The latest issue of the Battlestate Games’ developer video diaries is dedicated to collecting audio references for its upcoming game Escape From Tarkov – this time visiting the legendary firearms manufacturer Concern Kalashnikov with Escape from Tarkov’s Lead Animator Alexander Kovalchuk.

In creating Escape from Tarkov, a realistic hardcore MMO video game, every little detail matters. The developers are paying attention to all of the numerous aspects of the project, with particular interest in sound effects. For the purpose of recreating the weapon fire sound effects, the studio developers traveled to the training grounds of Concern Kalashnikov, where the company representatives were prepared with the live prototype weapons from the Escape from Tarkov arsenal.

Escape from Tarkov is a hardcore online game that combines FPS/TPS with RPG elements. As a hazardous environment combat simulator, the game uses multiple system modules for ultimately immersive gameplay and complete feeling of reality. The closed beta-testing of Escape from Tarkov is planned for 2016. Sign up for beta on the official Escape from Tarkov website.

Players can unlock access to Escape from Tarkov as early as closed testing stage by placing a pre-order on the project’s official pre-order page.

War in the West, one of the most impressive wargame ever created has been updated to version 1.01.37!

You can download the update following this link or here.

Version 1.01.37 Patch notes:

• Added a new Living Manual that contains New Features and Rule Changes since the initial release of the game.
• Added Optional City VP item to the Options screen. This impacts campaign games if toggled on. When on, the victory screen lists that the Allies start with -1200 city victory points due to this option. However, they can earn up to 1600 city victory points in total if they occupy the cities listed in the victory screen. When the cities are captured by the Allies, the points for the city are added to the total Optional City VP total, and this amount is also reflected in the Campaign column of the City Points. For example, at the start of the 1945 campaign, Paris (worth 400 points) and Antwerp (worth 200 points) are occupied by the Allies. Thus, the Optional City Points is equal to -600 (-1200+400+200), and this amount is reflected in the City Points Campaign score. The intention of this rule is to provide additional rewards for the Axis player to accept casualties and advance into Germany. While we recommend this game option for all games, we strongly suggest that this game option be turned on when not playing with the East Front Option. This prevents the Allies from accepting a Soviet takeover of Germany, while striving to maximize bombing points and minimize casualties. This was not politically acceptable to the Allies.

READ THE FULL CHANGELOG HERE!

The expansion for the acclaimed real-time wargame Scourge of War: Waterloo is finally here!

Scourge of War: Ligny will put you in command of the French forces of the Armée du Nord, or the Prussian army led by the Field Marshal Blücher, in the battle that mislead Napoleon about his chances to defeat the Seventh Coalition at Waterloo!

Grab the game here!

Scourge of War: Ligny is available also on Steam!

Source: TechPowerUp!

AMD has released the WHQL-signed variants of the Radeon Software Crimson Edition version 16.10.1 drivers, which it released earlier this month. Besides optimization for “Gears of War 4″ and “Mafia III,” and CrossFire profiles for “Shadow Warrior 2,” these drivers come with support for the Oculus Asynchronous Spacewarp feature on graphics cards based on the “Polaris 10″ silicon (Radeon RX 480, RX 470).

AMD defines Asynchronous Spacewarp as the following…

ASW compares previously rendered frames, detects the motion between them, and extrapolates the position of scene components to create a new synthetic frame. Using this technology, synthetic frames will accurately approximate the fully-rendered frames they’re designed to replace.

You can download the Radeon Software Crimson Edition 16.10.1 WHQL drivers 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.

