“It’s all 1s and 0s.” People say this when they’re making a joke or a sarcastic remark. When it comes to computers thought, it’s really true. And at the hardware level, that’s all there is. The processor, the memory, various forms of storage, USB, HDMI, and network connections, along with everything else in that cell-phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop only uses 1s and 0s. Bytes provide for the grouping of the 1s and 0s. So they are a big help in keeping them organized. Let’s looks at how they do that.
Bytes are the unit of measure for data and programs stored and used in your computer. Though the byte has existed for a long time in computer history and has taken several forms, it’s current 8 bit length is well settled. Taken either singly or as adjacent groups, bytes are the generally accepted most common way the Bits in a computer are kept organized.
So what’s a bit? A bit is a binary digit; that is it can have only two values. In computers the two values a bit can have are zero (0) and one (1). That’s it, no other choices. A byte is just eight binary bits that are taken together to represent binary numbers. Through various coding schemes the numbers can represent a wide variety of other things like the characters we write with.
The table below shows a single Little-Endian byte showing individual bits of this byte and their associated powers of two. The decimal values of each power of two is show with each bit for reference. The line between Bit 3 and Bit 4 is where the byte is sub divided into four bit groups called Nibbles. Little-Endian is a very commonly used byte format. Stay tuned for more on Endians. If you’re curious about the name, do a search on (etymology of endian).
One Little-Endian Byte:
Bit0
Bit1
Bit2
Bit3
Bit4
Bit5
Bit6
Bit7
Power of 2
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
Decimal value
1
2
4
8
16
32
64
128
Each nibble of a byte can hold a four bit binary number as shown in the following table. If a bit is set to “1” that power of two adds to the value of the nibble. If a bit is set to “0” that power of two does not add to the value of the nibble. A byte which is two nibbles can hold a two digit hexadecimal number. Bits are really all that a computer can use. Programmers and engineers developing computer hardware use hexadecimal to make dealing with the bits easier. In the table below the least significant bit is on the left 20, 21, 22, 23
One Little-Endian Nibble:
Binary Number
Hexidecimal Value
0000
0
1000
1
0100
2
1100
3
0010
4
1010
5
0110
6
1110
7
0001
8
1001
9
0101
A
1101
B
0011
C
1011
D
0111
E
1111
F
I’ll explain Littel-Endian starting with a one byte diagram. The longer lines at the end of this frame are the boundaries of the byte so if you were drawing a group of adjacent bytes it would be clear where one byte left off and another began. The small lines divide the frame into individual locations where each of the eight bits can be shown. The medium line in the middle divides the byte into two equal four bit pieces which are the nibbles. Nibbles also have a long and varied history. I’ve never seen that they have been standardized. However the current well settled view is that nibbles are groups of four bits as I have shown them below. All of these lines only exist as people draw bytes. The lines don’t exist in the computer.
Byte Illustration
The Lower Nibble and Upper Nibble are labels as they would be used in a Little-Endian byte. In Little-Endian, the least significant digit is on the left end of a number. So the Lower Nibble is the least significant half of the number in the byte. Likewise the least significant bit is on the left LSBit (usually noted as LSB) stands for Least Significant Bit. and the most significant bit is on the right. The Upper Nibble on the right is the most significant half of the number. MSBit (usually noted as MSB) is the most significant bit. This is opposite to how we write decimal numbers with the most significant digit on the left. This is called Little-Endian because the “little end” of the number comes first.
With the byte being able to hold two hexadecimal digits, a byte can hold hexadecimal numbers between 00 and FF (0 to 255 in decimal) So if you are using bytes to represent the characters of a human readable language you just give each character, punctuation mark, etc. a number. (Then of course get everyone to agree with the coding you invented.) This is only one use for bytes. Bytes are also used as program code that your computer runs, numbers for various data you might have, and everything else that inhabits a computer in the CPU, memory, storage, or zooming around on the various buses and interface ports.
As it turns out there are two commonly used byte formats. Little-Endian has been used in the prior examples. Its feature is having the least significant digit on the left and the most significant digit on the right. If we were to write the decimal number 1620 in Little-Endian format it would be 0261.
There is also a byte format called Big-Endian. As you might expect it is opposite of Little-Endian with the most significant digit on the left and the least significant digit on the right. Like we write decimal numbers.
There are reasons for using both and the meaty reasons are beyond the scope of this article. However, Little-Endian tends to be used in microprocessors. The x86-64 processors in most PCs use the Little-Endian byte format. Though the later generations do have special instructions that provide limited use of Big-Endian format. The Big-Endian byte format is widely used in networking and notably in those big Z computers. Now you’re not necessarily limited to one or the other. The newer ARM processors can use either Endian format. Devices like microprocessors that can use both Big-Endian and Little Endian are sometimes referred to as Bi-Endian.
Well, sometimes you really need more than one byte to hold a number. To that end there are longer formats available that are composed of multiple bytes. For instance: The x86-64 processors Have Words which are 16 bits or 2 bytes that happen to be lined up next to each other head to tail, so to speak. They also have Double Words (32 bits or 4 bytes), and Quad Words (64 bits or 8 bytes). Now these are just examples of data forms made available by the processor hardware.
Programmers working with languages have many more ways to organize the bits and bytes. When the program is ready, a compiler or another mechanism converts the way that the program has bits and bytes organized into data forms that the CPU hardware can deal with.
Video: No More Heroes 3 Gets An Extended Cut Trailer And It’s Absolutely Wild
At this year’s Game Awards, we got a look at an extended cut of the upcoming Switch exclusive, No More Heroes 3. Thankfully it’s still on track for a 2020 release. Have fun trying to make sense of what exactly is going on in the clip above.
Last month, Suda51 said the game was about 35 to 40 percent complete. He also mentioned how it would be an open-world title once again, but informed players not to expect too much, because Grasshopper is only a mid-sized studio.
Are you looking forward to the return of Travis Touchdown as the beam wielding professional assassin? Comment down below.
Three New Star Wars Outfits Have Been Added To Fortnite’s Item Shop
The epic collaboration between Fortnite and Star Wars continues. Following on from the addition of the stormtrooper outfit in November, Epic is now adding three more Star Wars skins to the game, this time based on the upcoming movie release, TheRise of Skywalker.
