The Japanese Battleship Fleet in WWII

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

The Japanese Navy began WWII in the Pacific with 12 battleships in its inventory or still in the final stages of completion. All but two of these capital ships had joined the fleet before, during, or immediately following WWI. Japan’s final two battleships IJN’s Yamato and Musashi were laid down in the late 1930′s. The twin sister ships were the largest, heaviest armed capital ships ever designed and built by any power until the emergence of the modern, post-war era US aircraft carriers in the 1950′s. Five of these enormous Japanese battleships were called for, of which two would be built to original specifications with the third ship being converted into a giant armored aircraft carrier. All of Japan’s older battleships were modernized or improved throughout the interwar years and later, during the war, to increase both their speed and to improve their survivability in battle. At the end of World War II, only one of the 12 Japanese battleships, the IJN. Nagato, survived the years of fierce fighting. Its fate was to be destroyed as a target in post-war atomic bomb tests at Bikini Atoll.

Read on…

For the last two months the On Target Simulations team has been hard at work to polish the PC Game of the Year 2013 (awarded by The Wargamer) – Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm. The developers have been focused on the community feedback, and the 2.04 patch introduces a lot of improvements that the players have been requesting since the original release of the game.

New features, tons of fixes, UI improvements and enhanced game functions come together to make the game play even better. As of now you will get more feedback on events, more flexibility with custom maps and markers, and even get open access to the game’s awesome scenarios so you can adapt them to your own taste!

The list of improvements is so long that On Target Simulations wrote a comprehensive “What’s new” document that you can read here. They do not forget the newcomers either, so the new armchair generals can get access to the revised version of the “Quick Start & Tutorial Guide” by clicking here.

Here you can see some of the major changes brought by 2.04:

• Movement Orders End State Setting: Once you finish issuing a movement order you can select the end state order of the move among four choices: Hold, Screen, On Call and Resupply
• Dismount Dialog: If the unit is carrying infantry or scouts you will have the option to have them dismount and move to the final objective on foot with the transports supporting the move. The unit will adopt the order state given in the new Orders on Arrival dialog
• Waypoints/Waypoint Editor: there is an option to inspect group waypoints and also set delays to coordinate arrivals better.

Click here to download the 2.04 patch.

Get more information on Flashpoint Campaigns: Red Storm from its official product page.

Matrix Games announce that Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon, one of the most anticipated turn-based strategy games of the year, is getting ready for release! This detailed multiplatform wargame is now ready to enter the PC beta phase and we invite players to help us test it! By signing up for the beta, players will have a chance to be selected to be one of the lucky few, who will be able experience Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon before release and help us with the final touches, ensuring a smooth release later this year.

Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon is set during the Second War for Armageddon. In this hex-based, turn-based game developed by Flashback Games and The Lordz Games Studio, players will lead the Imperial forces of the Armageddon Steel Legion and Space Marines from a variety of Chapters against the Ork invasion through over 30 scenarios, on the hostile terrain of the planet and its gigantic Hive Cities.

The game features a complex plot, involving known characters from the Warhammer 40,000 universe and while advancing through the campaign, the player will have the ability to carryover his core force from scenario to scenario.

Players can sign up for the beta by clicking here.

Get more information on Warhammer 40,000: Armageddon from its official product page.

Go behind the scenes with Obsidian Project Director Richard Taylor in this 6-minute video, as he answers questions from fans and shows all new footage of the Armored Warfare world. Hear what the team has to say about map size, projectile properties, water effects and more, and learn how to sign up for beta at aw.my.com.

WATCH VIDEO IN HD (Hosted by YouTube)

By Stuart Davidson @ Hardware Heaven

Over the years case designs have significantly evolved to the stage where a large portion of a system budget can be spend on that area of a build. In the enthusiast arena for example bigger tends to be better and the ability to install liquid cooling is a must, especially as GPUs are now available which have their own radiator block for a 12cm fan location. At the opposite end of the spectrum budget cases have changed too. Even in the last 4 or 5 years that has been the case and thanks to some great design we have a bunch of low cost, high quality and flexible options.

