Posted by: xSicKxBot - 10-23-2020, 11:18 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Learn how Supergiant brought Hades’ hand-painted characters to life
Hades developer Supergiant Games has put together a video to showcase how it turned hand-painted character art into the full character models players see in-game.
The in-depth art deep dive is narrated by Supergiant 3D artist Paige Carter, and focuses on how she created the character model for Nyx. According to Carter, almost all of the NPC characters in Hades begin life as one of two base models, which are then molded into new characters.
In the case of Nyx, also known as ‘Mother Night,’ the model was directly based on portrait art created in-house. Carter explains how she would typically put the portrait art behind her Z Brush file while working, and would use the sculpting tool’s ‘see-through’ function to compare the facial features of both the 2D artwork and 3D model in close detail.
It’s a technique that allowed her to transport all the nuance and personality of the 2D model into her 3D sculpture, before eventually moving it into Maya for further refinement.
“Once taking it into Maya I can refine the model and retopo all of the pieces so they deform well and render quickly,” she explains in the video. “After the model is complete and I’m happy with it and the UVs are there, I will import it into substance where I immediately turn off the lighting and stick a base color on the model, which is typically just the character’s skin tone.
“I also bake textures within Substance. So, I’ll bake in an ambient inclusion map, a curvature map, and a thickness map, which I’ll overlay over the base color so I can actually see where the characters features are.
“From that point, I stick basic color blocks in their own separate layers so I can adjust the colors to better match the 2D art. […] After all of the base colors are there I put a black line art layer on top of everything and go in and hand paint all of the black lifework to try and match the 2D look of the character as much as possible.”
Carter goes on to explain how that hand painted line work is critical to bringing characters to life, and reveals it’s her favorite part of the entire process. If that little slice of insight whet your appetite, you can hear more from the Supergiant artist by checking out the full video (also embedded above).
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 10-23-2020, 11:18 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Tim Burton Wants To Make An Addams Family TV Show
The Addams Family just continues to be creepy, kooky, and fertile ground to revisit. According to Deadline, filmmaker Tim Burton (Beetlejuice, Pee-wee's Big Adventure) is developing a new live-action TV series version of the popular satirical black-comedy series about a wealthy family who delight in the macabre.
Burton is reportedly seeking to executive produce and direct all episodes of his take on the long-running franchise that dates all the way back to 1938 cartoons created by Charles Addams. Incredibly, the family has come back in new versions for new adventures steadily since the '30s--the most recent being 2019's CGI film simply titled The Addams Family. (There is a sequel in the pipeline due for 2021.)
For Burton's version which is still light on details, Smallville developers and executive producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar are reportedly attached to serve as head writers and also co-showrunners along with Burton. Netflix is among multiple buyers bidding to be the home for the series, and is also among the frontrunners.
Torchlight III Arrives On Switch Today, Here’s The Launch Trailer
Echtra Games’ Torchlight III launches today on Nintendo Switch, and a brand new trailer has been released to get you in the mood.
The game will have you exploring the vibrant world of Novastraia, hack’n’slashing your way through quests and boss battles across randomly-generated areas. This new Switch version makes use of the console’s touch screen, should you want to play on-the-go, and also grants players access to an exclusive red fairy pet, the Ashen Glittersprite.
Max Schaefer, CEO of Echtra Games and co-founder of the Torchlight franchise, has shared the following:
“The time has come for Nintendo Switch players to gather their wits and brave the frontier! Torchlight III is a fun adventure in an epic, care-free world with light-hearted themes, monsters, items, and characters that everyone can enjoy. The game is a perfect fit for the Nintendo Switch as both new and longtime ARPG players can easily pick up and play this adventure and have a great time spending countless hours dungeon crawling. For all you Nintendo Switch players who are pet lovers out there, don’t worry, we didn’t forget about you — we hope you love the extremely cute yet deadly exclusive Ashen Glittersprite pet as much as we do!”
We recently spoke to Echtra’s Michael May to bring you a full guide of insider tips for the game, providing lots of great advice on how to make the most of the different classes, their abilities, how to use relics, forts and the Legendarium system, and more.
Make sure to check that out to get the most out of your shiny new copy of Torchlight III, or – if you’re still on the fence – feel free to keep an eye out for our full review which is coming soon.
Are you thinking of picking this one up? Let us know in the comments.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 10-23-2020, 04:02 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Assassin's Creed Valhalla – Release Date, Story, And Everything Else We Know
As we're less than a month away from the release of Assassin's Creed Valhalla, we've decided to compile everything we know about the game. So if you're looking to educate yourself on the next entry in one of Ubisoft's flagship series, you've come to the right place.
