weapon Archives

AppWizard

August 12, 2025

After all these years, Heretic plays better than it ever has—and thanks to Nightdive, even Hexen sucks far less

Last week, remastered versions of Heretic and Hexen were released, developed by Raven Software. Heretic, released in 1994, featured unique weaponry like the ethereal crossbow and allowed for strategic item use, but its gameplay was similar to Doom and its aesthetic less appealing than Hexen's darker tones. Hexen, released in 1995, attempted to blend RPG elements into the first-person shooter genre but often frustrated players with its complexity and hub-based level structure. Nightdive Studios made gameplay adjustments in both remasters, including tweaks to level design and weapon mechanics, such as reducing the ethereal crossbow's ammo capacity. Players can toggle these changes on or off. Heretic's level design has been appreciated for its sophistication, surpassing Doom 2, while Hexen's remaster includes a more user-friendly map and the ability to change character classes mid-game, enhancing accessibility.

Winsage

August 11, 2025

Win-DDoS: Attackers can turn public domain controllers into DDoS agents

SafeBreach researchers have identified critical vulnerabilities in Windows Active Directory domain controllers (DCs), particularly CVE-2025-32724, which can be exploited for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks using a method called Win-DDoS. This vulnerability allows attackers to manipulate public DCs into connecting to a controlled Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) server, directing them to flood a target server with requests. The researchers also highlighted additional vulnerabilities: - CVE-2025-26673 and CVE-2025-49716 enable uncontrolled resource consumption in Windows LDAP and Windows Netlogon, respectively. - CVE-2025-49722 affects Windows Print Spooler Components, potentially crashing DCs and other Windows machines. The first three vulnerabilities can be triggered remotely by unauthenticated attackers, while the last one requires minimal privileges. Microsoft has released security updates for all four vulnerabilities in 2025, and organizations are advised to implement these patches and strengthen their defenses against potential DDoS attacks.

Winsage

August 11, 2025

Silent Cyber Weapon Discovered: Hackers Can Now Turn Your Windows Server into a DDoS Weapon

A new attack method called Win-DDoS can turn publicly accessible Windows domain controllers into a botnet for distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, as presented by SafeBreach researchers at DEF CON 33. This method exploits vulnerabilities in Windows' Lightweight Directory Access Protocol (LDAP) client code, allowing attackers to redirect traffic from compromised domain controllers to a target server without needing malicious code or stolen credentials. The attack involves initiating an RPC request to the DCs, connecting them to the attacker's CLDAP server, and receiving a referral list that directs traffic to a single IP and port, overwhelming the victim's resources. Microsoft has issued patches for four related vulnerabilities: CVE-2025-26673, CVE-2025-32724, CVE-2025-49716, and CVE-2025-49722, which can allow unauthenticated attackers to crash domain controllers or disrupt internal systems. SafeBreach warns that enterprise security models often underestimate the risks of denial-of-service attacks on internal infrastructure. Organizations are urged to audit domain controller exposure, apply security patches, and reassess the safety of their internal networks.

AppWizard

August 10, 2025

Doom: The Dark Ages latest update adds a ‘Ripatorium’ that lets you build your own wave shooter from its demonic menagerie

id Software has released Update 2 for Doom: The Dark Ages, introducing a new arena mode called the "Ripatorium," which allows players to customize combat encounters with various options for demons, waves, and time limits. The update also includes a significant overhaul of the combat system, improving the speed of weapon swaps, allowing the Slayer to interrupt weapon-swap animations to block attacks, and adding more enemies to late-game fights. The game is currently available at a 25% discount on Steam, reducing the price from $/£70 to $/£52.

BetaBeacon

August 10, 2025

8 forgotten Android classics I still play today

Dead Trigger is a single-player, story-driven first-person zombie shooter game that offers a fairly pure experience without pushing micro-transactions for upgrades. The game was optimized for Tegra chipsets and had stunning graphics for its time. It remains playable despite looking a bit dated and offers bite-sized missions for players.

