Microsoft is offering up to $300 off the Surface Pro 7, its flagship 2-in-1 device. The discount depends on the configuration you choose. For instance, the Intel Core i5 model with 16GB RAM and a 256GB SSD is on sale for $1,100, down from $1,400. Meanwhile, the Intel Core i7 model with the same RAM/SSD is $200 off at $1,300.
If you're in the market for a gaming laptop, the Lenovo Legion 5 is a solid mid-range option. It's equipped with a Nvidia GTX 1650 Ti graphics card, which is capable of playing most games at at least medium settings. It boasts an Intel Core i7 processor, 8GB of RAM, and a 512GB SSD. The Legion 5 has a 15.6-inch full HD display and has impressive internal speakers along with Dolby Atmos headphone support.
For those who desire peak performance, the Razer Blade 15 is one of the best gaming laptops around. With a Nvidia GeForce RTX 2070 Super Max-Q graphics card, the Razer Blade 15 is capable of running intensive games without a hitch at high settings. It's equipped with an Intel Core i7 processor that can boost to 5.10 GHz, 16GB of fast DDR4 RAM, and a 512GB SSD. You'll also get a PC copy of Marvel's Avengers along with exclusive skins for free.
While the original Xbox controller was a bit of a head-scratcher in 2001, the "Duke" has gained a rather dedicated following. If you're one of its devoted fans, Hyperkin's updated version of the Duke is discounted to $49 at the Microsoft Store. Though that's still kind of pricey, the Duke normally goes for $70 and isn't discounted very often. The wired controller is authentic to the original while boasting modern flourishes like shoulder buttons. It's ideal for those with larger hands and is one of our favorite Xbox controllers.
The Samsung Galaxy Note 20 just released in August, and right now you can save on a pretty sweet bundle. The Note 20 Essentials Bundle comes with a PowerA Bluetooth controller, controller clip, and a 3-month subscription to Xbox Game Pass Ultimate--everything you need to stream Xbox One games on your phone. You'll also get Samsung Galaxy earbuds and a 15-month family subscription to Microsoft 365.
First Impressions: Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition On Switch
It’s rare that a game launches these days without a dreary, ill-defined subtitle hanging off the end, and that’s doubly true of Switch ports. ‘Definitive’, ‘Enhanced’ and ‘Special’ Editions are ten-a-penny, and it generally takes some digging to find exactly what makes when so. Frontier’s upcoming Switch version of its well-received dinosaur park builder and management sim looks to make things much simpler for Nintendo gamers from the outset: Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition does exactly what it says on the tin.
The ‘Complete Edition’ is just that: the base game that launched on PS4, Xbox One and PC back in 2018 along with every single update, patch and DLC pack released to date, now available to play on your favourite Switch-able Nintendo console. We recently caught up with director Rich Newbold and the team at Frontier for a remote hands-off demo and a chat about its journey to Switch, and after probing to find out what might have been lost in translation to the handheld platform, it seems this game really earns its subtitle.
Our session began with a look at the main campaign mode. Preserving the full experience on Switch seems to have been Frontier’s top priority. During the demo, Rich described how every studio department revisited its previous work to rework audio codecs, textures, game code and more with optimisations across the board. For a game that originally began development well before Switch was ever announced, a handheld port was always going to be complicated, but the team was up for the challenge.
According to Newbold, a Switch version was first properly discussed following the release of the ‘Return to Jurassic Park’ DLC pack last year, which saw Sam Neill, Laura Dern and the inimitable Jeff Goldblum reprise their roles in a scenario set just following the events of the 1993 film. Being big fans of Switch, the team proceeded with preliminary tests on the platform and were evidently satisfied with the results. Given the type of game — with players able to zoom in and drive jeeps around the park, or zoom right out and view the entire park and terrain from afar — it’s certainly not the easiest genre to port to a handheld, but what we’ve seen so far is encouraging.
After viewing Jurassic World Evolution running on Switch for around 40-minutes, Frontier seems to have done a commendable job… it ran well for the duration and looked better than we expected
After viewing Jurassic World Evolution running on Switch for around 40-minutes, Frontier seems to have done a commendable job (check out the video at the bottom of the page for edited highlights of our session). Taking into account the familiar caveats of the console’s mobile chipset versus other non-portable systems, it ran well for the duration and looked better than we expected. It’s certainly worlds away from the horrors of certain other dino-filled ports we’ve witnessed on Switch, and although it remains to be seen how gameplay holds up in handheld mode, docked mode looked acceptably solid.
