Firaxis will roll out a new Civilization: Beyond Earth update soon, introducing connectivity with the studio's forthcoming Sid Meier's Starships. It makes sense as the games are set in the same universe, though few details on how the connectivity will work in practice have been provided. Once the patch has rolled out you'll be able to log-in to a my2K account from within Beyond Earth, granting you an exclusive Glacier planet map.

Sid Meier's Starships is a turn-based space strategy game set in the Beyond Earth universe, and is expected to release some time in the first half of 2015. You can see the game in action over here.

Meanwhile, the new update will also usher in new game balance changes, with Wonders the main target for revision. "One of the most consistent pieces of feedback the team received was that certain Wonders were built only rarely, and players reported that some felt like marginal upgrades over other resource buildings," the patch notes read. "The Beyond Earth team took a general cost pass on all the Wonders in the game, and changed the effects of most of them." Changes to Wonders will have a knock-on effect for other aspects of the game. 

Other major changes include a new city population requirement for trade routes, with routes unlocking with certain population milestones. The full patch notes are here, and they're lengthy, so kick back and put some Tangerine Dream on.

Building a new beefy PC soon. Do I need to calculate anything extra in if I plan to eventually get Oculus? — Rob

Hey, Rob! If your new PC is beefy like you say, you're probably on track for a good VR machine, but we really don't know for sure just how high-end of a machine we'll need.

For now, you want a rig that can run 1080p stereoscopic games at 70fps or higher, as the latest Oculus Rift dev kit delivers a resolution of 960x1080 in each eye. We expect the consumer version of the Rift to be higher-res, though we don't have the final specs. Don't necessarily break the bank with dual-GTX 970s just yet, but do build with potential upgrades in mind.

Back in 2013, Oculus VP of Product Development Nate Mitchell talked a bit about this. "You'll want a decent gaming rig," he said, "because you want to be running at 60 frames per second, with vsync, in stereo 3D, and that takes a decent graphics card. The Oculus SDK really adds negligible overhead. There's not really any more overhead for rendering for our device, or anything like that. The onus is really on game developers to optimize their engines to be running at 60 frames per second."

More recently, Mitchell told us that their Crescent Bay demos were running on GTX 980s, and beyond 60 fps. "The demos are running at 90Hz," he said. "That really becomes the gating factor here. For that 90 frames per second, in UE4 where we're doing a lot of complex artwork and trying to render complex scenes, they're high end GPUs. They're high-end systems. i7s. You're going to need a high-end computer for that sort of experience."

I think that, if you're building a good PC now (let's say, a Core i5-4690K/Core i7-4790k, 8-16 GB RAM, and a GTX 970), you'll probably be OK. Oculus is tempering expectations by calling for super high-end machines, but there's also pressure on devs to build well-optimized VR games that don't require dual-980s (I imagine they want a larger audience than that). Some of the Rift games in development now—Eve: Valkyrie, for instance—have been in development for a year or more, running fine on older specs. Star Citizen may push your system, but it was always going to, wasn't it?

Additionally, I've noticed that super high-fidelity graphics aren't necessary to create the feeling of 'presence' that makes VR so special. I'm betting there'll be plenty of VR experiences that don't look like Alien: Isolation, but are still great and don't require more than a new mid-range system. This is only somewhat speculative, as I've tried several Unity engine demos with a Core i5-3570 and GTX 480 with no problems. Of course, if you want the best—those UE4 games at 90Hz that Mitchell mentioned—you'll have to go as high-end as you can. We'll know for sure what you'll need when we're actually playing games on the consumer Rift.

To play it perfectly safe and keep from having to upgrade when the Rift releases, the only thing to do is wait. According to Road to VR, there are indications that hardware manufacturers are working on VR  optimizations, but we can only speculate as to what they are and how important they'll be. I think that, as Mitchell said back in 2013, the onus is mostly on software designers to make their games run at 60 fps on as wide a hardware range as possible. But do be prepared for the possibility that some fantastic new Intel, Nvidia, and AMD tech may appear around the same time as the Rift consumer version.

The final consideration is your physical setup. You want lots of space to swivel and move, and you'll need the head-tracking camera mounted on your monitor or a stand, and Oculus recommends you sit 1.5 meters or 5 feet away for optimal performance. So, don't put your PC in a closet and you should be fine.

