PC Game News

Coffee Stain Studios today announced the release of a new patch for Sanctum that adds two new towers and a new Tesla Gun. In addition, Map Pack 2 is available, which adds three new levels.

“The new patch, named “Still Alive” is a free update that adds two new towers (Drone and Accelerator), as well as a brand new weapon, the Tesla Gun.

Also available today is “Sanctum – Map Pack 2” which adds in three new levels to the game (Industry, Chasm, and Invasion), each with their own new challenges through never before tested layouts. Sanctum – Map Pack 2 is available now for $4.99 on Steam. To celebrate the release, all Sanctum DLC (including Map Pack 2) will be available for 20% off for a limited time.

Additionally, Coffee Stain Studios has announced a Sanctum free weekend. From October 11 through 14, Sanctum will be free to play on Steam, with the base game and Sanctum Collection on sale at a 75% discount, along with a 20% discount on all DLC packs.

For more information about Sanctum, please visit https://store.steampowered.com/app/91600/.”

Paradox Interactive today announced that a permanent team for the newly released War of the Roses game has been created.

“In War of the Roses, players don the role of a knight and are pitted against one another in an uphill squad battle to control the coveted crown of England. With steel on steel clashing and arrows and blots grazing past players, War of the Roses unleashes fury on a variety of battlefields in painful, real-time combat.

“There is no doubt that War of the Roses has been an ambitious project for us,” noted Gordon Van Dyke. “The game’s reception from players has exceeded expectations and we are truly grateful for the continued support from the community. We’ll continue to improve the game and add substantial content for all players.”

To celebrate the successful launch, Paradox has also announced a contest seeking the most action-packed screenshot of a battlefield image. The top two winners will each reach a private 32-player server for three months along with five copies of the game. Additional prizes will also be awarded. For more information, please visit: https://www.facebook.com/AWarofRoses“

Valve today announced the release of the first software titles available via Steam.

“The Software titles now available via Steam are:

• ArtRage Studio Pro
• CameraBag 2
• GameMaker: Studio
• 3D-Coat
• 3DMark Vantage
• 3DMark 11

Many of the launch titles will take advantage of popular Steamworks features, such as easy installation, automatic updating, and the ability to save your work to your personal Steam Cloud space so your files may travel with you.
GameMaker Studio, for example, features integration with Steam Workshop that allows GameMaker users to share their work via Steam.

To celebrate the launch, all Software titles on Steam will be available for 10% off their regular price throughout the week. For more information, please visit https://store.steampowered.com/software“

Bohemia Interactive today announced that Carrier Command: Gaea Mission has been shipped and is now available in stores worldwide. In addition, a launch trailer was released.

“Based on the groundbreaking classic from 1988, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission offers a blend of first- and third-person vehicular combat with tactical and strategic elements. In a massive sandbox, consisting of 33 unique islands hosting 6 distinct climatic zones, players are put in command of a futuristic military carrier holding multiple remotely controllable and customizable units. By traversing the seas and establishing a strategic network of island bases for mining, production and defense, players will set sail for a titanic game of conquest.

Unlike the original, Carrier Command: Gaea Mission also features a story-based campaign. Here, players take up the role of Lt Myrik, a battle-hardened soldier of the United Earth Coalition who has been sent to Taurus to repel occupying forces of the Asian Pacific Alliance. Alternatively, people can go head on with a mode similar to the original Carrier Command, named Strategy Game. In this mode, players can set starting parameters such as enemy strength and available resources, which determine the difficulty and length of a game.”

Paradox Interactive today announced that War of the Roses, the medieval third-person melee combat game by Fatshark, is now available on the leading digital distribution platforms.

“The king has fallen with no clear successor and two powerful English houses are vying for the coveted crown of England. You step into armor donning the vibrant, albeit tarnished, colors of your liege lord and march alongside your fellow knights into a battle frayed with confusion and the clash of steel on steel. With arrows and bolts grazing past your cheeks, you head deep into the skirmish in an attempt to show your enemies exactly which rose is the most powerful. Sharpen your blades and prepare yourself for War of the Roses, where skill is not an unlock.

Enter the battle for either York or Lancaster by visiting the official War of the Roses site here: www.waroftherosesthegame.com

The list of new PC game releases, Blu-ray releases and movies opening the week of October 1st, 2012.

PC games:

• Carrier Command: Gaea Mission
• Circus World
• Hegemony Gold – Wars of Ancient Greece
• Hunter’s Trophy 2
• Lost Head
• Payday: The Heist
• R.A.W.: Realms of Ancient War
• Top Gun Hard Lock
• War of the Roses – House of York Deluxe Ed.

