The Dark Mod - 2.05/2.06

There really is something about The Dark Mod and how it is framed. The moonlit streets, the clockwork designs and the atmospheric font all resonate with me, saying "You will really like this game." And while stealth-games usually isn't my thing I have still played quite a bit of The Dark Mod due to it being so well made. It's also a project that really feels like it has high production values all the way through. Just look at the screen below! Since I mentioned it on this blog last time two new releases has come out with a wealth of improvements in each. 2.05 brought hundreds of new models, making scenes much more interesting and easier to create. There was also a new introductory mission, improved performance, a new AI opponent and loads of other smaller improvements. 2.06 comes with improved visuals, especially regarding shadows which can now be soft instead of sharp, EAX sound effects for all users, menu improvements, more new assets and a lot of other things including performance and gameplay improvements. All in all a very polished game with loads of content that needs to be experienced.

Soft shadows displayed in The Dark Mod.

OpenTTD - 1.7.0

Transportation business simulation game OpenTTD has reached a new milestone in 1.7.0. Besides bug fixes and smaller improvements the majority of the work seems to be based around the New Graphics Resource File that should make modifying the game easier and more flexible. (If I have understood this right. :) There are also some UI improvements, realistic acceleration for trains and road vehicles, performance improvements and more. Be sure to check it out if you fancy this rather advanced strategy game.

This screenshot from OpenTTD is old, but I'm having trouble finding new ones. :)

Terasology - 1.4.0

The terribly advanced organic and evolving voxel-world of Terasology has reached alpha 7, also known as version 1.4.0. The changelog is as always impressive, and both the core game and many modules have received changes and improvements. Download it now and see this virtual world come alive even more than before!

A beautiful scene from Terasology.

The Dark Mod - 2.05

While stealth-gaming has never been my favorite genre, I have always regarded The Dark Mod in a special light since it's such an impressive project. This new release further reinforces that belief, with a crazy changelog. How about hundreds of new, high-quality models? If you feel like creating new scenarios for the game this is a perfect opportunity with so much fun stuff to play around with. There is of course already loads of finished scenarios to play, with a brand new one included in this release. There are allo several engine optimizations and other smaller fixes and improvements.

I believe this is an older screen, but The Dark Mod has always looked impressive. Even more so in this new release.

Also, you ought to watch the release trailer:

Thrive - 0.3.3

Some breaking news here! Super-cool evolution game Thrive has got a big new release. It looks fun, highly polished and I appreciate that it tries to adhere to know scientific theory, possibly making this into a great learning tool as well as a great game. New in this release is a complete overhaul of the interface (it does look very nice and sharp), the simulation now accounts for creatures mass, a much more realistic approach to reproduction, a new system for health and much more. Again, to understand how much thought has gone into many of these things you need to read up on this yourself. Have a look at the changelog or the new feature video!

Various organisms swimming around in Thrive. You ought to see this in motion.

Urban Terror 4.3.2

Urban Terror - the FPS that favors fun over realism but still has a bit of the latter, is now on 4.3.2. While the team is working on a new game improvements are still coming to this long lasting FOSS shooter. There are several improvements to the InstaGib and GunGame modes, engine optimizations, some interface improvements, a bit of balancing and more.

Spectatin a street-corner battle in Urban Terror.

Trigger Rally - 0.6.5

Fast-paced rally racer Trigger Rally has added two new events, 13 new single races and a road sign option for map creators in its 0.6.5 release. There are also a bunch of bugfixes and code improvements. This game is fun, fast and steadily getting better. Well worth a try!

Co-driver signs shows you which way to go in Trigger Rally.

Übergame - 1.0.7.0

Übergame, the realistic and advanced FPS, has received a major release. It's dubbed 1.0.7.0 and celebrates the two year anniversary of Übergame. New for this release are bots, better engine and renderer performance, an overhaul of the visual interface and many other smaller adjustments and improvements. This is a very well made game and with the new bots you can train on your own before joining matches online. Give it a go!

Übergame showing off some impressive landscapes and reflections!

FlightGear 2016.4

Version 2016.4 of the mighty impressive flight simulator FlightGear was released a few days ago. Air Traffic Control chatter has been re-introduced, the amazingly detailed Space Shuttle seen below is available and a whole lot of other things have been improved.

The amount of detail on this Space Shuttle from FlightGear is almost crazy.

