After giving away Grand Theft Auto V, Epic Games is on their second trench of giving away popular titles and this time it’s Sid Meier’s Civilization VI. If you do not have a copy yet, simply go to Epic Games Store and search for Civilization 6. Once you claim a copy, the game is yours to keep.
This promotion will last until May 28, 2020 at 8:00 PDT / 11:00 EDT / 16:00 BST, so hurry up and grab a copy or tell your friends. Do note that this promotion does not include any DLC. You can, however, upgrade to the Platinum Edition which contains all paid updates except for the new Frontier Pass for US$39.99.
Leak: Upcoming Epic Games Store FREE Titles
Epic Games Store is set to give away big titles during their Epic Mega Sale that will run until June 11. Last May 18, Epic Games has already given away free copies of the popular game, Grand Theft Auto V. Now, they are giving away free copies of Sid Meier’s Civilization VI.
On a Reddit post, an image that leaks the titles that will be free during the Epic Games mega sale event is posted. The leak as accurately guest the first two title to be free and if this continues, the next title that’s going to be free on the said store will be “Borderlands The Handsome Collection” that’s set on May 28 followed by “Ark Survival Evolved” on June 4.
EA, the studio behind the popular real-time strategy game Command & Conquer: Tiberian Dawn and Red Alert, will be releasing the source code for the said games alongside the Remastered Collection next month.
According to an announcement posted on Reddit by Jim Vessella, EA Producer – “Today we are proud to announce that alongside the launch of the Remastered Collection, Electronic Arts will be releasing the TiberianDawn.dll and RedAlert.dll and their corresponding source code under the GPL version 3.0 license. This is a key moment for Electronic Arts, the C&C community, and the gaming industry, as we believe this will be one of the first major RTS franchises to open source their source code under the GPL. It’s worth noting this initiative is the direct result of a collaboration between some of the community council members and our teams at EA. After discussing with the council members, we made the decision to go with the GPL license to ensure compatibility with projects like CnCNet and Open RA. Our goal was to deliver the source code in a way that would be truly beneficial for the community, and we hope this will enable amazing community projects for years to come.” You can read the complete announcement on Reddit.
So what does this mean for us casual gamers? Well, to put things in a simpler perspective, this means that modders will be able to design maps, create custom units, replace art, alter gameplay logic, and edit data. Which can drastically change the game from the way we have seen it.
As an example of the possibilities that can potentially happen, Petroglyph, developer of the remastered collection, has actually created a new modded unit to play with called Nuke Tank.
Nuke Tank
Nuke Tank came into play when the Brotherhood of Nod captured a Mammoth Tank. This is a fully playable unit in the game via a mod and it can do devastating damage.
However, not all went well. EA originally planned on developing the said games with LAN support but the development for LAN support requires actual testing via LAN. The studio mentioned that it became very challenging to do so since they might face legal issues in regard to “Social Distancing” amidst the threat of COVID-19.
Unfortunately, EA had to drop the development for now and will keep the LAN support at the top of their priority list.
Workshop & Platform
EA will be taking advantage of Steam and Origin in this matter for the PC platform. There is no confirmation yet if the remastered collection will be available for PlayStation 4 or Xbox One. However, it would be great if the remastered collection will be available for the Nintendo Switch platform.
For Steam users, Steam Workshop will work on both maps and mods. Players can also subscribe to maps and mods directly in the game’s community hub within Steam. Added to that, players can also utilize the in-game menus to browse, download, and install contents as well. For Origin users, it will be the same in-game process for downloading maps. The only difference will be the need to manually install mods into their respective folders outside the game. Once you’re in the game, players will be able to navigate to the Options / Mods tab to enable/disable mods.
Command & Conquer Franchise
If you’re new in this game, the Command & Conquer franchise is a set of RTS games produced by Westwood Studios and released by Virgin Interactive Entertainment in 1996. EA later then acquired Westwood Studios in 1998 and rendered Command & Conquer: Red Alert freeware.
