Experience a fresh take on the Narrative Adventure where your choices and character growth truly matter. Louis de Richet enters the depths of Lord Mortimer?s island hunting truths about his mother and the other guests. The mausoleum he finds there contains more secrets than he could possibly have predicted?
Timespinner is a story-driven adventure, inspired by classic 90s action-platformers. Timekeeper Lunais is on a quest to avenge her slain family, using time-bending powers to explore an interconnected world.
Deadpool 2 May Get PG-13 Re-Cut As Untitled Deadpool Movie Hits Release Slate
Deadpool 2 was known for being a very hard R, but Fox appears prepared to put it out in theaters too with an age rating that's a little more inviting to mass audiences: PG-13. The movie is currently slated for December 21, currently listed as an untitled Deadpool movie.
Deadline reports that this mysterious title is Deadpool 2, given a few snips and clips to squeeze it into a size PG-13 dress. Star Ryan Reynolds, who has been heavily involved in bringing the comic character to life, tweeted out an image of Deadpool reading a story to Fred Savage a la The Princess Bride. This may be the framing device for a PG-13 Deadpool 2, as well as a way to extend the length and make up for cut scenes.
In GameSpot's Deadpool 2 review, Michael Rougeau said it worked in much the same way the original did, though it could have used more support from its surrounding cast like Josh Brolin and Zazie Beetz. "But Reynolds' Wade Wilson is just as charming as ever, in his own twisted way, and Deadpool 2 delivers the laughs, action, and gruesome maimings that fans want," he wrote.
Presumably a PG-13 rated version will have most of the same laughs and action, but slightly less gruesome maimings. Fox recently reached a deal with Disney, which could put all of the Fox-owned Marvel characters including Deadpool into the MCU. The report also included word that the X-Men movie Dark Phoenix is being pushed back to the summer.
Telltale is pulling The Walking Dead: The Final Season from digital stores
As the trials and tribulations of Telltale Games continue, various storefronts including Steam, GOG, and the Xbox One and PS4 stores have abruptly begun to halt sales of The Walking Dead: The Final Season.
In a statement provided to Kotaku, a Telltale representative says this decision comes after yesterday’s news that “potential partners” might be brought in to finish production on episodes three and four of the series.
“We’re currently still working to find a way to hand off production of episodes 3 and 4 so that the season can be completed,” said the representative. “The outcome of those efforts will determine when and how The Final Season returns to stores. We hope to have a firm announcement before the end of the week.”
For those still waiting to hear if the game’s completion will bring any boon to the developers laid off by the company, there is still as of yet, no update. In an unrelated request for comment on this subject, a Telltale representative reiterated to Gamasutra that news about the game’s completion should be ready “before the end of this week.”
French publisher Bigben scoops up Eko Software for nearly $10 million
Newsbrief: French publisher Bigben has bought a full controlling stake in French game developer Eko Software for a total of €8.5 million ($9.98 million).
In a press release, Bigben (known for publishing the World Rally Car Championship series), states that the goal of the acquisition is to become one of the world leaders in “double-A” video game publishing. Eko Software has spent the last few years developing sports titles in the Rugby and Handball series, and is working on Warhammer: Chaosbane at this moment.
For the latest Team Xbox Q&A, I chatted with Randy from the Xbox Avatars Team. I’ve partnered with Randy on several projects related to Xbox Avatars over the last few months and was excited for this opportunity to catch up. Here’s what he had to say:
Hi, Randy! Thanks for taking some time out of your busy schedule to chat with me. Mind letting our Xbox Insiders know what you currently do for Team Xbox? Hello Savannah! Super excited to chat, especially for our Xbox Insiders! I’m currently the Senior Program Manager for the Xbox Avatars program for Xbox One and Windows 10.
And how long have you been with the company? Any other cool projects you helped with prior to the new Xbox Avatar Editor? I’ve been with the company since 2004, so over 14 years now! I’ve been working on gaming technology for almost the same amount of time. Over the last 13 years I’ve worked on a bunch of features for console and PC, for core tech and games. For Xbox, I worked on technology including the Blades, Kinect, New Xbox Experience, and New Xbox One Experience. Aside from both generations of Avatars, I also worked on Bing Search for Xbox 360. I particularly liked Bing Search’s ability to find which video streaming service currently had a particular movie. I also worked on a few of the online features that went into Gears of War 2, Lips, Banjo-Kazooie Nuts & Bolts, and our Gaming SDKs (Software Development Kits).
