RabidRebel

Well, most of the larger companies have confirmed the software was removed on the latest hotfix, but I get the principle. This "we'll try it until we get caught" model is not the way to go.

It looks like cross play between platforms is edging ever closer with recent news that Microsoft and Nintendo are teaming up for cross play on Minecraft. They will be joining mobile and PC players in cross playing on that game. They even took the opportunity to troll Sony with cooperative advertising in the wake of Sony locking out Fortnite accounts to just their platform. Maybe this is a hopeful glimmer of a future where multiplayer isn't locked behind platforms. I doubt we'll see true competitive pvp between platforms any time soon, but I do look forward to curb stomping controller kiddies with a mouse and keyboard. Source Article: 'Fortnite' On Nintendo Switch Can Cross-Play With Xbox One, iOS And PC...Just Not PS4 WWW.FORBES.COM Sony continues to apparently block cross-play for 'Fortnite: Battle Royale.' The Switch version can cross-play with Xbox One, PC and mobile, just not PS4.

It's real, but he's right. The AAA game makers have us by the short hairs at this point. If you want the new and pretty PvP game, you're going to have to come groveling to their doorstep. Only a handful of other options exist right now and you usually pay the price on visuals, netcode, and/or other issues. Unless they fuck up royally (e.g., Star Wars Battlefront II), you just aren't going to get enough defectors or public interest to change the tide. They are still going to sell enough games to make money. They are still going to control the market in their genre. You also have to throw in the meta of the current gaming environment. E-Sports are getting really popular and are keeping some games relevant with boat loads of additional sales. Squads and small teams are definitely favored in this world. I haven't yet seen a 64 person E-Sport battle. I think if they go down that route, it might reinvigorate a demand for hosted servers to make the pros happy. Reality is the E-Sports folks are younger kids and adults who probably aren't sporting enough friends or an income to make a server worthwhile. I know a component of this is just making your loyal customers happy, but you know that is getting overridden by business analysts. Look no further than all of the industries in recent years jumping on the variable pricing bandwagon. Hotels, rental cars, apartments, and airlines now charge their pricing as quickly as by the hour. This does not make customers happy, but companies maximize profits with customers confused as to what a good deal even is. It'll change eventually, but it's going to take time for some good market disruption to occur.

Taking a moment to break down The Division Shield Challenges, a series of end game challenges that promise rewards for The Division 2 as the original game comes to an end. First and foremost, The Division is wanting everyone to dive head first back into the foray by showering new and returning players with a truck load of loot. New to the game? You'll get gear at level 30 to drop you right into World Tier 5 (highest tier) gameplay (about the time you finish the main campaign). Returning? You get the same loot, but all of those extra Phoenix credits and Div Tech will have your gear optimized to Gear Score 290 in no time. In essence, no matter who you are, you can enjoy the best the Division has to offer. The only downside is this loot burst offer ends early July. Now to the challenges. There are, in total, 12 Shield Challenges to complete before the release of The Division 2. The first 4 recently dropped and the next 8 will trickle out over the next 8 months or so (one per month). Rewards for The Division 2 are in 4 tiers. Tier 1 and Tier 2 can be completed right now with the completion of the first 4 shields. Tier 3 and Tier 4 each require 4 shields each after that. In addition, each shield you complete gives you in- game loot for The Division including a patch and a special shield cache of loot. The current 4 shield challenges are pretty straight forward and will take veteran players down memory lane. They are also synergistic, as I will note below with a description of what they are. From the looks of it, most players can knock these out in less than a week using all too familiar gear grind routes. Tier 1 - Secure the Base of Operations (automatically complete for anyone who played enough of the game or beat the game) Tier 2 (one shield each) - Secure 25 landmarks in the Dark Zone (easier with the new Rogue 2.0 mechanics that limits DZ PvP to those who want to play that way). - Kill All Weekly High Value Targets in one week. - Kill 30 bosses. 10 in the Dark Zone (landmarks). 10 in Manhattan (missions, HVTs, roaming). 10 in West Side Pier (new area released in 1.8 a few months back. Completing the first 2 challenges will clear almost all of this challenge except 2 Manhattan bosses and the West Side Pier. The only downside to some of these challenges is you'll probably need some help to deal with them all (namely the HVTs). So if there are any agents in The Armory, let yourself be known. Let's saddle up and get these challenges out of the way before The Division 2!