No, you’re obviously not getting the crispest foliage or the highest LODs or a locked frame rate, and you’ll notice distant trees and shadows fade into view as you pan around the terrain, but given the scale of the world and nature of this park sim, performance and texture detail on the dinos in particular was surprisingly good.
All the beasties you’d want to see from across the entire franchise are faithfully reproduced and available to breed and release (once you’ve obtained the requisite DNA), and Frontier paid close attention to the differences between the representations of the same species between movies. Triceratops from ‘Return to Jurassic Park’, for example, are based on Stan Lee’s animatronic model from Spielberg’s original movie; the more modern iteration is subtly different, and this impressive eye for detail extends to the buildings and other facilities you’ll place around your park as well.
During the demo, Rich described the new behaviours and additional aspects of the dinosaurs that the team had to be implemented beyond what you see in the films — sleeping dinosaurs, for example. Managing the happiness and well-being of the animals and park guests is one of your primary goals, and building and maintaining the appropriate amenities affects your overall rating. You’ll also have to deal with other (dino) crises, including storms and disease. However, we’re reliably informed that at no point are players required to go elbow-deep into a steaming pile of triceratops dung. Frontier side-stepped replicating that particular facet of the universe. Probably for the best.
The team’s attention to detail will excite anyone who loves any or all of the movies. As we mentioned, the Complete Edition comes with every expansion (so that’s ‘Return to Jurassic Park’, ‘Claire’s Sanctuary’, and ‘Secrets of Dr. Wu’). You also get four Dinosaur Packs and the Raptor Squad Skin Collection into the bargain. If you simply want to build a kickass dinosaur park without the pressures of storms or saboteurs knocking out the power supply and escaped dinosaurs eating your customers, Sandbox mode offers a totally tweakable experience. Turn off any threats, adjust the day-night cycle to whatever you wish (it cycles approximately every 15 minutes in the regular modes) and simply build the island how you desire without the worries of making money or keeping animals and attendees in check.
the only difference [between versions] mentioned during our demo is a 100-dinosaur limit in the Switch version designed to maintain a smooth experience
If you’ve played the game elsewhere and were hoping to pick up where you left off on Switch, you’re out of luck unfortunately: there’s no cross-play or cross-save compatibility here. There’s no touchscreen implementation, either, with the total rework to the user interface and text this would require cited as the reason. UI and text scaling between docked and handheld modes apparently isn’t employed, although for the most part, the interface looked reasonably legible to our eyes. The frequent use of capital letters helps keep the most important info readable, although you may have to crack out your specs for the tool tips, flavour text and dilogue snippets (which are voiced anyway). We’ve seen far worse offenders when it comes to small text on Switch, although how text holds up on Switch Lite’s smaller screen will be something to investigate.
While the lack new or Switch-specific features may be a tad disappointing, the game maintains almost 100% feature parity with other versions. In fact, the only difference mentioned during our demo is a 100-dinosaur limit in the Switch version designed to maintain a smooth experience. That’s still a fairly large number, and far from a deal-breaker if you’re interested in the building dino parks on-the-go, but it’s still a limit that doesn’t exist elsewhere. Given the restrictions of the platform and the desire for smooth performance, it’s probably the right compromise to make.
Speaking of smooth performance, the majority of the movies’ principle surviving actors reprise their roles (with the notable exception of Chris Pratt). Rich tells us that working with them was a particular delight as, having lived with the characters for many years, they provided their own insights and suggestions for dialogue tweaks. Happily, it seems the bespokely eccentric Jeff Goldblum was more invested in this project than previous Jurassic Park video games.
Add in some classic John Williams musical cues (tastefully and sparingly weaved into the fabric of the soundscape so as not to pall after the fortieth time you hear ‘dah-dah-DAAA-dah-daaah’), as well as the vehicles, architecture and calamitous atmosphere of the movies, and this could be the perfect way for Switch-owning franchise fans to get their dino fix while waiting for the upcoming film in 2022. We enquired as to future DLC plans or tie-ins, although Frontier has nothing to announce on that front.