Randy, Senior Program Manager, Xbox Avatars
How did the Xbox 360 Avatar system guide you and your team’s work with the new Xbox Avatar Editor? Was there any particular feedback you took from that era and used to guide your efforts? We agreed very early that we wanted to bring the best parts of the Xbox Original Avatar, add to that expressive goodness, and make it better. Almost all of our changes were based on feedback collected over the last ten years. For example, we knew we wanted to get rid of gender specific clothing to give people more freedom to customize. We also wanted to add more skin color options for Avatars, and now we offer blue, green, and other creative hues. Other common requests included more inclusive body choices, different body shapes, more categories to customize, and more content in the Closet and Store. We took all that feedback to heart when we started working on the new Xbox Avatar character and Editor.
Our Xbox Insiders were some of the first community members to get their hands on the Avatar Editor. As a program, we were super excited to share such a cool feature early, but how has previewing the app since summer helped improve the overall product? It’s helped us tremendously! Not only did we get feedback on the overall Avatar Editor (we really appreciate all the issues submitted from Report a problem!), but all the suggestions from the Xbox Insider community have been invaluable. For example, when we launched in the Xbox Insider Program, we just had a subset of the full collection of hair, tops, and bottoms available. However, we didn’t expect that hair and facial hair would be deemed the most important assets by Xbox Insiders. Because of this, we asked our content creation team to prioritize creating more hair and facial hair assets in response. Feedback like this has evolved the Avatar Editor and our character to a level we wouldn’t have been able to achieve without input from Xbox Insiders.
Everyone loves customizing their Avatar, including me – in fact, I was over the moon when I saw that overalls were an apparel option. As the PM of the new Xbox Avatar Editor, what’s your favorite Avatar accessory? My favorite so far is a combination of the Frustrated Mood with the Soccer Ball Prop; seeing someone one so frustrated while still gleefully juggling a soccer ball makes me crack up every time. The Superhero Mood and the limited-edition Xbox Insider shirt are a very, very close second and…one other asset I can’t talk about yet!
Moving away from Avatars, are there any games you’re playing and really enjoying right now? Since going digital I find that I swap between games often. I pick up a game or two at a time in Forza Horizon, Fortnite, Overwatch, Rocket League, all the Halos, and Rock Band with a back compat ION drumkit. I also love Overcooked but I’m awful at it, most games end with a frazzled rage quit, but I keep coming back!
One question we try to ask every member of Team Xbox is whether they’re particularly proud of any one achievement. So what about you, Randy, got any cool achievement stories to share? Every single rare ‘chievo I got from Frozen Free Fall. To be fair, I think my favorite achievement was one I never got a chance to get: the Anonymous Red-Shirt Award from Star Trek: Legacy, awarded for the first player killed in a multiplayer game. I could never die quickly enough to grab it!
You’ve been, and remain, active on the Xbox Insider subreddit throughout the 1810 preview window. Is there anywhere else our audience can look out for you? I’ll still be active on the Xbox Insider subreddit as RandyNoArms for a while. I can also be found on the Xbox and Xbox Reddit servers on Discord, as well as Xbox Live, using my Gamertag: Randy.
Thanks so much for chatting with us today, Randy, and for the awesome new Xbox Avatars!
This week at Bungie, the Dreaming City revealed its underworld.
The curse on the Dreaming City has grown to its most potent state. As the curse grows stronger, the world changes with it. Some of you discovered a new portal and dove into the Shattered Throne to attack the heart of the curse. You still have until the reset to give it a try. It’s an endgame activity that puts your most powerful gear and skills to the test. If you are not quite ready yet, don’t worry, the Shattered Throne will return when the curse cycle is at its worst again in three weeks. That should give you some time to Power up and prepare to explore its depths.
That’s not the only new activity that became available this week. We also released a new Crucible mode along with new maps to boot. If you have been too busy with the plethora of other options available on the Director, here is a quick look at the mode and maps available now for all players of Destiny 2.
Uncommon Cores
Ever since Forsaken launched, we have received tons of feedback on a wide variety of topics. Two issues seem to stand above the rest: the cost of Masterwork Cores and the drop rate of Exotic weapons and armor.
We asked the investment team to talk about some of our goals with Masterwork Cores and Exotic drop rates, the problems we’ve identified, and our plans for addressing them.
Investment Team: We have been monitoring the community’s feedback concerning Masterwork Cores and Exotic drop rates. Here is a quick breakdown of our original design goals along with some of our plans to address your feedback.
Masterwork Cores for Infusion
Goals for adding Masterwork Cores to Infusion costs
Make Infusing and Masterworking a meaningful choice.
