Apple has yet to introduce an expected “iPhone 12,” but an avid Twitter leaker is already sharing details on a next-next-generation handset that supposedly sports a quad-camera layout.

Windows 10 continues to play a key role in how we learn, live and work during these unique times, and we want to ensure a high quality and reliable experience, while also delivering you the latest innovations. In mid-April, we announced the initial availability of the Windows 10 May 2020 Update through the Windows Insider Program’s Release Preview ring, allowing us to both monitor and improve the quality of the release. Based on affirmative preview feedback, today we are pleased to announce that we are starting to make the May 2020 Update available. In this blog, we will cover how you can get the update and choose when to install, and availability for commercial organizations to begin targeted deployments.

How to get the Windows 10 May 2020 Update

To ensure you continue to have a reliable, productive experience with your Windows 10 devices, we are taking a measured and phased approach to how we offer the May Update, initially limiting availability to those devices running Windows 10, versions 1903 and 1909 who seek the update via Windows Update.

Beginning today, the May 2020 Update is available for customers who would like to install this latest release. If you are ready to install the update, open your Windows Update settings (Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update) and select Check for updates. Once the update appears, you can select Download and install. (Note: You may not see Download and install on your device as we are slowly throttling up this availability over the coming weeks, or your device might have a compatibility issue for which a safeguard hold is in place until we are confident that you will have a good update experience.) Once the download is complete and the update is ready to install, we’ll notify you so that you can pick the right time to finish the installation and reboot your device, ensuring the update does not disrupt your activities. This new “Download and install” capability is available for devices running Windows 10, version 1903 or version 1909. For more information on the new user update controls and how to get the May 2020 Update, watch this video.

Semi-Annual Channel released for commercial customers

Today’s release of the May 2020 Update (Windows 10, version 2004) marks the start of the 18-months servicing support lifecycle. If you’re an IT administrator, we recommend that you begin targeted deployments to validate that the apps, devices and infrastructure used by your organization work as expected with the new release and features. Windows 10, version 2004 is available through Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Windows Update for Business and the Volume Licensing Service Center (VLSC) for phased deployment using Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager or other systems management software. For information about the latest features for commercial customers, see “What’s new for IT pros in Windows 10, version 2004.” For insights on how to update, see the Windows IT Pro Blog post on feature updates while working remote. If you’re curious about Windows Server, version 2004, which was also released today, see the Windows Server Containers blog.

Keeping you protected and productive

Given all the recent changes to work and home life, we are focused on meeting you where you are and helping you adapt to these new challenges. We have often noted that being on the latest version of Windows 10 provides you with the latest features, security improvements and control. This is even more true today. The May 2020 Update offers many new features that can save you time, make you more productive and help you have fun – in addition to further enhancing your control and choices related to updates. Find out more in the “What’s new in the Windows 10 May 2020 Update” blog.

We will closely monitor the May 2020 Update experience and share timely information on the current rollout status and known issues (open and resolved) across both feature and monthly updates via the Windows release health dashboard and @WindowsUpdate. As always, please continue to tell us about your experience by providing comments or suggestions via Feedback Hub.

Steps disappear into the darkness below. Bulbs begin to buzz and flicker to life, revealing the shape of the room. A low platform extends through the center, flanked on both sides by hastily abandoned desks and consoles. Soft mechanical clicking and whirring sounds fill the air as data storage bays awaken under a blanket of dust.

Code begins to scroll across a massive collection of monitors hanging in a circular pattern in the center of the room. Random at first, the text begins to coalesce and take shape – growing to fill several of the screens with a bright golden orb that quickly scans the room before setting its gaze on the entrance. The eye of Rasputin waits.

And wait he must. The image of the Rasputin’s bunker vanishes from Dima Goryainov’s monitor as Bungie’s senior concept artist alt-tabs into a conference call. It’s 3:30 PM and that means it’s time for his team’s daily coffee break. “It’s our time to chat,” he says. “Usually we’re pretty heads down, so we try to hang out and talk about whatever’s exciting us – things that inspire our creativity.”

Finding inspiration in his peers and outside of games is something Dima is no stranger to. It’s an approach that has served him well while working on Destiny – particularly when he was tasked with designing a space in Season of the Worthy that would help players grow closer to a legendary character not known for his interpersonal skills: Rasputin, the Warmind.

