IncGamers Forums

The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing

jamesL — Fri, 24 May 2013 05:45:13 GMT

http://store.steampowered.com/app/215530/

$14

I am really liking this game

Techland\'s Dying Light bringing parkour and zombies to PC

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 23:23:59 GMT

Have we nit had enough of zombies yet? Not so according to Warner and Techland who have revealed Dying Light which is due for release at some point in 2014.

This first person action survival horror title brings the shambling zombies back to our screens in an open world first person experience. So does it offer anything new other than finishing off the undead?

There are a couple of features that stand out, one being the free-running parkour style gameplay that proved so popular in Mirror's Edge. Set in that looks like a cramped�*Rio de Janerio, this will give players the opportunity to bound around the rooftops.

“The next-gen technology allows us to create a truly dynamic open world that features a game-changing day-night cycle,” said Paweł Marchewka, CEO of Techland. “Inventive free running mechanics also allow for nearly unrestricted exploration and weapon-crafting to further enhance the action survival experience."

The game's title sets the scene, players will have to find what they need to survive during the day but at night fight off the nasty hordes. It sounds like a race against the clock, get everything you need before the sun sets.

Techland are also revisiting some of the game features from the Dead Island series with the addition of a crafting system, and if the game is as open world as they claim, it might actually be an interesting game.

Assuming we are all not sick to death of zombies by the time Dying Light releases, the game may just stand a chance.

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IncGamers Plays Grim Dawn

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:38:04 GMT

Hot on the heels of our written hands-on preview comes our IncGamers Plays of Crate Entertainment' ARPG Grim Dawn which is currently in alpha testing.

Paul takes you through the first part of the alpha version of the game and explains the game's many features and mechanics. We will be revisiting the game in a future IncGamers Plays as Paul continues to level up characters. For now, watch this let us know what you think of the game so far.

Marvel at Shazam\'s Infinite Crisis abilities

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 18:13:47 GMT

The latest DC hero to be showcased for the forthcoming Dota-like Infinite Crisis is the artist formerly known as Captain Marvel. Apparently he's just called Shazam now, because DC is sick of people confusing him with his mentor (the wizard named .. er .. Shazam.) Isn't it also a bit weird that DC had a hero literally called Captain Marvel?

Well, whatever. Shazam is going to be in Infinite Crisis, complete with lighting based powers and a fair bit of speed. He can even briefly transform back and forth between his superhero identity and young Billy Batson.

Turbine's title is due later in 2013, and sign-ups for beta are being taken now.

Mighty Quest for Epic Loot\'s archer wants to set you aquiver

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:43:07 GMT

Ubisoft's free-to-play dungeon crawler (and indeed, dungeon maker) The Might Quest for Epic Loot is on its way. Right now, you can register for the alpha test (or possibly beta test, different parts of the official site give different answers,) with a full release in the realms of "coming soon."

But who shall be your questing avatar on this top-down-ish adventure? The archer seems to be one such choice, as his trailer below demonstrates. Sure, he's not Sterling Archer, but he still has ghost falcon powers and the ability to dodge hamster traps. That seems pretty good.

Banking on success: Payday gets its own live-action web series

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:14:39 GMT

When I think of Payday, I don't necessarily think of men in a van quoting Newton and philosophising around the ethics of robbing high finance. But that's what's on offer in this short 'teaser' for an upcoming live-action web show based around the series.

It's all promo for Payday 2 of course, but if it follows through with its apparent intent to explore whether robbing a bank is really worse than that same institution dicking around with billions of dollars worth of mortgage securities then it could have some substance to it. Demian Lichtenstein, probably best known for his music video work, is the man doing the directing.

Payday 2 is due in August. The first episode in the live-action series should appear in a couple of weeks time.

New Nvidia 320.18 drivers bring more stability to recent releases

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:10:39 GMT

The�*320.18 drivers have been released by Nvidia which offer stability and performance increases to some of your favourite games and new releases.

In this update expect performance increases of�*20% in�*Tomb Raider, 20% in�*DiRT Showdown, 10%�*Metro: Last Light, 8% in�*Assassin’s Creed III, 6% in�*Far Cry 3, and 5% in�*BioShock Infinite.

