Autodesk have just released their annual update to Maya, Maya 2020. Detailed release notes are currently unavailable so all we have to go off right now is the press release features:
Maya 2020 highlights include:
— Over 60 animation features and updates to the graph editor and time slider.
— Cached Playback: Experience faster animation playback and more predictable results with new preview modes, layered dynamics caching, and more efficient caching of image planes.
— Animation bookmarks: Mark, organize, and navigate through specific events in time and frame playback ranges.
— Arnold GPU: Access Arnold 6 for production rendering on the CPU and GPU.
— Bifrost for Maya: Significant performance improvements, Cached Playback support, and new MPM cloth constraints bring even more power to the visual programming environment.
— Viewport improvements: Interact with and select dense geometry or a large number of smaller meshes faster in the viewport and UV editors.
— Modeling enhancements: Spend more time modeling and less time cleaning up your models, with new Remesh and Retopologize features.
— Rigging improvements: Simplify rig and character TD workwith matrix-driven workflows, nodes for precisely tracking positions on deforming geometry, and a new GPU-accelerated wrap deformer.
While not currently updated, you will eventually be able to download a 30 day trial of Maya 2020 here. Additionally Autodesk have released a short 4min feature video for Maya 2020 available here. You can learn more about this release in the video below.
At the end of October we reviewed an indie mobile war game called Pacific Fire, where you can play through several scenarios that simulate parts (or all) of the Pacific theatre of World War 2. There are grand campaigns for both the Japanese and the American sides, for example, and as the player you must utilize land, air and sea assets in a WEGO turn-based format to capture victory points and scenario objectives.
It originally launched on Android only, but we’ve been keeping in touch with the developers at Wirraway Software regarding the iOS version. We are pleased to report that it’s now available to purchase on the App Store as well as a Universal app.
You should read our Pacific Fire review in full to get the full details, but here’s an excerpt:
You are given several scenarios to try your hand at, pushing air, land, and sea units between bases in order to complete your objectives for the scenario, generally on a strict turn limit of x amount of months. Notably, the game uses WEGO, a turn method that sees both sides make their moves simultaneously, then showing how the action played out at the beginning of the next turn. This format suits Pacific Fire wonderfully, as the Pacific theatre’s naval engagements were defined by the opposing fleets guessing the other’s position, attempting them to coax them into a decisive battle on their own terms.
We had a quick catch-up with the devs to ask what’s on the horizon for them – more support and content for Pacific Fire is coming, as well as a potential sequel that will use the same core mechanics, but focus on a different war. It’s good to see some fresh spaces in this space, as mobile war gaming has taken a bit of a down-turn in recent years.
If you do end up picking up Pacific Fire on iOS, let us know what you thought in the comments!
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-11-2019, 08:53 AM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
Educators: Tune in to Best of 2019 TweetMeet on Dec. 17
Announcing the biggest global TweetMeet to date. Join us on December 17
Following the success of the Best of 2018 TweetMeet, we’re thrilled to offer the biggest global TweetMeet to date on Tuesday, December 17. Share your best stories and experiences from 2019 and what plans for 2020 you look forward to the most. We’re also most interested to learn how you think Microsoft can support you best.
With all this in mind, we welcome you to a 75-minute TweetMeet on Tuesday, December 17 at 10am PST. Do check your local event times.
Don’t miss What’s New in EDU Live on Facebook
We’re launching a new edition of What’s new in EDU looking back at everything that was new with Microsoft Education in 2019.
This episode will go live on Facebook on December 17 at 6am EST
Introducing the hosts
We’ve invited all former hosts to lead this special-edition TweetMeet, and we’re excited to announce that 275+ previous hosts gladly agree to take part in the event. Follow them all through the Twitter List of December’s MSFTEduChat Hosts.