These three outfits include Rey, Finn and the new Sith Trooper outfit. All of these are available from the in-game item shop.
On 14th December, a scene from Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker will also premiere via an in-game Fortnite event. This exclusive scene will be screened at Risky Reels and features an appearance from the movie’s director J.J. Abrams.
Update: At the 2019 Game Awards, it was also revealed players would get the free whisper glider if they attend the event on the 14th December. Take a look below:
What do you think of these new outfits? Comment below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-14-2019, 12:00 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
Xbox Creator Reacts To Series X Announcement -- "That's Ridiculously Glorious"
One of the biggest reveals at The Game Awards was the announcement of Xbox Series X, which we now know is the name of Microsoft's next-generation console previously known as Xbox Scarlett. We also got a look at the console itself and learned a variety of details in an exclusive interview with Phil Spencer. Responses to the reveal have poured in from people across the industry, but what does the creator of Xbox think about it?
Seamus Blackley, who created the Xbox, said on Twitter that he was blown away by the announcement of Xbox Series X. "Well, f**k me. That's ridiculously glorious," Blackley said. "It's always weird for me when a new is announced. It's a combination of pride, nostalgia, geriatric-ness, and the sense of wonder and excitement that these devices produce. There are WHOLE WORLDS in that box. I love this."
Xbox Series X releases in Holiday 2020 with Halo Infinite as one of its launch titles. The console's design makes it look like a PC tower, though Microsoft confirmed it can be oriented either vertically or horizontally. The console will ship with a new controller that features a Share button, which is something that the PlayStation 4 has had since 2013.
Microsoft also announced a new Xbox Series X game today in the form of Senua's Saga: Hellblade II from developer Ninja Theory.
I'm not the Author of it,
All credits to @kiddion
EZ GTA 5 Hacks / GTA V Hacks Cheats menu
THIS WORKS ON NEWEST GTA V VERSION. 1.48
For a long time I've been working on my own external menu. Even though I mainly wrote it for myself, I'm guessing it should be stable and useful enough to others as well, but it's still a work in progress.
I've tried to add the usual features that most menu's seem to have. But I've been mainly focusing on adding unique features that make the game play more enjoyable. The most notable feature would be a built-in online vehicle spawner, AFAIK the first time ever this is done externally.
For spawning vehicles, three different types of spawning is supported:
"Spawn Anonymous" will spawn vehicles near the player if there's enough room. This method should support all vehicle types, including both types of Blimp, Snow vehicles and so on. (This one will not work on the Army base.)
"Spawn Pegasus" will spawn vehicles through Pegasus, it is the simplest method and should support all vehicle types.
"Spawn Personal Vehicle" will spawn vehicles utilizing one empty slot in your garage. This won't spawn blacklisted vehicles, nor will it spawn Special Vehicles, planes or Helicopters. However it will spawn them near and is probably the most stable method.
Other new(?) features include requesting any personal vehicle without mechanical cooldown, calling an air-strike, heli backup and other online services (all for free).
This mod is completely external and doesn't use any natives whatsoever.
To use it:
Download the mod
Start GTA5 and wait until the game has fully loaded
Start the mod
Default keys include: to show/hide the menu, to go back, and to navigate up/down through the menu options. and to decrease/increase the current value. to activate an option, toggle its value or applying any changed setting.
Configuration options:
Code:
Keybindings can be changed in the accompanying config.json file.
Besides the menu navigation keys, you can also add hotkeys. At the moment the list of supported "Actions" is limited, but you can add hotkeys in the config file under "Hotkeys".
Current supported actions include:
"CallAirstrike"
"CallHeliBackup"
"ChooseCharacter"
"ClearWantedLevel" to immediately clear your wanted level,
"DeliverAmmo"
"DeliverAvenger"
"DeliverBullshark"
"DeliverMinigun"
"DeliverMOC"
"DeliverPersonalVehicle"
"DeliverTerrorbyte"
"DetachObjects"
"GetPersonalVehicle" to get your current personal vehicle nearby,
"HealAll" to heal both your character and your vehicle at once,
"HealAllVehicles"
"HealPlayer" to heal your character and add max armor,
"HealVehicle" to heal the vehicle you are currently using or have been using most recently,
"InstantBullshark"
"InstantRCBandito"
"KillAllCars" to instantly kill all available cars (except your last entered vehicle),
"KillAllEnemies"
"KillAllMissionPeds"
"KillAllMissionVehicles"
"KillAllNPCs" to instantly kill all available NPCs,
"KillCurrentVehicle"
"LeaveOnline"
"MaxAllAmmo"
"MaxCurrentAmmo"
"RefillBoost" to refill the vehicle rocket-boost for Oppressor, Ruiner 2000 and so on,
"RemoveInsuranceClaims"
"RepairOnlineVehicle" to auto-repair your current vehicle (online)
"RetrievePersonalVehicle" to have your currently selected personal vehicle delivered nearby
"StartCreatorMode"
"SuicidePlayer"
"TeleportToLastVehicle" to teleport to the location of your currently active vehicle
"TeleportToObjective" to teleport to the yellow marker on your GPS Navigation (only working for the yellow marker that has a yellow route),
"TeleportToWaypoint" to teleport to the purple marker on your GPS Navigation,
"ToggleBribeAuthorities" to bribe the authorities,
"ToggleCopsTurnBlindEye" to have the cops turn a blind eye
"ToggleExplosiveAmmo"
"ToggleExplosiveFists"
"ToggleFireAmmo"
"ToggleFreezeAmmo"
"ToggleGhostOrganisation"
"ToggleGodmode"
"ToggleInfiniteAmmo"
"ToggleInfiniteBoost" to toggle infinite boost on/off
"ToggleInfiniteClip"
"ToggleOffradar" to toggle off-radar (only for GTA:O).
"TogglePassive" to toggle between passive/active (only for GTA:O).
"ToggleSuperjump" to toggle super jump on/off
"ToggleVehicleGodmode" to toggle god mode on your last entered vehicle
"ToggleWantedLevel" to quickly toggle between 5-stars and no wanted level.
