Month: April 2020

Wargaming set to commemorate 75th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe with first-ever online live-streamed navy parade

Wargaming will join a host of nations this May in commemorating the end of World War II in Europe – with a virtual navy parade. This unique live event organized by the World of Warships’ development team in close partnership with the community will take place on May 6. Instead of battling each other at the open sea, community members and volunteers will now have a different, more peaceful role, navigating the victorious ships in a specific choreography.

The World of Warships’ parade will be live-streamed on Twitch to a worldwide audience and will feature some of the most iconic Allied warships with commentary from navy experts and New York Times bestselling author and naval historian James D. Hornfischer. Alongside Hornfischer, popular influencers The Mighty Jingles, Drachinifel and Wargaming’s very own Chieftain will present more details about selected ships while providing a historical context and highlighting the ships’ accomplishments during World War II.

The unique parade came to fruition after many nations truncated or canceled their World War II commemorations traditionally taking place in early May due to the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic. Being widely recognized for its efforts to popularize history through immersive gaming experience, Wargaming took on a role of commemorating the 75th anniversary of Victory Day virtually, by preparing a special treat for all those home-bound history buffs.

During the parade, random prize drops for any World of Warship player watching will also occur, gifting VE permanent camouflages and ships.

Visit the official World of Warships website now for more game info and to sign up for World of Warships for free!

Unable to physically record actors in his studio, series composer Robert Euvino turns to the Stronghold community with a new competition

London, UK – April 30, 2020 — Firefly Studios, creators of the upcoming ‘castle sim’ RTS Stronghold: Warlords, is asking series fans to submit their own screams, grunts, shrieks, hollers and groans to be featured in the final game. Unable to source actors and record audio in person, Firefly is hoping their players will be willing to warm up their vocal chords and scream into a microphone in hopes of hearing themselves perish in-game:

Come scream with us: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u4FihZ7Cke8

While in the past Firefly has invited fans to vote on weapon designs, armour and even which deceased animals can be thrown by trebuchet, submitting screams is new for the developer. The current global pandemic is presenting developers of all shapes and sizes with unique challenges, but Firefly are hoping they can get closer to their community by letting it all out and bursting a few ear drums in the process.

“These are troubling times. People are concerned about their health, loved ones and jobs” said Robert Euvino, Composer and Sound Designer on Stronghold: Warlords. “It got me thinking, this might be a good opportunity to have a little bit of fun with fans of the game and include them in a manner which we’ve never really tried before.”

Players can take part by joining the #screams-of-stronghold channel on the official Stronghold Discord server, where they can find out more about the submission process and technical requirements to make their screams useable in-game: https://discord.gg/qMG7Zae

If their death screams end up being used, players will be able to hear themselves die in Stronghold: Warlords when the game launches on Scream Steam later this year. For more information and the latest updates players can visit the game’s official website.

Today, Ubisoft announced that the next installment in the Assassin’s Creed® franchise, Assassin’s Creed® Valhalla, will release Holiday 2020 on Xbox Series X, PlayStation®5, Xbox One, PlayStation®4, Stadia, and for Windows PC exclusively on both the Epic Games Store and the Ubisoft Store. The game will also be available on UPLAY+, Ubisoft’s subscription service.

Developed by the team behind Assassin’s Creed® IV Black Flag® and Assassin’s Creed® Origins at Ubisoft Montreal, Assassin’s Creed Valhalla invites players to live the saga of Eivor, a fierce Viking raider raised on tales of battle and glory. Offering a captivating Viking experience, the game brings players to a dynamic and beautiful open world set against the brutal backdrop of England’s Dark Ages. In this latest iteration, players can take advantage of new features including raids, growing their settlement, building their power and expanding their influence.

“We can’t wait for players to experience the incredible Viking journey ahead of them,” said Ashraf Ismail, Creative Director of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla. “Being in Eivor’s boots as both a Viking raider and a clan leader, players will face the conflicts of establishing a new home in the midst of a power struggle for control of England.”

Players will be able to choose to play as either a male or female Eivor, and will have access to customization tools including the ability to customize hair, tattoos, clothing, war paint, and gear. Political alliances, combat decisions, and dialogue choices can influence the world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, so players must choose wisely to protect their clan’s home and future.

