We now have a release date for the upcoming Sniper Elite 4 on Nintendo Switch. You’ll be able to get your hands on the game next month from 17th November.

Both boxed and digital editions are on the way for this latest mainline entry into Rebellion’s award-winning tactical shooter series. If you need a recap on what it’s all about, make sure to give the following a good read through:

Sniper Elite 4 offers:
· An expansive campaign set in WW2 Italy – help the Resistance fight back!
· Genre-defining sniping featuring advanced ballistics and boundless strategy
· Trademark X-Ray kill cams, including melee and explosive takedowns
· Iconic WW2 weaponry; sniper rifles, pistols, SMGs, traps, grenades and more
· Upgrade and customize your skills and weaponry as you progress
· Tactical traversal mechanics; climb, hang, shimmy and leap across maps!
· Co-op and multiplayer modes across local wireless and online play
· And much more

On Nintendo Switch, Sniper Elite 4 offers exclusive new features including:
· Motion aim with gyroscopic controls
· HD rumble support– feel your heartbeat and bullet impacts!
· Pro Controller support to take your precision up a level
· Local wireless multiplayer across co-op and versus modes

Originally released for Windows, PlayStation 4 and Xbox One in 2017, Sniper Elite 4 was announced for the Switch just last month. It takes place directly after the events of the third game, and focuses on stealth kills with your long-range rifle.

Excited for this one? Let us know if you’re thinking of picking it up with a comment below.

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For those that don’t know, in order to get your money refunded on Steam, players have to select a category from a dropdown (‘Performance issues’, ‘Not fun’, ‘Other issues’, etc) and make a written comment. And it’s not completely clear to me that players understand that devs can read their comments – but they certainly can.

Many refund comments are legitimate, and definitely worth reading to give you an idea of sentiments around the game or technical issues. But a lot are very ‘the dog ate my homework’-esque, lol.

So, my GameDiscoverCo game discoverability newsletter (free to subscribe!) recently asked devs to go digging around in their Steam user refund comments, to see what amusing things turned up. This was inspired by this Jake Birkett Tweet which surfaced the following refund reason for RPG card battler Ancient Enemy:

Well, thanks to everyone who replied to the GameDiscoverCo Tweet on the topic – here’s some of the best replies. Probably the randomest was this one from Jens Bahr for a player of Awake, cos, uhh, yeah:

Next, here’s one from Alva Majo, whose Golfing Over It with Alva Majo is a kinda popular spoof/enhancement of Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy (it’s meant to be evil):

The folks from great Peggle x RPG mashup Roundguard sent over this one, which just seems to be an existential critique of playing video games:

Then there’s this from ‘I Can’t Believe It’s Not Gambling’, which the dev says “plasters “lootbox simulator” and use a snarky tone like everywhere on the store page”, but:

Finally, if you like the ‘referencing other games’ method for refunding, the Tangle Tower devs sent over this one:

…to which Frog Detective creator Grace Bruxner said ‘owned’, lol. To be fair, I think this was related to a Ludonarracon bundle that had both games in it – but still funny.

And here’s the final, basically default Steam refund reason from Daniel Gubala:

Now we’ve done the silly, here’s the sensible part of this section. Yes, a lot of Steam refund messages are ‘something I thought I had to type in order to get my money back’. A lot of people go through the motions, and don’t really contribute anything that you might usefully use to improve your game.

But there are a few things I would look at. Firstly, just check your overall Steam refund rate, which can vary from 4% to over 20%, in my experience (and averages 8-9%, I believe.)

If yours is above average, are there any themes that stand out? There’s additional (slight) color you can glean on overall gameplay frustrations, if you trudge through enough of these dispiriting messages.

Secondly, ‘casual’ player technical support issues sometimes come out more strongly via refund requests than in reviews or via Discord bug report channels.

For example, one of the games I can see requests for has issues with game controller support. We see those weakly via official channels, but more strongly via refund requests. YMMV, but it’s worth poking around in there.

(A dev reminder if you don’t know how to access it: refund data is on Steamworks Sales & Activations site, click on ‘Steam packages’ – the game’s ‘home’ page – go to ‘Refund Data’ link on the right.)

