#because well overkill and starbreeze

[baharrothbluu]

The payday 3 experience

#most functional overkill game launch #payday 3 #starbreeze #payday #i mean i went in expecting this tbh #because well overkill and starbreeze #shame i like the games lol

[e3khatena]

so whats the deal with overkills the walking dead?

I'm glad you asked! (approx. 2,300 words)

So our story starts during Payday 2's first anniversary, the Fall of 2014. Players had to attain certain community goals to get new things to play with during their first annual Crimefest event, and the last two prizes were secret. They wound up being John Wick as a playable character, and the trailer for a new game Overkill was working on, based in the world of The Walking Dead comics. The premise was simple: it was set in the same part of the world as Payday 2, Washington DC, and would involve players trying to keep themselves and their camp alive during the zombie apocalypse made popular in Robert Kirkman's graphic novels and the AMC TV show. Given the fact that Payday 2 had proven to be a tremendous cultural hit around this time, getting the likes of Giancarlo Esposito and making cameos in the Wick movies at the height of their popularity, and given how at the moment it is very possible to argue that Payday 2 might have sold more copies than Super Mario Brothers 3, it would seem that OTWD was in good hands.

The problem, though, was their CEO. Bo Andersson used pressure he conjured up in Varvtre AB, a holdings company he was on the board of directors for, to become the CEO of Starbreeze when they acquired Overkill Software, the makers of Payday: The Heist and Payday 2. This also moved Bo from a role within the games industry alongside his brother to being his brother's superior and putting him in a firmly business role. This was good for Bo, because it would allow him to scrape capital from Overkill on their pursuit into superstardom to fund his own dream project: Storm.

Storm was a concept that Bo had been working on since 2008, the idea of bringing virtual reality back from being a curious novelty we played with in the 1990s into a mainstream competitive eSport. Players would wear tactical vests with computers built into them and a 5K resolution HMD that Acer would develop with the aid of Starbreeze in a massive bespoke arena, and using a combination of LIDAR scanning, realtime texture mapping, and the Valhalla game engine Starbreeze paid $8 million for, their physical arena would turn into a sci-fi deathmatch where players would cooperate to eliminate the enemy team and seek victory.

Bo Andersson was paying tens of millions of dollars to invent Laser Tag.

But how does this tie into The Walking Dead? Well, as a proof of concept, the work that Overkill had done in their in-house game engine, Diesel 2.0, would be ported into Valhalla to bring Overkill's The Walking Dead to life. Overkill's employees had long complained that Diesel could not compete visually, and even incorporating proper normal maps and bumping up the texture quality could not shake the appearance of a Source Engine or early Unreal 3 title. Despite releasing in 2013 and with the game now moving into 2016, onto the 8th generation of consoles, Payday 2 was not a looker and Overkill's The Walking Dead faced the same fate.

The problem, though, is that Bo Andersson bought the Valhalla Engine, which was being designed for VR first and foremost, much too early. The engine was literally incomplete, and the programmers had to write tools for the engine before they could write any code for the game itself. After nearly a year of work, they did bring Valhalla into a usable state, and used its VR prowess to power Payday 2's VR version. Bo also proposed a VR demo of Overkill's The Walking Dead to be hosted in Dubai, at VR Park (now titled PlayDXB), to demonstrate the game, the headset, and the VR technology to Middle Eastern investors who could free Bo from the shackles of Scandinavian game development and make him the worldwide name in VR. This delayed their actual non-VR Walking Dead game, which had serious funding from Skybound Entertainment and Robert Kirkman, past its intended 2016 street date. The game was nowhere near finished as Overkill staff were pulled back and forth to so many different projects within the studio. They received an extension to their deadline, Fall 2017, and work continued on the Valhalla Engine and the VR demo.

Fast forward another year. Starbreeze puts out Raid: World War II, a Diesel 2.0 title in which four players steal from the Nazis in almost exactly same manner as in Payday 2, starring John Cleese as the handler for the crew, and some trailers commissioned for their Walking Dead game using virtually zero actual in-game assets, and Skybound makes them an ultimatum: if the game is not out by November 2018, then they lose the rights to the license. They have wasted the rights holder's time and money for too long, and the project is dragging its heels with a CEO seeing it as a low priority to get their contractually-obligated co-op FPS for PCs and consoles out versus his ambitions of filling an entire space in Dubai with his name, his brand. Overkill developers, who had been clamoring for years to use an actual engine that makes sense for FPSes, finally get their wish, and Bo Andersson invests in commercial licenses for Unreal Engine 4. The problem now, though, is that the staff have a year to make the game in Unreal, with the caveat that they have zero experience in the engine. If they had made this move two years ago, they'd have the time to commit to learning the ins and outs, but they don't.

Overkill goes into crunch, with staff sleeping in the offices and working 100-hour weeks to learn Unreal and take what the documentation and tutorials offer them and implement it into their Walking Dead title, reverse-engineering the concepts they had implemented into the Diesel and Valhalla versions of the game and dropping them into Unreal. Bo Andersson, all the while, is going on vacations and not coming in on the regular, spending his time playing zombie games for inspiration and coming to the staff with his own ideas for the game based on them. Glory Kills, Special Infected, robust base maintenance mechanics and the ability to command teams of non-player survivors on missions all wound up in the game with little actual regard for how these pieces fit together. By the time that he realized he should be more actively hands-on, he only had a scant few months to spend with the staff at the final mad dash to make a playable product. The game was playable at E3, with two demo levels, and one of them playtested so poorly that the staff had to pull it from the rotation, but when Bo heard this feedback he would not tell his staff. He told them the game was testing great at E3, that people loved it.

Overkill's The Walking Dead released on the 7th of November, 2018, a week after Payday 2 ended support by letting players kill fallen angels and solve a giant puzzle wheel about the in-game lore in order to turn Bain, the player's main contact, into the US President via a body-swapping artifact used by the ancient kings of Kataru, who were gifted immortality at the same time common man was gifted the knowledge of good and evil at the Garden of Eden. While the clown-themed robbery game ended on a confusing note, Overkill's The Walking Dead was getting started to a whole heap of roughness. The game's combat was frustrating, with hordes of walkers that had to be put down one clumsy charged melee swing at a time and human enemies who fired off AKMs and MP5s with reckless abandon. Their noise would draw hordes, which would need to be contended with via your own noise, as dealing with a few dozen enemies with melee combat was awkward and difficult.

Being grappled by a zombie cost a health bar and a half in a game where your starting character had on average four healthbars to their name, and the underlying gameplay, despite being completely linear missions in level and objective design, were just Payday heists at the end of the day. Hell or High Water involved you raiding a camp owned by The Family, an antagonistic gang your camp is at war with, and stealing their supplies. In turn, they arrive at your camp and you kill five waves of them in Worse Than Walkers, in a move no different than Payday 2's Safe House Raid mission, with no zombies in sight. The camp-building mechanics, which were tied to player level and their ability to tend to the needs of their workers, were a confusing mess of UI elements that did not mesh together, and all weapons were earned in a gachapon-style case system and would degrade over time, requiring the player unjam them, fix them with the supplies they need to keep camp morale up, or watch them fall into disrepair. There was also no tutorial mission, with the game opening with The First Shot, the E3 demo mission that tested so poorly they stopped running it.

Overkill's The Walking Dead performed poorly, both critically and commercially, and Starbreeze went right into damage control. The game's high price tag to low gameplay ratio was combatted with a $30 version that required paying for the missions $60 players got for free. Season 2 went into production very quickly, with fixes to the base game, new weapons, and new survivors being promised within the coming months. Unfortunately, this was too little, too late, as Skybound issued a cease and desist to their business partner after just three months of sale, and by February 2019, Overkill's The Walking Dead was just as much a corpse as the undead shamblers present in the video games.

