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Just Announced Hardware for 24 March 2015

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.

Hardware | Donster | March 24, 2015 |

Arma 3 Marksmen DLC Available on April 8th

Fire seven brand new weapons, supported by new content and features

Bohemia Interactive today announced the official release date for the upcoming Arma 3 downloadable content pack, Arma 3 Marksmen. Flexing its guns on April 8th, the Marksmen DLC looks to build upon Arma 3‘s infantry experience by adding new premium weapons, attachments, and gear. Alongside the new DLC, Bohemia Interactive will also release a major platform update, which implements a new multiplayer mode, training courses and showcase scenario, plus several much-anticipated platform features related to weapon handling (#bipods) and sound.

Serving as the backbone of the Marksmen DLC are the seven new weapons. Among these are five marksman rifles, namely the Cyrus 9.3 mm, MAR-10 .338, Mk-I EMR 7.62 mm, Mk14 7.62 mm, and ASP-1 Kir. The other two weapons are the SPMG .338 and Navid 9.3 mm medium machine guns. The weapons will be complemented by the AMS and Kahlia medium range scopes. There will also be new ghillie suits for the NATO, CSAT, and AAF factions to provide camouflage for various terrain types. Furthermore, the Marksmen DLC will add two Remote Designators, which can be used to spot and laser designate targets from afar. Those who want to hone their shooting skills can pay a visit to the shooting range for brand new firing drills, or go on a reconnaissance mission in the Marksmen showcase scenario.

Overall, the Marksmen DLC aims to redefine what it means to fire a weapon in Arma 3. This idea will be reinforced by a major upcoming platform update, that will be released alongside the Marksmen DLC, and will be free to everyone who owns Arma 3. Besides new playable content and major upgrades to weapon handling, this update will include suppressor and bipod weapon attachments, as well as nine new types of face paint, and three new heavy and grenadier vests designed specifically for improved explosive shielding and ballistic protection.

In terms of playable content, the aforementioned platform update will deliver a brand new multiplayer mode called End Game. Here, two teams compete to locate and secure valuable schematics. On top of this new multiplayer mode, the update will also include the Firing From Vehicles showcase scenario, as well as new VR training courses, objects for content creators, and a brand new set of Steam achievements.

With regards to platform features, the upcoming Arma 3 update will introduce weapon resting and weapon deployment – which have been on the list of most requested features by the Arma 3 community. Weapon resting means that players will benefit from an accuracy bonus whenever they are near a stable surface, while weapon deployment will enable players to use bipods for a more steady shot. Together with improvements made to the simulation of recoil, and improvements to enemy AI suppression, this should provide a more tactical, intuitive, and rich experience to the players of Arma 3. Finally, the new platform update will make significant upgrades to sound by adding more sound samples and new sound technology. These improvements should enhance the immersion and contribute to gameplay by providing players with a better situational awareness.

To round out the Marksmen DLC package and the supporting platform update, Bohemia Interactive will be expanding Arma 3’s existing Virtual Arsenal feature with Virtual Garage. This means players will not only be able to preview soldiers, weapons, and gear, and create custom loadouts for their characters, but also examine and customize the extensive collection of vehicles in Arma 3. In addition, the new update will open up Virtual Arsenal so that people will be able to try out all of Arma 3’s premium weapons, vehicles, and other DLC content, without restrictions – even if they do not own the DLC. A more in-depth explanation of Bohemia Interactive’s approach to DLC for Arma 3, and how it prevents a split in the game’s multiplayer community between those who own DLC and those who do not, can be found in the studio’s previously released blog.

The Arma 3 Marksmen DLC will be available from April 8th for 12.99 EUR/10.99 GBP/15.99 USD on Steam and Store.bistudio.com. People can already purchase the Arma 3 DLC Bundle, which includes the Arma 3 Karts, Arma 3 Helicopters, and the upcoming Marksmen DLC, for 19.99 EUR/16.99 GBP/24.99 USD – saving them more than 25% over buying the DLC packs separately.