Overall, we went into the demo ready to accept compromises but, from what we’ve seen, Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition looks to translate the experience to Switch in largely intact form and we’re eager to get our hands on it. And we haven’t even mentioned that it’s got Mr. DNA bouncing around the menu screen. If that doesn’t get dino-fans grinning like a ‘raptor, we don’t know what will.
Well, would you look at that — not a single ‘life found a way’ throughout the entire article! Our thanks to Rich and the team at Frontier for their time.Jurassic World Evolution: Complete Edition is out on Switch eShop on 3rd November 2020. It’s confirmed to be a digital-only release on Switch at present, with no current plans for a physical version
Let us know your thoughts on what you’ve seen so far below, and look out for our review of the game in the coming weeks.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 10-13-2020, 12:01 AM - Forum: Python
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9 Freelance Developer Books Every Coder Must Read
Freelancing is the new mega trend of our time. Large freelancing platforms such as Upwork and Fiverr grow double-digit—they’re out to disrupt the organization of the world’s talents. And it seems like they’re succeeding!
Do you want to participate in this trend rather than only holding on to your cozy developer job as long as you can? Between you and your freelance developing success is only one thing: education.
This article shows you how to accelerate your career as a freelance developer by presenting you the best freelance developer books on the market. Reading books is among the highest-ROI activity you can do as a self-employed full-time or part-time freelance developer.
So, here’s an overview of the 9 best freelance developer books every coder must read!
Leaving the Rat Race with Python shows you how to nurture, grow, and harness your work-from-home coding business online — and live the good life!
It’s an insider’s guide to freelance developing. Start your new thriving coding business now!
Do you want to learn about becoming a Python freelancer and start your thriving coding business online?
Do you want to regain control of your life?
Are you committed to succeeding in life and business?
This practical how-to book will help you nurture, grow, and harness your new online coding business plant—even if you’ve got little or no experience as a programmer and business owner.
“The Software Engineer’s Guide to Freelance Consulting will help teach you to be an effective freelance software consultant, which will enable you make more money, dedicate more time to hobbies, spend more time with your loved-ones and even discover new businesses.”
“Are you ready to jump-start your freelance career? Freelance Newbie has you covered! In this book, you’ll learn practical, actionable steps you can start using today to get your first client by the end of the week. Featuring all the methods, techniques, tips, tricks, and insights you need to succeed, Freelance Newbie was written by a working freelancer whose mission is to help people like you find personal success and financial independence. The material you’ll read here has never been featured at a lower price — you simply cannot get this kind of value for less. We go through everything step-by-step with real-world examples so you know exactly what you need to do to become a successful freelancer.”
“This book dives deep on making freelancing more stable, beating “treading water” cycles, repelling ‘bad apple’ clients, multiplying online exposure and follows the journey of Liam, with honest, clear advice and guidance from laptop and rented desk to $1m web agency.”
“Working for a design company? Freelancing? Under-utilised, unappreciated or uninspired? Do you want to break free from employment and run your own business, call the shots, and be your own boss? This is the book for you.”
“Done right, a web design business can be an excellent way to create a main source of income. The problem many face is getting enough clients to provide that income without giving up everything else in life to support their business.Whether you’re thinking about doing web design on the side or you have an established business, this book is for you. You’ll learn easy-to-implement strategies to set up your business for success. Web design is a fun, profitable and fulfilling business you can do anywhere with an internet connection. But for many it can be a roller coaster ride of feast or famine, wondering when they’re going to get their next client. Or having so many projects to juggle that they feel overwhelmed. What many web designers take for granted is learning how to take the art and skill of web design and turn it into a profitable business. That’s what Secrets to Scale will show you.Learn how to take the art and skill of web design and turn it into a profitable business—one that doesn’t make you extremely stressed.”
“Most business books give you the same old advice: Write a business plan, study the competition, seek investors, yadda yadda. If you’re looking for a book like that, put this one back on the shelf.”
“In this thoroughly revised edition of his classic book, Alan Weiss shows how consulting fees are dependent on only two things: value provided in the perception of the buyer and the intent of the buyer and the consultant to act ethically. Many consultants, however, fail to understand that perceived value is the basis of the fee, or that they must translate the importance of their advice into long-term gains for the client in the client’s perception. Still others fail to have the courage and the belief system that support the high value delivered to clients, thereby reducing fees to a level commensurate with the consultant’s own low self-esteem. Ultimately, says Weiss, consultants, not clients, are the main cause of low consulting fees.”