Perhaps what sealed the fate of the game wasn't its overall quality, as The Walking Dead is home to a large number of subpar games, but its tone and gameplay. Overkill's The Walking Dead is a very staunchly libertarian take on the franchise, pitting the player with the idea that they are to be a colonizing force, destroying an antagonistic camp and treating the other people just trying to survive as cannon fodder not unlike if they were just walkers with guns. This is no surprise given another face at Overkill, executive producer Almir Listo, having a robust fascination with libertarianism and the cult of personality that surrounded fringe Right-wing groups. Almir himself is not a conservative, but he has proven time and time again that he thinks the way Donald Trump talks is funny and has an interest in American conservative viewpoints and conspiracies as an outsider looking in, likely not helped by an unnamed comics writer taking over Payday 2 in its final year to turn the game about robbing banks into one with an ancient conspiracy and Nephilim to mow down with your MG42 or M16.

The Walking Dead is a story about its people and how they're shaped by the conflict, by the apocalypse that surrounds them, and while Kirkman expressed early interest in the sound-based horde gameplay encouraging quiet takedowns and swift, accurate gunplay, it is very possible that the idea of not just a bad Walking Dead game, but a bad Walking Dead game from a popular studio that fundamentally misunderstands the world of The Walking Dead and needs to fall back on generic bandits and raiders to fill its spaces a la Bethesda's open world titles was a bad look. We'll never know for certain, though, as the game has been pulled from sale for ages.

But this brings us to sometime last week. September 21st marked the launch of Starbreeze Studios' (formerly Overkill Software's) Payday 3. The game features a lot of the stuff they had worked on for The Walking Dead (weapon models, a rework to the Shield enemy, armor working exactly like health in OTWD) but also a ton of its own ideas, and in general the gameplay is very solid. The issue, though, is the progression and a number of bugs that hamper the experience, alongside requiring a Starbreeze Nebula account and online connection to play, with no offline mode to speak of, which caused problems when the servers for the game were down for its first three days after launch. Starbreeze promised a patch was coming shortly thereafter, but on October 21st, a month after the game released, someone with ties to Starbreeze, fed up with the Starbreeze Nebula account requirement and persistent Internet connection to play a game with obvious issues and no Patch 1 release date in sight, released the final build of Overkill's The Walking Dead. This featured a proper tutorial, made the original The First Shot into an optional random encounter a player could take on for additional resources, a slew of new weapons, a wandering trader who could sell you blueprints to the DLC's guns, and the rest of Season 2's missions. The leaked build is not playable online but is DRM-free, running just fine completely offline and preserving the game for future generations to point and laugh at, albeit without any help to ease the difficulty for a game that expected four human players at a time.

Perhaps the weirdest part of the leak is that it brought out a handful of fans from the woodwork who view Overkill's The Walking Dead as an underrated gem buried before it could truly shine, individuals who feel the game could be one of the studio's best with enough polish, and as a result Robert Kirkman has been once again inundated with people asking about the now five year-old game, hoping to give it another chance. I, personally, feel that the clumsy pacing, questionable storyline bearing little similarities to the graphic novels it's based on, and the over-reliance on generic bandits voiced by Payday regulars Josh Lenn and Joseph Balderrama prevent the game from being anything but a really weird footnote in a company's confusing, convoluted history.

#overkill #starbreeze #payday #the walking dead #gaming

[wetitta]

Payday 3 release date 2020

#PAYDAY 3 RELEASE DATE 2020 PC#

#PAYDAY 3 RELEASE DATE 2020 SERIES#

In the past Starbreeze had taken a huge downfall especially after the release of Overkill’s The Walking Dead which did not go too well for the company.

#PAYDAY 3 RELEASE DATE 2020 PC#

This does not only focus on PC games but also titles will be published for long awaited games for the PS4, XBOX and other platforms. Not only will the current estimated flow of cash settle their preparations for PAYDAY 3 but this will also set them for reconstruction of their company and lead to other game titles being released later on as well. Starbreeze has already estimated their cash flow which will be providing them with enough to continue production of future titles. If Payday 3 launches before anything else comes along to take its place, Starbreeze may stand a chance of seeing a hugely successful release.The PAYDAY releases in the previous years have been a joy to many players due to the fun gameplay as well as the sometimes-complex strategies that you need to dive into along with teamwork.Īs people still play PAYDAY 2 the surprise came to many fans as Starbreeze has included PAYDAY 3 in their upcoming game releases which is estimated to be released around the year 2022 or 2033.īased on their new publishing agreements for 2020,Starbreeze expects a hike in their cash flow which will allow them to reach a goal of releasing PAYDAY during one of the estimated years.

#PAYDAY 3 RELEASE DATE 2020 SERIES#

This will be the game that makes or breaks them.Īs things stand, no game that even comes close to the Payday series has been confirmed for next-gen consoles. They need it to release, and sell well, in order to continue supporting the series, but also stay afloat. Payday 3 is an important game for Starbreeze. This is also when difficulty will be assessed, which can then lead to the final stages of game development. The team put each map together, find the areas in which players must operate, figure out what weapons are good to use, and implement various challenges to keep the gameplay entertaining. The design phase of game development is when level design happens. Unfortunately no release date has been confirmed. The tweet confirms that the game is very much in development, and the developers are currently in the design phase of that development. Now it seems like Starbreeze is in a position to put Payday 3 out to players at last. That money has been needed to avoid killing the company completely. This is because the costs associated with supporting them alongside the PC version are too great. Recently the company put out news that the console versions of Payday 2 would remain unsupported, potentially forever. This is a process that allows them to reorganize the company, as opposed to forcing them to close it and sell off assets in order to pay off debt. The future has looked bleak for the series ever since publisher Starbreeze filed for reconstruction. Players need to keep the police at bay while they load their truck and escape, otherwise they leave with nothing. First they need to subdue the guards and customers, take hostages, and then collect as much loot as possible. It puts players in the shoes of bank robbers, and has them robbing various types of stores. The game has been rumored for quite some time, but now it seems as though developer Overkill and publisher Starbreeze are going all in on this next release. A recent tweet from the official Payday 2 Twitter account confirms that Payday 3 is in development.

#Payday 3 release date 2020

[spicynbachili2]

Out This Week: Tetris Effect, Overkill’s The Walking Dead, BlacKkKlansman

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After you vote, reward your self with a brand new recreation or two!

By Lucas M. Thomas

With so many new video games and films popping out, it may be exhausting to maintain up. Fortunate for you, IGN is right here to assist with a weekly round-up of the largest releases every week. Take a look at the newest releases for this week, and you should definitely come again subsequent Monday for a brand new replace.

Be aware: The costs and offers compiled under are correct on the time we printed this story, however all are topic to vary.

Overkill’s The Strolling Useless

Launch Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Produced by Starbreeze and developed by Overkill, this chapter in The Strolling Useless saga contains a cooperative, first-person, action-based survival expertise. The sport (which is unrelated to the TV collection and as an alternative is a brand new storyline pressure primarily based on the comics) explores new characters and story occasions, and provides parts of motion, role-playing, survival horror and stealth multi functional harrowing expertise the place survivors fend for themselves in a post-apocalyptic world dominated by flesh-eating walkers.

