Text copied and pasted from the linked Steam update (there's also a video showcasing things):

Brand New Gameplay Presets

You wanted a challenge, more variety, and more control over... everything! So we've given it to you. Starting today you can modify your trips in the Zone with 7 new presets:

Pacific Drive

The standard Pacific Drive experience - a Pacific Drive through the Olympic Peninsula. Scenic Tour

Crafting requirements, resource consumption, driving difficulty, hazards, dangers, storms, and damage are all lowered or disabled. The player cannot die. A scenic route through the story of Pacific Drive. Joyride

The same gameplay and tension as Pacific Drive, but gathering, crafting, and research requirements are all lowered. Damage and failure penalties are minimal. A Sunday Drive

Focus on the Olympic Peninsula with minimal interruptions Nuclear Journey

Every map will be filled with low dose radiation that is harmful to the player. Storms are faster and stronger, hazards and damage are more plentiful. An unpredictable, irradiated journey that only the car can protect you from. Mechanic's Road Trip

Terrain and the status of the car impact driving more. Items to repair the car are more costly to craft, and can't be crafted on a run. A challenging drive and susceptible car will provide a test of your forethought, problem solving, and automobile experience. Olympic Gauntlet

All aspects of the game are much harder - An extreme gauntlet to challenge the most dedicated Breachers. Iron Wagon

All aspects of the game are much harder, and failing a run will delete your save file. An extreme gauntlet to challenge the most dedicated Breachers, with no room for failure.

It doesn't end there though, you can create your own presets with over 50 new settings in addition to the base game's existing options. Tune and tweak your trips to be as punishing or as pain-free as you'd like, all from the same menu.

New Paintable Parts and Collectible Cosmetics

Unleash your inner artist and further customize your heroic wagon! Bumpers and wheels are now fully paintable. It's fully possible for you to create the best and brightest clown car station wagon imaginable, or black out your rig for a more Mad Max style adventure.

Along with the new paintable surfaces, we've add two new collectible cosmetics to find out on a trip - an antenna topper and mirror hanger that fit in pretty well with the surreal, fantastical elements of the Zone.

Play Custom Music from Local Storage (PC ONLY)

Now that you've got a custom car... how about some custom tunes? One of the most requested features from the community was the ability to use your own playlists and music in game - and we're happy to say that this feature is also included in todays update. For PC players, you can now load your local music into a folder via local storage and Pacific Drive will pull it into the game. You'll be able to kick back and listen to it in the garage via the Jukebox or out on the road through your old station wagon speakers.

Songs are loaded from %localappdata%/PenDriverPro/Custom/Radio/ folder, and this feature supports .wav, .mp3, and .ogg files, as well as simple .m3u/.m3u8 files. Playlist files may point to an external internet radio stream as well (if the stream type is supported). Enabled in the Audio settings category, can choose to have no custom music (Default), a mixed playlist of default music and your custom set, or exclusively your own music. Reminder: If you are streaming the game or otherwise creating content, you could be at risk of DMCA strikes or content restrictions on platforms like Twitch and YouTube if you are playing copywritten music through Pacific Drive’s in game radio. Use this feature responsibly, and at your own risk.

The Anomalous Cosmetic Pack

Last but certainly not least... we have a new cosmetic DLC pack available! This Anomalous set features parts and decals that pay tribute to your favorite weirdness from out in the Zone.

Included in this cosmetic DLC:

Mailbox Bunny (Bobblehead) Sawblade (Hood Ornament) Tourist (Shifter) Anchor (Steering Wheel) Vacation (Sticker Pack) Anomaly (Decal Kit)

Our paid cosmetic DLC packs allow Ironwood to continue to support the game with content updates just like this one! Stay tuned towards the end of the year for upcoming details about our Winter update and more - Pacific Drive just keeps getting bigger and better and we're very thankful that you're all along for the ride.

As someone who grew up playing games like World of Warcraft and other AAA titles, I’ve seen how the gaming industry has evolved over the years—and not always for the better. One of the most disturbing trends is the rise of gacha games, which are, at their core, thinly veiled gambling systems targeting younger players. And I think it’s time we have a serious conversation about why this form of gaming needs to be heavily restricted, if not outright regulated.