Do you remember all the previous TweetMeets and their hosts? Take a trip down TweetMeet Memory Lane with this new video, which shows all Combined Headshot images since we first started in the summer of 2016:
Flipgrid topic for December 17
Many TweetMeet hosts have exciting stories to tell about their projects and experiences in 2019. And of course, they have plans for 2020 as well. Be inspired with the new Flipgrid topic for December 17: flipgrid.com/fedb380d
Road2TweetMeet Wakelet: what’s it like to be a TweetMeet host?
Over the past months, our hosts have been reflecting on their blog about what it means to be a host on an #MSFTEduChat TweetMeet. The brand-new Road2TweetMeet Wakelet contains the best of these host reflections, live-embedded here:
TweetMeet Fan? Show it off on your Twitter profile!
Show your passion for this month’s Best of 2019 TweetMeet by uploading this month’s #MSFTEduChat Twitter Header Photo as a banner on your own Twitter profile.
Twitter Header Photos are available in many languages and time zones.
Watch the animated GIF:
Create your own TweetMeet Friend Card
Another way to share your enthusiasm about the TweetMeets is to create a TweetMeet Friend Card. Share your own version of this image anytime anywhere, for example when introducing yourself at the start of a TweetMeet. Just follow the steps in the TweetMeet Friend Cards PowerPoint.
Here’s an example:
Looking back on the November MSFTEduChat on Future-Ready Skills and Computer Science
We captured highlights for this TweetMeet event in a new @MicrosoftEDU Twitter Moment. There’s even a comprehensive collection of all tweets from this event in this Wakelet Collection.
Welcoming TweetMeet newcomers
Do you know someone who’s new to the TweetMeets? Our brand-new You can join a #MSFTEduChat TweetMeetvideo is especially created for newcomers, so please share it with friends and colleagues who might be interested to join:
For educators who are totally new to Twitter and who could use an introduction, we recommend the Twitter EDU tutorial ebook by David Truss @datruss.
Why join the #MSFTEduChat TweetMeets?
TweetMeets are monthly recurring Twitter conversations about themes relevant to educators, facilitated by Microsoft Education. The purpose of these events is to help professionals in education to learn from each other and inspire their students while they are preparing for their future. The TweetMeets also nurture personal learning networks among educators from across the globe.
Former host James Kieft wrote the following blog post describing why educators should consider participating in Twitter chats, and how to get started: Twitter chats explained.
When and how can I join?
Join us Tuesday, December 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. PST on Twitter using the hashtags #BestOf2019, #MSFTEduChat and #MicrosoftEDU. Be sure to double-check your own local event time. You can find the event time for 215 countries with this time zone announcer.
Our next recommendation for you is to set up Twitter dashboard TweetDeck and add columns for the hashtags and for your favorite space geeks. If you are new to TweetDeck, then check out this brief TweetDeck tutorial by Marjolein Hoekstra.
When a tweet appears that you want to respond to, press the retweet button and type your comments.
Additional tips are offered in this animated GIF that you’re most welcome to share with newcomers:
Too busy to join at event time? No problem!
From our monthly surveys we know that you may be in class at event time, busy doing other things or may even be asleep – well, no problem! All educators are most welcome to join any time after the event. Simply look at the questions below and respond to these at a day and time that suit you best.
You can also schedule your tweets in advance. In that case, be sure to include the entire question in your tweet and always mention the hashtag #MSFTEduChat so that everyone knows to which question in which conversation you are responding.
Four discussion questions this time
For this special-edition TweetMeet, we offer four discussion questions instead of five. This means we’ll have more time for each question. Check the timings for each question in the table:
PST
#
#MSFTEduChat TweetMeet question timings
10:00am
Event begins
Welcome. Please introduce yourself. Use #MSFTEduChat.
10:06
1
What was your Best of 2019 experience? Share your story or picture.
10:23
2
Which event, product or announcement wins 1st prize on your Best of 2019 list? Why?
10:40
3
Which people, courses or resources helped you excel this year? How?
10:57
4
How can Microsoft make 2020 an even better year for you and your students?
11:15
Event closes
Announcing the next event and Participant Survey.
Next month’s event: Devices for Student Success
The theme of January 21 will be Devices for Student Success. We’re very much looking forward to this event and hope you’ll spread the word!
