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Mrtnptrs

@mrtnptrs.bsky.social
24 followers 35 following 302 posts

Just into gaming technology for hobby. Blabbing on about technical things, obscure update details etc. Mostly PC, but sometimes Nintendo Switch 2. SteamDB fanatic. Love especially RollerCoaster Tycoon, Command & Conquer, Doom, Crysis and GTA classics.

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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 28/09/2026
Devil May Cry HD Collection September 28th, 2026 update: mainly cutscenes converted from WMV to much smaller file size WebM format, with it a whopping 60% install size reduction + more cutscene compression artifacts + SteamAPI update. See my detailed Reddit post: www.reddit.com/r/ObscureGam...
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 26/09/2026
Follow-up to bsky.app/profile/mrtn... On my suggestion, Elight Software actually released a second patch today to implement DDrawCompat as well to assure stability and performance on modern Windows. Amazing to see. See steamdb.info/patchnotes/2... and steamcommunity.com/app/433280/d...
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 25/09/2026
Warlord Battlecry III on Steam got a sudden update today. "The game now correctly handles the Windows display scale setting" to avoid Windows enlarging the game's visuals and causing them to go off-screen. Now, no compatibility settings are needed anymore. See steamcommunity.com/app/433280/d...
steamcommunity.com
Suddenly a Steam patch? :: Warlords Battlecry III General Discussions
I just noticed that Steam downloaded a patch. 512.5 KB in size. Any information what this is about?
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Game started in Steam Early access in 2017. I see some heavy rumors that Saber was not involved with this title since 2019/2020, but none of it I can actually confirm as it seems to be based on heavy assumptions made by the community.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Credits (www.mobygames.com/game/95037/q...) reveals that a smaller team at id Software worked on this title, while Saber Interactive was seemingly the main force behind this title at the start, with some art outsourced to different companies. It is unknown which companies did the seasonal updates.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
No more content updates are planned. This is likely part of the XBOX restructuring to cut costs, while avoiding a delisting of this game, and assure its availability and playability for the forseeable future. With the very low daily player-count, I think this is the best choice they could make.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Quake Champions has transferred from free-to-play to paid ownership; €9,99. Granted for free to previous free-to-play players on Steam. The Microsoft Store version has been retired. All content locked behind battle-passes and microtransactions are now freely unlocked in-game. See beth.games/4yOraxC
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 24/09/2026
Resident Evil 3 Remake and Devil May Cry 5 got updates today on Steam. See my post on Reddit about this: www.reddit.com/r/ObscureGam...
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
They even replaced the render-to-texture mirror reflections with path traced reflections. This render-to-texture method was always of good quality and very performant. It was a major feature the Glacier engine was known for. The shading, reflections and shadows in mirrors now look so much better.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
This path tracing mode, in my opinion, gives a very significant upgrade to how to the lighting and reflections look amazing. Always felt like the probe-based software RT method the game used had some huge downsides in order to maintain performance. See: www.youtube.com/watch?v=bign...
youtube.com
007 First Light Path Tracing On vs Off - Graphics/Performance Comparison | RTX 5080
YouTube video by MxBenchmarkPC
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 15/09/2026
007 First Light got updated today with Path Tracing support. Not mentioned by the devs; AMD FSR, Nvidia DLSS, Nvidia NRD and Nvidia Streamline all got updated as well; see my detailed Reddit post on this: www.reddit.com/r/ObscureGam...
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This conclusion is supported by archived info on Fun Lab's old site: - web.archive.org/web/20150419... - web.archive.org/web/20031004... - web.archive.org/web/20080430... - web.archive.org/web/20071123...
