Month: September 2020

We review Jay A. Stout’s latest historical novel, Jayhawk: Love, Loss, Liberation and Terror over the Pacific. If you’re a fan of compelling historical narratives that combine accurate historical details, plus insights into the Pacific Ocean Theater of WWII bomber campaign, and would like to learn from first-hand accounts of what it must have been like to fly and fight at tree-top height over the mountainous terrain and steamy jungles of the Philippine Islands, read on.

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World of Tanks launches brand-new event that will see the return of the notorious Waffenträger – pitting players against the beast in 7v1 battles

World of Tanks is excited to announce the launch of a brand-new event between September 28 and October 12, The Last Waffenträger! For the first time in World of Tanks history, players will be tasked with taking on a single enemy tank, a colossal Tier 10 tank destroyer – the Waffenträger Auf E 110.

Played across three breath-taking maps (Fisherman’s Bay, Studzianki and Redshire), tankers must work together as a team to vanquish the Waffenträger, destroying its AI-controlled sentinels to unlock upgrades for their tanks – and making the Waffenträger easier to attack.

The event will introduce 6-minute asymmetric warfare – and players can win a bespoke reward pack and earn the chance to command the Waffenträger themselves!

To take on the might of the Waffenträger, players will crew modernised T-55 tanks, using teamwork to outwit the immense power of the boss – and becoming more powerful as they destroy its sentinels, leaving the Waffenträger vulnerable to destruction.

At the apex of the event, the challenge becomes even more interesting; with tankers getting the chance to take on a Waffenträger Auf E 220 crewed by World of Tanks developers and celebrity guests! If a team destroys the Waffenträger Auf E 220 in these battles – then the whole team will win premium reward packs!

“Many tankers will remember the Waffenträger was previously playable in game, but its power proved too much, and so we had to address the balance by removing it” states Max Chuvalov, Publishing Director, World of Tanks. “But it seems that players were still attached to this mechanical behemoth, and asked us to bring the Waffenträger back. So, for this time limited event, we did. Get ready for fearsome battles and amazing prizes – because the Waffenträger is back with a vengeance!”

In game, separate battle missions will unlock exciting reward packs – including event themed vehicle customisation elements (2D styles, unique decals, emblems), in-game goodies and even the chance to play as the Waffenträger Auf E 110.

Watch the all new The Last Waffenträger: Riding the Legend Trailer HERE.

For more information on World of Tanks, visit the games official website.

Improved terrain, photogrammetry cities, more.

By Matt Wales @ Eurogamer

Barely a month has passed since Flight Simulator swooped onto PC in a cloud of acclaim, but already developer Asobo is poised to release its first major update; it’s coming next Tuesday, 29th September, and will deliver a much-improved (and typically gorgeous) rendition of Japan.

Prior to release, Asobo explained its monthly post-launch update schedule would alternate between core sim improvements and enhancements to the world. Next week’s offering, then, is Flight Simulator’s first World Update, and aims to give players a much more authentic take on Japan, starting with an upgraded digital elevation map across the entire country.

Additionally, it introduces high-resolution 3D photogrammetry for six Japanese cities – Sendai, Takamatsu, Tokushima, Tokyo, Utsunomiya, and Yokohama – as well as and six handcrafted local airports (Hachijojima, Kerama, Kushiro, Nagasaki, Shimojishima, and Suwanosejima).

Watch the Microsoft Flight Simulator – Japan World Update Trailer HERE.

Read on…

New DLC Focuses on Black Sea and Aegean Powers

For centuries, the Bosporus and Dardanelles have been key to strategy in the Mediterranean. A gate that joins the Black Sea and the Mediterranean, a short crossing that divides Europe from Asia. In the middle of a world crisis, this strait is an attractive target for any great power that seeks to dominate the region. Is neutrality even possible when war arrives on your doorstep?

Hearts of Iron IV: Battle for the Bosporus is a new country pack for Paradox Development Studio’s best-selling grand strategy wargame. New events and decision paths let you take control of the destinies of Bulgaria, Greece or Turkey through years of uncertainty and conflict. Is it possible for these middle powers to steer a path between factions that will demand their support?

Watch the Announcement Trailer HERE.

Features of Battle for the Bosporus include:

• National Focus Tree for Bulgaria: Balance the factions in a divided land or reclaim territory lost in 1919. Follow the historical alliance with Germany or resist the German pressures on Tsar Boris, standing up for a free Bulgaria.
• National Focus Tree for Greece: Riven by political division, Greek neutrality is maintained by the controversial Metaxas. Build a strong relationship with the Allies under the guidance of King George II, follow arch-conservatives into fascism or restore the glories of Greek Empire in the east.
• National Focus Tree for Turkey: Robbed of its empire in the last war, what future is there for Turkey in a new one? Continue or halt the reforms of Kemalism, stand as the protector of the Balkans in a new regional faction, restore the Sultan to the throne or found a new Islamic state.
• New Music Tracks.
• New 3D Unit Models for Balkan and Turkish Armies.
• Unique voice overs for Bulgaria, Greece and Turkey.

