As the military buffs among you might have guessed from the name, Locked On introduces a brand new radar system. Various tanks, choppers, helicopters, and ground units benefit from the addition and are now able to scan the skies and detect hostile activity. Using this powerful new tool makes you visible to enemies, however, so you may want to occasionally forego the advantages it brings and turn the damn attention-bringing thing off.
Of the vehicular skirmish games out in the wild, few are as expansive as War Thunder – players have been battling across land, air, and sea since 2013. That’s a whole lot of warfare, but developer Gaijin Entertainment is rather good at keeping its fuel tank full – the latest top up comes courtesy of update 1.87, titled Locked On.
Update 1.87 also gives you access to somewhere in the region of 30 new vehicles. There are French helicopters, all manner of cruisers, a Japanese supersonic jet, the M1A1 Abrams tank, and the Soviet 2S6 Tunguska – the very first surface-to-air missile system (SAM) in the game.
On top of all of this there are also two new maps, so War Thunder’s latest update gives you loads of reasons to jump back into the cockpit.
GO FULL THROTTLE IN A SUPERSONIC JET
War Thunder has a new fastest jet: the Japanese Mitsubishi T-2. This imposing piece of hardware can reach an incredible mach 1.6, so if you ever invite it to a party, expect it to turn up about a week early. You’ll feel the speed in your heart, chest, and violently rippling cheeks, so make sure to bring a sick bag.
To level the playing field somewhat, update 1.87 also gives AA gunners a leg up. If you’re trying to tag a jet from an anti-aircraft gun, fear not, because you’ll now find a HUD that lets you track and lead more effectively. Just shoot at the little green icon that appears ahead of the aircraft and you’ll counter the intense speed on show.
SCAN THE SKIES WITH RADAR
Locked On adds the aforementioned radar system to an array of vehicles, including tanks, aircraft, and choppers. If you’re on the ground, radio detection is designed to safeguard your forces, helping you track and ultimately destroy aerial threats. But ground forces don’t get to have all the fun because aircraft and helicopters receive alerts whenever someone spots them.
Essentially, pilots have radar for the radar: aces are warned if they’re about to be shot out the sky, giving them enough time to evade an attack. In response, anti-aircraft vehicles can disable their radar to go radio silent and disappear from scanners in the sky. This tense electronic warfare adds a whole new dynamic to War Thunder’s pitched battles.
BLAST OPPONENTS WITH SURFACE-TO-AIR MISSILES
A tracked SPAAW (self-propelled anti-aircraft weapon), the Soviet 2S6 Tunguska is a formidable beast. Armed with eight 9M311 SAM missiles it’ll soon put a dent in your opponents’ so-called air supremacy. If you see anything moving in the clouds, this 35 tonne bit of kit gives you full license to engage it. Unless it’s a bird, of course. There’s no need to kill birds.
You’re not strictly limited to aircraft, though. The Tunguska is able to combat armoured ground vehicles, too. Hey, missiles don’t discriminate – if you point one at something, it’s bound to blow up.
BATTLE IN NEW LOCATIONS
Finally, update 1.87 offers two new combined-arms locations. First up is the Alaska map, which plays host to some of the most intense fighting yet seen in the game. It’s a delightful combination of wide city streets that are perfect for rampaging tanks, and dense surrounding forests where precise driving and a keen sense of direction are key.
Second is Coral Islands, a gorgeous playground based in the Pacific. This setting is designed to give fleet vessels and aircraft a rush as they engage each other around a rocky atoll. Okay, that’s it from us – best of luck out there!
Launched in 2013, Warface is a military shooter built on a bedrock of satisfying gunplay, slick movement, and sharp visuals. That probably comes as little surprise given that it was originally created by Crytek, but the game has proven so successful that the development team has formed its own studio called Blackwood Games. Working closely with publisher My.com, Blackwood ensures Warface always offers fierce firefights, an array of competitive modes, and a set of engaging story-led cooperative missions.
This confection has been crafted in CryEngine 3.5, a rather powerful but convincingly scalable bit of tech. Thanks to that foundation, Warface runs well on a wide range of rigs and looks great doing so. This is the engine behind Crysis, after all, and it’s a boon to get those fantastic visuals – and the infamous nanosuit itself – in a free-to-play game.