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Further research reveals that the same config file location is used for many Fun Labs titles and for titles of its subsidiaries; Magic Wand Productions and Sand Grain Studios. Chameleon likely their in-house engine mainly used for Activision published titles, especially the Cabela franchise.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This might all simply be due to engine limitations. The "[path-to-game]\Harley\Bin\debug.log" file indicates this 2006 game utilizes the "Chameleon Engine". Likely coincidentally the same name as the "Chameleon" engine used by Criterion Games, as that only got used since 2010's NFS: Hot Pursuit.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
Fun fact; the game on PS2 runs at 60 FPS natively (tested with PCSX2, no overclocking) and that version suffers from the same physics glitches. Likely the exact same cause. Do note: these physics glitches are non game-breaking and do not affect gameplay itself on PC and PS2. Just looks odd at times.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
This config change makes the game run in borderless fullscreen mode instead of the buggy exclusive fullscreen mode. Note: the game has a 100 FPS cap. But all frame rates above the originally 30 FPS result in somewhat glitchy physics when you or an NPC collides with his bike against anything.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
With this workaround, the game then boots while rendering just fine and while still in fullscreen. Suspect the game back then having some hacky implementation of exclusive fullscreen that doesn't play nice on modern Windows anymore. Avoids having to use wrappers like dgVoodoo or D3D8to9.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 12/09/2026
2006 DirectX 8 title "Harley-Davidson: Race to the Rally" for PC; if you run into a black screen at boot (with sound/music playing just fine), open file "[path-to-game]\Harley\Cfg\console.cfg" and look for the line "addvar r_windowed int; r_windowed = 0". Change the "0" to "1". This fixes the issue.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Like I commented earlier, hope that this is really a technical issue and not perhaps them being in financial trouble and really have to choose which bills to pay and which ones to put on the shelve in hopes of delaying the inevitable? Let's hope that that isn't the case.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 09/09/2026
Let's hope this is then really caused by technical issues and not them having severe monetary problems.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Do note, Pikmin 1 + 2 and 4 can all not make use of handheld boost mode to run with Switch 1 docked settings while in handheld mode on Switch 2. Presumably due to issues with the difference in how gyro controls are handled differently between handheld and docked mode. So, a patch would be needed.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Hope that a potential Switch 2 patch can increase the render resolution to full 1080p in handheld mode to hopefully overcome this limitation a little bit. Also, would improve the often very visible edge-aliasing on in-game models. With Pikmin 3 Deluxe having had that treatment... one can hope....
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 06/09/2026
Acquired Pikmin 1 + 2 for my Switch 2 yesterday. It seems like the game's ground textures are too detailed at a distance that causes them to show moving artifacts while moving the in-game camera. Almost like max texture filtering enabled without mipmap-support. 720p (handheld) and 1080p (docked.)
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Possible workarounds (part 3 of 3): - Replace the CPU cooling paste every 5-6 years. It dries up over the years, causing improper contact with the cooling block. This causes heat to be unable to get away through the cooling block and the fans.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Possible workarounds (part 2 of 3): - Make sure fans always spin at low speed to avoid hot air of the GPU getting trapped and heating up the motherboard VRMS and CPU. - Worry less about high temps; hardware throttles itself back anyways within very safe margins to avoid any overheating and damage.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Possible workarounds (part 1 of 3): - Capping the game's FPS to a lower value, like 60 FPS - Lowering in-game visual settings - Adjust fan curves to let fans spin faster at lower tempratures already of the CPU, VRMS etc. to combat high temps - Avoid dust build-up; placing filters & removing dust.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 04/09/2026
Some games might be unoptimized, but I see more and more people saying on the internet that certain games are causing their PC/laptop to overheat. Likely just indicates: - The game is fully using your system resources (even if unoptimized) - Your cooling setup/fan curve is improperly setup.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
I see an increased shadow resolution (indicated by finer jagged edges of shadows). I see no difference in anisotropic/texture filtering besides some minor improvements probably just due to the bumped up rendering resolution. So, the ground textures are still quite blurry sadly at short distances.
V3.0.5V4.0.0v3.0.5v4.0.0
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Nintendo Store logo is now also changed from green to red on the main menu. In-game UI and videos don't seem to have been updated and are still at a quite low resolution. Official changelog: en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/... Very good comparison video: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rono...
v3.0.5v4.0.0
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
After Pikin 3 Deluxe yesterday, now also Mario Kart 8 Deluxe got a sudden Switch 2 update: - From 720P (Switch 1) to full 1080p in handheld - From 1080p (Switch 1) to 1440p or 4K in docked mode - Shorter load times - 5-8 multiplayer support - Increase to player racing speed - CameraPlay support
v3.0.5v4.0.0v3.0.5v4.0.0
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 02/09/2026
Also, strongly felt like the loading times had been significantly improved. I already updated, so I cannot compare anymore, but I'm fairly certain about it.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
GVG posted a really good comparison video earlier today that clearly shows the quite significant difference in image quality of this new Switch 2 update of Pikmin 3 Deluxe: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViHP...