• Gigabyte launches GeForce GTX 1080 XTREME GAMING WaterForce WB with FC Water Block
• AeroCool Launches Project 7 – Chassis 1
• MSI Pulls Next-Gen CPU Support BIOS Updates, Working on Fix
• ASRock 100 Series Motherboards Support Next Generation Socket 1151 Intel Processors
• Linksys Introduces the WRT3200ACM Router with Tri-Stream 160 Technology
• Swiftech Unveil the Apogee XL2 CPU Water Block
• Tt eSPORTS Announces the Advanced BLACK FP Security Gaming Mouse
• Alphacool Eiswolf Offers AIO Solution for Graphics Card Cooling
• Antec Announces the GX330 Chassis
• ROCCAT Announces the New and Improved Taito 2017 Mousepad
• Enermax Introduces Steelwing Aluminium Chassis
• Western Digital WD Blue and WD Green Consumer SSDs Launched
• Samsung Intros the ArtPC Pulse Premium Desktop
• New ASUS Claymore Gaming Keyboard Photos
• HP Inc. Innovates Its Premium Consumer Portfolio for Holiday
• HP Firmware Update Reverses Non-Original Ink Lock
• Newegg Now Owned by Chinese Company

Independent air-combat action game developer Ace Maddox is pleased to announce that its latest Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China Steam update has gone live. New features include ROCKET MATCH, a fresh multiplayer mode that lets 2-16 players go head-to-head over the Chinese-Mongolian Gobi desert in a variety of fighter-jets, including the American P-80A “Shooting Star” and the Japanese Ki-201 “Fire Dragon” (Me-262a). Check out the narrated YouTube video for details.

Update History/Changelog:

• ROCKET MATCH multiplayer mode. This new mode lets 2-16 players fly head-to-head in rocket-equipped fighter planes. Aircraft include the P-80A “Shooting Star”, the P-38L Lightning, the Ki-201 “Fire Dragon”, the Mizuno II “Divine Dragon”, the I-16 Polikarpov and the P-51D Mustang.
• Campaign VO. Recorded and implemented complete American & British voice over dialogue for East of Martaban campaign mission.
• New fighter-jets (with cockpits). Added the USAAF P-80A “Shooting Star” with cockpit and four skins. Japanese Ki-201 “Fire Dragon” with cockpit (and four skins) also implemented. Finally, Japan’s unusual/experimental Mizuno Shinryu II “Divine Dragon” made available too, also with four skins.
• Retrofitted Vildebeest cockpit. The RAF bi-plane torpedo fighter Vickers Vildebeest Mk. III finally has a (semi-open) cockpit view.
• Field of View. Added and adjusted FoV (Field of View) for gameplay and cockpit cameras for improved visibility. Use (default) C / V keys to cycle back and forth to set/try the improved WIDE cameras.
• BRIGHTNESS option. Not entirely unlike GAMMA control, the new brightness option lets players adjust screen visibility (via DISPLAY SETTINGS).
• ENEMY CROSSHAIR option. Let’s you adjust the size of the red sub-crosshair to improve enemy target visibility (via HUD settings).

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

Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio announce the release of Rights of Man, a new expansion to Europa Universalis IV, the best-selling historical strategy game about exploration, colonization, and development through the early modern era.

The latest expansion to Europa Universalis IV lets the world’s eight greatest powers throw their weight around with new diplomatic options, including forcing others to break their alliances or giving friendly foreign monarchs a boost to their stats. But becoming a Great Power means balancing expansion with technological prowess and development.

Rights of Man includes:

• Great Powers: Greatness is rewarded with new ways to interact with the lesser nations around you.
• Ruler Personalities: Your monarchs have Personalities that will help or hurt your nation, and help you anticipate the behavior of neighboring powers
• Leader Traits: Generals and admirals can earn bonus abilities through combat
• New Governing Tools: Debase your currency for quick cash, spend military power to increase your legitimacy, abdicate the throne or disinherit inconvenient heirs
• Queen Regency: Queens can rule in the name of young heirs, with greater power than normal regencies
• Religious Changes: Coptic Christians and African Fetishists have new systems, deepening the strategy for these faith groups
• New Government Systems: Ruling Prussia, the Ottomans or Revolutionary Republics will be new experiences since is each getting another look and new mechanics

As always, Rights of Man’s release is accompanied by a free update for all Europa Universalis IV owners, and this one may be our biggest yet with a complete overhaul of two major game systems – technological progress and cultural acceptance, plus other updates that apply to owners of certain other expansions.

Watch the release trailer here.

Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man is available on major digital platforms and the official Paradox Store for the price of $19.99.

For more information about Europa Universalis IV: Rights of Man please visit the “Rights of Man” webpage.

