

Just like World War I got a sequel, Battlefield 1 is getting a followup later this year. The game is Battlefield V. It was previously known as Battlefield 2 internally at EA. Battlefield V will return the series to World War II in a main entry for the first time since 2009’s Battlefield 1943, GamesBeat has learned from sources familiar with EA’s plans. These sources wish to remain anonymous.

Battlefield I is a huge success for EA. It sold faster than Battlefield 4, and it has surpassed 25 million players as of December. Fans were excited to return to a historical setting after years of modern military shooters from both Battlefield and competitors such as Call of Duty. Publisher Activision also showed that the appetite for the second World War is still high with its release of Call of Duty: WWII last year. That is the best-selling Call of Duty since the franchise peaked with Black Ops II in 2012.

This is an entirely new Battlefield game and not a remaster of the 2005 Battlefield 2. EA will reveal it soon, and it will launch it before the end of this calendar year.

Read more…

Ubisoft has released “The Baptism” live action trailer for Far Cry 5. In “The Baptism”, the relationship between two men of faith is revealed; Joseph Seed before he became the Father, and Pastor Jerome before he was forced to forfeit his status as shepherd of Hope County’s souls.

Set in America, a first for the franchise, Far Cry 5 offers players total freedom to navigate a serene-looking yet deeply twisted world as the new junior deputy of fictional Hope County, Montana. Players will find that their arrival accelerates a years-long silent coup by a fanatical doomsday cult, the Project at Eden’s Gate, igniting a violent takeover of the county. Under siege and cut off from the rest of the world, players will join forces with residents of Hope County and form the Resistance.

Far Cry 5 will launch on March 27th, on PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system, Xbox One and PC.

For more information about Far Cry 5, please visit farcry.com.

Highly-Anticipated First DLC Pack Now Available on Xbox One and PC Offering Fans New Multiplayer Maps, War Mode Mission and Nazi Zombies Experience

Xbox One and PC players can join the Resistance starting today, as Call of Duty: WWII – The Resistance is out now. Packed with new multiplayer content, The Resistance DLC pack delivers three new Multiplayer maps and an all-new War Mode multiplayer mission themed to reflect the spirit of the citizen soldiers who fought for freedom during World War II. The DLC pack also features The Darkest Shore, the terrifying new chapter in the twisted Nazi Zombies saga.

In The Resistance DLC pack, players will fight in iconic World War II locations, from Paris to Prague, all centered around historic uprisings in three new Multiplayer maps and an all-new high-octane War Mode map.

• Valkyrie – Located in the Masurian Woods, East Prussia, this map was inspired by The Wolf’s Lair – The Fuhrer’s Eastern-front headquarters during Operation Barbarossa – the Nazi invasion of the Soviet Union. This is a medium-sized map with multiple overwatch positions and mounted machine guns.
• Anthropoid – Based in Prague, Czechoslovakia, this map is inspired by Operation Anthropoid – the famous assassination attempt on a high-ranking German officer during World War II. This map is divided by a river, with long-flanking paths that can be used by snipers for ranged attacks.
• Occupation – In this remake of a classic Call of Duty® map, players battle through the streets and shops of German-occupied Paris during WWII. Nearby homes and storefronts lend defensive positions for ambush and recovery.
• Operation Intercept – Outside of St Lo, France, the next War Mode experience, developed in partnership with Raven Software, leads you on an urban rescue mission to save Resistance fighters being transported by train. The first objective on the Allied side is freeing the fighters, followed by the destruction of key communication equipment, and ends with stopping a train.

The Resistance DLC pack also features the newest horror-filled chapter in the co-operative Nazi Zombies saga, The Darkest Shore. Only days after the horrific disaster of Mittelburg, the crew has received intel that suggests Doktor Straub is on an island just north of Germany. Blanketed in fog, this island is surrounded by enemy air and sea power – and crawling with the Undead. Marie, Drostan, Olivia and Jefferson will need to battle all this and more to uncover the mysteries hidden within.

Call of Duty: WWII is available on disc at a number of retailers, digital download via Steam, or at the Call of Duty: WWII  official website.