Hearts of Iron IV: Battle for the Bosporus will be available on 15 October 2020 for the suggested retail price of $9.99/£7.19/€9.99.

Winners will get four new rare military vehicles, including the modern Merkava tank

Gaijin Entertainment announces the start of the “Strategist” event in the military online action War Thunder. Players collect toy soldiers and use them to attack enemy lines on the strategic map. Four new exclusive vehicles will serve as rewards: the Merkava Mk.3D main battle tank, a BI fighter interceptor, the Lübeck frigate and the Sd.Kfz.251/10 armoured vehicle. The event will last until October, 5th.

“Strategist” event players attack figurines that represent enemy armies, sabotage buildings, break through defensive lines and collect secret documents that can be exchanged for prizes. All resources and toy soldiers for the “Strategist” event can be obtained by playing classic War Thunder session battles.

The Merkava Mk.3D is a later modification of the well-known Israeli main battle tank that remained in production until 2003. It gained a new 120 mm smoothbore cannon, a better engine and new electronic equipment that includes thermal sights and a laser warning system.

Watch the trailer here.

The BI is the first Soviet rocket-powered aircraft, designed during WWII and envisioned to become a short-range defensive interceptor. The aircraft’s rocket propulsion allows it to get into the action fast, thanks to high acceleration, top speed and climb rate, but at the same time, prevents it from lingering in combat for too long due to its limited fuel supply of just 2 minutes with WEP mode. This aircraft didn’t take part in active combat, but the insights gained were later used for other projects during the Cold War.

Lübeck is a Köln-class frigate, built in the 1960’s and represents one of the first larger warships built by Germany after WW 2.

The Sd.Kfz.251/10 is a variant of the well-known and widely used German WW 2 halftrack, equipped with a 3.7cm anti-tank cannon for increased firepower.

The full description of the “Strategist” event and the prizes is available at the official War Thunder Website.

NVIDIA has released its new RTX 3090 Founders Edition graphics card. And custom cards from various manufactures are also now available. NVIDIA has lifted the embargo on reviews for the new Geforce flagship card. We have gathered a number of reviews and listed the links below. Here’s a bit from NVIDIA:

The GeForce RTX™ 3090 is a big ferocious GPU (BFGPU) with TITAN class performance. It’s powered by Ampere—NVIDIA’s 2nd gen RTX architecture—doubling down on ray tracing and AI performance with enhanced Ray Tracing (RT) Cores, Tensor Cores, and new streaming multiprocessors. Plus, it features a staggering 24 GB of G6X memory, all to deliver the ultimate gaming experience.

NVIDIA RTX 3090 Founders Edition Reviews:

• GURU3D
• HOT HARDWARE
• TOM’S HARDWARE
• WCCTECH

NVIDIA RTX 3090 Custom Card Reviews:

• ETEKNIX - Zotac Gaming RTX 3090 Trinity
• GURU3D - MSI GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming X TRIO
• TECHPOWERUP! - ASUS GeForce RTX 3090 STRIX OC
• HEXUS - Gigabyte GeForce RTX 3090 Gaming OC
• GURU3D - Palit GeForce RTX 3090 GamingPRO OC

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.

• EK Launches Mystic Fog Cryofuel Coolant for Vivid D-RGB Effects
• CORSAIR Launches CX-F RGB Entry Level Power Supply Lineup
• Sharkoon Unveils the SKILLER SGH30 USB RGB Gaming Headset
• ASTRO Gaming Introduces the Call of Duty : Black Ops Cold War A10 Gaming Headset
• GeIL Announces the Co-branded ORION Phantom Gaming Edition Memory with ASRock
• Sonnet Announces PCIe 3.0 Adapter Card with Direct Mounting Support for Two U.2 SSDs
• Samsung Releases its PCI-E 4.0 Ready 980 PRO NVMe SSD
• Razer Unleashes a Fleet of Wireless Flagship Gaming Peripherals
• CORSAIR Launches TBT100 Thunderbolt 3 Dock
• ROCCAT Launches Titan Optical Switch and New Vulcan Series Gaming Keyboards
• Genesis Announces the Krypton 510 Ergonomic Gaming Mouse
• Meet the Latest EK Water Blocks for TUF RTX 3080 and 3090 Variants
• be quiet! Launches the Pure Loop AIO Liquid CPU Cooling Range
• ADATA XPG Now Offers SPECTRIX D50 Xtreme DDR4 RGB Memory Modules
• Thermaltake Announces Versa T25 TG, T35 TG RGB & H330 TG, H350 TG RGB Mid-Tower Chassis
• XPG Announces The XPG GAMMIX S70 PCIe Gen4x4 M.2 2280 SSD Featuring A Custom Heatsink For Better Cooling
• NETGEAR Announces Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR1000 WiFi 6 Router

The second Creator DLC will add the Czechoslovak People’s Army and more 1980s Cold War content to Arma 3

Publisher Bohemia Interactive and third-party developer CSLA Studio are excited to announce the upcoming release of Arma 3′s second Creator DLC: CSLA Iron Curtain. Scheduled for release later this year, the CSLA Iron Curtain downloadable content pack will take players back to an alternate version of the Cold War in 1980s Czechoslovakia. The store page for the upcoming DLC is already live on Steam. CSLA (or ČSLA) stands for “Československá lidová armáda” in Czech and “Československá ľudová armáda” in Slovak, which refers to the Czechoslovak People’s Army.

