Welcome to Fortuna – Warframe’s biggest update ever. Explore the frigid landscape of Venus populated with new Corpus threats, subterranean mysteries and an ecosystem on the brink of destruction. #LiftTogether
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 11-11-2018, 03:11 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
Activision Blizzard’s revenues falter after Destiny 2 DLC ‘underperformed’
Activision Blizzard today released its financials for its third quarter ended September 30, stating that its results were better than predicted despite showing a decrease in total revenue and overall player engagement.
The company’s total revenues decreased roughly 7 percent to $1.51 billion, while net income was up 38 percent year-over-year to $260 million. It’s a bit of a slowdown for the company, which has reported robust earnings for the pasttwo quarters.
The decline in total revenues can be attributed in part to Destiny 2: Forsaken, which debuted in early September. The company’s revenues from console games and services dropped 34 percent year-over-year to $347 million, with the company adding that the recently-released Destiny 2 expansion isn’t performing as well as anticipated.
Activision Blizzard’s mobile revenue was also down 11 percent to $523 million, but balanced out partially by a 21 percent boost in PC revenues to $482 million.
The growth in Blizzard’s PC game earnings is driven largely by the launch of World of Warcraft: Battle for Azeroth back in August, which sold 3.4 million copies during its first day on shelves — a record for the franchise, the company noted.
Team Xbox Looks Back on Their Favorite ID@Xbox and Indie Game Memories
All of us here on Team Xbox are tremendous fans of the talent involved in the creation of games, especially those that come into the ID@Xbox program. From cartoon platformers to adventure games to strategy simulators, there’s a robust catalog of titles that deliver countless memories from those gaming worlds. It’s almost unfair that we can only share a few of those with you too, but we’ve taken some of our most memorable moments and captured them here in this feature. Enjoy.
Chris Charla – Senior Director of ID@Xbox
Having been part of ID@Xbox since the beginning, it’s extremely hard to pick one moment from the thousands of great moments and games and people involved with this program on both the Xbox and developer side. But if you made me pick just one, it would be E3 2015, when I was onstage, in the dark, watching Chad and Jared Moldenhauer introduce Cuphead. I knew how hard they were working, and I knew that after the teaser the year before, people were expecting a lot. I also know how much that trailer was going to blow everyone away. That moment when the StudioMDHR logo came up on stage, I got goosebumps like I never have before, and I just could not get the silly grin off my face watching that game own the stage at E3. There have been tons and tons and tons of other fantastic moments and games over the last five years, but that moment will always stay with me!
Phil Spencer – Head of Xbox
The game that comes to mind for me is Brothers. I have such a vivid memory of the first time I completed the game as there’s a key moment at the end in which the game mechanic is designed to reinforce the emotion I felt as a player. If you haven’t played it, Brothers is a cooperative, puzzle-based game where each thumbstick controls one of the two brothers on screen simultaneously. In the game, the brothers’ mother has died and their dad is sick and in need of medicine. The game is about the brothers’ quest to get medicine and by the end of the game, the older brother dies as well. As the story draws to a close, the younger brother is alone, trying to get back to his dad and to do so, he must swim across a stream. We learn early in the game that the younger brother does not swim. Until this moment in the game, he’s only crossed water on the back of his older brother.
So there I was, trying to finish the game, pausing and working to solve the puzzle of how to get the younger brother across the water without his older brother. And then the answer just came to me and when I tried it and it worked – it was spine tingling. I felt the loneliness and sadness of the young brother. I don’t think I’ve ever encountered a gameplay mechanic that evoked emotion in the way Brothers did for me and so many other players.
Ashley McKissick – Head of Xbox Game Pass
Four years ago, when my son was six-years-old, we spent our winter vacation playing Never Alone and exploring the Iñupiat culture together. It was the perfect game to play with my little one. The co-op nature meant that we had to work together, and the controls were so intuitive and well-crafted. The fact that, while playing through the adventure, we also got to learn about this special Alaskan Native community, made it even more special. I also just absolutely loved the art style in Never Alone, especially the environments, and I am so glad that ID@Xbox enabled us to discover this game. Playing this little gem will remain a fond holiday memory for my son and I.