Infusion and Masterwork should not be mutually exclusive.
Problems with the current Masterwork Core Economy
Masterwork Cores have a misleading name. When they were created, the definition of a pinnacle item put the emphasis almost entirely on Masterworking. We expanded that definition in Forsaken, but didn’t update the currency.
There are not enough reliable sources to earn Masterwork Cores, which can make deciding what to spend them on too difficult.
Plans for addressing those problems
We have been monitoring Core supplies and the numbers aren’t as high as we’d like. We are planning to create more reliable and plentiful Core sources.
We are going to rename Masterwork Cores so their purpose is more obvious.
Exotic Drop Rates
Goals for Exotic drop rates
Exotics are intended to be meaningful long-term chases. Finding an Exotic should be rare but impactful.
Problems with the current Exotic drop rates
Right now we are falling short of the “impactful” part of our goal. There’s nothing exciting or powerful about getting your fourth Fighting Lion when all you really want is a Two-Tailed Fox.
Plans for addressing those problems
We plan to increase the chance for Exotics to drop something you don’t already have.
We’ll continue to monitor your feedback and will give you more details about these changes before they go live.
On the Next Iron Banner…
Last week, Lord Saladin returned to the Tower for the first time since the launch of Forsaken. He brought with him a few changes to Iron Banner, and we’ve been monitoring the community’s reaction to them. Senior Designer Jeremiah Pieschl has some information about our plans for the next Iron Banner.
Jeremiah: One of the goals we have for Iron Banner is that it’s an opportunity for lower-Power players to catch up or reengage in their pursuit of Power. Based on your feedback and our analytics, we’re not meeting that goal. There are two changes we’re making to help resolve this problem.
The first change is to reduce the completion values for several of the event bounties. Currently it’s very difficult for a lower-Power player to complete the bounties due to the gameplay disadvantages they experience.
Lightbearer: Super kills has been reduced to 20 from 25
Iron in the Blood: Match completions has been reduced to 15 from 30
Shine On: Orbs generated has been reduced to 50 from 100
Iron Victory: Match wins has been reduced to 7 from 10
To Be Precise: Precision kills has been reduced to 50 from 100
All in a Week’s Work: Kills has been reduced to 150 from 250
The second change is that all bounties will now provide powerful gear.
This was the first Iron Banner in Destiny 2 in which Power was enabled. We have seen feedback from players who enjoyed this and feedback from players who preferred it when Power was normalized. We will continue to monitor the conversation, but wanted to give you some information on exactly how Power affects your damage compared to previous Iron Banner events in D1. PvP Lead Derek Carroll has the details, along with some graphs:
Derek: “There’s a Lot to Unpack Here”
Hey, so… you might be interested in what “Power Matters” actually means going forward in Iron Banner. In the past, we’ve published a nice-but-not-exactly-straightforward graph pulled straight from the game’s content. This time around is no different, although I will take a bit of time to explain what that purple line means to you, the player.
As you read left-to-right across the graph, you’re seeing the effects of having Power that amount lower than the player you’re attacking.
For example:
If I’m at the same level as my opponent, my outgoing damage is multiplied by 1.0, so there is no change from normal Crucible.
If I’m 100 Power below my opponent, my outgoing damage is multiplied by 0.8, or a 20% reduction.
If I’m 200 Power below my opponent, my outgoing damage is multiplied by 0.5, or a 50% reduction, and I am really sad about what’s happening to me in this match.
Oh, one more thing: THIS CURVE ALSO WORKS THE OTHER WAY.
If you’re 20 Power above your opponent, for example, you will do a bonus 10% damage against them.
(And so on, down the curve.)
I hope this explanation helps you to anticipate what is happening out there in the field, where numbers and bullets are flying around.
All of these changes should be available for the next Iron Banner, and we will continue to monitor your feedback during the next event.
That Wizard Came from High Moon
Previously on this Bungie Blog, we featured some of the artists here at Bungie. This week, we invited our partners at High Moon Studios to show off their amazing work on Forsaken. Check out a few of their favorites, and click through to check out more of the work in their personal portfolios.
Priscilla Landerer
Holiday Mail
We’re about to kick off production of our annual Holiday greeting cards and need a good Destiny 2-themed image for the front. We thought we would open it up to the community, seeing that there are so many talented artists among you. As with any artist that we feature, if your image is selected you will receive the “Artist in Residence” emblem.
If you are interested in submitting an image, you can provide an asset based on the following specs to the Creations page with the words “Bungie Holiday 2018” in the description.
