Crossplay between PC and Xbox is here! You'll now find more people to play against in Versus!

New Weapons:

• Death Ray Cube: It spins, It shoots, things die, and it shoots through walls so you can’t hide!
  
• Boomstick: It's a spear, it's a grenade—it's Boomstick! Try touching someone with it, we dare you!

Modifiers:

• Reflective Beams: Dazzling beams in Survival and Versus modes.
  
• Last Chance Survival Mode: Become a ghost and conquer those waves!
  
• Beeplomacy Survival Mode: Make friends with the wasps.
  
• Light Steps Survival Mode: Dance through mines and defy gravity.

Hazards from Heck:

• Aero Tube: Let the wind lift you!
  
• Dummy Platform: A moody platform that dislikes being stood on.
  
• Turret: An invulnerable turret with explosive ammo.

New Versus Maps:

• Sentinel: Gladiator out, turret in.
  
• Floatiest: Soon, there'll be nothing but air.
  
• Juggler: Let the balls handle the fun.
  
• Croissant: Tasty chaos on a plate!
  
• All Seeing Eye: Beware, this map sees all.
  
• Floating Temple: A heavenly challenge awaits!
  
• Suspended: Watch your step; things fall apart.
  
• Box Rain: The sky is falling, and it's boxy!

Update your game now and embrace the chaos. Share your thoughts in the community discussions, or join us on Discord. Let the web-slinging madness begin!

At SCS Software, we're always happy to bring innovation and modern technology to the world of virtual trucking. Today, we're thrilled to announce a small but significant update that reflects our commitment to the future and sustainability, both in the real world and in the virtual realm of Euro Truck Simulator 2.


To sum it up, Krone Trailers and Trailer Dynamics have joined forces to pioneer an innovative electrified trailer concept that's set to transform the transport industry. This collaboration has resulted in a special trailer equipped with an electrified axle, a great addition that not only adds horsepower to the truck-trailer combination but also reduces fuel consumption and emissions. The electric axle on the trailer acts as a powerful assistant, effectively pushing the truck and trailer forward.


This advanced technology has been showcased at the Goodyear FIA European Truck Racing Championship (ETRC) races, where Krone and Trailer Dynamics have been on a mission to achieve record runs at renowned race tracks. Their goal is clear - to demonstrate that sustainability can be exciting and emotional, proving that it's not just about reducing emissions but also about embracing the future. And we think they are definitely nailing it! Just watch the latest video episode of their Mission Record Run series on YouTube below. Also don't forget to visit their dedicated website where you can find out more and also watch the previous episodes from some of the most famous European racing tracks.


Now, here's where you, our fantastic ETS2 community, come into play. Krone Trailers has invited us to be a part of their trailer technology revolution and to give you a sneak peek into this exciting partnership. We're releasing a special teaser – a unique paint job for Krone Trailers. On one hand, this paint job is a hint of the electrifying future to come, and on the other, it's a symbol of our collaboration with one of the industry's biggest trailer manufacturers and a pioneer in technology. We hope that soon you'll be able to experience the eTrailer and more electrified content in our game. We will still need to further understand the technology itself and explore the potential possibilities of implementing it into the in-game world of ETS2. As of now, it would be too soon to give an estimate for when this new technology might make its way into the game, but we are ready to start working on it as soon as possible.


But that's not all! We're planning a special SCS On The Road episode to delve deeper into this new technology and showcase Krone's eTrailer in all its glory. Keep an eye out for updates on that!


And finally, to make this announcement even more interesting, we're launching a social media sharing contest. We invite our players to apply the "Mission Record Run" livery to their Krone trailers in Euro Truck Simulator 2, take eye-catching screenshots, and share them on social media using the hashtag #MissionRecordRun and tagging us (X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok) and Krone (X/Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, TikTok). Who knows, you might just win some exclusive Krone and SCS Software swag and merchandise!

