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Europa Universalis IV: Lions of the North Coming Next Month

Dominate the Baltic in Upcoming EU4 Immersion Pack

Rich in natural resources and medieval trading cities, the Early Modern Baltic is fertile ground for a rising empire. Whoever controls the western passage can dictate access to lands ripe for development, exploitation and conquest. Old ways and ancient allegiances are quickly giving way to new ambitions. On 13 September, you will have your chance to be one of the Lions of the North.

Lions of the North is a new immersion pack for Europa Universalis IV, Paradox Interactive’s best selling historical grand strategy game set in the dramatic centuries of the early modern world. In Lions of the North, you will find a host of new National Missions and unique content tailored for the great and middle powers of the Baltic and Scandinavian regions. Preserve or undermine the Kalmar Union between Denmark, Norway and Sweden. Revive the Teutonic Order as a Crusader state. Build an island pirate kingdom to threaten thriving commercial centers. Dozens of new alternate historical paths are open to you.

Europa Universalis IV: Lions of the North – Release Date Announcement Trailer

Highlights of Europa Universalis IV: Lions of the North include:

Expanded Branching Missions: Decisions taken along some mission trees will determine what options are available to you in the future, allowing you to follow distinct and dramatically different alternate paths.
New Mission Trees for Denmark: Maintain power in Scandinavia while expanding your influence over the northern German cities.
New Mission Trees for Sweden and Norway: Break free from Danish dominance, and turn a foothold on the continent into the base for a northern empire.
New Mission Trees for Teutonic Order, Livonian Order and Riga: Follow a path of religious zealotry or secularize your realm with an eye on the future.
New Mission Trees for Poland, Lithuania and the Commonwealth: Vast lands on the border of East and West present unique challenges for ambitious rulers.
Other Mission Tree Changes: Pirate kings of Gotland, unique options for a united Scandinavia, a free Finland, and a powerful Danzig.
New Government Reforms and Estate Privileges: Some regional powers will have unique government options and new ways to court the favor and influence of local estates.
New Units: The Swedish Carolean Infantry and Polish-Lithuanian Winged Hussars will be available for recruitment.
New Unit Art: 35 new army sprites for regional powers.
New Music: 3 new pieces of Scandinavian music, plus 3 other Baltic themed songs.

Lions of the North will be accompanied by a major update to Europa Universalis IV, free for all players.

Europa Universalis IV: Lions of the North will be available on 13 September 2022 for a suggested retail price of $14.99/£11.39/€14.99.

More info available and you can add to your wishlist on Steam.

Europa Universalis IV Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | August 25, 2022 |

Hearts of Iron IV Expansion Gets Release Date

Italian Themed “By Blood Alone” Set for Late September

Explore new alternate histories of humanity’s most titanic struggle in By Blood Alone, a new expansion for Hearts of Iron IV, Paradox Interactive’s grand strategy wargame about World War II. Adding three new major National Focus Trees, By Blood Alone offers a series of tantalizing what-if stories, where the player writes new histories of ideological and military struggle.

Now scheduled for a 27 September release, By Blood Alone centers the political and military fortunes of Italy. The historical path, as always, is open to those who want to relive the dramatic years before and during the war. Alternatively, players can engineer the end of Mussolini’s rule through a socialist revolution or a strong monarchy.

Watch the Pre-Order Trailer for Hearts of Iron IV: By Blood Alone

Other features of Hearts of Iron IV: By Blood Alone include:

New Ethiopian Focus Tree: Defy the odds to defeat the Italian invader or resist the conqueror from abroad using unique Government in Exile abilities.
New Swiss Focus Tree: Surrounded by France, Germany and Italy, the mountain nation of Switzerland finds strength in its neutrality, balancing competing factions and overtures from the great powers.
New Peace Conference Options: Demilitarize zones of the map or entire nations, bid on the capital ships of defeated powers, or claim control of enemy resources or factories as reparations.
Aircraft Designer: Design and build your own planes, from nimble interceptors that prioritize speed to durable bombers crafted to unload tons of destruction from high above.
Unit Medals: A log of each division’s accomplishments lets you track their performance, and even allow you to award medals to those that have performed well.
Embargo Interaction: Embargo your enemies with a new diplomatic interaction, preventing them from trading with you if they have generated enough world tension.
New Unit Models: More than 20 new pieces of unit art for Italian, Ethiopian and Swiss armies.
New Plane Models: 67 new plane models.
12 New Music Tracks

As usual, the release of By Blood Alone will be accompanied by a major update to Hearts of Iron IV, available for free for everyone who owns the game.

