This week’s snapshot is mostly to help prepare for a really cool snapshot coming your way soon. That’s right – it’s a snapshot snapshot!

A full changelog for this snapshot can be found on Minecraft.net.

• The game shouldn’t crash when joining multiplayer!
• Split the ocean into 10 different biomes!
• Added underwater caves & ravines
• Added a clickable link to the /locate command output

OCEAN BIOMES

We didn’t want to stop at seven seas.

• Oceans are now split into 5 temperatures: frozen, cold, normal, lukewarm, warm
• Each ocean has a deep variant, like before
• World generation should stay the same, but old chunks will only have normal oceans
• We’ll be using these for something real soon!

UNDERWATER CAVES & RAVINES

They look so cool. Sea for yourself!

• Caves under the ocean are 50% more humid
• Ravines will appear in all oceans
• Some ocean ravines cut deep, exposing lava to the seas

FIXED BUGS IN 18W08A

• MC-122000 – Items get deleted when the inventory is overflowed by using the recipe book to return items from a crafting table.
• MC-124299 – /give command: Items on ground for a long time not able to pick up
• MC-124948 – /enchant can be used by non-ops
• MC-125451 – Crash when logging into multiplayer without logging into singleplayer first

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. 1.13 will have a lot of experimental snapshots that may break everything and smell funny. This may be one of those snapshots. This is what happens when Mojang are changing all the things! 

Share your thoughts on how 1.13 is shaping up in the comments below!

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IRVINE, Calif.—November 2, 2017—Tech leaders HP Inc. and Intel today joined forces with Blizzard Entertainment in major Overwatch League^™ sponsorship deals that represent an extended investment in the groundbreaking professional league. As part of the multiyear agreements, Intel will sponsor future Overwatch^® competitive events in addition to the Overwatch League.

Players taking part in these events will be equipped with cutting-edge gaming hardware from both HP and Intel. HP, and more specifically, its OMEN by HP gaming PCs and displays will be used exclusively for Overwatch League games, with PCs powered by Intel® Core™ i7 processors.

“We’re thrilled to be joining forces with HP and Intel to ensure that the teams competing professionally in Overwatch are equipped with top-end technology,” said Pete Vlastelica, president & CEO of Blizzard Entertainment’s Major League Gaming division. “Multiyear collaborations such as this illustrate the momentum behind the Overwatch League as well as a long-term commitment by us and our partners in what we see as the future of esports.”

“Working with Blizzard Entertainment as a global technology partner of the Overwatch League is the perfect way to celebrate esports talent and showcase our hardware within the competitive gaming arena,” said Alex Craddock, global head of marketing, personal systems at HP Inc. “OMEN hardware has been widely adopted by many of the world’s top esports professionals, and we’re thrilled to help power the gameplay for the Overwatch League.”

“For more than 12 years Intel has consistently supported the esports community and we’re always looking for ways to help improve how they play, watch, and compete. We’re proud to sponsor the Overwatch League and equip all competition PCs with Intel® Core™ i7 processors to contribute to a great experience for fans and competitors,” said John Bonini, VP and general manager of the VR, gaming, and esports group, Intel. “The Overwatch League will be a great showcase for esports, and we’re excited to be a part of it with Blizzard.”

The Overwatch League represents a unique opportunity for sponsors, with a city-based structure that supports engagement and a deeper connection to local fan bases around the world. Esports have already captured the attention of more than 280 million people^[1] worldwide—a community that includes some of the hardest-to-reach and most sought-after demographics, including a share of millennials two to three times higher than any of the “Big Four” US sports.^[2] The Overwatch League is based around Blizzard Entertainment’s blockbuster hit Overwatch, which quickly became the company’s fastest-growing game following its release last year and recently reached a new milestone of 35 million players.

The inaugural season of the Overwatch League begins with the first regular season match on January 10, 2018, and runs until June, with playoffs and finals scheduled for July. Preseason play will begin next month, on December 6, with a series of exhibition matches featuring the inaugural 12 teams. All Overwatch League preseason and regular-season games for 2018 will take place at Blizzard Arena Los Angeles, a state-of-the-art live-event venue in Burbank, California, custom-renovated for Blizzard Entertainment esports events. Information on Overwatch League ticket sales will be announced in the coming weeks.