Urban Terror 4.3.1

Somewhat realistic "hollywood tactical shooter" Urban Terror got a big update a few days ago: There is a new game type called "Gun Game", where each frag gives you a new weapon, and the first person to use a knife (the last weapon you receive after all others) to defeat another player wins the game. Quite a unique and intersting setup! There is also a new instagib (one hit, one kill) mode, lots of adjustments to weapons and hit zones, two new maps, improvements to old maps, improvements to HUD and user interface and many other tweaks and fixes. A huge update to this already highly polished game!

A collage of the new maps in Urban Terror.

FlightGear 2016.3.1

FlightGear 2016.3.1 is out! The changelog is still being updated, but there seems to be in-simulator GUI improvements, new scenery, a new Cessna 150 aircraft and probably many other things. A very impressive project, simulation fans should give this one a go!

The inside of the FlightGear Cessna 150. I find this extremely impressive - every little gauge and knob is modeled.

Mars Simulation Project

Here's something cool I came across a while ago: the Mars Simulation Project. Not exactly a game, but at least game like, it let's you simulate a human settlement on mars complete with exploration, advanced base-building and social interaction, resources to manage, an economy system, etc, etc. It seems very advanced yet with an accessible UI and nice graphics. There are several scenarios to run and loads of little details to track and optimize. This should be fun!

Several base-modules and vehicles in Mars Simulation Project.

Übergame - 1.0.6.0

Realistic and great-looking FPS Übergame is now on version 1.0.6.0. The main feature in this release is new levels and assets, and there is also a camera shake effect as well as a bullet hit sound to give better feedback. Some optimizations have also been done.

What looks like a paintball player overlooks this road in Übergame. Note the nice sky!

The Dark Mod 2.04

The Dark Mod, the amazingly atmospheric steampunk stealth-action game, just released 2.04 with a lot of new features. There are AI-improvements, a new option for the inventory menu, a new combination lock, improved system for breakable objects, fixes for bugs, performance and graphics among other things. It appears this is mostly a fix release for a really big 2.05 that is on the way. But if you have yet to try this game, you ought to do so. It really is very well made, having received the "Mod of the year" award from PC Gamer in 2013. The game is now stand-alone though, so no other game is required. Just download and play!

Beautiful environments with an almost tangible mood in The Dark Mod.

Reaction

Reaction is a Free FPS that aims to strike a balance between action and realism, weighing slightly in favor of the action side. It's based on the Quake 3 engine, but has several improvements to graphics and other features. It's a complete game at version 1.0, and while I don't know how many people are playing it still, it might be worth a try!

Fancy light-effects in realistic environments.

Rotorcross

Rotorcross represents a type of game I didn't even know existed: multirotor racing. It seems to have an impressive physics simulation, running at 285 frames per second! The multirotor can be customized in ways I have no idea how they work, but is probably very cool for enthusiasts. There are four levels and 6 timed courses to play and graphics look rather good.

This game moves fast, and you can really feel that looking at this screen. :)

FlightGear 2016.1

The extremely ambitious flight simulator FlightGear released 2016.1 a few days ago. New is an integrated launcher that allows downloading of new aircraft, among other things. There are also numerous performance and rendering improvements.

The launcher. Note small details like simulation scores for each plane.

Trigger Rally 0.6.4

Trigger Rally, the fast-paced 3D rally simulation, reached 0.6.4 and added recording of best times, unlocking of tracks and cars, time penalty for off-road driving and a bunch of usability improvements and optimizations. I especially like the idea of unlocking - I have always enjoyed having to work to unlock new content in games. It keeps me motivated and rewards completing things. :)

Clear signs and codriver voice helps you navigate the twisting tracks.

Digital Paint: Paintball 2

I have yet to do so, but some day I'd like to try a match of paintball. In the meaintime Digital Paint: Paintball 2 should be a decent replacement. It's a fast-paced FPS with team-objectives, focus on maneuvring and short-range projectiles. It's also one shot and you're out, so matches are close-up and intensive. Digital Paint: Paintball 2 has been in development a long time and has received lots of content and features over the years, so it's a very complete game. Last time I tried it, which was a few years ago, it didn't look very good. But it played really well, and there was indeed a nice arcade-ish feeling in the matches. It's a small download, well worth it for the curious.

Take your paintball-marker in hand and get that opposing team!

Übergame 1.0.5.0

Feature-filled FPS Übergame reached version 1.0.5.0 a few days ago. It's a huge update, both redesigning gameplay and adding a whole lot of features. Among these are a weapon loadout system for customizing starting equipment, four new weapons, four types of grenades, 2 special abilities, an aim down sights iron sight mode, better GUI, menus, HUD and options, new graphic settings, systems for voting, chat, fire teams, spectators, etc and several other items. All in all a very impressive update to this already feature-filled game. This will be fun to try!

The new loadout system in action.