One of the best features of 'proper' roguelikes that few games ever bother to nick is their ridiculous scope for simulation and experimentation. Sure, it's easier to simulate drenching, burning, clever potion combinations and so on when it's simply a matter of rendering different ascii symbols and text, but it's still a shame to see so many modern 'roguelites' focus on procedural generation and permadeath to the exclusion of all else that makes the classic roguelikes sing.

Spelunky is one of the few to get simulation and experimentation right, as is Vagante to an extent—and now Catacomb Kids has come along to join the club. FourbitFriday's game goes beyond Spelunky's hard rules and consistency to offer an insanely simulated world that richly rewards player experimentation and creativity. It's in Early Access now (and a bit cheaper on Humble Bundle), and you've probably already watched the new trailer, above.

There's not a lot to the Early Access version at the moment—one environment, local co-op, a couple of mini-bosses and two character classes—but there's already scope for a great deal of experimentation. Create a poisoned pool of water, set fire to yourself and others, cook food, create steam, eat bodies and use blob parts to climb up sheer walls. You get the idea, and you'll get more if you peruse the Steam reviews. This creative approach to exploration and enemy engagement is supported by satisfying, Dark Soulsy melee combat, and an insanely high difficulty level—I've played for about 40 minutes, across nearly ten characters, and I haven't yet escaped from the first floor.

Catacomb Kids will be in Early Access "until it's complete", and the developers say there will be "a regular, continuous stream of updates with a new build at least once every month or so".

"The full version will have four primary environments, two major bosses, at least eight mini-bosses, dozens more skills and abilities, and a metric f-ton of secrets. The finished game will also include various game modes including The Gauntlet, Co-op Mode, and Infinite Mode."

There's a slightly glitchy tutorial and a two-player Versus mode in there at the moment, in addition the main rogueliking mode.

I love an RPG set in the real actual world most of us live in. There's something deeply comforting about the way they make modern life more magically real, transforming it into a place featuring experience points and monsters, where you never, ever have to go the dentist or fill out a tax return. RPGs set in the real world are still so rare that they tend to be called 'Earthbound-inspired', and to be fair they often are to a large extent. This description fits pretty well with YIIK: A Postmodern RPG, but I can also detect a bit of Persona in there, a bit of indie beard, and it's shaping up to be as strange as you might expect.

From the website, which hasn't been updated yet with the game's new moniker, YIIK is "a Japanese-style RPG developed by Americans. [...] The game contains action and platforming elements, as well as meticulously designed story-based dungeons. In addition to these story-based dungeons, [YIIK] will feature randomly generated dungeons called "The Mind Dungeon" that contain puzzles, story elements, and opportunities for the characters to level up beyond the standard leveling experience that is expected from battle".

Having more JRPG-style games on PC always feels like a Very Good Thing, particularly when they're this interesting, and they give rise to trailers as unusual as this one:

I mean, what's going on there? I've no idea. But I'm intrigued to know more. YIIK, developed by Ackk Studios and published by Ysbryd Games, is coming to PC later this year.

[Note: one of the game's producers, Cassandra Khaw, is a PC Gamer contributor.]

For a strategy game that excels at making things personal, there's one portion of Crusader Kings 2 that's always felt a little impersonal: combat. I typically feel a bit helpless while battles are raging, and even when there's a random event that puts a sword in my hand and an enemy right in front of me, it still doesn't really feel like I'm involved.

Hooni's Rebels and Warmongers mod address that, among other things. When you find yourself in battle, as I did when I began a new game and immediately started a big pointless war, it opens up some new combat options. While battling with my neighbor to test the mod, I found myself face to face with a foe, and after deciding to take him on, I was given a choice of where to stab him. The head, for a chance at blinding him? His torso, to maim him? His limbs, to hobble him? You're also shown the chances of your attack succeeding. I naturally went for the head, but missed, and my enemy counter-attacked.

The mod also expands the options of a few other common activities, like gift-giving. Look, money is always a fine gift, but it's a little impersonal. Why not give someone a rare jewel, or a camel, or a bunch of elephants? If you're strapped for cash, you can always give someone your gratitude, and I'm sure they'll accept it with the same excitement someone does when you've made a donation in their name to charity. 

