Silent Hills Hacker Finds Their Way Into The Town In The P.T. Demo
Silent Hills, despite having been cancelled back in 2015, continues to serve up new mysteries and reveals years later thanks to the work of one enterprising YouTuber. The town of Silent Hill appears briefly in the final cutscene of the game's demo, P.T. (short for playable teaser,) and game hacker Lance McDonald has found a way to walk through director Hideo Kojima's version of it.
McDonald, who previously revealed that Lisa follows you throughout the game and that you're playing as Norman Reedus the whole time, was able to connect the map for the town to a doorway from early in the demo, but there was an initial problem--because the town was not designed for the player to walk through, there's no collision, and you fall through the ground immediately.
Incredibly, Lisa pops up and grabs you if this happens, allowing the game to reset any player who manages to clip through the environment (which also gives the video below a proper jump scare.)
To counteract this, McDonald had to patch the game to make the player float slightly above the ground, which allows him to explore the town without issue.
If you've finished P.T., you'll recognize the trail of blood on the ground--McDonald follows it, but it doesn't lead anywhere too exciting. In fact, Silent Hill, quite eerily, feels like a regular town in many ways. There are a lot of low-poly assets, but also lots of attention to detail--the air conditioners and staircases have been hand-placed on each building to avoid repetition, for instance, and potted plants are placed realistically.
As McDonald notes, the town feels simultaneously under construction and abandoned, which is a hallmark of the Silent Hill series. It also stretches back quite far, and features a mysterious bridge that you can walk under right in the middle of the street at the edge of the map.
There are no major revelations or reveals here, but it's a very interesting look at how Silent Hill itself might have looked if the game was ever completed. Instead, Kojima and Norman Reedus went on to create Death Stranding.
Kojima has recently hinted at a return to horror, and while we won't be seeing him work on the Silent Hill franchise any time soon, it's possible that he'll return to some of his ideas for the game in the future.
A Xenosaga Collection Was Scrapped Due To Profitability Concerns
A collection of games in the “Xeno” series was canned because Bandai Namco was concerned it wouldn’t sell in the numbers required to turn a profit, according to general manager Katsuhiro Harada.
Given the interest in the franchise, you’d think it would be a dead cert as far as a collection was concerned, but that’s not the case, says Harada – although some work was carried out before the plug was pulled:
This actually progressed to the remaster’s plan, but failed in a profitable market analysis. Sorry guys, This plan will be difficult to resurface…
To be fair, not all of the Xenosaga games made it to the west so any collection would involve a considerable amount of localisation work.
Would you have bought this collection if it had happened? Let us know with a comment.
In this series of end-of-year features, we’re summing up some of 2019’s biggest talking points.
2019’s biggest talking point from a pure hardware perspective was the release of the Switch Lite, Nintendo’s first major revision of the popular Switch system. While it removes some of the console’s core features – such as the ability to ‘switch’ between portable and home console modes – its solid design and lower price will make it a very appealing prospect for parents with young children.
Indeed, the Switch Lite is expected to fill the void left by the departing 3DS range, which will surely see the end of the line in 2020. While seasoned Switch players will no doubt be waiting for the arrival of the inevitable ‘Pro’ model, the Lite offers the ideal entry point for newcomers – and those dedicated enough to need a second Switch console for long trips.
There were some who doubted the sense in creating a Switch which can’t switch, but the sales figures justify Nintendo’s approach; the Switch Lite has sold strongly, as has the original model, throughout 2019. The introduction of a second SKU alongside an already decent selling platform means Nintendo may well achieve the goal of beating the Wii’s lifetime sales – although the DS may be out of reach.
Did you pick up a Switch Lite in 2019, or do you still think it’s a pointless console, given that it can’t toggle between handheld and docked modes? Let us know with a comment.
Apple will donate funds to ongoing relief efforts in Australia, where a dangerous combination of record temperatures, high winds and drought over the past two months set the stage for dozens of devastating brush fires.
Apple CEO Tim Cook in a tweet on Thursday extended sympathy to Australians impacted by the more than 100 fires that pock mark the landscape in New South Wales, Queensland and South Australia.
“Our hearts are with those impacted by the Australian bushfires and with the courageous volunteer force fighting the unprecedented blazes across the country—please stay safe,” Cook said in a tweet. “Apple will be donating to support relief efforts.”
Cook did not specify how Apple will contribute, though the company has in the past donated funds to local non-profits and emergency service organizations during similar situations.
