Category: Game Releases

New game releases.

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Amazon Lumberyard 1.27 Released

Just two months after the previous release with the updated UI 2.0 and an improved installation process, Lumberyard 1.27 was recently released. Lumberyard is derived from CryEngine and is free to use so long as you use Amazon services (or host your own) for your online component. Yes, that means if you are creating a single player only game, Lumberyard is completely free to use. In this release the new 2.0 and object selection mode are now the defaults greatly improving the user experience. Other improvements in Lumberyard 1.27 include:

  • UI 2.0 General Availability – including more than 75 bug fixes and improvements.
  • NVIDIA Blast Support
    • With Python Asset Builder support to help you create more complicated and expressive KA-BOOMs!
  • Advanced features for NVIDIA Cloth, including complex cloth mesh support and constraints, and performance improvements
  • PhysX is replacing CryPhysics as our physics engine
  • New Gem updates to enhance the Twitch ChatPlay experience
  • Dynamic Content Gem (Cloud Canvas) versioning support
  • Project Configurator – If you have both Visual Studio 2017 and Visual Studio 2019 enabled in the Setup Assistant, you will now be asked which compiler to use when you rebuild your project.

The Lumberyard 1.27 blog post is available here while more comprehensive release notes are available here. Lumberyard can be download for Windows machines here and the source code is available on GitHub. Please note this is NOT an open source project, simply source available. If you want to see the new UI in action, check out Lumberyard 1.27 in the video below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1dq2-T-MdA?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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Unity 2020.2 Released

Unity Technologies have just released Unity 2020.2, only the second tech release in 2020. This is part of a new focus on quality over quantity as described on the Unity Blog:

We had plans for 2020. We were going to do things better to make Unity better for you. And we did. We reexamined our priorities. We listened to you. We committed to improving performance and quality of life for all users – so you can bring your vision to life faster.

Unity 2020.2 TECH Stream is packed with all the latest features for those with projects in pre-production, or simply for those who want to leverage the most cutting edge tech to achieve a competitive edge. This version of Unity also ensures a smooth upgrade path forward. To get started, download it here today.

Following up on our promise to improve your development experience, in 2020 we shifted our release philosophy. We prioritized quality over quantity and reduced the number of releases to two per year, giving our engineers an extended stabilization phase. 

Even with the increased focus on Unity 2020.2 there are several improvements in a number of different categories:

There is also an updated schedule of future Unity releases:

Unity Release Schedule
Unity Release Schedule Through 2022

There are more details on the Unity 2020.2 release available here. You can learn more about the Unity 2020.2 release in the video below. In related news, Unity also have a 50% off sale on the Unity Asset Store with an additional 5% off on > $120 purchases with the code GOODBYE2020.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GM7mDDZalwE?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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Skyrim mobile becomes a reality thanks to Xbox Game Pass and xCloud

It’s only taken over nine years, but The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is finally making its way to mobile via the power of xCloud and Xbox Game Pass. If you’re unfamiliar with the service, Microsoft’s xCloud allows you to stream a range of major console games to your Android device, from Gears 5 and Sea of Thieves to Control and now Skyrim.

Bethesda’s legendary RPG is one of several new games set to join the Xbox Game Pass library for Android before the end of the year. Others include action-packed shooter My Friend Pedro and Soulslike Code Vein. Skyrim will be playable via the official Xbox Game Pass app from tomorrow.

If you’re on iOS, you’ll have to wait until spring 2021 to test out the service. Plus, xCloud for iOS will function through your web browser as opposed to a native app. This creative workaround was used to avoid having to split the entire Game Pass library into individual apps on Apple’s platform.

The version of Skyrim that Android users will be able to play is the enhanced Special Edition, which boasts improved visuals and all of the game’s DLC. Notably, the Special Edition also supports mods.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pj5JBytPij4?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

If the prospect of playing Skyrim on mobile is one you simply can’t ignore, you’ll be needing a subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. If you’re a new subscriber, you’ll pay $1/£1 for your first month, then $14.99/£10.99 for every month after that.

Does this mean that Skyrim is now one of the best mobile RPGs? Quite possibly.

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Blender 2.92 Geometry Nodes

Hot on the heels of the Blender 2.91 release, Blender 2.92 is currently in Alpha and one of the most exciting new features is Geometry Nodes. Part of the everything as nodes strategy for future Blender development, the addition of geometry nodes will add procedural capabilities to Blender without requiring programming or scripting. Before the 2.92 alpha, Geometry Nodes were a separate branch with the project page available here.

