The North Pole is hitting the front-page news these days, turning to be the next element of confrontation between Washington and Moscow.

Russia is in the 4th year of a 15-year project to install the ‘SHELF’ underwater Sound Surveillance System (SOSUS), a very modern equivalent to the US Navy’s Cold War system of listening arrays in the Greenland-Iceland-UK (GIUK) Gap.

And it’s news from yesterday that a Russian submarine launched a cruise missile in Arctic Barents Sea, testing Moscow’s offensive-defensive capabilities in the far north.

The United States are seeing this revamped interested and military activity from the Russians as a main threat to their claims over the Arctic, as the region has always been considered a military and economic choke-point of extreme importance.

Do we have to expect a reaction from Washington or will it choose other, subtle, ways to protect its National Interest?

Get more information about Command LIVE: Pole Positions from its official product page.

As the developing process is marching quickly along the beta testing phase, it’s time to dig a bit more into the main differences and improvements players will find from the original game released in 2009.

“Field of Glory II is a complete reboot of the franchise, based on the original tabletop Field of Glory rules as a starting point, rather than on Field of Glory I” says Richard Bodley Scott, the main designer of Field of Glory II. “There are therefore many differences from FOG1 – which we hope are all improvements. Being co-author of the original tabletop game, I am in a unique position to create a fresh take on the system”.

Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

New graphics!

The game has vastly improved graphics. All of the terrain and unit models are true 3D. They are all fully animated – firing bows, throwing javelins, charging with lance, meleeing with sword or spear and so forth. Arrows and javelins fly. Men fall mortally wounded to the ground and die. The battlefield is littered with their corpses. Rear ranks shuffle up to replace the lost men.

Formations become disordered, and men turn to face their opponents when a unit is fighting in multiple directions. Pikes visibly form square. Each unit type has up to 4 variants within the unit, but also has multiple variant texture sheets, allowing the units of each side to be easily distinguished even in civil war battles.

New AI!

The game has vastly improved AI, drawing on the experience of developing the (generally praised) AI for Pike and Shot and Sengoku Jidai. There are six levels of difficulty, allowing all players from novices to experts to enjoy challenging games against the AI.

Read the full developers diary HERE.

By Hilbert Hagedoorn @ Guru3D

We review the a premium X299 motherboard, the MSI X299 Gaming M7 ACK. A nice motherboard in dark accents that is loaded with features and design. It comes with very proper AC wifi, is all shielded and expands design and features. This X299 motherboard can house Kaby-Lake-X and Skylake-X processors.

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.

• ID-Cooling Intros the Hunter Duet II CPU+VGA AIO Liquid Cooler
• EK Water Blocks Confirms Intel Socket LGA-2066 Compatibility
• EK Water Blocks Expands Aluminum Fluid Gaming Portfolio
• Alphacool Intros AlphaCord and Eiskamm Cable-management Accessories – VIDEO
• EK is releasing an M.2 NVMe Heatsink for Next Generation Form Factor SSDs
• MSI Announces the OPTIX Line of Gaming Monitors
• Phanteks Introduces the Glacier G1080Ti Water Block
• Thermaltake Launches RGB PSU: Toughpower iRGB PLUS 1250W Titanium TT Premium Edition
• Apacer Offers AS350 Panther Themed SSD
• Apacer Reveals Assault Rifle Inspired PCIe NVMe SSD
• EK Water Blocks Releasing New RGB AM4 Monoblock for GIGABYTE X370 Motherboards

“It was an apt co-incidence that the Chinese government’s contract with the Flying Tigers had to be terminated on the 4th of July in 1942. After all, the tigers had been flying high and low – independently – against the Japanese for seven months straight. Not only for money, but so that China could remain free and unopressed.”

See for yourself if history is worth playing by watching the “Termination” gameplay trailer for Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China (“FTSOC”), the epic air-combat action game available now on Steam which is based on the historical events of America’s secret volunteer squadrons that defended China in World War 2.

