pic.twitter.com/ZuPyKxGRDFMarch 27, 2020

The FearLess Cheat Engine community have been tinkering with Doom Eternal enabling console commands that have resulted in discoveries like the pistol, a weapon that was removed from the finished game. They've also got a rudimentary third-person view working, as you can see. Since Doom Eternal has a multiplayer battlemode complete with demons it makes sense that all that ripping and tearing of the glory kill animations would be modeled, but it's still odd to see them from behind. 

In their latest developer diary, Paradox Interactive has gone into detail on their efforts to make Crusader Kings 3 a more accessible experience compared to prior grand strategy games. Though Crusader Kings 2 was a smash success, a common complaint among those interested in it was that the interface and mechanics were a chore to comprehend. “We’ve put a lot of effort into making the interface more approachable for people,” says programmer Matthew Clohessy, “just so that the difficulty and complexity comes from playing the game well and having good strategies instead of finding what number you need or tooltip to find out a piece of information, or Googling what a specific term means.” 

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Space program simulation game Mars Horizon is having a beta next month, and you’re invited. Described as a “strategy simulation game about space exploration,” the game has you take charge of a major space agency and attempt to get humans to Mars. Mars Horizon was developed with support from the European Space Agency (ESA), with advice on the actual science and planning that goes into the process of space missions. The beta test is open to sign ups, and will take place starting April 27th. The beta will be about eight hours long, taking players from the early stages of space flight to the Moon and back. Players will be able to play as the European, Russian, and American space agencies, upgrading rockets and building facilities and sending people to space—all the stuff you'd expect. Mars Horizon isn’t quite as hardcore as other space program simulations, like Kerbal Space Program, so it might be a good one to try if you’ve always been intimidated by the complexity of those games. 

Today in sentences I never thought I’d write: Country music sensation Garth Brooks is on Twitch stream. He doesn't really know what Twitch is, clearly, but he is very excited to raise money to help people. 

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Blizzard has sent a survey to a select number of World of Warcraft Classic players asking their opinions on a number of issues, including several questions geared towards the release of expansion The Burning Crusade in “Classic” form. Screenshots of the poll were posted to Reddit, after which they came to PC Gamer’s attention. The first of two questions is simply a gauge of interest in “a ‘Classic’ version of The Burning Crusade,” with response options ranging from “Not at all interested” to “Extremely interested.” The second polls players on how they’d envision starting in “Classic” Burning Crusade, and has a range of options already being hotly debated on social media.

It's been a very long time coming, but Mount and Blade 2: Bannerlord is nearly here. Almost exactly a decade after the release of the last game in the series, Bannerlord is rolling out in early access with plans for further expansions throughout 2020. TaleWorlds recently announced that the game would be coming earlier than initially planned, so when exactly does the game unlock?

This week, Mount & Blade 2’s early access launch date was moved up by one whole day, Epic Games launched a publishing scheme, Half-Life: Alyx was the talk of the town, and that ol’ new coronavirus continued to disrupt things. Read on for more of the week’s PC gaming goings-on in our News Digest, and […]