Steam news this week includes some great updates for leading games and for fans looking for the latest Black Friday deals.
Steam is the digital platform that sees the most breakout hits on PC when it comes to new games.
And one of the latest to be added to the list is Planet Zoo, from developers Frontier Developments.
Launched earlier this month, Planet Zoo is a construction and management sim that provides plenty of freedom when it comes to creativity.
And the latest update released for it makes some big changes that Steam gamers will want to know about.
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In one of the largest updates for Planet Zoo since launch, Frontier’s Patch 1.0.3 contains over 400 fixes and tweaks.
One of the big changes that fans will notice is that they now have the option to stop animals dying of old age.
Other new options found in-game include:
- Power usage
- Water treatment
- Fence degradation
- Predation/fear
- Death by old age
- Staff happiness degradation
- Staff energy degradation
- Animal welfare needs
- Maximise guest happiness
- Freeze guest needs
While Planet Zoo has proven a break-out hit during November 2019, there’s a good chance that other games will see an upswing in player numbers too.
That because of the new Steam Black Friday Sales event which launched earlier this month and is set to run until early December. Dubbed the Autumn Steam Sale, gamers will have the chance to buy select titles until December 3 at discounted prices.
“The 2019 Steam Autumn Sale is now live, with great deals across the Steam catalogue through Black Friday and Cyber Monday,” a message from Valve explains.
“Check in each day to see the new featured titles on the front page, plus personalized recommendations.
“In addition to the thousands of great games that are on discount, join us in our fourth-annual Steam Awards and nominate your favorite games across all eight categories, and earn profile XP and badges for participating!
“Your nominations will help determine the finalists for each category. In December, you can vote on the winners for each category during the Steam Winter Sale.”
But Valve has also announced news that may disappoint fans who enjoy the current Steam Controller support.
The Steam Controller has been listed at a knockdown price during the Autumn Sale and there’s a good reason for it. Valve will not be producing more versions of the Steam Controller, meaning that this might be your last chance to own one.
Discontinuing the design may mean Valve has other plans in the future for hardware output. For now, you can buy the Steam Controller for just $5 plus shipping, making it one of the last batches to be made available.
Valve has also confirmed that there is now a limited number of Steam Controllers remaining, meaning that supply could run out soon.
“Experience a new level of precise control for your favourite games. The Steam Controller lets you play your entire collection of Steam games on your TV—even the ones designed without controller support in mind,” the official controller description reads.
“The Steam Controller features dual trackpads, HD haptic feedback, dual-stage triggers, back grip buttons, and fully-customizable control schemes. Find your favourite mappings in the Steam Community, or create and share your own.”