About the Overwatch League^™

The Overwatch League^™ is the first major global professional esports league with city-based teams across Asia, Europe, and North America. Overwatch® was created by globally acclaimed publisher Blizzard Entertainment (a division of Activision Blizzard—Nasdaq: ATVI), whose iconic franchises have helped lay the foundations and push the boundaries of professional esports over the last 15 years. The latest addition to Blizzard’s stable of twenty-one #1 games,^[3] Overwatch was built from the ground up for online competition, with memorable characters and fast-paced action designed for the most engaging gameplay and spectator experiences. To learn more about the Overwatch League, visit www.overwatchleague.com.

About HP®

HP Inc. creates technology that makes life better for everyone, everywhere. Through our portfolio of printers, PCs, mobile devices, solutions, and services, we engineer experiences that amaze. More information about HP Inc. is available at http://www.hp.com.  

About Intel

Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) expands the boundaries of technology to make the most amazing experiences possible. Information about Intel can be found at newsroom.intel.com and intel.com.

© 2017 Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.  OVERWATCH, OVERWATCH LEAGUE, BLIZZARD and BLIZZARD ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Blizzard Entertainment, Inc.  MAJOR LEAGUE GAMING is a trademark of Major League Gaming Corp.

[1] Newzoo, 2017

[2] Esports audience demographic from Blizzard Consumer Insights survey of 5,000 global esports viewers, 2016; US professional sports demographics from Barclays ‘Future of Sports: Aggregator of Platforms’, September 2016

[3] Sales and/or downloads, based on internal company records and reports from key distribution partners

Strikes

Other

Sandbox

Weapons

Abilities

Mods

Crucible

Crucible Power Ammo Crates

In celebration of its 5 year anniversary, you can add Eador. Masters of the Broken World to your account for FREE starting now until Sunday at 6pm Pacific! Once you add the game, it will remain in your account permanently.

Eador is a universe made of countless shards of land drifting in the Great Nothing. Each of the shards is a little world unto itself, with geography and denizens of its own. The power over the shards is bitterly contested by Masters, the immortal beings mortals believe to be gods. Take the role of the mighty Master and shape the destiny of Eador! It is in your power to deliver the world from ultimate destruction – or to choke it with an iron fist of tyranny. Eador: Masters of the Broken World is a turn-based fantasy strategy game, where the decisions you make affect the world even deeper than the battles you win.

The following blog post, unless otherwise noted, was written by a member of Gamasutra’s community.
The thoughts and opinions expressed are those of the writer and not Gamasutra or its parent company.

A first-time indie game exhibitor experience in a big expo.

I have done it, there is no going back now. We brought Rabbit Hole to show off at a convention for the first time: Anime Matsuri. Oh boy! I did not know what I was getting into.

As an indie developer with the first commercial project, It is difficult to know what to expect and what to prepare. There were so many little questions: what to bring? Where do I get those? How much to bring? What should you get from the guests? How to get traffic to your booth? Can I bring food? Is the table big enough? Can we setup extra chairs? How much should I spend? How about meals?  The list of questions just goes on and on.

This blog post is a way for me to reflect on the experience and share it with other fellow aspiring indie developers, or other creative individuals who want to share their works with the world. It is full of answers to the little things that you didn’t even know to ask. If you have never gone to an expo as an exhibitor, read on. Even if you are a seasoned exhibitor, I hope you will find something interesting and relatable.

Preparing the booth

To prepare for the booth, I started off with our good old friend, Google search. I looked at dozen of articles, listened to a few GDC speeches, and scanned through hundred of booth photos from PAX and other gaming events. There are lot of advice, and you can spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on the booth trying to follow all that advice. Who am I kidding? an indie guy like me can’t afford that.

When you are not sure what to do, the best option is to pick a goal, pick a budget, and then optimize for those goals. Since Rabbit Hole is still in development, my goals are just to get email addresses and build up a list of potential players/fans for the game, and all with a budget that is less than $600 for the entire booth. Here is a list of things that I bought, and why:

1. A refurbished 30’ TV from Best buy ($90): I needed a large TV to show gameplay footage, and to let people play the demo. I couldn’t bring my computer monitor, and the spare one I got is too small. Also, moving images and video help capture people attention as they walk by the booth.

2. A 8’x’4 vertical banner with stand from Vista Print ($83): I feel that a portable large banner facing oncoming traffic is a good way to catch the eye of each passerby. The art is one of the biggest assets of Rabbit Hole, so it is important to be able to show it off.

3. 500 business cards to Rabbit Hole website from Vista Print, with UV finish ($42). Again, not sure how effective they were, but it is nice to have something to give to those show interest, but did not want to sign up that very moment. A great way for them to find the game online, after the expo.. More about this in the “The Script” section.