Hearts of Iron IV: By Blood Alone will be available on 27 September 2022 for a suggested retail price of $19.99/£15.49/€19.99.

For more game information please visit the official Hearts of Iron IV website.

Hearts of Iron IV Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | August 23, 2022 |

The Summer Quest starts in War Thunder

Players fight to get rare new models of military vehicles

Gaijin Entertainment announces that the “Summer Quest” event has begun in War Thunder, the online military action game featuring 2000+ ground, naval and air war machines of the 20th and 21st centuries. Players will fight to get four new models of military vehicles: the Hungarian Zrinyi I self-propelled gun, the American F4D-1 Skyray carrier-based fighter jet, the German Leopard 2AV tank and the Japanese battleship Haruna. Other prizes include new camouflage options, as well as player icons, decals and decorations for naval and land vehicles dedicated to summer adventures. The event will last until August 29th.

Each vehicle model in the Summer Quest is quite unique and will be a great addition to the collections of dedicated military history fans.

The Zrinyi I SPG is a World War II era vehicle, entirely designed and built in Hungary and named after the 16th-century Hungarian national hero Miklós Zrínyi. It is built on the chassis of the Turán medium tank (also Hungarian) and is equipped with a 75 mm anti-tank gun. During some of the field tests Zrinyi I was equipped with external rocket tubes, and this is the version of this SPG that made it to War Thunder.

The Leopard 2AV is a prototype tank submitted to the US Army tests, where it competed against the XM-1 models. The tank is a transitional version from the Leopard 1 to the serial Leopard 2: the vehicle has a 105 mm L7A3 cannon familiar from the first series, while the FCS, power plant and armor layout are closer to the early Leopards of the second series.

The F4D-1 Skyray is the first ever supersonic carrier-based fighter, which entered service in 1956. The aircraft boasts excellent rate of climb and is capable of accelerating to near-sonic speeds at sea level. The F4D-1 Skyray is armed with four forward-facing 20mm Browning-Colt Mk12 cannons, and hardpoints can accommodate pods with FFAR unguided rockets and AIM-9B Sidewinder guided missiles.

IJN Haruna was laid down as a Kongo-class battlecruiser and launched as early as 1915, but did not take part in World War I. Later, she was rebuilt into a high-speed battleship and, as such, went through the entire Second World War, taking part in many battles, including Battle of the Philippine Sea, Naval Battle of Guadalcanal and Battle of Leyte Gulf. The battleship was lost only in July 1945, when American aircraft attacked it in the harbor of Kure at the Japanese mainland. Haruna’s main armament is eight 356-mm guns in four turrets, 152-mm and 127-mm cannons make it easier to deal with targets, and 118 anti-aircraft guns drive enemy aircraft away with dense fire.

The event details and more information about new types of vehicles are available on the official website.

MMORPGs War Thunder | Donster | August 11, 2022 |

Come party on the beach for World of Tanks’ 12th birthday!

Players can score rewards: days of premium account, unique and impressive 2D style, Tier III Swedish Premium tank and much more

Grab your sunglasses and pack your beach towel, for this summer, World of Tanks is hosting a huge 12th birthday beach party from the comfort of your home! Until the end of August, your Garage will become a place where you can turbo-chill.

From August 12th to August 22nd, World of Tanks is celebrating its 12th anniversary with special combat missions, various rewards and Anniversary Coins to exchange for valuable in-game goodies and unique customization elements.

Every tanker who logs into the game on any day of the birthday event, from August 12 – 22nd, will receive a free “Only Twelve” 2D style. Also, when players log in for the first time on event day, they will receive one day of Premium Account (up to seven days of Premium Account in total).

