Daedalic Entertainment is best known for publishing quirky (but generally good) point-and-click adventure games, but Barotrauma is something else entirely. It's a 2D submarine simulator for up to 16 players, set in the alien ocean of Jupiter's moon Europa, a deeply inhospitable place that is both passively and actively trying to kill you. 

You and your team of explorers are on Europa because the Earth is a mess and you're looking for a better place to live, and for some reason you've decided that your best choice is a moon where survival is only possible beneath the surface. But unlike Subnautica, where the technology has evolved to a point where everything is largely self-maintaining and easy for one person to handle, the hardware in Barotrauma seems to require a little more hands-on effort. 

The crew has to maneuver the sub through dangers waters, explore alien ruins, and complete missions of various sorts, but it sounds like just keeping the thing running will be a job unto itself. "Players must manage all kinds of on-board systems, such as the nuclear reactor, sonar, guns, machines and more. Thanks to a complex crafting system, the crew can create tools, medicines and weapons to aid their survival," Daedalic said. "It is important to act quickly and strategically, especially when faced with unexpected catastrophes." 

Player will be able to choose from one of five different classes, including the captain (only person gets to be the boss, though), and work together in crews of up to 16. Levels and events are procedurally generated to help keep things unpredictable, a "Monster Maker" will enable players to create their own subs, levels, and monsters via the Steam Workshop, and in case there was any doubt, there's no rule that says you actually have to be a team player: You can work hard to accomplish your mission, or "betray your crew and bury them in the depths."

Barotrauma is being developed by FakeFish and Undertow Games, and is expected to launch on Steam Early Access this spring. Find out more at barotrauma.com. 

Gearbox is headed to PAX East later this month, and as is common for the studio, the company is hosting its own panel. According to the event's description on the PAX East website, the studio will have "never-before-seen reveals, exclusives, and surprises", which is obviously cause for speculation: will the studio finally show Borderlands 3?

It's no secret that the game exists: Gearbox confirmed a third instalment at PAX East in 2016. And if you peruse our Everything We Know page on the game, you'll note that its publisher Take-Two has repeatedly promised a high-profile 2K Games title for "Fall 2019" (which is Spring if you're in Australia). Of course, that could be BioShock, but that seems unlikely. And remember: Gearbox used PAX East as an opportunity to show off Duke Nukem Forever back in 2011.

Meanwhile, 90 percent of Gearbox is working on Borderlands 3. So if you've got your fingers crossed for Duke Nukem Forever 2 or a Battleborn reboot... anticipate disappointment, I guess. The biggest question is how Borderlands 3 will look in this post-Destiny world: how much will Gearbox inherit from more recent loot shooters? 

Update: After a some confusion about when the free-play period ends (the announcement said Monday, the Steam page said Saturday), Ghost Ship has clarified that the free weekend ends at 1 pm PT on March 3—Sunday—while the sale price is good until March 4.

Original story: 

Deep Rock Galactic is a space dwarf mining sim co-op shooter, and if you have no idea what that means, all I can say is, welcome to the club. (It's a bit like Left 4 Dead). Fortunately for the curious among you, this weekend is the perfect time to figure it out: It's the one-year anniversary of the game's Early Access release, and so developer Ghost Ship games is making it free to play for the weekend. 

The studio also warned that the Deep Rock Galactic price will be going up in late March, from $25 to $30/£25/€28, reflecting its expanded plans for the game. The price change will have no impact on current owners or anyone who picks it up prior to the hike. 

"For the game itself, we are looking ahead once again," Ghost Ship co-founder Søren Lundgaard said. "We’ve got a lot of decisions to make and a lot of design to nail, but the headline of our deliberations is probably this: For several updates we’ve focused on stuff like upgrades for Bosco, weapon mods, backend improvements, overhauls of how we do Difficulty, and so forth—critical additions that make the game a better game—but we really wanna get back to making the caves themselves cooler now." 