Craig Duncan – Studio Head, Rare Games
I’ve enjoyed many incredible ID@Xbox games over the years but my favorite moment is quite a recent one while browsing the what’s new in Xbox Game Pass section there was a game called Manual Samuel. I hadn’t heard of it but was drawn to the art of a cartoon death holding a puppet and then spent the next few hours being pulled out of my gaming comfort zone doing what appeared to be normal everyday tasks; without spoiling the plot which everyone should experience spoiler free it made me smile throughout and laugh at some of the dialog and the crazy moments that poor Samuel had to navigate with appropriate well deserved achievements awarded throughout including probably the craziest driving achievement I have ever earned ? A really funny, enjoyable and unique little adventure.
Katie Stone Perez – Principal Program Manager, Mixer
The timer ends, you see the results, and my daughters jump up and cheer “We did it!” We have come together as a family and defeated the unbread. That’s my favorite ID@Xbox moment. My family loves playing games together and Overcooked 2 provides a great level of challenge but when we work together we can always be successful. Each level starts with us coming up with a plan and then the chaos ensues. The game has become an almost nightly ritual for us before bed and I love that we can have that moment of success that unites us as a family.
Jeff Rubenstein – Xbox Comms and Inside Xbox Host
I may not recall my daughter’s first word, or exactly when she took her first steps. Should we have saved a lock of hair from her first haircut? Yet I vividly remember her first Minecraft world, I showed her how to record her first PotG in Overwatch, and was sitting right next to her during her first Fortnite Victory Royale – the culmination of a carefully laid game education curriculum that began with… Chariot. Yes, Frima Games’ platformer has players dragging a king’s coffin to a more luxurious burial site to placate his demanding spirit (who berates you on your journey), but it’s colorful, kid-friendly, and teaches the mechanics of platforming and cooperative play. More importantly, it sparked a love of gaming and a father-daughter bonding activity that continues to this day. And that’s better than a pair of bronzed baby shoes any day.
Graeme Boyd – Xbox Live’s AceyBongos and Inside Xbox Host
The day I got married is one of the greatest days of my life. I am, of course, talking about Stardew Valley. My real wedding was pretty good too, I guess. But in Stardew Valley, getting married felt like the culmination of months of hard work and careful relationship building as I carved out my new life on the farm. It felt like acceptance.
That’s the funny thing about Stardew Valley – it starts out like a nice mash-up of Harvest Moon, Animal Crossing, and even Minecraft. But soon enough the rhythms of it – tending your crops, selling your goods, making new friends, exploring the town, the seasons rolling in and out – they get inside you. You feel part of something special. And for me, that experience was one of the most relaxing and fulfilling I’ve ever had in a video game. Stardew Valley became my happy place (I still have a map of the town next to my desk at work and I gaze longingly at it during stressful conference calls). Getting married made it even happier.
Oh, yeah. I got married to Leah. Obviously.
Will Tuttle – Editor in Chief of Xbox Wire
I’m a sucker for a great narrative and ID@Xbox has no shortage of amazing narrative-driven games, from the haunting family drama of the excellent What Remains of Edith Finch to the sci-fi horror of Soma. The best of these combine a compelling narrative with unique simple-but-complex gameplay. One of my favorite games of this generation, Thomas Was Aloneby Bithell Games, is a pitch-perfect example of that intoxicating blend. At first glance, the game looks like a straightforward, minimalistic platformer starring a group of quadrilateral shapes, but it quickly becomes clear that it’s much more.
Thanks to top-notch writing and some truly wonderful narration by British humorist Danny Wallace (who won a BAFTA for his performance), those little blocks become Thomas, Claire, Chris, John, and Laura. By combining those beautifully humanized shapes with some good old-fashioned puzzle platforming, Thomas Was Alone helped to push the medium forward in unexpectedly new ways.
Larry Hryb – Xbox Live’s Major Nelson and Inside Xbox Host
As a fan of film, music and obviously video games, I’ve long had an appreciation for content created and produced by independent studios. So, when I heard the ID@Xbox team was celebrating the release of their 1,000th indie title, I naturally considered some of my favorites and it was impossible not to think about Cuphead.
Cuphead is an absolute gem, featuring beautifully crafted visuals reminiscent of sound cartoons from the golden age of animation. The soundtrack is easily some of the best music you will hear in a video game, composed using live musicians playing jazz, early big band, and ragtime music, a favorite genre of mine. But Cuphead doesn’t just look and sound great, it plays great too. My colleagues may heckle me a bit as I praise Cuphead’s gameplay since I am admittedly “challenged” by some of the levels, but the game is just so much fun to play.
As great as Cuphead is though, the real magic of the game is with the number of subtle references (some might even call them Easter Eggs) seamlessly interwoven into the game. I heard mention of a Street Fighter reference when you battle the frogs Ribby and Croaks, and when I encountered that particular scene, it indeed appeared to be a clear tribute to Street Fighter.