youtube.com
Pikmin 3 Deluxe's Free Switch 2 Upgrade is Brilliant
YouTube video by GVG
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Men of War (2008) and Faces of War (2006) getting delisted on September 8, 10pm UTC, following "Soldiers: Heroes of World War II" delisting in June this year; same developer and publisher. Announced for GOG & ZOOM Platform, Steam & EGS likely next. See: www.reddit.com/r/DigitalGam...
reddit.com
From the DigitalGamesDelisted community on Reddit
Explore this post and more from the DigitalGamesDelisted community
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Been digging a bit into the Steam2 leak, see kotaku.com/every-valve-... Leaving the Valve stuff to other. Discovered myself the following things: - An alpha and developer build of "Homefront" - Copies of long delisted or never released Steam games like Blur, The Godfather 1&2 and The Movies etc.
kotaku.com
Everything Discovered In The 13TB Steam Leak So Far
It's been just 48 hours since the 13TB 'Steam2' depot leak dropped, and fans are unearthing a small treasure trove of previously undiscovered content
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.reddit.com/r/ObscureGam...
reddit.com
From the ObscureGameTechUpdate community on Reddit
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.reddit.com/r/ObscureGam...
reddit.com
From the ObscureGameTechUpdate community on Reddit: Doom: The Dark Ages Update 4; updated DLSS and Streamline usage
Explore this post and more from the ObscureGameTechUpdate community
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.reddit.com/r/HiTMAN/com...
reddit.com
From the HiTMAN community on Reddit: "The Eminem vs. Slim Shady Pack" became available for purchase again today. Available till the 23rd of August, 2026 this time.
Explore this post and more from the HiTMAN community
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
www.reddit.com/r/CitiesSkyl...
reddit.com
From the CitiesSkylines community on Reddit
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Plus I did a few other discoveries:
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Haven't been posting on BlueSky the last few months due to the quite strong reactions some people on Steam & Reddit have when you link to BlueSky + the seemingly very limited reach this platform has. I've mainly focused on my new DelistedDigitalGames Reddit: www.reddit.com/r/DigitalGam...
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Correction: not Digital Foundry, but ElAnalistaDeBits looked at the resolution the game on Switch 1 rendered at.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
This increase in rendering resolution seems to bring out more detail within the original textures. Official changelog: en-americas-support.nintendo.com/app/answers/...
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/09/2026
Pikmin 3 Deluxe got updated today for the Nintendo Switch 2. According to Digital Foundry, it always used to render at 720p on Switch (and thus Switch 2, right image). Now, however, in handheld mode, the resolution seems to have gotten a significant boost to 1080p (left image).
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
This is most definitely a challenge; the winner gets a f*cking Ford Focus.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 02/07/2026
I think it is indeed to be the devil's advocate and to stay objective. There are many reasons to call out why this is a really really bad decision for Sony itself, developers and especially the users. Still, for Sony and developers there are also some legit upsides. Might also just be ragebait sadly
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 01/07/2026
Yeah, with first ports... understandable. But more; did you actually get the funds then for more in-dept testing or was the rope very short either way for you lot to do that properly. That seems to be very often the case with these things.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Haha, ahhhh, you likely also just did your best with limited time and funds....
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 30/06/2026
Wait, you worked at Virtual Programming? Proton can be better right at times as the computational degradation because if its translation layers has become so low.
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
Whatever the changes in this exlusive build may be, it now thus actually allows the Collection to be be sold in Japan on Steam, like the original versions; they are actually still being sold in their original form in Japan. See steamdb.info/app/21130/ and steamdb.info/app/204120/d...
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Mrtnptrs @mrtnptrs.bsky.social · 16/06/2026
The two original games never had support for the Japanese language, but the game has had Japanese UI and subtitle support since release of the Collection. Turns out the original packages were never being sold in Japan (steamdb.info/sub/1050565/)
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