These were the armed forces of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia and the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic from 1954 until 1990. With both Bohemia Interactive and the CSLA Studio developers coming from the Czech Republic, this particular Creator DLC stays very close to home by exploring the country’s contemporary history and taking a look at what life in Czechoslovakia and its heavily-guarded border with West Germany during the 1980s could have been like.

The Arma 3 Creator DLC: CSLA Iron Curtain will include:

• Original 256 km2 “Gabreta” landlocked terrain, with deep forests, windy mountains, and calm valleys
• Cold War-era armed forces of the United States and Czechoslovakia, as well as local rebel fighters
• Ground and air vehicles
• Weapons and gear
• Singleplayer and multiplayer scenarios

Creator DLC is a label for original new Arma 3 projects made by third-party developers and published by Bohemia Interactive. It enables external talent to earn a financial reward for their work, while players get to enjoy more new quality content. The first Creator DLC, Global Mobilization – Cold War Germany, has managed to achieve over 50,000 sales since its launch in April 2019. More Creator DLC projects besides Global Mobilization – Cold War Germany and CSLA Iron Curtain are currently in development.

In response to community feedback on the initial release of the first Arma 3 Creator DLC, Bohemia Interactive – in close co-operation with CSLA Studio – have decided to host a small-scale, closed beta test in the coming weeks ahead of CSLA Iron Curtain’s planned full release. Starting today, selected members of the Arma 3 community will be invited to help report on any remaining technical issues as well as take the upcoming DLC for a test drive on a wider variety of PC systems.

Furthermore, as soon as the CSLA Iron Curtain DLC releases, Bohemia Interactive and CSLA Studio plan to make compatibility data for non-owners of the DLC available via the Arma 3 Steam Workshop – similar to how this is now also done for the Global Mobilization – Cold War Germany Creator DLC. This solution enables people who own the Creator DLC and those who do not to still play together on multiplayer servers that make use of the Creator DLC’s assets. Access to DLC terrains and singleplayer content will remain exclusive to the owners of the DLC, and restrictions to the in-game use of DLC assets by non-owners apply.

The release date and pricing of the Arma 3 Creator DLC: CSLA Iron Curtain will be shared at a later time. For more information about Arma 3 Creator DLC, please visit https://arma3.com/dlc/creator.

A new episode of the game’s Battle Royale event kicks off later this month

A brand-new episode of Steel Hunter, World of Tanks’ most popular event, kicks off on September 21. For one week, players will be able to see who’s the best on the battlefield in the game’s very own Battle Royale. Tankers can also expect more episodes to come in October and November of this year, each bringing unique rewards.

Steel Hunter sees 20 lone wolves or 10 platoons battle it out to be the last tank (or tanks) standing. Tankers will need to loot items found on the map (such as precious ammunition, Battle XP and HP refills) or take them from destroyed vehicles. Players must be careful though as a safe spot can become a Danger Zone, which will quickly see them leave the battlefield.

2020 has brought some changes to Steel Hunter: there are now more tanks: 5 compared to last year’s 3. Each of these vehicles has their own specific roles (Scout, Hunter or Survivor) to perform in battle, which is reflected by their in-game regular abilities and ultimates as well as the way they handle and their crew skills and/or perks. Also, players who’ve yet to brave the Steel Hunter mode this year will notice a brand-new map: Arzagir 4.04.

“The new episode of Steel Hunter is coming later this month, and in 2020, the experience of our most popular event has just gotten better,” states Max Chuvalov, Publishing Director, World of Tanks. “Players have been really enjoying the new additions, and what’s better the return of the same gameplay and battles they know and love!”

Along the Steel Hunter journey players will be duly rewarded and the main prize for each episode is something that tankers can show off on the battlefield to let people know just how skilled they are: a unique 2D style.

For more information on World of Tanks, visit the games official website.

By Joe Fonseca @ Wargamer

Red Storm, the latest expansion pack for Order of Battle, concludes its three-chapter arc focusing on the eastern front from the perspective of the Soviet Union. There’s a lot to like here for fans of the series. Newcomers might feel a little overwhelmed by the massive unit counts, but Red Storm does a bit to make the transition easier if you’re brand new.

Read on…