Published and developed by ACE MADDOX, FTSOC was created in Steam’s Early Access program which allowed the dev team to gather ongoing feedback from the game’s community while iterating, improving and adding new content and features to the game on a near-monthly basis for over a year and a half until it was released on May 29, 2017 (post-release development still ongoing).

HISTORICAL TRIVIA:

• Officially called the 1st American Volunteer Group (the “AVG”), the Flying Tigers were flying mercenaries contracted by the Chinese government under President Roosevelt’s “Secret Executive Order”.
• Assuming fake identities, AVG recruits had to travel by ship half-way around the world to get to Rangoon, Burma. One pilot made the trip undercover with a specially-made passport indicating he was a missionary. Others posed as plantation managers, cowboys and even circus performers!
• China paid AVG fighter pilots a $500 bounty for each Japanese aircraft shot down. In addition, the monthly renumeration was $675 for flight leaders, $600 for pilot officers, and about $250 for ground-crew staff (at the time, about $600 bought a factory-new Ford V-8).
• The Flying Tigers insignia patch was designed by two Disney artists – Roy Williams and Henry Porter – together they worked up a painting of a Bengal cat leaping out of a V-for-victory sign.
• The AVG and the Chinese were financed and organised by White House lobbyists and advisors using shadow companies and laundered money to shield the Roosevelt Administration from violating any neutrality acts.
• As per Roosevelt’s “Secret Executive Order”, all Flying Tigers “volunteers” had to resign from the military and become civilians. If captured, they risked being executed as spies by the Japanese.
• A total of 311 “volunteers” formed the AVG. Some fought as pilots while others served in ground support roles such as mechanics, doctors, clerks and nurses.
• Starting out with only 99 P-40 fighters, the Flying Tigers racked up an amazing combat record in just about seven months. Their tenure collectively destroyed 297 enemy aircraft in Burma, Thailand and China.
• Rugged construction allowed the P-40s to withstand steep dives as the Tigers swooped down on the Japanese from high above using “hit and run” tactics invented by their daring flight instructor, Claire Lee Chennault. This caused Japanese fighter pilots to view the Flying Tigers with bittersweet respect. They thought the Tigers didn’t fight fair.
• On the 4th of July 1942, the American Volunteer Group aka the Flying Tigers were disbanded as the Chinese contract expired and the onslaught of World War 2 made further non-official (covert) operations politically difficult.
• After July 4, the U.S. Army 23rd Fighter Group took over the AVG P-40s but only five tiger pilots accepted induction. For morale and propaganda, the Flying Tigers name was retained for the 23rd pilots.
• After the AVG were disbanded, the U.S. refused to recognize the Flying Tigers. That position remained unchanged until 1991 when the “honorably discharged” Tigers officially became WW2 veterans.

Get more information about the game at the official Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China website.

Sim155 Ltd. has announced that Combat Air Patrol 2 (CAP2) v810 update has been released. v810 includes new satellite imagery, OpenStreetMap data, MCAS Yuma, Barry M Goldwater Range and the Mach Loop in Wales. A promo video featuring the new changes in the update is also available for viewing. UPDATE: Since the v810 release, v810.2 has been released, having fixed a number of small teething issues over the weekend.

Combat Air Patrol 2 (CAP2) is a flight and naval combat simulator game for PC (Steam/Windows) where you pilot the AV8B Harrier II. After initial flight and tactical training you will be pitched into an immersive scenario against aggressive ground, sea and air based enemies. Use your skill as a pilot and your tactical awareness to engage in dogfights, carry out ground attacks and command your fleet to ultimately ensure the safety of your comrades and the final capitulation of the enemy. Strategic decisions such as commanding your fleet on the tactical map and your performance in the air will affect the final outcome: Go ‘gung ho’ with a full out assault and the outcome will be in the balance or plan ahead and the end result will be your ultimate victory.

You can follow the development of Combat Air Patrol 2 via its Steam Community Hub and at the games official website.

We have received a bunch of new screenshots showing some intense fighting more closely!

Thanks to these images, you can have a clear vision of the amount of detail developers at Byzantine Games are putting into Field of Glory II!