In the vast and intricate realm of 4X gaming, empire management takes center stage. Traditionally in this genre, the cardinal rule was simple: the bigger the empire, the better your chances of victory. Resources were tightly intertwined with territory, making rapid expansion a key strategy for acquiring as much land and resource production as possible.

But recent times have ushered in a shift, with 4X games offering players the possibility of success with smaller, more focused empires. Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova is no exception to this evolution.



Resource acquisition stands as one of the fundamental objectives in any 4X game. Traditionally, it revolved around seizing and maintaining physical territory. Most resources were generated and consumed within population centers, and victory conditions were often intricately linked to those settlements.

The 'Wide' approach was the go-to strategy. Players would aggressively expand their territory, pushing boundaries until they encountered rival factions. At this point, the game shifted to resource exploitation, diplomacy, and warfare. The objective was to create as many settlements as possible, keeping infrastructure minimal, just enough to sustain rapid expansion. It's a race for territory and resources until no more land or settlements can be easily acquired.

'Playing Tall' meant deliberately restricting the size of your empire to just a few, highly developed Core Worlds, often centered around a single colony or city serving as the production hub. Classic 4X games rarely encouraged Tall playstyles, often reserved for casual play or expert players looking for a challenging experience.


Playing Tall presents an attractive option for gamers seeking reduced colony management. Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova introduces an innovative twist on the classic space 4X formula to cater to this playstyle.

In the Tall strategy, you focus on cultivating a select few high-quality Core Worlds. Core World resource production can be bolstered by surrounding Colonies, amplifying Planetary Input. Strategic placement of Districts and Improvements yields substantial bonuses to Planetary Output as resources are processed by the Core World's industrial machinery.

Higher-class Core Worlds can accommodate more Citizens, each providing significant boosts to Planetary Output. Citizens can be trained to specialize further, enhancing the empire's productivity.

To turbocharge resource production, advanced module equipped Starbases can be constructed around Core Worlds, leading to substantial output gains. The beauty of this approach is that these bonuses stack, with multiple overlapping Economic Starbases making the production of resources immensely efficient.

However, Tall empires might suffer from a limited number of shipyards, potentially resulting in a smaller defense fleet. Nevertheless, well-placed Military Starbases can effectively guard the compact Tall territories, maximizing fleet efficiency.

With attached Colonies enhancing Core World's Planetary Input and various modifiers, a single Core World can evolve into a powerhouse in your Tall empire.



Armed with a Tall strategy, you initiate your journey by sending out probes to map the sector, scouting potential Core Worlds and Colonies. Your civilization gears up for rapid Citizen growth and colony ship production while keeping a vigilant eye on competitors.

For a Wide playstyle, you must expand as quickly as possible, without allowing rival civilizations to lay claim to the resources or Colonies within your proposed borders.

As you conquer each Core World, you establish infrastructure to support a shipyard and maximize Citizen growth. Early access to technologies like Xeno Biology and its Colonial Clinic greatly enhances Growth rates.

When playing Wide, you quickly secure multiple Core Worlds and Colonies, focusing on quantity over quality. However, this approach may leave you vulnerable to invasion, making it essential to assess your neighbors and their potential threat levels.


The Mimot civilization thrives with their Wide playstyle. Their Civilization Abilities are instrumental in facilitating rapid expansion. The 'Fertile' ability grants a 25% bonus to Growth, while 'Proliferation' doubles ship production but at the cost of reduced hit points. This proficiency extends to military and civilian ships, giving the Mimot a remarkable edge in scouting, colonization, and starbase construction.

Compared to the Arceans, the Mimot empire at turn 41 boasts five Core Worlds, seventeen Colonies, seventy Citizens, and a robust strategic resource economy. It's a testament to the effectiveness of the Wide playstyle.

Ten turns later, the Mimot empire has expanded further, boasting eight Core Worlds, twenty-six Colonies, eighty-nine Citizens, and a fully developed economy with twenty Starbases. However, remember that the Mimot's success is contingent on space to expand and a steady source of food.


