Month: February 2016

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.

• Apacer OffersBlade Fire DDR4-3200 32GB Memory Kit
• Logitech Announces New G810 Orion Spectrum RGB Mechanical Gaming Keyboard – VIDEO
• ASUS Announces B150I and B150M Pro Gaming Aura Series Motherboards
• Roccat’s Ryos MK FX Keyboard Available Now, Includes RGB Lighting
• BitFenix Announces the Alchemy 2.0 PSU Cables
• Cooltek Announces the Value 80 Plus EU Series Power Supplies
• NEC Announces MultiSync PA322UHD-2 Ultra HD Monitor
• AMD Offers New Thermal Solutions and Processors for Near-Silent Performance
• Icy Dock Intros ToughArmor MB991U3-1SB Enclosure
• ADATA Reveals HD650X and HD710M USB 3.0 External Hard Drives
• Sony Reveals SLW-M Series of Consumer SSDs
• ASRock A88M-ITX/ac Gives AMD APUs a Fun-sized Foundation
• Lian Li PC-M25 mATX Mini Tower Chassis Released
• OCZ Announces Trion 150 Series Next-Generation SSDs
• Expert Oriented GeForce GTX 980 Ti DuraPro Graphics Card Released
• EK Water Blocks EK-XRES Revo D5 Lineup Gets New Glass Edition Reservoir Pump Combo
• Seagate Hit by Lawsuit Over Faulty 3TB Hard Drives

Specialist wargaming developer The Lordz Games Studio and Check Your 6! board game developer Scott Fisher are happy to announce an exclusive licence deal to bring the multiple award winning and popular set of WWII air combat rules and scenario books to the digital gaming arena.

Check Your 6! was designed to reflect the realities of air combat with the simplest wargame mechanics possible. The CY6! game series will closely reflect the realities of WWII and Modern air combat while allowing for a playable game. Combat is reflected in 3D and the game is the result of years of research into Air-to-Air, Air-to-Ground and Ground-to-air weapons, combat manoeuvres, aircraft statistics and the influence of pilot skill on combat. Statistical analysis was extensively used to find the most efficient game systems. In addition, former US Air Force and US Marine Corps pilots were a part of the design team from the start, greatly influencing the design and playtesting.

“We are extremely proud Scott has trusted us with the task to bring, in my mind the best air combat game board and tabletop game series, to the digital market.“, said Rudolf-Tim van der Moer, CEO of The Lordz Games Studio. “We have been a long-time fan of Scott`s specialist team and their excellent game design. Playing CY6! on digital devices will make a lot of wargamers, air combat fans and armchair generals happy and excited.”

Scott Fisher, CY6! main designer, said: “After eight incredible years as a board/miniatures game, we’re excited to extend CY6 into the digital world. Bringing CY6 to this new domain will further our commitment to not only provide a great game but also allow players worldwide to learn the lessons of real air-combat campaigns. With CY6, it was always our goal to put players in the cockpit, compelling them to deal with the same issues and decisions of historical pilots. What maneuver do I do? Should I shoot? Do I attack the bombers or fighters? How good is my opponent? Do I risk it!?“

“In the digital version of CY6, players will focus even more on the combat situation rather than rule mechanics and, of course, will be surrounded by our trademark historical accuracy. We plan to bring not only a great game system to the digital medium, but also plan to convert our signature air campaigns books to be part of the system. We are very proud of the research that went into these books, in many cases they provide information never before published.“

“I am glad to be working with the Lordz development team on this project. The Lordz team has shown the same commitment to excellence and historical accuracy that we prided ourselves on in developing the original CY6 board/miniatures game. In addition to the dedicated Lordz team, all members of the original CY6 Design Team (including several combat veteran pilots) have agreed to help with this effort. All of us are thrilled to bring the entire CY6 line of rules and scenario books to the digital customer!“

The first game is already well under development at The Lordz Games Studio. The complete current range of rules and scenario books, including any future editions, will be brought to a wide variety of digital game platforms to form a complete digital CY6! game series.

Battalion 1944 recaptures the core of classic multiplayer shooters and propels WW2 into the next generation. Battalion 1944 utilizes the most advanced industry technology to create a visceral and heart-thumping multiplayer experience that has been crafted by the designers who have grown up playing Medal of Honor and Call of Duty 2.