Gacha systems prey on players by offering a sense of excitement and reward, but at the cost of their mental health and well-being. These games are often marketed as "free to play," making them seem harmless, but in reality, they trap players in cycles of spending and gambling. You don’t just buy a game and enjoy its content—you gamble for the chance to get characters, equipment, and other in-game items. It’s all based on luck, with very low odds of getting what you want, which leads players to keep spending in hopes of hitting that jackpot.

This setup is psychologically damaging, especially for younger players who are still developing their sense of self-control. Gacha games condition them to associate spending money with emotional highs, which is the exact same mechanism that fuels gambling addiction. You might think it's just harmless fun, but it’s incredibly easy to fall into a pattern where you're constantly chasing that next dopamine hit, just like a gambler sitting at a slot machine. Over time, this not only leads to financial strain but also deeply ingrained mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and a lack of self-control when it comes to spending money.

Countries like Belgium and the Netherlands have already banned loot boxes and gacha systems, recognizing the dangers they pose, especially to younger players. The fact that these systems are still largely unregulated in many other regions, including the U.S., shows just how out of control things have gotten. The gaming industry has shifted from offering well-rounded experiences to creating systems designed to exploit players’ psychological vulnerabilities.

We need to follow Europe’s lead in placing heavy restrictions on gacha and loot boxes. It’s one thing to pay for a game and know what you're getting; it's another to be lured into a never-ending cycle of gambling for content that should be available as part of the game. Gaming should be about fun, skill, and exploration, not exploiting people’s mental health for profit.

It's time for developers and legislators to take responsibility and start protecting the players, especially the younger ones, from these predatory practices.

> After 2 INK-credible years of Splatoon 3, regular updates will come to a close. Don't worry! Splatoween, Frosty Fest, Spring Fest, and Summer Nights will continue with some returning themes! > > Updates for weapon adjustments will be released as needed. > > Big Run, Eggstra Work, and Monthly Challenges will continue for the time being.

Also they just released a video celebrating each splat-fest: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cd3qYJRnI7E

This emoji summarizes it perfectly: 🤢

Thank you all for contributing, here is a link to the original post: https://lemmy.world/post/19721257

Also if you want to support the game, a simple wishlist will make my day :) Steam link: https://store.steampowered.com/app/2336120/Do_Not_Press_The_Button_To_Delete_The_Multiverse/

I'm still doing Fallout New Vegas (Someone else pointed out that 60 days would be considered a habit!). I went inside Ulysses' Point in the Big MT. Being in here kind of reminded me of Honest Hearts and the kind of creepy factor that i felt when i was in the Survivalist's Cave or the REPCONN test site after doing Come Fly With Me. Everything felt kind of haunted and empty and i had a creepy feeling like i was being watched. It also kind of reminded me of Lone Wolf Radio (Both the location and the old creepypasta by association). It also felt weird knowing that

i doubt this is a spoiler, but just to be safe for anyone new playing

Ulysses had been here at some point and in the DLCs i am following in his footsteps.

Back in the day, Asscreed 1-4 and Far Cry 2-3, there were constant improvements and innovations in level design, mechanics, graphics, cool shit to do basically.

Recently the 2 "highly praised" Star Wars "open world" games essentially haven't moved the needle but are just Generic Game with a star wars skin

1. The new Open Worlds, firstly we have the Horizon Dawn killers, Breath of the Wild and Elden Ring. Exploration focused game design, unique mechanics include unrestricted interaction and massive dungeons hidden behind tiny doors. Honourable mention to Death Stranding where deep mechanics are overshadowed by top notch facial animation by famous actors

2. Hero shooters, not a fan, but probably huge improvements and gameplay mechanics in Apex, Overwatch, Fortnight, maybe someone could chime in

3. RPG, Baldurs Gate 3, an impressive step up from Witcher 3 where every choice is considered, voice acted, millions of lines of dialogue, every player thought predicted by the designers.

4 The indies - usually the place for innovation but recent indies are super polished for small teams, bug free, fully thought out, addictive game loop, Balatro, Tactical Breach Wizards, Animal Well,Thank you for Coming.