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Roblox has submitted a draft registration statement for a proposed public offering, effectively confirming it intends to go public.

A Reuters report published earlier this month claimed Roblox, which runs a popular game creation platform (also called Roblox), was working with investment banks to list on the U.S. stock market in 2021.

In a short announcement, the company said it would “commence the public offering following completion of the SEC review process, subject to market and other conditions.”

It also noted that the number of shares of Class A common stock that would be sold along with the price range of the proposed offering haven’t been determined as yet. In the Reuters report, however, it was suggested that going public would double Roblox’s recent $4 billion valuation.

Nintendo products have always had a certain magic about them. From the earliest examples, such as the simplistic-yet-addictive Game & Watch handhelds, to more recent offerings like the motion-driven Wii, touch-focused DS or cardboard-based Labo, the Japanese veteran has a genuine knack for creating toys which raise a smile by simply taking existing concepts and turning them into something new or unexpected. Few could have anticipated that Nintendo would take its million-selling Mario Kart series and bring it into the real world using remote control vehicles, but the first time you sit down and play Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit, it feels simultaneously natural and pleasantly surprising all at once.

The concept is relatively simple, but we’d imagine the tech which powers it – courtesy of start-up Velan Studios, which also did much of the heavy-lifting from a software development perspective – is quite advanced. Essentially, you’re controlling an RC car using your Switch, with a live feed being displayed on the console’s screen (or the TV when playing docked). A camera situated on the top of the car delivers said feed to your screen, while the Switch itself overlays virtual elements such as other racers, item boxes, red shells and trackside obstacles.

Using a series of four cardboard gates (Nintendo is clearly putting those Labo production lines to good work here), you can build a track that’s totally unique. The initial setup is a breeze; you pair the car with your Switch using an on-screen QR code and the car’s camera, and, after familiarising yourself with the controls in the game’s ‘Explore’ mode, you can craft your circuit by ‘painting’ the course on-screen and driving through the four gates in order (optional arrow panels can be added to guide you around the less-obvious parts of your circuit). While the gates are integral to the track design, you’re free to snake the actual course in quite complex patterns, even having it overlapping with other parts of the circuit – a fact which allows you to produce quite demanding courses even in small rooms.

Once you’ve made your circuit, you can take part in the Grand Prix mode where your aim is to accrue the most points from three races (there are 24 ‘tracks’ in total, split across various three-race GP events). While the track design is largely set in stone until you decided to rearrange it, each race is given a different flavour via the course-specific selection of gates, which can offer either item boxes, boosts or hazards, trackside obstacles (tornadoes which blow you off-course or even enemies which freeze your car for a brief period) and environmental effects (one course has a strong cross-wind which not only pushes your car in a certain direction but also blows coins and item boxes across the track).

The car itself is surprisingly nimble and responsive and boasts a tight turning circle, which means the actual in-game racing feels very, very close to a proper Mario Kart game – which, when you think about it, is a real achievement in itself. There’s no serious input latency to speak of, and the developers have even managed to include the trademark three-stage drift boost mechanic that’s in the mainline titles; holding the R trigger when rounding a corner pulls your car either left or right slightly, which, when viewed in-game, simulates a sideways drift. While the car looks quite small, it’s able to withstand pretty sizeable bumps and crashes; there’s a rubber strip on the front which protects the plastic from impact, while side impacts are almost always going to touch the soft rubber tires rather than the bodywork. The most concerning element of the car’s design is the exhausts which protrude quite alarmingly from the rear, but even these are fashioned from a hard rubber-like material which hopefully means they will survive most crashes.

Because the car connects to your Switch via WiFi, where your router is located in your home is going to be of prime importance when it comes to getting a stable connection. We noticed that when the car was in the next room, the live feed started to stutter – but, to be fair, we were testing it in a home that’s over 100 years old and has solid brick walls between each room. Taking this into account, you may find that the range is greater in your own property, which will be good news if you’re planning on constructing tracks which span multiple rooms. If you plan on keeping the race contained within the same room where your wireless router abides, then you won’t have any problems with connection stability.