4. A 4’x’4 banner from Vista Print ($43): This was used as the table runner. The default table provided by the organizer is too ugly and it just looks bad without some branding.

5. A Small T-shirt with Rabbit Hole artwork ($10): I just wanted a t-shirt.

6. A 8’x4’ banner from Vista Print ($69): To use as the backdrop. Again, another great way to grab the attention of those walking by,

7. A Studio PhotoShoot Stand and Backdrop support from Amazon ($32): I needed something to hang the backdrops.

8. Clamps and Clip Holders from Amazon ($15): These are super useful. I speak of this in greater detail in the section: Things that went well.

9. Black Linen tablecloth from Amazon ($8): Super cheap, work greats due to the dark theme of Rabbit Hole.

10. Props and miscellaneous from Michael Craft store ($130): The whole booth needs to have a theme that ties them all together, so I went shopping: sketchbooks, blackboards, prop trees and greeneries, bookstands, lantern, table lights, power cord, rotating display stand…

Here is how the booth looks after we put everything together, the bunny girl not included:

Not too shabby, and at around $550, the whole thing comes in a little bit under my targeted budget. The only thing that I would change is that I would have bought extra black linen to cover the whole booth. They are super inexpensive, and the red/white default color of the provided booth looks so weird.

The script, the script, and the script

Thank god for the scripts. If you are not a natural extrovert that becomes energized by talking to hundreds of strangers, you need a script. I’m glad that I put some time in before the event and thought about the script and it totally paid off. What is a script you may ask?

Simple. The script is the steps of events that you want your guests to go through to accomplish your goals. I’m very introvert, having a script helps so much because it makes everything repeatable and comfortable. My goal, as stated above, is to gather as many email addresses of potentials fans and players as possible. This was my script:

1. Identify and approaching interested guests: If anyone looks at the banner for more than 4 seconds, or pointing at the booth, or carrying/wearing something that indicates that they are an RPG gamer, I would approach and ask if they would like to know more. 90% of the time, they will say yes. If they hesitate, just say “No problem! Enjoy your convention” and leave them alone.

2. Give them the pitch: After they said yes, I would quickly and excitedly (as much as I could) give them the elevator pitch and the story. My elevator pitch and story was 3 sentences.

3. Give them the artbook: I would quickly hand them the artbook, and ask them to just flip around while I give them 2 more sentences explaining the art direction and the platform the game will be available on. I would make a comment about a couple of my favorite piece of art in the artbook.

4. Most of the guests will want to end the encounter after your pitch: After this point, most of the guest will want to just take a business card and leave, a few of them will ask a couple simple questions, and a few will want to play the demo.

5. Draw a Rabbit: If they want to just take a card and leave, I would tell them that we have a “Draw A rabbit” event. It’s free to enter, they don’t have to draw well, and we will give 30 free copies of the game to 30 random drawings by the end of the convention. Majority of the time, the guest will say yes. View the winners of that Rabbit Contest here.

6. If the guest wants to draw, I would give them paper pad and pencil, have them sit on the chair and ask them to draw and write down their emails. I also ask if they would like to be updated when the game come out. Everyone says yes.

7. Collect Email: I would ask if it is okay to send them email update about the game and for their email. 90% of them would say yes.

8. Finally, I would hand them a business card for the game before they leave the booth.

I improvised here and there but stuck with most of this script in every encounter. Even if you are a natural at talking to people and really good at improvising during conversations, you should still have an outline of steps that you want the guests to take.

This is even more important if you have other people helping run the booth. I found that by just telling my wife and sister to copy what I was doing, they were able to run the booth effectively without any additional directions at all. This is especially impressive since my wife is not a gamer and really doesn’t know anything about video games.

Things that went well

• The art in Rabbit Hole is pretty unique and caught a lot of attention.

• I learned so many useful noggins, and it is super motivating to see that people are really responding well to the game.

• Draw A rabbit is a huge success. I got about  300 drawing! That is like a rabbit every 4 minute! It also kept guests at the booth longer, and crowds attract more crowds.

• Soylent: they are meal replacement drinks. I wasted no time for lunch, these are awesome as fuel for running the booths.

• This was on Easter Weekend, so my Rabbit Booth got extra attention!

• Location was good. It is not a crazy prime location or anything, but we were not tucked in a back. One of the entrance was right in front of our booth, so we got decent traffic.