Sure, there are the more obvious ones, like a building in the background named after the developers or the name of their studio appearing in different places. But when you dig a little deeper, you’ll discover a seemingly unending link to other cartoon characters, video games and real people including actors, musicians, artists, and cartoonists. It’s fascinating as you play the game when you recognize one of these subtle links and even more fascinating to think of all the hidden connections yet to be discovered.
Breaking Into The Chinese Games Market Won’t Be Easy, Says Nintendo
Nintendo’s recent investor’s Q&A document is now live in English, and a few little pieces of info that weren’t covered in the translation of the Japanese version have now come to light – one of which involves the company’s plans to expand into China.
Nintendo has recently made deals with firms like Nvidia to allow certain key Nintendo titles to be ported to the Shield TV system – which shares the same basic architecture as the Switch – but outside of this, the company appears to be rather cautious when it comes to cracking this huge market.
When pressed on the topic, Nintendo president Shuntaro Furukawa said:
I cannot say anything new at this time about our plans to start our business in China with Nintendo Switch or smart-device applications. We are continuing to look into a business opportunity in China, but the reality is that there are a variety of issues that give us the impression that it will not be easy to do. And although the market for games in China is incredibly huge, the market for dedicated platforms is small, so even if we were to enter into China, the challenges we would face there certainly would not be simple ones. Even so, I would very much like to try and see how receptive the Chinese market would be to Nintendo IP.
The amazing potential of the Chinese market is something the entire games industry seems focused on tapping these days, but as Furukawa says, there are notable roadblocks which have to be overcome before the company can truly capitalise on this massive – and game-crazy – audience. The 14-year ban on games console was lifted in 2015, but the focus in the region remains on smartphone and PC-based online games, and consoles have yet to make the same impact they have in other parts of the world.
The Armistice Steam Sale fundraiser is back, promoting peaceful gameplay in support of children still affected by war today. This year marks 100 years since the armistice that ended the First World War, so War Child has pulled together a bunch of the best-selling games to mark the occasion that are either non-violent or have been modified as part of this year’s Armistice campaign (Dick Wilde & Prison Architect).
Each game that is part of the sale is donating a % of developer proceeds to War Child UK & its US partner Children in Conflict to raise vital funds for children whose lives have been torn apart by war.
• ABZÛ (505 Games) – Donating 50% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 50% • Broken Sword 5 (Revolution Games) – Donating 50% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 25% • Democracy 3 (Positech) – Donating 100% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 25% • Dick Wilde (PlayStack) – Donating 50% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 50% • Machinarium (Amanita Design) – Donating 60% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 60% • Mini Metro (Dinosaur Polo Club) – Donating 50% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 50% • Prison Architect (Introversion Software) – Donating 50% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 75% • Scanner Sombre (Introversion Software) – Donating 50% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 75% • RiME (Six Foot) – Donating 50% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 50% • The Talos Principle (Devolver Digital) – Donating 50% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 75% • The Room (Fireproof Games) – Donating 100% of developer proceeds / Discounted by 75%
Kingdom Hearts 3 already has an all-star cast of Disney characters, but at Xbox's X018 fan event one more made his debut. Everyone's favorite honey-loving bear, Winnie the Pooh has been confirmed to appear in the third entry in the Square Enix-developed title. Of course, this isn't the first time he's been featured in the series, as players have traveled to 100 Acre Woods, home of Pooh, Tigger, Piglet and friends multiple times.
This time, we got to see Pooh talking to Sora, Donald, and Goofie, telling him that he'd always be with him. Along with Pooh, the trailer also provided another glimpse at what Master Xehanort and Organization XIII are up to. Naturally, it will require Sora, Donald, Goofy, and a supporting cast of some of the most iconic Disney characters from throughout the ages to come together and put a stop to these evil schemes, which involves creating an ultimate keyblade.
Shinji Hashimoto from Square Enix also appeared during the stream to talk about Pooh's appearance, saying that in Kingdom Hearts 3 there will be mini-games to play in the 100 Acre Woods. For this location specifically, gameplay will be oriented around puzzles. Talking about technological advancements and what they bring to Kingdom Hearts 3, Hashimoto said the Xbox One hardware allowed the team to depict roaring scenes in the Pirates world and the vastness of Big Hero 6's San Fransokyo.
The trailer also gave us a glimpse at the some of other words, including an evil Baymax in the Big Hero 6 universe. Some on-ship acrobatics in the Pirates of the Caribbean world.