A tall order, considering that at this point in Destiny’s story, Rasputin’s relationship with the Vanguard was tenuous at best. But when a new threat appeared in the skies above the Last City, a choice presented itself to both parties: work together and survive or perish alone. For Guardians, surviving meant partnering with Rasputin in a way they never have before.

The team at Bungie knew that Rasputin being open to an alliance was only half the equation – the easy half. Getting Guardians to trust him with their lives would be much harder. It required heavy lifting from writers, designers, engineers, and artists like Dima. And so, the task of making the most powerful military intelligence ever created a little more personable began.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

Dima has a unique style – a blend of graphic design and concept art that can be found throughout Destiny 2. From signage hanging on walls to the logos and iconography representing fictional organizations and foundries, it’s an aesthetic that has become inextricably linked with Destiny’s world building.

He explained that entering the game industry from a different direction began with the choice to major in graphic design and digital media instead of game art at the University of Advanced Technology. “The game art program was focused on taking direct inspiration from games and translating that into assignments. That seemed totally legitimate, but I felt that doing a program like graphic design would give me a more unique skillset. I was always interested in graphic design, industrial design, architecture, and comic books – things outside of games that I wanted to bring into concept art.”

Among the areas outside of games he draws inspiration from, he finds the dark and mysterious style of medieval design appropriate for Destiny. “A lot of it has this occult feeling to it,” Dima said. “The way it’s drawn is naive, like they’re not paying attention to anatomy, but it still works. I feel like that fits in a dark fantasy space opera.”

He also admitted a few personal influences he tries to not overuse. “I’m from Russia and I like to use things from my childhood that inspire me. Old Russian fairytales like Koschei the Deathless, Ilya Muromets, Baba Yaga, and many others. The summers I spent exploring the forest and the countryside in my great grandma’s village were a huge influence. I think I’m constantly trying to get back to that feeling I had when I was a kid.”

It’s the kind of goal that often results in work that feels tangible.

“Maybe it sounds cheesy,” Dima said. “But I credit that time with having an interest in stories about searching for adventure and mystery in different worlds. It’s why I became so interested in the world of Destiny and why I can’t believe I get to contribute to its development.”

A KINDER, FRIENDLIER WARMIND

When it came time to create the look of Rasputin’s bunkers, the request from the Design team was straight forward. They already had the gameplay systems in place and needed an area where players could communicate with Rasputin – a space that could evolve over time.

Dima had a very specific mood in mind. “On my reference board, I have a photo of Deckard’s apartment from Blade Runner,” he said. “I knew that was the feeling I wanted. It’s a dark-lit, super intimate, quiet place where players could go and hang out. I like moments in our game where you have silence. Where you’re not being shot at and you have a moment to relax and take a breath. I wanted it to be a space that you would like to be in even if you weren’t doing the mission or grinding the content.”

He thought back to one of his favorite games that had a similar vibe. “Deus Ex: Human Revolution is one of my favorite games of all time,” he said. “If I was in between missions, I could go back to Adam’s apartment and just sit and listen to the music and absorb the ambience – I wanted the Destiny version of that space.”

As pleasant as that sounded, it presented an interesting puzzle since the story called for Rasputin to be in this room with the player. And it’s one thing to make a space feel safe and inviting. It’s an entirely different thing to make that space feel comfortable when there’s a huge digital eyeball tracking you from the center of the room. Dima and his team worked to try and find subtle ways to make Rasputin less intimidating.

“Usually when you see Rasputin, he’s really far away in that massive chamber,” said Dima. “But in Season of the Worthy, the small bunker is a new place where you can be one-on-one with him as he slowly opens up to you while you learn more about him.”

Dima credits Bungie Senior Art Lead, Rob Adams with the idea to bring players physically closer to Rasputin. “It was Rob’s idea to bring Rasputin so low to the ground that you could come up to the screens and be face-to-face with him. Even a lot of the lighting decisions came from how close you’re able to stand to him. Drawing parallels between your physical and emotional distance was intentional.” Form followed function.

RASPUTIN GOES RETRO

Beyond resonating emotionally with the player, there needed to be an in-universe reason for the design of the room. So before putting pen to paper, Dima asked the question: Why did this bunker exist before players found it?

