Dec 20, 2017

Announcing the Steam Awards 2017 Nominees

Announcement - Valve

The Steam Selection Committee has spoken again for the 2017 Steam Awards Nominees. Come back every day from December 21st to January 2nd to vote for each award, and find out the winners on January 3rd!

December 21st 10 AM PST
The “Choices Matter” Award - Games are about agency, and this award is for the game that has it in spades. Maybe it’s because there are 31 ways you can breach into a villains lair. Perhaps there are dozens of potential partners for you to build a romantic future with. Or maybe you find yourself constantly saying “Where oh where should I plant those turnips”? In all three scenarios there is a common bond: the choice was always yours.

-The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
-Divinity: Original Sin 2
-Life is Strange: Before the Storm
-The Walking Dead: A New Frontier
-Dishonored 2

December 22nd 10 AM PST
The “Mom's Spaghetti” Award - There are games that make you excited. There are games that make you happy. Then there are games so intense that they elicit a physical reaction. We’re talking weak knees. We’re talking sweaty palms. We’re talking fear-induced accidents. We’re talking your friends reminding you to breathe. We’re talking about mom’s spaghetti.

-PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS
-Outlast 2
-RESIDENT EVIL 7
-The Evil Within 2
-Alien: Isolation

December 23rd 10 AM PST
The “Labor of Love” Award – This game has been out for a while. The team is well past the first unveiling of their creative baby, but being the good parents they are, these devs continue to nurture and support their creation. This game, to this day, is still getting new content after all these years.

-Team Fortress 2
-Warframe
-Titan Quest Anniversary Edition
-Path of Exile
-Crusader Kings II

December 24th 10 AM PST
The “Suspension of Disbelief" Award – Let’s be honest: games can have some pretty ridiculous elements in them from the stories that drive the action, to the items required to conquer obstacles, to even the protagonists themselves. This award is for the game that has a key component, which when described out of context, seems totally insane, but while playing the game doesn’t even make you bat an eye, because in the moment it makes total sense.

-Saints Row IV
-Goat Simulator
-South Park the Fractured But Whole
-Rocket League
-Wolfenstein II: The New Colossus

December 25th 10 AM PST
The “The World Is Grim Enough Let's Just All Get Along” Award – Games delight and entertain us, giving us much needed breaks from the sorrows and low points of our lives and let’s be honest, for a lot of people it’s been a rough 2017. That is why the SASC has chosen to celebrate a game that doesn’t involve combat or conflict.

-Stardew Valley
-Cities: Skylines
-Slime Rancher
-ABZU
-To the Moon

December 26th 10 AM PST
The “No Apologies” Award – This award is for the game that you love unconditionally. Does it have some faults? Maybe. Do other people not understand your love for it? Sure. But make no mistake. There is no guilt here. Only pleasure.

-Rust
-Mount & Blade: Warband
-HuniePop
-Gothic II: Gold Edition
-The Witcher: Enhanced Edition (The Witcher 1)

December 27th 10 AM PST
The “Defies Description” Award - This game is like... well actually it's more similar to...picture a combination of... ya know what, I can't describe it, just play it.

-Garry's Mod
-The Stanley Parable
-Pony Island
-Antichamber
-Doki Doki Literature Club

December 28th 10 AM PST
The “Cry Havoc And Let Slip The Dogs of War” Award - The Bard said it best. This game doesn't necessarily offer the biggest explosions... it offers something better. Potential. Potential to be a rampaging force of nature. Or not. Who knows. You're an agent of chaos and no one is going to tell you what to do.

-Just Cause 3
-Total War: Warhammer II
-Broforce
-Red Faction: Guerilla Steam Edition
-Middle-earth: Shadow of War

December 29th 10 AM PST
The “Haunts My Dreams” Award – This award is slightly a misnomer, because this game doesn’t just haunt your dreams. It consumes your thoughts every waking moment of the day. This game doesn’t demand your time. You give it willingly.

-Counter-Strike: Global Offensive
-Dota 2
-Dark Souls III
-Factorio
-Sid Meier's Civilization VI

December 30th 10 AM PST
The “Soul of Vitruvius” Award - The Vitruvian Man was Leonardo’s celebration of the ideal form. And in that spirit the SASC looks to celebrate the game with the most lovingly rendered character be it human, alien, anthropomorphic cat people, or even a piece of produce.

-NieR: Automata
-Rise of the Tomb Raider
-Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice
-I am Bread
-Bayonetta

December 31st 10 AM PST
The “Whoooaaaaaaa, Dude! 2.0” Award - The Academy wasn't clear enough in the awards description last year. Let's try this again. This award is for the "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" of video games.

-Hotline Miami
-Luna
-Antichamber
-CPU Invaders
-The Evil Within 2

January 1st 10 AM PST
The “Best Soundtrack” Award - There are very few things that can enhance a game better than music. The right song can set the tone for every aspect of gameplay, from simple exploration, to climatic boss fights. This award is for the soundtrack that captured the essence of their game so perfectly that it effortlessly immersed players into the game world.