New SLI profiles have also been added for�*Call of Juarez: Gunslinger,Dead Island: Riptide,�*Dungeons & Dragons: Neverwinter,�*Euro Truck Simulator 2,�*Far Cry 3: Blood Dragon,�*GRID 2, and�*Remember Me.

It;s worth getting your drivers upgraded now if you are playing any of the above. Head to Nvidia's site to download.

Russians show their courage in Company of Heroes 2 story trailer

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:56:12 GMT

A new Company of Heroes 2 story trailer for Relic shows the plight and courage of the Russian forces as they fought back the Germans, and the soldier in the trailer retells his story of the horrors of war.

Having only played the multiplayer game of CoH 2, it's great to get a feel for the single player story campaign.

Arma 3 alpha update brings more tweaks

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:47:00 GMT

Bohemia Interactive continue the development of Arma 3 and have released a new patch for the game today taking it to version 0.58

The new patch update improvements to the�*new dedicated combat and stealth radio protocol, lighting and audio tweaks and probably most importantly a new dedicated server administrator to make hosting easier.

The full list reads as follows:

DATA

Dedicated Server files added to the root of the game (arma3server.exe�*and supporting libraries)

Comprehensive lighting tweaking (details)

Environmental tweaks: sun, lens flares, material changes for changed lighting

Lights optimization

Lighting tweaks for vehicles (headlights, positional lights) and flashlights

Increased light intensity of muzzle flashes

Added: dedicated combat radio protocol

Added: dedicated stealth radio protocol

Fixed various radio protocol issues

Asset audio overhaul: volume balancing, WAV to WSS conversion and more (details)

Alarm sound now also configured under�*CfgSounds, as “Alarm”

Improved Ka 60 fire geometry

Various types of lights on the Ka 60 improved (placement, parameters)

Fixed:�*http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=7401�*(Ka 60 rotor collisions)

Fixed:�*http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=1219�*(wrong Ka 60 horizon indication)

Adjusted mass distribution of MH-9

Fixed: Position lights of helicopters have been adjusted

AI helicopter handling improved

Improved ‘fording depth’ for helicopters to deal with ‘landing’ on water better

Speedboat (minigun) now uses correct muzzle points

Fixed:�*http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=7584�*(top-speed gear change for the Hunter)

Fixed: Tweaked fire geometry (mostly glasses) for the Hunter

Tweaked MRAPs' maximum light radius to improve performance

MRAPs should have tracers every third shot now

Fixed:�*http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=8384�*(helicopter wreck's smoke and electricity effect�*did not stop after wreck was deleted)

Launcher AI settings and weapon performance configuration tweaked

Various (missile) ammunition behavior tweaks (maneuvering, locking, etc.)

Material penetration properties modified

Fixed:�*http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=6682�*(MXM suppressor)

Holosights have been replaced by ACO for Katiba

12.7mm HMG Rate of Fire fixed

Tweaked missiles for AH-9 to be better used by AI

Adjusted DAGR locking cone and adjusted its AI characteristics

Fixed: NLAW and RPG-32 optics rotated by 0.7° down, muzzle 0.7° up for better aiming by both for players and AI

Fixed: MXM and MX SW handles have better materials

Range Master character added

All�*chest rigs�*should be of better visual quality

BLUFOR marksman's has changed its�*color�*to match his uniform

Removed hand grenades from helicopter pilots and crew

Diver UW magazine count modified

Automatic rifleman shouldn't have a tracer round every bullet anymore

Removed little cubes from BLUFOR rifleman's right wrist

Fixed: Missing texture of backpack has been re-mapped

Movement speed tweaking�*and unification�*deployed

Various little tweaks and fixes on common houses

Fixed:�*http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=802�*(fuel station coloration after destruction)

Fixed:�*http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=3333�*(telephone pole collisions)

Added�*numberOfDoors�*parameter to structure configs

Added�*numberOfHatches�*parameter to structures configs

Reduced durability of reflectors and markerlights on structures

Added baked lighting for crowns and trunks of trees and shrubs (macro maps)

Last / distant LOD for plants improved

Fixed: various bush material / alpha shaders

Smoke shell effect tweaked

Rocket effects tweaked

Blood hit and fire dust effects tweaked

Added small settlement near Kamino firing range

Stratis bridges improved for characters and vehicles

Stratis environmental settings tweaked: lighting (night and underwater), fog, haze, colors