Driven from Norway by endless wars and dwindling resources in ninth century AD, players will lead Eivor’s clan of Norsemen across the icy North Sea to the rich lands of England’s broken kingdoms. Players must carve out a new future for their clan, reliving the ruthless fighting style of Viking warriors with a revamped combat system that includes the ability to dual-wield weapons against a greater variety of enemies than ever before. To secure resources, players can lead raids to select locations using their longship to earn much-needed riches and supplies. As the Vikings begin to settle in their new home, they encounter resistance from the Saxons, including King Aelfred of Wessex, who denounces them as heathens and looks to be the sole ruler of a civilized England. Against all odds, Eivor must do what is necessary to keep Valhalla within reach.

View the World Premiere Trailer HERE.  Watch the Developer Commentary Trailer HERE.

Additionally, the Gold, Ultimate and Collector’s editions of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla were announced along with Ubicollectibles products:

• The Gold Edition will include the base game and the Season Pass.
• The Ultimate Edition will include the base game, the Season Pass and the Ultimate Pack, giving players access to exclusive customization content: the Berserker Gear Pack, the Berserker Settlement Pack and the Berserker Longship Pack, along with a Set of Runes to improve weapons or gear.
• The Collector’s Edition will include the base game, the Season Pass, the Ultimate Pack, a high-end Ubicollectibles replica of Eivor and her longship (30 cm high), a Collector’s Case, a SteelBook with unique artwork, a numbered certificate of authenticity, a Viking Statuette of Eivor with his raven and Dane axe (5 cm high), exclusive lithographs as well as a selected soundtrack of the game. The Collector’s Edition is available exclusively from the Ubisoft Store.
• The stand-alone Ubicollectibles products will include the Eivor Wolf-Kissed Figurine and his Hidden Blade Replica.

Fans who pre-order Assassin’s Creed Valhalla will receive an additional mission at launch, The Way of the Berserker, in which players will join a legendary Norse Berserker on his quest for revenge.

Finally, fans will be able to step even further into the world of Assassin’s Creed Valhalla with the original novel published by Tor Books, available Holiday 2020.

For more information on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla, please visit: assassinscreed.com

For the latest news on Assassin’s Creed Valhalla and all of Ubisoft’s games, please visit: news.ubisoft.com

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.

• Intel 10th Generation Comet Lake Desktop Processors and 400-Series Chipsets Announced
• EVGA Announces Z490 DARK and Z490 FTW Motherboards
• MSI Announces its Intel 400-series Chipset Motherboards
• ASUS Announces Z490 Series Motherboards
• GIGABYTE Launches Z490 AORUS Motherboards
• COLORFUL Launches iGame Z490 VULCAN X V20 and CVN Z490 GAMING PRO V20 Motherboards
• BIOSTAR Announces Intel 400 Series Chipset Motherboards
• EK Water Blocks Announces EK VRM Bridge for Maximus XII
• Philips Launches the 275B1, 245B1 and 242B1 Monitors
• EK Introduces Offset Mounting Brackets For Pumps, Reservoirs, & Combo Units
• Phanteks Announces Glacier G2080 ASUS GPU Waterblock
• ASRock Launches Complete 400-series Motherboards
• Abkoncore Unveils Cronos Zero Stone Noise Case with Acoustic Dampening
• MSI Has Announced the Optix G27C5 27″ Curved Gaming Monitor – 165 Hz Refresh Rate on a 1080P Resolution
• ID-Cooling Announces SE-224-XT RGB CPU Cooler
• MSI Announces MAG X570 Tomahawk WiFi Motherboard
• be quiet! Announces Pure Rock 2: High-compatibility Tower Cooler for the Masses
• Genesis Gaming Announces Thor 300 RGB Mechanical Keyboard
• Origin PC Announces The Ludicrous PC: High-End Custom PC Inside a Tesla-inspired Chassis
• Antec Releases Signature 80 PLUS Platinum and Titanium Power Supply Lines
• Bitspower Intros Lotan VGA Water Block for ASUS Turbo GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER EVO
• Jonsbo Reveals Surprisingly Cheap TW2 PRO 360 AIO Cooler
• GIGABYTE Launches New Gaming Series Monitors
• GIGABYTE Launches the AORUS K1 Mechanical Gaming Keyboard
• Cooler Master Launches MasterLiquid ML120/240L RGB V2
• Thermaltake Launches TOUGHRAM Z-ONE Memory Series
• EK Waterblocks Unveils VTX-Powered Kinetic Reservoir+Pump Combo Units
• Alphacool Intros Eiszyklon Aurora LUX PRO 2 Digital RGB Fan
• EVGA GeForce RTX 2080 Ti XC Hydro Copper Now Available