“As soon as you walk in, you understand that place was used for something,” Dima said. “This room had a purpose and a function – it wasn’t just made for gameplay. I had the idea that these bunkers were where Seraph researchers would speak with Rasputin and decode his communications.”

The relationship with the Narrative team immediately became apparent. “We work together as much as possible,” Dima said. “Sometimes Narrative will come up with ideas for a design or how a graphic should speak to specific elements. Other times, I’ll pitch something visual and it’ll end up working into the fiction.”

In this case, the fiction spoke directly to what excited Dima’s about Destiny. “Since these bunkers were from earlier versions of Rasputin, I knew that they were going to feel older technologically and that’s a big part of what Destiny is to me. Obviously we have holograms, but it’s not really super sleek Iron Man stuff – everything is tactile. Everything in Destiny feels like it has a history behind it and that it’s been touched. That’s way easier to do with physical things like screens and buttons.”

Dima leaned into the look of this older age and drew from his interest in industrial design. “There’s a single speaker in the room that Rasputin used to talk to the researchers,” he said. “The big cluster on the ceiling has all these cables, sensors, and cameras that point to the center of the room allowing Rasputin to see the person speaking to him. And as they’re speaking, there are people sitting at consoles recording everything that Rasputin is saying – decoding and storing it. So when you walk into a bunker, you start to understand the background of the Seraph researchers that made Rasputin.”

TURNING ON THE LIGHTS

The bunker is filled with elements that contribute to the atmosphere of the room while also adding to the story. Some flourishes, Dima admits, were added simply because he was looking for an excuse to design them. “I really wanted to have this analog map with physical bolts that light up,” he said. “But I kind of did that for me, because I really wanted it.” And why not? After all, who hasn’t fantasized about playing with a giant Lite-Brite?

“I didn’t really think that the map was going to get much of a reaction or that anyone was going to pay much attention to it. But from what I’ve seen, a lot of people have gravitated towards it and started speculating on what it might mean. People have messaged me and told me that it’s their favorite part of the bunker, so that was kind of cool.”

Inspiring elements continued to come from peers across the studio. One from Senior Artist, Eve Campbell and the Environment team instantly became one of Dima’s favorite things in the bunker.

“They made the screen effects look really cool when you’re talking to Rasputin,” he said. “The way he moves on the screens and tracks you across the room. It’s meant to be this intimate space that’s really comfortable but there’s this degree of uneasiness with him silently and constantly watching you. Even if you jump up and down his eye moves up and down with you.”

Instances like this, where creative partnerships resulted in something unexpected, kept surfacing. “Over time, we’ve evolved the collaboration process and it feels really organic,” Dima said.

Throughout his five years at Bungie, Dima has worked alongside peers invested in building living breathing worlds. Speaking with him leaves the impression that if you work with passionate people, a good idea – like a warmly lit bunker with a giant glowing eyeball – never stays hidden forever.

Are you a fan of Action RPGs?  Today join others and dive into the world of Minecraft in a brand new experience.  No mining, no crafting, just dungeon crawling style combat as you loot and scoot to the next pack of enemies as you fight to gain strength to take on the Arch-Illager!

Minecraft Dungeon allows you to play how you want.  There is no class system to limit you and you’re allowed to make any build you can come up with.  The sky is the limit!  There is a bit of something for everyone.  If you enjoy melee pick up a sword or an ax and charge headfirst into a pack of zombies.  Take up a bow if you want to hang back and take calculated aim at your enemies at a safe distance.  Pick up enchants and fight enemies in ways not possible in normal Minecraft.  Fight fire with fire, freeze your enemies with your ice, or maybe you rather steal the souls of your enemies to use against them.  Have fun, share your builds, but most importantly have fun.

If you’re interested in picking this up just head over to minecraft.net if you play on Windows and navigate to the Dungeons page to purchase your copy today.  Not playing on Windows or prefer another method?  Minecraft Dungeon is also available on Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Nintendo Switch.  Play alone, play local co-op with up to 4 players or even play online with others.

While we don’t have a specified section for Minecraft Dungeons, feel free to discuss in Minecraft: Discussions and share your builds, tips, and secrets you may find!

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.

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[Mario steamroller-ing pirate cartridges at a Dutch airport will now haunt your dreams?]

Goodness, it’s time for yet another Video Game Deep Cuts on Substack, my darlings. This week, what’s been up? Well, another interminable quarantine week, but at least the Internet continues in good form.