The 12th mainline game in the franchise, Assassin's Creed Valhalla continues the story of Layla Hassan, first introduced as the new modern day protagonist of the franchise in 2017's Assassin's Creed Origins. We still don't know what the modern day storyline for Valhalla is yet, only that it follows the fairly elaborate series of events that occurred during the The Fate of Atlantis DLC expansion.
In Origins, Layla relived the life of Egyptians Bayek and Aya, the latter of whom became the first Mentor of the Hidden Ones, the precursors to the Assassin Brotherhood. Layla's story continued in 2018's Assassin's Creed Odyssey, where she relived the life of Kassandra/Alexios, a mercenary in Ancient Greece whose powerful bloodline lives on in their descendants, most notably Aya. Now, in Valhalla, Layla will relive the life of Eivor, a Viking looking for a new home.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 10-23-2020, 02:08 AM - Forum: Python
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Freelancer Invoice Template
Whether you’re a freelance developer, agency owner, or web designer—each time you charge a client, you must create an invoice for the transaction. Here’s the ultimate freelancer invoice template you can use in your own business:
Download the Freelancer Invoice Template in the following formats:
The latest Nintendo Download update for North America has arrived, and it’s bringing new games galore to the eShop in your region. As always, be sure to drop a vote in our poll and comment down below with your potential picks for the week. Enjoy!
Switch eShop – Highlights
The Red Lantern(Timberline Studio, Inc., $24.99) – Survive the Alaskan tundra in this story-driven, rogue-lite survival adventure game as you find your way home with your team of five sled dogs. Manage your resources carefully, brave the cold and stave off the dangers of an ever-changing frozen wilderness.
Supraland(Humble Games, 22nd Oct, $19.99) – Experience a fresh take on puzzles and exploration in the ultimate “sandbox” adventure. Embark on a valiant quest to save your toy village in this first-person, open-world puzzle-platformer. Battle your way toward an audience with the Blue King.
GONNER2(Raw Fury, 22nd Oct, $12.99) – Death needs your help! Journey your way through deep, dark and chaotic places with sparks of unimaginable color and crazy bosses, all while trying to literally keep your head. This procedurally generated co-op platformer will keep you on your toes with its intense, platformer-shooter action.
Carto(Humble Games, 27th Oct, $19.99) – Separated from her Granny during a storm, young Carto must use her innate cartography powers to map and manipulate the world around her on her quest to be reunited. Featuring lush, hand-drawn visuals across a variety of biomes, Carto is a charming adventure game wrapped around a unique, world-altering puzzle mechanic.
Switch eShop – New Releases
A Frog Game(EntwicklerX, 22nd Oct, $0.99) – In this game you just have to catch flies. Nothing more, nothing less. But be careful, you are not the only hungry frog. Eat special flies for better scores or time bonus. You also should know that not every fly is delicious!
Asterix & Obelix XXL: Romastered(22nd Oct, $29.99) – The year is 50 B.C. Gaul is entirely occupied by the Romans. Well, not entirely… One small village of indomitable Gauls still holds out against the invaders. And life is not easy for the Roman legionaries who garrison the fortified camps of Totorum, Aquarium, Laudanum and Compendium.
Blackjack Hands(QUByte Interactive, 20th Oct, $0.99) – Merge neighboring cards in the correct order to beat the Dealer. Enjoy and challenge yourself in this new experience. Use your arrow keys to move the cards. When two cards touch, they merge into one!
Cobra Kai: The Karate Kid Saga Continues(GameMill Entertainment, 27th Oct, $39.99) – Choose a side, master your moves, and embrace your destiny in an epic beat ’em up adventure inspired by the hit show. Take control of 8 playable characters with deep movesets, combos, progression, real-time character swaps, ultimate attacks, and much more! 34 years after the events of the 1984 All Valley Karate Tournament, the rivalry of Daniel LaRusso and Johnny Lawrence continues. The fight is in your hands now!
CrossKrush(Ratalaika Games, 23rd Oct, $4.99) – Henry & Florence are a happily married couple, they enjoy music & have been dancing all their lives. But now, a noisy highway has been built right in front of their home, disrupting their harmonious lifestyle.
Death Race 2020(Digital Game Group, 16th Oct, $5.99) – Race along this endless, post-apocalyptic highway! Collect coins and bullets and race until you reach high scores! Avoid other deadly rally cars that might get in your way and be sure to collect bullets so you can shoot them down to get past!
Double Pug Switch(aPriori Digital, 22nd Oct, $8.99) – Take control of the Pug Otis, the loyal companion of the Professor! After an accident in the Professor’s lab involving the mischievous cat Whiskers and some Portal Fluids, Otis and Whiskers are sucked into an alternate dimension.