Playing Tall is the Drath's forte, as their Citizens exhibit slower Growth rates. While they possess five Core Worlds, nearly all their economic prowess is funneled into two Core Worlds, Dratha and Nigel 1. Their diplomatic finesse enables them to maintain peaceful relations with their neighboring Altarians, while the Drath's ability to profit from war-driven trade routes adds a lucrative dimension to their gameplay.

The Drath may seem vulnerable, but their shrewd strategy involves leveraging alliances to manipulate their rivals. The Altarians were convinced to wage war on the powerful Korath Clan, increasing trade route profits thanks to the Drath's War Profiteers Civilization Ability.

This cunning approach enables the Drath to bide their time, accumulating resources, and preparing for the opportune moment to expand and seize territory from weakened rivals.


In Galactic Civilizations IV: Supernova, the separation of Core Worlds and Colonies, combined with each civilization's unique abilities, fosters diverse playstyles. Each civilization offers various strategies, ensuring that every campaign is a fresh and exhilarating experience. Whether you choose to play Tall, Wide, or a mix of both, the galaxy is your canvas, and the possibilities are limitless.

In the quest to evolve and perfect the visual storytelling of Chessarama, our Art Team has continuously faced challenges and puzzles off the board.

The primary question was: how do we keep players visually engaged, level after level?
In this episode of Checkmate Chronicles, we'll delve into the visual progression of the Dragon Slayers levels.



In Chessarama's Campaign Mode, players have been treated to a diverse visual landscape that shifts with time: from the morning serenity of Farm Life to the twilight ambiance of Lady Ronin, and the sunset energy of Street Soccer.
Each game has employed a day-to-night transition to mark the player’s progression.


However, for Dragon Slayers, we took a different path. Instead of using times of the day as milestones, we leaned into the increasing challenges and the escalating path of destruction caused by the dragon.

The initial levels present a more "peaceful" atmosphere, contrasting sharply with the later stages overwhelmed with a "dark" mood, echoing the fire and devastation brought upon the kingdom by the dragon.


This shift wasn't just about aesthetics but was a conscious attempt to align the visual narrative with the game's rising difficulty and evolving storyline.


Our beginning was uncomplicated but lacked movement - a single brown shade was used for the entire Dragon Slayers background:


This palette provided a harmonious look, yet missed the dynamism we sought.

The aim was to transition from lighter to darker tones. Thus, starting with a serene blue seemed like a logical step. However, it became apparent that it resembled our "Lady Ronin" theme too closely, prompting us to change direction:



Committed to finding the ideal palette, we ventured beyond primary colors, diving deep into various tones, illuminations, temperatures, and saturations. We ran different tests that included trying out different lighting scenarios, exterior floor color, and post-processing profiles.
Here are some ideas that we explored:


We tried using different shades of blue and brown. For the final levels, we initially tried cooler colors with a low value.


We settled on a visual sequence involving three color shifts.
It begins with a subdued purple-blue that focuses attention on the board, transitioning to an orange-filled light as lava engulfs the diorama.

This shift isn't solely about aesthetics; it carries symbolism, reflecting the gameplay's increasing stakes.


The endeavor to redesign the Dragon Slayers background was a genuine challenge, but the end result was undoubtedly worth it:



Through meticulous design, color theory, and multiple iterations, we've sculpted a landscape that tells the Dragon Slayers' tale.

We hope that as players strategize their moves, they're equally immersed in the dynamically evolving world we've crafted!

We’re loving to share our artist process with you! Stay tuned for more insights behind Chessarama. 💙

And don't forget to add Chessarama to your Wishlist!

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1831830/Chessarama/

We'd also love to hear from you: what would you like to know more about in the “Behind the scenes” of Chessarama for the next chapter of Checkmate Chronicles? Put in the comments below!