In summary i think the industry is just spread out across more budgets, team sizes and countries now, no longer are the days when western Devs come up with fun or innovative AAA games, the focus more is on casual appeal and form over function

I honestly kind of agree with this. A lot of people see metacritic/opencritic scores and take it at face value. I a lot of people that would just instantly write off a game if it isn't higher than 80/100.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19757663

> "retrogaming"

I don't really play many multiplayer FPS games. But a while ago I discovered Splitgate and I really liked it. It's the only multiplayer FPS I've played much of. But I've stopped playing it because development has stopped and also I was experiencing occasional stutters on Linux.

The announcement of Splitgate 2 has got me wanting to play Splitgate again or something like it. I was excited for the Splitgate sequel until they actually showed it, and it seems like it's going in the wrong direction for me - adding factions or whatever, overcomplicating things. And idk if I should get back into Splitgate, since it's dying and the release of Splitgate 2 will only speed that up. So I'm looking for a similar game that I will like.

Things I liked about Splitgate:

• It's simple. I don't have much experience with shooters but Splitgate is really easy to pick up on. Using portals well can take a while to wrap your head around, but you don't need to use portals to win most of the time. (Maybe there's just bots making it seem easier than it is, but the point is it's still simple compared to the other popular games)
• Movement is fast and fun, mostly because of the jetpack but also the portals. I can get anywhere really quickly and also shooting someone while flying around is fun.
• Games are short. I don't often have enough time to commit to a long game.
• Almost all of the different modes were great, both for variety, but also sometimes I'm in the mood for different things. Sometimes I'd just want to play my favourite modes like Domination/King of the Hill, and sometimes I'd play a mix of everything. There were only maybe 3 game modes I didn't like.

I know Splitgate is very similar to Halo. But there are so many Halo games out there, which one is the best/most similar to Splitgate? Also the jetpack is one of my favourite things about Splitgate, I love flying around a bunch. Halo doesn't have that. Also, as far as I can tell, there isn't a timer for matches? So I can't really know how long it will take. Is there another game that has flying like Splitgate, and also short matches? And also works on Linux.

I mean, Splitgate still has pretty consistently 100-300 players on Steam, which is enough to find a match relatively quickly. Maybe I should just play Splitgate until it is actually dead, and worry about finding a new game then. And try to find a fix for the stutters in the mean time.

Im still working my way through Fallout New Vegas. I finally got the sonic emitter upgrade and broke this guy out. Really fucking creepy. Also the night vision is annoying (but helpful). I’m still going to wear it though because of all the effort I went through to get it (I Still feel bad about killing Gabe). I have one more part to finish then I think i head to the… Forbidden Zone

TL;DR: Happy 9th anniversary to Undertale, Deltarune chapters 3 & 4 are now feature complete. They're now working on chapter 5.

Sim, arcade, simcade, anything. I'm kinda disconnected from the genre and want to know what is considered the GOATs of racing games to try them out.

Me personally, I'd say Dirt Rally 2, very addicting gameplay.

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/19801235

Today's game is Sea Of Thieves (sorry for the awkward Crop, one of my friends was talking in chat and I didn't want to put his username out there).

We were celebrating with a friend today (still managed to make some time to work on FNV), and our "Chef" forgot he left some grubs cooking on my ship. We go to sell our loot, and come back to this. We just barely managed to save it while laughing our asses off about it.

The game is Fallout New Vegas. I grabbed this one pretty early in my play through today when i decided to make a quick run by the Radar Dish to grab some ammo that i lazily didn't grab last time i was there. I took a detour back up to the top to share this screenshot of The Sink from the dish because i thought it was cool last time i was up here and wanted to get a picture this time.

I almost chocked on my coffee in the first 20 seconds :)

Demystifying the rumors that most console players only care about graphics.

Today's game is Fallout New Vegas. I finally got it to work again after it kept crashing whenever i entered VATS. i ended up reinstalling (after backing up my saves) and now it works fine. I think this game i'll spend a while on because it works well with my schedule (I can save at any time and it uses up a low amount of battery on my Steam Deck). I at least want to get old world blues done, but i hope to finish the DLC, complete the game, and 100% all achievements.

I took this screenshot while hunting down parts for the "all my friends have off switches" quest. This was in the area with the Spore People and Mr. Gutsy. I struggled with Mr. Gutsy and ended up saying Fuck it and used a grenade launcher on them. In this specific screenshot there is one right below the bridge from me which killed me right after the screenshot.

$700, and the side by sides look barely different, from my perspective. The chat seemed to have the same opinion.