When using Geometry Nodes, you are can create or modify geometry in your Blender scene using the new Geometry Node Editor. The process is very similar to the current way Shaders and Cycles materials are constructed. The selection of nodes are documented in the manual, however most descriptions are pretty sparse at this point. If you want to get started with nodes you need to run Blender 2.92 or later. Until it is formally released, the best place to get alpha and beta Blender releases is here.

There are two example projects to get you started. The best one currently is this one which shows how to use nodes to scatter rocks across your scene. There is another project that will showcase how to procedurally create a tree, however this project is currently just a place holder.

You can learn more about Blender 2.92 and Geometry Nodes in the video below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IDoWONJ1e_w?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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Facebook Sponsor The Godot Game Engine

The Godot Game Engine have just been sponsored by Facebook Reality Labs. It comes in the form of a grant that is funding future XR (Virtual Reality/Augmented Reality) development. As a direct response to this grant, Bastiaan Olij is now going to be hired full time starting early 2021. In addition to being the lead developer on the Godot VR efforts, Bastiaan also worked on GDNative and other core Godot contributions. He also runs a very solid Godot technical YouTube channel available here.

Some details of the work he will be performing from the Godot news announcement:

  • OpenXR implementation for desktop and mobile. OpenXR is the new open standard for XR (Extended Reality, encompasses Advanced Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR)). The OpenXR specification reached version 1.0 in 2019, and now has multiple conformant implementations by major XR players (Oculus, Microsoft, Valve, and more!). As an open source, cross-platform and vendor neutral game engine, we’re thrilled by the support that IHVs are giving to OpenXR and want to rely on it as our main interface.
  • Extending Godot’s input action system to support VR specific actions across all devices based on their respective capabilities (hand tracking, controller sensors, buttons).
  • Adapt the XR plugin system to the new Vulkan renderer design. While Godot 3.2’s XR support is functional, the upcoming Godot 4.0 release changes all the rendering backend and needs work to make XR functional again.
  • Implement Vulkan rendering on Android. This is necessary for mobile VR devices such as Oculus Quest 2, and will benefit all Godot users who want to make Android games.
  • Various rendering optimizations:
    • Stereoscopic rendering enhancements, providing details about the eye for which an image is rendered.
    • Support for compositor layers, which make it possible to render e.g. UI as an overlay without going through the eye buffer with lens distortion, allowing for sharper and more stable UI.
    • Support for variable rate shading in Vulkan, providing performance gains with techniques such as foveated rendering.
    • Rendering optimizations for mobile, implementing alternative techniques to the ones suitable on desktop platforms for better mobile performance.

This Godot Engine sponsorship from Facebook is their second in less than a month. In November it was announced that Facebook had become corporate sponsors of the open source Blender development fund. Even if you aren’t a big fan of Facebook, this investment in the Godot engine should be a win for everyone. You can learn more about the grant in the video below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NNHyorGxwyU?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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UnrealCLR Awarded A Epic MegaGrant

The open source UnrealCLR project was just awarded an Epic MegaGrant. The Epic MegaGrant program was first announced back at GDC 2019 and consists of a $100M fund for supporting game and media development. Previous recipients have included Blender, Godot, RayLib, Laighter, ArmorPaint, Krita and more.

The UnrealCLR project (we previously covered including a small getting started tutorial) brings CLR or Common Language Runtime support to Unreal Engine. In a nutshell this enables C# and F# developers to develop in those languages in Unreal and even gives debugging and blueprint integration support. Even better it is implemented as a plugin so you do not have to build UE4 from source code. In their own words, UnrealCLR is described as:

UnrealCLR is a plugin which natively integrates .NET host into the Unreal Engine with the Common Language Runtime for direct execution of managed code to build a game/application logic using the full power of C# 9.0, F# 5.0, and .NET facilities with engine API. The project is aimed at stability, performance, and maintainability.

Details of the MegaGrant were announced on Twitter:

Congratulations to the UnrealCLR team! UnrealCLR is an open source project that is available here on GitHub under the LGPL license. You can learn more about UnrealCLR and the Epic MegaGrant program in the video below. If you want to get started with UnrealCLR we recommend you start here for more details.

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Godot 3.2.4 Beta 4 Released

Godot have just released a new version of Godot 3.2.4, beta 4. We have already discussed several of the recent improvements in the 3.2.4 release including 2D Sprite Batching and the new improved FBX Importer. In addition to further improvements in those areas and various bug fixes, the beta 4 release brings a few new features to the table.