The camera doesn’t give a totally clear view of the action – presumably because streaming live footage from the car in HD is beyond the tech at this stage – and it’s worth noting that the Switch’s screenshot and video capture functions are disabled during play, a decision that was likely made to prevent unscrupulous individuals from using the vehicle to spy on members of their household. The car’s internal battery is charged using a USB-C connection which is located on the side of the vehicle, behind a slide-up cover. Battery life is around three to four hours, based on our tests, although it’s worth noting that the speed at which the car is running will impact this figure, so it could potentially be less if you’re racing constantly at 200cc.

Speaking of which, 50cc, 100cc, 150cc and 200cc speeds are on offer here, with higher speeds unlocking when you’ve won a certain number of Grand Prix events. Though the car moves quite slowly in the ‘real world’ at 50cc, the on-screen action always feels faster; playing at 200cc in a cramped environment is going to lead to a lot of crashes. We tested Mario Kart Live in several locations – the roomy Nintendo Life office, a smaller dining room at home and a child’s bedroom (it belonged to our own child, before you become too concerned) – and it goes without saying that slower speeds are better suited to smaller locations. We were able to hit 200cc in the office but that speed felt too fast in the dining room, and made the game almost impossible to play in the smallest of the environments, the bedroom. Suffice to say, at 200cc the car is seriously rapid, and you have to keep in mind that speed boosts and mushroom increase its pace further.

The surface you’re racing on plays a part, too. Again, we tested it on a wide range of floors – wood, low-pile carpet and a room which had a higher pile carpet as well as a rug in the middle – and while the car would happily drive across all three, we found that it has such a low clearance that it would often become stuck when moving from the carpet to the rug, and vice versa. The car moves fastest on a wooden floor, but it’s fair to say that Mario Kart Live is perfectly playable on most surfaces – with the possible exception of rugs with an exceptionally high pile.

When playing solo, you’ll be racing against four Koopalings. If you’ve ever played Mario Kart before, the premise will be instantly familiar; finish the set number of laps in first place to score the most points. Item boxes give you things like red shells, banana skins, coins and blue shells (there are no green shells in this game) which are unleashed using the L trigger. While it’s obviously not possible to physically bump into the Koopalings, you can cause them to spin off briefly if you boost into them (they’re all driving anti-grav versions of their karts as seen in Mario Kart 8, but your vehicle remains resolutely on terra firma). It’s important to stress that this really does feel like a proper Mario Kart game; it’s incredibly fun to play and we lost count of the number of times we were so convinced we were in a ‘proper’ game that, when the RC car came into our peripheral vision, we’d be reminded that the race was taking place in both the real world and a virtual one – an impressive trick.

Like the mainline games, Mario Kart Live does an excellent job of drip-feeding content as you play. Items such as new karts, outfits, horns and even radio stations are unlocked as you earn coins; only the coins you currently hold at the conclusion of each race go towards your total, so avoiding hazards and not getting hit become of prime importance. The karts and outfits are purely cosmetic and don’t influence the performance of your vehicles, but other unlockables – such as different gate types or special environments – add more variety to proceedings and extend the game’s longevity. Later, you even obtain the ability to play the game in mirror mode, which is as challenging as it sounds.

While Mario Kart Live certainly captures the spirit of what makes the mainline games so compelling and enjoyable, there are elements which make it stand apart – in both good and bad ways. Because you design the track yourself rather than Nintendo’s team of crack coders, not every circuit you concoct is going to be up to the same standards as those witnessed in other Mario Kart outings. This might not necessarily be your fault, as you’re almost certainly going to be limited in your creative endeavours by the size of the room you’re playing in, but it’s fair to say that, while racing around a real-world location is exhilarating, it’s harder than you might imagine to come up with a course that has the right mix of tight bends and fast-paced straights.

However, therein lies a lot of Mario Kart Live’s appeal; just as building Labo kits is at least 50 percent of the fun, painstakingly designing the perfect Mario Kart course like a Mushroom Kingdom Hermann Tilke is also a jolly good time – especially if you’ve got kids or a younger sibling involved. Tweaking the circuit mid-race is possible to a degree, so the track evolves as you play and discover its weaknesses (or accentuate its best bits). Players are encouraged to add trackside obstacles such as cardboard boxes and the like, which lends the experience even more challenge – although it’s worth noting that the game can’t actually ‘see’ those elements, so it’s not unusual for the Koopalings to cut corners you can’t because they’re not impeded by those massive shoeboxes you’ve littered around the sides of the track. Even so, it’s all part of the challenge – and while not everyone is a fan of Mario Kart’s rubber-band AI system, it works well enough here; you never feel like you’re running away with the race, while massive crashes don’t necessarily means you’ll never catch the lead car (and that’s important given that there’s no Lakitu to pick you up should you spin off the sides of the course – you have to manually return to the track).