5” x 7” proportion
300 dpi
Vertical or horizontal layout
Here is a look at some previous cards, for reference.
2017
2016
2015
Get your entries in by October 11, and we will announce the winner on October 18. While we will be selecting the winner, you can vote for your favorites on the Creations page to make sure we see them. The cards will not be resold. Please review Bungie’s intellectual property and trademarks guidelines here.
Crowded Quests
Our Player Support team continues to track all known issues. If you are having trouble, seek them out on the #Help forum.
This is their report.
Darkness in the Light
This week in Destiny 2, Forsaken players began their pursuit of Malfeasance. As players started making their way through the quest for this Exotic Hand Cannon, it was discovered that the three-player quest step “Darkness in the Light” could be launched with a fireteam of up to six players.
While we are working to address this issue in a future hotfix, we urge caution to fireteams who launch into this activity with more than three players, as it was designed and tested for three-player fireteams. Players who launch into this activity with four or more players may encounter memory issues, which may result in poor game performance or unexpected client crashes. Stay tuned for updates.
Pardon Our Dust
Today, Bungie.net underwent website maintenance. During this maintenance, API authentication was disabled, and thus some API services were not available for use across Bungie.net, the official Destiny Companion, and third-party applications.
Now that this maintenance has concluded, players who encounter issues with Bungie.net and API services are encouraged to report them to the #Help forum.
Destiny 2: Forsaken Known Issues
In addition to the items listed above, Destiny Player Support is tracking the latest issues reported by players on the #Help forum. Provided below is a brief overview of the latest known issues in Destiny 2: Forsaken.
WANTED: Gravetide Summoner Bounty: We are investigating an issue where some players in a fireteam don’t receive credit for killing the Gravetide Summoner and then can’t replay the adventure. It is recommended that players play this Adventure solo to receive proper credit.
Prime Engrams from the Crucible: We are investigating an issue where Prime Engrams earned by completing Crucible matches are going straight to the Postmaster without first going to players’ loot stream.
Gambit Clan Engrams: We are investigating an issue where the clan engram for Gambit is not being awarded as expected.
Wish-Ender Exit Damage: We are investigating an issue where Wish-Ender’s Broadhead perk may sometimes not apply exit damage on fast-moving enemies.
Oathkeeper Draw Speed: We are investigating an issue where bow-draw speed benefits granted by the Oathkeeper Exotic Hunter arms armor are not performing as expected.
Damage, Incorporated Emblem: We are investigating an issue with the Damage, Incorporated emblem not appearing in Collections. Players who delete the emblem will not be able to reclaim it.
Dismantling Gambit Weapons: We are investigating an issue where some Gambit weapons do not give materials when dismantled.
GUITAR Errors in the “Last Wish” Raid: We are monitoring reports of GUITAR errors received by players participating in the “Last Wish” raid.
The Silver Screen
Welcome to another edition of Movie of the Week. This is where we shine a spotlight on the best video creations we see submitted by the community each week. All the creators whose videos are featured here will be sent the Lens of Fate emblem. If you would like a shot at getting the emblem and seeing your video here, submit your video to the Creations page.
Movie of the Week: Solo Shattered Throne (SPOILERS)
Honorable Mention: Welcome to the Dreaming City
Keep an eye out for more Bungie Bounties! Here is the full schedule for next week.
From here it looks like you had a fun week. It’s been a blast watching you all continue to discover the secrets of the Dreaming City. Thank you for playing and continuing to be such an amazing community.
Dmg04 is out searching for bears in Yellowstone this week. He will be back to tag me out next week as I head to Colorado. Feel free to leave him a message on what you would like him to talk about next time. At this point, DeeJ has no vacation planned. We’re worried about him.
Open FinTech Forum Offers Tips for Open Source Success
2018 marks the year that open source disrupts yet another industry, and this time it’s financial services. The first-ever Open FinTech Forum, happening October 10-11 in New York City, focuses on the intersection of financial services and open source. It promises to provide attendees with guidance on building internal open source programs along with an in-depth look at cutting-edge technologies being deployed in the financial sector, such as AI, blockchain/distributed ledger, and Kubernetes.
Several factors make Open FinTech Forum special, but the in-depth sessions on day 1 especially stand out. The first day offers five technical tutorials, as well as four working discussions covering open source in an enterprise environment, setting up an open source program office, ensuring license compliance, and best practices for contributing to open source projects.
Enterprise open source adoption has its own set of challenges, but it becomes easier if you have a clear plan to follow.