World of Ultimate Fantasy MAXIMA

Launch Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

See it on Amazon for $39.99 (Xbox One)

Additionally downloadable on Nintendo Change and PS4

Within the enchanting RPG World of Ultimate Fantasy, gamers observe the journey of siblings, Reynn and Lann, as they enter the world of Grymoire and encounter a mess of acquainted Ultimate Fantasy characters and monsters. World of Ultimate Fantasy combines traditional RPG gameplay mechanics with recent and imaginative toy-like visuals. Seize and lift acquainted Ultimate Fantasy beasts (equivalent to cactuar, chocobo, and behemoth) to find alternate varieties and be taught new skills. With an inviting strategy to gameplay, this recreation may be loved by each followers and newcomers to the collection.

BlacKkKlansman

Launch Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

See it on Amazon for $19.99 (Blu-ray)

From our Evaluate: Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman is many movies, abruptly. It’s a severe drama about racial points. It’s an exhilarating undercover cop film. It’s a disturbing comedy about white supremacy. It’s a horror story about white supremacy. It’s a fancy dialogue about propagandist cinema. And most significantly… it’s implausible.

Déraciné

Launch Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Downloadable on PS4 (PSVR)

As an unseen faerie summoned by a younger lady in a secluded boarding faculty, you should show its existence and construct a novel bond with the scholars by way of intelligent interactions. Because the thriller of the story unfolds, the spirit should use its potential to control the forces of life and time to vary the destiny of the pupils. Transfer round in frozen time, accumulating numerous bits of knowledge that serve to unfold an overarching thriller. Déraciné is the VR debut from director Hidetaka Miyazaki and FromSoftware. The story is a brand new tackle traditional journey video games and makes use of PS VR’s expertise to take players on a completely distinctive and private expertise.

Launch Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Downloadable on Nintendo Change, PS4 or Xbox One

End your journey by way of the worlds of ARK in Extinction, the place the story started and ends: on Earth itself! An Aspect-infested, ravaged planet crammed with fantastical creatures each natural & technological, Earth holds each the secrets and techniques of the previous and the keys to its salvation. As a veteran Survivor who has conquered all earlier obstacles, your final problem awaits: are you able to defeat the big roaming Titans which dominate the planet, and full the ARK cycle to save lots of Earth’s future?

GRIP: Fight Racing

Launch Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

See it on Amazon for $39.99 (Nintendo Change, PS4 or Xbox One)

Impressed by the unbounded Rollcage racing video games, Grip: Fight Racing marks a return to the hardcore fight racer — bristling with heavy weapons and packing ferocious velocity, that is an intense sensory driving problem. Hit speeds of as much as 700 km/h whereas driving on flooring, partitions, and ceilings — something you will get your tires on to maintain the hammer down! With the specialised all-terrain design of Grip automobiles, flipping the automobile over now not means recreation over! From hostile, icy worlds to outlandish, non-terrestrial cities, Grip’s areas present racing experiences completely different from something you’ve got raced by way of earlier than. Select one of the best car from a roster of armored, customizable vehicles, and equip them on the fly with an array of power-ups and weapons. With destructible constructions round every observe to make use of towards your opponents, together with quite a lot of attainable routes on every observe, you must use your wits in addition to your expertise to win.

Swords

Launch Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

See it on Steam (PC)

Additionally downloadable on PS4 or Nintendo Change

Vikings face off towards Persian and Demon armies in ferocious battles throughout the globe in Swords & Troopers 2 Shawarmageddon, a strategic multiplayer lane protection recreation. Push the enemy again and smash their base with a legion of distinct models, spells and constructions. In case your opponent’s base nonetheless stands in spite of everything that, break the impasse with one of many highly effective heroes. This follow-up to Swords & Troopers HD improves upon the unique Swords & Troopers 2 with expanded and refined gameplay. A 10 hour single participant marketing campaign sees you race towards time to cease a tasty however terrifying apocalypse and is additional bolstered by loads of bonus challenges and mini-games. What begins as a easy mission to recuperate your favourite shawarma snack turns into a battle to stop Shawarmageddon! Alongside the way in which you will additionally acquire models, spells and constructions, which is able to help you construct your personal loopy combine by utilizing the customized military function. Construct the military of your desires – even use models from all three factions directly! Then, as soon as your beard has grown and your swords sharpened, you’ll be able to take a look at your mettle both in native multiplayer or towards different chieftains from around the globe in on-line multiplayer!

Brawlhalla – Nintendo Change and Xbox One Variations

Launch Date: Tuesday, November 6, 2018

Downloadable on Nintendo Change or Xbox One

Brawlhalla is a 2D platform combating recreation. An everlasting battle enviornment the place the best Legends ever brawl to show who’s one of the best that ever was, is, or might be. Each match is an epic take a look at of ability, velocity, and energy, and each victory brings glory and bragging rights to the winner.

Metal Rats

Launch Date: Wednesday, November 7, 2018

See it on Steam (PC)

Additionally downloadable on PS4 or Xbox One

Strapping in your spiked shoulder pads for all-out bike motion! Metal Rats is a 2.5D motion arcade recreation that fuses damaging, octane-fueled bike fight and death-defying stunt gameplay, set in a visually stylized retro-future world. Be part of the Metal Rats, a larger-than-life punk biker gang who as soon as dominated the streets of Coastal Metropolis and now discover themselves because the final line of protection towards an invading horde of damaging and consistently evolving military of junkbots. Select your character, and unlock new particular skills and customizable bikes to struggle with type by way of huge areas of the town in a lethal mixture of velocity, agility and firepower.

Moonlighter – Nintendo Change Model

Launch Date: Friday, November 9, 2018

See it on Amazon for $34.99 (Nintendo Change)

Or $24.99 when downloaded from the Change eShop

Moonlighter is an Motion RPG that follows an adventurous shopkeeper that secretly desires of turning into a hero. Throughout an archeological excavation — a set of Gates had been found. Folks shortly realized that these historical passages result in completely different realms and dimensions. Rynoka, a small business village, was discovered close to the excavation site– offering courageous and reckless adventurers with treasures past measure.

Tetris Impact

Launch Date: Friday, November 9, 2018

See it on Amazon for $39.99 (PS4/PSVR)

From Tetsuya Mizuguchi and the inventive crew behind Rez Infinite and Lumines, Tetris Impact is an evocative spin on the traditional puzzler with 30-plus levels that take gamers on a wondrous, emotional journey by way of the universe, from deep beneath the ocean to the furthest reaches of outer house and in every single place between. Named after the real-world phenomenon the place gamers’ brains are so engrossed that pictures of the enduring falling Tetrimino blocks (i.e. the Tetris taking part in items) linger of their imaginative and prescient, ideas, and even desires, Tetris Impact amplifies this magical feeling of complete immersion by surrounding you with implausible, totally three-dimensional worlds that react and evolve primarily based on the way you play. Music, backgrounds, sounds, particular results — every thing, right down to the Tetris items themselves, pulse, dance, shimmer, and explode in excellent sync with the way you’re taking part in. The core of the sport continues to be Tetris—one of the vital well-liked puzzle video games of all time—however such as you’ve by no means seen it, or heard it, or felt it earlier than.

Lucas M. Thomas assembles Out This Week each week, and when he isn’t doing that, he is assembling journal pages because the Editor-in-Chief of Nintendo Power Journal. New subscriptions out there now by way of Patreon! You may observe him on Twitter, @NintendoForce.

from SpicyNBAChili.com https://www.spicynbachili.com/out-this-week-tetris-effect-overkills-the-walking-dead-blackkklansman/

[entergamingxp]

GTFO Grand Moff Talks About The Future of the Hardcore Shooter: “We’re a Niche Game”

December 11, 2019 1:00 PM EST

Grand Moff, Svante Vinternatt from 10 Chambers Collective sits down with DualShockers to discuss GTFO, its Rundown, and the future of the game as it goes through Early Access. 