Details from the Godot Engine blog:

In particular, this build adds optional GDNative support to the HTML5 target, on top of the pre-existing optional multithreading support. The HTML5 export templates now come in three flavors which you can select in the export preset: normal, threads enabled and GDNative enabled. Multithreading and dynamic linking (GDNative) can’t be used at the same time due to current WebAssembly limitations.
Note: Threads enabled and GDNative enabled templates are only available for standard builds for now, as there are other issues to solve to make them work with Mono.

Additionally, beta 4 adds support for MP3 loading and playback! Until recently, the MP3 audio format was patent-encumbered and could therefore not be included in Godot, but the last patent expired in 2017, so a MP3 loader and decoded could finally be implemented.

There are also a number of fixes to the rewritten FBX importer which should improve compatibility, so if you ran into issues with it in previous builds, make sure to retry your models!

You can learn more about Godot 3.2.4 in the video below, including a quick tutorial showing how to use MP3’s in your Godot game.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUAxteAiurs?feature=oembed&w=1500&h=844]
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Genshin Impact 1.2 adds a new map called ‘Dragonspine’

The current map in Genshin Impact is already extremely vast and takes even the most seasoned adventurer many hours to explore. Since Genshin released in September, developer miHoYo has released numerous updates for the game that have included extra events, new characters, fresh quests, and much more. To add to the already vast amount of content Genshin Impact has to offer, miHoYo has announced that the brand new snow-covered realm of Dragonspine will soon open to all intrepid explorers.

Dragonspine is a frigid area, so a new Sheer Cold bar has been added to make sure you can keep track of your temperature while exploring the biting cold. This should change up the way players go about exploring Genshin’s more treacherous terrain. A seasonal event is also on the way that will see you investigating a mysterious sword alongside Albedo, the Chief Alchemist and Captain of the Investigation Team of Mondstadt’s Knights of Favonius.

Genshin Impact version 1.2 is titled ‘The Chalk Prine and the Dragon’ and, beyond the new map, will also include two playable five-star characters, fresh ingredients, rare new artefacts, and recipes for multiple four-star weapons.

The expansion is set to drop on iOS, Android, PC, PS4, and PS5 on December 23 at no additional cost. You can check out the full trailer for Genshin Impact version 1.2 below.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dzpmNU8WJVg?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

And for more Genshin Impact goodness, be sure to take a look at our Genshin Impact codes list and Genshin Impact ingredients guide.

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Monster Hunter Rise demo release date set for January

Capcom has premiered an enticing new trailer for Monster Hunter Rise at The Game Awards 2020 and announced a demo set to arrive in January 2021. The latest gameplay footage shows off two all-new monsters who’ll make their grand debuts in next year’s title: Bishaten, a strange beast with a distinctive tail, and aquatic leviathan Somnacanth.

Beyond the newcomers, we also get a good look at some returning critters, including the Royal Ludroth and the birdlike Great Wroggi. Just because they’re old, doesn’t mean they’re any less deadly.

While we already knew about the Shrine Ruins hunting grounds, Capcom has now revealed Monster Hunter Rise’s new Flooded Forest area. This, as the name suggests, is a water-logged and overgrown space that could prove rather treacherous for inexperienced hunters. Thankfully, you’ll have your trusty grapple hook to help you traverse the terrain with relative style and grace.

With the Monster Hunter Rise release date set for March 26, it’s fair to say that we still have a bit of a wait on our hands.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHCVxQTZLu4?modestbranding=1&rel=0&feature=oembed]

The upcoming demo will surely help to tide over impatient fans for the time being, but if your hype levels are already stratospheric, our first impressions are that this could be the best Monster Hunter game to date.

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VoxEdit Beta Hands-On

VoxEdit is a free 3D Voxel graphics editor you can freely download for Windows and Mac OS here, with a Linux version mentioned as “coming soon”. The application is actually designed as the content creation tool for The Sandbox a voxel based game platform where artists can monetize their voxel creations. That said, the modelling portions support exporting in OBJ, FBX and GLTF formats making it useful for use with other engines and DCC tools. The animation tools however cannot export except to the Sandbox marketplace.

The modelling tools have the following features:

  • All-in-One software (Model, Rig, and Animate)
  • Incredible performance
  • Available for Windows and Mac
  • Amazing voxel creation tools
  • High level of detail models
  • Advanced Renderer
  • Versatile Color Palette
  • Friendly 3D environment

These are the key features if you are using VoxEdit as a straight out voxel modelling tool. However if you are intending to publish on the Sandbox marketplace, the tool also has advanced animation features, as well as the ability to define and texture voxel blocks. Neither of these features however support exporting into “open” file formats.

If VoxEdit isn’t to your taste for Voxel modelling, be sure to check out BlockBench or possibly MagicaVoxel for alternatives. You can learn more about VoxEdit in the video below.