Got questions about the #MSFTEduChat TweetMeets?
Please connect with TweetMeet organizer Marjolein Hoekstra @TweetMeet on Twitter if you have any questions about the TweetMeets or about what it takes to be a host on a future event.
SuperMash Smashes Together Different Genres For A New Experience Every Time
Digital Continue’s SuperMash will keep you on your toes when it launches in May 2020, as it allows you to take two different classic game genres and fuse them together to create a totally new experience each and every time.
Set in a game store owned by a bother and sister, SuperMash revolves around a mysterious games console which, when two carts are inserted, magically mashes together the two genres.
As you can see from the trailer, genres such as RPG, shooter and platformer can be bolted together for unique results, and you’ll be able to share mash-ups using a code system.
Axiom Verge 2 Revealed For Nintendo Switch, Here’s A Sneak Peak
Ending today’s Nintendo Indie World showcase was a full reveal for Axiom Verge 2, which is unsurprisingly a sequel to the excellent Axiom Verge.
Tom Happ, the game’s creator, took to the stage to talk about the new game and show off a trailer. He says that he’s been quietly working on the new release “for about four years”, but it’s finally time for us to be let in on how things are shaping up. The game will let players discover the origins of the Axiom Verge universe when it arrives next year.
You can catch the Axiom Verge 2 footage in the trailer below:
“Metroid: Samus Returns may not be on the Switch, but Axiom Verge does a fine job of filling in that genre gap on the eShop; this is truly an outstanding port of an outstanding game, no more and no less… Regardless of which side you fall on, Axiom Verge is a fantastic example of how to do a Metroidvania right, and we couldn’t be more pleased with it.”
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-11-2019, 08:53 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
Best Games Of 2019 - Resident Evil 2
Over the next few days, we will reveal what we believe are the 10 best games of 2019, organized by release date. Then, on December 17, we will reveal which of the nominees gets to take home the coveted title of GameSpot's Best Game of 2019. So be sure to come back then for the big announcement, and in the meantime, follow along with all of our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best Games of 2019 hub.
Calling Resident Evil 2 a remake feels inappropriate. While it certainly is exactly that, Capcom did more than recapture the spirit of its original; it set a precedent for the series’ reinvention, and created a new standard for all video game remakes to follow. After 23 years, and nearly 20-some installments, the Resident Evil 2 remake is the most refined version of what the franchise and genre has always aspired to be.
As remakes and remasters become more frequent, the line between recreating the experience we remember, versus the one we had, becomes a tricky to walk. When I think back on the first time I played Resident Evil 2 in 1998, I think about what it was like to slip past the clutches of the undead as my heart pounded from anxiety; the adrenaline rush of facing a Licker for the first time with only a few bullets to spare; or the lament of having to maneuver the halls of a sprawling claustrophobic police station without knowing what terrors await. What I don’t think about too much are the game’s notorious tank controls; the cardboard delivery of the dialogue; or its fixed camera angles and pre-rendered backgrounds. These things all have nostalgic value, and are undoubtedly a part of Resident Evil 2's original DNA, but they aren’t the defining characteristics of what made that initial experience so impactful.
In 2019’s Resident Evil 2, Capcom managed to recapture the anxiety and harrowing feeling of encountering a bumbling flesh-eating zombie for the first time, and reintroduce that sense panic-inducing terror, despite having zombie culture shoved down our throats for the past several decades.
Around every corner, there’s a foreboding atmosphere of never being safe. And yet, even when faced with terrifying odds, there’s still the chance that you might be able to fight your way through. Over the past few years, horror games have focused on stripping everything away, honing in on the thrill of the scare, and forcing you to run for your life rather than fight for it. Resident Evil 2, however, strikes the balance of making you feel helpless while still letting you have a grasp on your wits, by arming you with a small arsenal of weapons, but never enough to make you feel unstoppable.