GTFO is a hardcore horror shooter that prides itself on being a niche game. It wants to invoke fear and inspire teamwork. It wants to push its community to the limits with hardcore gameplay. Developer 10 Chambers Collective also plans to support the game for a long time — and with it arriving on Steam Early Access today, DualShockers wanted to know more about the game and its future.

Ulf Andersson and Bo Andersson founded Grin in 1997, a video game development studio based in Sweden which started off making racing games for PC and arcade machines. Eventually, the team at Grin found themselves working alongside publishers such as Ubisoft, Capcom, and Warner Bros. Interactive. After twelve years in the industry, Grin hit financial troubles and closed down with the two founders moving quickly to start up Overkill Software with long-time Grin employee Simon Viklund.

Overkill Software —also based in Sweden— released Payday: The Heist in 2011 which became a success. After working a deal with Swedish based Starbreeze Studios, a sequel was put into the works, later releasing in 2013. Ulf Andersson left Overkill in 2015 and started up his own studio in that same year, known as 10 Chambers Collective.

The self-funded 10 Chambers Collective resides in Stockholm, Sweden with a small development team that has, since the studio’s reveal in 2016, stayed small while focusing on bringing a game with high-quality. Even part of their motto is “our passion is quality.”

“We’re a very small team, so we really have to focus our resources on one thing.”

DualShockers was invited to Copenhagen, Denmark to visit the Unity Technologies building and got hands-on with GTFO. We saw how it had progressed since E3 2018 and experienced exactly what the new Rundown system entails.

After a few hours of buttock clenching scares and uttered profanities, I sat down with Co-Founder and “Grand Moff” Svante Vinternatt to find out some more about GTFO and its future as it approached its Steam Early Access launch. He explains the Grand Moff title was purely for legal and tax reasons, and that the team all do so many different factors in development that no one person warrants just one title.

“We’re a very small team, so we really have to focus our resources on one thing,” he says when asked if the game would introduce an offline mode for those who might want to just experience the game alone. “It’s kind of restricting,” he says, still talking about bots and offline play, “because that’s not a human you can communicate to, so bots could either do good or they could do bad — but they’re not a human being.”

10 Chambers wants to create a game that adheres to their target audience and that audience is one that is into heavy communications. “As you realized when we were playing, you had to speak all the time, and doing that with a bot — It would be really, really restricting on the game experience.” He clarifies that they have no plans to create an offline experience. “So instead of trying to do that, we focus on getting a better PvE experience, putting in more hours and getting those puzzles, getting those gameplay moments really, really fun.“

I bring up PAYDAY 2 and my experience with people not working as a team. I wanted to know how the team behind GTFO had tried to encourage teamwork. “So we actually won’t put matchmaking in early access to start out. We will have it down the road,” he explains. As he explains he mentions that they’re trying to build a community behind the game with a Discord that sits at over 65,000 users. Adding a quick play feature to play with random players opens “a lot of opportunities” for bad experiences. “We feel that matchmaking needs to be done in a way that fits the demanding team play of GTFO. Until we’ve solved that, you will need to be Steam friends with your teammates.”

Vinternatt essentially tells me that, at least to start, the game will be better enjoyed with people you know, or from the community who want to take it seriously. “It will be, in that sense, a little more restricted, but it will also give a better experience for those who actually want to play this kind of game.”

Last month, 10 Chambers Collective released a trailer detailing “The Rundown”, a collection of expeditions that the players can take part in that get progressively harder the further down into the complex you go. There’s a timer — when it hits zero the Rundown gets erased and a new one takes its place, introducing a new series of levels. But what if things go wrong behind the scenes? I wanted to know if they had a backup plan for missing a deadline.

“We will not set the timer until we are 100 percent sure,” Vinternatt explains and mentions only setting a date when they’re sure the content is ready. He also goes on to say how the team wants to be transparent with the community. “We’re gonna be upfront in how we’re doing stuff with the roadmap and with the Rundown. But I keep a lot of stuff secret because you want that feeling of finding something yourself for the first time. As long as we plan ahead and don’t set a date too early, I think we’re gonna have a good flow.“

“There’s gonna be a progression there,” he confirms after I ask if the Rundown was progression based or if players can jump right into the harder levels. “Right now in the current one, I think you have to complete both levels to open up the next area. So completing A1 and A2, and when you’ve done that you can play B1 and B2, but C1 won’t be allowed until the B2 is completed”

“We are thinking about the other variations as well that you complete two or three. And that unlocks a new tier. But there’s always going to be some kind of progression to get down to another tier.” The progression is tied to the Rundown mode, which seems to be the only mode the team wishes to focus on right now, “We are fully committed to PvE,” he says with confidence.

He goes on to detail how the game is going to be varied despite being stuck to this Rundown mode, “It takes steel commitment. We don’t want to grow the team because we want to have control over what we do. However, with the objectives, we are going to make stuff up. Having other objectives and having other tweaks or modifications.” He then references Dungeons and Dragons, as Vinternatt describes the team as a Gamesmaster, throwing curveballs at the players and seeing the outcomes.

“The tools that we have created over the last couple of years are essential for us to be able to produce the new expeditions for each Rundown.” But despite having tools in place to create new expeditions easily, he assures me there is also “a lot of handcrafting” to ensure the game feels good to play and has a good flow. With GTFO heading to Early Access, it allows them to try these out, “That’s why we’re going out and trying out, to see how the community reacts and hopefully they will be frustrated in a good way.”

“You get new levels for free continuously, which is a kind of new way of doing things.”

I was curious to know about customization and microtransactions. The team has already explicitly stated there will be no loot boxes or pay to win mechanics available. However, the mention of cosmetics being included in a potential “Support the Dev” pack in the future made me wonder, so I asked if they had plans for a microtransaction store focused on cosmetics, “I guess we could.” he says with uncertainty. He mentions how the game costs $34.99 and comes with the heavily supported Rundown, “We have this Rundown like continuously going, and it’s free. I mean, you get new levels for free continuously, which is a kind of new way of doing things.”

With GTFO still being in its early stages, the team is still unsure how to go about getting extra funds. “Of course, we need to put food on the table and there might be support developer packs. I’m not sure if it’s gonna be a store or if it’s gonna be like something in the future that is like a deluxe edition or something like that.” He does mention that, whatever it is they decide, “it’s going to be something that’s fair.”

Cosmetics, if included, will have to fit into the world of GTFO. “You won’t see someone running around with pink bunny ears. It could be fun to run around like that, but it kind of ruins the atmosphere. This is a serious game. We want to keep it serious.” But 10 Chambers Collective hasn’t really discussed cosmetics as it’s not a priority, “first of all, we just want to get the game out there.”

I dig to find out about character customization in terms of changing armor, and customizing weapons. “Absolutely! We have that plan already and a lot of stuff in the pipeline. But they just haven’t had time to do that yet.” Interestingly, Vinternatt clarifies that it won’t just be visual customization, but players will be able to manipulate weapons and tools through progression. He uses the following example, “Say you have a shotgun you like and a sentry gun, then let’s put them together and make a sentry shotgun.”

As GTFO is a game that’s incredibly dark and stylized to look as if you’re looking through a helmet, I asked about accessibility. I clarified that I wasn’t on about difficulty options, but instead ways of making the game more accessible to the player with features such as HUD scaling and color-blind modes. “We might already. I’m not sure if we already have scaling and stuff like adding what you want.”