"TriggerBoatPickup"
"TriggerBunkerProduction"
"TriggerBunkerResearch"
"TriggerHeliPickup"
"TriggerHeliVIPPickup"
"TriggerMCProduction"
"QuitMenu" to quit the menu
This binds to "TeleportToWaypoint", to "HealAll", to "ClearWantedLevel", to "TeleportToObjective" and to "RefillBoost".
Disclaimer: This is for EDUCATIONAL AND EVALUATION PURPOSES ONLY.
No responsibility is held or accepted for misuse.
Use at your own risk!
FAQ (Read this before posting here!):
"Why is Windows Defender/Avast/... saying this is a virus?"
This mod is looking for key-presses (to navigate the menu) and is reading/writing to the memory of another process and some AV are nervous about that. This mod has been manually reviewed thoroughly by a forum's file moderator and is considered safe, otherwise it wouldn't have been approved.
I can start the menu, but none of the options seem to work?
If you can navigate the menu, but none of the menu options seem to work it is probably caused by your anti-virus blocking the mod from writing to the GTA5.exe process. Please make an exclusion, disable your AV or switch to a better one. (And remember, Windows Defender is an AV too...)
In some cases, especially on Steam, you may need to run the mod "As Administrator" (when the game was started "As Administrator" too, e.g. after an update).
The menu instantly closes when I open it?
To anyone having the problem where the menu instantly closes when you open it, tap the 0 on NUMPAD a few times and try to open the menu again, that should help.
Can I spawn for others?
If you spawn an anonymous vehicle, others should be able to access that too. And you can spawn multiple anonymous vehicles as long as you don't keep standing at the exact same spot.
Does this menu have any money options?
This mod has a strong focus on enhancing the regular game play, rather than add loads of money fast. However, there are a couple of ways to make some extra money. E.g. you can upgrade the npc money pickups in the game, get better money rewards for e.g. doing daily missions and mission jobs, do IE/MC/Bunker missions without cooldown and more. It is also possible to drop money on either yourself of players in sight (either near you or while spectating).
The best way at the moment is by using the "Minimum Job Payout" and start a mission like "Blow Up II" that's going to fail when you blow up all vehicles. When the mission has started, go to the World section in the mod menu and scroll to "Kill All Cars".
Now you can repeatedly:
Press Numpad5 (kill all cars, failing the mission)
Wait a couple of seconds (about 10 seconds)
Press "PageUp" (Quick restart)
Wait about 50 seconds for the mission to load.
This will make you 100k/minute. I hear you can tweak it to go even faster, with a 20s total for each cycle.
Can I use it online?
Yes, some functions only work when online.
Does this work for any GTA version other than 1.46?
Probably not. The online services and online spawn definitely won't.
Can I get banned?
You can always get banned when you are reported, even when you aren't using any mods. So far external menu's have never been detected. Nevertheless using options such as Godmode and teleporting are dangerous when used around other players.
Can I add custom teleport locations?
Yes you can use the "Add Current Location" in the Teleport => Custom Locations menu. You can use if for one session, or save your new locations using "Save Config" in the Menu Settings.
Known issues:
Sometimes spawing a vehicle via Pegasus won't succeed. You'll get a refund instead. I'm still looking into this.
Anonymous vehicle spawing won't work when there's something in the way, e.g. an existing vehicle, npc or object. Reposition a bit or walk while keep trying.
Sometimes getting your personal vehicle won't work the first time. After that it should work fine.
Without an empty garage slot, you won't be able to use the "Personal Vehicle Spawning" method. Use Pegasus and/or Anonymous instead.
For most items with ranges in the mod (e.g. Weapon Range) you need to press the action-key (Numpad 5) to apply the change. I may choose to change this in the future.
Vehicle Godmode and gravity changes are gone once you enter a new vehicle. This is because these are a per-vehicle setting. The only time the "Godmode" bit is toggled for a vehicle, is when you actually press the godmode button. The only time gravity is changed is when you change it using the menu.
Vehicle settings like handling options are restored for the previous vehicle once you enter a new one. This is intentional, vehicle handling options apply to all vehicles in the game that have the same model so also the ones NPCs drive.
Weapon settings like range and damage are restored once you switch to a different weapon. This is intentional, these weapon options apply to all weapons in the game that have the same model so also the ones NPCs are using to shoot you...
Off Radar (online) is patched and will only work for one minute. Use Ghost Organization instead.
New kicks are easy to find, so the Force Kick protection will not always work on every type of kick.
Please report any issues you find!
Credits/thanks to:
Scriptkiddy1337, for getting me interested in GTA modding in the first place, helping out, sharing knowledge and for having fun.
sub1to, for getting me interested in GTA modding in the first place, for sharing lots of info, signatures and more.
TG13, for for getting me interested in GTA modding in the first place.
zorg93, for making the best GTA research tool ever, and sharing some insights on how to remove insurance claims.
COBIT, for finding a way to activate "Fix Vehicle"
unknownfinga, for buying me a Steam version of the game and
kodex999, essOften and MeowFlax for lending me accounts to test with, Everyone that actively contributed to the GTA Reversal thread, especially the early pioneers.
Changelog:
modest-menu v0.8.4 - 30th July 2019
- Update for GTA5 v1.48
- [Player] Add support for Night and Thermal Vision
- [Player] Add support for blackout mode (electrical lights off)
- [Unlocks] Temporarily remove the updates that haven't been updated yet (will return)
- [Services] Fix Bunker Delivery calculation for near deliveries.
- [Config] Add many new key bindings[/b]
Lionsgate To Produce Hybrid Live-Action Movie Starring Ubisoft’s Rabbids
Back in October, we heard how the third-party video game giant Ubisoft was working on a number of animated series “inspired by” its existing IP such as Rayman, Hungry Shark and Watch Dogs.
Now, Deadline Hollywood is reporting Lionsgate has acquired the rights to produce a “hybrid live-action” movie based on the French publisher and developer’s Rabbids series. Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman from Mandeville Films (Beauty and the Beast and Wonder) will supposedly be producing it with Jason Altman and Margaret Boykin on behalf of Ubisoft Film & Television.