The part of the process will begin in March with an update that will add new enemy types and elite variants, and more gear mods. An updated development roadmap indicates that further into the year the developers are looking at things like daily adventures, new mutators, an exploration mode, new soundtrack music, and more.

Deep Rock Galactic is free to play until March 4. It's also on sale until then for $19/£14/€17. 

Space Engineers, a sci-fi open world sandbox game, has been in Steam Early Access for over five years. The developers announced last week that the title would finally leave Early Access on February 28, and sure enough, it's now officially a finished game. To celebrate, Space Engineers is now 20% off on Steam, and it's free to play for the next three days.

If you're completely unfamiliar with it, Space Engineers describes itself as an "open world sandbox game defined by creativity and exploration." You can build space ships, outposts, space stations, wheeled vehicles, and more—in both creative and survival modes. It received a major visual overhaul earlier this month.

You can buy Space Engineers right now on Steam for $15.99, 20% off the original price. There's also a four-pack available for $47.99 (also 20% off), if you want to build crazy contraptions with friends.

Update: The Skyrim Together team has used its March 2019 report to apologise for using code from the Skyrim Script Extender, clarify how it happened and detail what it's done to fix the issue. It's an unusually comprehensive, formal apology that's been split up into different sections. It could be given as a presentation. There are probably slides. 

Like the original developer response on March 1, this one confirms that SKSE was used previously, but after a falling out between the teams, it was removed. Some of the code could have remained, however, and further investigation by the Skyrim Together team, along with assistance from SKSE's creator, showed that it was using a loader similar to an older version of the SKSE loader, which the team claims was grandfathered in from the Skyrim Online mod. 

"There is no excuse as to why this code has remained in the codebase for this long and was distributed without credit or acknowledgement," the apology reads. "Going forward we will do our utmost best to respect the SKSE team and their work and ensure the license request is maintained in the long run."

All "dependencies, associated content or related code" have been removed from Skyrim Together, the report claims, and SKSE's creator has been invited to confirm this when next update is ready. 

Original story: The Skyrim Together mod, which allows up to eight players to play Skyrim in co-op mode, has been in the works for years, and it recently inched a bit closer to the finish line with a playable closed beta. This week, however, drama erupted as the developers of Skyrim Script Extender accused the makers of Skyrim Together of using SKSE code without permission or attribution.

"Skyrim Together is stealing [Skyrim Script Extender] code, uncredited, without permission, with an explicit term in the license restricting one of the authors from having anything to do with the code," a SKSE developer posted on Reddit. "The proof is pretty clear when you look at the loader and dll in a disassembler. They're using a hacked-up version of 1.7.3 classic presumably with some preprocessor macros to switch structure types around as needed between the x64 and x86 versions."

The SKSE developer also points to a Reddit message from a Skyrim Together dev a year ago, which states: "We aren't using SKSE at all but the mod will be able to be loaded by SKSE's loader." 

The Skyrim Script Extender , if you're not familiar with it, is an important and highly regarded mod in the Skyrim modding community as it expands Skyrim's scripting capabilities and allows for more complexity from other Skyrim mods that use the SKSE.

A Skyrim Together developer posted a response yesterday, admitting that SKSE code was in fact used earlier in Skyrim Together's development, and that there may be leftover code that wasn't entirely removed:

"We have had disagreements with the SKSE folks in the past, I have tried to communicate with them but they have never replied, so we stopped using their code. There might be some leftover code from them in there that was overlooked when we removed it, it isn't as simple as just deleting a folder, mainly our fault because we rushed some parts of the code. Anyway we are going to make sure to remove what might have slipped through the cracks for the next patch."

Mod controversies get murkier and more heated when there's money involved, and there's quite a bit of money involved in Skyrim Together. The Skyrim Together team has a Patreon, and the closed beta of Skyrim Together required a contribution of at least $1 to access it. A buck to beta test a mod doesn't sound unreasonable—any number of modders have Patreons and some, like GTA modder JulioNIB, give supporters early access to the mods they create. 