“One of the guys in the team is color-blind if it works for him, I guess it works for other people that are colorblind as well,” he informs me. He goes on to say that they haven’t discussed accessibility plans yet. “I know we need to make a decision as a team, but absolutely. I don’t see why not. It’s just a matter of time and prioritization at the moment.”

I wanted to know if GTFO had plans for a more intuitive ping system, similarly to Apex Legends and Fortnite. Currently, the game only allows you to ping doors and lockers. “We have tried different ways of doing pinging. We tried having everything pingable in GTFO, but then people just started moving towards the pings and stopped communicating that much. We felt like that kind of ruined some of that experience.”

Vinternatt explained how the team wants to introduce tools, such as the bio tracker that pings enemies if the player has the tool, that offer a variety of ways to encourage the team to communicate together. “We’re a niche game so it won’t be for everyone. I mean, we’re fine with that. Everyone won’t like this type of game and it’s fine. But hopefully, those people who like it will love it or not.”

With the team constantly talking about supporting GTFO for as long as possible, I was interested in knowing if they had any plans for DLC or expansion packs, even if it’s so early on. “We don’t have any plans right now,” he says while mentioning about still having lots of work to do on the base game. “We want to do the rundown for a long time and give the community more value for their money than they actually expect. So will you see an expansion? We haven’t even talked about it.”

Regarding GTFO and any planned platforms, Vinternatt confirms, “We will start out at PC and Steam” detailing that they’re using Early Access to make the game experience good. “Doing several platforms at the same time with this kind of team would be really tough. So instead, we use that, we take time,” He then adds, “we would love to release on consoles”

I also brought up the rise in streaming services, asking if they’d bring GTFO to platforms such as Google Stadia or xCloud. I expected a similar answer, though he adds “the more platforms the game would be available on the more people could probably play it or we could get some some some extra help in marketing and that kind of stuff through these platforms that that be awesome.“

GTFO has launched on PC for Steam Early Access.

The interview has been edited for readability. The costs of the trip to Copenhagen to experience GTFO were covered by Unity and 10 Chambers Collective.

December 11, 2019 1:00 PM EST

from EnterGamingXP https://entergamingxp.com/2019/12/gtfo-grand-moff-talks-about-the-future-of-the-hardcore-shooter-were-a-niche-game/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=gtfo-grand-moff-talks-about-the-future-of-the-hardcore-shooter-were-a-niche-game

[kh2rac-blog]

Overkill Software

Overkill Software is a well-known video game developer company located in Stockholm. The company is founded back in 2009 by Simon Viklund, Bo Andersson and Ulf Andersson. In addition, they were also founders of the now out of use video game developer company, Grin. Grin was founded back in 1997 by the brothers Ulf and Bo Andersson. Moreover, the company had some popular games in which Bionic Commando is included. However, when a deal to develop Final Fantasy-based video game with Square Enix was dropped, the company was officially closed in 2009. The ambitious brothers founded this company the same year and their first project was Payday: The Heist, which was officially released in 2011. In fact, their first project was their big hit for their company since it was a big success for both PC and PlayStation 3.

Because the game proved to be a success, the company wanted to create a sequel to the game. However, they didn’t have enough financial resources in order to finish this project. They managed to work out a deal with Starbreeze Studios, which is another Swedish-based studio, which at the same time were low on cash because they were developing Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons. On April 19, 2012 Overkill was officially bought by Starbreeze.

Payday: The Heist

One of their most popular games is Payday: The Heist. The game is a FPS game that’s fully created by Overkill and was officially published by Sony. Payday: The Heist was officially released on 18 October 2011 in North America for PlayStation 3 and two weeks later in Europe. In addition, the game was also released for Microsoft Windows via Steam on 20 October 2011. Moreover, the game has 7 unique missions in which No Merci, which is a free downloadable content is included. Each of those missions carries unique elements and different goals. In the game, players use different weapons in order to complete missions such as stealing money from a person or object. The game is played from a first person perspective and is noted that murdering citizens is punishable. Players can take limited number of people as hostages.

According to a report, as of October 2012, more than 700,000 copies of the game were sold.

#starbreeze #the heist #payday #games #gaming

[themythicalrejuvenation-blog]

Games Updates and (Special) Mini Guide

Yo!

Been a long a time I haven’t posted any after the previous. I was really wondering what I should post for my next posting. If you guys readers have anything to suggest, I’m so open for it. Be it for the fashion, novels or maybe another game update.

For today’s post, again, it’s about the games’ updates and stuff. I wanna post the kinda different games for different consoles. I’ll try to varied every game console and update the news for you guys, so my post won’t be so boring, lol.

Actually, I’ve prepared some articles for you and I need to get rid one of them because it’s kinda outdated. So, let’s get started. ;)

1. Overkill’s The Walking Dead 2018 (PS4, Xbox One, PC)

So, post-apocalyptic gamers, another new zombie game from Starbreeze Studios and 505 Games titled Overkill’s The Walking Dead. The gameplay demo was on E3 and yes, Youtube has the videos of it everywhere. It’s made as a multiplayer games and I would say it is kinda similar to Left 4 Dead with different co-op features.

There are four playable characters: Aidan, Maya, Grant and Heather. Each has their own skill, role and background story. What makes this game different is your job is not just killing, but building camp defenses, upgrading weapons, even scavenging materials and crafting weapons or items. Also, the game’s difficulty will be varied based on the level of the player you’re playing with.

The game will be released this Fall, 2018. We can’t wait for the good news already!

I have another information that you guys could visit. Again this is made by the developer, so my credit goes to them. Go check THIS out for more details.

2. The Last of Us 2 (PS4)

Mmhm, one of my favourite post-apocalyptic games. I enjoyed playing the first series and can’t wait to play the sequel. E3 revealed this Naughty Dog survival horror game’s gameplay and it was amazing, apart from the trailer with Ellie on it. The sequel is still the same, fighting both bad people and zombies, and has more gore aspects in it. Since it may be disturbing for some people, so you might wanna play it on your own or have another friend that is not at all disturbed by it.

I think the game will be focused on Ellie more this time. Again, we can not be sure since it’s not yet released.

3. Dragon Nest Mobile SEA (Mobile)

Been playing this game for almost three months now and by far the game that I like. Well, there’s a PC version for this game that I haven’t played before, so I don’t how if this is different from the original version. As per update on 21st of June 2018, it has 7 different jobs to pick: Cleric, Warrior, Assassin, Archer, Sorceress, Academic and Kali.

I’m a mage player forever for the first time and will be like this for the rest of the game I guess. For this post, I’m giving you a guide about this game. Starting from what you can do, especially how to increase your Battle Points (BP).

What could you do? Lots of stuffs. I’m so amazed by how the MMO on mobile nowadays change into something more developed, almost like when we play it on PC. Including this one, not only just hack and slash, in Dragon Nest Mobile we could also do many things beside the main story like doing daily and weekly quests, upgrading your weapons and armors, PVP arena and other events held in the game. 

Let’s see if I could explain them all to you slowly. Take a look at those picture shown and I’ll give you a quick tour.

1. This part tells you about your personal stats, carrier, settings etc when you click on the char’s icon bar. Other parts will show you other currency such as diamonds, dragon coins, gold, stamina and Battle Points (BP)—which I’ll explain it explicitly.

2. This part shows you what to do to get stronger (Strengthen), what you could get by simply logging in (Benefit), what you could get when you achieve something from the tasks given (Reward), what you can buy or sell (Bazaar), what you could exchange for point or items (Mall), what you could get by participating certain event (Events) and what/who do you wanna watch to broaden your skill/knowledge (Spectate).