Fractal Design recently released their Core 3300 case, a model designed to appeal to those looking for a low cost chassis with plenty of flexibility. Today we take a look at it.

Read The Review Here

By Kristian Vättö @ AnandTech

A couple of months ago we reviewed JMicron’s JMF667H reference design SSDs, which did relatively well in our tests especially when taking JMicron’s previous SSD controllers into account. As always, reference designs are only meant for evaluation and do not make their way into retail, so today we are taking a look at Transcend’s SSD340.

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.

• ASUS Republic of Gamers Announces the Crossblade Ranger FM2+ Motherboard
• MSI Teases X99S Gaming 9 AC Motherboard
• ADATA Launches XPG Z1 DDR4 Overclocking Memory
• Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. M Wireless Keyboard Ships
• Galaxy Designs Special GeForce GTX 750 Ti HOF Graphics Card
• Plextor M6 PRO with PlexTurbo Now Available Worldwide
• Club 3D Introduces the Worldwide First Y-Cabled Docking Station
• Thermaltake Urban S71 World of Tanks Edition Announced
• Intel to Discontinue Five More Ivy Bridge Processors
• ASRock Intros Two J2900 Bay Trail Motherboards
• MSI and CyberPowerPC Introduce the Venom-X Custom Configuration Service
• 23.8-Inch BenQ Monitor Has an IPS Full HD Screen and 4 ms Response Time
• ROCCAT Integrates Keyboard and Smartphone: The Skeltr
• X2 to Release the Genza Gaming Mouse
• Acer Releases the B286HK 28-Inch UHD Monitor
• OCZ ARC 100 Series SSDs Show up on Amazon and Scan
• AMD Readies Radeon R7 Branded Client SSDs
• Gigabyte Essence Desktop Case Pictured
• LEPA Introduces the BOL.Quiet Series Case Fans
• BenQ XL2420G ‘Hybrid Engine’ G-SYNC Monitor Coming This Fall
• HGST Announces the FlashMAX III PCIe SSDs
• Dell Developing Gaming Headset that Senses when you are Bored
• Philips 28-inch 4K Ultra HD Monitor Now Available

British Midnight Raid on Taranto Italy, 11-12 November, 1940

By John Dudek @ The Wargamer

The night-time skies over Taranto Italy were criss-crossed with dozens of blindingly brilliant shafts of probing, search light beams interspersed with cracking flak bursts and the staccato sound and sights of thousands of machine gun tracers arching upwards across the black sky like so many thousands of fireflies in search of a still unseen enemy. Air dropped flares suddenly lit up the Italian battleships and cruisers of their Battle Fleet anchored seemingly safe within its well protected harbor. Out of the darkness came a sight more appropriate from the past “Great War” of 1914-18 rather than this current Second World War. Nearly two dozen British Swordfish bi-plane torpedo aircraft approached flying low and slow for their final attack runs upon the capital ships of the Italian Battle Fleet. Within minutes three of the anchored battleships of the Regia Marina were staggered by numerous torpedo hits that sank one battleship and badly damaged two others, while badly damaging a heavy cruiser and two destroyers. Historically speaking the Taranto Raid was the very first successfully carrier launched air attack ever made against an enemy fleet. Following the British torpedo bombing raid only two of the three damaged Italian battleships were ever returned to active service. In one night, the Royal Navy succeeded in cutting down the size of the Italian battleship fleet by half, while tipping the balance of power in the Mediterranean once again back into her favor. For the remaining three years of Italian participation in World War II as a member of the Axis Powers, the Italian Battle Fleet avoided any further fully fledged fleet engagements against the Royal Navy, and no longer seriously sought to prevent British reinforcement from reaching North Africa or its Mediterranean colonies through the massed use of capital ships in a concerted fleet action.