The Skyrim Together Patreon, however, is massive, with over 28,000 subscribers contributing over $33,000 a month for the Skyrim Together modders. This leads some in the community to consider it a 'paid mod.' It's not entirely inaccurate: the only way to get into the Skyrim Together closed beta was by subscribing for at least one dollar. But, as the Skyrim Together modders point out, the mod, when it is completed, will be free to use for everyone.

"If you don't think we deserve your money we are not forcing you at all, you are free not to use our mod while in closed beta or even when it's released," the modder posted. "I have been working on this for 8 years, and we are 10 people working on it right now, 35k after taxes for 10 people and years of work is less than minimum wage."

On the other hand, if Skyrim Together is indeed using code lifted without permission from SKSE, and then earning thousands of dollars per month, they'd be profiting from the work of the SKSE developers without permission or attribution.

I've contacted the developers of Skyrim Together and the Skyrim Script Extender for any comments they'd like to give beyond what has been posted publicly, and will update this article if I receive a reply.

Unity of Command is one of those rare hexy strategy affairs that manages to feel like a treat for seasoned fans as well as a welcoming entry point for newcomers to the intimidating world of operational-level wargaming. It's one of the best wargames around, and now we're getting a sequel. Take a look at the trailer above.

In Unity of Command 2, the Western Allies and Axis are duking it out over Europe, with players taking control between 1942 and 1945. Expect branching missions and dynamic objectives to shake things up a bit, hopefully offering up surprises even after repeated playthroughs. 

It sports a new 3D engine and looks extremely different from its predecessor. Units have proper models that fight on a map that's full of details, both cosmetic and practical. It's quite a step up from the first game.

Along with the new engine, Unity of Command 2 introduces some additional wrinkles and systems. There's the HQ, for instance, which is a real location on the map that's essential for organising and supplying your army, or the expanded ability to go behind enemy lines and mess up their infrastructure. Bonus objectives, meanwhile, give you new ways to change history, like the Allies reaching Berlin before the Soviets. 

It will launch with a full Allied campaign, but you'll be able to play as the Axis in battle scenarios, while a scenario editor will allow you to create your own and upload them to the Steam Workshop. 

Unity of Command 2 is due out later this year. 

Warsaw is a 2D turn-based tactical RPG set during World War 2. With a ragtag group of "accidental heroes" you can fight Nazis and attempt to liberate the city. Despite a very different setting, screenshots call to mind Darkest Dungeon, from the character art to how the game displays attacks. Check out the reveal trailer above. It's a bit grim, though. 

From the safety of your shelter you'll be able to recruit an underground army and plan your urban war, sending teams out to patrol, hunt down Nazis and scavenge for supplies and weapons to better equip your band of rebels. You might find other people and groups out there, surviving on their own, who can lend a hand, joining your band.

The management side sounds closer to something like This War of Mine, where the focus was survival and protecting your home, not fighting. But in Warsaw, it looks like there will be plenty of both.

Your new pals will have classes—from medics to angry flamethrower guys—with unique skills that they can used in the turn-based battles, which let you use cover, flanking and skill combos. The enemy is lot better armed, so it probably won't be a walk in the park.

Warsaw is due out later this year.

Detailed exclusively in the next issue of PC Gamer magazine, Winds of Magic is the first expansion for Vermintide 2, planned for release this summer. The expansion will bring a new enemy faction, a new endgame mode, new difficulty options, new talents and a new weapon type for each character.

In Winds of Magic, Beastmen will join the existing alliance of Skaven and the Rotblood Tribe. Rather than simply being fresh meat to carve through, the Beastmen have been designed to introduce new types of problems for players to tackle. In the prototype build I was shown, Fatshark was testing packs of bow-wielding Ungors, and augmenting standard melee fighters with spear units—providing different ranges of attack.

The Beastmen's elite unit is the Bestigor, a giant, armoured hulk who charges players—also knocking over any other enemies that get between him and his target. Their special, rather than ambushing players like the Gutter Runner or Packmaster, plays more of a support role. The Standardbearer will place totems that will buff nearby enemies with effects like invulnerability, forcing players to deal with the problem before clearing out the hordes.