3. I really do think that you guys could guess by looking, heehee. So, we have Arena where you could do the PVP here, to be exact. Then there’s Guild option, you’ll see the guild’s name above your name when you join one. Next is Daily, where you could find lists for doing your daily quests or weekend event ooor other intermediate hell dungeon to do. You could also find your activeness points here to see how active you could be.

4. In this part, we have Friend for your friend’s list; Home to visit you own house, fishing, cooking and farming; Rank to see your Rank in various dungeon, event and arena; Album to see if you’ve collected enough monster’s album and get more stats thru it; Moniker is the rank you get by using Battle Medal to upgrade them based on your BP.

5. This one will give you information about your hero in Character, you could see you gear to tittle here and decide what to do to gear up; Skill is what you need to do the PVE and PVP, arrange them here; Fairy helps you to increase your stats and gives you additional effects per fairy and its grade varied from C to S; Craft is used to make your weapons and armors, you’ll need certain materials to make one; Mount is your mount and it increases you BP too. You could get your additional mount thru events.

For nooow, let’s go to telling you how to increase your Battle Points (BP). I wasn’t that detail before, so I asked my kind friend to help me. He made this guide, so the credit goes to him, InnocentID (his in-game’s IGN). I will help by explaining a lil bit so that you guys understand more about this part. Okay, we’re starting it now. 😊

A.  Level Up Gear

1. The plus number on the lower right of your gear is the number you get from Enhancing them, using Agates. The amount and the grade of Agate depends on the level and the grade of your enhanced gear. Enhancing your gear with the sum of 10 (+5,+10, +15, +20 and so on) will give you extra stat and an amount to your BP.

2. Upgrade you gear using the same materials when you first time making the gear, so be wise when you wanna sell them or keep them.

3. Refine your gear using DEF Refine Stone for the armors and ATK Refine Stone for the weapons. Again, the level of the stone depends on the enhanced gears.

4. Enchantment is the part where you add some effects inside you gears, it gives you stats that needed by your current class, basically. 

B. Costume

Of course costume matters for the sake of our BP. The better the quality, the better stats they give. You could either buy or make the on your own. Here is the tips, you need to have Chess costume first, then upgrade it to New Campus or Crew and then upgrade them into Metal and/or Magma. Chess costume could be bought thru the Personal Shop. Well as for me, I succeded in combining my Magma only using Chess, with the 20% success rate. Let’s say it’s based on your luck.

C. Heraldry

Another essential part for your stats and BP. Heraldry could be found in the daily dungeons, Boss Rush or buy them thru the Bazaar. The sack randomly gives you different graded heraldry to craft and if you’re lucky enough, you could get the 3rd stat to identify (using your Dragon Coins).

There is also Skill Heraldry that contains additional attacks and decreasing the skill’s cool down. There are 8 slots for both stat and skill heraldry. Refine the stat heraldry using the stone to increase the every stat you need. Fyi, Skill Heraldry can not be upgraded manually, the effect is fixed.

D. Dragon Jade

Everyday you will get so many Jades to use. The slot give will tell you which Jade could be put inside, refine them using the same kind of Jades to increase your BP. Tips for you, try to equalize the level of your Jades per gear.

E. Dragon-Ware

You could only find your Dragon-ware in the daily dungeon, Dragon Soul. The rest will be upgrading using the Oven. For a starter, you’ll be given a blue graded DW, but eventually please make them into a full A graded DW. 😊

F. Album

Like I explained a lil before, you could get more inside the Exploration. Exploration doesn’t have any limit to it, because the dice will be regenerated every hour. I don’t really have any suggestion on this one, but you might wanna upgrade the most needed with the biggest amount of it. 

G. Moniker

And yes, I explained this earlier. 😊

H. Fairy

Each Fairy has its own bonus stats. S is the best grade, still. But it’s not a must, at the very least, have 2 A graded and 2 blue, if you’re having a difficulty with your luck. There are two other features to upgrade your fairy, Awakening and Ascension. Awakening is used to upgrade the fairy’s talent stats, Ascension is used to upgrade the bonus attributes.

Thaaat’s all, folks! If you guys ever need some questions, do feel free to ask. I’m also open to suggestions, so lemme know if you have one. I’ll see you again in another new post!

- nikki

#last of us 2 #overkill's #walking dead #dragon nest #mobile #SEA

[etechwire-blog]

10 most exciting PC games spotted at the PC Gaming Show 2018

New Post has been published on https://www.etechwire.com/10-most-exciting-pc-games-spotted-at-the-pc-gaming-show-2018/

10 most exciting PC games spotted at the PC Gaming Show 2018

PC Gamer’s annual PC Gaming Show has a bit of a shaky history, often dragging on for hours, filled with unnecessary skits and tedious interviews. At E3 2018, however, it seems like PC Gamer has listened to criticism, because it was shorter, more concise and filled with exciting PC games. 

As passionate PC gamers ourselves, we were ecstatic to see all the best PC games that will be gracing our Steam accounts over the coming year or so. And, to make sure you’re in the know as well, we listed the 10 most exciting PC games we spotted at the PC Gaming Show 2018. Enjoy!

Satisfactory

Brought to you by Coffee Stain studios, Satisfactory is a factory building sim, which puts you on an alien planet to build an autonomous factory. You’ll start off with a relatively simple setup with just a few machines, but you’ll eventually have a gigantic and complex factory. You’ll power the building of this factory by collecting resources from the surrounding area.

Where Satisfactory diverges from your average building sim game is the first-person perspective – the developer wants players to feel like they’re the ones building the factory. If you want to get your hands on Satisfactory you can check out the game’s website here, and it should be entering a closed alpha in the coming months.

Neo Cab

While we didn’t see much of it at the PC Gaming Show, Neo Cab – with its unique art style and premise – definitely caught our attention. Neo Cab will put you in the shoes of the last human cab driver in a city full of automated cars. 

You’ll pick up customers and speak with them in a deeply emotional narrative, where you’ll try to find a friend that has mysteriously vanished. If you’re going to keep your job long enough to find them – you’ll need to keep your wits about you. 

We don’t know much beyond that, but it was enough to pique our interest.

Mavericks: Proving Grounds

It wouldn’t be E3 2018 without including at least one Battle Royale game – the PC Gaming Show featured three –  and Maverick’s Proving Grounds aims to separate itself from the pack by having gigantic maps with up to 400 concurrent players.

Unlike something like Fortnite, Maverick’s Proving Grounds has a very dark and grimy aesthetic. It will also see players leave tracks in the environment, meaning that paying close attention to your environment can lead to victory. It looks like it will be a much deeper, more complex Battle Royale game. If this sounds appealing to you, head over to the game’s website and sign up for the beta.

The Walking Dead

Here at TechRadar, we’re huge fans of Starbreeze, and now that we’ve seen Overkill’s take on the Walking Dead we couldn’t be happier. 

Besides Telltale’s Walking Dead (which was also at this show), the Walking Dead doesn’t exactly have a great track record in gaming. We’re hoping that will change here. 

The Walking Dead, rather than a point and click adventure, seems to be kind of a combination of Left 4 Dead and the recently-released Warhammer: Vermintide 2. It’s a 4-player co-op survival game, and each of the 4 playable characters have unique and necessary abilities, and will have long-term progression that will unlock as you play. 

We can’t wait until its November 6 release date to see if Overkill’s The Walking Dead breaks the franchise’s cursed gaming history.

