Gaming News

It's BobLAN week - usual advice applies: before you pack up and set off...

Check for Windows updates, fire up all your game managers (Steam, EA Play, Epic, Ubisoft etc) and allow all games to update, and check Discord for the latest games list.

And yes, it's ok to be a little bit excited :)

The latest update to Modern Warfare II arrived yesterday, bringing with it The Haunting - a transformation of Al Mazrah into something that's really a bit rubbish. Alongside the usual AI you also get hellish bosses spawning which you need to deal with (although they do drop decent loot when you kill them). An added incentive is that certain kills result in you being able to collect Souls - these can be used to trade for skins, blueprints, Double XP tokens etc. Some might like it, others may not, but whatever your view, The Haunting only lasts for 20 days in total and will have finished by BobLAN!

The first major to run on Counter-Strike 2 is currently underway down under. The Intel Extreme Masters event in Sydney says goodbye to CS:GO and hello to CS2, and so far things are looking good. Not sure what they are running on in terms of dedicated server - guessing they have access to one that the general public don't yet. You can follow the matches live on Twitch right now.

It's only 4 weeks until the official start of BobLAN 2023.2, and Bob's food preparation is already underway! Game chat will be in Discord as usual - the big question is the state of the CS2 serves. Will we have an official dedicated server, or will someone be running their client as a server?

No doubt there will be plenty of Warzone 2, Battlefield of varying flavours and Wreckfest/Grid Autosport/Assetto Corsa. Maybe not so much PUBG tho this time, given that Warzone 2 is free and tbh just better.

More updates to follow when the LAN gets closer!

Counter-Strike Global Offensive has been one of the longest serving multiplayer games there has ever been, having been originally released back in 2012. It has been a mainstay of BobLANs, and more recently Friday Night Gaming courtesy of Pup's cloud servers. However its time is up, and overnight it was replaced in Steam by Counter-Strike 2, based on a modern engine and featuring many new graphical and gameplay improvements.

All that said, it is expected that the majority of the gameplay will still feel familiar to CSGO players and the transition should be seamless provided your PC has the clout to maintain a high frame rate in the more demanding game.

If you want to see some comparisons between CSGO and CS2, then I recommend watching the videos on 3kliksphilip, who provides some great analysis of how maps and gameplay have changed throughout the CS2 beta programme.

Will we still be playing CS2 in 13 years time? Who knows, and maybe then it will be the next next generation taking us pensioners to the cleaners every Friday night :D

Following yesterday's release of Modern Warfare 2 Season 6, it turns out there are far more changes than expected. Some of the Buy Station items have risen massively in price, with an Advanced UAV rising from $12k to $200k. Large Backpacks and 3-Plate Carriers have almost doubled in price whilst the Ammo Box has risen by 5x its original price.

Many weapons have seen buffs and nerfs, with most of the buffs going to the less popular weapons in a bid to bring them back into use. There is also a definite split between MWII and Warzone with how the weapons are balanced.

Another major change is that assimilation can now only result in a maximum squad size of four rather than six. Yes, it will help combat Chinese pre-made platoons but won't help squads that get wiped. This and the AUAV price will definitely favour solo players however, which is no bad thing following previous changes that harmed solos.

Plenty of bugs have been fixed, but it would come as no surprise if plenty new ones have been introduced. As stated in the terms and conditions, this is still a beta after all!

Read the full patch notes on callofduty.com

Season 6 of Modern Warfare 2 arrives next week, and given that Halloween will occur mid-season, it definitely has a horror theme. The main highlights, taken from callofduty.com, are:

• Two Core, two Gunfight Maps at launch. Deploy to one new original and one returning map in both Core and Gunfight, from an extravagant Las Almas estate to a classic live fire range where kings reign.
• Two Haunting Map reskins at mid-season. El Asilo celebrates Dia de Muertos, while Embassy becomes the site of a bloody zombie attack.
• A frightening twist on classic modes. Jump scares, skulls, zombies, and more descend on your favourite classic modes, including twisted takes on Domination, Kill Confirmed, Grind, Drop Zone, and Infected.

Not a great deal there for DMZ, but hopefully we'll see some more new missions available. No mention of any resets which is good news.

