Author: Donster

war-thunder-boxThe latest content update “Red Skies” brings MiG-23M fighter jets, better nuclear blasts and more

Gaijin Entertainment announced that the military online action War Thunder added a new major Content Update “Red Skies”. It adds rank VII aviation to the game, including the Soviet MiG-23M and the Chinese J-7E fighter jets, as well as dozens of other military vehicles, i.e. Soviet Yak-28B tactical bomber, modern Russian T-80BVM tank, German Marder A1 APC, Franko-Finnish ITO 90M SAM and Italian Dante Alighieri battleship. Currently there are more than 2000 real ground, air and naval war machines in the game! The nuclear blast effect allows now to realistically destroy buildings in real time. The latest update also adds two new maps (Red Desert and Sunken City), and commander sights for ground vehicles that are actually equipped with such a device in real life are now fully simulated.

The MiG-23M is the most modern aircraft in the Soviet/Russian tech tree and is currently the fastest fighter jet in the game. It has a variable sweep wing with three positions and a maximum speed of Mach 2.4. The MiG-23M brings down enemies with a twin autocannon, bombs, rockets and air-to-air guided missiles, including the new R-23R with its radar homing head and and the R-23T with a thermal seeker. The MiG-23M infrared search-and-track device is capable of capturing the thermal signature of an operating engine from an enemy aircraft at a very large distance and covertly launching a missile without alarming any enemy radar warning system.

The introduction of rank VII aircraft is a major step for War Thunder that will allow the game to move forward from Vietnam war era signature fighter jets, like MiG-21 and F-4 Phantom II, and gradually add even more contemporary machines in future updates.

The T-80BVM is an upgrade of the old Soviet T-80BV tanks to the level of the modern T-72B3 and T-90M MBTs. The modernization includes an up-to-date fire control system with a duplicate sight for the commander, and the ability to operate the 9M119 tandem ATGMs, as well as the “Relikt” ERA pack instead of the outdated “Kontakt-1″. Thanks to the latter, the protection of the vehicle from HEAT and AP projectiles has been significantly increased.

The “Red Skies” update also brings the thorough simulation of a nuclear blast effect. This allows the player to watch the blast leveling buildings in any map from various points of view. The new algorithm generates the nuclear mushroom, condensation domes and the blast wave that realistically interacts with the sky and objects on the map. Tactical nuclear weapons were added to the game in the “New Power” update and are available in arcade and realistic battle modes to the best performing players. In a situation when the team fights poorly as a whole, a single hero can farm enough points to respawn in a strategic bomber and bring victory to their side with one single successful strike.

The latest update also adds a few minor but quite useful mechanics, like the naval shell chase camera or the ability to help your teammates with firefighting in the vehicle.

Watch the “Red Skies” update trailer HERE.

Full information on the “Red Skies” Update is available at the official website.

Uncategorized | Donster | |

Grand strategy wargame marks anniversary with new bundle

For five years, wargamers around the world have been challenged to out build and outfight history’s most terrible war machines in Hearts of Iron IV, a grand strategy wargame from Paradox Development Studio. Millions of tanks and planes have been built as players fought through an infinite variety of alternate histories set against the backdrop of humanity’s greatest struggle.

In honor of the fifth anniversary of Hearts of Iron IV, Paradox has announced a new bundle that will give players even more style as they prove that they are the master of modern total war.

The Hearts of Iron IV Anniversary Bundle Includes:

  • Eastern Front Planes Pack: Over 50 new airplane models for nations fighting in central and eastern Europe, including Germany, the Soviet Union, Poland, Romania, Yugoslavia and Hungary.
  • Eastern Front Music Pack: 13 new music tracks including the Soviet National Anthem, Lili Marlene and My Pierwsza Brygada.

A newly available Immersion Bundle collects the game’s cosmetic touches that add further visual and audio detail to the game, including:

  • Radio Pack: 35 songs spread across all three factions, as well reproduced music from earlier games in the Hearts of Iron series.
  • Axis Armor Pack: Over 60 armored vehicle models for the German, Japanese and Italian armies, including the StuG III, Japanese experimental heavy tanks and the L-6 light tank.
  • Allied Armor Pack: Over 50 armored vehicle models for the American, Soviet, British, and French armies, including the M7 Priest, the French Renault tank and a host of new tank destroyers.
  • Allied Speeches Pack: Over 70 minutes of speeches from some of the most inspiring moments from the Allied campaign, including MacArthur’s celebrated “I shall return” and Churchill’s pledge to “fight on the beaches”.