Star Control: Origins

Hailing from legendary sci-fi RTS visionaries Stardock, Star Control: Origins combines elements of games like Stellaris with on-planet exploration. And, while this game won’t see you exploring the planet on foot, you’ll be able to drive around the surface to discover all kinds of alien life forms. 

Unlike other similar games, however, Star Control: Origins appears to have a much more lighthearted aesthetic and narrative, with a bit of a dark side hiding underneath. And, even if you don’t like the story you can make your own with full mod support. There’s even local multiplayer, if that’s something you’re into. 

You can preorder it today ahead of its September 20 release date on Steam or GOG.

The Sinking City

The Sinking City is a third person, open-world, action investigation game set in a Lovecraftian world. That sentence alone was enough to sell us on it. Taking place in a flooded city in Massachusetts, the Sinking City will put you among a population that is living in perpetual fear of the supernatural monsters and forces that have taken over. 

The Sinking City will also feature a sanity meter, similar to Amnesia: Dark Descent, where you’ll start hallucinating – seeing and hearing things that you may not otherwise. It’s not clear exactly how this mechanic will be implemented, but seeing how this game is so rooted in the Lovecraftian mythos, we’re sure it’s going to be brilliantly terrifying.

Warframe: The Sacrifice

We don’t need to introduce Warframe – it’s one of the best free games you can play today. And, ever since the gigantic Eidolon expansion in 2017, Warframe has put its sights on games like Destiny 2 and The Division – and honestly, it’s winning. 

Warframe: The Sacrifice continues this tradition by offering an epic cinematic quest. And, best of all? It releases at the end of the week. On top of this new cinematic quest, Warframe: The Sacrifice will give players access to a new sword-wielding Umbra Warframe, new UI skins and a ton of new cosmetics. We can’t wait to spend even more time in Warframe when this update goes live.

Maneater

We’ve seen games where you have to survive shark attacks, we’ve seen games that are action RPGs, but we’ve never seen the two combined. Coming from the mind behind the original Killing Floor mod and Depth, Maneater will put you in the fins of a shark.

Maneater is an open-world action RPG that will have you terrorizing the coasts as a gigantic Bull Shark. And, it’s not just there to laugh at, either – Maneater features a deep stat and abilities system, so that you can customize just how you’ll terrorize the coast. And, believe it or not, there will be a full revenge-themed story. We have to say, we’re definitely intrigued by this one – we’ve never seen anything like it. 

Stormland

Insomniac games is perhaps best known for its iconic PlayStation series, Ratchet & Clank, but with Stormland it’s coming to PC. Stormland is an Action game, played in VR, which will see you control an android gardener on a tropical island, trying to save your friends. You’ll be able to fly around, fight and interact with your environment.

Just going off of first impressions, Insomniac’s Stormland looks like what we’ve been waiting for from a VR game – free motion, AAA gaming and robust combat. Insomniac aims to use the motion control unique to VR to enhance the way you interact with the world.  

We don’t know much more about the game at this point, but one thing is for sure – we can’t wait to get our hands on Stormland. 

Star Citizen

Look, we know that this game has been shown off what feels like hundreds of times at this point, but we still can’t get over just how cool it looks. Cloud Imperium was back at this year’s PC Gaming Show to show off more gameplay and to announce Alpha 32. That’s right, its the 32nd alpha build. We’re starting to get the feeling that this game will never get a full release, but in a lot of ways – it’s the ultimate PC game. 

The combat shown of in Cloud Imperium’s trailer looked extremely slick – but, we just don’t know if we’ll get a chance to play this game before we start collecting social security. Regardless of whenever it’ll eventually release, we can’t wait to get our hands on the final release of Star Citizen. 

E3 is the world’s largest exhibition for the games industry, stuffed full of the latest and greatest games, consoles, and gaming hardware. TechRadar is reporting live from Los Angeles all week to bring you the very latest from the show floor. Head to our dedicated E3 2018 hub to see all the new releases, along with TechRadar’s world-class analysis and buying advice about the next year in gaming.  

#exciting #games #gaming #PC #Show #spotted

[vrheadsets]

VR vs. Fiction – Vol I: Their Only Crime Was Curiosity

It has finally happened. Wipeout has come to virtual reality (VR). You may remember we used to have that ‘Make It A (Virtual) Reality’ column on VRFocus way back when? I dig it out occasionally on VR vs. to discuss a videogame, film, television programme, etc that would be a good match with the tech. Well, when it came to making an existing videogame franchise in VR, Wipeout was one of those at the top of everyone’s lists. It didn’t just ask for a VR adaption, it screamed it, begged for it. It was one of those titles that when you suggested it the answer was ‘well, yeah obviously’. It was a natural fit.

In fact, that’s pretty much the holy grail for Wipeout achieved now. Leading me to muse on Twitter the other day that the only thing we’ve pretty much got left to hope for in terms of the title is that they somehow add all the extra stuff from the demo used in the film Hackers. Destructible leaderboard and all.

Now Wipeout has come to virtual reality thanks to the PSVR support patch, can we have the stuff from Hackers added next? pic.twitter.com/hT2Hbn7zZJ

— Kevin Eva (@thekevineva) March 29, 2018

This in turn got me thinking about the film Hackers as a whole. Mostly that I should probably watch it again very soon as it was one of my favourite films growing up in the 90s. But it then dawned on me that for a movie which was very much of its time, it also at one point incorporated the VR of its time.

When you think about it, quite a few examples of examples of entertainment have at some stage featured VR, or something akin to it.  So, in this little sub-series on VR vs. I’m going to pick three or four examples of where VR crossed over into, or got a reference inm other forms of entertainment.

Before we start though- yes, Star Trek: The Next Generation onwards. Yes, Lawnmower Man. Yes, VR Troopers. I know. Beyond that, though…

Hackers

Dade Murphy, alias ‘Zero Cool’, a.k.a ‘Crash Override’ is in a whole load of trouble. He and his hacker friends are being set up to take the fall for a virus which is threatening to capsize five Ellingson Mineral oil tankers unless a ransom fee is paid. The good news is they’re innocent. The bad news is they can’t prove it and the FBI is onto them. The worst news is that the person behind it all is actually another hacker – one hired by the very same Ellingson Mineral to protect their Gibson computer network as the company’s Computer Security Officer. A role played to wonderous effect by Fisher Stevens who is utterly believable as this overgrown kid/corporate sleazeball Eugene Bellford, known by his hacker handle ‘The Plague’.

The technology showcased is, as I say, very much of its time. In terms of ‘wearable tech’ you could for instance include Dade’s use of a – surely utterly useless – head mounted display (HMD), which has more of a Tiger Electronics R-Zone about it (“HERE COMES WOLF!”) than Google Glass.

However, moving away from that, there’s also the moment where Dade’s nemesis takes on VR itself. Indulging in a little R&R, before he is interrupted by FBI Agent Richard Gill, who is, unwittingly working with Bellford to catch Dade and his friends.  It being the 90’s what else would Bellford be using than a Virtuality system?

Someone, actually clipped the scene on YouTube, although judging from the title they didn’t realise just what the system was.

The X-Files

Wait, The X-Files did VR? There’s nothing spooky about that surely. What, are aliens using the black oil combined with DOOM VR, or something?  Well, actually yes. No, not the aliens bit but for one episode The X-Files did indeed tackle the subject of VR.

It wasn’t very good.

