One of the best wargames recently released has reached a new milestone!

Strategic Command is now available on Steam, and finally you’ll be able to unleash the power of the Axis or the Allies on this platform!

You will be the supreme mastermind behind the entire conduct of operations, deciding the priorities, the strategies, and coordinating your global efforts to win the war!

Each nation in your coalition will have their own strengths and weaknesses, levels of technology, troops, equipment, and industrial capacity, and it will be up to you to make the best use of all of them!

Strategic Command WWII: War in Europe is a deeply immersive turn based strategy game covering the greatest conflict in modern history.

Don’t miss this change and grab the game now! What are you waiting for?

Get more information about Strategic Command WWII: War in Europe from its official Product Page!

On D-Day (June 6), 2001, a revolutionary game was released. It was “Blitzkrieg,” later to be known as Battleground Europe: World War II Online (WWIIOL), the world’s first MMOFPS. Unfortunately, the publisher (Strategy First) forced the game out the door without sufficient time to test and debug the game. In addition, there were massive server problems three days before release. With that type of start, what game would survive? Well, this one did, but barely. For years, the game had improvements and fixes done in fits and starts, as finances would allow. Bugs were patched as best as they could be, given the circumstances. Basically, the game ended up on life support. So, what ended up happening, you might ask. Go ahead, ask!

The game (soon to be known just as “World War II Online“) is alive and well! Matt “Xoom” Callahan (one of the players) and a couple others managed to salvage the game when almost all the Rats (the developers, aka Cornered Rat Studios) had quit. They had the game on life support for a few years, but still operational. Those days are GONE! The community came together, contributed via a couple fundraising campaigns, and the game is moving forward again. Lots of old, badly patched “spaghetti code” has been eliminated, new audits are being done on major game functions (damage models, physics (flight, ship, and ground vehicle movement), ballistics, explosives, and more.

The basic (low tier equipment) game is free to play. There is also a “Starter” (up to mid-tier equipment) subscription for $7.99(US)/month and a Standard (full) subscription for $14.99(US)/month if done on easy pay. If you sign up for a free to play account, you get two weeks of free Premium access, so you can dive in and try everything first. Get some XP and use some higher tier toys. Let me tell you, however, this game is SO worth the subscription fee. For about the price of a movie ticket, popcorn, and a soft drink you can have a full month of gaming.

World War II Online is the ONLY campaign-based combined arms WWII FPS sim in the world. A campaign starts with both sides locked in battle over western Europe. Think if the Allies had won the Battle of France and pushed the Germans back a bit so each side had 1/2 of western Europe. From there, the campaign goes, REAL TIME, until one side wins, whether that takes weeks or even months. Then, after one side is victorious, there is a short (2-5 day) intermission. Then, war breaks out again! You can fly fighters, fighter/bombers, light/medium bombers, or transport planes (to carry paratroopers). You can drive armored cars or tanks. You can pilot river patrol boats, destroyers, or cargo ships. You can be a paratrooper. OR, you can just be PBI (poor, bloody infantry).

Yes, the graphics are still primitive (but being improved). The gameplay is NOT primitive, however. The physics and damage modeling are as accurate as they can make them. This is NOT an arcade shooter. One bullet CAN (and does) kill your character, most of the time. Lower res graphics also allow you to play the game without a top end gaming computer. The campaign map is STILL the Guinness World Record holder for the largest computer game map in the world. It is ONE, non-instanced (everyone on the same map at the same time) 1/2 scale map of Europe. There can be hundreds, even thousands of players (soon, we hope), all on the same game map You can literally hop in a plane in England and fly to Germany, flying over battles and dodging flak, as live players fight for the ground beneath you. The only AI (computer controlled units) are some anti aircraft batteries and guard towers/emplacements in army bases and airfields and around towns. Other than that, EVERY enemy (and friend) ingame is a real player, just like you. This is also not a solo-player killfest. If you run in on your own, without knowing what you’re doing, you will just pad other players’ kill stats.

These videos will give you an idea (well, sort of):

• Stayin Alive – World War II Online
• How Not to be Seen – World War II Online

New items are being modeled for the game (at LAST)! New weapons have been added. Now, the Rats are introducing new equipment based on existing units already ingame, SPAA (self-propelled (vehicle mounted) anti aircraft) and tankbuster aircraft. Recently, they added PPOs (player placed objects) such as individual fortifications (think foxholes only above ground), sandbags, and the like. This is all leading up to entirely new game content, vehicles and equipment not seen ingame before. The game is due for a summer 2017 release on the Steam game service, so most of the attention is going toward the netcode, servers, and such. After that, the sky is the limit. The game is even going to be ported over to the Unreal 4 engine at some point. There are quite a few day one players still playing every day. This is for a game which launched on D-Day (June 6th), 2001, SIXTEEN YEARS ago. That alone should tell you something. The playerbase is amazing, btw. It’s truly like a family…a huge, dysfunctional family. Just hop onto the forums and you’ll see. Seriously though, the players are all in this together and support one another with a lot of genuine affection. It’s nothing to see a huge outpouring of well wishes if a long-time player gets a serious illness or injury, or to have players meeting up for mini-conventions or lan parties at the drop of a hat. When you sign up for WWIIOL, you become part of that family.