Rortos, the Italian leader in the development of flight simulators, announced today that “Blue Angels: Ready, Break!”, will launch later this month for PC Windows. Rortos successfully launched the flight simulator by the same name for iOS and Android platforms in mid-July, and an Xbox version of the game is also being planned.

Presented at the National Naval Aviation Museum of Pensacola in Florida during the weekend of the Blue Angels’ airshow in July, the simulator of the US Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron for PC and Surface Windows 10 includes many additions and enhancements from the mobile version of the game. The PC game will include innovations such as improved graphics as well as the compatibility with the joystick, Hotas, Flight Yoke and Pedals for an even more immersive and realistic experience.

“Our goal was to respond to the requests of our fans and the flight simulator community and turn some of their suggestions into reality,” said Roberto Simonetto, CEO of RORTOS. “By providing this incredible flight simulator for our PC player fan base, we are creating an even better riveting gaming experience for our fans. The addition of a specific guide system for the keyboard and joystick will evoke a more authentic Blue Angels experience for players.”

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.

• XIGMATEK Unveil Latest Shogun G Power Supplies
• DeepCool Intros Genome II Liquid-Cooled Chassis
• ASUS ROG Swift PG278QR 27-Inch WQHD Gaming Monitor Announced
• Cougar Intros the Ultimus RGB Mechanical Keyboard
• EK Water Blocks Releases Monoblocks for Several GIGABYTE X99 Motherboards
• ASRock Intros Trio of “Apollo Lake” Motherboards
• EK Water Blocks Announces New Thermal Grizzly Hydronaut Thermal Grease 
• Thermaltake Intros its Sandia-inspired Engine 27 1U Low-Profile CPU Cooler
• SilverStone Announces the Case Storage Series CS380 Chassis
• AMD and Oculus Shatter VR Barriers With $499 CyberPowerPC VR Ready System
• LG to Release 34UC79G 144HZ IPS UltraWide Monitor

Beginning Today – All Players May Try Out Global Operations on a Public Test Server

Developer Obsidian Entertainment and global publisher My.com are proud to announce that Global Operations, the revolutionary PvP and PvE hybrid game mode in Armored Warfare, is now open for testing on a Public Test Server.

The recently announced Armored Warfare: Global Operations is a truly unique game mode for tank genre games. Being a mix of PvP and PvE, and having a set of gameplay innovations, the new mode makes PvP more spectacular and action focused – exactly what the true modern battlefield should be in the game.

Watch the new Armored Warfare: Global Operations Trailer HERE.

To test Armored Warfare: Global Operations on PTS, players should download a special Public Test Server Client and follow instructions HERE.

Please note that the Public Test Server will only become accessible on October 6 at 8 AM PDT.

The first of the new maps to be introduced in Armored Warfare: Global Operations is the open desert map called “Desert Crossing.” This map is bigger than any other map so far in Armored Warfare and features many interactive elements. Bombers flying overhead, AI-control turrets shooting at teams, and surveillance drones will change the face of warfare in the game for good. Two mercenary forces and their local allies are clashing over a massive dry dock with an aircraft carrier in “Desert Crossing.” The battles in Global Operations are time limited and feature up to 15 vs 15 player teams. Each team starts with a pool of points. Destroying Enemy or AI controlled vehicles and capturing control zones will reduce the enemies’ point count. If the team manages reduce this point score to zero, they secure victory!

Players can also capture special “Wildcard” objectives that give them the ability to call in military asset from their HQ, which will tip the balance of the battle in their favor. The first map contains the following “wildcards:”

• Static AI-controlled object firing Anti-Tank guided missiles at enemy forces.
• An unmanned aerial asset that can fly above a zone and spot the enemy teams movements with ease.
• A powerful B2 bombing run attack that flies in from off the map to wreak havoc amongst enemy lines!
• To allow resupply of ammo without needing to respawn.

These represent just what will be available during the first release. The system is flexible enough that many new “wildcards” could be created and will make the battlefields truly feel like theatres of modern war.

Armored Warfare is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online tactical military game that puts the player into the world of modern warfare. In Armored Warfare, 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.

You can download the game for free and get more information at the official Armored Warfare website.