Watch the Hearts of Iron IV: Eastern Front Planes Pack Release Trailer HERE.

Paradox has also updated the Mobilization Bundle to include all of the available Hearts of Iron IV expansions.

These Hearts of Iron IV compilations are all available at the Paradox and Steam stores.

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

nvidia-geforce-logoSource: TechPowerUp!

NVIDIA has released the GeForce 466.63 WHQL software. These drivers introduce support for the recently announced GeForce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card, which we reviewed here. The drivers also introduce optimization for “No Man’s Sky” DLSS update, NVIDIA Reflex support for “Escape from Tarkov,” “Sniper Ghost Warrior Contracts 2,” and day-zero optimization for “Chivalry 2.” A couple of issues are also fixed. A bug that caused the system to hand when connected to a 4K UHD TV and launching a VR game, has been fixed. 4K @ 120 Hz not being available to machines running GeForce GTX 16-series and 10-series graphics cards, has been fixed.

You can download the GeForce 466.63 WHQL drivers via GeForce.com.

Hardware Video Cards | Donster | |
Hardware | Donster | |

nvidia-geforce-rtx-3080-ti-founder-editionNVIDIA has launched its new Geforce RTX 3080 Ti graphics card. The review embargo has been lifted, and we have gathered together a number of reviews on the Founders Edition and various custom cards from different manufactures. Here’s a bit from NVIDIA:

The GeForce RTX 3080 Ti, launching June 3rd, is our new gaming flagship, running games 2X faster than the GeForce GTX 1080 Ti, and 1.5X faster than the GeForce RTX 2080 Ti at 4K. And the GeForce RTX 3070 Ti supercharges our most popular RTX 30 Series GPU with more CUDA Cores and G6X memory, making it 1.5X faster than the previous-gen GeForce RTX 2070 SUPER.

Check out the reviews via the links listed below.

  • TECHPOWERUP! - ASUS GeForce RTX 3080 Ti STRIX LC Liquid Cooled
  • TECHPOWERUP! - NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Founders Edition
  • GURU3D - GIGABYTE GeForce RTX 3080 Ti Gaming OC
  • ETEKNIX - MSI GeForce RTX 3080 Ti SUPRIM X
  • TECHPOWERUP! - EVGA GeForce RTX 3080 Ti FTW3 Ultra
  • GURU3D - Palit GeForce RTX 3080 Ti GameRock OC
  • TECHPOWERUP! - Zotac GeForce RTX 3080 Ti AMP HoloBlack
Hardware Video Cards | Donster | |

crysis-remastered-trilogyBundle featuring remasters of Crysis, Crysis 2, and Crysis 3 will launch for PC and consoles

Crytek today announced that the Crysis Remastered Trilogy will launch for consoles and PC this fall. The Crysis Remastered Trilogy features the single-player remasters of Crysis, Crysis 2, and Crysis 3, optimized in partnership with Saber Interactive for today’s consoles and PC hardware. The three-game bundle will be available on PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch and for PC, with the game playing even smoother on next gen PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. Crysis Remastered is available for these platforms now, and the remasters of Crysis 2 and Crysis 3 will also be made available separately.

Crysis Remastered Trilogy will give players not familiar with the franchise to be able to play through the whole storyline from the very beginning with this all-in-one bundle.

Players will be transported through, North Korean islands, to New York City where they’ll have to save humanity from a deadly virus, to the finale where they’ll be on a revenge mission to uncover the truth about C.E.L.L.

Watch the Crysis Remastered Trilogy Teaser Trailer HERE.

The Crysis Trilogy includes:

Crysis Remastered:

A simple rescue mission turns into an all-out war as alien invaders swarm over a chain of North Korean islands. Playing as super-soldier Nomad, you are armed with a powerful Nanosuit equipped with Speed, Strength, Armor, and Cloaking abilities. Use a vast arsenal of modular weaponry and adapt your tactics and gear to dominate enemies in an enormous sandbox world.

