Month: March 2023

“Operation: Accolade” celebrates player-created content in a stunning new setting!

New World Interactive and Focus Entertainment are excited to celebrate Insurgency: Sandstorm’s fourth birthday by paying tribute to our incredible community of players. Update 1.14, “Operation: Accolade,” is the fourth and final major content update in the Year 2 Pass, available for PlayStation, Xbox, and PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store.

Watch the “Operation: Accolade” Trailer HERE.

“Operation: Accolade” adds a new map, weapons, and character cosmetics, all as a free update. Premium DLC cosmetics are also now available for individual purchase, as well as for those who have purchased the game’s Year 2 Pass or Gold Edition.

Take up arms and prepare to fight under the glow of the golden hour in Last Light, a new map adapted from the fan-favorite submission to the Insurgency: Sandstorm mapping contest. New elements include the ability to enter and utilize building interiors, in addition to an entirely new marine yacht area, completing the luxurious coastal town atmosphere.

Engage in close-to-medium-quarters combat through the streets of a Monte Carlo-like setting with your new weapons: the Micro Dynamic Rifle (MDR) and the SG 552. The MDR for Security is an American bullpup modular rifle; the Swiss-manufactured SG 552 for Insurgents, meanwhile, is well known for its ease of use and versatility.

Visit the official Insurgency: Sandstorm website for more game information.

Commanders wishing to begin their campaign on World War 1’s Western Front before March 30 can purchase from today to immediately assume control.

Frontier Foundry, the games label of Frontier Developments plc (AIM: FDEV), and developers Petroglyph (Command & Conquer™: Remastered, Star Wars™: Empire at War), invite players to take control and lead their chosen side to victory in World War 1 RTS, The Great War: Western Front, available from 17:00 BST // 18:00 CEST // 12:00 EDT // 09:00 PDT today in early access to those who have pre-ordered the game. Players who purchase the game before March 30 can also take their place in the command trench immediately, for a suggested retail price of £29.99/€34.99/$34.99.

Commanders can enhance their experience with the Victory Edition. This includes a detailed digital field guide providing additional in-game intelligence, five digital wallpapers, and Frank Klepacki’s evocative soundtrack, encompassing a myriad of complex and conflicting emotions which reflect World War 1. Victory Edition is available via Steam at a suggested retail price of £34.99/€39.99/$39.99.

Watch the official The Great War: Western Front Pre-Order Trailer HERE.

The Great War: Western Front offers players the opportunity to relive or redefine history in one of history’s most pivotal conflicts, taking command of either the Allied Forces or the Central Powers. Taking total control of the Western Front as both Theatre Commander and Field Commander, players will be required to make difficult decisions in both turn-based grand strategy and RTS gameplay to preserve their faction’s National Will across an immersive campaign which spans the duration of the war, and can be extended beyond 1918 based on their actions. Players can choose to start at the outbreak of the conflict in 1914, or in 1916, assuming leadership at a pivotal point where public support is fading and both sides turn to new technologies such as aviation and tanks in an effort to break the stalemate.

As forces meet on the battlefields, Commanders must carefully consider their supply and weigh up the prospect of the conflict to come. With both sides attempting to push back the enemy, each battlefield reflects the changing seasons and retains the damage caused by previous battles as the cost of the war takes its toll on the landscape. Every decision tips the balance of each battle on a sliding scale, from suppressing key emplacements with artillery and increasing their visibility with observation balloons during an attack, to designing detailed trench networks which provide unique strategic options whether attacking or defending. Victory may be achieved, but at what cost?

Alongside the campaign, Historical Battles allows Commanders to relive key battles from the Western Front, set against Imperial War Museums’ archive footage, and will put their tactical awareness to the test. Additionally, players can improve their battle readiness in a dedicated tutorial, refine their skills and create their own battles from the ground up in Skirmish mode, or take on their fellow Commanders in individual 1v1 Multiplayer battles.

Visit playthegreatwar.com for more game information.

The update brings new jets, anti-aircraft systems and flight effects

Gaijin Entertainment announces the release of the “Sky Guardians” content update for the military online action game War Thunder. It brings dozens of new military vehicles, including the Yak-141 – experimental Soviet VTOL fighter, the Czechoslovak M53/59 wheeled anti-aircraft gun and modern British tank, the Challenger 2E. The update also introduces the first French naval ships, ejection mechanics, new effects for aviation, and more.

The Yak-141 was developed as the main aircraft for Soviet aircraft carriers being designed and built and set 12 world records for rate of lift and payload. The program was closed in 1992 due to an accident with one of the flight prototypes and the collapse of the Soviet Union. Possessing an excellent climb rate, this jump jet very quickly breaks the sonic barrier, and at high altitude is able to accelerate to over 1,800 km/h at minimal payloads. A good radar, radiation warning system and effective missile armament allow Yak-141 to work perfectly as an interceptor. Ground targets, if necessary, can be attacked by incendiary and HE bombs up to 500 kg, cannons and unguided rockets.

The update also improves some of the physical aspects of flight. For example, the vapor cone effect that can be seen at transonic speed of the aircraft due to the local pressure gradient looks more realistic now. Other improvements include the new effect of the contrail left by the running aircraft engines and the wingtip flow separation effect.

Also, “Sky Guardians” has brought the mechanics of ejection seats for aviation from later periods. It visualizes how the cockpit canopy is torn off by pyrotechnic charges, the effect of the pilot’s seat being ejected from the cockpit, after which the seat is disconnected from the pilot and finally the rescue parachute is triggered.

Finally, the first two ships of the French Navy, the light cruiser Duguay-Trouin and the destroyer Aigle, have become available for purchase. Closed testing of the entire French Navy tech tree will take place in one of the upcoming updates, and owners of one of these ships will be the first to have access to it.

More information on this update is available at the official website.