By Hilbert Hagedoorn @ GURU3D

Interesting feature huh? Right now the skies would be quite empty though. But yea, next to ading real-time weather Microsoft Flight Simulator will use real flight information to simulate real-time air traffic.

This is confirmed by Sebastian Wloch, director of Asobo, in the latest video in the series of new features. The flight information will simulate “most, if not all” of the planes that fly over the world at any time, and when the game is offline, an AI will take over piloting them. Meanwhile, if players activate Live Players mode, the weather will also be simulated based on real-world information. For example, if you fly over Paris in the middle of a storm, that’s because there is indeed a storm in Paris.

Live Players mode will be the main simulation of the game, but there is also the All Players mode, which allows you to control practically everything in the simulation, including weather. The latter will be more attractive for those who only want to fly and enjoy the landscapes of the world without paying much attention to reality.

Update April 22nd: the specs have been released as to what is recommended PC wise. Obviously you’ll need a beefy PC. Flight Simulator requires at least 150GB of storage. Just 8GB of ram and an AMD Ryzen 3 1200 or Intel Core i5-4460 processor at a minimum, with 2GB of VRAM from a graphics card — with Microsoft requiring an AMD Radeon RX 570 or NVIDIA GeForce GTX 770 graphics card.

If you really like some eye-candy, you’ll need a Ryzen 5 1500X or Core i5-8400 with 16GB of system RAM paired with a Radeon RX 590 or GeForce GTX 970.

The “ideal spec” is a Ryzen 7 Pro 2700X or Core i7-9800X / 32GB of system RAM and a something like a Radeon VII or GeForce RTX 2080 graphics card. Interesting that a Radeon VII is listed, likely in the best graphics conditions the simulator will eat up lots of VRAM.

Watch the Feature Discovery Series Episode 7: Multiplayer Trailer HERE.

Set between January 1942 and April 1943, Order of Battle: Red Steel covers the battles of the Soviet Union at the most crucial moment of World War II, and it is out now on PC and Mac. Watch the new gameplay trailer HERE.

After slowing down Operation Barbarossa, the Red Army has launched a series of counter-offensives during the winter. Losses in terms of men and materials are horrendous on both sides. German high command has a new, ambitious plan to renew its offensive in the coming spring. Can the Red Army stop the Wehrmacht and save the Motherland?

Red Steel is Order of Battle’s second DLC, focusing on the German invasion of Russia. After the initial German success seen in the Red Star DLC, it’s now time for the counterattack.

You can now purchase OT-34 flame tanks, T-70 light and KV-1 m1942 heavy tanks, improved 45mm 1942 AT guns, and the new ZiS-3 field gun which can also be used in an AT role. In the air, you’ll need the improved models of aircraft like Yak-9D and La-5F fighters, or Il-2M or Pe-2FT tactical bombers to keep up with the Luftwaffe.

But the enemy is also fielding brand new equipment: the Germans have new and improved Panzer 38 G, Panzer IV G, and Bf-110 G vehicles. Their Romanian allies now deploy R-2 tanks and IAR-80 fighters, whilst the Hungarians are using a derivative of the Italian Reggiane 2000 fighter under the name MAVAG Heya, plus more equipment from Germany.

Don’t forget that you’re still in time to take advantage of the Order of Battle sale, lasting until Monday! You can see all the offers here.

To mark this milestone, World of Tanks invites its community of 160 million registered players to join the party!

After a decade of entertaining commanders across the world, Wargaming is pleased to announce that World of Tanks is starting the official celebration of its 10th anniversary. Running across four months, the anniversary celebrations will give players a plethora of surprises to get involved in – including several exciting thematic activities, throwbacks and missions, culminating in a big event in August.