Resident Evil 2 also features the welcome return to puzzles. This is something Resident Evil 7 reintroduced in modest amounts, but RE2 leans into it; and with that return, comes the series’ signature exploration and backtracking of its environments. Again, something RE7 reintegrated, but on a smaller scale in comparison to previous installments.
On all accounts, the Resident Evil 2 remake is more than a throwback: it’s among the best games in the series. It makes the original hard to go back to--a conflicting feeling for me as a person who was shaped, scared, and inspired by the original Resident Evil 2. It's a game that was pivotal in forming my tastes and outlook on games as a medium.
However, when I go back and play the original 1998 Resident Evil 2 today, the nostalgia is there, but the feelings of fear and triumph are gone. This remake recaptured those feelings, and redefined my experience all over again, and it's one of the best games of 2019.
Chronometric emissions cut across Mercury’s surface, and radiolaria steamed from fissures that erupted like open wounds in the machine soil. White-blue streams of Arc energy carved borders around a circular sector about a hundred miles wide. Walls of chronometric flame tore through Vex spires that came tumbling down in halves and sheared Minotaurs in two along the boundaries of the region.
The Red Legion stood watch as these eruptions flared around every Cabal machine, structure, and soldier inside the sector. They showed no sign of panic as ethereal fire burned over the world and their Vex opponents. Instead, they waited, watched, and mobilized purposefully around the phenomenon.
The circular shape that these walls cut were further segmented into three sections: Red Legion soldiers found themselves staring across the chronometric walls at each other from inside Mercury’s past, present, and distant future.
Under three different skies, three different suns, and on three different elevations of Mercury’s gradually descending surface, the Red Legion went to work.
Perhaps this time they would win the Red War.
❖❖❖
Somewhere deep inside the Vanguard halls in a secure meditation chamber, a trio of Warlocks surrounded Osiris: one Praxic, one Thanatonaut, and one Vanguard.
“Did the Vex corrupt him?” Aunor wondered.
“My Order just wants to know if he’s real. Or some kind of Vex simulation. An Echo?” Harper said, paging through a datapad in his hands.
“You haven’t left the Forest in years,” Ikora said to Osiris, the only one to address him directly.
“I need help,” Osiris replied.
“I know,” Ikora responded, hands clasped behind her back. She stared intently at her former mentor. Back in her Crucible days, that uncompromising gaze was often the last thing her opponents saw. Aunor glanced sidelong at her superior. Harper coughed and looked down at his datapad.
“Two years ago, Guardians entered the Infinite Forest,” Osiris continued. “They aided me in defeating the Axis Mind Panoptes, preventing a Vex apocalypse from befalling this system.
“In the process,” he looked between each of them in turn, “Some Guardians reported a body they found in the Forest depths.”
Ikora sighed.
“Saint-14 never came back from that last mission to Mercury. We finally knew why. I reacted to it the only way I knew how.”
“By turning Mercury into a temporal weapon for the Cabal?” Aunor asked.
“You are awfully tranquil for a man who just doomed this system,” Harper said.
“You should rethink your career in Thanatonautics, Warlock Harper, if death frightens you so,” the exile replied. He nodded at Aunor. “I’ve made mistakes. I will continue to make them. The nature of my work requires it.”
“We should lock you away,” the Praxic replied. But there was no fire in it.
“There are others you’ve allowed to roam free. These are desperate times, Aunor,” Osiris said. “I think you know that.”
Harper opened his mouth to ask another question, but Ikora cut him off. “Give us a minute.”
Aunor ducked her head and Harper bristled, but both left without question. Alone with Osiris, Ikora said, “The Speaker was right to exile you.”
“We all make our own choices,” Osiris replied. “Like the Vex gateway you built to the Undying Mind. A strategy like that is exactly what the machines would not expect. And you knew the Guardians would deliver.”
“What’s your point?”
“You think like I do. But you’ve done what I never could. Found a way to coexist with the Vanguard while keeping their fool necks above the water,” said Osiris.
“If you think you’re helping your case, you’re not.”
“Time is broken on Mercury. I need help from our mutual friends.”