Hope you enjoy all of these links, and we’ll be back midweek with the latest ‘All-Time Greats’ picks from a guest.

– Simon, curator

The Current: New Games To Consider

The Culture: Game Culture & Deep Dives

The Past: Game History

The Other Goodness

Thanks for reading, and see you next week!
Simon.

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.

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The interactive narrative is still uncharted territory. Designers haven’t quite figured out where to stand between player agency and guided storytelling, branching stories and linear ones, and other huge matters about stories in games.
This exploration is far from over, but it’s moving fast. Every day new narrative-based games come out, and many of them are actually trying new ways to convey narrative.
Anyway, I’m not here to go further in this exploration. As game designers, we must not only conceive the story, but find a way to deliver it. Interactivity means this too. The audience of our story won’t just sit and listen to it. Our audience will look for the story, or run into it while experiencing pure gameplay. On the opposite, sometimes our audience will do everything he can to avoid it. Our job is to let them be immersed in our narrative, without necessarily force them to stop playing while doing so. However, sometimes we forget about the existence of many ways and spaces for our stories to be experienced. I’ve come up with the following list as a reminder of these ways. It’s a memento of gameplay moments, items, styles, and every possible part of the game that can be actually used as an instrument for narrative delivery.

Before we start, take into account the following golden rules:

1. Don’t stick to only one. Almost every game uses multiple ways to deliver narrative. If you do so, you will prevent monotony. Furthermore, every player is different. Some will avoid some kind of ways, but will eventually occur in others, more fitting their personal gameplay style. You need to diversify
2. Those methods are NOT mutually exclusive. In fact, many of your narrative moments will fall into multiple categories
3. Interactivity vs Narrative. Playing and understanding the story at the same time can be hard. If a player is busy in a complex gameplay moment, he could have some problem following someone speaking to him. This doesn’t mean narrative and gameplay moments should be separate: on the opposite, the more we merge those features, the more harmony in the experience will be achieved. But keep always in consideration the player and his multitasking limit

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The use of words is reduced. The player understands the story not while reading something, but with visual tools: pictures, photos, NPCs, and creatures’ behaviors towards him and between one each other, object degradation, level design, pace, and much more. More than a single tool, it is a quality that can be applied to other methods. Do it as much as possible, always.

PROS 

• The most elegant way of delivering narrative
• Highly effective, understandable at every level of interest by the player, from the overall tone of the game to small details of the story
• Immediate and immersive

CONS 

• The hardest to build. It requires combined work by different roles of the team. It requires a strong art direction
• Detailed info is harder to deliver, only proactive players will understand deep narrative

EXAMPLES 

• Half-Life 2
• Journey
• Inside

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The gameplay is paused, forcing the player to deal ONLY with the narrative, having sometimes the opportunity to skip it according to the importance of the passage. Cutscenes are the classic and most expensive way to do it. Use it when you need the player to experience some beat of the story.

PROS 

• The player receives the content completely, with no distraction, preventing missing important passages
• Overall high control on the passage
• High quality perceived
• If well done, it can be highly rewarding, preventing the player to suffer for the agency deprivation

CONS 

• No interactivity. Players could drop the controller, something you never want to happen
• The narrative must be engaging.
• Can be highly expensive
• Requires competence in cinematography

EXAMPLES 

• Metal Gear Saga
• Final Fantasy Saga

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NPCs talk to the character directly through some communication device or ability.

PROS 

• Every moment is ok to deliver content
• It can potentially deliver a lot of information

CONS 

• It needs a coherent explanation for consistent communication
• It requires a high amount of dubbing
• Depending on the gameplay moment, the player could ignore it

EXAMPLES 

• Borderlands Saga
• Hellblade: Senua’s Sacrifice
• Prey

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NPCs or other PCs talk to the character vis-à-vis. Sometimes they wait to be spoken with, sometimes they reach the player themselves.

PROS 

• The world looks alive
• Different NPCs can express different opinions and points of view
• Players go looking for NPCs for many gameplay reasons, like equipment and quests

CONS 

• Potentially high use of models, dubbing, writing
• The more NPCs there are, the more players is likely to skip dialogues and go back to the main gameplay

EXAMPLES 

• Fallout Saga
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
• Final Fantasy Saga
• Undertale

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An NPC follows the main character, communicating with him regularly. Alternatively, the player guides a group of characters, which interact with each other.