Watch the 10th Anniversary: Surprises, Rewards, Nostalgia Trailer HERE.

Since its inception 10 years ago, World of Tanks has released thousands of features, unleashed hundreds of events, launched 11 nations and 600 vehicles, and garnered over 160 million registered players globally in the process. Thanks to the ardent support of its close-knit community, the game has been recognized in other ways too, with 4 Golden Joystick award wins and a Guinness World Record for the most players simultaneously logged on to an MMO server.

Speaking of the anniversary and the party to come, Max Chuvalov, Publishing Director of World of Tanks said:

‘For the team and I, the past 10 years have allowed us to make more than a successful game – it has seen the formation of one big, global family. On behalf of the World of Tanks team, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to our players over the years. You’ve stuck with us through different stages of the game’s development and helped us to create one of the most impactful MMOs in the gaming history. As a reward, we have prepared a lot of exciting activities and additions, things that will surprise and please you – all in celebration of 10 amazing years. And remember, together, we can continue to create amazing experiences. So, let the party begin!’

World of Tanks will be hosting exciting activities made up of five thematic Acts starting from April 22. These Acts correspond specifically to certain milestones within the game’s history; milestones that left their mark on commanders.

The first Act will start from April 22 at 06:30 BST through May 18 at 06:00 BST.

Players will also have the chance to vie for prizes and earn Anniversary Coins that can be exchanged for valuable items and exclusive customizations in the special in-game Anniversary Store. Prizes for completing five acts will include items such as the mind-blowing 3D style for the Т30, the legendary American Tier IX tank destroyer.

The first Act will also herald the return of General Chat. World of Tanks will bring back it for one week between April 22 at 06:30 BST through April 29 at 06:00 BST, and for Random Battles only, allowing players to rediscover the ability to sow mischief in game – by communicating with enemies as well as allies during the battle.

From Time Warps to T30 3D style, special missions, thematic Acts – this will be a birthday to remember! For more information on these events, visit the official World of Tanks Website.

Source: Blue’s News

The Fly Everything Event for Digital Combat Simulator World mentioned on Friday is now underway. This offers the chance to test fly all the aircraft in Eagle Dynamics’ integrated flight sim roster for the next month along with the chance to buy them for half-off and support charity at the same time. Here’s the flight plan:

Dear fighter pilots, partners and friends,

The global spread of COVID-19 is affecting every single one of us. We are a people-first company, and we believe that technology can change lives and give hope. To study the virus, protect the vulnerable and beat this thing requires that we all play a part. We want to update you about what we’re doing.

Last month we gave the opportunity for all to try and test our products for a two day period at a time. This was well received and a total of over 200 thousand modules and trials were downloaded during this free event.

In view of last months response, we are pleased to announce our upcoming Free For All event, starting April 19th, where you are welcome to try any and all our products (except campaigns) for free and without limitation for one month. This unlimited access to all our suite of products, including our top fighter jets, such as the F-16C, F/A-18C and A-10C Warthog will help take your mind off things for a while, giving you the opportunity to try something new, and to own it for 50% or less than the normal price.*

We know that this is a small contribution to your personal lives but we hope that you will take full advantage of the offer and help the time fly by. In addition to this, we will be donating 10% of our net turnover generated during the event to Children First, a foundation that we have become very involved with for the past few years. This organisation supports the work of an amazing Dr Stefano Scaringella, a Capucin Priest and surgeon who has dedicated the past 40 years of his life to saving children and to promoting health in Madagascar, one of the poorest nations in the world. Please check this out, they too are hit badly and need all the help in the world: www.childrenfirst.fund

Thank you for your passion and support and stay safe.

Yours sincerely,
The Eagle Dynamics Team

New Film Memoir mode in Tannenberg and Verdun on Steam

Experience the authentic WW1 shooters like in the movie reels that were made during and after the war!

Inspired by Peter Jackson’s They Shall Not Grow Old, where historical footage of the Great War was colorized, the developers of the WW1 Game Series now introduce the reverse: a black and white movie reel like experience for the squad-based first person shooter in both Tannenberg and Verdun. See the First World War as civilian audiences of the time would have done, and experience firsthand the challenges reporters would have faced in capturing powerful images in only black and white. This feature is available for all players from April 16 – 26. After that it will become a feature of the Supporter Editions.