Crysis 2 Remastered:

Aliens have returned to a world ravaged by climate disasters. As the invaders lay waste to New York and begin an assault that threatens the total annihilation of humankind, only you have the technology to lead the fightback. Equipped with the upgraded Nanosuit 2.0, customize your suit and weapons in real-time and unlock powerful abilities in the battle for humanity’s survival.

Crysis 3 Remastered:

New York City has been transformed into a sprawling urban rainforest sheltered by a giant nanodome. Prophet must fight through seven distinct districts against human and alien forces, using the Nanosuit’s superior technology to deploy brute force or opting for stealth to achieve his goals. Equipped with a deadly Predator Bow, there’s no wrong way to save the world.

We’re excited to announce that these iconic Crysis games are returning in one bundle, remastered for a new generation of hardware,” said Steffen Halbig, Project Lead. “Each game is enhanced to look and play beautifully on today’s platforms, delivering the finest Crysis experience for both newcomers to our classic franchise or players wishing to relive the adventure.

For more information about the Crysis Remastered Trilogy, please visit www.crysis.com.

total-war-rome-remasteredFeral Interactive have announced that patch 2.0.1 for Total War: ROME REMASTERED is now live.

While this first update focuses on stability, subsurface scattering effects for units in real-time battles have also been implemented. For a full list of fixes in patch 2.0.1, please refer to the Total War Blog.

Work continues to improve AI, pathfinding, and modding functionality for future updates.

Total War: ROME REMASTERED is available from the Feral Store or Steam for £24.99 / $29.99 / €29,99.

Find out more about Total War: ROME REMASTERED at the Total War website.

far-cry-6-logoSource: Blue’s News

Ubisoft followed through on its promise to reveal details about Far Cry 6 yesterday, revealing the shooter sequel will be released on October 7th for PC and consoles. It looks like the Windows edition will be an Epic Games Store exclusive, as word is: it’s coming “on Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PlayStation®5, PlayStation®4, Uplay, Uplay+, Epic Games and Stadia.” There’s new information about the game on the Far Cry Website, along with links to preorder the game which comes with a couple of preorder bonuses. There are three videos to illustrate the news, a Character Trailer to introduce Dani Rojas, a Antón & Diego Castillo – Lions of Yara Trailer to introduce “a new figurine directly inspired by the characters and story of FAR CRY® 6,” and the big payoff, a Rules of the Guerrilla Trailer offering a “deep dive” into gameplay. There’s also a post about all this on Xbox Wire. Here’s a bit from that:

As a local Yaran, Dani Rojas (playable as either a woman or man), players will utilize guerrilla tactics to dismantle Antón’s regime. Fortunately, you won’t have to fight alone, as you’ll be joined by charismatic rebels including Clara Garcia, the leader of the revolutionary group Libertad, and Juan Cortez, an ex-KGB spy and guerilla master. You’ll also be able to team up with all-new animal companions like Chorizo, the wiener dog, or Guapo, the ferocious crocodile.

Playable solo or in two-player co-op, Far Cry 6 features the series’ most varied open world yet, with dense urban environments coming to Far Cry for the first time. Players will be able to explore and traverse cities, towns, and the lush jungles of Yara in new ways including horses, tanks, and DIY vehicles. To take down Antón’s regime, players will have to embrace the “resolver” spirit and make use of whatever they can find and customize their arsenal to suit their needs. From a motorcycle-engine-powered minigun to a homing-missile backpack, there’s a resolver solution to any problem.

Hardware | Donster | |

Source: Blue’s News

SEGA and Relic Entertainment are commemorating the US’s Memorial Day Weekend with a giveaway of Company of Heroes 2, the World War II real-time strategy sequel. The freebie comes along with an additional bonus, as the Ardennes Assault standalone single-player campaign is free as well. Both are available on Steam, yours to keep if you claim them over the next week. Also, all the other content for the game is currently on sale for 80% off. This trailer celebrates the giveaways. Here’s more:

There really is no better opportunity for strategy fans to get their hands on this ground-breaking historical title, engage in its thrilling tactical combat and claim victory over both the Eastern & Western Fronts of World War II. Newcomers to the award-winning World War II RTS series can expect countless hours of single and multiplayer gameplay, with the ultimate goal of defeating the mighty German forces and turning the tide of war. Download COH2 and Ardennes Assault for free now and kick off your single player campaign with The Battle of the Bulge, or dive straight into various intense online multiplayer modes and missions.