June 2023 PC Gamer Article Links and Discussion

[ZedClampet]

A US Air Force AI drone simulation ended with the drone going rogue and killing its simulated human operator because the operator wouldn't let the drone kill everything it wanted to​

Hmm. That's a problem.

 

[mainer]

A US Air Force AI drone simulation ended with the drone going rogue and killing its simulated human operator because the operator wouldn't let the drone kill everything it wanted to​

Hmm. That's a problem.

Nice article on the Palace of Ice DLC for Solasta. It points out some of the current bugs, mostly quest related, but that those issues don't really detract from the gameplay (even if slightly annoying). It's about playing high level characters in D&D without spending 100+ hours to get there. Solasta is more akin to an ARPG with turn-based combat in a D&D setting.

One thing about Tactical Adventures (developer) is that they listen to players and monitor the Steam Forums and are quick to patch the game (2 hotfixes already released).

If you long to play high-level D&D but don't have time, then Solasta's Palace of Ice DLC is for you

The add-on for Solasta: Crown of the Magister lets you play 5E up to the lofty heights of level 16.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Pifanjr]

A US Air Force AI drone simulation ended with the drone going rogue and killing its simulated human operator because the operator wouldn't let the drone kill everything it wanted to​

Hmm. That's a problem.

They changed the title of the article to

Rogue simulated AI drone never turned on its masters after all, US Air Force AI chief says he 'mis-spoke' and has actually 'never run that experiment'​

 

[Brian Boru]

Attention Impatient Gamers

Here's how each Diablo 4 class is performing in the race to level 100

There's a definite cool kid and outcast so far.

www.pcgamer.com

Capcom wants to know what Resident Evil remake you want next

The answer is Code Veronica.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Brian Boru]

CDPR vets form new studio "Blank".
PCG headline writer emulates puppy with toilet roll

Witcher 3 director and Cyberpunk producer launch a new studio: 'After working for years in an increasingly conservative industry, we’re ready to make bold, impactful projects'

Blank, as the new outfit is known, is working on a new game "set in an apocalypse, with a twist."

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Zloth]

Emulates wha? (Grabs a roll of toilet paper and goes outside to try and find a puppy to experiment on)

 

[ZedClampet]

Apple reveals $3,500 Vision Pro AR headset that puts Meta's top-tier goggles to shame

I've got my sleeping bag, and I'm headed toward the Apple Store. Wait, what do you do with this thing? Work? Turning around.

This will probably be a popular purchase of tech start-ups who have a lot of money to burn through before going public and then bankrupt.

 

[Zloth]

Bill Gates says he's a gamer now, calls them 'a terrific metaphor for human connection'

"The definition of a gamer is becoming a lot broader and more inclusive, and it might be fair to start calling me one".

www.pcgamer.com

Yipe. Be careful playing this guy online. "I owned you!" is probably going to mean something different than what your used to.

 

[ZedClampet]

Bill Gates says he's a gamer now, calls them 'a terrific metaphor for human connection'

"The definition of a gamer is becoming a lot broader and more inclusive, and it might be fair to start calling me one".

www.pcgamer.com

Yipe. Be careful playing this guy online. "I owned you!" is probably going to mean something different than what your used to.

Great article. Gates plays the same stuff that @Brian Boru plays. I'm wondering if they are really the same person. Brian, can I borrow some money?

 

[Brian Boru]

Brian, can I borrow some money?

Take a number—it'll have 5 digits.

But yes, Bill is talented and I can't begrudge him following in my welly steps.

 

[Zloth]

Take a number—it'll have 5 digits.

00001?

 

[ZedClampet]

If you like metaphysical nonsense and weird architecture, The Talos Principle 2 should be right up your alley

The new addition to Croteam's unexpectedly good puzzle game series will be out later this year.

www.pcgamer.com

Now this I'm ready for.

 

[mainer]

Baldur's Gate 3 finally gave us a peek at the city itself, and I'm over the moon

Larian also just keeps piling on with beloved celebrity character actor VOs.

www.pcgamer.com

BG3 looks is really looking great, not only graphically, but the voice acting is top notch. I did notice in a couple of places in the video that the lip syncing seemed a bit off, but that's really minor. The game also looks massive in comparison to Larian's DOS games. They've really spared no expense in putting this together. It's a big RPG year (BG3, Diablo 4, and Starfield), it will be interesting to see how PCG's "RPG of the Year" works out in December.

 

[Brian Boru]

Now this I'm ready for.

Oh I see why…
"I know that when I play this game, I will feel smart without actually being smart."
Yeah, totally made for you!

First TTP was wonderful, my fav puzzler unless you categorize Portal as a puzzler, so this will be difficult to be patient for!

Oh, that reminds me, I don't think I ever played the expansion(s)/DLC Sigils of Elohim and Road To Gehenna. Must go fish 'em out to tide me over the next few years—phew, that was close!

It's a big RPG year

The pain! The pain!! Ye love the pain!!!

"RPG of the Year"

D4 has to be in a good place for that—what are the odds BG3 and/or SF launch in pretty good condition?