Tweaks to Stratis lamp placements

Fixed: Sandbag barriers adjusted on Stratis

Added: New system for displaying�*scenario overview�*information

Side colors are now customizable. Two presets are available; one based on previous Arma 3 colors (default) and one recreating the Arma 2 scheme

Author's name in scenario overview is formatted like "by %s". If undefined "by Unknown Community Author" is displayed

Added tooltips to�*CListBox�*and key presets

Added: When the default (GUI) color is updated, it will be forced for all users who were using the previous default

Welcome Screen no longer shown for new profiles made during the same session

Fixed: White background when downloading scenarios looked like the game stopped responding. Custom color used instead of white

Added: Debriefing now shows number of respawns instead of reverts in multiplayer

Fixed: Quick command linked to the old communications menu

Added: Correct cursor for supports communications menu

Added: Framework for respawn templates - custom scripts and functions executed when player dies and respawns (details)

Added: Currently existing respawn effects (e.g., seagull, spectator camera, ...) moved to the respawn templates

Added: Communication menu manager

Function BIS_fnc_objectsGrabber would sometimes not close the output Array

Fixed: Functions viewer was not working when launched from mission editor

Added: Adding new control presets and their tooltips

Fixed: Notification area is now wider

Fixed: Debug console was not visible when launched from Splendid camera in non-editor mission

Field Manual Commanding / Move hint improved

BIS_fnc_arrayShuffle added to functions

Fixed: BIS_fnc_infoText was using obsolete sound

Added: A notification is displayed when a new communication menu item is added

Fixed: allowFunctionsRecompile description.ext param had no effect

Added: BIS_fnc_loadInventory throws an error when non-existent uniform is added

Added: BIS_fnc_MP now accepts SIDE type as a target. Function will be executed on computers of all players on the given side

Optimized: BIS_fnc_selectRandomWeighted

Added: Variable header added to local functions

Fixed: BIS_fnc_sortBy ignored entries with duplicate values

Danger FSM: Script command�*setUnitPosWeak�*used instead of�*setUnitPos. Priority of event�*DCCanFire�*is higher now

Fixed: Chromatic aberration remained when camera was launched from the pause menu

Removed:�*pauseOnLoad.sqf�*redundant script

Optimized: Module framework now loads modules significantly faster and takes less time during a mission

Added: BIS_fnc_startLoadingScreen and BIS_fnc_endLoadingScreen - a simple loading screen manager which gives a designer the ability to control his / her loads without fear of breaking others

Added: Error message will now interrupt loading screen

Fixed: The default editor template was still calling functions

Fixed: Feedback FSM optimization

Fixed: When�*respawnOnStart�*was set to 1 in�*description.ext, death scripts were sometimes executed after respawn scripts

Added: Correct ETA for mortar support in SCUBA mission

ENGINE

New Dedicated Server parameters for configuring ports for Steam services (should allow multiple DS per OS-instance) (details)

Updated to Physx3.2.4

Fixed several MP synchronization issues

Fixed several crash opportunities in SP and MP

Several inventory interaction and stability fixes

Removed destroyed buildings from PhysX simulation

Fixed: Wheel speed in damaged or destroyed state

Dynamic light influence to AI visibility tweaked

Tweaked darkness coefficient computation for AI visibility and NVG threshold for AI

Fixed: Hard limit usage while performing light sorting

Added: New hard limits implemented into particle lights

Added: New parameters for particle effects (global variants of surfNormalX, Y and Z)

Fixed: Starting scenarios from subfolders did not work correctly

Fixed: Audio distance curve

Added: Radio filter / effect

Fixed: MX UGL had a displaced crosshair

Added: Loiter waypoint

Fixed: AI will not eject before player

Fixed: Taking additional ammo for pistol would play reloading sound

Fixed: Certain magazines could not be moved to another container from backpacks

Fixed: RMB in inventory (moving from backpack to your own backpack) lost the item

Fixed: Headgear items when on the ground (WeaponHolder) were missing the 'Take' action

Fixed: Backpack items when on the ground (WeaponHolder) were missing the 'Take' action

Fixed: Sidearm taken from enemies are duplicated if put into the vest or backpack

Fixed: Texture flickering on wrecks

Fixed: Tooltip crash in MP sessions listbox

Fixed:�*http://feedback.arma3.com/view.php?id=7673�*(crash when trying to bind controls - drag and drop)

Added�*lbSetTooltip�*script command

Removed redundant�*CfgFirstAid >> firstAidScript

Small optimization of face mimics

Fixed:�*enableFatigue�*command was not working

Fixed: Manual control for locked missiles works again

Added: Most detailed shadow lod is now displayed in view pilot

Fixed: Helicopters engines now are damaged correctly upon contact with water

FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn on 27 August

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 16:36:21 GMT

Square Enix has now set a launch date for�*FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn on the PC and PS3.

