Posted by: xSicKxBot - 04-17-2019, 02:12 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
Zelda: Breath Of The Wild's Labo VR Update Further Detailed
Earlier this month, Nintendo announced that two of Switch's best games, Super Mario Odyssey and The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, will receive Labo VR support via free updates on April 25. The former will get a new VR mode that consists of a handful of mini-missions, while the latter will be playable almost entirely in VR. Now the company has shared a few more details on how that'll work.
In a new post on the official Zelda website, Breath of the Wild technical director Takuhiro Dohta shed some more light on the game's upcoming Labo VR update. As previously confirmed, you'll be able to toggle the VR mode on or off at any time from the game's Options menu, even if you already have an existing save file. Once the option has been enabled, you'll need to insert the Switch console into the Labo VR Goggles to view the world of Hyrule in VR.
The game's controls and content will remain the same whether you play in 2D or 3D, but you'll be able to move the in-game camera by looking around with the VR Goggles (although this can also be toggled off from the Options menu). Dohta recommends trying the VR mode "when there's something interesting to see, like a location with a great view, a favorite character, or a favorite piece of equipment."
Dohta also shared some insight into how Breath of the Wild's VR update came to be. "The idea for this started when the Nintendo Labo development team gave us a demonstration of the VR Goggles for the first time," he wrote. "The experience was quite a surprise, and I started thinking that maybe we'd be able to do something with them in The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.
"First, we thought about lots of different things; locations that would be nice to see in VR, enemies that would be fun to fight… In the end, The Legend of Zelda development team reached the conclusion that, rather than change the game, we should let you play it as it is, and instead just make it so that you can use the VR Goggles to see whatever parts you want."
The Nintendo Labo VR kit is available now. The package is available in two configurations. The full suite costs $80, while the Starter Set--which comes with the Labo VR game card and the materials to build the VR Goggles and Blaster Toy-Cons--retails for $40. The remaining Toy-Cons can be purchased in $20 expansion sets. You can read more about the kit in our Labo VR review.
Remedy Entertainment, the creator of Quantum Break, Max Payne, Alan Wake, and Death Rally and one of the leading independent game studios in the world is looking for a Senior Concept Artist to help communicate and define the visual design of the game worlds for the next generation of Remedy games.
Responsibilities
You will support the art direction and production design of the game world from its environments, to the objects and characters that inhabit it.
Research and develop your concepts to support and communicate the design philosophy.
Follow deadlines and plan your own work accordingly.
Communicate effectively with other team members.
Requirements and qualifications
4+ years of experience as a concept artist in the game industry.
A portfolio that demonstrates excellent skills in creating compelling imagery with a considered design approach
Strong ability for and approach to broad research and exploration process in design development
Foundation skills in traditional drawing and painting and use of Photoshop
Eye for composition, lighting, color and value
Ability to work with critical feedback and review of work
Positive attitude to improving, researching and learning productive techniques for improving concept quality and process
The ideal candidate will also have
Interest for military aesthetics
Understanding of game production processes
Ability to visualize work in a 3D package
What is in it for you?
Yes, you get to move to Finland where the quality of life is exceptional and cost of living is affordable.
Moving to a new country can be intimidating, but our relocation service is there every step of the way to take care of you. You can concentrate on work, while we’ll take care of everything else.
You will be offered competitive compensation with a bonus system.
We work hard, but at Remedy we believe in a great work life balance. Happy people work better. In Finland you get up to 5 weeks of paid vacation every year. This is on top of public holidays and other special occasions.
Above all, you get to work on awesome, unique video games that the global audience is interested in at a studio where your input is valued. We try our hardest to keep our team sizes and the work load sensible, so your contributions feel valuable.
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.
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 04-17-2019, 02:12 AM - Forum: Lounge
- No Replies
OpenAI’s machine learning bots defeat Dota 2 champion team
A team of AI agents created and trained by the artificial intelligence startup OpenAI has taken down the reigning Dota 2 The International champions Team OG.
It’s the latest in an ongoing trend of pitting trained AI agents against professional esports teams to test their mettle, and one that showcases both the effectiveness of video games as AI training tools and how the machine learning tech itself is progressing.
ArsTechnica has a writeup and analysis on exactly how the weekend showdown transpired, but in short a team of five machine-learning-driven bots dubbed the OpenAI Five faced off against Team OG in a best-of-three match. Both of the matches—the OpenAI Five went 2-0—can be viewed in their entirety over on Twitch, complete with live commentary throughout each game.
Following the match, OpenAI has opened up sign-ups (for a limited period of time) to allow Dota 2 players to take the bot on for themselves, an opportunity that some AI-minded game devs might be interested in checking out.
The bots themselves have been gradually trained across years by playing millions of matches against themselves, and had a few limitations compared to the team of human players. While a five-person team playing Dota 2 would typically communicate with each other throughout the match, the OpenAI bots were treated as five independent players without the ability to communicate amongst each other. The bots also saw their reaction times restricted to realistic levels, and was only able to use a predetermined set of characters and items.