The studio is currently in “advanced talks” with Todd Strauss-Schulson to direct, and Alex Young is expected to be the executive producer. The screenplay is being written by Matt Senreich, Tom Sheppard & Zeb Wells and was originally written by Todd Rosenberg at Sony. Meredith Wieck and Chelsea Kujawa will oversee the development of the film for Lionsgate.
Would you be interested in watching a Rabbids movie? Comment down below.
Magic Legends, Action-MMO From Neverwinter Devs, Announced At Game Awards
The classic collectible card game Magic: The Gathering is expanding into a new genre, with a MMO action-RPG. A brief cinematic trailer debuted at the award show. The game will let you create your own Planeswalker and adventure in the world. A beta is planned for 2020.
Magic Legends is coming from Cryptic Studios and Perfect World, the developer and publisher of the Dungeons & Dragons MMO Neverwinter. The team is being headed up by Star Trek Online vet Stephen Ricossa.
"Cryptic Studios is known for making games based on franchises we love and this is no exception," said Ricossa in the announcement. "We've assembled a team of talented developers who are incredibly passionate about Magic: The Gathering and share a collective deep knowledge of the franchise. We're thrilled to have the opportunity to bring the multiverse to life in a way that fans have never experienced before."
The studio says more details are coming in January. For the time being, you can sign up for the beta test through the official site.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-13-2019, 10:08 AM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
Xbox Series X unveiled – our fastest, most powerful console ever
Xbox Game Studios unveils Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, a new chapter in the award-winning Hellblade story from Ninja Theory
For eighteen years and three console generations, the Xbox community has shown us the power both games and fun can have on all of us. As we enter a new generation of gaming, we see a future where you’re instantly absorbed in your games – where worlds are even more lifelike, immersive, responsive and surprising – and where you are at the center of your gaming experience. With the new Xbox Series X, we will realize that vision.
Xbox Series X will be our fastest, most powerful console ever and set a new bar for performance, speed and compatibility, allowing you to bring your gaming legacy, thousands of games from three generations and more forward with you. Its industrial design enables us to deliver four times the processing power of Xbox One X in the most quiet and efficient way, something that is critically important in delivering truly immersive gameplay. We also designed Xbox Series X to support both vertical and horizontal orientation. It’s bold and unique, very much like our fans around the world and the team of collaborators and innovators who built it.
The name Xbox is an expression of our deep history in gaming, our team’s unrelenting passion, and our commitment to both our fans and the future of gaming at Microsoft. It also signifies our belief that a gaming console should be for just that – gaming.
Alongside Xbox Series X, we also unveiled the new Xbox Wireless Controller. Its size and shape have been refined to accommodate an even wider range of people, and it also features a new Share button to make capturing screenshots and game clips simple and an advanced d-pad derived from the Xbox Elite Series 2 Wireless Controller. The new Xbox Wireless Controller will be compatible with Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, and will be included with every Xbox Series X.
The possibilities of what Xbox Series X enables developers to achieve was also brought to life this evening with the unveiling of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II. A sequel to the award-winning Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice from world-renowned developers Ninja Theory, the game is being built to leverage the full power of Xbox Series X. The footage shared tonight was captured in-engine and reflects the power of Xbox Series X available to developers to deliver new universes, experiences and games in ways you have never imagined.
Bringing Developers’ Dreams to Life with Xbox Series X
Games today deliver amazing visuals and tell an array of different and deep stories. That’s why, when we started work on Xbox Series X, it was vital we continue to advance state-of-the-art visual capabilities for developers, while also ensuring they could realize even greater feeling, emotion and empathy in their games. With Xbox Series X, we will elevate the way games look, play and feel. We will also remove the technical barriers faced in previous generations and enable developers to create more expansive, immersive gaming worlds that invite more players to play.
From a technical standpoint, this will manifest as world-class visuals in 4K at 60FPS, with possibility of up to 120FPS, including support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and 8K capability. Powered by our custom-designed processor leveraging the latest Zen 2 and next generation RDNA architecture from our partners at AMD, Xbox Series X will deliver hardware accelerated ray tracing and a new level of performance never before seen in a console. Additionally, our patented Variable Rate Shading (VRS) technology will allow developers to get even more out of the Xbox Series X GPU and our next-generation SSD will virtually eliminate load times and bring players into their gaming worlds faster than ever before.
We are minimizing latency by leveraging technology such as Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and giving developers new functionality like Dynamic Latency Input (DLI) to make Xbox Series X the most responsive console ever. Xbox Series X is also designed for a future in the cloud, with unique capabilities built into the hardware and software to make it as easy as possible to bring great games to both console and elsewhere. Xbox Series X will deliver a level of fidelity and immersion unlike anything that’s been achieved in previous console generations.
One Console, Four Generations of Gaming
One of the things we’re most proud of with Xbox Series X is the promise we’re delivering to our fans who have and continue to invest with Xbox. Thanks to backward compatibility, you can expect your gaming legacy, thousands of your favorite games across four generations of gaming, all your Xbox One gaming accessories, and industry-leading services like Xbox Game Pass to be available when you power on your Xbox Series X in Holiday 2020.
Building on our compatibility promise, with Xbox Series X we’re also investing in consumer-friendly pathways to game ownership across generations. Leading the way with our first-party titles including Halo Infinite in 2020, we’re committed to ensuring that games from Xbox Game Studios support cross-generation entitlements and that your Achievements and game saves are shared across devices. As we branch out and extend gaming to more players around the world, console gaming will remain at the heart of our Xbox offering. Game creators around the globe are already hard at work building content for Xbox Series X and our 15 Xbox Game Studios are developing the largest and most creatively diverse lineup of Xbox exclusive games in our history. On behalf of Team Xbox, we’re excited to enter the future of console gaming with you and can’t wait to share more in 2020.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-13-2019, 10:08 AM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
Announcing Imagine Cup Junior – AI for Good Challenge
As technology continues to evolve, we are faced with an incredible opportunity to leverage the power of new solutions and human expertise to unlock some of the biggest challenges we face in society. It’s why Microsoft invests in AI for Good initiatives, which support and empower those working to address humanitarian, environmental and cultural challenges by creating a more sustainable and accessible world.
