Prey: Typhon Hunter is Now Available on Steam!

Fight overwhelming odds to escape a secret TranStar moon base where the enemies you encounter, the hazards you face, the goals you complete, and the loot you collect are different each time you play. With changing environments as dangerous as they are dynamic, the Mooncrash campaign for Prey will offer a fun, infinitely replayable challenge to test even the most skilled players.

TranStar VR is a single player VR-only campaign included in the Typhon Hunter update. This campaign puts you in the shoes of various TranStar employees as you complete objectives and solve intricate puzzles on Talos I, just days before the events of Prey.

The Gamasutra Job Board is the most diverse, active and established board of its kind for the video game industry!

Here is just one of the many, many positions being advertised right now.

Location: Nottingham, England, United Kingdom

With 5.7 million monthly users, we’re currently working on developing and improving the backend of Avakin Life – but we need more help. If you’re a backend coder with experience in golang, python or java, we’d love to hear from you. 

Responsibilities

• Creation and maintenance of fast, efficient and reliable backend micro-services to be used by the game client
• Assist with the implementation and maintenance of automated testing for our backend API and services
• Create and maintain minimum amount of documentation required for team members to understand how web services and API function

REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum of two years developing back-end systems for video games, gaming/gambling, or any other large-scale back-end API or web development
• A working knowledge of PostgreSQL, MySQL or SQL Server
• A basic level of Python programming ability
• A clear understanding of fault tolerance and data integrity in relation to back-end architecture
• A huge willingness to learn and expand their technical horizons
• Ability to both troubleshoot and identify optimization opportunities in back-end APIs
• Practical experience of Linux 

BENEFITS

Why Choose Us?

• Competitive salary with quarterly bonus scheme. 
• Flexible work hours 
• Staff social outings 
• Pension and Gym Membership 

About Lockwood:

Lockwood Publishing is one of the leading independent UK mobile games companies. Our most successful product to date is a 3D virtual world on mobile called Avakin Life.

We want to hear from talented and passionate developers who can help us implement our incredibly exciting and ambitious road-map. As part of the team at Lockwood, you will enjoy a creative, challenging and collaborative environment where your ideas will be every bit as valued as your design expertise. Our working environment is extremely open, and all team members have complete access to any metrics they wish. We hold regular company-wide briefings to ensure team members and departments are aware of the direct impact their efforts have on the progress of the project. Best of all, because we believe team members deserve more than a pat on the back for their effort, we offer a bonus scheme that pays out 50% of any increase in record quarterly profits directly to the team.

Interested? Apply now.

Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.

Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.

Looking for a new job? Get started here. Are you a recruiter looking for talent? Post jobs here.

Over a million fans worldwide have experienced an epic journey with Senua, a Celtic warrior who embarks on a haunting vision quest to save the soul of her dead lover from Viking hell, and today we’re excited to announce that Ninja Theory’s critically acclaimed Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice is now available at participating retailers for $29.99 and £24.99 on Xbox One.

Players on Xbox One X can choose from three captivating modes: Enhanced Visuals mode offers extra FX and visual quality throughout the experience, High Framerate mode runs the game at 60fps, and High-Resolution mode runs the game with dynamic resolutions up to 4K.

Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice was awarded the winner of five 2018 BAFTA Games Awards, including Best British Game, Best Artistic Achievement, Best Game Beyond Entertainment, Best Performer and Best Audio Achievement. The 2017 Game Awards also honored Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice as winner of Best Audio Design, Best Performance, and Best Game for Impact.

Keep it tuned here to Xbox Wire for the latest on Ninja Theory and Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice.

In celebration of Killing Floor 2’s Twisted Christmas update, play Killing Floor 2 for FREE starting now through Monday at 10AM Pacific Time. You can also pickup Killing Floor 2 at 67% off the regular price!*

The update includes new maps, 4 new weapons, play as Badass Santa and much more!

If you already have Steam installed, click here to install or play Killing Floor 2. If you don’t have Steam, you can download it here.

*Offer ends Monday at 10AM Pacific Time

It’s that time of year again… You know the one, it happens every year in December and brings a tear to everybody’s eye… That’s right, it’s the last major snapshot of the year! Todays snapshot brings us a lot of cool Village related features, and we’re happy to finally get these out to you all before the year’s up. We weren’t able to finish everything we wanted, however, so we’ll see you again soon in January with even more Village & Pillage features to help test! Have a great new year, everybody!