On top of all that, a healthy stream of free updates ensures that Warface frequently provides fresh and exciting new stuff to see and do. That helps pull in the punters, of course, which means there’s always plenty of human targets waiting for your bullets. It all adds up to a package that offers a little more than your average free-to-play effort, and we’re going to show you why that’s the case.
EMBARK ON PVE MISSIONS WITH YOUR SQUAD
There are many free-to-play shooters vying for your time, but few offer dedicated co-op campaigns. Warface does, and this variety makes it stand out from the crowd. Its story-driven PvE mode consists of nine special operations that test your five-person squad’s reactions and tactics. One such operation, The Great White, is a wave-based survival mission set in a glimmering glass and chrome skyscraper. Alternatively, you could try your hand at Anubis, in which you must destroy a cyborg factory inside an Egyptian pyramid. For an even hotter time, give Volcano a go, where your team launches an attack on an African research station before having a showdown with a security turret called Ursula. She’s very upset and cries bullets.
Each mission is replayable, offering different rewards at higher difficulties. For example, normal mode provides twice the amount of rewards easy does, but according to the stats just 7% of all squads are successful – so you’d best prepare yourself for a challenge. The most able players can double their currency rewards in pro mode, where enemies that deal enormous damage call for intimate class knowledge and coordinated teamwork. Given the odds offered for success in normal, however, we don’t fancy our chances much.
IT’S GOT BATTLE ROYALE
Battle royale is all the rage now, and Warface has joined the party. The mode takes the game’s robust mechanics and applies them to the familiar every-person-for-themselves setup, although there’s slightly less jumping out of buses in this one. Featuring 32 players fighting for survival, it may be smaller than the traditional 100-player versions of the mode you’re used to, but it’s the biggest skirmish Warface has seen to date, and it gives you a large-scale alternative to the game’s signature tight, close-quarters matches.
Warface’s take on battle royale was originally limited to Mojave, a desert map baking under the hot sun, but the mode has since extended to the Pripyat-set Exclusion Zone map, too. The devastation wrought by Chernobyl works as great lore for Exclusion Zone, with radioactive particles spread by a massive storm shrinking the playable area until there’s just one soldier left. While battle royale is only one part of Warface, it could be the mode that draws you in first.
WAGE WAR ACROSS 20 MAPS AND TEN MODES
Warface’s PvP offers exactly the kind of multiplayer mayhem you’d expect from a development team that honed its craft on Crysis. And thanks to constant support and updates, the game’s community has remained consistently active, meaning you’ll always be able to find a game.
Competitive players can do battle across ten different modes, from the aforementioned Battle Royale, to classic picks such as Team Deathmatch and Plant the Bomb. Also in the mix are more inventive modes such as Storm, in which the attacking team must capture specific objectives as the defenders attempt to disrupt them, and Destruction, where you utilise radios to call airstrikes on opposition bases.
In terms of locations, there’s a generous smattering of oil depots, hangers, farms, forests, and downtown districts across Warface’s 20 maps. Collectively they offer a good mix of close, medium, and long-range encounters, which helps the game feel fresh and varied from match to match. There are plenty of good hiding spots, too.
IT REALLY IS COMPLETELY FREE TO PLAY
You don’t have to buy a single unit of currency to enjoy Warface, which is nice. There’s no restrictive paywall, and you won’t be swamped with prompts to buy anything. However, should you choose to, you can spend the in-game currency you earn through playing on a variety of items in the microtransaction store.
Completing PvP matches or PvE missions rewards you with currency, which is used to rent weapons, buy armour, and obtain new skins. Vendor Points fuel progression through the Arsenal tree, which features three categories of weapons, attachments, and equipment. You’ll earn all this currency at a steady rate, but if you want to speed up the process, you can purchase VIP Booster packs with premium currency. Crucially, however, this is always optional and never mandatory.
REGULAR UPDATES KEEP YOU COMING BACK
Blackwood Games continually updates Warface to give players new and interesting content. The most recent addition is the new Sanctuary map, which features beautiful pink blossom trees, a cascading waterfall, and a well-tended rock garden. It’s the perfect tranquil paradise in which to open fire. And talking of weapons, a devastating SAP-6 pump-action shotgun that knocks enemies flying is now available.