Dungreed(Nicalis, 27th Oct, $14.99) – In Dungreed, the player assumes the role of an adventurer who must explore a continuously evolving dungeon to prevent an entire town from being destroyed. The game features procedurally generated levels with a variety of environments such as prisons, jungles and lava zones.
Farm Mechanic Simulator(SimFabric, 23rd Oct, $29.49) – Repair tractors, upgrade skills, improve your workshop. Very popular mechanic game with farming vehicles. Now you can find out how does the mechanic’s work look like on the farm.
FRACTER(The Quantum Astrophysicists Guild, 22nd Oct, $6.99) – FRACTER is an emotive, isometric puzzle adventure game set in a mysterious labyrinth of glowing black architecture. The game follows a veiled young hero who has set out on a perilous quest to dispel the darkness within.
Galacide(Puny Human, 23rd Oct, $15.00) – Galacide combines the frenzied action of classic space shooters with the focused, fast-thinking tactics of puzzlers. Choose from a variety of ships, each equipped with unique features and abilities. Embark on your mission to tunnel through the strengthening alien invasion, find the source, and save the galaxy!
Gnome More War(Keybol Games, 26th Oct, $2.99) – It was a fine day in the farm, and Freija was just chatting with his friend Filipo about the upcoming harvest when out of nowhere, a gnome passed by and stole from their barn! Will they let it slide? Not on their watch. Experience the classic arcade shooter gameplay with loads of twists in Gnome More War.
Grood(Drageus Games, 23rd Oct, $4.99) – Your mission: annihilate an army of robotic enemies and bosses, all of them furiously blasting bullets, missiles and lasers your way. Your ship: a powerful vehicle you created, called GROOD. It’s now time to pilot this killing machine! Travel through woods, swamps, cities, frozen lands, deserts, and more to seek and destroy strange mechanical foes.
INSTANT Chef Party(JUST FOR GAMES, 27th Oct, $24.99) – No matter if you like French, Italian or Mexican cuisine, cook your way up to the top! In INSTANT Chef Party, you will have to compete with up to 4 players in a series of mini-games themed around food and cooking. Be ready to enjoy serving, cooking, harvesting, doing dish-washing and many more activities in co-op or versus your friends and family!
Kakurasu World(Hook Games, 23rd Oct, $2.99) – Kakurasu World – beautiful puzzler, great addition to your logic game collection. Select squares until the row and column totals match the clues.
Lord of the Click(Victory Road, 23rd Oct, $4.99) – Lord Of The Click — it’s the game for those who outgrew meaningless shooters and tiresome endless RPGs. Lord Of The Click will give you the unsurpassed feeling of almightiness by controlling the huge army with only one muscle of your body.
LUNA The Shadow Dust(Coconut Island Games, 22nd Oct, $19.99) – Inspired by the old adventure games, LUNA The Shadow Dust is a moving tale of two playable companions drawn together in a hand-animated puzzle adventure, featuring a breathtaking original soundtrack and beautiful 2D cinematics.
Maze(Ultimate Games, 23rd Oct, $6.99) – It feels like you really are the part of the Maze. Don’t get tricked! Or the Maze will devour you and your fantasy adventure will be ended. Remember, do not be fooled by beauty and seductive scents.
My Universe – Fashion Boutique(Microids, 27th Oct, $29.99) – Create and manage your own fashion store: decorate your showroom to match your personality, welcome customers and help them find the perfect outfit. The more customers you attract, the more you can expand and improve your shop!
Nullum(Silesia Games, 22nd Oct, $1.99) – The goal is to eliminate all tiles by creating matching numbers. Rules: A tile can only be moved onto an adjacent tile. If they have the same number, both are eliminated; otherwise, they’re added together. Make the right sums and eliminations to clear the playfield and unlock the next challenge! 40 handcrafted levels. Original music composed specially for this game.
Oddworld: New ’n’ Tasty(Oddworld Inhabitants, 27th Oct, $29.99) – A mudokon chosen by the fickle finger of fate, Abe was a first class Floor-Waxer for RuptureFarms who was catapulted into a life of adventure. Late one night he overheard plans from his boss, Molluck the Glukkon, to turn Abe and his fellow Mudokons into Tasty Treats as a final effort to rescue Molluck’s failing meatpacking empire!
Outbreak: Epidemic(Dead Drop Studios, 22nd Oct, $14.99) – The infection goes nation-wide in Outbreak: Epidemic, an action-focused co-op survival horror adventure. Featuring the great Outbreak series gameplay with greater mobility, crushing difficulty and more camera options than ever before.