What’s more, we believe the future is in the hands of students around the world who are increasingly driven by a sense of purpose and who want to have a positive impact on the world and their communities. That’s why I am incredibly excited to share that we are bringing Imagine Cup Junior to secondary students worldwide, providing an opportunity for students to take part in a global challenge while learning about the power of Artificial Intelligence and its responsible use to change the world.
Introduction to Imagine Cup Junior 2020 from Anthony Salcito, Vice President, Microsoft Education
Imagine Cup Junior is an extension of the hugely popular Imagine Cup – a global competition that empowers the next generation of computer science students to team up and use their creativity, passion and knowledge of technology to create applications that shape how we live, work and play. The introduction of the Imagine Cup Junior challenge will now enable younger students, starting at age 13 up to 18, to learn about technology and come up with ideas for improving the world around them, while building 21st century skills like communication, collaboration, critical thinking and creativity.
This year’s challenge is focused on Artificial Intelligence and introducing students to Microsoft’s AI for Good initiatives so they can think of solutions to issues that matter to them. This includes AI for Humanitarian Action, AI for Earth, AI for Cultural Heritage and AI for Accessibility.
The challenge is designed to be approachable for all students and educators, and it does not require any existing knowledge of technology or cloud concepts. We’ve created a host of materials, including templates and AI resource guides, that will help make it easy for educators and students to participate. The beauty of Imagine Cup Junior is that students can be entirely new to the concept of AI and build the competence to continue learning about technology and its impact throughout their school years. And for those students eager to learn more, we’ve created an extra opportunity to get hands on with Azure and the Wick Editor to bring their concepts to life.
To get started, educators need to register at www.imaginecup.com/junior which will provide access to the Imagine Cup Junior resource kit including educator guides, student guides, templates and slides for the following modules:
Module 1 Fundamentals of AI
Module 2 Machine Learning
Module 3 AI Applications in Real Life
Module 4 Deep Learning and Neural Networks
Module 5 AI for Good
Included in the resource kit is a “Build your project in a day” kit, with videos from members of Microsoft’s Education, Artificial Intelligence and Cloud teams. This can be used in class to inspire students and coach them on how to get started, and perhaps even spark excitement to one day work in the field of AI. Students can participate in teams of between three to six people.
Registration opens today to allow educators time over the holidays to get creative with incorporating the challenge into class curriculum. Submissions for team projects will be open from February 3, 2020 and close April 17, 2020. To ensure the privacy of students, all submissions must be made by educators/instructors on behalf of their students. While we can’t wait to see ALL the amazing ideas of students around the world, Microsoft will be proud to recognize the top three ideas from each region – America’s, Asia, and EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa). They will win a Windows 10 device and receive an Imagine Cup Junior trophy.
Challenge rules and regulations can be found here.
It is never too early to get started, and we hope by cultivating student creativity and passion for technology it will spark interest in and support the development of careers at the cutting edge of technology.
Improved the finisher camera experience when using mouse and keyboard.
Finisher Multi-Equip
In your inventory press R3(if using controller) or the Shift Key(if using mouse and keyboard) to mark a finisher as a “favorite”
When triggered, a random finisher you’ve marked as a “favorite” plays
If no finishers are marked as a “favorite”, which would be pretty crazy because we all know you have favorites, your default class finisher plays
Abilities
Titan
Sunbreaker Code of the Fire-Forged (Top Path)
Vulcan’s Rage
Made Vulcan’s Rage much more angry
Increased detonation time minimum from 0 seconds to 0.5 seconds
Increased cluster spread
Hammer of Sol
Impact damage decreased from 70 to 5
Detonation damage increased from 205 to 270
NOTE: These changes also affect bottom-tree Sunbreaker
Sunbreaker Code of the Devastator (Middle Path)
Throwing Hammer
Increased impact damage from 100 to 120
Increased hammer pickup radius from 2 meters to 3.5 meters
Roaring Flames
Increased damage bonus
From 20% per stack to 30% per stack in PvE
From 10% per stack to 25% per stack in PvP
Increased duration from 15 seconds to 20 seconds
Burning Maul
Increased idle super duration from 21.2 seconds to 28.5 seconds
Light Attack
Reduced super-energy cost from 5% to 3%
Tuned movement and player feedback
Heavy Attack
Slightly reduced speed of heavy slam projectile
Slightly reduced tracking radius of heavy slam projectile
Increased height of projectile hitbox to more easily hit airborne opponents
Increased super energy cost from 6% to 8%
Slightly increased terminal explosion size
Sunbreaker Code of the Siegebreaker (Bottom Path)
Mortar Blast
Increased explosion radius from 5 meters to 6 meters
Sol Invictus
Burning targets you kill also make Sunspots
Burning targets killed now trigger the heal
Kills with the Sun Warrior buff active can now make Sunspots
This is based on weighted enemy killed and a sunspot is created when the threshold of “1” is reached
Players/Bosses add 1
Majors add 0.5
Minors add 0.25
1 second cooldown on creating Sunspots
Sun Warrior
Increased ability recharge scalar by 35%
Touched up the FX and audio for allied Sunspots
Striker Code of the Missile (Middle Path)
Thundercrash
Increased base damage from 2700 to 3200
Increased in flight damage from 100 to 200
Slightly increased the amount of time you have in the air after activation
Hunter
Gunslinger Way of the Outlaw (Top Path)
Explosive Knife
Changed to Proximity Explosive Knife
Sticks to surfaces
Fuse time of 14 seconds
Adjusted impact damage to 14
Adjusted Detonation damage to 105
Six Shooter
Adjusted damage falloff of this Golden Gun Super variant
Damage falloff starts at 30 meters when firing from hip and at 40 meters while in ADS
Gunslinger Way of the Sharpshooter (Bottom Path)
Knife Juggler
Changed to Weighted Knife
Damage changed from 120 to 140
Precision modifier changed from 1.3 to 1.5
Headshot is a one-hit kill in PvP
Updated throw animation to be longer to compensate for the one-shot capability
Knife projectile moves faster and with less drop than previously
Knife bounces once after impacting the environment
Practice Makes Perfect
Super energy granted reduced by 16%
Increased the buff duration by 50%
Precision kills now grant 2 stacks
Crowd Pleaser
Original perks (precision damage, precision hits with Golden Gun generate Orbs of Light) have been moved to “Line ‘Em Up”
New Perk: Knock ‘Em Down
Precision kills increase weapon stability and ADS speed
Buff duration starts at 10 seconds and each kill or assist adds time, with a cap of 25 second
Time added is variable weighted on the enemy killed and whether it was a precision kill
While the buff timer is above 20 seconds your Golden Gun does 30% more damage (determined upon moment of cast and lasts the whole super)
This burns the buff
Does not stack with Celestial Nighthawk
Line ‘Em Up
Now has a passive bonus to aim assist and range while aiming
Now has the precision damage and precision hits with Golden Gun generate Orbs of Light perks originally included with “Crowd Pleaser”
Nightstalker Way of the Pathfinder (Bottom Path)
Vanish in Smoke
Added a short period (0.8 seconds) after the invisibility is applied where firing weapons or performing other actions will not break the invisibility
This should help prevent allies from accidentally breaking the invisibility the moment it is granted to them if unexpected.
