Valve’s Artifact gets a release date, Rocket League enables graphs, Feral teases Total War: WARHAMMER II and Battle Royale finally comes to Linux.
Special thanks to:
Stein Erik Svendheim (latest patreon)
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Colour key: Venn Jordan Pedro
Steam: News
Just a blip
https://www.pcgamesn.com/steam-user-count
- Sorta have to agree with the article’s conclusion. There isn’t really one dominant factor causing user decline
- certainly some very popular games have come out recently that aren’t being deployed via steam
- This is only one data point though. Curious if the trend keeps up next year. Cue the wheel of booga booga
- Steam is a long damn way from dying but we’re all hoping they will pull a Summer.
- I don’t think every studio releasing their client is the solution.
- Fortnite being the most popular game right now and it not being on Steam is certainly pulling some people away.
- That said, and they mention this, Steam always has a bit of a drop during the summer.
- There are no AAA games coming out for Windows during this time, so people go do other stuff.
Cards against Penguins
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2018/08/valves-first-new-game-in-5-years-artifact-coming-in-november-starting-at-20/
- Given basically everything valve has put out aside from alien swarm have made it to linux, this isn’t a surprise
- Will the cards in artifact be the same as the regular steam trading cards?
- Hey, at least they didn’t diddle around with saying what platforms it will be available on.
- So it’s $20 on release… how long until it goes full DotA and become free to play?
Steam item scams
https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/9315ju/steam_direct_shovelware_developers_creating_fake/
- So people are creating games, copying the art and names from other cards/items and putting them in their own. Supposedly these items are indistinguishable from the originals
- Is that illegal? Probably, but the issue here is that they’re trying to scam item traders
- Apparently scams like this this can get you more than the $100 to get on steam, so we’re probably going to see more of this sort
The fix
https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/93au7a/valves_response_to_shovelware_spoofed_item/
- Valve’s solution for now is to warn you that the item is coming from a game you don’t own
- Better fix: Quit trading imaginary bullshit.
- I like how VALVe is only slightly sidestepping the issue instead of curbing it outright.
- Oh! That’s right. VALVe still makes money off of these scam transactions, that’s why they’re not interested in killing it.
Writer returns
https://www.pcgamer.com/portal-2-co-writer-jay-pinkerton-seems-to-be-back-at-valve
Kerbel Out
http://www.valvetime.net/threads/kerbal-developers-depart-valve.258102/
- I’m only half joking when I say things but they probably wanted to make games.
Barry returns
https://www.vg247.com/2018/08/03/steam-sales-flash-deals-coming-back-report/
- “…arguably one of the worst aspects about the old format…”
- That’s just like… your opinion, man!
Steam: Game Updates
Rocket performance
https://www.rocketleague.com/news/patch-notes-v1-49/
- It’s got what graphs crave.
- Guessing this is some internal shite they enabled for the end user.
- The new FKY track is live for multi.
Regular Human Release
https://store.steampowered.com/app/661940/Regular_Human_Basketball/
- It’s out. It’s cheap. It’s 100% distilled aftershowzen bait
4X 40k
https://steamcommunity.com/games/489630/announcements/detail/1728704962870350884
- I’m not the biggest fan of 4X. I do love me some 40k though. Grimdark and cheesy
- You get Orks, Space Marines, Imperial guard and Necrons. I wants me some Tau though
- For the greater good
- Maaaaaaay take a crack at this for a Thursday strem
Ultra Update 1
https://steamcommunity.com/games/323670/announcements/detail/1707313586209361220
- If they would come down on the EA price I would pick up a few copies to play around with.
- Apparently they didn’t make their linux stretch goal, but eventually acquiesced
- Yeah, this game does not have online multiplayer support.
- Says it does on the store page, but it don’t.
- Devel said two years ago he was working on it and last month posted an update saying it’s not going to happen because reasons.
- It’s a Mario Kart clone that’s been in development for three years.
- This is designed to be played with others.
- Without proper online multiplayer I’d rather play Super Tux Kart.
Steam: New Games
Meh
https://twitter.com/feralgames/status/1025400517210656768
- New skin-pack for Total WAR being sold as a new game.
- However, if this is your thing, good news!
- Well, if it’s your thing and you only do the singleplayer bit.
- First tweet reply is asking about cross-platform multiplayer.
- Something tells me that may not happen.
Totally Not Fortnite, You Guys
https://store.steampowered.com/app/834730/Crazy_Justice/
- Fig funded game.
- I honestly want this not to suck.
- We’re never getting PUBG and or Fortnight.
- Jeez…It looks exactly like fortnite
- Yup. wonder if the PUBG guy will trying suing them as well.
Forsaken Remasterd
https://store.steampowered.com/app/668980/Forsaken_Remastered/
- This looks a lot like forsakenX but that’s not a bad thing.
- Ported by ole Ickybutts.
- S’why you should be supporting him on Patreon
- And unlike Turok, the Linux version came out at the same time as the Windows version.
Chasm
https://store.steampowered.com/app/312200/Chasm/
- ProcGen metroidvania.
- It actually looks pretty good
- Asking price is a wee steep, but if the quality is there then it might just be worthit
Early Panzer
https://store.steampowered.com/app/837500/Leder_Panzer
- Still not 100% sure how I feel about jank as aesthetic
Feathers
https://store.steampowered.com/app/545040/Feather/
- It’s a walking simulator. But you’re flying
- Might be fun if you’re on shroom.
News:
The price of games
https://www.mcvuk.com/development/when-we-made-hollow-knight
- What can be done for £32,381?
- One of the best platformers released in the last decade.
- One of the best games released in the last decade! – FTFY
- That’s what.