A full summary of the content available in this snapshot can be found in the changelog on Minecraft.net, the following is a short summary:

• Added Barrel functionality
• Added Blast Furnace functionality
• Added Smoker functionality
• Added Bell sound
• Added Jellie
• New villages
• Updated Villager
• Changes to raids
• Updated some textures
• Fixed bugs

BARREL

• Acts as a storage unit for all your things
• Works in tight spaces

BLAST FURNACE

• New furnace upgrade that allows for the smelting of ores and melting of metals faster than the traditional Furnace.
• Can be crafted via 3 Smooth Stone, 1 Furnace, and 5 Iron Ingots.

SMOKER

• New furnace upgrade that allows for the smelting of foods faster than the traditional Furnace.
• Can be crafted via 4 Logs, and 1 Furnace.

VILLAGES

• Added Taiga villages
• Updated Desert villages

VILLAGERS

• Villagers and Zombie Villagers now have new fancy skins
• Added Mason profession (trades will come later)
• Cured Zombie Villagers retain their trades

RAID CHANGES

• Patrol captains now give 1-3 bad omen levels when killed. Outpost captains always give 1 only
• Captains now spawn at outposts
• Beasts start at wave 2, witches at wave 4, evoker wave 10

To get snapshots, open your launcher and go to the “launch options” tab. Check the box saying “Enable snapshots” and save. To switch between the snapshot and normal version, you can find a new dropdown menu next to the “Play” button. Back up your world first or run the game on in a different folder (In the “launch options” page).

Please report any and all bugs you find in Minecraft to bugs.mojang.com.

Snapshots can corrupt your world, please backup and/or run them in a different folder from your main worlds. 

Share your thoughts on how 1.14 is shaping up in the comments below!

Our focus this week is a skilled player who enjoys taking the road less traveled. This Crucible warrior wields weapons that are often passed over by others, and does so with elegance. 

Please meet CammyCakes. 

Tell us a little bit about yourself and your role in the Destiny Community.

CC: I don’t do intros. Well, at least I don’t on YouTube. 

Hi, I’m Cammy and long story short: I was lucky and somehow built a humble following by using terrible weapons not so terribly.

As far as my role in the community goes, on occasion I stumble onto something both equally genius and idiotic. I find I’m constantly asking myself, “If I don’t do this, then who will?” Then it leads to putting this madness in practice, which ends up resulting in a missile Titan’s Thundercrash Super going through a Gambit teleporter and somehow taking out the only player with 15 motes. 

Practical madness. Got it. Where can we find you on the internet?

I’m going right now to smash that “like” button. What has been your favorite subclass and weapon?

CC: My favorite is most definitely the Warlock’s Attunement of Grace. I feel like Oprah when I play it. “Check under your seats! YOU get a healing ‘nade. EVERYONE gets a healing ‘nade!”

Fun fact: I was a cheerleader in high school. It’s actually how I ended up with the nickname CammyCakes. When I play healer Warlock, I am the encapsulating definition of a cheerleader, and I love it. 

As for weapon? I can’t name just one. It’s the whole package. It’s a lifestyle. I’m referring to the SnipeLion. I used Fighting Lion when it hit 57 with splash damage. I thought it was overpowered back then. Now it delivers tactical nukes without the need for a killstreak. 

And that’s not even the best part. Pair this baby with a snipe, and you’ll have the capabilities to either snipe someone outright, or clean them up around the corner with a lion bank shot. You would think shotgunners would be an issue. But dust off that Geometry doctorate, and angle the lion at the floor or ceiling to increase travel distance, so you can detonate right in their face and show them what Mindbender’s ambition truly means.

It’s always great seeing creative uses of the sandbox. What can we expect to see on your channels?

CC: I’ve been partial to live commentaries, where I either give tips on the fly in a match, or make terrible jokes to pass the time. I’ll also do weapon/armor reviews, and discuss the pros and cons of interesting builds. On occasion I’ll post competitive tips, and highlights from great matches. On Twitch, I drink tea and shoot things in a cave for hours.

Not all of your jokes are terrible. What is one of your favorite moments playing Destiny 2?