Pumpkin Jack(Headup, 23rd Oct, $29.99) – Pumpkin Jack is a spooky scary 3D platformer in which you embody Jack, the Mythical Pumpkin Lord! Dive into an Epic Adventure through otherworldly landscapes and help the Evil annihilate the Good!
Race With Ryan Road Trip Deluxe Edition(Outright Games, 16th Oct) – Play as Ryan and an expanded roster of friends, with 12 new USA-themed drivers including American Titan, Kansas Gus, New York Lexa and more. And join them on the open road for an American truck tour, featuring 4 new circuits as exciting and colorful as a kid’s imagination.
Restless Hero(Restless Corp, 22nd Oct, $6.99) – You are about to be a part of an adventure of the Dark Age. Follow Rick in his damned path of vengeance and help him to redeem his soul. The life of your beloved is in danger. Hurry up and make a wise choice. Along the way complete challenging platforming levels and upgrade your powers.
Rusty Spout Rescue Adventure(7 Raven Studios, 22nd Oct, $6.99) – “Rusty Spout is a lonely but honest pirate. He sails around the world looking for new adventures and always helps people in need. Cocco the evil pirate has kidnapped all the children from Rusty’s village. Now, he needs you to help him defeat Cocco and his monsters.
Supermarket Shriek(PQube, 23rd Oct, $19.99) – Join the unlikely duo of man and goat in this unique (shopping) kart racer, as they traverse precarious obstacles and complete deadly challenges inside a range of shops, boutiques and supermarkets. An outlandish solo adventure and a truly one-of-a-kind co-op experience!
The Bluecoats North & South(27th Oct, $29.99) – Reunite with Sergeant Cornelius M. Chesterfield and Corporal Blutch in this remastered game that combines turn-based strategy and real-time action. Initially released on the Amiga at the end of the 1980s, this version will delight fans of the original game!
The Coma: Recut(Digerati, 21st Dec, $19.99) – You are Youngho, a hapless Korean student who, after drifting asleep during his final exam, wakes to find himself trapped in a twisted version of his school, Sehwa High. And he’s not alone. Relentlessly pursued by a psychotic killer, Youngho must evade his hunter while desperately searching for a way to escape the dread-filled corridors and classrooms. Read our The Coma: Recut review
They Bleed Pixels(Spooky Squid Games Incorporated, 22nd Oct, $14.99) – As an anonymous student of the Lafcadio Academy for Troubled Young Ladies, you must battle through your nightmares to defeat a curse that’s slowly transforming your body into a clawed demonic form. They Bleed Pixels balances a perfect mix of fast-paced acrobatic platforming and fierce, one-button, slash ’em up combat.
Toolboy(Art Games Studio, 22nd Oct, $12.49) – A story of a repair robot who during the weekend, instead of enjoying his free time watching a speedball game on a planet nearby, has to go to work and fix a malfunction in one of the corporate buildings, as he’s usually the one to be called in such cases. By accident, he discovers a corporate management plot regarding a new project related to the department of power.
Torchlight III(Perfect World, 22nd Oct, $39.99) – It’s been a century since the events of Torchlight II, and the Ember Empire is in decline. In Torchlight III, Novastraia is again under threat of invasion and it’s up to you to defend against the Netherim and its allies. Gather your wits and brave the frontier to find fame, glory, and new adventures! Travel the Frontier Explore the wilderness, party with friends, gather materials to craft gear, or use magic to enter unknown dungeons!
TRANSFORMERS: BATTLEGROUNDS(Bandai Namco, 23rd Oct, $39.99) – With Earth under invasion and MEGATRON, leader of the Decepticons close to capturing The Allspark, BUMBLEBEE and the Autobots need a new commander to help them restore peace to the universe – you!
Truck Driving Simulator(BoomBit Games, 23rd Oct, $11.99) – Drive carefully, connect to trailers and complete delivery jobs for clients at the Shipping Docks. Earn your seat in bigger and better trucks to access more advanced jobs, with longer loads, bigger trailers and more valuable cargo!
Truck Mechanic Simulator(SimFabric, 23rd Oct, $29.49) – Repair trucks, upgrade skills, improve your workshop. Very popular mechanic game with truck vehicles. Now you can see how the work of truck mechanic looks like.
WARTILE(Deck 13, 22nd Oct, $24.99) – Experience a living, breathing tabletop video game that invites the player into a miniature universe full of small adventures set in beautifully handcrafted diorama battle boards inspired by Norse mythology to honor the Vikings!
So that’s your lot for this week’s North American Nintendo Download. Go on, be a sport and drop a vote in the poll above, and comment below with your hot picks!