Warlock
Dawnblade Daybreak (All Paths)
Reduced the speed of Burst Glide activations while in super
Dawnblade Attunement of Sky (Top Path)
Swift Strike
Changed to Celestial Fire
Shoots three spiraling, homing projectiles
Approximately 35 damage per projectile
Winged Sun
Also allows Celestial Fire activations
No longer gives grenade energy for aerial kills
Gives more melee energy for aerial kills
Heat Rises
Perk redesigned with new gameplay
Consume grenade to gain Heat Rises buff
Dramatically reduces in air accuracy penalty
Changes movement mode
Reduce Glide upkeep cost by 99%,
Reduce Glide activation cost by 99%
Set Glide velocity and agility to a combination of Strafe and Burst glide
Icarus Dash
Now has two dodges per 5 seconds
Dodge now has a slight upward velocity
Dodge in super is now one long dodge per second
Dawnblade Attunement of Grace (Middle)
Guiding Flame
Doubled the range that the empower effect is applied from 12 meters to 24 meters
Divine Protection
Increased radius that the healing grenade is applied to friendly targets from 1 meter to 3.5 meters
Benevolent Dawn
Buff can now be refreshed if additional friendly targets are healed/empowered while you still have the buff
Removed cooldown (can continuously proc)
Reduced energy regeneration by 15%
This was needed as it is much more consistent, procs more often, and for longer
Well of Radiance
Standing in the well now grants 20% damage reduction against damage from other players
Sword object no longer takes precision damage
Dawnblde Attunement of Flame (Bottom Path)
Phoenix Dive
Now heals a fixed amount over time
Healing is interruptible from incoming damage
While in super, returns super energy depending on how much you healed
Has diminishing returns the longer the super is active.
Voidwalker Attunement of Fission (Middle Path)
Handheld Supernova
Adjusted grenade charge time so that it lines up with the animations and effects. This is to make it feel more consistent to activate.
Stat Values
Class ability cooldown is now governed by player stats.
Hunter Dodge cooldown is modified by their Mobility stat
Titan Barricade cooldown is modified by their Resilience stat
Warlock Rift cooldown is modified by their Recovery stats.
Paragon Mods have been deprecated as a result.
Weapon Changes
Exotics
Divinity
Divinity’s weaken effect no longer stacks with other weaken effects. The “cage” will still appear in these cases and act as a precision weak spot, but the weaken multipliers themselves will no longer stack.
Xenophage
Increased PvE damage by +50%
Increased PvP ammo from heavy ammo crates to 4/6 (previously 3/4) on shared/non shared crates, respectively
Fixed an issue where this weapon would gain overall ammo when swapping from another power weapon to this weapon
Leviathan’s Breath
Fixed an issue where this weapon would gain overall ammo when swapping from another power weapon to this weapon
Cerberus+1
Fixed an issue where repeatedly pulling the trigger would give you a faster fire rate while the “Focused Fire” Catalyst was enabled
Eriana’s Vow
Increasing the reserves for this weapon via armor perks no longer increases starting/respawn ammo in The Crucible
Monte Carlo
The “Monte Carlo Method” no longer has a 100% chance to trigger on Guardian kills and now matches the combatant chance
Archetype changes
Linear Fusion Rifles
Precision damage increased by +20%
This change does not affect Sleeper Simulant
Significantly increased target acquisition at close to medium ranges
Sidearms
Increased target acquisition across the board
Perk changes
Master of Arms
Removed the precision damage function
This weapon still provides a damage bonus, but non-precision damage is no longer disproportionately increased
Magnificent Howl
Fixed a bug that was causing the perk to apply to two bullets over the network instead of just one
Sticky Grenades (Grenade Launchers)
Fixed a bug that allowed players to stand on grenade launcher projectiles
Misc changes
Fixed “Shield Piercing”/”Anti-Barrier” rounds not penetrating Scorn Lurker bucklers
Chip damage behavior removed from “Shield Piercing”/”Anti-Barrier” rounds
A selection of year 1 legendary weapons have had a face lift and have joined the engram reward pool to keep Edge Transit company
Reduced Arc Logic’s muzzle blast size when aiming
Armor Changes
Exotics
Wings of Sacred Dawn
Now grants 15% damage resistance while in the hover state
One-Eyed Mask
No longer grants an overshield on killing your marked target
Peregrine Greaves
No longer disproportionately increases the damage of Hammer Strike
Damage is equalized to ~300% the damage of a normal shoulder charge against a single target
Claws of Ahamkara
Fixed an issue where both melee charges could be consumed on one melee hit
Armor Mods
Removed stacking restrictions on many armor mods
Similar mods can now be stacked for improved effect. However, stacking mods with similar effects provides diminishing returns, granting less relative benefit than two different mods would.
