A new article on ExtremeTech pits antivirus software against some of the most demanding PC games around. AVG Free, BitDefender (GameDefender edition), Kaspersky and Norton (Gaming Edition) each face off against Crysis, Company of Heroes, Far Cry 2, Supreme Commander and World in Conflict.

ExtremeTech compared the performance of each game on a control system with and without each of the antivirus programs running. Between performance and price points you can get a fairly good idea of which of these software options are best for your gaming PC. Check out the final results from Gaming Performance Versus Antivirus Software on ExtremeTech.

Chris Taylor of Gas Powered Games spoke with Eurogamer Germany recently about a third Dungeon Siege game. Taylor made some interesting statements during the interview, one of which was that the developers were focusing on the single-player aspect of the game and he also talked about Space Siege which is also currently in the works.

“There will be some things that are very much like Dungeon Siege 1 and 2, but some things will be simplified. I am done with multi-character parties; I really think that it’s all going to be about a single hero. It’s too much to manage.”

Dungeon Siege was a classic style RPG for the PC (like all Gas Powered Games) which became a very popular title despite some complaints which were fixed with the sequel. Hopefully this one will be even better.

You can view the full interview on Eurogamer Germany by clicking through the link below, and thanks to the Google web translator, it is in English.

Via: Eurogamer Germany

According to Aspyr marketing manager Eric Duncan, the Xbox 360 port for Supreme Commander has been delayed and will be released sometime during the later party of Spring or early part of Summer.No exact date has been, just that tentative release window but Duncan did have this to say about the delay:

“The benefit of having independent companies such as Aspyr and its partners working on a project of this magnitude is that decisions like this can be executed quickly. While the game will be hitting shelves later than originally expected, the additional time put into development will result in better gameplay and more fun for gamers.”

Currently in development at Hellbent Games, the Supreme Commander port has been both anticipated by gamers and looked at with a slight bit of scoff due to some of the crappy PC ports that have been thrown at us in the past. Hopefully though, this delay will get any kinks or major issues sorted out before it hits shelves. Unlike some other games we know *cough RSV2 cough*.

Thanks: Shacknews

As the release of the Windows Vista Service Pack 1 approaches, gamers are left wondering whether it’s worth all the trouble of a huge download and an anti-hack update when hotfixes can be manually downloaded from the Windows site. ExtremeTech has done some testing and found answers that might surprise you.

There is a marked difference in the efficiency of the SP1 media fixes as compared to the hotfixes. File operations tests show hardly any difference between the two. Company of Heroes and World in Conflict performance tests show a a performance gap between the hotfix and SP1. Supreme Commander and Crysis performance tests are more unclear and even surprising.
Get the full details and make an informed decision on whether to upgrade on ExtremeTech.

Gas Powered Games have seen fit to released a patch for its critically acclaimed RTS Supreme Commander. This latest patch will install a small series of display updates and add compatibility for amBX support. Don’t know what amBX is?

amBX is shorthand for ambient experiences. It’s a new ‘experience’ technology currently being added to PC games and PC gaming peripherals. With amBX, games and peripherals providing surround lighting, sound, vibration, air movement and other effects work in harmony together. The result is an incredibly immersive experience.
 
Want to know more about amBX? Head on over to http://www.ambx.com/site/about

You can get the patch by logging into GPG.net from inside the game, thus allowing the patch process to automate itself. But if that’s not your thing, we’ve got the patch hosted here at FileFront.

Download Supreme Commander Patch v1.1.3280 @ FileFront [38 MB]

Note: All previous SupCom patches are located here.

Via GPG.net

Supreme Commander is an excellent benchmark for a PC. Although it pushes the CPU harder than the graphics card, it’s still a good test to see how a graphics card affects a CPU-limited game and a great benchmark for a CPU.

Gas Powered Games has made it easy for users by including a built-in benchmark that produces a SupComMark composite score as well as a large bunch of benchmark data, most importantly the average FPS. Just remember to update SupCom before you begin and make sure to download the latest video driver for your card from its manufacturer.

Get all the pertinent information from the benchmark article on Tech ARP.

Next year, Xbox 360 owners will be treated to Gas Power Games’ tremendously overwhelming real-time strategy game, Supreme Commander. Aspyr Media will publish the port, which is being co-developed by both Gas Powered Games and Hellbent Games.

Lead designer Chris Taylor had mentioned previously that an Xbox 360 version of the game was certainly a possibility, so this is by no means a surprise. There’s currently no word on a PlayStation 3 version of the game, or if the soon-to-be-released Forged Alliance expansion pack will make its way to the 360.

I’m interested, more than anything, to see how the controls work. In the brief time I’ve spent playing Supreme Commander on PC, I’ve found myself tremendously overwhelmed because there’s just so much to manage. And when a game recommends that you have more than one monitor, it doesn’t seem like a natural fit for consoles.

Gas Powered Games have just released a new patch to their highly acclaimed grand scale RTS, Supreme Commander. You can get the patch by logging in to GPGNet or by direct download link below.

For now, here are the release notes:

Supreme Commander patch version 3269 is now live.
It includes 3 new units, 1 per faction.
It also includes balance changes, including an adjustment to the Aeon Mercy.

For your convenience, here are the three new units:

Download Supreme Commander 3260 to 3269 Update

If you have one of those fancy schmancy IGN Founders’ Club memberships you can signup for the Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance beta over at FilePlanet right now. The signup page indicates the selection will be small.

Supreme Commander: Forged Alliance is Gas Powered Games’ standalone follow-up to the highly acclaimed Supreme Commander real-time strategy game that offers a seemingly unique way to zoom in and out of the battlefield as well as its ability to field mass amounts of units. Just in case you missed it, above is the latest Forged Alliance game trailer. Those familiar (or not familiar) with Supreme Commander might also read the Forged Alliance Knowledge Base to get an idea of what the upcoming expansion offers.

Not a Founders’ Club member but play SupCom tourneys via GPGnet? There might be hope still. Taken straight from GPG’s forums:

The Forged Alliance Open Beta has begun!

Tournaments with beta key access will be on till the beta ends.
Simply check the Tournament Schedule in the GAME > menu on GPGnet.

So there you go. More teasing and less pleasing for the majority of us.