Still, I'd save up for the elephant. Even if they don't want an elephant, it's really tricky to re-gift. Elephants are pretty noticeable.

While we're talking about animals, you can breed horses with the mod as a little side activity. I'm afraid I didn't do very well when I attempted to breed aggressive horses. My goal was to flood my countryside with insane horses to distract my subjects from the war I'd started and was horribly losing, but they pretty much all died as foals. I'm not a particularly good king, if you hadn't noticed.

The education of children is expanded, giving you a little more control over the traits your child is learning, or at least giving you a few options that might steer them in the right direction. You can even engage in theological debates with other leaders. And why not? Just because the internet doesn't exist doesn't mean you can't yell in someone's face about religion.

You can read more about the features of Hooni's Rebels and Warmongers, and subscribe to it, in the Steam Workshop.

In Face Off, PC Gamer writers go head to head over an issue affecting PC gaming. Today, Tim and Tom argue whether or not the insanely popular Hearthstone card Dr. Boom should be nerfed.

Tom Marks: YES. If a card can be put every deck, something is wrong with it.

Just to be clear, I am not a fan of the nerf bat being swung around all willy-nilly and am fully in favor of Blizzard balancing current cards by introducing new ones, but the good Doctor is a downright oppressive presence in the meta right now. It is in literally every deck, and what s more, it works in every deck. Dr. Boom gives you a huge amount of board presence for a bafflingly low cost, but more importantly it s a single card that is almost impossible to respond to without at least two of your own. It has single-handedly pushed Big Game Hunter into most decks, and BGH still leaves you with two Boom Bots to deal with. Even in a world where you are, for some reason, running Twisting Nether, the Boom Bot deathrattles hit you in the face for 2-8 damage. What other card demands that kind of attention on turn 7?

Tim Clark: NO. People are being babies. As usual.

Okay, I m willing to make an early concession here (before delivering my own rapier-like counterthrust). Firstly, when high-level players are nick-naming your card Dr. Balanced and, erm, Dr. Cancer, then I suppose that indicates there might be an issue with its perception. But here s the thing: High-level players are a lot like mid- and low-level players—aside from the being good at Hearthstone bit—insofar as they absolutely love to complain about cards. Here s my prediction: even if Hearthstone lasts until the heat death of the universe, and Blizzard brings in a team of elite tightrope stilt-walkers to advise on balance, there will still be people complaining that whatever card is the ubiquitous pick du jour is OP and should be nerfed plz. You ask what card demands a response like Boom does. Well, for only one Mana more Rag has already done 8 damage to something before you even get a chance to respond. Admittedly BGH is less of a hard counter to Boom, but people are too obsessed with being able to answer every threat perfectly. Also, BGH only costs three mana. You ll have another five to spend on sorting out those pesky IEDs. I actually think it s to Boom s credit that it promotes messy board states.

Tom: Oh boy, this might not be the best way to kick off an argument, but I completely agree that people like to complain. There will always be an OP card that everyone hates and should be printed on paper solely so we can actually burn it. This is a fact for most online games. That fact, however, does not mean Dr. Boom isn t actually overpowered. It s one thing when the masses cry foul, but it s another when (as you said) pro players are casually referring to the card as imbalanced. A card to encourage messy board states isn't inherently unhealthy, but you can drop Dr. Boom with nearly any board state and it is almost never a bad play—a luxury Ragnaros does not have. While everyone loves a good YOLO-Rag, the requirements for playing Ragnaros beneficially are usually more nuanced. The requirements for playing Dr. Boom beneficially are that it s after turn 6.

Tim: Well played, Tom. Very pithy. But you ve fallen into my carefully-laid trap. The fact that Boom is good on almost any board is exactly what makes it such an important, but not necessarily overpowered, card. I submit to you, sir, that Hearthstone s real balance problem is that it drastically lacks cards which can be played when you re behind on board. As a Druid main, I lack effective board clear spells beyond Swipe and the risible 10-mana Poison Seeds/Starfall combo. So once I m behind I pretty much know I m cooked, barring Innervate shenanigans, and it s an oppressive feeling. Boom gives players a way back into games that otherwise look lost, and I think that s desperately needed. After all, how many of your favourite Hearthstone stories are about incredible comebacks? It s not like just dropping Boom equals an insta-win, either. If you have two or three decent minions down, and I play the good doctor, you can still load up on more creatures and go face. You re not obliged to trade. There are other cards which are pretty much always good to play too. Ancient of Lore and Fire Elemental, to name two, although they re class specific. A more reasonable comparison would be with another neutral legendary: Sylvanas. She s good when played while you're ahead, but even better when you re behind. She s an excellent card. It s okay for there to be excellent cards.