Every daily battle mission will yield 5 Anniversary Coins which can be exchanged for bonds, Personal Reserves, crew members, days of Premium Account, styles, fun customization options, and other valuable things in the special section of the in-game store. Large missions will each give 20 Anniversary Coins in addition to the main rewards.

Uriy Kuryavyi, World of Tanks Publishing Director, says it pays to visit the beach party every day.

“Look out for large discounts on researchable vehicles, customization elements, equipment, consumables, Free XP and crew XP conversion, and more. On certain days, expect x2 and even x5 XP multipliers for the first win on every vehicle. World of Tanks is sure to be heating things up this summer!” said Uriy.

And for the party that keeps on giving, players who complete any three daily combat missions will receive the Lago M/38, a brand-new, rapid-firing Tier III Swedish Premium tank.

For more information about Season VIII of Battle Pass, visit worldoftanks.com.

MMORPGs World of Tanks | Donster | August 9, 2022 |

NVIDIA Releases GeForce 516.94 Game Ready Drivers

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA today released the GeForce 516.94 WHQL drivers. These come game-ready for “Spider-Man Remastered,” which includes support for DLSS, DLAA, HBAO+, and ray tracing effects. Optimization is also added for “Madden NFL 23″ and “Super People.” The drivers also add G-SYNC compatibility for about 18 new monitor models; GeForce Experience optimal settings for 13 new games; and fixes a handful issues. These include game stability with “Apex Legends,” a performance improvement for Red Dead Redemption 2 with DLSS enabled; a game freezing bug with “Overwatch,” brightness settings not working with certain MSI Raider notebook models; switching DLSS presets causing artifacts with “Chivalry 2,” an application crash at startup with “Dungeons 3,” random game freezes with “Destiny 2,” artifacts with “Prepar3D,” a stutter noticed in the Xbox app within Windows; and audio drop-outs noticed on NVIDIA “Ampere” GPUs connected to an HDMI 2.1 AV receiver when playing back content with Dolby Atmos.

You can download the GeForce 516.94 WHQL drivers via GeForce.com.

Hardware Video Cards | Donster | August 9, 2022 |

Just Announced Hardware for 9 August 2022

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 | August 9, 2022 |

‘Landing Force’ Launches Season Pass One for Sniper Elite 5

New mission and weapons pack launched on all platforms, Flooded Village multiplayer map available for free to all players now

Rebellion, one of the world’s most successful independent video games developer and publisher, has today launched new content for Sniper Elite 5 including the new Landing Force mission, D.L. Carbine rifle and PPSH submachine gun weapons pack and a free adversarial multiplayer map entitled Flooded Village. Available now for Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam and the Windows Store, the new Landing Force Mission and Weapon Pack forms the first content drop for Season Pass One and is also available to purchase separately. Meanwhile, the Flooded Village multiplayer map is playable now on all multiplayer modes, including No Cross, free of charge.

A new trailer showcasing the content in the Landing Force Mission and Weapon Pack, as well as Flooded Village, is available to watch now.

Developed by Rebellion in partnership with Flix Interactive, the brand-new Landing Force mission is inspired by the movie “The Guns of Navarone.” Set on an island off the coast of Southern France, the Nazis have installed a huge gun battery into the mountainside which is preventing the Allies from invading the South of France. Karl Fairburne is tasked with destroying these huge weapons under the cover of darkness before signaling the Allies that they are safe to begin Operation Dragoon. The island encourages the players to explore with a variety of different buildings, scenery and landscapes as well as ancient ruins, forts, walls and abandoned structures.

Also included in the pack you will receive the D.L. Carbine rifle and PPSH submachine gun. The D.L. Carbine is one of the quietest weapons ever created – making it the perfect addition to your Sniper Elite 5 arsenal as it can eliminate enemies at long range with minimal noise. Meanwhile, the PPSH is a bombastic submachine gun that can fire off rounds at an incredible rate, making it an ideal get-out-of-jail card for when things go wrong.