“Many developers would love to go solo and be their own boss. Being self-un-employed can be great, but it’s not easy. Bear Cahill has been a professional software developer at companies since 1990 and freelance since 2008. He has learned vital lessons, many the hard way, and has shared them in this book. Learn great practices about how to manage clients, watch for red flags and thoughts on invoicing practices. Though Bear’s insight you’ll see way a bad client is worse than no client. You’ll have a better picture of what to charge a client – one of the key things that makes it hard for many developers to stay freelance. The wisdom and knowledge it takes to stay solo for the long-term doesn’t come easy. To find so many valuable lessons in one place is rare. If you desire to be on your own, be your own boss and control your destiny, this book is for you. While developers are smart, motivated people, that isn’t all that it takes. You need to understand the dynamics of being freelance, how to deal with clients, how to manage the business, sales… and everything else. Are you good with people? Are you social? Do you balance your time, relationships, priorities and budget well? Do you have a passion for development but not able to wear the hats necessary? This book will help show you the things to consider both in concept and concretely in navigating the waters alone.”
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.
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Premium & Paradox World Space Sale
Age of Wonders: Planetfall Premium Edition at 75% OFF
[www.indiegala.com] Discover a rich science-fiction world in the world & age of Planetfall. Age of Wonders Planetfall: Premium Edition is the complete Planetfall experience and includes the Deluxe Edition Content and the Season Pass, which gives players access to three upcoming expansions and an instant reward.
According to multiple sources informed on the matter, both Level-5 International America and its subsidiary office Level-5 Abby started shuttering last year, including laying off the majority of each office's staff. The actual numbers on how many folks were impacted and how many remain are still unclear, but sources estimate about ten employees were laid off from Abby and a similar amount were let go from International America.
Though sources say there was no explicit reason given for the layoffs, those connected to Abby reported that employees were given "every indication" that the studio would be shutting down, with a few employees lingering to finish up essential functions while the company wrapped its consolidation between the Japan office and Dentsu, an international branding and advertisement company.
Popular Twitch And TikTok Star Pokeprincxss Has Been Sued By Nintendo
Popular TikTok user and Twitch streamer Pokeprincxss has been forced to rebrand and hand over money to Nintendo after being sued by the company.
Gaining a mighty 1.9 million followers on TikTok and more than 50,000 followers on Twitch, the star has been selling merchandise based around her branding and also trademarked her username. Her name and merchandise are both inspired by the Pokémon franchise, with items including imagery of things like Poké Balls.
The star has taken to YouTube to explain the reasoning behind her sudden channel name change, telling viewers that she’ll now be known as digitalprincxss, dropping the ‘Poke’ from the name altogether. “I was young and dumb and I was just going full force with it because I didn’t know what I was doing was wrong,” she says (thanks, GameRant).
Pokeprincxss – now digitalprincxss – has received a cease and desist from Nintendo, and believes that it may have been issued thanks to the merchandise imagery, her trademark, and the fact that she also works in the adult entertainment industry, presuming that Nintendo might have wanted to distance itself to keep up with its family-friendly image.
Nintendo has revealed that it will be permanently reducing the price of its Switch Joy-Con controllers in Japan, starting from next month.
From 6th November, the price of a single Joy-Con controller will be revised from 4,480 yen + tax to 3,740 yen + tax, which is a drop of about 16.5%. The price reduction will apply to single Joy-Con products only, meaning Switch owners will still pay the same, regular price for a complete pack of two (thanks, Japanese Nintendo).
Users in Japan can buy Grey, Neon Red, Neon Blue, Neon Yellow, Neon Green, Red, and Neon Pink Joy-Con from the country’s official store.
Naturally, then, we can’t help but wonder whether or not a similar pricing restructure will arrive here in the west. Could we be about to see a permanent reduction in price across Europe and the US, or will this remain a Japan-only deal?
We’re sure a drop in price would be well received, especially with all of the Joy-Con drift issues we’ve been seeing, but feel free to have your say in the comments below. Do you think we’ll see a price drop soon?
Xbox Insider Release Notes – Beta (2010.201001-0000)
Hey Xbox Insiders! We have a new Xbox One update preview coming to the Beta ring. It’s important we note that some updates made in these preview OS builds include background improvements that ensure a quality and stable build for Xbox One.