Australian firefighting agencies are currently battling a series of blazes across multiple states, a collective conflagration thought to be among the worst on record. The fires, sparked by extreme seasonal weather conditions, have destroyed towns, millions of acres of land and claimed the lives of at least nine people.
Australia’s brush fires are taking a toll on local fauna, with recent reports estimating the decimation of some 30% of NSW’s koala population.
The country declared a national emergency last week. Federal and state firefighters from the U.S. were sent to Australia to assist in quelling the wild fires this week.
Apple commonly responds to catastrophes and natural disasters with financial aid. In 2018 the company provided $1 million contributions for victims of the Kerala floods in India, relief efforts following the Sulawesi earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia, and Red Cross activity after the California wild fires and Hurricane Florence. Apple last donated to an emergency relief effort during this year’s bout of California wild fires in October.
It’s this time of the year again — the time to reflect, and look back at some Fedora Magazine’s most popular articles in 2019. This time it’s all about desktop users. Let’s highlight a few of the many articles written by our great contributors in 2019, focusing on Fedora as a desktop OS.
Dash to Dock extension for Workstation
When you’re serious about your desktop, and perhaps using many applications, you might want to see what’s going on at all times. Or at least the icons. The article below shows you how to have a dock at the bottom of your screen, with all your apps — both running and favourites — visible at all times.
When you like how your Linux desktop works, but not so much how it looks, there is a solution. The following article shows you how to tweak the look of your windows, icons, the mouse cursor, and the whole environment as well — all that within GNOME, the Workstation’s default environment.
One of the great things about Linux desktop is the never ending possibilities of customisation. And that includes window managers, too! The following article shows how to use one of the very popular ones — i3 — with multiple monitors.
If you’re looking for speed, simplicity, and getting out of the user’s way, you might like IceWM. The following article introduces this minimal window manager, and helps you install it, too, should you be interested.
Stay tuned for even more upcoming “Best of 2019” articles. All of us at the Magazine hope you have a relaxing holiday season, and wish you a happy new year.
Random: Why Pikachu Is No Longer As Chubby As It Once Was
When Pokémon first arrived on the Game Boy in 1996, Pikachu was illustrated as a plump electric rodent that looked far from agile. It wasn’t until later on in the series, the face of the pocket monster franchise got an artistic makeover, making him slightly less chubby.
What was the reason behind the change, though? If it wasn’t already obvious, it was due to the influence of the anime series at the time. During an interview with the Yomiuri Newspaper in 2018 – as recently shared by YouTuber Dr. Lava – the character designer and art director of the Pokémon series Ken Sugimori explained these changes in detail:
We were also influenced by the introduction of the [anime]. Since the animation had them doing a variety of movements, including human-like gestures, we changed the shape of Pikachu’s body to make acting easier. While Pikachu was originally very short and stout, we gradually gave it a more defined neck and elongated its spine
The Pikachu appearing in the Pokemon series after the broadcast of the animated series was influenced by how it appeared in the show. Also, I had no idea they were going to make it cry ‘Pikachu.’ It’s like a cat crying out the word ‘cat.’.
If you miss the older version of Pikachu, the recent release of Pokémon Sword and Shield on the Switch somewhat makes up for it, with the addition of Gigantamax Pikachu. This Pikachu has little resemblance to the famous one we know and love nowadays and is arguably closer to the original Pokémon design.
Do you like the current design of Pikachu? Have you encountered its Gigantamax version in Sword and Shield yet? Leave a comment down below.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-28-2019, 12:31 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Psychonauts 2 - Tony Wilson's Most Anticipated Game Of 2020
2020 is almost here, so we've asked GameSpot's staff to share which games they're looking forward to most in the new year. New consoles are going to dominate the headlines, but at the end of the day it's all about the games, and there are a ton of exciting ones to look forward to. When you're done reading this entry, follow along with all of our other end-of-the-year coverage collected in our Best of 2019 hub and our Most Anticipated of 2020 hub.
When the original Psychonauts launched in 2005, the platformer's heyday was already fizzling out--contemporary action games like God of War, Resident Evil 4, and Gears of War saw to that. Fortunately, platformers are far more common again these days thanks to indie developers, which has once again saturated the genre. Still, I look to Psychonauts 2 to remind me why I love the platformers, but in new ways.