Modes refresh too, with new challenges added daily to the PvE missions. There’s also a regular stream of weapon and body skins to help you stand out. We’re partial to the Crysis Nanosuit ourselves, which acts as a nostalgic nod to the development team’s past at Crytek. Oh, and for an extra incentive, you also get daily login bundles of cash and items. Warfaceis truly a living game, because there’s something new to try every day. We’ll see you online.
Anyone who has seen almost any sci-fi movie knows that we’ve got our work cut out for us if the machines ever do rise up. In open-world survival game Generation Zero, there’s a whole bunch of killer metal monsters roaming around baying for blood. They range from dog-sized machines, to the general shape and tonnage of an industrial harvester. But it’s not onions and beetroot they want to scoop up from the fields. It’s you.
Don’t worry, however, because we’re here to help. This handy beginner’s guide will show you where to get some powerful weapons early on, how best to take down the heartless bits of hardware making your life a misery, and offer a few general tips on what to do to get off to an amazing start.
Before we talk tactics, however, remember that while you can get together with up to three people online, you can also play the game solo. Forming a squad isn’t mandatory, then, but bear in mind that most activities in life are better with friends – even surviving a robot uprising.
Whether you buddy up or not, your aim is to run around Avalanche Studio’s lovingly reimagined ’80s Sweden, looting gear while trying to avoid eradication. It’s all pleasantly streamlined, with no NPCs to hand out missions, and no hunger or thirst meters to worry about. Right then, let’s cut the chatter and get out there – we believe in you.
WHERE TO FIND THE HUNTER’S RIFLE
The hunter’s rifle is incredibly effective in Generation Zero. It lets you take out enemies at range, and that’s going to prove particularly useful in the rolling hills of Sweden. It’s also very easy to miss, however.
To get your hands on it, you have to follow the road from the starting area until you come to an abandoned car. It’s between the first house and the church – just stick to the road and you’ll spot it. Search the car for a note, and it’ll point you to a house located north-west of Björknäs-skogen, on the coast.
Head into the house to find the rifle and various ammo boxes scattered around, and then dip inside the garage for a high-powered scope. Make sure to watch out for prowling robots outside, though.
DON’T MISS THE HIDDEN SHOTGUN
The second weapon you really can’t afford to miss is the shotgun. It’s located in the Iboholmen church, which you’ll come across naturally during the tutorial mission. There’s a note in the church alluding to a ‘hiding place’, which is fun to try and find for yourself – but hey, if you’re reading this you want answers. We get it.
So, to claim your prize, make your way through the gloom to the wooden staircase at the back and ascend all the way to the bell tower. The shotgun should be right in front of you, along with some shells for it. Now you have a shotgun and sniper rifle, letting you take on enemies at both close and long range – not to mention look pretty cool with those tools slung over your shoulder.
DISMANTLE EARLY ENEMIES
As we’ve mentioned once or twice already, the world is full of robots waiting to kill you. Your crime? Having skin, apparently. We suspect it’s down to jealousy, but fret not – there are several ways you can combat the machines’ war on dermis. Firstly, depending on where you shoot them, they’ll break apart in different ways – remember to account for bullet drop if engaging at range – and, brilliantly, any damage you inflict will remain indefinitely.
THE FURTHER YOU TRAVEL INTO THE ISLAND, THE BIGGER THE ROBOTS GET
If your aim’s good enough, the early dog-shaped robots are easily felled with a single, explosive shot to the fuel tank on their backs. You can also shoot off their mounted gun and force them into melee mode – upon which they’ll adopt a kicking strategy.
It’s also worth noting that there’s no difficulty scaling in the game. Instead, the further you travel into the island, the bigger the robots get. So don’t go too far inland until you have some good gear and character upgrades under you belt. Speaking of which…
GIVE ROBOTS THE SLIP
Let’s talk stealth. The first character upgrade we recommend grabbing is ‘spotting’. This lets you scan enemies to see their health bar. It’s really useful because it allows you to make an educated call on whether you should try engaging a robot or not. Deciding when to head into battle and when to avoid combat is central to Generation Zero, and much of the time being sneaky is your best option.