We continue to post these release notes, even when the noticeable changes to the UI are minimal, so you’re aware when updates are coming to your device. Details can be found below!
System Update Details:
OS version released: RS_XBOX_RELEASE_2010\19041.4943.201001-0000
Available: 6 p.m. PT – October 2, 2020
Mandatory: 3 a.m. PT – October 3, 2020
Fixes Implemented
Thanks to the hard work of Xbox engineers, we are happy to announce the following fixes have been implemented for this build:
Profile
Fixed an issue with text not displaying correctly when comparing achievements.
Settings
The time zone information should now display correctly in the menu.
System
Various updates to properly reflect local languages across the console
Note: Users participating in Preview may see “odd” text across the console, for more information go here.
Known Issues
We understand some issues have been listed in previous Xbox Insider Release Notes. These items aren’t being ignored, but it will take Xbox engineers more time to find a solution.
We’re still tracking these known issues:
Audio
Some users have reported that Dolby Atmos for Headphones audio setting changes when the console is rebooted/updated.
Note: If you attempt to set the audio to Dolby Atmos for Headphones and see a message advising you to launch the Dolby Access App, please file feedback before launching the app.
Guide
We are investigating reports of the audio mixer being unable to adjust chat/game audio levels.
There are reports from users that the Guide not launching or loading.
My Games & Apps
Users have reported seeing black tiles instead of game artwork when browsing their collection.
Note: We are still investigating the issue, please report the issue again from the console if you have done so with a prior update and are still seeing this behavior.
Some titles in collection may appear with a “trial” tag incorrectly in collection.
The text for “Ready to Start” when installing a game may not display correctly.
Profile Color
Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.
Make sure to use Report a problem to keep us informed of your issue. We may not be able to respond to everyone, but the data we’ll gather is crucial to finding a resolution.
How to Get Xbox Insider Support
If you’re an Xbox Insider looking for support, please reach out to the community subreddit. Official Xbox staff, moderators, and fellow Xbox Insiders are there to help with your concerns.
When posting to the subreddit, please look through most recent posts to see if your issue has already been posted or addressed. We always recommend adding to threads with the same issue before posting a brand new one. This helps us support you the best we can! Don’t forget to use “Report a problem” before posting—the information shared in both places helps us understand your issue better.
Thank you to every Xbox Insider in the subreddit today. We love that it has become such a friendly and community-driven hub of conversation and support.
For more information regarding the Xbox Insider Program follow us on Twitter. Keep an eye on future Xbox Insider Release Notes for more information regarding your Xbox One Update Preview ring!
Unknown number of layoffs at GameSpot following Red Ventures deal
A unknown number of GameSpot employees have been laid off following its acquisition by Red Ventures.
GameSpot senior social producer Ashley Oh, branded content editor Will Fulton, Australian editor and senior video producer Edmond Tran, host and producer Jess McDonell, and producer Tony Wilson all announced their departures on Twitter, and some indicated the redundancies are linked to the recent Red Ventures deal.
Red Ventures agreed to buy CNET Media Group, which also includes brands like Metacritic, Giant Bomb, and CNET, in a $500 million deal last month. Commenting on the layoffs in a statement to GamesIndustry.biz, the company said it would “retain a vast majority” of staff, thereby confirming (in a rather roundabout way) that some would be let go.
“As part of Red Ventures acquisition agreement with ViacomCBS, Red Ventures will retain a vast majority of CNET Media Group employees and assets under the Red Ventures business umbrella,” said the company. “The deal has not closed and to protect the privacy of our employees we cannot release additional information at this time.”
Kids vs. Zombies dev Donut Lab raises $1.6 million
Russia-based Donut Lab, creator of the in-development mobile game Kids vs. Zombies, has raised $1.6 million in funding, VentureBeat reports.
Game investment firm Level-Up out of Luxembourg led the round. Kids vs. Zombies is currently on Google Play in early access, and will eventually release on iOS, according to the report. The game adopts a free-to-play model, monetizing cosmetic virtual items and abilities.
“For the mainstream audience, we really wanted to make the game without a lot of violence,” Donut Lab cofounder Tim Raiter said. “They are fighting against mediocrity, boredom, and the adults who become the zombies.”