In Psychonauts 2, I am most excited about the level design. The original game's stages were created around the psyche of various characters whom our hero Raz is trying to help. Physical education teacher Coach Oleander sees the world as a Normandy-esque battlefield; conspiracy-theory loving security guard Boyd Cooper is plagued with anxieties of undercover milkmen secretly spying on suburban households. This reflexive level design is the embodiment of "show, don't tell," a narrative concept that lets the player discover more about characters without overlong cutscenes or expository text boxes. And the ideas are ridiculous enough that you can laugh at each stage you're leaping through--there's a circus made of meat in there for Crueller's sake.
I'm excited to see what level design concepts the sequel explores, especially since we'll be meeting a whole new cast of characters. The adventure picks up right where VR spin-off Rhombus of Ruin left off, with Raz and company arriving at Psychonauts HQ. Apparently, the organization has been up to no good, and at least one agent has been dabbling in necromancy. I can't even imagine what mental gymnastics they did to justify that--or what literal gymnastics I'll do in the level based on this necromancer's mind.
It's been a long journey for Psychonauts 2, one that started with a super successful Kickstarter campaign in January 2016. We didn't end up seeing an official first trailer until The Game Awards 2018. Despite the surprise reveal, the sequel was later pushed back until at least 2019--the first of two delays. The second came after Microsoft acquired developer Double Fine, who, despite announcing it'll be publishing Psychonauts 2, will still be releasing the game on PS4 and PC as well. However, just a few weeks after that announcement, the game was delayed again, this time into 2020. I genuinely hope that's the last one because I want to get my telekinetic hands around Psychonauts 2 soon.
Vigor Introduces Battle Pass with Update 1.2: Preppers
Summary
Update 1.2: Preppers includes a ton of new additions and tweaks to Vigoron Xbox One
Included in Update 1.2 is the addition of the Battle Pass
Players can opt to get the premium pass at any time within the season, instantly unlocking all the rewards from levels already achieved
Hei Outlanders.
Update 1.1: Bridges was an interesting ride for everyone. The Buried Caches became a focal point of encounters for many Outlanders, a brand-new map challenged inexperienced and veteran players alike, and the introduction of weight influence was… well… a love-hate feature within the community. We followed 1.1 with minor updates that improved the overall experience (at the cost of some hiccoughs) – be it increasing the number of Crowns in every package, improving matchmaking, or adding the option to risk more for the chance of better rewards with multiple boosters. Update 1.2: Preppers aims to amplify these efforts with a ton of new additions and tweaks.
The Battle Pass
Possibly the most prominent addition is the Battle Pass. You asked for more measurable progression other than the Shelter itself, and we listened. Almost every action you take in Vigor now awards some Experience Points (XP), and you can gain this XP in a variety of ways. You can collect resources, open crates, send food to people in need, or hone your aim at the shooting range, to name just a few. As you earn XP, you gain levels in the Battle Pass and receive various cool rewards along the way. If you want more, you can get even better rewards with the Premium Battle Pass. Players can opt to get the premium pass at any time within the season, instantly unlocking all the rewards from levels already achieved. But keep in mind, some of the premium rewards help you level your Battle Pass faster, so sooner is better than later if you go for this option.
Season 1: Preppers
Only the best Outlanders are getting a hazmat suit this time around, and that’s A-OK with the Preppers. Preppers always readied themselves for what might come, and now their forward-thinking is paying off. Be it hazardous environments, wide-spread infection, or even nuclear war – they were ready, and they were waiting. Stocked food rations, fortified housing, elaborate survival tools… nothing can catch a Prepper off-guard. In post-war Norway, such a mindset comes in handy, and you, Outlander, can become one of them. Show the world how you thrive in the wake of humanity’s fall – your Prepper mentality will serve you well from here on out.
Tools
Homemade tools are a staple in any Prepper’s repertoire. Three
new consumables are now available to use in Encounters – the Alarm Trap reveals
Outlanders trespassing within the vicinity, the Contact Bomb will explode and
deal significant damage if someone gets too close, and the Transmitter acts as
a decoy should someone use the Radio Signal Detector. While these tools will
take up slots in your inventory, using them wisely is a good way to turn an
Encounter in your favour. All three tools can be found in the Outlands, but if
you want to craft them yourself the plans are available in the Battle Pass.
Crafting Boosters
With all the new additions, you may want to head into Encounters
as fast as possible. But getting ready sometimes takes a while, as you may need
to craft your weapons first. With the introduction of the Crafting Boosters,
there’s now a sure-fire way to speed things up, as these boosters let you
significantly shorten crafting times. Players will, however, still need the
proper plans and enough materials to be able to craft the weapon they want.
Charity Box Rewards, Shooting Range Moving Targets, and More…
There are plenty of other additions coming with 1.2. Even with
the improvements to our changelogs, we would still like to point out a few.