The Landing Force Mission and Weapon Pack is available now as part of Season Pass One costing $34.99 or as a standalone purchase for $14.99. There will be three further content drops in Season Pass One.

Free to all players, Flooded Village is a new multiplayer map that draws inspiration from images of Normandy during the events of D-Day as the Nazis opened locks and breached flood defenses in an effort to keep the Allied Forces at bay. Featuring great vantage points ideal for sniping as well as lowlands, flooded houses, a railway bridge and a causeway, Flooded Village offers a unique challenge for team-based and solo multiplayer. It is available now in all multiplayer modes, including No Cross, via the latest title update.

The P.1938 Suppressed Pistol, previously only available as pre-order content, is also now available to purchase for $3.99.

The critically acclaimed Sniper Elite 5 is the latest game in the award-winning franchise and is available now on Xbox Game Pass, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Steam and the Windows Store. Developed by Rebellion, Sniper Elite 5 offers an unparalleled tactical sniping experience as you fight your way across the most immersive maps ever featured in the series, with many real-world locations captured in stunning detail.

To keep up to date with all the latest Sniper Elite 5 news please visit sniper.com.

First-Person Shooters Sniper Elite 5 | Donster | July 26, 2022 |

Just Announced Hardware for 26 July 2022

Hardware | Donster | July 26, 2022 |

Company of Heroes 3 Coming to Steam November 17th, Pre-order Now to Receive Bonus Items at Launch!

North African Operation Revealed, Play it Now for Free via CompanyOfHeroes.com

Relic Entertainment, Inc and SEGA® Europe Limited are excited to announce that Company of Heroes™ 3, the next instalment in the beloved RTS franchise, releases on PC via Steam on November 17th, 2022. Company of Heroes 3 will bring fans and newcomers to the series with the biggest and deepest single player experience in the franchise’s history. CoH3 will offer four playable factions at launch and two unique single-player experiences, with the Italian Dynamic Campaign and the North African Operation.

Those eager to get their hands on Company of Heroes 3 won’t have to wait until November to play it. Head over to CompanyOfHeroes.com now and sign up for Relic’s community feedback program, COH-Development, to gain access to one mission from the newly revealed North African Operation. Players can try out the Mission Alpha and take command of the infamous Deutsches Afrikakorps (DAK) as they attempt to repel the British from their entrenched positions. The Mission Alpha is free to play on Steam for one week from Tuesday July 12 to July 19.

While the previously announced Italian Dynamic Campaign offers a branching, open-ended experience, the North African Operation is a more classically designed, narrative-led single-player experience. A wealth of new mechanics has drastically changed the battlefield in North Africa, where tank-riding enables coordinated rapid-strike assaults that overwhelm the enemy. Powerful Italian units can be called upon in Mission Alpha, such as the Guastatori combat engineers and the L6/40 Light Tank. Players can also enjoy new core gameplay innovations like side armour, enemy vehicle recovery and vehicle-towing, which lets you reposition your hard-hitting artillery like the German Flak 36 and British 17-Pounder.

Pre-order offer
Players can pre-order Company of Heroes™ 3 at CompanyOfHeroes.com and receive some awesome bonus items at launch. The Digital Premium Edition comes with the Devil’s Brigade DLC Pack, containing cosmetics based on the first elite commando units of World War II. The Physical Premium Edition includes the Devil’s Brigade DLC Pack, Service Medal, Pocket Compass, Collector’s Book and much more. Both the physical and digital Premium editions will give players access to CoH3’s first expansion – coming to Steam in 2023. A full breakdown of all available pre-order content can be found on CompanyOfHeroes.com.

Mission Alpha Access
Players that have installed any of the previous two Pre-Alpha builds will see the Mission Alpha automatically appear in their Steam Library. New players can sign up to CoH-Development and follow the instructions on the website to gain access to Mission Alpha and provide important feedback about CoH3 to the Relic development team. To find out more about Company of Heroes™ 3, head over to CompanyOfHeroes.com.

Company of Heroes 3 Strategy and Wargaming | Donster | July 13, 2022 |

Just Announced Hardware for 13 July 2022

Hardware | Donster | July 13, 2022 |