On November 5, Square Enix released a trailer set in the Kingdom of Corona, the world in which Tangled takes place. In that trailer, Sora, Donald, and Goofy meet Rapunzel and Flynn, before being ambushed by enemies. Rapunzel looks to have a pretty handy traversal ability that involves using her long hair to swing from tree branches. This will no doubt help the gang get around much easier.
Other Disney franchises represented in Kingdom Hearts 3 include Toy Story, Big Hero 6, Frozen, Hercules, and Monsters Inc. Various members of the voice cast attached to these are also reprising their roles for the game. For example, Zachary Levi be playing as Flynn Rider while Donna Murphy will once again be Mother Gothel. For Frozen, Idina Menzel will be voicing Elsa, while Kristen Bell returns for Anna, Josh Gad is Olaf, and Jonathan Groff is Kristoff. Haley Joel Osment will also be voicing series protagonist Sora again.
Kingdom Hearts 3 is set to release on January 29, 2019 on Xbox One and PS4.
A wildfire in California has claimed, among other locations, a series of iconic movie and TV sets outside of Los Angeles. The Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area announced that the western town portion of Paramount Ranch in Agoura Hills, California has burned down.
The sets, which have served as the home of projects like Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, American Sniper, and The Love Bug, has most recently been used by the HBO series Westworld. On the show, it served as the town of Escalante, which was a beta-testing location within the Westworld park.
Evan Rachel Wood, who stars on Westworld and has done a fair amount of shooting at the location, tweeted, "This is eerie. So sad for the history lost. Amazed the church is still standing." Indeed, the little white church that became so recognizable on the show was one structure that remained unharmed.
Thankfully, HBO confirms that no filming for the upcoming season of Westworld was taking place at the time of the fire. In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, the network said, "Westworld is not currently in production, and as the area has been evacuated, we do not yet know the extent of the damage to any structures remaining there. Most importantly, our thoughts go out to all those affected by these horrible fires."
A series of photos from Los Angeles photojournalist John Schreiber show the extent of some of the damage, which sees very little of the sets left standing. "Sad for fans of [Westworld] and shows like Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, the Paramount Ranch western town movie set has burned to the ground in the Woolsey Fire," he wrote.
It remains to be seen whether the sets will be rebuilt for future production or if the next season of Westworld will feature the town of Escalante.
Ok, so maybe the Weekender will stick around a bit longer. I’ve been able to make enough time to take care of it myself (more or less), and this is definitely a worthwhile thing that we enjoy doing. I guess it depends if we should come up with a new name to note the changing of the guard.
Something to ponder over the weekend, perhaps…
What We’re Up To
So… how about that Diablo Immortal announcement, huh? That proved… divisive. The backlash seems reminiscent of the one that followed in the wake of C&C Rival’s announcement, only magnified because this was Blizzcon and everyone wanted Diablo 4 instead.
I actually managed to get some play-time in with this one. Cat Lady is a digital port of a card game of the same name that sees you collecting cards from a 3×3 grid. You need to acquire cats to fill your ‘cattery’, but you also need to collect food for them to eat (so you can earn the points they’re worth), costumes for them to wear, as well as toys. There are plenty of other bonus and special cards as well to offer a variety of tactical choices and routes to victory.
This is a set collection game, and there’s a single, central deck. Once that runs out the game ends you total up the points – person with the most wins. The app itself is very slick and nicely animated, without going overboard. There’s a good tutorial, challenges and a challenge mode, and you can play against up to four AI or four local cat owners in pass-and-play. This is a fun quick game for all ages.
Ok, so it’s crazy golf, but the courses are in the shape of letters. What’s not to love? Local pass-and-play for up to four people, with 26 levels and several different game modes made this an intriguing pick for this week. We especially like the fact that you can type out words which then form the courses you will be playing, adding a touch of personalisation to proceedings. The trailer is a bit much though…
There have been a few puzzle releases this week, but this one caught our eye the most. It’s got a great, painted-effect art style, is mainly based around logic-puzzles (an excellent type of puzzle), and seems to have a very rich visual identity.
It’s although worth noting that developer Hero Factor are donating half of their profits from any IAPs to charities and organisations that look after real-life Pangolins (a type of Anteater). This is a premium game, but we’ve been unable to determine if there are any IAPS currently present, or what they may be. It’s possible they won’t come till later, but the developer says they won’t charge more than $6 for an unlock. Gameplay is estimated at 3 – 6 hours, with bonus unlocks and GameCenter achievements.