Check out the Film Memoir mode trailer HERE.

Both Verdun and Tannenberg have a 55% discount on Steam during the event! Verdun Steam page. Tannenberg Steam page.

During 1914-1915 the equipment and use of military photographers varied widely, with countries like Germany embracing the relatively new technology while the British only employed a handful of official war photographers. However, personal cameras were beginning to become more widely available, so the official photographs didn’t have a monopoly on documenting the war – many soldiers smuggled cameras to the frontlines. From 1916 onwards, professional war photography expanded greatly, including filming for documentary or propaganda purposes.

When we think of WW1, we tend to think of it as monochrome because of the black and white images. Peter Jackson’s movie They Shall Not Grow Old served as a welcome corrective to this thanks to extensively and diligently colorized movie reels and photographs. The film offers a real insight into how the scale and human suffering of this often forgotten war would have appeared to those fighting it. Our games Tannenberg and Verdun are already in color, which gave us the opportunity to do something a little different… 

As an homage to the priceless original photo and movie material created by those documenting the First World War as professionals or amateurs, we’ve developed a new mode for Tannenberg and Verdun that changes the visuals and experience of the game to match what a movie of those times looked like. The Film Memoir mode is intended to be another authentic detail like those seen throughout the games, where a lot of time has been spent to ensure that weapons, uniforms and equipment are as accurate as possible. More than that, it was an opportunity to shine some light on the talent of the photographers and filmmakers who worked to document the events of 1914-1918

With Film Memoir enabled, players will see the world in high contrast black and white, with an old movie filter and sound effects layered on top to make the experience complete. The challenges of getting good photographs or film footage in black and white shouldn’t be underestimated, and now players can experience a little of that themselves. Playing the game with this authentic old movie experience activated will also give players quite a challenge – or it can be activated while observing a battle, so the perfect (camera) shots can be lined up without any worries about getting sniped.

All Verdun and Tannenberg players can enjoy this mode from April 16th until April 26th. After that it will become a feature of the Supporter Editions. Additionally, a small competition will be held during this period with prizes for the Best Short Film, Best Photograph and Best Story. All aspiring military photographers and filmmakers are encouraged to enlist today!

Source: Blue’s News

Following up on the accidental reveal mentioned earlier, Crytek now officially announces Crysis Remastered, saying the updated version of the 2007 first-person shooter is coming to PC and consoles this summer with “remastered graphics and optimizations for the latest modern hardware.” Here’s an Official Teaser Trailer, and here’s the announcement, which mentions this is being co-developed with Saber Interactive:

Crytek has announced a remaster of the classic first-person shooter Crysis will be available this summer for PC, Xbox One, PlayStation®4, and Nintendo Switch. Co-developed on CRYENGINE with Saber Interactive, Crysis Remastered features the action-packed gameplay, sandbox world and epic battles of the original blockbuster title, with remastered graphics and optimizations for the latest modern hardware.

“We are excited to be working on the Crysis franchise again, and to bring all the Crysis fans a remaster worthy of their passion for the game,” said Crytek CEO Avni Yerli. “It’s an exciting opportunity to be able to bring Crysis back to PCs and current consoles – even Nintendo Switch – so that a whole new generation of players can experience the thrill of a battle in the Nanosuit!”

Crysis Remastered will feature the original game’s single-player campaign alongside high-quality textures, an HD texture pack, improved art assets, temporal anti-aliasing, SSDO, SVOGI, state-of-the-art depth fields, new light settings, motion blur, parallax occlusion mapping, and particle effects (where applicable). Further additions like volumetric fog and shafts of light, software-based ray tracing, and screen space reflections deliver a major visual upgrade to this classic FPS experience.

The original Crysis arms players with the powerful Nanosuit on the battleground of a new war against alien invaders. The Nanosuit’s speed, strength, armor and cloaking allow creative solutions for every fight, with a huge arsenal of modular weaponry to give you incredible control over your play style. Become invisible to stalk enemy patrols, boost your strength to lay waste to vehicles, and deflect damage to dominate your enemies in this enormous sandbox world.