For more information about Arma 3, please visit www.arma3.com.

Arma 3 First-Person Shooters | Donster | March 19, 2015 |

Brother Against Brother Gets a Release Date

“The time for war has not yet come, but it will come, and that soon; and when it does come, my advice is to draw the sword and throw away the scabbard.” (Stonewall Jackson, Confederate General)

Following up on the success of their last foray into the American Civil War, the development team behind the award-winning “Forge of Freedom” have returned to the period at the tactical level. Brother against Brother: The Drawing of the Sword, the latest new wargame from Western Civilization Software, is finally ready to march. Indeed, this epic military strategy game covering the first year of the American Civil War will be available on April 16th!

It is 1861. Nearly a million armed Americans face each other along a line stretching 1200 miles from Virginia to Missouri. Tensions in the country reach a climax when Confederate forces fire upon a key Union fort in South Carolina in April. This is the starting point of a bloody four year conflict between the North and the South that would leave an indelible mark on American history.

In Brother against Brother: The Drawing of the Sword, the focus is on the opening battles of the American Civil War. Players will be able to command both sides and relive the major encounters of 1861 and early 1862. Thanks to extensive historical and topographical research, including in-person examinations of each battlefield and consultations of materials previously unavailable to game-designers, the maps and orders of battle each have been recreated at an unprecedented scale and level of detail. Connoisseurs of the period will immediately notice that the behavior of the commanders and their soldiers perfectly matches the tactics of this era! However, Brother against Brother is much more than a rigorous simulation, it also offers several what-if scenarios for a very refreshing approach to famous battles such as 1st Manassas or Wilson’s Creek.

Erik Rutins, Director of Product Development at Matrix Games, said, “It’s always a pleasure to work with the team at Western Civilization Software, but I believe this release is truly special. For Civil War computer wargame fans, I believe that the incredible research and great gameplay included in Brother against Brother will make this game the definitive treatment of these battles for years to come.”

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

Brother Against Brother Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | March 18, 2015 |

Pillars of Eternity Has Gone Gold

Final Chance to Pre-order Obsidian’s Forthcoming Epic before March 26 Release

Obsidian Entertainment and Paradox Interactive today announced that Pillars of Eternity, the fan-funded modern take on a classic role-playing game (RPG) set in an original world created by some of the best minds in RPG development, has reached “Gold Master” (GM) status, and is now ready for its release on March 26, 2015. Pillars of Eternity, originally called “Project Eternity” the 10th most funded Kickstarter ever and second most funded video game , has been in development for two and a half years, and is now ready to complete its journey, arriving on Windows, Mac, and Linux PC next week. The game will release globally via digital distribution, with backers receiving their digital copies as well.

Pillars of Eternity is an RPG inspired by classic titles such as Baldur’s Gate, Icewind Dale, and Planescape: Torment, featuring an original world and unique game system, Pillars of Eternity ushers in a renaissance for a much beloved style of role playing game. Funded via Kickstarter in late 2012, raising over $4 million through both backer pledges on Kickstarter and PayPal. Pillars of Eternity has been a project of passion for both the development team and the loyal fans who made it possible.

Pillars of Eternity is scheduled to launch next week, on March 26, 2015, and the game can still be pre-ordered until that time. Pre-orders also include two special in-game items: a Giant Miniature Space Piglet companion who will accompany players through the world of Eora, and the Gaun’s Pledge ring, which provides powerful support to heroes in times of peril. Pillars of Eternity can be pre-ordered by visiting http://buy.pillarsofeternity.com.

For more information on Pillars of Eternity, visit the games official website.

MMORPGs Pillars of Eternity | Donster | March 18, 2015 |

NVIDIA GeForce GTX TITAN X Reviews

NVIDIA has launched the world’s fastest single-GPU graphics card, the GeForce GTX TITAN X. The GTX TITAN X features the GM200 graphics processing unit. The GM200 GPU which is featured inside the TITAN X the fastest chip ever produced by NVIDIA. We have collected a large number of reviews and we’ve posted the links to them below for your convenience.