• I also watch some anime and read manga, so I got stuff to talk to our guests who are mostly anime fan

• The neighbor booths are pretty great. They drew a good amount of traffic, and some spill over to us.

Things that did not go well

• I underestimated how physically draining it was. My legs were dead after the first day. After the 3rd day, my throat also hurt.

• Mentally, I was also drained. Talking to hundreds and hundreds of people for 3 days straight is not my idea of a good time. If you are an introvert, get prepared, and plan some alone time during the event. Get someone to run the booth for you so you can take breaks.

• We ran out of papers for “Draw A Rabbit” and had to have people draw on the other side of the page. Not good.

• I was planning to use the TV again, but the power cord got damaged during transportation. I only spent $90 on it. Still, that sucked.

Things you need to know

• Lighting: depending on the location, your booth may not be well lit. Make sure to get lights. It’s also great to attract people. We got a lantern and table lights.

• Power outlet: bring at least 2. I only bought 1, and the power supply was not long enough to reach some sections of my booth. I had to borrow one from the organizer.

• Bring extra chairs: I didn’t think of this but my wife suggested that we bring extra chairs. It turned out to be a great idea because sometimes you just get people to sit and relax on one of the chairs. That makes the booth seem busier. More attention!

• I didn’t think of this, but most people have terrible handwriting and it is hard to read their email. Make sure if you have people writing down your email, double check if you can read it. In retrospect, I should have spent more time in a better system of gathering email and have a dedicated station for people to type in emails.

• Bring clamps and clip ties. They are so useful in so many little things. I even use a clamp to balance my falling vertical banner.

• You definitely need a dolly or a wagon of some sort. I can’t imagine carrying everything from the parking spot to the booth without a wagon.

• Most people don’t care about the details of your game. They just need to know: genres, platforms, when it come out. They can get the rest from seeing the gameplay or playing the demo. I spent a bit more time in the art direction, but I think it didn’t matter much in the end.

• If music is important to your game, bring a headset. It is always so loud.

• Also, bring tissue and hand sanitizer to clean the controller and the headset. Some people wouldn’t touch the controller if they didn’t put sanitizer on it.

• Don’t run a booth alone. Get help, use the script, and take breaks. Walk around the convention and talk to other vendor/exhibitors. I ran into some really cool people that I plan to keep in my network of contacts.

Other random stuff

• A fan of my older flash games (Ge.Ne.Sis) sent someone over to say hi. It was super cool. I also met someone who recognized the main character in Rabbit Hole and asked if I made Ge.Ne.Sis 7 years ago. Crazy stuff.

• I met these guys who came all the way from Tokyo for the expo. Their comic book app is actually very nice, and the owner of the booth is super nice. You should definitely check them out and give them some supports: link here.

• I found these Turtle Tee people and they were collecting emails by just handing out these business cards and have people writing down emails for random prizes. It is a good ideal, maybe I will steal this idea for the next expo.

So, was it worth it?

There were ups and downs, but it is totally worth it. The experience of running the actual booth is indispensable, and our email list grew by a whopping 350. I suspect some of the guests will unsubscribe later because people are just terrible at saying “No” face to face. However, we found some true fans and most of the list should remain intact. More importantly, I have a new story to tell, an experience to share, and a renewed motivation to complete the project.

Thank you for reading. If you are a creative individual who wants to show off your work to the world one day, I hope this blog was somewhat useful. Got any questions or comments, I can be reached at pretty much all these social media channels: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Discord!

Follow our progress with Rabbit Hole on my studio website: 1manstudio.net

Step right up and welcome to the Un-Halloween Horror Spectacular Sale! In honor of Friday the 13^th and, near halfway point to Halloween, the ID@Xbox team has curated some of our favorite horror games and discounted them by up to 70%. Whether you prefer to play as one of the world’s most prolific horror characters or enjoy a subtler scare with ominous figures and plotlines we have something for you. Starting Tuesday, April 17 and lasting through to Monday, April 23, turn off the lights, close all your blinds, turn up the sound, and terrify yourself with these exciting thrillers that are discounted for a limited time.

Friday the 13th: The Game (60% off) – Play as Jason Voorhees, one of the most iconic villains of all time, in Friday the 13^th: The Game. Stalk your prey, ambush them whenever you see fit and strike fear in the hearts of so many hapless victims as you become the legend himself! Friday the 13th: The Game will include a variety of kills, new and familiar, that will help you set the tone for the Jason Voorhees that you want to be. You’ll even get to unlock various Jason incarnations from the movies!