Based on your feedback, we added rewards for helping others via the Charity
Box. The more food you send to people in need, the bigger and better the
rewards. We also plan to reset the progress of the Charity Box on a regular
basis to provide more opportunities in the future.
Regarding the Shelter: the Shooting Range got a ton of improvements, including an array of new challenges with more diverse challenge options (plus, you’ll now have more new guns to try out on the range!). As requested, we have also added moving targets, so fire them up, train your aim, and lead those shots! Speaking of challenges, a bunch of new types are also coming to the Daily Challenges rotation to add some more diversity and keep things fresh. And last but definitely not least, we listened to the feedback on team-killing and from now on team killers won’t be able to loot their teammate’s corpse. This, along with being marked as a Team Killer, should make “friendly fire” a lot less common in random duos.
Christmas in the Outlands
The first thing you’ll most likely notice when entering Vigor
after Update 1.2: Preppers is the change of season. All the maps, and your
Shelter, will get a good helping of Christmas cheer as a respite from the
brutal struggle of post-war Norway. And we hope you’ll be pleasantly surprised
by the many Easter Eggs coming with this – feel free to share the ones you’re
able to find! As always, we look forward to all your feedback. Let’s celebrate
Christmas in post-war Norway together, Outlanders.
Moon Studios – award-winning creators of Ori and the Blind Forest and Ori and the Will of the Wisps – are looking for Senior Game Designers. After redefining the Metroidvania genre with the Ori series, our next goal is to revolutionize the ARPG genre.
Join our family, help us create some of the best games the industry has ever seen and work with some of the most talented individuals in the world!
Please note that Moon Studios is a distributed development studio: Everyone at Moon works remotely and we accept job applications from participants all over the world!
We’re looking for:
We want you to be:
A Designer by heart: While playing games, you just intuitively know how to improve upon the weaker aspects of a title. You indulge in analyzing things that don’t quite work and love to think about how this or that aspect could have been perfected.
Experienced: You’ve worked in the industry before and know the ropes. You’re looking for a no-bullshit studio to call home where you can voice your opinions and work with the best talent this industry has to offer!
Passionate: You’ve played and studied RPGs your whole life and you still can’t get enough of them. You have a love for all things Diablo, Zelda, Dark Souls and other games in the genre. You’d love the opportunity to work on an RPG that dares to innovate and go far beyond what the genre has offered players thus far.
Open to new challenges: We’re constantly striving to raise the bar here at Moon Studios. We’re not looking for specialists in one field or genre, we want you to be open to help wherever help is needed and be the well-rounded multi-talented creative genius you are.
A cool dude / dudette: Life is too short to deal with Prima Donnas: You’re cool, open-minded and always willing to learn new things.
Whether you’re just starting out, looking for something new, or just seeing what’s out there, the Gamasutra Job Board is the place where game developers move ahead in their careers.
Gamasutra’s Job Board is the most diverse, most active, and most established board of its kind in the video game industry, serving companies of all sizes, from indie to triple-A.
Every major older version of Dead Cells is now preserved and playable on Steam
Motion Twin’s latest update to the Steam version of Dead Cells gives its players the option to roll back their game to any major iteration of Dead Cells, all the way back to its early access days.
It’s an interesting feature to build into an ever evolving game, and one that likely took no small amount of effort on Motion Twin’s part. While updates bring improvements and new content, the version of any live game that exists years after launch is often quite different from the one offered on day one.
The decision to add access to older versions, the dev team explains on Steam, was driven by their awareness of how much each patch could alter Dead Cells as a game, and a desire to preserve older versions for players and devs curious about the game’s earlier days.
“We always wondered whether it would be possible to dig up the old versions of the game and store them somewhere, so that interested players and future generations of developers could look back at how our little game developed and grew into the Action Game of the Year 2018,” writes Motion Twin. “So, now you can load up every major iteration of the game from the first build of early access right up to present, and we will of course make sure that we stock all of our future major updates in there too.”
The actual option isn’t something baked into Dead Cells’ in-game menus. Rather, players are able to access Dead Cells’ properties from their Steam Library and find older versions of the game now stored under the ‘Betas ‘tab.
Other developers have undertaken a similar endeavor in the past as well, with games like The Long Dark similarly using Steam’s ‘Betas’ tab to give players the ability to roll back and play earlier versions.
“This way, the nostalgic, the ragers and the ‘it was better before’ crowd will always have the option of playing the version of the game that they loved,” writes the Dead Cells team.