Oh hang on, a botched launch would cause even more pain… okay, scratch my D4 thought, it's in last place for GotY!

 

[ZedClampet]

Oh I see why…
"I know that when I play this game, I will feel smart without actually being smart."
Yeah, totally made for you!

Trust me when I say I haven't felt smart in a very long time, probably since my teens. This game won't change that. I am verifiably a complete idiot. Thinking back on when I thought I was smart makes me laugh, actually.

*****

Graphics card sales just got even worse

Er, anybody wanna buy a GPU?

www.pcgamer.com

Hey, look. Nvidia and AMD have trained their customers to make do with what they already have. Nice job, boys.

 

[Brian Boru]

I haven't felt smart in a very long time, probably since my teens. … I am verifiably a complete idiot

“The ancient Oracle said that I was the wisest of all the Greeks. It is because I alone, of all the Greeks, know that I know nothing.”
―Socrates

 

[ZedClampet]

“The ancient Oracle said that I was the wisest of all the Greeks. It is because I alone, of all the Greeks, know that I know nothing.”
―Socrates

Is this the naked Oracle from the movie 300? Because she wasn't overly reliable if I remember correctly.

 

[Brian Boru]

naked Oracle … she wasn't overly reliable if I remember correctly

You actually noticed her reliability? You need help…

In other news… Oh wait, it's not new. Ok then:
In other olds, I don't believe we gave this article the prominence it deserves:

Someone's selling a Steam Deck joint holder on Etsy

Two times the joint holding power for the price of one.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Pifanjr]

You actually noticed her reliability? You need help…

In other news… Oh wait, it's not new. Ok then:
In other olds, I don't believe we gave this article the prominence it deserves:

Someone's selling a Steam Deck joint holder on Etsy

Two times the joint holding power for the price of one.

www.pcgamer.com

One of my friends got one like that for his controller a while ago.

 

[mainer]

A couple of recent RPG related PCG articles (@Brian Boru 's favorite gaming genre):

You can play a demo of the 'Aussie Fallout' CRPG Broken Roads on Steam

Grab your gun and a lump of unidentified meat, it's time for a post-apocalyptic adventure.

www.pcgamer.com

I'm very hopeful for this game, as it looks very old-school in gameplay, similar to the original Fallouts 1 & 2, turn-based combat, and a morality system that evolves from the choices you make. It also has origin stories for each of the different character types you can choose, much like Dragon Age Origins did. It's also set in a post-apocalyptic Australia, as opposed to being in the US.

The demo is currently available on the Broken Roads game page on Steam.

Broken Roads on Steam

Broken Roads is a narrative-driven RPG that brings exploration, strategic turn-based combat and meaningful philosophical choices to an all-new Australian post-apocalyptic setting.

store.steampowered.com

******************************************************
The 2nd article is about the Xbox Game Showcase and the Starfield "deep dive", live today at 1:00 EST. I won't be able to watch it live today, but I'm sure to look at the various videos and articles that will appear next week. Of primary interest to me is, of course, Starfield, but I'm also interested in seeing what Obsidian's been working on. Probably something about Outer Worlds 2, and I'm hopeful something about Avowed, though my gut feeling is that Avowed has been put on hold until Outer Worlds 2 releases.

How to watch the Xbox Games Showcase 2023

Microsoft's bringing out its first-party games this Sunday, followed by a deep dive into Starfield.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[ZedClampet]

Starfield looks like the perfect place to spend 500 hours ignoring the main quest

I'll let someone else solve the mysteries of the universe. All I want to do is scan planets, catalog alien creatures, and build a space home.

www.pcgamer.com

That, it does. It looks like a much more beautiful and focused No Man's Sky, but with big stories, cities, ship modding, etc. Can't wait for this.

 

[Brian Boru]

Our 9 biggest unanswered questions after the Starfield showcase

I've got all kinds of questions about the NASA-punk future.

www.pcgamer.com

 

[Pifanjr]

Starfield looks like the perfect place to spend 500 hours ignoring the main quest

I'll let someone else solve the mysteries of the universe. All I want to do is scan planets, catalog alien creatures, and build a space home.

www.pcgamer.com

That, it does. It looks like a much more beautiful and focused No Man's Sky, but with big stories, cities, ship modding, etc. Can't wait for this.

I think I planned out half a dozen different playthroughs during the showcase based on all the different mechanics they showed. There's just so many different ways to play. Even if you just look at the combat options you can choose to go full stealth, focus on melee or just use a combination of the many, many guns to shoot and explode everything around you.

 

[ZedClampet]

I think I planned out half a dozen different playthroughs during the showcase based on all the different mechanics they showed. There's just so many different ways to play. Even if you just look at the combat options you can choose to go full stealth, focus on melee or just use a combination of the many, many guns to shoot and explode everything around you.

I fully expect to do what the article said and focus on side activities instead of the main quest line, and probably won't go back to it until I've more or less exhausted all that I want to do elsewhere. With the crews, exploration, outpost building, ship building, etc. I fully expect to set all sorts of mini-goals for myself.

 

[ZedClampet]

At least the game journalists have dropped the "there's nothing interesting about Starfield" stance that thy had last January.