Tom: Yes, and we can plainly see how desperately unplayed Druid is because of its lack of play from behind cards... Oh wait, it s been the most consistently successful class since the game s release. Your unhealthy obsession with Druid s lack of hard removal aside, I will admit that come-from-behind plays make Hearthstone less of a snowball game and much more exciting to watch, but Dr. Boom gives you that benefit in a single, 7-mana card. The other examples you gave can definitely turn a game in your favor, but they still don t represent anywhere near as large of a board impact as Boom makes. Sylvanas is an excellent card, but she isn t always good. If you play Boom while I have minions, my options are trade my board and probably another card to clear him (and the boom bots still deal damage) or ignore him and go face at which point you will get a minimum of 11 damage from one 7 mana card. Sylvanas is peaches and cream compared to dealing with that. It s definitely good to have excellent cards, but there needs to be a time when those cards aren t so excellent.

Tim: I guess my point, as far as I still have one, is that I just don t feel like Boom is having a deleterious effect on my enjoyment of Hearthstone. (I m also hoping you ll be dazzled by the word deleterious and let me win.) I mean, yes, there s a case for saying Boom is, in a vaccum, the best value card in the game right now. But there will always be a best value card. You cannot have light without shade and all that jazz. But does it feel like it s warping the majority of games I play in? No, not really. And that is probably due to its ubiquity. If the other guy plays Boom, oh well here comes mine too I guess. I just feel fine with it. And what I feel is what really matters here, as I think we ve established now. But here s another point: Leeroy wasn t nerfed because he was necessarily the most powerful card in the game. He was nerfed because the style of play he enabled—specifically the ludicrous combo finishes played from hand—was super enraging for your opponent. Likewise with Undertaker. It was just joyless to face. I don t think that s the case with Boom quite yet. Boom is love. Boom is life. (Actually Boom is mainly death, but you see where I m driving with this.)

Tom: That s a fair point, but a point spoken by someone who owns Dr. Boom. This was not the case for me until very recently, and I imagine it s not the case for a large portion of players. Boom might not have a deleterious effect (did I use that right?) on the quality of each match, but it is affecting the deck building portion of Hearthstone. Currently, if you want to make a deck as good as it can be, you only have 29 cards to work with. Dr. Boom s inclusion is necessitated or you risk being unable to go Boom for Boom with your opponent. Maybe I m being a stick in the mud, but I find Dr. Boom s concept is more fun on paper than when I see him in game, on either side of the board. He doesn t need to be nerfed into oblivion, but his concept needs to be expressed better.

Tim: Express the concept better? Dr Boom isn t an obscure piece of early Hungarian existentialism. And anyway, he s not in every deck. I don t use him in my Zoo build. And there s that Kolento ramp Druid which doesn t run any creatures with more than 6 attack, and… I mean, alright, okay, he s in almost every deck, yes, that s true. But the real problem here is the lack of good neutral 7-drops. What are you meant to put in there on curve? Baron Geddon maybe, if you re running a heavy control deck, I guess. Troggzor hasn t really taken off. Ravenholdt bloody Assassin? I don t think so. The danger is that the whining is going to lead to one of the most interesting cards in the game being hamstrung and turned into the new Illidan Stormrage. Not on my watch, Tom. Not on my watch.

Tom: Brushing over the fact that deck s with no minions over 6 attack exist because of BGH s popularity, which is only the case because of Dr. Boom s popularity… you are right about neutral 7 mana cards. It is a sad and desolate mana slot, which is ironic because it is home to some of the better class cards like Ancient of Lore and Archmage Antonidas. I believe a world exists where Dr. Boom is nerfed appropriately without changing his cost. It might be a hopeful world, but I have faith in Blizzard s balance team. They ve shown they can make card changes with a delicate touch in the past… except for Starving Buzzard. RIP in peace, my feathery prince.

