This is The Mechanic, where Alex Wiltshire invites developers to discuss the difficult journeys they underwent to make the best bits of their games. This time, mountain-climbing platformer Celeste and the importance of timing in its movements and kindness in its code.
Probably the main reason to buy Spintires: MudRunner if you already owned the wonderful original is the prospect of ongoing support, of what the game might become under the stewardship of publishers who aren’t publicly feuding with the game’s creator. Today saw the release of a new update expanding the muddy drive ’em up’s Steam Workshop to support maps too, making it easier to download and play other players’ creations. Another free content update will follow, and work has also begun on some American mud. (more…)
It’s time to hang a pine-scented Little Tree air freshener from your cybergoggs because The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR last night launched on PC, following its console debut in November 2017. It’s Skyrim but in VR, yeah? Put your feet in a foot spa while you sit by a river in the rain, hang an old sock over your nose when venturing into Blackreach, and punch yourself in the knee any time you drag up tired memes. Ow. (more…)
The best Chesslike already exists (see Into The Breach) but there’s room in this large 8 x 8 monochrome world for at least 63 more Chess-inspired games. That is why you might consider participating in Chess Jam. It’s a month-long game jam hosted by Sophie Houlden, creator of Bang Bang Bang and many ducksnakes. For a jam spawned from a regimented game of strict logic, it has surprisingly few rules. Your game just needs to be inspired by the King’s Game in some way – it doesn’t need to resemble it. “The only real rule,” says Houlden, “is ‘Don’t be hurtful or harmful’”. Chess on, friends. (more…)
Right, well, I’ve had a month off writing this it seems, so it’s time to check that Brendan and Alice have been looking after the Steam Charts properly. Obviously it requires regular watering, and perhaps most importantly, weeding, to prevent things getting out of contr… ALICE AND BRENDAN! COME HERE IMMEDIATELY!
Asus have announced a string of new motherboards for the launch of Intel’s latest 8th Gen Coffee Lake CPU chipsets. Arriving in ROG Strix, Prime and Tuf Gaming brand flavours, these new H370 and B360 boards aim to bring more connectivity at a price that should (hopefully) keep those tears of despair at bay if you decide to use as the foundation for your next PC – which is a lot more than can be said for current graphics card prices right now. (more…)
Monolith have announced plans to remove loot boxes from Middle-earth: Shadow Of War in July, eight months after the open-world enslave-o-stabber launched. They’ve realised that they make the game worse, they say. The ‘War Chest’ loot boxes in Shadow Of War contain random items, orc slaves, and bits, and are sold for either the virtuacash earned in-game or for a microtransaction currency bought with real money. Monolith say the loot boxes cause people who buy them to miss out on the experience of the game’s Nemesis system – and even if you don’t buy them, their presence detracts from the game. Neither realisation is remotely surprising. (more…)