See you soon! ♟️

Oy rulers!

Today, we delve into the intricate art of war, linked with diplomacy and economy, in Great Houses of Calderia. War is motivated by the influence of feudal politics and the pursuit of nobility ranks in Calderia. Let's explore the key features of how war works.

There are specific steps and thresholds to meet the conditions for wars to be declared, they are shown at the war tooltip in military delegation view. You must have negative relations with the House you want to attack.



Here are the current war types and their requirements:

• Humiliation war: You must have House relations lower than -40. Winning this war allows you to either have a claim on their title or vassalize them.
  
• Vassalization war: You must have House relations lower than -60, have the right to vassalize and have a higher rank than the opposing House. Winning this war allows you to vassalize this House, which will then pledge allegiance and pay taxes to you.
  
• Title war: You must have House relations lower than -85, have the right to claim the title of the opposing House. Winning this war grants you the title of the defeated House, which will then go down to your previous title. For instance, you had the Baron rank before winning the Title War. The House you attacked had the Count rank, you then become a Count and they become a Baron.
  
• Tax war: This war can only be declared to vassals who are refusing to pay taxes they owe you. Winning this war will resume the tax payments the House owes you.

Developing your fiefdom and making new buildings allows you to unlock new military units, each with its own unique strengths and roles on the battlefield. Units come with both a raise cost and an upkeep cost, requiring you to balance your military might with your resources. All units have attack, defense, health and attack speed variables. Some units can have special abilities that may be automatic, like ranged abilities, while others need to be activated. Defense reduces attack damage input and the attacker also takes some damage. Military units, once engaged, are caught up in the battle and require time to retreat before they can escape the fight. This adds dynamics to the ebb and flow of battles. Wounded units who managed to retreat in time join the reserve, where they can slowly heal so you can redeploy them again. On the other hand, units who died during the fight cannot be used again for future battles during the ongoing war. With this game mechanic, we wanted to encourage a thoughtful rotation of troops to optimize your strategy.



You must first successfully make a claim to a higher title to advance in nobility. Wars are an effective way to rise in the nobility ranks. They allow you to take over the title of the House ruling over you. But first, you must declare and win a Humiliation War, then a Title War to obtain a new title. You can progress through nobility ranks one level at a time, from Baron to Count, Count to Duke, and from Duke to Viceroy. Marriage is a powerful asset for forging alliances between the families tied by the union. These allies can then be called to join wars, strengthening your military power. Growing your influence and military power starts at the court, the relationships you build are essential to your success.



Wars cannot last forever. Every war concludes with peace negotiations. The possible outcomes are determined by various elements based on how the war ended. It affects the terms that you can focus on during negotiations. However, total wins and total losses have automatic outcomes. Engaging in war leads to war weariness that accumulates at varying levels, each with its own cumulative impacts. Successive wars also increase your war weariness. War weariness takes time to wear off during peace, and peace treaties come with a truce period that prevents new wars from being declared right after a war ends. Winning a war grants you an advantage in peace negotiations, as the losing party will have fewer companions to bargain with. Be aware that refusing ally calls to aid them in war degrades your reputation and strains relations with all the other Houses. You have to balance your own interests with your reputation and relations with other Houses.



Because resources like crops, livestock, materials, metal ore, horses, and grapes are produced outside the city, they are easy targets during war. Blockades on roads to the city from resource locations disrupt the resource supply chain and prevent the fiefdom from receiving the resources. On top of the blockades that can affect your resources and economic sustainability, enemy armies can burn down your production buildings that won’t produce resources until they are repaired. Defending and repairing your production buildings is crucial to maintaining your ability to upkeep your armies.