Hello Neighbor (33% off) – Somehow, TinyBuild managed to create a game that is both kid-friendly and chillingly creepy. Hello Neighbor is a stealth horror game about sneaking into your neighbor’s house to figure out what horrible secrets he’s hiding in the basement. You play against an advanced AI that learns from your every move. Really enjoying climbing through that backyard window? Expect a bear trap there. Sneaking through the front door? There’ll be cameras there soon. Trying to escape? The Neighbor will find a shortcut and catch you. There is a reason this game has over 1 billion YouTube views. We highly recommend playing with Mixer interactivity.

Outlast 2 (67% off) – If you’re prepared to be terrified within the first minute of gameplay, this is the game for you. In Outlast 2 you play as Blake Langermann, a cameraman working with your wife, Lynn. The two of you are investigative journalists willing to take risks and dig deep to uncover the stories no one else will dare touch. You’re following a trail of clues that started with the seemingly impossible murder of a pregnant woman known only as Jane Doe. The investigation has lead you miles into the Arizona desert, to a darkness so deep that no one could shed light upon it, and a corruption so profound that going mad may be the only sane thing to do.

Layers of Fear (70% off) – Sometimes true self-realization can be the scariest thing of all. Layers of Fear is a first-person psychedelic horror game with a heavy focus on story and exploration. Delve deep into the mind of an insane painter and discover the secret of his madness, as you walk through a vast and constantly changing Victorian-era mansion. Uncover the visions, fears, and horrors that entwine the painter and finish the masterpiece he has strived so long to create.

Dead by Daylight: Special Edition (50% off) – The game for the social, sociopath. Dead by Daylight is a multiplayer (4 vs 1) horror game where one player takes on the role of the savage Killer, and the other four players play as Survivors, trying to escape the Killer and avoid being caught, tortured, and killed. The Survivors’ goal in each encounter is to escape the Killing Ground without getting caught by the Killer – something that sounds easier than it is, especially when the environment changes every time you play

This is just a taste of all the great games included. For the full list, be sure to check on the Microsoft Store from your home console or visit the Un-Halloween Horror Spectacular Sale homepage starting on April 17. The sale will run from April 17 all the way through to April 23, so scoop up one of these frighteningly fun games before they… disappear.

7.13:
==

* Aegis now has an alt tooltip that explains how to pronounce the item

* Tier 1 Tower Team Bounty reduced from 120 to 100
* Tier 2 Tower Team Bounty reduced from 200 to 120
* Tier 3 Tower Team Bounty reduced from 200 to 140
* Tier 4 Tower Team Bounty reduced from 200 to 160
* Range barracks team bounty reduced from 150 to 100
* Filler buildings gold bounty from 125 to 75

* Ranged creep average gold bounty reduced from 57 to 54

* Glyph duration increased from 5 to 6
* Melee Barracks HP increased from 1500 to 1800

* Shrines HP increased from 1500 to 1750
* Shrines now have 5 HP regen

* Rescaled Level 12->25 respawn time curve to be slightly less early and the same later on (changed from 48/52/54/56/58/60/70/74/76/78/82/86/90/100 to 44/46/48/50/52/54/65/70/75/80/85/90/95/100)

* Removed hero class specific perks, the bonuses now affect all classes.
* Removed Status Resistance as a Strength based attribute bonus
* Rebalanced str/int/agi bonuses below (they still provide +1 bonus damage to primary attribute holders)
* Primary Attribute now provides +25% more benefit to the bonuses it provides

Old Strength:
—
20 Health
0.71% HP Regen
0.15% Status Resistance

New Strength:
—
18 Health (+25% for str heroes: 22.5)
0.55% HP Regen (+25% for str heroes: 0.68%)
+0.08% Magic Resistance (+25% for str heroes: 0.1%)

Old Intelligence:
—
12 Mana
2% Mana Regen
0.07% Spell Amplication
+0.15% Magic Resistance

New Intelligence:
—
12 Mana (+25% for int heroes: 15)
1.8% Mana Regen (+25% for int heroes: 2.25)
0.07% Spell Amplication (+25% for int heroes: 0.087%)

Old Agility:
—
0.17 Armor
1 Attack Speed
0.06% Movement Speed

New Agility:
—
0.16 Armor (+25% for agi heroes: 0.2)
1 Attack Speed (+25% for agi: 1.25)
0.05% Movement Speed (+25% for agi: 0.062%)