Field of Glory II is a turn-based tactical game set during the Rise of Rome from 280 BC to 25 BC. Which allows you to fight large or small battles for or against Rome, or between the other nations who are as yet unaware of the Roman threat, or what-if battles between nations that never actual came into conflict historically, but might have if the course of history had been different.

Get more information about the game from its official product page!

Overhauled version of Ghost Field features new Global Operations version

Developer and global publisher My.com are proud to announce an overhauled PvP and Global Operations version of the Ghost Field map. The new version of the map takes tank commanders back to Bulgaria to battle it out with enemy factions over the remains of the old Bezmer air-base. The overhauled PvP version of the Ghost Field map introduces a number of changes to the terrain itself as well as to the cover and foliage layout. These enhancements were made with the spotting system changes from recent updates to Armored Warfare – Tanks Reloaded in mind and enhance the gameplay experience significantly.

The map is now available for the Global Operations mode as well. In this mode, players can fight over neutral points on the map to deploy AI controlled help for their team, including Airstrikes and Recon UAV’s. Players going into Global Operations will notice another significant change to the explosive hybrid of PvP and PvE. The mode no longer requires tank commanders to pay for ammunition and repair costs, making the mode more profitable to participate in for all.

Armored Warfare – Tanks Reloaded is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online tactical military game that puts the player into the world of modern warfare. In Armored Warfare – Tanks Reloaded, players get a chance to try the most powerful tools of destruction invented by mankind – from modern main battle tanks to scouts and wheeled vehicles. Using modern defense systems like anti-missile protection and smoke grenades, along with various types of armor and ammunition, players can jump into fast paced battles both in PvP mode and a vast amount of PvE missions.

More information about the Ghost Field map, along with a new trailer, can be found on the Armored Warfare news page.

Developer Battlestate Games have announced that Escape from Tarkov, its realism-focused hardcore FPS/MMO hybrid, will be entering its official Closed Beta phase (CBT) in July. The Closed Beta, which will be available to all current and new pre-order owners, introduces new features, content and optimizations – a new map, weapon parts, new loot, economy rebalancing, and an insurance system. Also new to the game will be the Peacemaker, a new merchant who will expand opportunities for players to buy western weapons and gear.

View the most recent Escape from Tarkov trailer HERE.

New Gameplay Features in the Closed Beta:

• Insurance: For a small amount of in game currency, players can insure weapons and equipment, increasing the chance of retaining it
• Loot and Economy: The CBT will feature a new Merchant, new barter loot, medicines and additional useful items for players to buy, sell and trade. Economic balancing means items will be made available in marketplaces for barter and in loot drops based on their popularity and rarity within the economics system
• Weapons: New weapon customization parts and ammunition types, along with the addition of the modern-classic MP5 submachine gun will offer players even more customizations in the game that prides itself on making thousands of weapon combos and upgrades possible
• Locations: There will be a total of four locations available to play- Customs, Woods, Factory and Shoreline – all with different sizes and terrains. The Shoreline location will be newest and biggest map addition to the CBT.
• General Chat: Chat channels will be available to all players online in the game, allowing players to share useful information and group up for raids.

While Escape from Tarkov has been preparing for the launch of the Closed Beta, the Battlestate team has dedicated a great deal of time to the optimization of animation systems, equipment, and internal system modules – all of which have seen adjustments and improvements. Also in preparation for the CBT launch, the game’s been updated to make use of the current version of Unity Engine, allowing Escape from Tarkov to take full use of DX11 and other optimizations offered by the engine.

More about Escape from Tarkov can be found at the games official website.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA has released the new GeForce 384.76 WHQL drivers. These drivers come game-ready for “Rise Up” open-beta of “Lawbreakers,” which includes game-optimization and GeForce Experience optimal settings. The “Rise Up” open-beta is live from June 30 to July 3, the game itself releases on August 8. In addition, the drivers come with optimization for “Spiderman: Homecoming – a VR Experience.”

You can download the new GeForce 384.76 WHQL drivers from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com.