PROS 

• Every moment is ok to deliver content
• Great bonding with the NPC

CONS 

• A lot of AI programming
• Strong game design choice. NPC must be designed to be useful to the player, and never an obstacle, for example

EXAMPLES 

• The Last of Us
• Baldur’s Gate saga
• Oxenfree

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Often used to hide level loadings, to calm the pace of the game, to give cheap game time, or to simply make the player move from an area to another with map and space coherence. These moments, usually, have a low level of interactivity.

PROS 

• It fills an empty but necessary moment, with few, mostly mechanical gameplay and distractions for the player
• Especially useful in combination with backtracking

CONS 

• When the destination is reached, the dialogue suddenly interrupts, unless the player chooses to wait for it to end. A rough choice, he would do nothing but listen to the narrative

EXAMPLES 

• God of War (2018)
• Red Dead Redemption

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Places to visit and objects to gather are scattered over the world. Once reached, the item delivers a piece of the story/theme/setting. Very common, almost every game delivers narrative this way.

PROS 

• Players are encouraged to explore areas far from his main path, looking for items
• Often related to the achiever player type, players often look for items to achieve an objective

CONS 

• Weak, few players linger in reading books and item descriptions
  
  • This effect can be prevented with audio registration or comment by the character, but that requires more dubbing

EXAMPLES 

• The Witcher Saga
• Dishonored Saga
• Divinity: Original Sin 2

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The narrative is delivered during game loading, usually with text and images.

PROS 

• It fills an empty but necessary moment, with no gameplay and distraction for the player

CONS 

• Limited time to deliver it, hardly can give deep pieces of information
• Dependent on the quality and quantity of loading screens. Forcing a loading screen just to deliver a narrative is not recommended

EXAMPLES 

• Dark Souls
• The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim

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The player uses some specific mechanic to get in-game info.

PROS 

• The player is not forced to get any narrative, usually obtaining it alongside gameplay knowledge
• The player perceives agency upon discovering the narrative

CONS 

• No control. The skill must be cheap and useful to increase the chances the player uses it, unlocking gameplay features and upgrades

EXAMPLES 

• Final Fantasy Saga (Scan Magic)
• Prey

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NPCs deliver news about the world. They don’t address directly the main character.

PROS 

• The world looks alive and ever-changing while keeping coherence and familiarity
• The same assets can be easily recycled through the game.

CONS 

• Must change as the story progress
• Only doable in certain specific settings

EXAMPLES 

• Fallout Saga
• Dishonored

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A character (could be the main one or another one) speaks to the player or to some generic “reader” of the story.

PROS 

• Every moment is ok to deliver content
• No need for feedback or response from the game or character
• Meta-narration is a cheap way to speak about things usually hard to explain, such as feelings and thoughts

CONS 

• It requires a lot of dubbing
• Higher writing skills needed

EXAMPLES 

• Alan Wake
• The Stanley’s Parable

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The level enrichment always tells a story. This tool is strongly linked to level design prophecies. There are several ways to apply this method, from a vague atmosphere to specific writings on walls.

PROS 

• Every space is an opportunity to tell a story
• Low programming required

CONS 

• Often ignored in fast-paced experiences
• Passive tool: the player could decide to ignore it

EXAMPLES 

• Portal 2
• What Remains of Edith Finch

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Playing different characters, the player learns the same story from different points of view.

PROS 

• Wow moments, twists and turns
• It can be cheap in terms of level design: the same spaces traversed by different characters means new emotions with old levels

CONS 

• Requires deeper narrative design: the same story seen from different perspectives could result incoherent
• If the new character, and his story, doesn’t differ enough from the original, the player could feel mocked

EXAMPLES 

• Prince of Persia: Warrior Within
• Nier: Automata

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Here we are at the end of this study. I draw on this list as a tool, with two basic functions:

1. Remember ways to deliver narrative I tend to forget.
2. Remember risks and opportunities that lie in every way.

I wish it will help you as well, and inspire more discussions: in fact, this list is far from over. I can’t wait to perfect it, make it deeper, as complete as possible. Hopefully, I will soon be able to release a 2.0, with more ways and some more specific examples.