Movies opening this week:

• Argo
• Here Comes the Boom
• Middle of Nowhere
• Seven Psychopaths
• Sinister
• War of the Buttons

Blu-ray releases:

• A Golden Christmas
• A Golden Christmas 2: The Second Tail
• Annie
• Chained
• Cinderella
• Couples Retreat
• Cyborg
• Dark Shadows
• Dark Star – Thermostellar Ed.
• Death Warrant
• Die Another Day
• Double Impact
• Downton Abbey Seasons 1 & 2 Limited Ed. Set
• Dr. No
• Drag Me to Hell
• Flying Swords of Dragon Gate
• For Your Eyes Only
• From Russia With Love
• General Education
• Golden Christmas
• Goldfinger
• Headshot
• In the Mood for Love (Criterion Collection)
• Iron Sky
• License to Kill
• Live and Let Die
• Magic City: The Complete First Season
• Man with the Golden Gun
• Masters of the Universe: 25th Anniversary Ed.
• Milk of Sorrow
• Moonraker
• Night Riders
• Nikita: The Complete Second Season
• Overland Stage Raiders
• Peace Love & Misunderstanding
• People Like Us
• Pet Sematary
• Princess Bride: 25th Anniversary Ed.
• Pulic Enemies
• Red Lights
• Red River Range
• Sound of My Voice
• The Hole BD Combo
• The Lady
• The Road
• Three Texas Steers
• Thunderball
• Tom & Jerry Robin Hood & His Merry Mouse
• Train of Life
• Universal Classic Monsters: The Essential Collection
• World is Not Enough
• World is Ours 2

Firefly Studios today released a new tutorial video for Stronghold Kingdoms focusing on the game’s parish, country and province Capitals.

“Capitals play a pivotal role in controlling the land in Stronghold Kingdoms, existing at a local parish level and in larger communities such as a county. These centres of trade, leadership and elections depend on their fellow countrymen for strength, but with a little help they can become powerful forces of growth in the community. Understanding how they work is key for new players hoping to get involved in the political aspects of the game.
 
These Official Tutorial videos are designed to give new Kingdoms players a helping hand, each explaining how a different aspect of the game works. Whether you’re building your first village, exploring the game world, interacting with other players or crushing The Wolf, these videos should serve as a guide for doing just that.”

Version 3 of a mod collection for Morrowind, known as Morrowind Overhaul, has been released, which enhances the game’s sound and graphics while keeping the original feel. A trailer for the project can be viewed below.

“Morrowind Overhaul (from here MO) is a project born 5 years ago. The aim of it is to make more people around the world appreciate all the content created by the community to enhance the game experience.

Basically MO is a “compilation” of the best mods out there, packed together with care for detail and user-friendliness. In fact you will be able to install hundreds of beautiful mods at once, with a simple installer designed by us with simplicity in mind.
Another thing that I have to mention is the attention to create something that keeps the Morrowind’s feeling intact. That’s why we tried to choose only the mods that were really well made and faithful to the original colours and environment.

The main benefit of this compilations is that players don’t need to go through the “download every single mod out there and try it” phase of customizing Morrowind. The pack is intended for people who would prefer not to hand-pick mods out of the thousands of mods available. Modding Morrowind can be overwhelming for some people, and they might want to start out with a compilation before they feel comfortable picking and choosing mods on their own.”

A list download mirrors can be found on Ornitocopter.com.

The Creative Assembly today announced the launch of Total War: Shogun 2 Assembly Kit, a suite of game modification tools for the entire Shogun 2 series.

“This release also includes an update to TEd (the existing Battle Map Editor), which enables Steam Workshop integration and the ability to create scripted single-player historical battles. A sample historical battle, custom-built by The Creative Assembly, is available now on Steamworks to give new modders a convenient starting point.

With the Assembly Kit installed, modders are empowered to reimagine almost every aspect of Total War™: SHOGUN 2, and with its built-in Mod Manager, mods can be uploaded to Steam Workshop for other players to download, play and rate.

To mark this massive release, Steam will be running a Total War Weekend from Thursday 27^th September to Sunday 30^th September. Keep a look out for some huge offers and exclusive content.

“Total War has a dedicated mod scene with some truly heroic modders wrestling with a gigantic game and turning out some incredible work,” said Rob Bartholomew, Brand Director. ”Until now though there’s never been a useful set of tools that really opened up the possibilities in the game the way we knew they wanted. However, while we gear up for Rome II’s release next year, I’m happy to say that the team were able pull out all the stops and put together a kit we hope will really inspire them.”