- And here I was thinking I was done sucking off Team Cherry.
- They made Hollow Knight with a budget of 40K.
- They made about 4 games worth of content on a budget of 40K
- And and they delivered a day-1 Linux port.
- I want everyone to keep all of the above in mind the next time a developer bitches out on delivering a Linux port.
- Hell, I want you to keep it in mind the next time a developer delivers a busted peice of nope and demands gratitude for it.
- Hi, Garry!
Humble Sports
https://www.humblebundle.com/games/sports-bundle?partner=linuxgamecast
- You can pick up Dirt, Hockey, and F12017 for $12.
- Worth the £4.52 for DiRT Rally.
0.44
https://openmw.org/2018/openmw-0-44-0-released/
- New stuff includes a search bar for spells, advanced launcher options and superior save scumming
- Shadows are not implemented yet.
- In the video they say version 0.45 is coming soon with a lot more performance improvements.
Never include the assets (eMpTy)
https://torrentfreak.com/ea-takes-down-open-source-simcity-2000-remake-180730/
- Empty had the right conclusion in Discord earlier in the week
- Bee-tee-dubs, you should totally join our discord by becoming a patreon
- EA’s a scumbag organization, but they were in the right here
- The project is apparently going to get rehosted minus the assets
- “I just wish they’d have reached out first, I would’ve gladly removed the content quickly and without issue,”
- Oh FK right off.
- Everyone told you and unless you have to wear arm floaties when eating soup you knew better.
- We just talked about OpenMW, there’s a reason they called it OpenMW and not OpenMorrowind.
- Bethesda gets very litigious when they sniff anything that might trespass on their trademarks.
- Do you think Credit Cards Electronic Arts would let that fly?
SCUMM Trekk (eMpTy)
https://github.com/scummvm/scummvm/pull/1263
- Support for the DOS Star Trek: 25th anniversary, and potentially Star Trek Judgement rites has been added to ScummVM
- Judgement Rites uses the same engine, but who knows
- Apparently the ship combat hasn’t been implemented, so playing the game throught ScummVM will skip those segments for now
Demo of Glyph
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/legitgames/glyphs-of-eldamir-a-pay-what-you-want-dungeon-rogu/posts/2251371?ref=2h8pg0
- He just clicked export, but at least he’s upfront about it
- As long as dude is upfront about it and you know the level of support you will be getting in the future.
Retro pew pew
https://github.com/klaussilveira/qengine
- Guy’s trying to provide a basic.no frills and clean engine for quake II style games
- Can’t say removing the graphics layer won’t get rid of a bunch of deps, but at that point who the hell is going to want to use it to develop anything?
Retro Python
https://github.com/kitao/pyxel
- Simple 2d Game engine done in python
- Available via PIP if you don’t wanna build it yourself
OpenRA Playtest
https://github.com/OpenRA/OpenRA/wiki/Changelog/c4a2b3411de6c1daf521efe20ba9cbae195fb4f6
- Smart move ditching the .deb package for appimages.
- As a fedora user, it always kinda bugged me when projects would only provide ubuntu installers
- Don’t worry, in the future installation will be a Snap.
Game: Super Blood Hockey
Webzone: Super_Blood_Hockey
Devel: Loren Lemcke
Engine: Monogame
Price: £5.59 / US$7.99 / CA$8.79
Wazzat: Relive the golden age of arcade sports gaming with Super Blood Hockey — A violent homage to classic 8-bit and 16-bit ice hockey games.
Does It Launch
- OOOTB
Performance @ 1080
- 60 hipster-pixels-per-second… most of the time.
Graphics
- One glitch in the tutorial but it sorted itself.
Control
- Steam controller mapped correctly.
Does It Launch
Performance @ 1080
- Make sure to disable vsync for maximum ferps
Graphics
- Zoom issue was there, sorted itself out
Control
- Picks up the dual shock 4
Does It Launch
- Actually remembers fullscreen/windowed settings.
Performance @ 1080
- Performance is great, unless you’re attempting to record it.
Graphics
- Much like Venn, during the fight scene in the tutorial, the game zoomed in all the way.
Control
- Controllers work, both the 8bitdo and the Mistress.
QA Score:
Fun?
- Venn:
-
- Someone put MegaMan music in my hockey game.
- This reminds me of NES sports and that’s not a bad thing.
- It’s dead simple and hard to cock up.
- On easy it’s a proper challenge.
- Cutting the blood up to 500% is, cute.
- Has a battle mechanic like the old basketball fighting game.
- Lot’s of mutators to tinker with but some have to be unlocked.
- No online multiplayer :(
- It’s alright and a safe thing to try because you will know if it’s your JAM in the first five minutes.
- Jordan
-
- Man I fucking hate this game
- I like how the AI has all it’s shit together while your team is derptastic
- Honestly I’ve never really got the appeal of sports games. I haven’t played too many of them
- This is not one that changes my mind in any capacity
- Pedro
- I hate sports games.
- I thought maybe, with its focus on the goofy stuff and the emphasis on violence, may I could find something to enjoy here.
- I didn’t.
- It’s hipster pixel hockey game with perhaps the most annoying soundtrack I’ve heard since Pawarumi. Minus points for reminding me of that game!
- The only so called sports games I enjoy are racing ones and even then I draw the line on F1 games.
- Don’t like it. Didn’t change my mind on the genre and got itself muted pretty damn quickly.
Score:
Hate Mail:
Survival games RIP Rust
https://linuxgamecast.com/bradley/?MTqczHJ
- Indeed, they have been pushing out updates on the regular.
- Would have lost that bet.
- Performance is a lot better and it still noms 5GB of memory RAM.
- There you go, this game is a legitimate reason to have 16GJ.