Fight in real world locations such as the streets of Carentan, the forests of Bastogne and many more in our spiritual successor to the great multiplayer shooters of the past. Precise aim with your Kar98, covering fire with your M1 Garand and quick thinking with your Thompson are key to your success, all packaged into a competitive multiplayer environment. In short, Battalion 1944 is an infantry based first person shooter with an emphasis on raw skill. No grinding, no ‘exosuits’, just you and your skill as a player.

Join a Battalion and compete season to season with BattleRank, our global competition system. Contribute to your Battalion’s season objective to earn cosmetic rewards for your character, weapons and accessories within our realistic art style. Flaunt your success through your player profile to become a renowned player within the community. BattleRank’s highly tuned stat tracking system enables Battalion 1944 to go beyond the standard mould of shooters gone by and enables players to compete globally for rewards, glory and honour.

Fuelled by the power of Unreal Engine 4, Battalion 1944 resurges World War 2 back into the modern gaming spotlight in our spiritual successor to the great multiplayer shooters of the past such as Call of Duty 2 and Day of Defeat. On BattleRank, it’s down to skilled soldiers like you to fight for your battalion.

“At Bulkhead Interactive, we’ve all grown up playing classic shooters like COD2 and Medal of Honor. It’s been a decade since we last saw a great WW2 First Person Shooter and I think the genre’s resurgence is long overdue. We’re focusing on community driven development. We want to work with passionate community of players who have a strong connection to the genre like we do.” – Joe Brammer, Producer at Bulkhead Interactive

Bulkhead Interactive have released a reveal trailer for Battalion 1944 alongside launching a Kickstarter campaign to assist with the game’s development. Bulkhead have promised to invest a minimum extra of £100,000 if the project’s funding goal is reached.

More game info available at the Battalion 1944 website.

THE FIRST OF FOUR MAJOR CONTENT UPDATES INTRODUCES NEW OPERATORS, A NEW MAP AND MORE

Ubisoft announce that the Operation Black Ice free update for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege is now available on Xbox One, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

As part of the ongoing commitment to provide new content on a regular basis for Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, the Operation Black Ice content pack includes the new yacht map, two new operators, Frost and Buck, from the elite Canadian special operations JTF 2 force, and new weapon skins. Additionally, the Spectator Camera feature will be available online for all platforms in custom games.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege post launch philosophy is to avoid any split in the community, consequently all gameplay elements will be available with no additional costs. Maps and modes will be free and available immediately for everyone. New operators and most weapon skins can be unlocked with earned currency, called Renown, or with R6 Credits.

Season Pass holders will instantly receive the new JTF 2 operators and non-Season Pass owners will be able to unlock them using Renown in-game currency or R6 Credits starting on February 9th.

Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege is currently available worldwide for Xbox One, PlayStation®4 computer entertainment system and Windows PC.

Watch the Operation Black Ice trailer here.

For more information about Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six: Siege, visit: rainbow6.ubi.com.

To win a war, armies might be not enough. You need political skills as well, allowing you to change the balance of power in your favour, forge new alliances and isolate the enemy.

The endless conflict between Napoleon and the several Coalitions formed against him was fought following exactly this simple rule. Great Britain didn’t have a ground army able to counter alone the capacity of the Revolutionary France and was forced to convince and support potential allies on the Continent.

On the other hand, Napoleon took many risks to manage fighting on multiple fronts at once, stretching his resources and wasting time and materials.

In Victory and Glory: Napoleon, you will face the danger of a situation where alliances could change rapidly, and allies could turn into foes.

Thanks to an innovative Card System, you will be able to alter the course of the War, raising special troops, creating buffer states or preventing minor nations joining a hostile alliance.

Take a look at this nice infographic, giving you a little taste of what you can expect in the game!

For more information, please visit the official product page.

The Meeting is Called to Order: Conclave Has Arrived

Once upon a time there was a king. He had amassed a large kingdom through the assistance and guidance of his wise councilors. Their skill, martial prowess and intelligence were guided by total loyalty to the king’s royal will. But these men, all drawn from the most powerful nobles in the realm, were not immortal. Now their equally powerful children hold their fathers’ seats, and they seem to have ideas of their own.

Crusader Kings II: Conclave, the newest expansion to Paradox Development Studio’s critically acclaimed medieval grand-strategy game, is now available at major digital retailers and the Paradox store. This expansion focuses on the internal dynamics of managing a realm with powerful vassals demanding to be heard on the royal council.

Watch the Crusader Kings 2: Conclave release trailer here.

How much power can you give to your advisers before you stop feeling like a king?