Submarine innovation continues in the post-Cold War security environment…with substantially greater roles in land attack and special operations forces delivery. — Admiral Henry Chiles, U.S. Navy, 2000

Today, you’ll have the chance to experience the lethality of modern submarine warfare, as Command: The Silent Service has been released!

The Silent Service is the latest installment in the award-winning CMANO franchise, this time featuring 18 intense standalone scenarios featuring a vast array of missions involving submarines of different type, nation and decade.

“In this new thrilling expansion, we turn our attention from the air- and surface/ground-centric conflicts of Shifting Sands to the depths of the high seas, as you’ll explore the progression of submarine operations from the Korean War right up to today’s headlines. Witness first-hand how technological advances like the snorkel, nuclear power, cruise and ballistic missiles, silencing measures and advanced sensors, computers and weapons have radically expanded both the remit and capabilities of the submarine platform – and how its hunters above and below the waves improved their own gear and tactics to keep up in the race.”

Command: The Silent Service is a top-notch military simulation! Grab it now!

Command: The Silent Service is a stand-alone game that uses the latest version of the Command: Modern Air/Naval Operations (CMANO) engine. It also serves as a DLC for existing CMANO owners.

Command: Modern Air Naval Operations and The Silent Service are also available together in a bundle on Steam!

Along with this milestone release, we have released a new update for all the titles in the series. Click here to read what version 1.4.1 has in store for you.

Source: TechPowerUp!

Via updated documents on its Microcode Revision guide, Intel has revealed that they have finally developed and started deploying microcode security updates for their Broadwell and Haswell-based microprocessors. The microcode update comes after a flurry of nearly platform-specific updates that aimed to mitigate known vulnerabilities in Intel’s CPUs to the exploits known as Spectre and Meltdown.

While that’s good news, Intel’s patching odyssey still isn’t over, by any means. According to Intel’s documentation, the Spectre fixes for Sandy Bridge and Ivy Bridge are still in beta and are being tested by hardware partners, so that’s two other architectures that still remain vulnerable. Of course, this discussion of who’s vulnerable and isn’t really can’t be reduced to which architectures Intel has released its updates to. Users have to remember that the trickle-down process from Intel’s patch validation and distribution through manufacturers to end users’ systems is a morose one, and is also partially in the hands of sometimes not too tech-savy users. Time will tell if these flaws will have any major impact in some users or businesses.

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.

• Alphacool Launches the Aurora XPX RGB Frame for Their Eisblock XPX CPU Coolers
• ID-Cooling Intros the Tiny SE-812i Tower-type CPU Cooler
• Fractal Design Introduces the Meshify C Mini – Dark TG Micro-ATX Case
• BenQ Adds EL2870U 27.9-inch 4K UHD HDR10 Monitor to Line-up
• Gigabyte H370 AORUS Gaming 3, The First H370 Coffee Lake Motherboard Leaked
• EK Water Blocks K-XTOP Revo D5 Pump Now Available
• Philips Announces Trio of New 27-inch Full HD FreeSync Monitors
• LG 38-inch 38WK95C Ultrawide FreeSync HDR10 Monitor Now Available For Preorder
• Thermaltake Announces H200 Internal USB Hub
• Cooler Master Launches MasterBox Q300 Line Of Micro-ATX Cases
• D-Link Announces the DIR-867 AC1750 MU-MIMO Wi-Fi Router
• MSI Reveals the VIGOR GK80 & GK70 Gaming Keyboards
• Sharkoon Announces 1337 RGB Illuminated Gaming Mouse Mat
• EVGA Introduces The CLC 120 C11 Liquid CPU Cooler
• EK Water Blocks Releasing New Monoblock for ASRock X399 Motherboards
• Kolink Intros Observatory and Stronghold Mid-tower Cases
• Cooler Master Announces Availability of New H500P Mesh White Mid-Tower Case
• EK Water Blocks Unveils NVIDIA TITAN V Full-coverage Water-block
• MSI  and SteelSeries Present the World’s First Curved Gaming Monitor with PrismSync and GameSense Integration
• Deepcool Launches MF 120 Aluminum Frameless Smart RGB Fan Set
• Phanteks Launches Glacier Series C350ip and C350ap Water Blocks
• SilverStone Introduces FG122 and FG142 RGB LED Fan Frames
• CableMod Announces PRO Series PSU Cables

