Gaming News

Eric Sauvageau, the developer behind the Merlin firmware for Asus routers, has published his plans for 2018. This is largely focussed on moving to the new codebase that more recent Asus routers use, and taking advantage of any opportunties that may bring.

Some older router models, such as the RT-N66U and RT-AC66U, may lose the ability to update to the latest firmware versions. Some models already have the new version, with the popular RT-AC68U due to receive its update early in the new year.

Read the full readmap on SNB Forums

The annual Steam Holiday Sale is now on, running into early January. Visit the Steam Store to pickup a bargain, or at least something costing a little less than usual!

Independent driver developer Merlin has released version 380.69 for all supported models of Asus router. The update includes various fixes and security enhancements, plus the ability to disable Asus NAT tunnelling (a CPU and memory hog)

Read the full changelog on Merlin's site

The much anticipated full release of what is the world's most popular game is scheduled for 20th December 2017. The full version will bring several new features, including the new desert map Miramar, new vehicles (the jetski sounds fun) and some new weapons, for example a sawn off shotgun to occupy a sidearm slot, and a Winchester rifle. The ability to jump over small obstacles will also make its debut.

You can read plenty about it on pcgamesn and also on Gamespot

Highlights...

• Thembot PC!
• Wij Racing board game win
• Mes - CS killing room
• Thembot PUBG parachute death
• Pup's 0.002 second win against Dan in Grid

Great gaming...

• Loving the PUBG, a fantastic concept - let's hope they tidy up some of the rough edges. Great tactics by Thembot. But need microphones, even in same room - so you can hear footsteps and team chatter.
• Battlefront II a bit of a mixed bag. Some great potential - but you're essentially just running in for kills until you get able to play as a special (AT-AT, BobbaFett, A-Wing, etc) which is where the real fun seems to be. And not good for groups - no one likes spending 15 minutes in a queue
• CS - standard. A couple of tweaks for next time - would nice to be able to play dust 1. Would like grenades included (or the ability to do so) in gun game
• Grid - standard. Very inclusive.
• Rock Band - standard
• Rocket league - standard. Always enjoy. Could probably have played more of it
• Doom - great fun for a blast
• battleborn - doesn't even boot. Couldn't get working. Shame - might have been fun (and free)
• Overwatch - still a bit too expensive for wide spread play - maybe one to try next time as a TF2 style game
• Fuzz ball - had a game with Shane. Seems to get neglected these days
• Battlefield 1 - enjoyed, but we didn't seem to play much?

Other bits...

• Graphics - anything in the 10x0 range of cards will rock any game at the moment
• Hardware - ASUS ROG 27 monitor continues to be the monitor of the Lanners... 1440p is a great Res without impacting frame rate too much
• Network - killed a few times by big install copies - let's try and get the game list circulated and agree a little sooner next time
• People - would be completely remiss not to say that the real highlight of every LAN is the people... awesome to see you all

And finally, how could we forget Rockband Bohemian Rhapsody - view the evidence on youtube

The Autumn 2017 BobLAN is well underway. Games played so far include CS:GO, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, Battlefield 1 and GRiD Autosport. We're averaging 6-a-side, which is great fun. More updates to follow...

It's BobLAN 2017.2 eve, so make sure you have all updated your PCs and all games that we are likely to play. Don't forget to start all the game managers - Steam, Origin, Uplay, Bethesda.net etc, and let them do all their heavy lifting before you set off.

As always, the LAN schedule and webcam will be available on our dedicated BobLAN page. We tested the webcam yesterday, and these was around 7 seconds of delay, so not too bad. The camera will be enabled for general viewing tomorrow.

With the revamped version of Dust2 now live, it seemed like a good time to post an interview with the original creator of Dust2. Whilst not involved in the remake, Dave Johnston shares his views on current map making and Dust2's longevity (it was created in 2001!)

Read more on Rock, Paper, Shotgun

The iconic Dust 2 map is being given an overhaul to bring it in line with the graphical style of more recent maps. You can view the before/after images on counter-strike.net

The map is currently in beta, but we should be able to get it in time for BobLAN next month!

Slegdehammer Games, the developers behind the upcoming Call of Duty: WWII, have announced on their site that the multiplayer beta will be available to PC gamers on 29th September 2017.

Due for general release on 3rd November, you can get early access via Steam (although it doesn't say yet if you need to preorder in order to access the beta).

Timing-wise, this could be a BobLAN contender!

The next installment in the Age of Empires series has been announced, over 10 years after the previous version. The game will be created by Relic Entertainment, who are responsible for the highly acclaimed Warhammer 40,000 and Company of Heroes series.

You can view a short trailer on Youtube (no gameplay footage as yet).

The BBC have announced that online channel BBC3 will air six weeks of e-Sports events. You can catch the action on Fridays from 8.45pm, Saturdays from 9pm and Sunday from 5pm on BBC Three's website or BBC iPlayer.

Read more on the BBC3 site

The dates for the second BobLAN of 2017 have been announced. The LAN will take place from Thursday 16th until Sunday 19th November. The LAN Party page and Forums Topic are up and available - what do we fancy playing this time?!

Merlin has released the latest firmware for Asus routers. Plenty of additions, internal upgrades and fixes. Check out the changelog for full details.

Bethesda announced at E3 that the Wolfenstein franchise will return with Wolfenstein 2 - The New Colussus. This is the follow-up to 2014's The New Order, and sees the uprising against the Nazis taking place in the USA. More details and release date to follow when available.

Fans of the Far Cry series will be pleased to hear that the fifth installment is scheduled for release in February 2018. The game is set in Hope County, Montana, and you can find a trailer for the game on youtube

The Quake Champions beta has added a new game mode - Sacrifice. This is a 4 vs 4 competitive team mode and sounds a lot like the old KTeams and similar mods that we played back in the late 90's. This is going to be the primary game mode for e-sports in the future.

This weekend saw a few new games enter service, with a few old favourites falling by the wayside. By far the most popular newcomer was Titanfall 2, which saw many hours of gameplay. DOOM also made a good showing. We did try Battlefield 1 but only for a couple of hours. Not sure why - it played really well and the visuals were stunning. Similarly, we only played the Quake Champions beta for a short time. CS:GO and GRiD Autosport proved as popular as ever, and the Rocket League tournaments returned (albeit with a good deal of mincing between matches)

Games that didn't feature included Day of Defeat, HalfLife DM, Team Fortress 2, Battlefield 3 and Left4Dead. However, the biggest surprise was the return of Unreal Tournament 2004, last played in 2009. We hadn't played it for a while as it didn't work with more recent versions of Windows, but somehow it worked fine in Windows 10.

Needless to say, the hosting of the LAN was awesome - great work Bob and Lynda! It was also great to catch up with all the guys who travelled from far and wide to be here. Let the countdown begin to the Autumn BobLAN!

It is 19 years to the day that DFC were officially accepted into the MCW QuakeWorld League, hosted by BarrysWorld. Happy Birthday to us!

The wait is over, it's BobLAN day (and Star Wars day for good measure!)