If you need to make yourself scarce, a good option is using a boombox. Yes, making a lot of noise feels counter-intuitive, but bear with us here. You can find boomboxes quite easily around the world, and if you drop one and hit the play button, it’ll lure enemies over like a synth-pop siren. This is useful both for distracting them while you scarper, or to bait them into traps. If you don’t have a music system to hand, then you could use fireworks instead. They operate slightly differently, stunning robots so that you can get away.
Also, remember that rain is your friend in Generation Zero. The sound of raindrops hitting the ground will actually mask your footsteps. And don’t forget that foliage conceals you too, so make sure to duck inside a bit of shrubbery when enemies are nearby.
USE THE ENVIRONMENT TO YOUR ADVANTAGE
It’s not just guns that help you kill enemies. In Generation Zero, you can use the world itself. For instance, electrical boxes explode when damaged, emitting a devastating burst of electricity and zapping any unfortunate robot that happens to be standing nearby. Bait foes over to these boxes, using flares or the tactics described above, and have yourself a good old fry up. A nice bonus of using this strategy is that electricity won’t damage the parts robots drop, so you can use it to get better loot.
If you’re happy with charred spoils, however, you can take enemies out quickly with a car explosion. It may destroy some of the loot you would otherwise have bagged, but it also looks incredibly cool. One shot to any vehicle’s engine will do it. Time it right and you’ll take out several bots in one awesome fireball.
HOW DOES MULTIPLAYER WORK?
In Generation Zero, you can easily jump in and out of people’s games. The host of a game you join will always save mission progress, and the state of the world is based on where the host is in their story. However, if you’re a guest, your progress will still save as long as you’re at roughly the same point in the story – don’t expect to leapfrog a chunk of the experience by joining someone who is much further along than you, however!
In every scenario, loot and experience will always be saved. So you can jump into someone’s game, let them guide you to some good loot, and then take that loot back to your own game. It’s easier said than done with all those robots, but hopefully some experienced close protection will help even the odds a little. Right, we’ve done all we can for you. Best of luck out there!
Minecraft shaders. What is a Minecraft shader? Why is it? And for how long? Well, Minecraft has a lot of things in its favour: infinite replayability, massively varied gameplay and a constantly changing and improving online game. Where Minecraft falters in comparison to other modern games is its graphics. Fortunately, as with everything in Minecraft, the graphical fidelity can be tweaked to incredible effect with the help of mods called shaders.
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From photorealistic lighting to uncanny motion blur, shaders are capable of bringing your Minecraft experience to life. Every shader has its own unique qualities, whether that’s injecting some serious style or providing a lag-free boost to Minecraft’s base visuals. So, in order to set you on your way to crystal-clear vistas we’ve put together a collection of the top Minecraft shaders out there.
If you’re looking for the original Minecraft shaders mod headhere – it’s great for adding some light sparkle to Mojang’s aesthetic, rather than turning the world neon or anything mad like that.
HOW TO INSTALL MINECRAFT SHADERS
Getting a shader or shader pack up and running on Minecraft is a simple enough process. Before you get started trying to install a shader pack though, you’ll want to download and install Forge and Optifine and GLSL Shaders Mod. Alternatively, you can download the original shaders mod here, which is regularly updated for Minecraft’s latest versions, although downloads for 1.9 and up won’t be compatible with Forge and Optifine.
Head to Forge’s download page and select the download for the version of Minecraft you’re running. Once downloaded, locate the file and run it, which should bring a install window up. Check it’s located your Minecraft folders and then click ‘Install client’. To check it’s working, run Minecraft and select Forge as your profile – this should give you a new screen with your mods and programs listed in the bottom left-hand corner.
Optifine will require roughly the same procedure, but after downloading you’ll have to locate the Minecraft folder yourself. To do so hit [Windows key]+ R and type %appdata%\.minecraft into the run prompt. Now just drag and drop OptiFine into your ‘mods’ folder.
Finally, it’s time to grab the GLSL Shaders Mod. Head to their page and download the correct version before once again dragging and dropping it into the ‘mods’ folder. Now you have everything you should need to run shaders. The install process in no different than the rest except you’ll want to place the shader packs into… you guessed it… ‘shaderpacks’ folder.