2D Metroidvania DeathStick Brings Dimension-Shifting Platforming To Switch
TeamNora Games and publisher HypeTrain Digital have announced that they’ll be bringing DeathStick, an upcoming action-platformer, to Nintendo Switch.
The teams describe the game as “a beautiful 2D pixel art Metroidvania/slasher platformer,” where players follow the story of a young girl called Mako. She’s on a quest to save her world from destruction, and to do that, she’ll need to make use of the game’s world-switching mechanic.
This ability flips in-game areas 180 degrees, throwing Mako into another dimension. You can see it taking place in the newly-released trailer above, or right here:
Here’s a list of key features:
Key Features: – Fight like an assassin! Slasher fighting mechanics with combos. – Don’t get lost! Explore the world of Aarkalia in two different dimensions. – Defend against evil forces! Challenge dozens of unique enemies and furious bosses through your adventure. – Become a master! Evolve and change your playstyle by obtaining a wide range of unique abilities and special attacks. – Look into it! Charming pixel-art aesthetics combined with smooth animations. – Find your path! Solve the mystery of the Great Mirror through multiple endings.
We’ve got quite a wait ahead of us before we can check this one out, as the game isn’t planned to launch until Q3 2022. It sounds ages away, but we imagine it’ll go quicker than you think.
As ever, feel free to share your early thoughts on this one in the comments below.
Borderlands 3: New Moze And Zane 4th Skill Tree Abilities Revealed
Borderlands 3 will see the beginning of its second year of content with the Designer's Cut update on November 10. The release of this new update will also coincide with the launch of the Xbox Series X|S, and the next-gen version of Gearbox Software's looter-shooter will also be available as a launch title. In addition to the new Arms Race mode, another big highlight for the upcoming content drop are the new skill trees for each of the vault hunters, which will add new twists to their existing playstyles.
GameSpot recently got hands-on time with a pre-release build of the Designer's Cut, and we spent some time experimenting with the new loadouts for the vault hunters. In addition to that, we also got some hands-on time with Mayhem level 11, the new level for the end-game content that removes the bonus modifiers at the cost of lower drop rates. Previously, we showed off the new skill with Amara and Fl4k. For the former, she wields the new Phaseflare skill that summons a giant orb of elemental energy, while the later gets a new gravity trap and pet loader bot.
Now, we're finally ready to show off some gameplay for Zane and Moze. We took the time to dive into their new skill-trees and action abilities, so here's a quick rundown of some of their unique skills and how things are different with both characters.
With the recent Fantasy 3D Models humble bundle there were a number of questions about how assets can be extracted from the Unity game engine for use in other engines such as Godot, Unreal, Lumberyard, Stride, CryEngine or basically any other 3D game engine. That is exactly what we will look at in this tutorial, as we have in the past in this tutorial for Unreal Engine. Fortunately assets in the Unity game engine are generally stored as FBX files and textures are stored in image file formats, making this process a fair bit easier than it was in Unreal.
First and foremost you need to download the assets. Unfortunately to do this you will need to have Unity installed to perform the download process. (If you know a way to download unitypackage files from the command-line or outside of Unity, please let me know and I will update!) First you are going to need to purchase an asset from the Unity Asset store (or one of the several available free options). Once you have one or more assets on your account, fire up Unity and create a new project (type doesn’t matter). Next select the Package Manager in the menu Window->Package Manager.
Next in the Package Manager, in the top left corner drop down the menu and select My Assets option.
This will load your assets. If you have several assets, you may need to click Load More and the bottom to find your asset. Once located, select your asset in the left hand list, then select the Download button on the bottom right menu.
Repeat this task for each package you want downloaded. Once you have all of your assets downloaded you can close Unity. Now (on Windows at least) go to Windows Explorer and enter %APPDATA% in the location box.
This will automatically expand into the relevant folder name. Next navigate into the folder Unity, then Asset Store-5.x. In my case the full directory is C:\Users\serap\AppData\Roaming\Unity\Asset Store-5.x.In this folder will be a list of companies, these are the creators of the assets as named on the Asset Store, pick the one you downloaded earlier, then open up the asset within that directly. You should now see one or more files with a unitypackage file extension. Copy the asset you want to use to a directory of your choice.
Now we are going to need Unity Package Extractor, download Unity Package Extractor. Extract the zip file to the same location that you copied your unitypackage earlier. Now open a command prompt and CD into that directory, in this example lets assume c:\temp. Run the commands:
cd \temp
extractor ‘packagenamewithextension.unitypackage’
This will extract out all of the assets ready for your use. Tada, done! You can learn more about this process, step by step in the tutorial video below.