There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had here simply creating new courses and experimenting with your designs, but we’d imagine that Mario Live Live’s true longevity lies in its multiplayer potential – which we haven’t been able to test at present, as we’ve only been sent a single car for review (we’ll be updating this review and adding a score once we’ve fully explored its multiplayer potential post-launch).

Even with just one car, there’s still the opportunity for a little bit of human competition, as the Time Trial mode allows you to race against the ghost data of a fellow human, but it’s not exactly a replacement for the thrill of actually going wheel-to-wheel with another player (the game supports up to four players at the same time, which naturally requires four RC cars and four Switch consoles, too). That’s worth keeping in mind if your budget only stretches to a single RC car, although there’s nothing stopping you arranging multiplayer meets with friends who own their own RC cars. You can mix and match any combination of Mario or Luigi karts, as well.

As much fun as Mario Kart Live definitely is, it does fall foul of the same issues that limit Labo’s long-term enjoyment. Being able to create bespoke tracks means that hypothetically, you’ve got an infinite number of courses at your disposal. However, you’re always going to be limited by your environment (room size, distance from the wireless router, etc) and because you can’t add massive, sweeping hills or anything like that, the tracks never feel quite as unique as those in other Mario Kart game (with the possible exception of the SNES original and Mario Kart Super Circuit, of course). Actually setting up a game of Mario Kart Live is more time-consuming that a typical race in Mario Kart 8, too, which means that, like Labo, you’re less likely to pick this up for short gameplay sessions. Factor in the lack of online and you could argue that Mario Kart Live’s long-term appeal is damaged further – although the game is clearly intended to be an experience that’s enjoyed locally rather than over the web. Still, comparing this to what has gone before is perhaps a little churlish, as Mario Kart Live is intended to represent a whole new way to enjoy this esteemed franchise.

The very first trailer for the upcoming Monster Hunter movie has arrived, and you can check it out for yourself above.

Revealed exclusively by IGN, the trailer shows off a number of scenes you’ll get to see in the final product, planned to launch this December. Some of the monsters featured include the Diablos, Apceros, Nerscylla, and more.

Here’s the synopsis:

Behind our world, there is another: a world of dangerous and powerful monsters that rule their domain with deadly ferocity. When an unexpected sandstorm transports Captain Artemis (Milla Jovovich) and her unit (TI Harris, Meagan Good, Diego Boneta) to a new world, the soldiers are shocked to discover that this hostile and unknown environment is home to enormous and terrifying monsters immune to their firepower.

In their desperate battle for survival, the unit encounters the mysterious Hunter (Tony Jaa), whose unique skills allow him to stay one step ahead of the powerful creatures. As Artemis and Hunter slowly build trust, she discovers that he is part of a team led by the Admiral (Ron Perlman). Facing a danger so great it could threaten to destroy their world, the brave warriors combine their unique abilities to band together for the ultimate showdown.

So, what are we thinking? Feel free to share your thoughts with us in the comments below, and be sure to let us know what you make of the new poster, too.

Nothing like a 1.2 year queue. Maybe I'll login just in time for Halloween Terror 2021 if I'm lucky!!!! ??? pic.twitter.com/tPNOUKvwBw

— Stylosa (@Stylosa) October 14, 2020

Quora is an excellent source for information. However, it is safe to say that the vast majority of information on Quora is relatively low-quality. In this article, we compiled the best questions and great answers from Quora—all around the topic of freelance developing. So, let’s dive right into the first questions!

How Much Can a Web Developer Earn From Freelancing Websites?

Answer from “Anonymous” on Quora: (highlights by us)

There are many factors at play here so I will share my personal experience. I am based in the US. I began my freelancing career by building simple static websites in HTML, CSS, with a sprinkling of Javascript.