While Winds of Magic will likely offer a new introductory mission, Fatshark aren't planning to create a new campaign of adventure maps. Instead, the focus of the expansion will be a new mode: an ongoing gauntlet of exponentially more difficult challenges, each with a special modifier related to one of Warhammer's eight winds of magic.

The Winds of Magic is made up of what Fatshark is currently calling "Weaves". Each Weave will be a combination of the following elements:

• Map: A chunk of one of the existing adventure maps, remixed to add variety. In the example I was shown, for instance, the map was played back-to-front. These maps will also look different based on which Wind is currently active.
• Wind: A modifier based on the Winds of Magic. One example being prototyped for the Jade Wind (the Lore of Life) is that players have constant health regeneration, but take damage each time they hit an enemy.
• Objective: Your goal in each Weave is to complete a specific task. Currently being trialled are objectives such as killing a number of enemies of a specific type and defending a capturing a number of control points.
• Finale: Once the objective has been completed, a portal will open to an arena where players must survive a final showdown. Examples I was given included battling waves of enemies, or fighting against multiple bosses.
• Difficulty: As players progress through Weaves, Fatshark plans to escalate the challenge far, far beyond what is currently available. The base set of Weaves will all be handcrafted, but the plan is for them to repeat at exponentially higher difficulties.

Fatshark's hope is that Weaves will act more like puzzles—requiring the community to figure out the best careers and weapons to progress. By not randomising them, players can share their tips, and also compete in individual leaderboards for each Weave. Beyond that, a global leaderboard is being discussed, showcasing the players who have made it the furthest through the mode. Ultimately, by continuing to escalate the challenge, Fatshark hopes to create an endgame with no upper limit on the number of Weaves—that ends simply when players are unable to progress any further.

That's the general overview. You'll find more details, including an explanation of the new weapon types (here's a hint for one character: throwable axes) and a more thorough explanation of the new faction and mode, in the new issue of PC Gamer magazine, out March 7 in the UK, and March 26 in the US. Here's a look at the exclusive subscriber cover, which will start arriving at subscribers' doors from tomorrow. 

Plague Inc., the strategy sim where you create and nurture a pathogen in an attempt to destroy all the pesky humans, is now getting an anti-vaxxer scenario thanks to a Change.org petition. 

Ndemic Creations noticed the petition last week, which wanted the developer to add anti-vaxxers as a buff. In Plague Inc. your pathogen has certain traits that makes it more or less effective in different situations and can, during the course of a game, evolve into a more powerful disease. But humanity can take lots of precautions, shutting down airports, giving out inoculations. Anti-vaxxers, then, would be a plague's best pal. 

Instead of just adding a buff, Ndemic said it would add an anti-vaxxer scenario if the petition got to 10,000. It's currently sitting at just over 20,000.

Plague Inc was ported to PC as Plague Inc: Evolved, and hopefully we'll see the anti-vaxxers infecting our version of the game, too. It also supports user-created scenarios, so if we don't get the official one, maybe a diligent modder will work their magic. 

Previous scenarios have tackled other serious issues like Brexit and vampires. 

On April 9 we'll finally have the chance to enjoy Phoenix Wright on PC. The Phoenix Wright: Ace Attorney Trilogy package contains the 14 episodes that make up the first three games. It's available to pre-purchase on Steam now for $29.99/£29.99

Phoenix Wright started out on handhelds like the Game Boy Advance and the Nintendo DS. It's a comedy adventure game series in which you snoop around crime scenes and talk to suspects to gather clues. At the climax of the case you deploy these clues as smackdowns in absurd but surprisingly tense courtroom scenes.

They are great games to travel with, and the DS version encouraged people to yell "OBJECTION" into their device to trigger Wright's famous point. I'm not sure how well they will translate to a full-monitor desk setup, but it's nice to have the option. The trilogy is also coming to PS4, Xbox One, and Switch.