EA now remastered the game and is available for pre-order in Steam. The game is set to launch this coming June 6 and both Command & Conquer and Red Alert are both remastered in 4K by the former Westwood Studios team members.
Command & Conquer Remastered Collection PC System Requirements
For the best experience a Ryzen 7 1700 or i5 4690K processor and Radeon HD 7850, GTX 660, or DirectX 11 compatible video card are recommended.
Minimum PC Requirements
OS: Windows 8.1 or 10
Processor (AMD): Athlon 64 X2 4600 @ 2.4ghz or better
Processor (Intel): Core 2 Duo E4600 @ 2.4ghz or better
Memory: 4 GB
Graphics Card (AMD): Radeon HD 5570 or equivalent
Graphics Card (Nvidia): GT 420 or equivalent
DirectX: 11 compatible video card or equivalent
Multiplayer Online Connection Requirements: Broadband internet connection
Hard Drive Space: 32 GB
Recommended PC Requirements
OS: Windows 8.1 or 10
Processor (AMD): Ryzen 7 1700
Processor (Intel): i5 4690K
Memory: 4 GB
Graphics Card (AMD): Radeon HD 7850 or equivalent
Graphics Card (Nvidia): GTX 660 or equivalent
DirectX: 11 compatible video card or equivalent
Multiplayer Online Connection Requirements: Broadband internet connection
The studio behind the award-winning game The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, CD Project Red, is set to start production of the new Witcher game after the release of Cyberpunk 2077.
According to CD Projekt Red CEO Adam Kiciński, there will be another Witcher game but the story of Geralt ends with the Witcher 3. Marking all the Witcher game series so far as the trilogy of Geralt.
The Witcher Trilogy is available on Steam but we recommend purchasing the game from GOG.com so 100% of the proceeds go to the developers.
This could mean that the new game could potentially feature Ciri as the main protagonist. In an interview conducted by VG247, Jakub Szamałek, the principal writer of Witcher 3, mentioned he regrets that they couldn’t explore more about Ciri in the game.
As for now, it is confirmed that there will be a continuation for the Witcher series but the story and timeline will be different. The new Witcher game will not be a sequel according to the developers and it will not be titled “The Witcher 4.” What we know so far is that the studio could be aiming to tell a different story where the protagonist could either be Ciri or a new person that has nothing to do with Geralt.
Ciri of The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt
We could potentially see a Witcher game set in a modern era where technology plays a vital role for a Witcher.
Not many details have been provided about the new Witcher game other than it being an addition to the Witcher franchise. The studio, CD Project Red, mentioned that the new games they plan to develop after Cyberpunk 2077 will mostly revolve around the Witcher universe and the Cyberpunk universe. Which hints us that we could get a Witcher 5 game in the near future.
Personally, I have played all of the Witcher games so far from Witcher 1 to Wild Hunt. I’ve seen how the company has developed the game drastically from sequel to sequel. A kind of dedication that you will rarely find from most big video game production companies these days.
I, as a gamer, would love to see a new Witcher game and unravel the story behind the world of Ciri. On the other hand, I’m very much looking forward to the release of Cyberpunk 2077 as well. From swords and magic to bio-technology, it is what keeps me excited for the upcoming Cyberpunk 2077.
What do you think of the upcoming Witcher game? Have you played the Witcher trilogy? If so, do share with us your comments, thoughts, opinions, and reaction about the new Witcher game in the comments section below.
The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt Tidbits:
The game sold over six million copies in six weeks.
The game won many Game of the Year awards from various gaming publications, critics, and game award shows, including the Golden Joystick Awards and The Game Awards.
Netflix adapted the story and produced a live version.
Steam is giving away a free copy of The LEGO® NINJAGO® Movie Video Game for free. The game was first released in September 2017 and is free until May 22, 2020. Once you claimed the game, it is yours to keep in your Steam library.
The game may not be so critically acclaimed but a free game is free. It won’t also have the Grand Theft Auto V effect on Epic Store.