Read on…

Independent developer Rebellion today announced the launch of two new pieces of DLC for Sniper Elite 3 on Steam for PC, with the content due to come to Playstation 4, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 in the near future.

FREE Lost Valley Multiplayer Map

The second of four multiplayer maps which are FREE for all Sniper Elite 3 players, Lost Valley is one of the most diverse maps ever made for the series, from perilous vertical terrain and excavated ruins, to a sinkhole, open jungle and sea shallows. Packed with secret routes, vantage points and plenty of lush foliage for cover, snipers must decide whether to navigate the dangerously exposed mountain terrain for a commanding view of the battlefield, or opt to ambush enemy combatants from the waterfront shallows, temporary airfield and tented camps below.

Sniper Rifles Pack

Some of history’s most revered rifles make a welcome return to Sniper Elite 3 in the Sniper Rifles weapons pack now live on Steam and coming to consoles soon. Available for use across all modes, the Sniper Rifles weapons pack includes the Kar 98k , M1917 Enfield, and a specially tuned version of the fan-favourite Springfield rifle.

Summer of Sniper

Having already kicked off the first in a three-part Save Churchill DLC campaign, Rebellion have promised more content to come over the summer months including another two FREE multiplayer maps, more weapons packs and the concluding two missions in the Save Churchill campaign.

Source: Blue’s News

Here’s a new trailer showing off the upcoming Nemesis DLC for Call of Duty: Ghosts, the latest installment in this military shooter series. This is coming to Xbox next week and other platforms after that, fulfilling the game’s Season Pass. PC gamers disappointed at not being able to grab this now can scratch that itch by heading over to Steam where they have a whole bunch of personalization and weapon packs to sell you. Here’s word on the Nemesis pack’s contents:
The four new small-to-medium multiplayer maps in Nemesis are designed specifically for Call of Duty’s distinctive fast-paced, gun-on-gun gameplay.

• “Goldrush” is set in an abandoned gold mine in the Southwest United States, where an intricate network of cavernous tunnels and perilous shafts create the ideal setting for medium to long range combat; while two mine carts race along the abandoned tracks offering players a fast way to traverse the map. Players who complete the unique field order on Goldrush will unleash a howling pack of wolves that will descend upon their enemies.
• “Subzero” drops players into a frigid Canadian submarine base that has been hastily evacuated, with control room, submarine pen and research facilities all left eerily empty. Built around the traditional three-lane design, this medium-sized map harbors a mysterious terror that will decimate your enemies upon completion of the map’s unique field order.
• In “Dynasty,” players are transported to a lakeside Chinese village surrounded by picturesque mountains, vivid gardens, and spectacular architecture – a serene environment that is anything but Zen-like. Multiple pathways crisscross the village in this medium map with a variety of elevation and numerous back alleys that create flanking routes. The unique field order on “Dynasty” allows players to call in an air strike of vertical takeoff fighter jets, while one lingers behind to give you unmatched air superiority.
• Nemesis cranks the frenetic multiplayer action to unprecedented levels with the fourth multiplayer map, “Showtime,” a sadistic reimagining of the smallest map in Call of Duty® history, the fan favorite map from Call of Duty® 4: Modern Warfare® “Shipment.” In the futuristic arena of “Showtime,” blind corners and narrow pathways provide momentary reprieve from the outright mayhem within the central square comprised of several shipping containers. Tight confines call for shotguns and SMGs. Survive long enough to be rewarded with one of three killstreaks: lethal automated gun turrets at key locations on the map, an air drop with multiple care packages or a deadly gas attack that forces the action back into the center of the arena.

Closing out the final DLC Pack for Call of Duty: Ghosts is the dramatic conclusion in the Extinction narrative, “Episode 4: Exodus.” Following the CIF Unit’s harrowing escape from the alien underworld and the successful recovery of Dr. Cross and the cortex, the team has flown in to fight off the Cryptid army’s siege of the last bastion of human resistance. Your mission is to get key personnel to safety by restoring power to the shuttle and launching the shuttle to a low earth orbit space station.