WWIIOL Website:
http://www.wwiionline.com/

WWIIOL Forums:
http://forums.wwiionline.com/forums/

WWIIOL YouTube Channel:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOQ90QTMviaKRqIMlUthW2A

WWIIOL Developer Roadmap (upcoming projects and features):
https://www.wwiionline.com/community-news#dev-roadmap

Come join the party…err…fighting! Don’t you know, there’s a war on?

Real-time strategy classic Company of Heroes continues to mark 10 years in the trenches with a celebration of its dedicated fan base. The game’s community has played an integral part in its enduring appeal through the submission of incredible user-generated content and innovative mods.

Today, Relic Entertainment and SEGA Europe Ltd. are delighted to recognize the ongoing dedication of these players with a raft of activity across the franchise:

• Company of Heroes has been updated with Steam Workshop capabilities and in-game Workshop hub allowing users to play, share and manage their subscriptions to custom scenarios. This update includes Steam Trading Cards to entice completionists everywhere!
• The Eastern Front mod – bringing the two original factions from Company of Heroes 2 (the Soviet Army and the German Ostheer) into the original Company of Heroes – is now available on Steam. This rounds out a selection of total conversions already available including the Far East War, the Great War and Europe at War.
• Until 10AM PDT, June 5th, all Company of Heroes and Company of Heroes 2 games and expansions will be 75% off and all Company of Heroes 2 paid-DLC and in-game store items will be 66% off.

“Company of Heroes players are still blowing us away with their creativity and support,” said Justin Dowdeswell, General Manager at Relic. “We count ourselves very lucky to see the energy we put into building this game given right back to us by the players.”

For more information about Company of Heroes, visit the games official website.

In celebration of the successful Jets DLC take-off, Bohemia Interactive today published a brand new episode in the official Arma 3 Community Guide series (available on YouTube). The new video examines all of the aspects of jet employment in Arma 3, such as the various types of jets, munitions, sensors, threats, and tactics. In addition, the studio posted a new devblog, in which Creative Director Jay Crowe explains the role of jets in the Arma 3 sandbox, describes how the Jets DLC marked the first collaboration with a third-party development team, and offers a brief update on Arma 3′s 2017-2018 development roadmap.

Released two weeks ago, Arma 3 Jets is the first of several new DLC which Bohemia Interactive has planned for Arma 3′s fourth year of post-release support. Upcoming DLC packages include the Arma 3 Malden (free), “Orange” (working title), Tac-Ops, and Tanks. Compared to what was previously announced, the most notable change in the roadmap is that the “Orange” DLC has now been moved to the third quarter of this year. The free Malden DLC is still scheduled for release on the 16th anniversary of the Arma series; June 22nd – alongside Bohemia Interactive’s new (and free) tactical multiplayer shooter, Argo.

For more information on the Arma 3 Jets DLC, be sure to read the latest devblog, and visit the Arma 3 Jets DLC official website.

Nival releases Blitzkrieg 3, an online World War II real-time strategy made for true admirers of tactical mastery.

Blitzkrieg 3 features the world’s first Neural Network AI for RTS. Ruthless machine named Boris plays at the top player’s level while not using any hidden information about the enemy. General Boris regularly analyzes the gaming session and makes Neural Network-based predictions of the enemy behavior. This approach allows him to think up sophisticated counter-strategies and bring them to life. That makes Boris tough and unpredictable, so he can amaze players over and over again.

Game covers the main period of World War II: from the invasion of Poland in 1939 to the triumphant capture of Berlin in 1945. Each of three atmospheric campaigns provides a unique blend of PvE, PvP and PvAI missions. In total, game features 60+ historical missions with 200+ authentic combat units. Each unit has performance characteristics reconstructed in detail, such as fire rate, armored capture, field of vision, and others that let players feel like real generals.

In addition to classic Skirmish 1×1, 2×2, and 3×3 modes Blitzkrieg 3 features the unique asymmetric Assault mode, where one player attacks and the other defends his fortifications. 20+ historical commanders with their own specialization and favorite combat tactics combined with dynamic weather system make every PvP and/or PvAI game even more diverse.

“Blitzkrieg 3 was created with the active participation of the player community.”, – commented Pavel Naumenko, head of Blitzkrieg studio. – “We strongly believe that players’ contributions are invaluable and we will continue to develop the game according to their feedback”.

You can get more information and purchase a digital copy of the game on the official website, or via the games Steam Store Page.

Pre-orders now open for both expansions, duo-pack available for a discounted price

Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio today announced that Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome, the first immersion pack for the best-selling historical grand strategy game, and Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor, a country pack for the World War II grand strategy game, will launch together on June 14th, 2017.

Both packs will be priced individually at $9.99. Fans of both of Paradox Development Studios’ global conquest simulators can purchase both packs together as part of a duo-pack for 10% off at Paradox Plaza here.