Reduced the efficacy of Ammo Scavenger mods to their pre-Shadowkeep levels to accommodate mod stacking
Generalized Ammo Finder and Ammo Scavenger mods are unlocked for all players in the Head Armor Mod and Leg Armor Mod sockets, respectively
Added Season of Dawn Armor Mod Sockets
Vanguard, Crucible, Gambit, and Iron Banner armor sets will drop with this season’s armor mod socket, allowing them to use the new Dawn Armor Mods.
The Mercury destination armor set has also received the Dawn Armor Mod socket
Fixed various stacking exploits with mods related to the Garden of Salvation
General
Fixed an issue where orange bar enemies would display a sliver of health when they died.
Fixed an issue where players would go into first person if they placed a raid banner while in their super. Going forward, if a player places a banner while in their super, their super will be canceled.
Fixed an issue where Stormtrance Lightning attack would fail to fire if attack trigger was held while casting super, or after Blinking.
Players can no longer push Vex Cyclops
Reward Systems
Power and Progression
Powerful and pinnacle reward caps have been increased
Powerful Cap: 960, up from 950
Pinnacle Cap: 970, up from 960
Rebalanced some sources of XP on Mercury to align with newer destinations
Fixed an issue where some chests weren’t granting any XP
Fixed an issue where Iron Banner bounties were rewarding more XP than other weekly bounties
The XP required to level up the seasonal artifact has been slightly adjusted
Some levels had a much higher increase in XP required from the previous level, and this increase has been distributed throughout all levels to smooth out this curve
Quests and Bounties
Merged Strike/Crucible/Gambit objectives on the Gunsmith weekly bounty “Field Calibration” into a single objective that shares progress from all sources
Removed Valor/Infamy and Vanguard Tokens from “Field Calibration” as there is no longer a requirement for any of these linked activities
Added repeatable bounties to the Gunsmith
Added new mode-specific daily Crucible bounties (one per day, selected from full-time playlists and active rotators)
Reduced the completion requirements of several daily and repeatable Crucible bounties
Removed grenade and melee bounties from the Crucible bounty repeatable pool
Fixed a rare issue where the “??????” quest item from mission “A Mysterious Disturbance” could get stuck in inventory; it has been removed from affected players
Lowered the daily bounty target for defeating Nightmares in K1 Lost Sectors to 3 (previously required 7)
After the Vex Invasion ended on the Moon, the number of Vex kills required to cleanse the “Essence of Servitude” has been reduced from 100 to 30
Removed weapon requirement and changed objective display to a float instead of a percentage on Eriana’s Vow Catalyst Pursuit
Benedict and Werner will no longer display the Lumina Exotic quest chain steps (bounty/perk steps) if the player is already on, or has completed, the steps.
Lore
Fixed an issue where pages from the “Letters from Eris” lore book couldn’t be unlocked
Each of the eight Nightmare Hunts now unlocks one page upon completion
Season Pass
The Season Pass now displays its active bonuses in a new Season Pass Bonuses section, visible on the main Season Pass window in the Director
The Season 8 Nostalgic Engram has been retired, and in its place players can now obtain the new Season 9 Fond Memories Engram
Fixed an issue that prevented Season Pass armor from displaying the correct stats and energy type when previewed
(Korea Region Only) Fixed a bug that caused the Season Pass purchase item to be referenced as “Get Season Pass” on the purchase confirmation and completion screens
Exotic Engram
The Exotic Engram and the Fated Engram have been collapsed into a single new Exotic Engram item
When opened it will award a new Exotic if any remain to be collected; otherwise, it contains a random piece of Exotic armor
Note: contents are still class-specific
Eververse
A new consumable is available in Eververse for 200 Bright Dust, the Concentrated Mattergem
When used, this item causes bosses to have a chance to drop an Upgrade Module when defeated
The effect will last until an Upgrade Module is found
Note: Only one Concentrated Mattergem can be active at a time
The Eververse store no longer permits purchasing an item that is already in your Collection
Fixed a bug that prevented year one Vanguard shaders from being a potential drop in the Vanguard rank up reward
Fixed an issue where the Riskrunner “Electric Violet” Ornament lost its pink glow
Fixed an issue that caused The Last Word ornament Laconic to be purchasable when Forsaken was not owned
Ghosts
Fixed a bug that prevented the Banshee’s Favorite ghost perk from dropping a higher volume of Weapon Telemetry
Fixed an issue that caused Ghost particle effects to be hidden when a Ghost Projection was active
The following Exotic Ghost Shells now have Ghost Projection sockets: Arc Shell, Solar Shell, and Void Shell
Fixed an issue that prevented Black Armory forge activities from granting Glimmer upon completion
Collections and Triumphs
Fixed a bug that permitted multiple copies of the same combat finisher from being acquired through the collection
Fixed a bug that caused Universal Ornament items to display in an improper order from what is intended (head, arms, chest, legs, then class)
Removed four erroneous collection entries for the below items that were not obtainable:
Shade at the Gates (Season 3 Legendary Ship)
The Ruinous Flame (Season 3 Legendary Ship)
Shrinking Iris Shell (Season 3 Legendary Ghost)
Shining Shield Shell (Season 3 Legendary Ghost)
Fixed an issue that prevented the Season of Opulence versions of the Optimacy armor from unlocking their corresponding collection entries
The Black Armory Platinum Starling Ship in Collections > Equipment > Ships > Season 5 now correctly states that a player must complete the “Master Smith” Triumph.
Fixed an issue with the Perfect Gambit triumph. Previously, the triumph was checking for player deaths instead of dropped motes. The triumph now correctly checks for dropped motes and will ignore players that die without motes.
Fixed a bug where the Ennead emblem (for presenting gifts to all Cats in the Dreaming City) was no longer being awarded when claiming the Remember your Manners triumph.
Players impacted by this issue will find that they can reacquire the Emblem from their Collections > Flair > Emblems > Open World
Fixed an issue with the triumph ‘WANTED: The Rifleman’. It will now be completed on either Rifleman kill or associated mission completion. Players that are missing this triumph will need to play the mission again to earn the triumph.