The rebooted MMO will launch on 27 August and the subscription price has also been set. To play it's going to cost�*£7.69 / €10.99 and there are also a pre-order incentives for budding adventurers.

PREORDER INCENTIVES

As well as the�*FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn�*game disc, fans who pre-order the standard or Collector’s Edition of the game will receive the following exclusive in-game content:

·�*�*�*�*�*�*�*�*�*Early Access:�*Access the game servers ahead of the official launch. Get your head start and make your mark in the realm of Eorzea!
·�*�*�*�*�*�*�*�*�*Cait Sith Doll Minion:�*On sabbatical from Shinra Inc. and looking for adventure, Cait Sith will join your party as a non-combat pet.
·�*�*�*�*�*�*�*�*�*Mog Cap:�*Show your love of�*FINAL FANTASY�*and strut around the world of Eorzea in this Moogle themed hat.�*Kupo!

COLLECTOR’S EDITION

The�*FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn Collector’s Edition�*will include:

Collector’s box designed by Yo****aka Amano, legendary�*FINAL FANTASYartist

80-page “Art of Eorzea” hardcover art book featuring never-before-seen concept art

“The Waning of the Sixth Sun,” a special bonus video disc that takes a cinematic look at the events that led up to the realm being reborn

“Sounds of Eorzea” album that features musical scores by renownedFINAL FANTASY�*series composers

Five collectable character art cards

A�*FINAL FANTASY XIV: A Realm Reborn-branded security token to secure user accounts

In-game bonus items: Helm of Light, Baby Behemoth Minion, Coeurl Mount and Behemoth Barding

Xbox One AKA XBone -- what on earth did they expect

Elly — Thu, 23 May 2013 13:15:31 GMT

Did the creatives at MS not spot the obvious nickname, surely they must have. Perhaps they did and they rather liked the moniker XBone. I do think 'boner' though when I see it, so it strikes me as a ridiculous nickname, rather than cool or quirky.

Watch the Elder Scrolls Online giant lizard Wamasu in action

Hound — Thu, 23 May 2013 05:07:01 GMT

He's big and mean looking this Wamasu giant lizard chap, they are the terror of the Elder Scrolls Online Black Marsh. So how do you come up with such a fearsome looking creature?

The Bethesda crew recently polled their fans to find out what creature they wanted to see the most and the Wamasu came out on top. In a new ESO�*developer update the team explain the creation process of the design, attacks and effects.

I always thought electricity and water we are a bad mix but is appears the Wamasu has got round this little problem.

Call of Duty Ghosts engine tech comparison video featuring more dogs

Hound — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:15:39 GMT

Another Call of Duty Ghosts video has been released by Infinity Ward showcasing some of the technological advances in the visuals since Modern Warfare 3.

In the video there's discussion on the polys, high detailed textures and of course more dog action. They love their dogs in these latest videos. Woof!

Hardware showcases the massive Baserunner unit

Hound — Wed, 22 May 2013 20:51:53 GMT

Former Homeworld developers Blackbird Interactive are making an RTS. That sentence alone should be enough to spark some interest; but if you need more, a new video has been released that showcases one of the units that will presumably be appearing in Blackbird's upcoming Hardware: Shipbreakers.

It's a versatile unit, and also a massive one. See it in various states of action, below.

If you fancy bunging some cash Blackbird's way to help them developHardware, that option is available at the team's website. It's quite pricey, but will (among other things) guarantee you access to the closed beta.

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Grim Dawn Preview

Hound — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:14:19 GMT

It feels like I've spent years waiting for another ARPG to surface. Then, like buses, they've all come along at once. You can never have enough ARPG action though, what with digging into stats, collecting cool items and learning skills, it's all part of the fun. So let's welcome the latest player on the scene, Grim Dawn.