Read the full details on callofduty.com

Season 5 of Modern Warfare 2 Warzone 2 arrives today with a few new very interesting features. You can read the full release note here but these are the highlights for DMZ:

• Disguise Field Upgrade - Built for pure stealth engagements, the Disguised Field Upgrade allows you to appear as a member of a DMZ Combatant (AI) Faction. Equip the Disguise and DMZ Combatants of the same faction will not attack unless you blow your cover and act aggressively towards them.
• Battle Revive - An experimental stimulant offering an adrenaline rush as you complete a self-revive: A Self-Revive mixed with pure Battle Rage! After using it to get up from Last Stand, it immediately activates Battle Rage’s effects, allowing you to heal more quickly. The Tactical Sprint is also constantly refreshed for a short period of time.
• Self-Revive Box - Much like an Armour Box, this Field Upgrade holds multiple Self-Revive Kits. Perfect for squad-based infiltrations.
• Scuba Gas Mask - This is a Gas Mask that also acts as a Rebreather, providing protection from radioactive winds, gas, and allows for underwater breathing for an extended period of time.

Reminder that the Intel Extreme Masters event in Cologne starts on Wednesday 26th July. Follow it in the usual places: Twitter and Twitch (note the new channel names - ESLCS rather than ESL_CSGO)

A major update to Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 has introduced a number of changes to the game, some controversial, some welcome, and along with it serious performance issues.

As usual with a CoD update, weapon stats have been updated with a few improved (eg the shotguns) and several nerfed (eg the ISO 45). Other major changes are in the plea system, map rotations and the introduction of the MX Guardian auto shotgun.

There are plenty of sources for the patch notes but here's a good read on dexerto.

The Steam Summer Sale is now on. Head over to the Steam Store to grab yourself a game costing slightly less than RRP!

Tomorrow sees the start of Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2, Season 4. The new season introduces a new map (Vondel, sized somewhere between Al Mazrah and Ashika) along with new weapons and changes to gameplay, storage, money etc. There are far too many changes to list here, so head over to callofduty.com for a roundup, or watch one of Stodeh's or Westie's videos for a gamer's perspective.

The playoffs for the Intel Extreme Masters CS:GO event in Dallas start later today. The ESL Twitter account will provide full coverage and you can watch live on Twitch.

We now have some details about the upcoming Nvidia RTX4060 series launch that starts later this month. There will be three flavours - 4060, 4060Ti (8GB) and 4060Ti (16GB). The Founders Editions will not include the 16GB Ti model, meaning you will only be able to get this from AIB manufacturers. Pricing will be equivalent to prices the the same models in the previous two generations, which is good news.

You can read all about the RTX4060 series at Nvidia and watch JayzTwoCents cover the news in his own unique style!

Here are a couple of videos from 3kliksphilip highlighting some of the interesting additions in CS2 and comparing features to CS:GO. Some are fairly benign but others will impact gameplay substantially.

Here are the links to the first and second videos in this series so far.

Another BobLAN is over and if anyone else feels the way I do, you will have gone from childlike excitement before to abject dispair after :)

What a LAN though?! In terms of numbers this one is up there with the best attended - we had 19 playing CS:GO on Friday, followed by 20 taking part in the Pup Quiz. Amazing! Bob confirmed that we had 15 people staying over plus the locals who walked there each day and a few joining remotely.

In terms of the games played, the new kid on the block was Call of Duty Warzone 2 - great fun but not many can play at once. Of the regular games, CS:GO did well, as did Wreckfest and the GRIDs. We also played some PUBG, Battlefield 1 and 2042, Titanfall 2 and Team Fortress 2. There was no Back4Blood, Left4Dead or Rockband this time. Outside of gaming, we did watch all of the coverage of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix over the course of the weekend. View the full schedule on our BobLAN page.

Food was the usual excellent standard, particularly the breakfasts, Thursday curry/chilli and Friday pulled pork, and for the first time in a while all takeaway food was present and correct! Not only was the food great, BobLAN Premium customers could also take advantage of the new PC cleaning service :)

As usual, huge thanks to Bob and Lynda for hosting us and giving us the ability to meet up and keep in touch with each other - very much appreciated by all!

The first day went way too quickly, and the big hit was Call of Duty Modern Warfare 2 Warzone 2 - the free-to-play squad-based FPS. Other games to feature included CS:GO (of course), PUBG and Wreckfest. The full schedule is available on the BobLAN page and on Discord.

BobLAN 2023.1 is officially underway. Early setup was last night and the majority of gamers have started arriving today!

This should be a bank holiday! It is 25 years to the day that a bunch of geeks gathered round desks in Tech Support and decided to form a QuakeWorld clan to take the MCW by storm. That part didn't exactly go to plan, but thanks to LAN parties first at Reubs' house, then chez-Bob and more recently on Pup's AWS servers, we have stayed together as a group, and even grown as the next generation has come on board.

Will we still be having BobLANs in another 25 years time? Who knows!

It is now only one week to BobLAN 2023.1. Safe travels to all those attending, and those joining remotely will be able to keep up via the usual channels - Discord, Twitter and our dedicated BobLAN page.