WAVING PLANTS SHADERS
Breathing a little more life into Minecraft in a much less in-your-face photogenic way is Waving Plants Shaders, a nature centric graphics mod that lends subtle animations to all things green. This shader has been made to be compatible with the major shader packs such as SEUS, making the final effect even more impressive. It’s not just grass that’s been given some motion either, this shader gives every piece of vanilla fauna – from lilies to nether warts – a visual boost.
SONIC ETHER’S UNBELIEVABLE SHADERS
The touchstone shader pack for anyone wanting to feel like they’ve entered an entirely different game. Named SEUS for short, this pack is a modification on another much-loved shader pack, and as such it’ll have your Minecraft world looking about as good as you can ever expect it to. Soft natural lighting, rain that adds a glossy sheen to every surface it touches, procedurally generated clouds and much more await you.
CONTINUUM SHADERS
An unofficial add-on to the already dazzling SEUS Shader Pack, this graphics overhaul is the modder’s equivalent of the Sistine Chapel. Upon installing this shader you’ll be greeted with photo-realistic lighting effects: colour gradients across the sky box, true-to-life clouds, and shadows that adjust in shape and angle with the sun’s position. Everything here is top-notch. Unfortunately, such results come with the caveat of needing a mighty rig, but when visual fidelity like this is on the line it’s worth it. There’s a lite version available as well if you consider upgrading your PC for the sake of running a Minecraft shader a little excessive. Wuss.
KUDA SHADER
The KUDA shader makes a number of notable improvements to natural lighting in Minecraft, but this shader’s pièce de résistance is its gloriously enhanced sun rays. Resembling those benevolent beams of light you only seem to get at the least sociable hours of daylight, KUDA shader turns any rural scene into a masterpiece. There’s an impressive depth of field effect too, making this a solid shader for Minecraft artwork and screengrabs.
SUPER SHADERS
Light yellow tones, a subtle depth of field effect and pristinely rendered water make Super Shaders an ideal graphics mod for lending Minecraft a serene and idyllic atmosphere. It comes with some of the most realistic clouds and lighting available too, which is fantastic for capturing your creations at their very best.
LAGLESS SHADERS
Experimenting, tinkering and modding like the mad scientists we are comes with the cost of severely reduce performance – not every budding Minecraft engineer has a computer rig capable of dealing with the demands of high-fidelity visuals. Thankfully, some clever so-and-so madelagless shaders, giving everyone a taste of jaw-dropping visuals with no framerate drops to speak of.
SUMMER SUNSET
Few things compare to the warming glow of a summer sunset. That’s why this Minecraft modder decided to make a shader capable of bestowing all of those feelings of nostalgia and carefree-living upon your Minecraft world. Perfect for getting you through a dark and gloomy January afternoon or convincing yourself you’ve spent time outside on a hot June day.
NAELEGO’S CEL SHADERS
Add some crisp, cartoony visuals to proceedings with this Borderlands-inspired, cel-shaded look. This expertly crafted shader introduces bold colours, crisp outlines and solid shadows in order to emulate the look of a classic comic or cartoon.
MRMEEPZ’ SHADER PACK
Specially made for low-end setups, this humble shader gives lighting, effects and animations a dramatic boost with little to no toll on how well the game will run for you. Staggeringly, the MrMeepz’ Shaders packstill manages to include all the features of its performance-draining counterparts, such as water reflections, natural shadows and hosts of animations.
ACID SHADERS
Flawless visuals and breathtaking sunsets are one thing, but if you want to make your Minecraft session a little psychedelic there are few shaders as effective as this aptly named mind-bender. Looking towards the horizon will cause everything in view to twist and distort, folding the world in on itself and falling away in a single motion – it’s stomach-churning stuff. Load up a horror map with this shader turned on and you’re all set for a Minecraftian nightmare.
RUDOPLAYS SHADERS
Every shader has its best feature, this one has lots of them. Arresting sunsets, swaying foliage and vibrant colours are just some of the additions that make RudoPlays’ pack so great. This shader rests somewhere between photorealistic and classic Minecraft, making it an ideal bolt-on for anyone looking to add an aesthetic kick to the vanilla game.