Last week, Crate Entertainment launched the game's alpha test.�*Grim Dawn feels like it's been in development for ages; probably because it has been in development for ages. Quite a few years, in fact. But there's a reason for that: lack of funds, in combination with a desire to keep sticky publisher paws off the IP and resulting sales has meant Crate have not taken the easy route to getting this game made.

Crate Entertainment's Arthur Bruno can be quite outspoken when he talks about traditional publishing models. After all, he was dealing with THQ for Titan Quest when he was at Iron Lore.

Shift a few years on and self funding your own game is the norm, but it's taken Crate some time to get the cash together to bring Grim Dawn to an alpha test stage. After augmenting their funds though Kickstarter, Crate brought on more team members and for the past 6-8 months they've been cracking on with getting an alpha version released for their funding backers.

Grim Dawn is pretty much everything you would expect from an ARPG. Clicky-click to kill, a stack of skills to master, classes, the whole lot. It lives up to its name, too. The game world feels grim and broken down.

The setting is Carin, a place where two evil factions have been hell-bent on wiping out the human race. Few humans have survived, but those that have made it through the turmoil are now scattered around Cairn. While the nasty guys fight each other for control, the humans have been watching and learning supernatural skills (the ones that will become available to you as you play.) Humans are crafty and if they wait long enough there will be a perfect moment to strike back. This is where the adventure begins.

Created using an enhanced version of the Titan Quest engine, Cairn is gloomy and a rather inhospitable place. Starting out in a lovely spot called Devil's Crossing, quests are dished out in true exclamation mark fashion. That's the cue for the old romp of levelling up, collecting loot and getting to grips with the skills of the three main classes to begin.

The game starts out at a reasonable pace with levelling occurring often in the early stages, but that's not to say this game is easy. In fact, it's pretty punishing at times. With health and energy bars keeping you alive, the drops on potions are few and far between. That's not a negative criticism, in fact it's refreshing to be challenged right out the blocks. Of course this is still an alpha test and there's still lots of tweaks to be done to drops and class balancing as testing progresses.

Grim Dawn includes everything you would expect to find in ARPG with a focus on gear and itemisation. Progress can only really be sustained by hunting down the decent items, which of course means killing everything possible and looking for decent drops inside object such as crates, barrels and chests. It's hard to tell at this stage if Grim Dawn is really bringing anything new to the genre but it's got all the right ingredients to trick the boxes of ARPG fans.

Again, it is tough. Even in early stages I was finding death a common occurrence with the Soldier class, which means you need to make damn sure you have waypoint Riftgates tagged so as not to have to walk too far back to your ragged corpse. Find the corpse, regain any experience and you're up and running again.

To boost those important combat abilities, players can pick up additional item components which can then be slotted into weapons or armor. Slot more than one component in and the gear gets more of a statistical boost. There are even items that can give you skills. It's this level of micromanaging your gear that should appeal to ARPG gamers who love to pour over the stats on every sword or helm.

As Grim Dawn is using a modified Titan Quest engine there are still some remnants of its game mechanics lurking under the hood. At the moment some skills need to be tapped on the action bar then targeted on the ground, which makes casting quite tricky. This mechanic is apparently going to be changed to a simple click with the skill going off where the mouse pointer is. It's more of an issue with the Demolitionist and Occultist classes at the moment, but hopefully it will change pretty soon.

Crate obviously want their players to feel like they have some real control of the game and it's fantastic to see the ability to rotate the camera 360 degrees. That may sound like a simple feature but it does add that little something extra to the experience. No complaints as far as the game art is concerned either; it perfectly captures the dark atmosphere of Cairn, and being able to zoom quite far out means more of the play area is visible, allowing you to soak it all up.

Having only sunk about ten �*hours into the alpha test so far, it's reassuring to see that Crate understand what makes a solid ARPG. All the right foundations are already in place, which means that with further testing and feedback another solid title could soon burst onto the scene. Let's also not forget the possibility of modding the game in the future, and the muitiplayer which is not currently open in the alpha test.

We'll be taking a further look at the game in the weeks ahead as we advance with cross-over classes and more. Also, watch out for an interview with Crate's Arthur Bruno in the coming days.

Gamers who fancy having a crack at the alpha can get onboard now by purchasing the $50 tier from the official�*Grim Dawn website.

Check back tomorrow for an IncGamers Plays of Grim Dawn, in which Paul tackles the undead hordes.