“I know that. My Hidden have scouted your Sundial. The Red Legion are loose in a time rift that’s localized to the past, present, and future of Mercury.” She took a step closer to him, shoulders tense. “If we don’t contain it, it’s not going to stay that way for long. The rift will expand across the system.”
“I’ve created a mitigation network across Guardian space. I’m in control.”
“You are anything but—!”
“Saint deserved another chance.”
“So did Cayde! So did everyone we lost in the Red War.”
“We’ll hunt the Cabal across every timeline they create within the Sundial. They’ll never be able to exploit it.”
“You’re damn right. Because you’re going to mobilize the Guardians. You’re going to fix this. And then you and I are going to have a long talk.”
Nintendo Russia Surprises Frozen 2 Movie Audience With Free Switch Bundles
Nintendo Russia hasn’t had the best year, with the CEO Yasha Haddaji making headlines in January when he lost his temper on an official live stream and was then accused of violent behaviour and harassment in the workplace.
Fortunately, this Nintendo branch has ended the year on a much happier note. As part of a special giveaway tied to the animated film Frozen 2, Nintendo Russia surprised families in attendance with brand-new Switch bundles. It reminds us of those big giveaways Oprah used to do, where everyone in the audience gets a gift.
Are you surprising anyone with a Switch this holiday season? Comment down below.
Welcome to Next Week on Xbox, where we cover all the new games coming soon to Xbox One! Every week the team at Xbox aims to deliver quality gaming content for you to enjoy on your favorite gaming console. To find out what’s coming soon to Xbox One, read on below and click on each of the game profiles for pre-order details (dates are subject to change).
Slink through the shadows as a deadly half-elven rogue,
wield fearsome magics as a powerful gnomish sorcerer, vanquish your foes as an
armor-clad dwarven paladin… whatever hero you create, incredible adventures
await in the remastered Dungeons & Dragons classic Neverwinter Nights:
Enhanced Edition.
After a tragic incident, brothers Sean and Daniel Diaz run away from home. Fearing the police, and dealing with Daniel’s new telekinetic power, the boys head to Mexico. Each stop on their journey brings new friends and new challenges. Xbox Game Pass members can play Life is Strange 2: Episode 1 through 4.
The owners of various apartments have left their homes in your hands: all they’ve given you is a blueprint of how their place should look. Cooperate with your friends to complete the task or make a mess trying in this intensely fun couch co-op game for up to four players about home renovation and work your way to the top of a skyscraper in need of some work.
Set out on an emotional journey through the bittersweet
lives of two people where memories come alive and time bends to their will.
Lose yourself in moments of happiness and overcome every hardship as you relive
their life’s story.
Xbox One X Enhanced / Xbox Game Pass for Console / Xbox Game Pass for PC / Steam: In 2552, the Covenant discovered the planet Reach and the UNSC mounted an unparalleled defense against the alien war machine. At the heart of this conflict was Noble Team, an experienced group of accomplished soldiers prepared to meet the enemy head-on. Now this squad will face its most challenging mission yet: the defense of Reach. Halo: Reach for Halo: The Master Chief Collection comes to the Xbox One looking better than ever, including up to 4K UHD resolution and HDR on Xbox One X consoles.
Your dogs have been dognapped by a beaked lunatic who
stuffed them into his eye holes and is using their life essence to destroy the
universe. You’re partnered with Trover, a little purple eye-hole monster who
isn’t a huge fan of working or being put in the position of having to save the
universe. Only you and Trover can save everything in this bizarre comedy
adventure, created by Justin Roiland, co-creator of “Rick and Morty.”
An interactive FMV horror experience of exploring a missing woman’s phone. You found the lost phone of a woman named Anna. In it, you see a desperate cry for help in the form of a video message. You talk to her friends and they have no idea where she is. Her texts, emails and photo gallery provides fragments of information and it’s up to you to piece it together.
Take on the role of Nora Harwood, member of Everreach’s
Security Division, on a mission to secure the colonization process of Eden and investigate
mysterious incidents in this fast-paced, story-driven action-RPG set on the
visually stunning Planet Eden.