CC: Before the Forsaken changes were implemented, I understood that the days of the primary were numbered. I knew every callout, crevice, and subclass quirk. I cranked the headphones up and learned every sound. I paid attention to nuanced things like shadows and dust particles.

Never have I felt so in tune with my team, my aim, and my decision making. Despite not liking the Wormhusk, Dire Promise, and Graviton Lance/Tractor Cannon, I played my heart out in the competitive playlist, and made so many great memories with awesome friends. Nothing beats the feeling of a fancy strafe 3 tap with a 110RPM handcannon. 

What are your first impressions of the Season of the Forge so far?

CC: I’ll break down my first impressions of Black Armory’s Forge into likes, dislikes, and how it can be improved.

Likes: it’s a bite-sized activity with guaranteed unique loot. Great to laugh with friends and have a (responsible) drink with.

Dislikes: It’s fairly predictable and could be grindy soon as a result.

How it can be improved: Provide PvP alternatives for weapon charging. More random elements during the activity to spice it up. Continually reward time investment with more deterministic rewards. 

My thoughts on the raid are mixed. I appreciate the setting and scale, because nothing feels more bad-ass than an urban assault. I particularly liked the free-roam nature of the final boss. The difficulty on launch leaves a bit to be desired after experiencing Last Wish.

Anything else you would like to add?

CC: Be nice to your fellow Guardian. Shoot someone a compliment every now and then. Reach out and make new friends. Don’t blindly be swayed by a content creator. Test things out yourself and add to the conversation in a constructive way.

Thanks for being awesome, Destiny community. 

Well said. Thank you for taking the time to tell us more about yourself and your channels.

Make sure you stop by and see some of Cammy’s videos. He has a lot of content to keep you entertained when you are away from your console/PC. As always, if you have an idea of who we should write about in the future, let us know on the forums using the tag #CommunityFocus.

Forza fans might have December 13^th circled on their calendars, and for good reason. After all, tomorrow is the launch day the first expansion for the game – Fortune Island – allowing FH4 players the opportunity to explore a brand-new island location full of danger, treasure, and epic driving adventures. Alongside the launch of Fortune Island, Playground Games is also releasing the fourth update for Forza Horizon 4. This update is bringing new content and experiences to Forza Horizon 4, along with lots of fixes and improvements to the game overall.

Here’s a look at some of the highlights coming with Update 4:

Horizon Life MP Update

With this update, Playground has made some improvements to Horizon Life multiplayer events. Now when you create a multiplayer event, you can post it to the Activity Panel and then return to Freeroam while you wait for other players to join. The previous 40-second limit has been removed, and now you can wait for as long as you like for players to join before you start the session.

Photo Mode Improvements

Forzatographers, rejoice! New improvements to Photo Mode are coming. Now you separately toggle vehicle lights, drivers, wildlife, and crowds to specify elements you want in your photographic masterpieces. In addition, there are new bokeh, focus, and sampling options, as well as more freedom of movement with the photo camera.

Horizon Holiday Party

It’s the holiday season and Forza Horizon 4 players can celebrate with a load of new holiday-themed items available with the latest update. Twelve new festive clothing options are all available from Season Events, The Trial, Wheelspins, and the #Forzathon Shop.

Other Improvements

In addition to new content, Update 4 is bringing with it new improvements across various areas of the game. Highlights include fixing an exploit in Route Creator which allowed players to create routes to easily gain a large number of skill points, as well as fixing an exploit in Rivals which allowed players from being able to use the cars that did not meet the event restrictions. Elsewhere, emotes can now occasionally be found for purchase in the #Forzathon Shop, and the team has added improved visibility of driving line on mini-map in various colorblind modes.

For the full list of fixed in Update 4, check out the Release Notes on the Forza Support section on our Web site.

Don’t forget, Playground Games will be giving fans a world premier of the Fortune Island expansion live from PG HQ on December 13. The show starts at 7 a.m. Pacific/3 p.m. GMT on the official Forza Mixer and Twitch channels and the PG team will be exploring Fortune Island and answering community questions as well. Following Playground’s Fortune Island stream, we’ll have with the December update of “Forza Monthly” which kicks off at 10 a.m. Pacific/6 p.m. GMT, where we’ll be joined by members of Playground to dive further into the Fortune Island expansion. Don’t miss the shows live!