The sci-fi spin-off of the charming Knights of Pen & Paper, Galaxy was a fun new take on developer Behold’s premise, but it fell a bit short of expectations. Now, nearly a year after release (and plenty of updates in the interim), there’s a new free content job called the “+1” update.
There’s a lot here for fans of the game, including six new classes, new planets and biomes, lots of new quests, skills, items etc… and a better event system, to name just a few things. If you haven’t played this in a while, might be worth giving it another look.
Sales
Quite a few sales that might interest you this week, although mainly on iOS. Asmodee Digital, Klei Entertainment and the Trese Brothers all offer discounts on some of their games:
Klei have slashed the price on both the original and the Shipwrecked version of their iconic survival/sim Don’t Starve. Both are equally as good, although the variations in Shipwrecked are potentially lost if you haven’t played the original. Bear in mind this can be a frustrating and gruelling experience at times as well. The last time the games were at this price was back in February, so while there’s a chance there may be a Christmas sale, I wouldn’t dally if you’ve yet to try this out.
Last week the Trese Brothers discounted Heroes of Steel, this week it’s the premium version of Templar Battleforce (there is a free version, if you want to try it out). The Trese Brothers have been a dependable staple in premium mobile games, so their work is always worth checking out. This represents a 50% discount and it’s never been cheaper – that being said, the Brothers seem to run this discount fairly regularly so you can always wait for the next instance.
Asmodee Digital have discounted a few of their boardgames this week – Jaipur & Splendor by a buck, with Twilight Struggle getting a discount of a couple of dollars. All of these games pretty much speak for themselves – especially Twilight Struggle – but do check out our review for more information. It’s also worth nothing that all of these games have been cheaper in 2018, so this isn’t the best discount – might be worth seeing if they go cheaper for Black Friday or at Christmas.
Also Spotted: The Quest & The Quest: Fire & Ice is 50% off on Android.
That’s all for this week’s update – seen anything else you liked? Played any of the above? Let us know in the comments!
The Quiet Man is an immersive story driven cinematic action experience that seamlessly blends high-production live action, realistic CG and pulse-pounding action gameplay that can be completed in one sitting. [Square Enix]
Some people say ‘friends don’t let friends right click publish’ but is that true? If they mean that there are great benefits to setting up a CI/CD workflow, that’s true and we will talk more about these benefits in just a minute. First, let’s remind ourselves that the goal isn’t always coming up with the best long-term solution.
Technology moves fast and as developers we are constantly learning and experimenting with new languages, frameworks and platforms. Sometimes we just need to prototype something rather quickly in order to evaluate its capabilities. That’s a classic scenario where right click publish in Visual Studio provides the right balance between how much time you are going to spend (just a few seconds) and the options that become available to you (quite a few depending on the project type) such as publish to IIS, FTP & Folder (great for xcopy deployments and integration with other tools).
Continuing with the theme of prototyping and experimenting, right click publish is the perfect way for existing Visual Studio customers to evaluate Azure App Service (PAAS). By following the right click publish flow you get the opportunity to provision new instances in Azure and publish your application to them without leaving Visual Studio:
When the right click publish flow has been completed, you immediately have a working application running in the cloud:
Platform evaluations and experiments take time and during that time, right click publish helps you focus on the things that matter. When you are ready and the demand rises for automation, repeatability and traceability that’s when investing into a CI/CD workflow starts making a lot of sense:
Automation: builds are kicked off and tests are executed as soon as you check in your code
Repeatability: it’s impossible to produce binaries without having the source code checked in
Traceability: each build can be traced back to a specific version of the codebase in source control which can then be compared with another build and figure out the differences
The right time to adopt CI/CD typically coincides with a milestone related to maturity; either and application milestone or the team’s that is building it. If you are the only developer working on your application you may feel that setting up CI/CD is overkill, but automation and traceability can be extremely valuable even to a single developer once you start shipping to your customers and you have to support multiple versions in production.
With a CI/CD workflow you are guaranteed that all binaries produced by a build can be linked back to the matching version of the source code. You can go from a customer bug report to looking at the matching source code easily, quickly and with certainty. In addition, the automation aspects of CI/CD save you valuable time performing common tasks like running tests and deploying to testing and pre-production environments, lowering the overhead of good practices that ensure high quality.
As always, we want to see you successful, so if you run into any issues using publish in Visual Studio or setting up your CI/CD workload, let me know in the comment section below and I’ll do my best to get your question answered.