Just wanted to throw this up on the forums in case you all haven't seen it elsewhere. Looks like a spyware program has creeped into some games lately and is creating an uproar in the PC gaming community. Red Shell is an add-on program to some games that actively collects user data and game usage data. I'm not sure of the extent of the data collection, but it's third-party software to games. Major titles are rolling with this software including Civilization 6, Hunt:Showdown, Magic The Gathering Arena, and Kerbal Space Program. There are many more. The reddit article documenting the titles with the software is below. It looks like several companies have already pledged to remove it. Luckily, it looks like nothing we are currently playing is running it. Reality is that I'm sure Ubisoft and the like are running their own versions via their launcher programs. -RabidRebel

They might. Not all guns were over- the-shoulder. I'm pretty sure sniper rifles equipped with scopes did go 1st person. I'm okay with the reticule zoom on The Division only because I felt like it gave better clarity as to your surrounding situation. I do like the zoom in style of Recon better though.

I knew the squad had been missing something lately - the eloquent verbal insults AngryOIFVeteran slings at the enemies.

Well, E3 brings some juicy details regarding The Division 2. We have a release date of March 2019 and registration for the beta is open. The new setting will be in Washington D.C., bringing with it new terrain, new enemies, and a 20 percent larger map. From the videos released so far, the game appears to be close in concept to the original game. It will still be a looter- shooter with RPG elements, meaning you'll still need to go for that rare loot. The good news is that they appear to have taken the end game seriously this time with the announcement of specializations for late game, including weapons specific to those classes. Below is an article from Ubisoft regarding late game content. One can only hope that the sins of the early versions of The Division are wiped away in this new version, and the new game feels, at the very least, like The Division post patch 1.8. If you haven't been a part of The Division and want to give it a try, Ubisoft has it on sale for $10 right now. Ubisoft is planning content and community challenges right up until the release of The Division 2. Some of the events will score you swag for the upcoming new title. Just remember this is a 3rd person PvE shooter that's on the RPG side. One shot kills don't exist here. There are some PvP elements too in the form of the Dark Zone, conquest, and team death match arenas. As they say, see you in the Dark Zone. Ubisoft® - Official Ubisoft News, Previews and Features NEWS.UBISOFT.COM Ubisoft® - Official Ubisoft News, Previews and Features

Maybe it is back to Ghost Wars we go? I'm hoping for a good update. They better make all maps TDM. Take a page from Seige and do multiple operation types for each map.

Ugh. No more Battle Royale.

Adding on with additional tactics help. These are pro tips gleaned from a pro competition. I think I learned the most about how to up my game from this one. PC PowerPlay | PC Gamer WWW.PCPOWERPLAY.COM.AU PC PowerPlay

Info on the new DLC for Siege. I still think that mirage bitch is OP AF. Tips for Rainbow Six Siege’s new map and new operators in Operation Para Bellum | PC Gamer WWW.PCGAMER.COM Before jumping in, consider these strategies for the new ops and map.

Another site to help figure out the meta of new operators. It was recently updated to include the two newest operators. Best Rainbow Six Siege operators: Who to pick in 2021 | PC Gamer WWW.PCGAMER.COM All 60 Rainbow Six Siege operators, ranked. Which attackers and defenders should you use?

All, Ubisoft has just about all of their main titles on sale right now for massive discounts. Now is the time to grab a copy of Rainbow Six Siege (50%) or Ghost Recon: Wildlands (67%) if you want to join some of us that have been playing for awhile. Sale applies to the Gold Editions and Regular editions for most of the games. -RabidRebel

Another tip site on how to play the "best" operators... didn't even think about electrifying surfaces with Bandit the way it is described. The best Rainbow Six Siege operators | PCGamesN WWW.PCGAMESN.COM We run through the very best Rainbow Six Siege operators, who you should be picking on attack and defence, and how to use them effectively.

Oh sure. Buying skills. I see how it is.

