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Valve reassures Team Fortress 2 players that it's still working on the Mann vs Machine update it announced last year: 'We promise we're making progress'
AppWizard
July 18, 2026

Valve reassures Team Fortress 2 players that it’s still working on the Mann vs Machine update it announced last year: ‘We promise we’re making progress’

Valve has provided an update on the long-awaited Mann vs. Machine mode for Team Fortress 2, acknowledging the delay since the initial call for community submissions in June of last year. The fictional deadline of August 27 has passed without further communication until now. Valve humorously stated, "We're still working on the MvM update." Despite infrequent major updates, Team Fortress 2 has seen increased player engagement following a significant update in 2023, and a recent update introduced new community maps, cosmetics, and taunts, along with smaller patches for bug fixes.
GTA 3 and Vice City are now playable inside San Andreas — a mod lets you revisit Liberty City and Vice City without leaving San Andreas
AppWizard
July 18, 2026

GTA 3 and Vice City are now playable inside San Andreas — a mod lets you revisit Liberty City and Vice City without leaving San Andreas

A modder named DryxioGTA has created a modification that enables players to play Grand Theft Auto III (GTA 3) and Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (GTA VC) as mini-games within Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (GTA SA). This mod was demonstrated in a YouTube video, showing it running on a Windows virtual machine while on macOS. Players can interact with a television screen in GTA SA to launch either GTA VC or GTA 3. Additionally, DryxioGTA showcased the ability to run GTA Vice City within GTA 3 while still navigating through GTA SA. The release of GTA 6 is anticipated on November 19, following several delays.
North Korea Buried Four-Stage Malware in Flag Images: Zero Antivirus Detections
Tech Optimizer
July 18, 2026

North Korea Buried Four-Stage Malware in Flag Images: Zero Antivirus Detections

North Korea's Contagious Interview hackers have been using a deceptive strategy to target developers by posing as recruiters and embedding malware in SVG files. Elastic Security Labs discovered that the attackers hid malicious payloads within HTML comment blocks of these files, allowing the malware to evade antivirus detection. At the time of the findings, no antivirus engines flagged the compromised repositories, which included trojanized GitHub repositories disguised as coding challenges. The malware executed automatically at server startup and deployed four modules: a browser credential and cryptocurrency wallet stealer, a file stealer, a remote access Trojan, and a clipboard monitor. The campaign, tracked as REF9403, is part of the ongoing Contagious Interview operation attributed to North Korea's Lazarus Group, which aims to generate revenue through cryptocurrency theft. Developers are advised to audit any projects run from unsolicited sources and to monitor specific domains associated with the attack.
The toughest choices in PC games
AppWizard
July 18, 2026

The toughest choices in PC games

PC gaming has explored moral dilemmas since 1985 with Ultima 4, which introduced a moral compass for players. The genre expanded in 2003 with Knights of the Old Republic, emphasizing light versus dark choices. Fable presented morality as whimsical, while BioShock's choices lacked depth due to enticing rewards for "good" actions. The ending of Far Cry 3 confused players rather than provoking deep thought. In The Walking Dead, players must protect refugees and make critical decisions during a siege, affecting character fates. Dishonored presents chaos where high chaos leads to grim realities, while alternative choices can also have disturbing consequences. Mass Effect 2 challenges players with the fate of the heretic geth, balancing noble actions against future threats. The Witcher 3 features a decision in the Whispering Hillock quest where Geralt must choose between killing a tree spirit or freeing it, impacting many lives. Batman: The Telltale Series allows players to shape Bruce Wayne's early interactions with villains, affecting future relationships. Dragon Age: Origins places players in political turmoil, deciding between supporting different leaders, each with significant consequences. Frostpunk presents a moral dilemma regarding child labor laws, weighing the innocence of youth against community survival. Fallout 3 features Harold, where players must decide between granting him peace or keeping him alive for potential future benefits, highlighting moral ambiguity in a post-apocalyptic setting.
Question time: How long have you been playing MMOs?
AppWizard
July 18, 2026

Question time: How long have you been playing MMOs?