ZIIPZAAP’S SHADER PACK
Sure, Ziipzaap’s Shader pack provides a hearty boost to Minecraft’s general lighting, but it’s the quality of the reflections that have been added to water which make this shader stand out. Our recommendation: find a large body of water, sit back and bask in the glory of those pristine reflections until the sun sets and it’s time to return to the safety of your hut.
HEXAGON’S NIGHT OWL SHADER PACK
Survival mode places a great amount of emphasis on surviving the night, which means attempting to adequately light a pitch-black world while defending yourself. This useful shader lights the night up with a convincing moonlight glow, making slaying mobs and exploring your surroundings considerably easier in early game.
THE WAVE
The Wave is another hypnotic shader that’ll give VR a run for its money where motion sickness is concerned. Stirring your vision as much as it stirs your stomach, The Wave makes the world around you roll about like… well… waves. It’s off-putting, nauseating, but totally awesome, especially when the sun’s setting.
That’s it – Minecraft shaders aplenty. If you’ve found any more that you think belong in the list then let us know in the comments.
Real-time lighting effects are a highlight of high-fidelity games like Battlefield V and Metro Exodus, but now they’re also available in the chunky world of Minecraft. A modder has created a ray tracing shader for use in the classic building game.
Okay, so it’s not ray tracing, exactly – technically, the rendering method modder Sonic Ether uses to create real-time global illumination in Minecraft is called path tracing. The difference is that path tracing uses rays that bounce many times throughout a scene, but the effect is similar to that of ray tracing: gorgeously-lit and shadowed scenes, even in something as simple-looking as Minecraft.
An artist who goes by @notglacier spotted the shader and posted a couple short videos of how it looks in game. The results are pretty astonishing: beautiful beams of sunlight angle through a glass ceiling onto a shiny reflective floor, and a torch gives off a realistic warm glow in the second. You almost forget that you’re looking at Minecraft – until he plunks down a switch on the wall, and you remember the original, pixel-texture graphics. In any case, it’s impressive work.
If you’d like to try it out yourself, you can download Sonic Ether’s Unbelievable Shaders (SEUS) Renewed from his website, which is here. It’s currently in version 1.0.0, and it’s a small download of just 6.74 MB.
You can also support Sonic Ether on Patreon, and a monthly pledge will grant access to his Discord server, with higher tiers available if you’d like to try out experimental development builds. He says his goal is to push Minecraft’s visuals “to the limit,” and it seems he’s done just that.
Splatoon 2 is the best-selling physical Nintendo Switch game in Japan.
The Nintendo Switch is undoubtedly a hit compared to Nintendo’s previous console the Wii U. While the console-handheld hybrid still has a long way to go before it can reach the same sales numbers as the Wii, however, it’s nice to see Nintendo back in the limelight after what felt like years of disappointment in the console space.
When comparing the best-selling games on Switch across every region, Japan is an interesting place to look at as the gaming culture in Nintendo’s country of origin is widely unique compared to most if not all western countries. Japan is a very on-the-go country so devices like the Switch and PS Vita are great for people who are running around every day.
Famitsu recently revealed the top 20 best-selling physical Nintendo Switch games in Japan and most of the games aren’t all too surprising, with the exception of a few outliers. You can check out the full list below alongside sales numbers:
The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild – 1,244,404
Super Mario Party – 950,068
Kirby Star Allies – 695,303
Minecraft – 651,275
New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe – 465,742
1-2-Switch – 449,437
Arms – 425,881
Mario Tennis Aces – 400,018
Taiko no Tatsujin: Drum ‘n’ Fun! – 306,250
Pokken Tournament DX – 301,429
Monster Hunter Generations Ultimate – 254,017
Dragon Quest Builders 2 – 249,889
Nintendo Labo Toy-Con 1 – 240,926
Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze – 227,296
Xenoblade Chronicles 2 – 221,234
Although Splatoon 2 seems like a game most people genuinely love, it’s quite surprising seeing it take the top spot over in Japan, beating out both Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. It’s likely the Super Smash Bros. Ultimate will inevitably take the top spot as that game is more recent and will see a bunch of DLC added into the game, like Joker from Persona 5, before the end of 2019.
The Nintendo Switch just celebrated its 2-year anniversary on March 3. What are some of your favorite titles on the device and what are you looking forward to most in 2019?