Source: Blue’s News

A new trailer from Insurgency: Sandstorm shows more of the modern combat in this upcoming military first-person shooter. No need to pop any corn for this, as the clip is a pretty short 42 seconds, and half of it is logos. Here’s word on what we’re seeing here:

“See a new Fire Support option in action: an explosive autocannon gun run. Fire support can be called when two special player classes, the Commander and Observer, are in close proximity to each other. The Commander first gives the order for the type of Fire Support he wants, then the Observer uses his radio to make the request.”

About Insurgency: Sandstorm:

Fight across a modern battlefield utilizing gameplay mechanics that blur the lines between reality and shooter – split second decisions will mean life or death for you and your team. Each weapon has unique ballistic calculations that take into account things like bullet drop and penetration power. Choose to drop magazines for faster reloads in dangerous situations, carefully open doors to keep quiet, or bash doors down with a shoulder charge, and much more.

Participate in large-scale battles in up to 16-versus-16 skirmishes with artillery barrages, helicopter gunships, repurposed commercial drones, air strikes, and drivable land transport vehicles. Battle across expansive maps with interiors to breach and high-value objectives to control with your team. Each map’s size and play areas are adjusted specifically for each game mode and can also be played in co-op against bots.

Like its predecessor, Insurgency: Sandstorm rewards teamwork and objective play over personal success. Players will also finally see long awaited features such as character customization, ranked matchmaking, and many more.

Key features:

• The 3,6 million selling Military FPS comes enhanced and expanded.
• Built in Unreal Engine 4, the game takes the series into a new era on PC and, for the first time on Consoles
• Fight across a modern battlefield utilizing gameplay mechanics that blur the lines between reality and shooter
• Battle across expansive maps up to 16-versus-16 in online multiplayer, or in co-op against bots
• Emphasis on strategic teamplay with in-game positional voice chat and a clever use of vehicles and air support
• Compete in Insurgency: Sandstorm’s ranked modes which rewards teamwork and objective play

Visit the Insurgency: Sandstorm website featuring a few more trailers, screenshots and community links.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA today released the latest version of their driver suite, which aims to bring users’ systems up to scratch towards playing the latest games with as much performance and stability as possible. The new 391.01 version of NVIDIA’s driver suite brings GameReady improvements that pave the way towards Final Fantasy XV – Windows Edition’s release. This driver release packs a bigger punch than just Final Fantasy XV, though; it’s also a Game Ready driver release for the upcoming Warhammer: Vermintide 2, and for the upcoming World of Tanks’ graphics engine upgrade, which will bring tons of graphics features, updates and improvements to the base World of Tanks experience.

You can download the new GeForce 391.01 Game Ready Drivers from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com.

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD had released the latest version of Radeon Software Adrenalin Edition. Version 18.2.3, the third release for this month, comes with optimization for “Final Fantasy XII The Zodiac Age,” “Sea of Thieves,” and “Brass Tactics.” With “Sea of Thieves,” the drivers enable up to 29% higher frame-rates at 4K UHD, when measured with Radeon RX Vega 64, and up to 39% higher frame-rates at 1080p, when measured with an RX 580. With FFXII, it enables up to 13% higher frame-rates at 1440p measured with an RX Vega 64, and up to 20% higher frame-rates at 1080p, with an RX 580.

A host of FreeSync-related bugs are addressed with this release. They correct a bug experienced with FreeSync kicking in during online video-playback in Google Chrome, causing flickering; rapid frame-rate changes between minimum and maximum FPS ranges when gaming in certain system configurations; which causes stuttering; and a flickering observed on FreeSync-capable displays when performance metrics overlay is enabled with Enhanced Sync. A Radeon Overlay flickering noticed on Vulkan API games was fixed. A display corruption issue with “Fortnite” was fixed.

The new Radeon Software Adrenalin 18.2.3 Beta drivers are available online at the AMD driver download page.