Glimmer
The cost of slotting a Weapon Mod has been reduced from 5000 to 500 Glimmer
Fixed an issue that caused EDZ patrols to drop a slightly higher amount of Glimmer than intended
Fixed a bug that caused Mercury patrols to drop a slightly lower amount of Glimmer than intended
Fixed a bug that prevented Mars free roam treasure chests from awarding Glimmer when opened
Fixed a bug that prevented Mercury free roam treasure chests from awarding Glimmer when opened
Fixed an issue that prevented raid encounters from rewarding Glimmer upon completion
Vendors
Added additional Weekly and Repeatable bounties to Zavala, Drifter, Shaxx, and Banshee-44 to allow for Seasonal rotation
Updated completion requirements for some daily Crucible bounties
Repeatable bounties have been added to the Gunsmith
Fixed an issue that caused Benedict 99-40’s Imperial Engram to display Armor 1.0 versions of its contents
Fixed an issue where Ada-1 could grant duplicate weapon mods
Fixed an issue where Eris Morn and the Drifter had vendor dialogue lines that would never fire
World Rewards
Fixed an issue that frequently prevented the Duke MK.44 Hand Cannon from being a possible world drop
Fixed an issue that frequently prevented No Turning Back, Terran Wind, and Death by Scorn from being possible world drops
This prevented Vestian Dynasty from being erroneously displayed in Legendary Engram previews
Rewards UI/UX
Fixed an issue where Gambit Prime and Revelry armor set icons weren’t collapsing properly on the Character screen
New Light
Fixed an issue where New Light players were required to finish the Red War campaign to purchase Last Wish raid bounties
Fixed an issue where several Triumphs/Ghosts previously earned through the Red War campaign could no longer be acquired
Fixed an issue where ‘Adventurous’ triumph could not be completed on EDZ
Fixed an issue where weapons in Homecoming mission would cause other gear to drop at lower power levels than expected
Fixed an issue where some players could not complete the New Light ‘Introduction: Crucible’ quest
Player Identity Systems
Fixed an issue where Hawthorne’s icon kept flashing for players who were doing the Refer-a-Friend quest after it ended
The Armor 2.0 version of the Solstice 2019 armor will now correctly use the 2019 Drained and Renewed Ornaments and Eververse Glows.
Escalation Protocol
Changes and updates to acquiring Escalation Protocol activity rewards
Escalation Protocol Wave 7 chest no longer requires a key to open
Chest can be opened upon every successful completion of Wave 7
Each opening of the chest will award one piece of EP armor for your character class until you have the full set
After full set is acquired, subsequent opening of the chest will award a random piece of armor
Charged Decryption Keys and Key Fragments are being removed from the game. These items will be removed from Player inventories
Armory Keys to spawn Valkyrie Javelins are unchanged and will remain
EP Weapons drops were not touched and are still cumulative stream Boss drops
Iron Banner Ornaments
Removed the Season 3 Iron Banner ornament Rank requirements. They can now be freely applied to Season 7 Iron Banner armor
Activities
Nightfall: The Ordeal
Cabal invade The Ordeal – three new strikes added to The Ordeal lineup, and removed three of the Season 8 strikes
Added two new Cabal modifiers, and three new strike-specific modifiers
Added Cabal modifiers to rotation
Vehicles now give Nightfall score for both Nightfall and The Ordeal
Fixed up the tooltip name for The Scarlet Keep on Legend difficulty
Strikes
Fixed an issue where Savathun’s Song did not count toward Vanguard Weekly Hive Boss kill bounty
The Vanguard Strikes weekly challenge description now correctly tells players to complete Vanguard Strikes while matching the weekly singe element
The objective line will continue to still say “0/3 Bounties” until Destiny 2 Update 2.7.1
Raids and Dungeons
Altars of Sorrow
Fixed an issue where if the boss phase timed out while the boss was immune, 2 Nightmares would spawn at another Altar location before the Tier 5 waves started again
Pit of Heresy
Fixed an issue where the dungeon incorrectly showed a pinnacle reward challenge for players who have already completed the challenge on a different character of the same class
Garden of Salvation
Fixed an issue where players could survive Voltaic Overflow while guarding as a Sentinel Titan or Arcstrider Hunter
Crown of Sorrow
Fixed multiple issues where Gahlran’s Deception could continue to deceive Guardians even after being defeated. Make sense? No? We need to go deeper…
Fixed an issue where Gahlran’s Deception could defeat a team of Guardians even after the encounter had been completed, which prevented flawless runs
Fixed issue where Gahlran’s Deception could respawn with full health after dying, specifically if killed at the last moment before teleportation
Scourge of the Past
Fixed the Best of the Best of the Best triumph so that it is hidden unless completed
Increased the drop rate of the Scourge of the Past raid exotic weapon ‘Anarchy’ from 5% to 10%.
Crucible
Playlists
Made Elimination a permanent Crucible playlist
Momentum Control
150 Scout Rifles will only 1 shot targets under 5 resilience
Map Rotation
Added Rusted Lands to appropriate playlists
Added The Dead Cliffs, Legion’s Gulch, Retribution, and Solitude to appropriate playlists.
Removed Emperor’s Respite, Equinox, Firebase Echo, and Vostok from all Crucible playlists.
These maps are still available for play in Private Matches
Midtown
Added invisible physics volumes to keep players from perching on walls
Legion’s Gulch
Added invisible physics volumes to keep players inside the intended playable space
Dead Cliffs
Adjusted spawn points and weighting, especially around the edges of the map
Retribution
Adjusted spawning to improve map flow
Endless Vale
Added invisible slip volume to keep players inside intended playable area
Twilight Gap
Added invisible physics volumes to keep players inside the intended playable area
Widow’s Court
Added invisible physics volumes to keep players inside the intended playable area
PC
Steam
Added controller support through Steam input for:
Steam Controller
Switch Controller
Steam Link and Remote Play will now work with supported controllers
Text Chat lobbies will now try to recover when Steam Servers come back up
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Disruption/Insults/Disrespect
Harassment/Personal Attacks/Privacy Violation
Gory Violence/Explicit Sexuality
Illegal Activity
Hacking/Cheating
Spoilers/Stolen Content
Soliciting/Phishing/Impersonation
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