Tim: In this fanciful balanced Dr Boom world Neptulon becomes king and we all end up playing midrange Shaman. I hope you ll be happy with your new fish overlord, Tom. I really do.

Tom: So, I won then?

Tim: Yep.

For more analysis on Hearthstone cards, read our list of the best legendaries.

This week is brought to you by loveable Hollywood hackers, who leak code from every fingertip, who never, ever use a mouse, and who sometimes look a lot like Angelina Jolie. A hacker by the name of 'The girl from Jurassic Park' is indirectly responsible for one of this week's highlights, but if you can't fake-code to save your life, perhaps you'll enjoy crafting yourself a new body, taking a run in the woods, bleeding out or escaping from a creepy subway. Enjoy!

Perfect Glowing Bodies by Strangethink

Strangethink's latest Strangethinky thing is a program that will let you build a perfect new body. They all look a bit like space wizards or power rangers, but who among us would rather be a dangly fleshy meatbag given the choice? All that remains is for Strangethink to implement large-scale 3D printing and/or consciousness uploading, and then we can all look like magic space power rangers for ever.

Way to Go by Vincent Morisset, Philippe Lambert, Edouard Lanctot-Benoit, Caroline Robert

Take a walk on the wild side (you know, like that song...Spaceballs) with the splendid Way to Go, a game that uses loads of lovely video footage and music to plonk you right in one of the best places in the world: a wood. It's one of those 'experience' type games, as opposed to games where you glumly fill up XP bars or get better at manhandling digital wizards. Do you like free 'experience' type games? You'll almost certainly like this, then—er, unless you use Firefox or Internet Explorer, as Chrome is the only supported browser. (Via RPS)

I Know This by Two's Complement

Jurassic Park had a really interesting mockup security program thing [Update: actually it's a real thing], which used basic 3D modelling to display protected files and folders. It was a great way to visualise a lot of boring data—and now that program has been recreated as a game. With further inspiration from the ace hackertyper.net, along with Microsoft's asshole Office Assistant paperclip, I Know This is a fun way to feel like a coder without having any talent for coding whatsoever. Explore, type, and avoid the attention of security spotlights, while enjoying the interjections of an annoying pointy arrow.

Bleeding by Arielle Grimes

Bleeding out, after what I imagine must have been another death in some grey first-person shooter, you decide to use your last few seconds on Earth to apologise to everyone you've killed. Sorry! Sorry! Really sorry about that! Oops, that looks painful! My bad! Well, you get the idea. Because game, apologies equal points—and what do points make? Nothing, you're dead. Sorry!

Minor Steps by Evgiz

A small, robust puzzle game that's pretty much a top-down take on room escape. Prod rubbish piles, experiment, use items gruesomely on other things, all in a bid to escape from the predicament you're in. I find it interesting that this predicament isn't explained in any way—I was left wondering how on Earth your little character got into such a mess. (Via Warp Door)

Developer Kan Gao released the first free *shudder* 'minisode' for To The Moon at around this time last year, and now another has been released, completely free. While it's the same sort of length as the first (around 20 minutes), Gao suggests that this one is "a tad more...important, plot-wise". Once again, you're stuck in a hospital playing as the two main scientist characters of To The Moon, as protestors do protesty things outside.

If you own To The Moon on Steam, you should find that the DLC has already been registered to your account. Otherwise, you can download it here. You don't need to own TTM, but it will probably make more sense if you've played that first.

With Sigmund Minisode 2 out of the way, Gao will be resuming work on To The Moon's full-fledged sequel, Finding Paradise. Meanwhile, one of Freebird's pixel artists, Jordan, is still in hospital undergoing chemotherapy; if you'd like to help out with either kind words or donations, there are details of how you can do so here.

Sunset is a first-person game where you play as the housekeeper of a bloody great penthouse apartment, in the fictional South American city of San Bav n. It's set in the 1970s, which might be why it looks so stylish, and Journey composer Austin Wintory is doing the music, which might be why it sounds so nice. Chris Livingston previewed it a few days ago, and if that whet your appetite for Tale of Tales' intriguing, combatless war game, I have a new trailer for you to watch.