Honestly, after this weekend, I haven't seen any cheating in casual. A few bullshit moments that were quelled by the death cam pointing out my stupidity, but only one that was pure "luck." Haven't played ranked yet, so I can't comment there. I think all of the time in Ghost Recon has done me well. It's just tough getting used to the new pace, first person view, and different Recon info. I wish the quality of the PvP server environment for this game was implemented into Ghost Recon. It's nice not having as many ping or desync issues.

I don't know how many folks on here played Descent 1, 2 and 3 back in the 90's, but I was one of those folks. For those who didn't play, Descent set the bar for 6 degrees of freedom (DOF) first person shooters (FPS). It had some pretty epic campaign missions and the multiplayer was even better. Nothing like floating your ship on the "roof" of an asteroid chamber and hammering somebody with a "sniper round." Better yet, the adrenaline rush as you slam on afterburners while sliding through corridors avoiding the total devastation of an earth shaker bomb (massive instant-kill explosion followed by ~5 heat sinking mini-earth shakers). You could go anywhere with your little ship in a gravity-free environment full of crazy weapons, hairpin turns, and interesting places to explore. That being said, the revival of Descent seems to be underway with a lack of AAA 6DOF FPS games on the market. Right now, there are two revivals of Descent under way. Interplay, while hanging onto life as an IP company, has given the rights for Descent to a company to produce a sequel. The sequel is called Descent: Underground (https://descendentstudios.com/) and is available via Early Access on Steam. I've actually had a chance to play the Early Access version at PAX South, and it certainly feels like the original. The game is just a lot more ambitious than the original (many player ships, mining, etc.) and has been in Early Access for a long time. The other revival is called Overload (Link on Steam) and is now available on Steam as a final release (released on May 31, 2018). This revival is interesting because it is tied to the original crew who made the first three Descent games (albeit not with Interplay any more). The sound track is even done by the original Descent 1, 2, and 3 staff. It looks as if this game is smaller in scope and likely won't be as pretty, but the reviews are overwhelmingly positive right now. Many are describing the game as Descent 4. Looking at the videos for the release, it certainly looks like it'll be a blast. Perhaps something to keep an eye on for 6DOF PVP action. I haven't personally dove into either game yet, but I thought I'd share what is going on in the world of Descent for those of us who remember and love the original games. It looks like it has finally come back after way too many years off the market.

It certainly wasn't any worse on the sketchy front than Ghost Recon: Wildlands. In fact, it was nice to not be fighting de-sync issues for a night and getting into matches right away. I'm not converted to Rainbow Six Siege yet, but some variety is good. Helps keep the monotony from setting in before the next wave of games hits this Fall.

That'll bring back some memories. My first and only battlefield experience.

For anyone who watched Sense8, the series is coming to an end on June 8 with the release of the 2 hour finale special. Netflix tried to cancel the series last year after season 2 was released, citing costs given the viewership numbers. The fans fought back and earned a closing chapter to the series that was intended to be 5 seasons long. If you haven't seen the show, there is still time for a binge watch before the end. The production values are really high with an international cast, filmed in multiple countries, a $10 million per episode budget, and the Wachowski sisters at the helm. Not for everyone for sure, based on the content (explicit sex and violence), but solid sci-fi in its own right.

FarCry 5 will receive its first DLC on June 5, according to IGN. Assets from the DLC will be in FarCry Arcade too. Far Cry 5's First DLC, Hours of Darkness, Gets a Release Date - IGN M.IGN.COM Hours of Darkness takes players to the Vietnam War in Far Cry 5's first post-launch DLC adventure.

I saw this. I honestly don't know why the suit hasn't happened before. I'd be willing to bet PUBG is losing ground to Fortnite now.

Jeff Bezos announced at an event that Amazon has picked up The Expanse. Article link below. Jeff Bezos announces Amazon is picking up 'The Expanse' | Engadget WWW.ENGADGET.COM It's been a few days since reports indicated Amazon was close to a deal that would extend the life of sci-fi series The Expanse, and tonight at a National Space Society event Jeff Bezos made it official.

They are so far away from a good, workable product right now that any hope of a continued interest in the game is small. I've read the Steam user count is already down to 5000 a night with most playing campaign. That's already abysmal and they aren't even offering a unique game experience like Ghost Wars. At this point, I'm going to be hard pressed to pick up the DLC.