Further Detail on the Assembly Kit

Just like TEd, the Assembly Kit is completely free and available to download now from the Tools section of the Steam client. It comprises a range of powerful utilities:

• TWeak is a software framework that contains two key plugins for Total War modding:
  • DaVE, The Database Visual Editor tool, enables modders to edit any database values in the game, including those which dictate campaign map start positions, game logic, unit values and much more.
  • The Unit Editor tool enables modders to alter the look and feel of existing units and create new ones, with custom skins, armour, helmets etc.
• BOB is a data-processing tool, which enables modders to process models, animations, textures and many other assets into a game-usable form.
• The Mod Manager enables modders to upload their mods to Steam Workshop.

The Total War™: SHOGUN 2 Assembly Kit comes preloaded with example data, comprising buildings, units, maps and more, along with a number of 3D Studio Max plugins and scripts to help modders create custom models.

Further information, supporting documentation and a growing repository of tutorials from CA staff and community members can be found at the new TWWiki on the official www.totalwar.com site.

Workshop Link: https://steamcommunity.com/workshop/browse/?appid=34330“

CCP today announced a partnership with own3D.tv for an Eve Online tournament with a $10,000 prize pool.

“Following the success of Alliance Tournament X in July 2012 we have been looking for opportunities that allow EVE players to flourish in an eSports environment. Our friends at own3D.tv have approached us about hosting a tournament in November and December of this year with a prize pool of a whopping $10,000, which we were more than happy to arrange. This blog is going to cover a lot of information and will be quite lengthy so please bear with us!

This is the first EVE Online cash tournament and we are very excited about bringing this to every player in the EVE Universe.

Tournament dates

The tournament will run over three consecutive weekends in November and December 2012. A full schedule will be published at a later date once all tournament slots have been filled. What we can confirm now is that the following will be our broadcast dates:

• Saturday, November 17 and Sunday November 18
• Saturday, November 24 and Sunday, November 25
• Saturday, December 1 and Sunday, December 2″

More details on the Dev Blog.

The third and final background video for Dishonored was released today, which is titled In the Mind of Madness.

“In the Mind of Madness introduces Piero, a key figure in the city of Dunwall, and who also plays a pivotal role in Corvo’s story.

All three episodes, which were created by Psyop and Rokkan, scored by Daniel Licht (Dexter) and narrated by Chloe Grace Moretz (Kick Ass), are currently featured on the game’s official site, www.Dishonored.com.”

The Valve Linux blog has been updated with the announcement that an internal Linux beta will begin next week and a private, external beta for 1,000 users will happen at some point in October.

“The private external beta will include:

• Steam
• One Valve game
• Support for Ubuntu 12.04 and above

It will not yet include:

• Big Picture mode
• Additional Valve games

For existing Linux users, the external private beta is a good release for seeing where we are in running our games on Linux. We will be using a sign up page for the external beta. Information about the sign up will be announced in a future post.

For those new to Linux, we recommend waiting for a subsequent release where more features are implemented along with improvements to the user install experience.”

SEGA today released the first gameplay trailer for Rome II: Total War.

“For the first in-game look at the next title in the award-winning series, The Creative Assembly present a glimpse of the epic warfare and phenomenal detail players can expect when Total Warâ„¢: ROME II arrives in 2013.

The year is 146BC, brilliant tactician Scipio Aemilianus is dispatched by Rome to break the three-year-long siege of Carthage, an unforgivable blight on the glory of the growing Empire. Ruthless determination and an almost suicidal amphibious assault is required, but the young consul is uncomfortably aware that the price of victory may be much higher than the senate realizes.”

Paradox Interactive today announced the release of Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour, the latest expansion pack in the series. In addition, a release trailer was revealed.

“Break into Fortress Europe with elite troopers. Island hop across the Pacific with new amphibious war technologies. Draft and share your plan for winning a land war in Asia. The most destructive conflict in human history demands your attention so you can wake the world from its darkest nightmare – or choose to prolong it.

The expansion Hearts of Iron III: Their Finest Hour is released today on all major digital download portals for the suggested retail price of 19,99 USD. “

Reverb Publishing and 2 Dawn Games today announced that pre-ording for Ravaged has begun. The game will release worldwide on October 17th.

“Ravaged is a 32-player, first-person online multiplayer shooter designed specifically for the PC. Created by the veteran team at 2 Dawn Games, an indie developer formed by team members who previously worked on Desert Combat, Battlefield 2, and Frontlines, Ravaged is aimed at delivering fast-paced on-foot and vehicle-based combat. Featuring five classes, clan support, dedicated servers, and anti-cheating measures, Ravaged provides endless value at the accessible price of $24.99.

Players who love to showcase their FPS skills can enter Reverb’s Ravaged Video Director’s Contest. Prizes of up to $3,000 in incredible hardware packages can be won by players who show off their “cinematic apocalyptic action” skills. Do it by clicking HERE.”