Actually, it's at the top of this post, so you probably already watched it. Oh well. Still: Sunset's looking pretty good, isn't it? I particularly like the ginormous, '90s-FPS-size rooms of the luxury apartment you're sent to look after, which are going to be a right nightmare to clean.

Tale of Tales' previous credits include The Path and the incredibly French Bient t l' t , so you probably know by now if this is the sort of thing you'll enjoy.

Frozen Cortex is the kind of game I find a bit intimidating. It's strategy, which is only my genre in fairly specific forms, and a robotic spin on American Football. Being British, I know really very little about the ins and outs of that subject's many complexities. Or for that matter, American Football.

I've only played a few rounds, so I'm not going to comment on the action of it too much. I can say that the Knockout mode is well named. I played it and got instantly knocked out. But what I do like, at least so far, and seems worth a look, is how Frozen Cortex sells its fictional sport. It slips in story in several ways, and all of them entirely to its advantage when it comes to making it feel legitimate, like something people are actually watching, and part of a wider world with more going on than robot games.

It's not unique in that, of course. Commentators are fairly common in this kind of game, and there's always some lore about how a particular fake-sport has managed to take the world by storm. One of my favourite examples was Super Monday Night Combat, a MOBA/FPS hybrid whose commentators made the game what it was. Others include (rolls dice) Blood Bowl, which offered its fake-sport in a fantasy flavour. The catch of most of them is that after a while you've heard everything they have to say, and there's little less funny than hearing the same joke a hundred times. Being stabbed in the eye with a fork, yes. Forced hot-sauce enemas. Very little else.

In Frozen Cortex, it helps that it's text based. That's probably more down to budget than anything else, and some roaring dialogue is always fun. Long-term though, it allows for it to be as passive as needed, yet still reinforce the basic effect of commenters chatting away from a distant booth. There's three of them, a conventional sports commentator type, an analyst, and a guy I think of as Mr. Pumpkinhead, with their lines split between quick references, random bursts, quick dialogues, and quiet reminders of mechanics like trying to sweep up bonus points before going for the touchdown. You also get the opposing team's coach chipping in at regular intervals with their own contributions, including straight-forward "That wasn't very good" type jeers and sighs, and the occasional bit of random nonsense like "My trousers are aflame with glorious triumph!" So, uh, yeah. The result is a diverting but not distracting flow of tips, reinforcements of each team's style and background, and outright gags like "This turn break is sponsored by the Grand Holy Church of the Incomparable Boz. You are weak, worthless and loved by Boz..."

A lot of the time, it's the smallest details that can make the most difference. Frozen Cortex is simultaneous turn-based strategy, and it's nice that the game acknowledges player speed - noting when you're ludicrously quick to plan your move, and the commentators tapping their toes in boredom while the opposing player figures out what to do. Between rounds, when it would have been so easy to just worry about the mechanics, you get little news stories popping up about corruption in the league, other coaches pulling crap like leaving lanes wide open for easy passes, and things that the commentators will bring up in their exchanges. I don't know how complex the story actually is, but there's a good hint that there's a fair amount going on behind the scenes. While the focus is on short seasons, the main single-player modes both make a point of saying that it continues between games rather than just pulling from a big sack of words. It'll take a good deal more play to figure that out. For now though, it's a pleasant extra layer to explore while learning the ropes of the core action.

Cortex's predecessor, Frozen Synapse, also did a better job with its script than it tends to get credit for, its story and single-player campaign unsurprisingly being a relatively small part of its sell. When you're competing against someone, you don't really care what bullshit lore reason there is behind it - it's all about the tactics and satisfaction of a shotgun. This time though, the two sides fit together well. It makes absolute sense that a sport would have these elements, and just being able to buy into a larger fiction really does make a big difference. There's a reason that games like FIFA are always going to get more attention than just any random sports game - the players, the atmosphere, the prestige are all part of the fantasy. Outright fantasy sports meanwhile have to not only present a game worth playing, but a reason to get good. The illusion of spectators, and even relatively simple simulated interest, are surprisingly effective.

While I can't so far say that the AI has the same raw personality as the Alpha Centauri crew, or the depth of some GalCiv messages, it's been doing a lot to keep me company during my variably-protracted failures at climbing the leaderboards in single-player mode. And those are high watermarks for any game to hit...

Uppity bloody AI opponents. But at least they're still friendlier than most Dota players.