Conclave also includes:

• new realm laws to fine tune the future and culture of your country (including female inheritance)
• fine tuning of how much money or gold you expect from your vassals
• new diplomatic system returns royal marriages to the center of medieval politics
• changes to the military game, including renting your soldiers out as mercenaries

And, we’re releasing a new content pack – the cleverly named Crusader Kings II: Conclave Content Pack, to bring you new cosmetic changes to your game including world wonders, new portraits for some nations, and some new unit designs. It is sold separately.

And, as usual, whether you buy Conclave or not, the release is accompanied by a free, major patch that will improve Crusader Kings II for everyone.

So raise your banners. The council is in session.

For more information on Crusader Kings II, click here.

Source: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA rolled out a Hotfix driver update for its recently released GeForce 361.75 Game Ready drivers. The new GeForce 361.82 Hotfix driver corrects a bug which makes your installed GPUs appear as removable devices in your system tray (much like removable storage devices). It may have been a bug in the implementation of support for external graphics solutions over Thunderbolt 3, introduced with 361.75 WHQL. The hotfix driver addresses the issue.

If you find a 300-megabyte download worth fixing the bug (i.e. you often accidentally “eject” your graphics cards (unload display driver) while trying to unmount your external storage devices), then grab the driver for your OS from the link below.

DOWNLOAD: NVIDIA GeForce 361.82 Hotfix

Source: Steam

Developer Ace Maddox has announced its air-combat action game Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China the control-system has been overhauled and upgraded! Meet the ICARUS patch. Many new options, including sim-style PITCH, ROLL and YAW controls have been implemented. In addition, we’ve added a few more features such horizontal and vertical “auto-stabilizators” to further improve the original ARCADE flying style. A free-roaming “Panoramic Camera” feature has also been implemented, so if you play on mouse you can simply hold MMB to look around (and if you’re playing on KEYBOARD, just move the mouse to activate the Panoramic Camera).

Please note that ICARUS may still have some issues, mainly with Saitek flightsticks on Windows 10. We’re working on it though, and are planning to release the full controls update shortly.

Here’s the shortlist:

• Implemented optional PITCH/ROLL and rudder (YAW) controls.
• Added “Panoramic Camera” feature that lets players look around freely.
• Rebuilt the SETTINGS/SETUP CONTROLS GUI for better overview and improved navigation.
• New gameplay cameras. Press “V” to toggle NORMAL/FAR/NEAR.
• Game Balancing: Made several adjustments to difficulty and AI.

Back to work, and oh, we’ve got Trading Cards nearly done too, they should release in less than a week. Get more information about the game at the official Flying Tigers: Shadows Over China website.

The artillery is ready to support!

The second video tutorial about Tigers on the Hunt is now available! It’s time to focus on a key asset, invaluable for every commander: the Off-board artillery!

Tigers on the Hunt is a World War 2 hard-core tactical wargame for PC.

It creates a truly and immersive depth tactical simulation. Tigers on the Hunt boasts a ferocious and adaptive AI which will dynamically respond to a player’s maneuvers. Players can enjoy massive battles across up to 12 connected geomorphic maps with over 200 Infantry units, 100 Support Weapons, 100 Ordnance pieces and 50 Vehicles per side.

Get more information about the game from its official product page! Do you want to know more? Take a look on the forum!

Source: IGN

Ubisoft is extending the closed beta for The Division until Tuesday, February 2 (12 noon CET, 6 AM EST, 3 AM PST, 10PM AEST).

“Over the last few days, we’ve seen an incredible amount of excitement for the game, leading to many of you registering on the waitlist for a chance to join our Closed Beta,” wrote Ubisoft community manager Natchai Stappers on the game’s official forums. “We’ve been working very hard to let as many players as possible join, while still maintaining a smooth experience for everyone.”

“Earlier today, we announced that we were now inviting as many players as possible from the waitlist, in addition to those who had guaranteed pre-order access. We’ve started sending invites, with priority given to those who signed up first.”

“In order to allow everyone who has access to fully enjoy the Beta, we’re happy to announce we’re extending the duration by 24 hours for all players.”

More on the Beta extension here.

Some players of The Division’s beta are complaining that games on the PC are being plagued with cheaters.

As Ubisoft’s new shooter extracts the level XP and ammo from the player’s PC, the system is open to abuse by players who are able to manually override their settings. Consequently, savvy players can give themselves unlimited ammo, and super speed so fast, it essentially renders their character invisible, making combat in The Dark Zone almost impossible for some.

More on the cheating issue here.