In the episode First Person Shooter, which takes place in Season 7 of the show’s original run, Agents Mulder and Scully are called in to investigate a futuristic room-scale VR videogame with bio-feedback, that The Lone Gunman have been working on as consultants. Why? Well one of the players was just murdered. Not only are they killed within First Person Shooter, they appear to have been killed for real by a character within the title. Except that the female character who shot the player, ‘Maitreya’, isn’t from the shooter and seems to have a degree of self-awareness.

A famous computer hacker/master gamer is soon called upon to deal with the rogue program, but doesn’t fare much better, his efforts to kill Maitreya sees her lop off his hands with a samurai sword for real before she decapitates him for good measure. Oh dear. Soon the Gunmen are trapped in the game after nipping in the to patch it, Mulder dons sunglasses, body armour and an assault rifle and goes into the First Person Shooter to save his friends. Only for FPS to straight up disappear, leaving the Gunmen safely behind, but somehow Mulder has been taken into the videogameTRON-style and is now a part of it.

It turns out that the character is a pet project of studio’s developer Phoebe, who poured her efforts into making her as a private project to channel her anger and frustrations at having to work day-after-day with a jerk of a boss in a hyper-male environment.  “I mean, she was all I had to keep me sane. My only way to strike back as a woman. She was my goddess. Everything I can never be.”

Maitreya has taken her programmer’s desire to “strike back” at men a little too literally, managed to break out of the private computer into First Person Shooter and now offing men because she can. Luckily, Dana Scully is here to do her best “I am no man!” moment, and despite previously scoffing at the videogame, goes into it herself to save Mulder’s ass.

PAYDAY 2

The videogame PAYDAY 2, as you should probably know by this point, does have its own VR mode. As well DOE version that you can enjoy – if you, you know, fly to Dubai.  However, what you might not be aware of is that VR appears within the videogame itself too; appearing twice in the guise of the Starbreeze StarVR HMD. This in itself should not really surprise you considering the history of developers OVERKILL and Starbreeze AB.  The first instance comes in the form of a heist mask. Yes, you too can go and rob banks, loot yachts and rig election machines whilst wearing a StarVR. The height of crime fashion!

However, the StarVR does also appear in an actual heist. The title’s 2016 Christmas heist ‘Stealing Xmas’ sees the Payday Gang doing another contract for Ukrainian cocaine dealer Vlad.  Unfortunately, Vlad has a tendency to give endless chances to his drunken brother-in-law; who at this point in the story you’ve already had to deal with at least once. Said relative has, helpfully, stashed some drugs inside boxes at the mall. When the gang find him initially he is dressed as Santa Claus and tied to a chair in front of a Christmas tree. Some creative wake-up techniques on Boozy Saint Nick later, the gang discover that the boxes have actually been distributed to the stores now and so off they rush to locate the lost product. Vlad threatening repercussions if he does not have a happy holiday.

One of the places that cocaine is stashed is in a technology store… and within the locked away box of a StarVR headset. Vlad is less than impressed about the hiding place.

“VR – Vlad’s Rejoicing. That’s what this means to me.” He says, dismissively. “The VR set is virtually not here. Or should that be actually? I don’t know – which is it.”

The whole thing ends with you blowing a hole in the mall roof and disappearing up into the sky by helicopter, riding a Christmas tree with all the cocaine under it that you’ve… reacquired.

That’s all for now, I think a videogame, a film and a television show is a good spread for the first episode. VR vs. will be back next week. Maybe with more of this, maybe something else. We’ll have to see.

from VRFocus https://ift.tt/2GMbwN3

#VRFocus #vr #virtual reality #canada

[nazih-fares]

An already very popular game on PC and home consoles, Payday 2 came out in 2013 as a sequel to the awesome Payday: The Heist. Offering to be the bad guys for once, and strategically take part of robberies and heists as a team of 4, the game is one hell of a fun game for friends, and now that it’s out on Nintendo Switch, I got the chance to test this port. Is it worth it though? Maybe, if you can forgive one key issue with this edition.

Starbreeze Studios and Overkill Software’s game has since its original launch, gradually released additional content package on its other platforms, and most of these are in this Nintendo Switch version. I say most because it is missing some which is a shame considering the full price game, like just 50 heists in total in comparison to the 58 in other platforms, but at least the important DLCs are there plus some exclusive platform content (it includes content up until the Most Wanted update to be exact). While you’ll find the usual character customization packs like different heist mask, weapons and accessories, you still need to buy these digital items between robberies with your hard earned robbery cash which is one of its main lifespan advantages. The game is huge, and the missions are quite varied, especially since they are dynamic as the engine tosses random elements everytime so it plays out in different ways, which helps with replayability. That’s on top of the skill trees that are available to enhance each of the core robber’s capabilities, including the Nintendo Switch exclusive hacking-based criminal known as Joy. A new character in the franchise, she specialized in hacking and wears a digital LED mask – that reminds me of the game RUINER reviewed here on the site – which helps for those who like being stealthy, which was kind of lacking from the original roster’s characters.

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While Payday 2 was never praised by its graphical or technical engine, you’ll soon realize a big shock once you decide to play the game with the Nintendo Switch dock. The textures are definitely not the best, but it’s the aliasing that will hurt your eyes, even if it runs at 1080p. Playing it in handheld mode does see a drop to 720p, which in a way reduces the noticeable tears, and makes the whole experience closer to the PlayStation 4 version, though a bit darker in colors. In any case, the experience is a stable framerate of 30fps, which makes the experience a bit painful because of its dynamic camera, as it moves slightly when your character advances. But my biggest concern was its handling, and I highly recommend investing in or pulling out the Pro Controller to play the game properly.

If it is possible to play Payday 2 solo with an AI-powered team of annoyingly dumb robbers, the title is especially meant to be played in coop multiplayer whether it is online or locally. In the latter mode, players can each be on their machine connected together via ad hoc technology which helps a lot, but it is especially the online mode that is interesting known as CRIME.NET. A matchmaking system that is rather fast, you’ll be able to use the handheld touch screen to move on the interface and pick your settings, lobby, loadout, and start the heist with a random group of robbers. But it’s in the multiplayer mode that comes the disappointment as well.

It’s already a known fact that the Nintendo Switch has no internal VOIP or voice-chat system, except the company’s ridiculous attempt of solving this with a mobile device app which currently only support Splatoon 2. With Payday 2 being all about communication with your teammates, it is not practical at all to develop strategies and properly run missions. While I can’t blame Starbreeze Studios for this handicap in online communication, the developer did mention recently that they have are waiting on approval to be added to Nintendo’s VOIP app, but that’s not perfect either from my own experience. It’s still a notable key feature that is needed on the console, so do like most other Nintendo Switch players and use third party apps like Discord or Skype to communicate if you really need to. And this is the main flaw of Payday 2 Switch, because at the end of the day, you can easily forgive its outdated graphics and its gameplay or handling that is a bit finicky with the Joy-Con. Otherwise Overkill Software and Starbreeze Studios’ game is damn fun to play with friends and offers a huge amount of content to keep you robbing for a long while.

Payday 2 was reviewed using a Nintendo Switch digital download code of the game provided by Starbreeze Studios. The game is also available on Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, PlayStation and PC in digital and retail releases. We don’t discuss review scores with publishers or developers prior to the review being published

Painfully hurt by the lack of voice-chat capability on the console, Payday 2 is nevertheless a decent port of the game on the Nintendo Switch, with close to complete amount of DLCs from previous platform, and one hell of a fun experience playing with friends locally. An already very popular game on PC and home consoles, Payday 2 came out in 2013 as a sequel to the awesome Payday: The Heist.

#Action #First Person Shooter #Multiplaform #Multiplayer #Overkill Software #Singleplayer #Starbreeze Studios #Tactical Shooter