AppWizard

August 9, 2025

‘Let’s just kill everyone on the station:’ The videogame audio log was apparently invented to avoid ‘awkward’ RPG dialogue trees

Marc LeBlanc, a programmer from Looking Glass Studios, discussed the innovative design of audio logs in the game System Shock during a Nightdive podcast episode. The team aimed to move away from traditional RPG mechanics, avoiding the limitations of D&D-style stats and skills that could frustrate players. They rejected the idea of conversation trees with NPCs, seeking a more immersive narrative delivery. Designer Austin Grossman suggested using audio logs by having all characters dead, allowing players to access their diaries. This approach streamlined storytelling and enhanced player engagement. LeBlanc acknowledged that while audio logs can be overused today, they remain effective for narrative delivery, offering players choices in how they engage with the story.

AppWizard

August 9, 2025

I finally played Duke Nukem Forever’s unfinished 2001 build, and while it probably would have been better than Gearbox’s fiasco, it still wouldn’t hold up today

Duke Nukem Forever was released in 2011 with outdated graphics and gameplay compared to its ambitious 2001 E3 trailer. A playable prototype of the 2001 version surfaced, revealing various levels and features, including the Ladykiller Casino and Hoover Dam, but it was unfinished and plagued by glitches. The prototype included navigational puzzles, scripted events, and innovative mechanics like vending machines for healing items. Combat mechanics showed potential, with satisfying weapon dynamics, but the overall experience felt disjointed and less cohesive as it progressed. The prototype demonstrated ambitious ideas but likely would not have stood the test of time alongside classics like Quake or Half-Life.

AppWizard

August 9, 2025

It’s 2025 and saving in absolutely every game still sucks

IStewieAI's Auto-Save Manager (ASM) for Fallout: New Vegas offers customizable autosave options, allowing players to set their own save intervals and maintain multiple autosaves. Users can choose to autosave at various intervals and create a list of saves that overwrite the oldest ones. This tool addresses the limitations of traditional autosave and quicksave systems, which often leave players with a single autosave and cumbersome navigation to access saves. The demand for more sophisticated saving systems in gaming is evident, with calls for features like dedicated quicksave and quickload buttons on controllers.

AppWizard

August 8, 2025

18 essential Minecraft tip and tricks that will help you master the game

Minecraft has approximately 204.33 million monthly players and is available on all mobile devices and gaming consoles. Llamas can be used as pack mules, with inventory capacity varying from 3 to 15 slots based on strength. Players can break blocks to leave a breaking pattern on the north side for navigation. Lava is a superior fuel source compared to wood or coal. Diamonds are now typically found between levels 15 and 63. Blue sheep can be turned red by an Evoker. Torches can help harvest sand and gravel more effectively. Mushroom biomes do not spawn aggressive mobs at night. Carved pumpkins can prevent Endermen attacks. Iron Golems can be created for protection using iron blocks and a carved pumpkin. Cats deter Creepers. Doors create air pockets underwater. Snowballs are effective against Blazes. Placing torches around mob spawners can halt enemy production. The Swift Sneak enchantment allows quick movement while crouching. Mooshrooms produce mushroom stew when milked. Players can dye their dogs' collars for identification. Adding a glass pane to a map preserves pixel art. Zombies are attracted to turtle eggs, which can be used to lure them away.

AppWizard

August 8, 2025

Two revolutionary 90s shooters shadow dropped on Xbox, Xbox Game Pass, and PC — Complete with enhanced performances, online multiplayer crossplay, and more

Bethesda Softworks has released Heretic+Hexen, a compilation of remastered editions of Heretic: Shadow of the Serpent Riders and Hexen: Beyond Heretic, during QuakeCon 2025. The compilation is available on Xbox platforms, Xbox Game Pass, and PC via Windows and Steam. It includes the original titles, Hexen: Deathkings of the Dark Citadel, and two new episodes: Heretic: Faith Renewed and Hexen: Vestiges of Grandeur, totaling 117 campaign maps and 120 deathmatch maps. The remastered versions feature online cross-platform deathmatch and co-op for up to 16 players, local split-screen for up to 8 players, an enhanced soundtrack, community mod support, improved performance with multithreaded rendering, accessibility options, modern controller support, and translations into 12 languages. Heretic+Hexen is available for purchase on Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, and PC, and is included in Xbox Game Pass. A limited-time offer at CDKeys provides one month of Xbox Game Pass Ultimate for .04.