Paradox demoed the new features from Third Rome in a live stream on Tuesday. The replay of that stream can be found here.

The new features in Death or Dishonor are demoed in an ongoing stream series. Replays can be found here.

Third Rome expands the governmental, military, and diplomatic opportunities for the Russian empire. The pack includes new ranks of Russian governments that give Tsars the power to claim states, powerful streltsy mercenary units that excel in combat at the cost of the empire’s stability, and new interactions with the Orthodox Patriarchate. These changes give Russian players more ways to maintain control over their sprawling territory using a mix of military might, political touch, and religious conviction.

Death or Dishonor introduces new National Focus trees and gameplay options for the countries caught between the Nazi and Soviet war machines – Hungary, Romania, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia. In addition, Death or Dishonor adds new diplomatic and puppet interactions, new music and gameplay art, and additional national interactions to change the course of history.

Both DLCs will be accompanied by free patches that bring broader updates to the base versions of Europa Universalis IV and Hearts of Iron IV.

For more information on Europa Universalis IV: Third Rome, click here.

For more information on Hearts of Iron IV: Death or Dishonor, visit click here.

By Hilbert Hagedoorn @ Guru3D

EK Water Blocks today releases three new models CPU & GPU Liquid cooling kits. Good stuff as we certainly are always interested whenever EK released new gear. Today we test their new EK Fluid Gaming A240G CPU & GPU liquid cooling kit. With this series EK introduces a totally new line of products aimed at a gaming audience that wishes a little more than a heatpipe or LCS cooler, yet will want something affordable.

Read The Review 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. Including more coverage from Computex 2017.

• EK Water Blocks Announces New Brand for PC Gamers - EK Fluid Gaming
• Computex 2017: Aerocool Quartz and Quartz Pro Cases Pictured
• Computex 2017: Lian-Li To Offer a Raw Copper Liquid Cooling Kit
• Computex 2017: Raijintek Announces Four New PSU Lines
• Computex 2017: XIGMATEK Refract S1 Chassis Pictured
• DeepCool Showcases Four PC Cases on Computex 2017
• Computex 2017: Noctua Chromax Edition Fans and Heatsink Covers Detailed
• Computex 2017: InWin’s New Cases Now With 100% More…Wood?? – VIDEO
• AMD Trims Prices of the Ryzen 7 1700 and 1700X

Source: Blue’s News

Eagle Dynamics announces DCS: F/A-18C Hornet, saying the latest addition to Digital Combat Simulator World will be unveiled to the public next month in the Thrustmaster booth at E3. Here’s what they have to say about this for now:

Eagle Dynamics SA and Belsimtek are excited to announce that DCS: F/A-18C Hornet will have its debut showing at E3 2017 at the Thrustmaster® booth. DCS: F/A-18C will be by far the most authentic PC simulation of a modern fighter to date, and it will use unique CFD engine and aerodynamics developed by Belsimtek. Based on exhaustive research in association with Boeing, current fighter pilots and the development of our new simulation engine, the DCS: F/A-18C Hornet will set a new benchmark.

Eagle Dynamics SA senior producer, Matt Wagner, states, “We are happy to announce the cooperation between Eagle Dynamics SA and Thrustmaster® to create the ultimate F/A-18C Hornet simulation experience”. “After the success of our first collaboration with Eagle Dynamic SA on DCS: A-10C Warthog, that lead to the HOTAS Warthog, we are proud to start a new collaboration on the DCS: F/A-18C Hornet”, says Gilles Raulet, Thrustmaster Development Director.

Please stop by the Thrustmaster® booth South Hall #2813 and experience the next level of combat aviation simulation!

Source: UbiBlog

With the Santa Blanca neutralized, Unidad forces are struggling to maintain control as various factions the cartel’s remnants in the Bolivian countryside. To help them assert control, they bring in Los Extranjeros – a group of international ex-military mercenaries with the singular focus of taking out any and all opposing forces. You and your team will have to use every tool at your disposal to engage this formidable new foe in Fallen Ghosts, the new expansion for Ghost Recon: Wildlands available now for Season Pass owners (and available June 6 for individual purchase). Watch the Ghost Recon: Wildlands – Fallen Ghosts release trailer here.

What makes Los Extranjeros so dangerous is their tech and expertise. For starters, there’s the Armored unit, a walking tank with a single weak point that will require Ghosts to hone their headshot skills. Then there’s the Covert Ops unit. These cloaked enemies specialize in catching you off-guard, so it might be a good idea to have a squad member check their thermal vision more often. Rounding out Los Extranjeros are the Elite Snipers and Jammers – the former is a constant threat, while the latter causes a new set of problems with their roaming electronic disruption capabilities.

Los Extranjeros present new challenges for Ghost Recon: Wildlands players as the Ghosts undertake 15 new missions and work towards the new level cap of 35 – but for those looking for an even greater challenge, Fallen Ghosts’ tweaked difficulty settings allows players to create an even greater tactical challenge for their squad.

For more information, check out the official Ghost Recon: Wildlands website.