Hardware Video Cards | Donster | March 18, 2015 |

NVIDIA Releases GeForce 347.88 WHQL Game Ready Driver

Source: NVIDIA

The new GeForce Game Ready 347.88 WHQL Battlefield Hardline drivers are now available to download from GeForce Experience and GeForce.com. With Game Ready optimizations for Battlefield Hardline, new SLI profiles, and support for TITAN X, the world’s fastest GPU, our latest Game Ready drivers are a recommended update for all GeForce GTX users.

Game Ready For Battlefield Hardline

Battlefield Hardline is the newest release in the venerable Battlefield franchise, placing you in the shoes of cops and robbers in campaign and multiplayer modes. Under the hood, Battlefield 4′s Frostbite engine returns, with all the changes from Battlefield 4′s updates included, ensuring optimum GPU performance.

In today’s Game Ready driver, several Battlefield Hardline performance optimizations are included, in addition to an updated SLI profile, giving you the best possible experience the second Battlefield Hardline is released in your neck of the woods.

TITAN X: The Ultimate TITAN

Our new Game Ready driver also includes support for TITAN X, the world’s fastest single-GPU graphics card. Reigning supreme with record-breaking performance, a 12GB frame buffer, and support for NVIDIA VR Direct and the upcoming DirectX 12 API, TITAN X is the card of choice for enthusiasts demanding the ultimate technology to complement their X99 systems, VR headsets, and 4K G-SYNC monitors.

NVIDIA’s GeForce Game Ready 347.88 WHQL drivers can be downloaded from GeForce.com or through GeForce Experience.

Hardware Video Cards | Donster | March 18, 2015 |

Just Announced Hardware for 18 March 2015

Hardware | Donster | March 18, 2015 |

General Montgomery and the Fighting Retreat to Dunkirk – May 1940

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

Bernard Law Montgomery, Field Marshall, 1st Viscount Montgomery of Alamein, KG, GCB, DSO, and so on, is undoubtedly best remembered for commanding the 8th Army in North Africa, Sicily and Italy and then commands in Europe for D-Day and beyond. However, he did not just spring into those commands out of the blue. He also saw action in Europe at the very start of the war, and here we look at his experiences in France leading up to Dunkirk.

Read on…

Military History | Donster | March 17, 2015 |

War in the Pacific: Admiral Edition Gets a Massive Update

Battleships are back on the Pacific Ocean! Matrix Games is very proud to announce that one of the biggest updates of all time is coming today. Indeed, even if War In The Pacific: Admiral’s Edition was already the most detailed wargame focused on the Pacific theater ever, this update is going to push the boundaries of awesomeness still further! Thanks to dozens of changes and enhancements, version 1.01.24 will live in the community’s memory for a very long time. As it’s impossible to list all of the gameplay and technical improvements here, I invite you to click on this link to get access to the huge changelog associated with this patch.

You can download the patch from HERE

Grab the game HERE.

War in the Pacific: Admiral’s Edition is the most realistic and engrossing WWII Pacific theatre game available.

The immense scale is 40 miles per hex with losses covering individual vehicles, aircraft, guns and squads. Since half the planet Earth is covered by the titanic Pacific struggle, the game is massive in scope, covering thousands of ships tens of thousands of aircraft.

Find out more at the official War in the Pacific: Admiral’s Edition webpage.

Strategy and Wargaming War in the Pacific: Admiral's Edition | Donster | March 17, 2015 |

World of Warships Fourth Video Dev Diary Released

Source: Gamer’s Hell

Wargaming offers the fourth installment from a series of developer diaries for World of Warships, a free-to-play naval action MMO based on epic sea battles of the 20th century that will complete the “World of” war trilogy. In this video, the team take you on a journey with some of the iconic U.S. 20th century vessels that clashed across the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. You can check out the roles warships such as the USS Michigan and Montana played in ocean warfare and discover how our team brought these vessels to life in World of Warships.

More game info available via the official World of Warships website.

MMORPGs World of Warships | Donster | March 17, 2015 |