Losing a battle will have the remains of the army retreat automatically on the map for a while, giving a head start for the pursuing army. For now, siege has a static time period during which walls can be broken. Conquering a castle grants a significant amount of points in the warscore, and maintaining a siege also accumulates additional points over time, which greatly contribute to victory. All wars can end in five ways, from neutral peace to total victory or defeat, allowing for varied approaches depending on the most interesting outcomes for you. Reaching neutral peace negotiations will result in both Houses seeking to earn something from the deal. Battlefields provide temporary effects for battles. The warscore to aim for depends on the war type. Your tactical decisions should favor short and effective war resolutions rather than lengthy military conflicts.



Now that we have tackled these features, giving you a better look at the way war works in the game, may you increase your chances of success and prevail with this knowledge. The complex art of military strategy, diplomatic and economic acuteness will shape the fate of your fiefdom.

May your banners fly high and your influence leave a lasting mark in the tapestry of power as you rise in the ranks of Calderia!

Join our Discord and share your feedback with us!

- Great Houses of Calderia Team -

While we work towards the release of ANTRO, we wanted to show you some new stuff and what we’ve been working on! That’s why we’ve put together this brand new teaser with content never seen before. Don’t miss out on it!



We wanted to show you just how frenetic the action will be in ANTRO and what you can expect from this underground city and its totalitarian government. We’ve also included a sneak peek of a new district of the city, which is the highest one and where La Cúpula operates. As you can see, it has a very different look from the other districts. What will Nittch discover there?

If you want to stay updated on all the news regarding ANTRO, remember to add it to your wishlist and follow us on social media.

See you soon, discordants!
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1861250/Antro/

Legends say that a long ago people were able to fly their vehicles into the sky. Conquer the air. But that was so long ago

---

For more information on Crossout, follow these channels:

• Twitter
  
• Reddit
  
• Youtube
  
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• Discord

If the campaign is successful, Black Geyser will get a new DLC - Tales of the Moon Cult! This expansion will add new locations on the world map with brand-new content, creatures, items, spells and riddles! It also introduces a complex questline focusing on the Cult of Zoria and their answer to the avarice and corruption affecting the nations of Yerengal. A completely free fixpack (not requiring the DLC) will be developed as well for Black Geyser, adding Strongholds, Dual Wielding and a number of other features to the base game - you can read more on the campaign page.


This Kickstarter is also the last chance to get the Collector's Edition Box (with goodies included) of Black Geyser: Couriers of Darkness.

We've received lot of e-mails from you, asking if the original Black Geyser Collector's Edition Box will be available or not. This truly warmed our hearts, but many things have changed (and not in a good direction) here since 2018. Especially material prices and manufacturing costs/conditions for premium boxes and hardcover books from printing companies skyrocketed. If we offer a Collector's Edition, it means we don't want to give you a box & goodies of questionable quality, while we still want it to be as affordable as possible to a wide range of fans. After a long discussion, we concluded that we'll offer the Collector's Box of Black Geyser for a last time (with all goodies included: hardcover book, cloth map, T-Shirt, mousepad, keychain) and will also include 2 additional keychains of your choice - we now have a brand-new Moon Cult keychain as well! If you already have the Collector's Edition Box but want to get a Moon Cult keychain, you can of course pre-order it as a standalone add-on.

Let's make Tales of the Moon Cult a reality together as a major DLC for Black Geyser!



The Black Geyser Team



https://store.steampowered.com/app/1374930/Black_Geyser_Couriers_of_Darkness/

• fixed jungle gift, high tide and low tide not using the correct attribute addresses
  
• fixed statistics without a goal being expandable
  
• fixed town resources from idle not counting towards total resources gathered statistic

Join our Discord to chat with us about it! Or any other channel for that matter, here are all of them:

Discord
https://discord.com/invite/ghkqymE58S

TikTok
https://www.tiktok.com/@thefullyarcade

Youtube
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZSIa7BYX0QOWZmTgiyXXOw

Twitch
https://www.twitch.tv/thefullyarcade

Twitter
https://twitter.com/thefullyarcade

Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/the_fully_arcade/