-Nier: Automata
-Crypt of the Necrodancer
-Undertale
-Cuphead
-Transistor

January 2nd 10 AM PST
The “Even Better Than I Expected” Award - We’ve all been there. You get super excited for a game, you pre-order it, and you anxiously wait as it downloads. Then you finally play it. How do you feel now? If the answer is “Elated beyond words because even I, a conductor aboard the hype train, was blown away with how good this thing was” then you have found the perfect candidate for this award.

-Assassin's Creed Origins
-Cuphead
-Call of Duty: WWII
-Hollow Knight
-Sonic Mania

VOTING RULES
Every day, from December 21st to January 2nd, starting at 10 AM Pacific, a new category will be available for voting. Each category will only be open for voting for 24 hours before moving onto the next category, so be sure to check in every day to vote! The 2017 Steam Award winners will be announced on January 3rd.

Dec 19, 2017

Dota 2 Update - December 19th, 2017

Dota 2 - Valve

* Added the following abilities to Ability Draft: Fire Remnant, Psionic Trap, Chakram

7.07d:
==
* Neutral Ancients gold bounties reduced by 10%

* Arcane Rune: Manacost Reduction reduced from 40% to 30% (same as the cooldown reduction)

* Aeon Disk: Recipe cost reduced from 1600 to 1350
* Butterfly: Bonus damage reduced from 30 to 25
* Helm of the Dominator: Attack Speed reduced from 10 to 5
* Helm of the Dominator: Attack Speed Aura increased from 15 to 20
* Hurricane Pike: Cooldown increased from 15 to 18
* Linken's Sphere: Recipe cost increased from 1000 to 1200
* Manta Style: Attack speed reduced from 15 to 10
* Manta Style: Movement Speed reduced from 10% to 8%
* Mask of Madness: Movement speed bonus reduced from 17% to 12%
* Mask of Madness: Armor reduction increased from 7 to 8
* Meteor Hammer: Channeling time reduced from 3 to 2.5
* Necronomicon: Mana Break increased from 20/30/40 to 30/40/50
* Necronomicon: Mana Break damage from 60 to 50%
* Nullifier: Cooldown reduced from 14 to 13
* Nullifier: Manacost reduced from 100 to 75

* Alchemist: Unstable Concoction damage increased from 150/220/290/360 to 160/240/320/400
* Bane: Enfeeble duration reduced from 20 to 14/16/18/20
* Bane: Brain Sap damage rescaled from 90/160/230/300 to 75/150/225/300
* Brewmaster: Drunken Haze cooldown increased from 8/7/6/5 to 11/9/7/5
* Broodmother: Spiders vision reduced from 1100/800 to 700/700
* Chen: Base damage increased by 5
* Chen: Movement speed increased from 300 to 310
* Dazzle: Level 10 Talent from +175 Health to +200
* Dazzle: Level 10 Talent from +60 Damage to +75
* Earth Spirit: Boulder Smash stun duration from 0.75/1.25/1.75/2.25 to 0.5/1.0/1.5/2.0
* Enigma: Base strength increased from 17 to 19
* Enigma: Eidolons movement speed increased from 280/300/320/340 to 280/310/340/370
* Medusa: Strength gain reduced from 1.5 to 1.3
* Medusa: Movement speed reduced from 285 to 275
* Medusa: Level 10 Talent reduced from +25 Damage to +20
* Morphling: Attribute Shift can no longer be activated while stunned (but will continue if activated in advance)
* Morphling: Waveform damage reduced from 100/175/250/325 to 75/150/225/300
* Morphling: Level 15 Talent from Waveform Attacks Targets to +15s Morph Duration
* Morphling: Level 20 Talent from +15s Morph Duration to Waveform Attacks Targets
* Nightstalker: Hunter in the Night attack speed rescaled from 45/60/75/90 to 30/50/70/90
* Omniknight: Purification cast range reduced from 575 to 450
* Omniknight: Level 20 Talent from +4 Mana Regen to +3
* Omniknight: Guardian Angel cooldown rescaled from 160 to 180/170/160
* Pudge: Meat Hook manacost increased from 110/120/130/140 to 140
* Razor: Static Link cooldown rescaled increased from 32/30/28/26 to 40/35/30/25
* Sand King: Burrowstrike damage reduced from 100/160/220/280 to 85/150/215/280
* Shadow Demon: Level 10 Talent changed from +10 Strength to Soul Catcher Creates Illusion On Death
* Storm Spirit: Ball Lightning AoE rescaled from 125/200/275 to 200
* Storm Spirit: Level 10 Talent reduced from +2.0 Mana Regen to 1.75
* Tinker: Laser cooldown increased from 14 to 20/18/16/14
* Tiny: Grow attack speed reduction increased from 20/30/40 to 20/35/50
* Winter Wyvern: Cold Embrace base heal reduced from 15 to 10
* Winter Wyvern: Arctic Burn damage reduced from 7.5/8/8.5/9% to 6/7/8/9%