A typical website that took me 10–20 hours would earn me about $250 – 500.

I got most of my clients through Craigslist or though friends and family. As I progressed I started to learn PHP/MySQL, Javascript, JQuery, and in the past few years frameworks like React and Laravel.

I have a degree in computer science, so designing and building applications is more of my strength than building nice looking websites (although if I could do everything again I would have skipped college and just learned everything myself – I had already gotten through Calculus and AP science courses when I finished high school and the useful skills I learned at college I could have easily taught myself in 6–12 months, and I could have spent the remaining time becoming an expert in things like that would have tangible effects on my ability to earn income).

These days I have left behind the days of building simple websites and I now build web applications. This has allowed me to make far more income, sometimes over $200k US dollars per year.

I do not get work from sites like Upwork. The good, high playing clients with large budgets typically go through reputable agencies and most of my work I now do on a contract basis for agencies. I have gone from freelancing to essentially being a part time employee of two agencies, and they give me steady work. I do know other developers here in the US that build web applications on a freelance basis, and none of them earn less than $100k/yr unless they are having a slow year.

Note that here in the US at least earning $100k/yr freelancing is probably equivalent to a full time job with benefits that pays a $70k/yr salary because people who are not full time employees of a company pay far more in taxes and health insurance.

Link: https://www.quora.com/How-much-can-a-web-developer-earn-from-freelancing-websites

Related articles:

• What’s the hourly rate of a Python freelancer?

How Can I Start Freelancing as a Web Developer?

Answer from Rankit Sihmar:

Let’s face it. For starters, it can be done from nearly anywhere in the world, or right from the comfort of your own home. You also have the freedom to establish and control your own schedule, hourly rates and workflow. Last, but far from least, is the fact that web developers is one of the most in demand industry to be working in at the moment. The demand is only growing, so the potential to find clients and to have a lucrative career is strongly in your favor!

Here we can discuss some points that how to start freelancing as a web developer :

1. Establish Your Brand : How are you going to brand yourself? Many freelance web designers use their name as their brand this is great and can lend real personal attachment. Alternatively, like I did, consider using a more formal name for your fledgling business, especially if you envisage your business becoming more robust in the future. If you have plans to maybe turn yourself into a studio, with a couple of people working for you, you might want to start out with a more formal company name. Think about how you would like to be perceived – as an individual brand, or as a young company. Think about what your potential clients will read into this and ask yourself whether that fits in with your view as a freelancer.
2. Create Your Online Portfolio : One thing a client looks for in a potential freelancer is whether you’ll be able to deliver. If you’re new to freelancing, there’s a 90% chance you’ll lose out on projects to a more experienced freelancer. After all, clients are spending a lot of money on their projects, and they want every penny to count. Occasionally, though, a prospective client doesn’t just choose the most experience freelancer, but instead spends the time to review the profiles of other freelancers who offered to work at a lower rate. Now you have a chance to convince the client that you are worth a try. To make a great impression with the client, you need to have a convincing portfolio.
3. Attend meetups : Social connection can have a drastic impact on your career growth. The more well connected you are, the more likely you are to get projects. While social networking sites can be a great way to interact with people and to make new connections. Attending technical meetups is another excellent way to interact with people and promote yourself. Meetups give you a chance to share your knowledge as well as learn new things from fellow attendees.
4. Develop a Sales Cycle : So, you need to formalize a sales cycle a process for finding prospects, cultivating your relationship with them, educating them about your services, offering your services to the right ones, fulfilling their expectations, and developing that relationship with them. You’re going to need ways to find good prospects. Start by identifying your ideal client, who are they, what do they do and where do they hang out. Start hanging out there too and engaging them in conversation. Work on your elevator pitch – that little burst of information that explains clearly to potential clients how you can help their business and why they should hire you to do it.
5. Organize a Routine : Your day is going to need structure. It’ll help you if you can have a consistent structure for your working day. Have a daily schedule mapped out which works around when you are most productive and when you are more likely to get things done. I try and group like tasks together – if I have a bunch of phone calls to make, I try and do them all mid-morning. Emails I typically handle mid-afternoon. If I’m coding, I find that easiest to do first thing in the morning when my brain is fresh, and, oddly, last thing in the evening when I get a second wind. Go with whatever works for you. But being able to stick to a similar routine each day will help you.
6. Find Your Community and Work It : The great thing about being a freelance web designer is that there is a tremendous community of professionals who can support you in what you do. It’s a very open, communicative bunch of people. So start following people on Twitter, getting to know them on LinkedIn, Facebook and other social media hang outs. There are other people out there in similar situations and they have a lot to offer. LinkedIn offers a number of groups for freelance professionals. You establish your expertise and help people out who may be looking for your services. Be sure to get involved in the communities where you customers are. If you’re targeting a specific niche. Immerse yourself in the communities in which you operate and you’ll build up a really strong network – not just of other web designers but of potential clients and referrals.
7. Market Your Services : To effectively market your freelance services, you should ask yourself, “Who is my target market?” If you’re passionate about one area of business or another that may help define your target market. Some sample target markets include:

• Local small businesses that do not have an online presence yet
• Non-profit organizations whose current websites are ineffective
• Sales companies who don’t offer online purchasing

You can also target a single industry.

“Success builds on success”

As you go, always look for ways to turn your successes into lasting advantages that will help you get more business in the future.

Link: https://www.quora.com/How-can-I-start-freelancing-as-a-web-developer?page_size=10#!n=18

How Do You Price Freelance Web Development?

Answer from Desert Sun Studio on Quora.

Some people charge an hourly rate, around 75$-120$. I think this is too tedious, a root for arguments, and an incentive to not work as quickly as possible. I charge a fixed rate that is dependent on the project scope (am I designing all the pages, is it on a CMS like wordpress, do they want ‘out of the box’ features, etc). Then it is payed in two installments: half as a deposit for the design, half to develop and publish the page upon completion.

Link: https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-price-freelance-web-development?top_ans=159402565

How Do You Find Clients as a Freelance Web Developer?

Answer from Doug Kuhn on Quora.

From scratch, pretty much like any other job source, contact recruiters, peruse the want ads, the digital equivalent, craig’s list, Linkedin, Indeed, sometimes even news stories that mention a company and technologies that are inline with what I am capable of implementing.

If I get to the point where I know more of the specifics, such as, company projects specific to my nature, aware of direct people in charge of making hiring decisions, a specific project that has a direct sense of urgency, then I will by-pass conventional methods, such as going through a recruiter, throwing darts at the want ads, pushing out CVs in the dark and prepare a better script, for a specific person of the specific project that have specific needs.

I often find myself in the uncanny valley of optimization, with only 24 hours in a day, to either sharpen my technical understanding to the degree where I make myself indispensable to their needs or working on my golf swing, where I make myself known to the correct networks where the people in-charge of the actual decisions can be contacted directly.

This is difficult to pull off effectively, most of the time because with keeping up with tech and trying to backwards engineer not only the tech the target company deals with but moreover, the issues they are having with the tech and the problems they are facing which are often a proprietary secret that is not easily discerned. Or getting to know who is who in the selection game, by-passing the gate keepers, that just get in the way and to curry favor with the key masters that are the end-game target to land the contract.

In the end the term freelance, is essentially you are your own business, and either you have to outsource your own engineering department or marketing department or build them in-house, but it is hard to do both in-house without losing the integrity you need to excel at both.

Link: https://www.quora.com/How-do-you-find-clients-as-a-freelance-web-developer

Where to Go From Here?

Enough theory, let’s get some practice!

To become successful in coding, you need to get out there and solve real problems for real people. That’s how you can become a six-figure earner easily. And that’s how you polish the skills you really need in practice. After all, what’s the use of learning theory that nobody ever needs?

Practice projects is how you sharpen your saw in coding!

Do you want to become a code master by focusing on practical code projects that actually earn you money and solve problems for people?

Then become a Python freelance developer! It’s the best way of approaching the task of improving your Python skills—even if you are a complete beginner.

Join my free webinar “How to Build Your High-Income Skill Python” and watch how I grew my coding business online and how you can, too—from the comfort of your own home.

Join the free webinar now!

The post Freelance Developer Quora – The 4 Best Questions and Answers first appeared on Finxter.