Part business sim, part logistics puzzle. It’s one thing to
work away in the lab perfecting new formulas but converting the “science stuff”
into cold hard cash means bringing an engineering and business mind to the
problem. Factory space is expensive, and those fancy new agglomerators and
centrifuges don’t always fit nicely together.
Set out on an adventure to discover Izen’s mysterious
origins in this new sci-fi RPG. As he and those with him pursue answers to this
mystery, they fail to notice a shadow creeping upon them with the intent to
stop them in their tracks. Upgrade Izen’s abilities with arm/leg parts, core
and chips, and activate the armament drive and fight with the support of
fairies.
Xbox One X Enhanced / Xbox Game Preview: On a dark and stormy night, 11-year-old Minerva discovers a haunted house deep in the woods and before she knows it, she’s in for the fight of her life. Armed with a flashlight and a backpack full of friendly stuffed animals who are brought to life by the house’s magic, help Minerva survive her adventure against sinister ghosts in this spooky rogue-lite featuring heaps of procedural dungeons, ghosts, and loot.
My Friend Pedro – December 5
Xbox Game Pass: A violent ballet about friendship, imagination, and one man’s struggle to obliterate anyone in his path at the behest of a sentient banana. The strategic use of split aiming, slow motion, and the ol’ stylish window breach create one sensational action sequence after another in an explosive battle through the violent underworld.
Discover new scientific mysteries with Kerbal Space
Program: Breaking Ground expansion for the critically acclaimed space
simulation game. Adds new science-collecting equipment to deploy on your
missions, surface features to be investigated scattered across distant planets,
and a wealth of new robotic parts for players to test their creativity with
(this expansion requires the base game to play).
Wandersong – December 6
Xbox Game Pass: A musical adventure where you use singing to save the world. Play as a silly bard who embarks on a globe-trotting journey to learn about the mysterious Earthsong, said to prevent the universe’s imminent end. It’s up to you to sing your songs, unlock the world’s secrets and make new friends.
Survive your evolution in Neogene Africa starting 10 million
years ago. Ancestors: The Humankind Odyssey is a third-person open world
survival game where you Explore, Expand, and Evolve to advance your clan to the
next generation in the exciting new adventure from the creator of Assassin’s
Creed.
On the icy surface of a forgotten planet stand ruined tombs
where immortals sleep. While sleepless warriors roam the halls with their minds
eroded by eternity, a lone Awakewalker emerges from cryosleep. With no memory of
their past, it’s up to them to forge their future, discover the planet’s
mysteries, and find a way out of this icy hell in this action and adventure
game featuring Souls-like progression system.
Demon’s Tilt – December 6
Xbox Game Pass: A tribute to ‘90s video pinball games, featuring modern effects and mechanics—including bosses, secrets, and unprecedented depth to please video gamers and hardcore pinball enthusiasts alike. Now with bigger sprites, more baddies, more secrets, and more bullets! Demon’s Tilt pushes the limits of the video pinball genre with Shmup & Hack N’ Slash elements.
Freediving Hunter: Spearfishing the World – December 6
Compete against increasingly difficult spearfishing challengers from around the world with the goal of becoming the champion Freediving Hunter. Unlock lush saltwater marine environments around the world such as stunning reefs teeming with sea life, ancient shipwrecks and ruins, kelp forests, etc. in an exciting hunt for prized saltwater fish.
Rental kiosk Redbox is giving up on video game rentals
Redbox is winding down the video game side of its rental business and will instead focus entirely on movie rentals moving forward.
The Verge nabbed an official statement from the company that confirms as much, though the brief comment doesn’t delve into much detail on why the company opted to stop offering video game rentals.
As of now, Redbox has already stopped offering video game rentals through the physical kiosks it has positioned in grocery stores and chain retailers according to a tweet from the business’ support account.
For the time being, Redbox will still offer games for sale through its kiosks, something it has done in the past to clean out older games and excessive stock, but will eventually discontinue that service as well in early 2020.