A new bi-weekly column called Terminally Online from PC Gamer explores the world of massively multiplayer online games (MMOs), featuring insights, interviews, and guest writers. The design of contemporary MMORPGs has shifted towards seasonal structures to cater to "midcore" players who have limited time for gameplay. Popular MMOs like World of Warcraft and Final Fantasy XIV have been around for over 20 years and a decade, respectively, while newer games like Amazon's New World have struggled with player retention. The column encourages readers to share their experiences and reminisce about the MMO community.
I'm not worried about Fallout: New Vegas 2, because Obsidian knows how to make the best out of a bad situation
AppWizard
July 18, 2026

I’m not worried about Fallout: New Vegas 2, because Obsidian knows how to make the best out of a bad situation

Obsidian Entertainment, founded in 2004, is known for titles like Knights of the Old Republic 2, Fallout: New Vegas, and Pillars of Eternity. The studio was acquired by Microsoft in late 2018, leading to a cautious approach in its development, as seen in The Outer Worlds and the reimagined Avowed. Despite recent challenges, including layoffs, Obsidian has produced successful titles outside its traditional RPG genre, such as Grounded and Pentiment. The studio is currently working on New Vegas 2, generating optimism among fans and industry observers.
Raids just landed in solo 'simulated MMO' Erenshor
AppWizard
July 18, 2026

Raids just landed in solo ‘simulated MMO’ Erenshor

Erenshor is a solo MMO that features computer-controlled NPCs called "simplayers" and has recently introduced guilds and party formations. The Planar March patch, released last Monday, added raids to the game, which the developer Brian described as a significant update. The game has a "very positive" rating on Steam, with 94% of user reviews recommending it. Erenshor allows players to engage in gameplay without the need to coordinate schedules for traditional raids, offering a blend of grinding and strategic encounters reminiscent of classic MMOs.
Windows 11 Secure Boot certificates have expired, and Microsoft says what to do next
Winsage
July 18, 2026

Windows 11 Secure Boot certificates have expired, and Microsoft says what to do next

Microsoft held its OEM Secure Boot Office Hours event on July 15, where engineers collaborated with OEM representatives from companies like Acer, Asus, Cisco, Dell, and HP. IT administrators were able to ask live questions about the Secure Boot 2023 rollout. The discussion thread became a detailed technical record, especially following the expiration of the first certificates three weeks prior. Concerns raised by IT admins included BitLocker recovery loops, stuck confidence ratings, and unhelpful Intune error codes. Key facts include: - Devices offline for long periods will still receive the 2023 certificates upon reconnecting to Windows Update. - Devices with existing 2023 certificates in firmware will switch to the new boot manager after the latest Windows patches are installed. - A new script, Detect-SecureBootCertUpdateStatus.ps1, is available in Windows for checking certificate status. - BIOS updates may reset a device’s confidence rating to unrated, which is normal and does not indicate certificate failure. - Admins should edit the AvailableUpdates registry key, not the AvailableUpdatesPolicy, which is managed by Intune and Group Policy. - A licensing bug affecting AvailableUpdatesPolicy on devices upgraded from Pro to Enterprise was resolved by Microsoft in 2026. - BitLocker recovery is not typically linked to the certificate update process but may relate to firmware or PCR issues. - Dell and HP provided guidance on which BIOS versions include the 2023 certificates for their newer models. - Older HP EliteBook 840 G5 units require a manual update package for the new certificates. - Eligible devices can still receive the 2023 certificates in the future, and Surface devices released from 2024 onward come pre-equipped with them. - Microsoft confirmed that devices running 2011 certificates will not lose the ability to receive the 2023 chain. - The Microsoft Corporation KEK CA 2011 and Microsoft UEFI CA 2011 certificates have expired, with the Microsoft Windows Production PCA 2011 set to expire on October 19, 2026.
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