As Ars points out, there are other differences in technique between the human and AI players that become apparent as the matches go on, such a lack of understanding of standard MOBA techniques like pulling or last-hitting minions.
They Came From Below Brings Fresh New Content to We Happy Few on Xbox One
In the first piece of handcrafted Season Pass content, James & Roger return in an all-new We Happy Few story. Wellington Wells stands besieged by a robot uprising, but the mechanized menace isn’t the only thing threatening to tear our pair apart. Play as Roger and team up with your boyfriend James to find Dr. Faraday, explore a vast underground laboratory, and discover the source of the robot invaders before it’s too late!
Roger & James in They Came From Below adds a number of new content and features to We Happy Few in addition to a brand-new story (with a classic, sci-fi twist of course) and new locations, like Dr. Faraday’s secret laboratory. You’ll also have to content with several new robot foes, but you’ll have tools and new shiny weapons like the transforming ray gun and time-slowing chronobomb. You’ll need all the help you can get if you hope to challenge yourself in a new boss fight unlike any other in We Happy Few.
Season Pass owners have access to They Came From Below today on Xbox One. It’s also available for purchase separately on the Microsoft Store (requires the base game We Happy Few to play).
We Happy Few is available now for Xbox One on the Microsoft Store as an Xbox Play Anywhere title. It’s also available for Xbox Game Pass members.
Random: Mario And Friends Cause Metrolink Mayhem In Manchester
We can only imagine what Mancunians such as Liam Gallagher or Professor Brian Cox might have thought after the mayhem caused in Manchester, UK the other day by Mario and friends. These mischievous cosplayers renamed many of the city centre’s tram stops with a video game twist.
Commuters were left in shock at Shudehill when greeted by the gory Nurse from Silent Hill getting off the tram.
Of course, this mischief was all in aid of promoting something. In this case, it was to draw attention to the upcoming Play Expo event which takes place at Manchester Central on 4th May – 5th May.
To celebrate the imminent arrival of the expo, the entire Metrolink network was renamed by the costumed mischief makers. Other stops given the video game treatment included Market Street which became Hyrule Castle from The Legend of Zelda and Exchange Square which was renamed Raccoon City from Resident Evil.
It’s a fun little publicity stunt for sure, no doubt Manchester residents had a good chuckle. Play Expo will feature almost 1000 free to play gaming screens with a huge range of games to play from retro favourites like Pac-Man and Mario right the way up to current blockbusters like Fortnite and Minecraft.
If you’d like to find out more or buy tickets you can do so by visiting https://www.playexpomanchester.com. Let us know what you think of all this malarky with a comment below.
Cloud Foundry’s Eirini and the Commitment to Interoperability
A major theme at Cloud Foundry Summit North America last week in Philadelphia was interoperability and its importance to Cloud Foundry — as the core functional tests validating Cloud Foundry Application Runtime releases for Project Eirini begin.
Speaking to this during a podcast, hosted by The New Stack’s Alex Williams, founder and editor-in-chief, were:
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 04-17-2019, 02:12 AM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
April 2019 Xbox Update begins rolling out
Now that we are officially in Spring, it is time to start cleaning out your game backlog. Even with so much gaming to do, we have some new features to share coming to Xbox One. The April 2019 Xbox Update includes new ways to engage with Xbox Game Pass, use the virtual keyboard, and manage your digital library. Here’s a rundown of what’s new:
Streamlined Xbox Game Pass Quests Xbox Game Pass Quests are better than ever! As this feature rolls out, you will be able to access quests progress directly from the dash and browse all quests from My Profile. Start earning rewards for playing great games, jump in and try out Xbox Game Pass quests!
Mini Virtual Keyboard We understand that navigating a virtual keyboard can be a challenge whether you’re writing an LFG post for Apex Legends or inputting a 5×5 code for a new game. In order to improve this experience, we are releasing a new mini virtual keyboard option for Xbox One. This new virtual keyboard takes up less screen space, streamlining the typing experience. If you prefer or require the bigger keyboard for accessibility, it is still available and can be enabled in Settings -> Ease of Access -> Magnifier -> Larger Keyboard.
Restart added to Power Center Based on user feedback, we have added a new option to restart the console to the Power Center. You can now access this feature quickly by holding down the Xbox button on the controller to bring up the Power Center instead of having to navigate to it within the System tab.
Improved Uninstall When you try to install a new game or app today, we send you to your collection to choose what to remove if your hard drive is full. As of the April 2019 Xbox Update, we will now suggest titles that will free up enough space for your install. To make things even easier it will automatically kickoff the install once the space is freed up!
You can also get to the new Drive Manager page via Settings > System > Storage to easily manage your existing content and uninstall multiple titles at once.
Programmable OneGuide Button on Xbox Media Remote The Xbox Media Remote is updated to allow the OneGuide button to be reprogrammed to launch a media app instead of OneGuide. This is a great shortcut to jump into your favorite media app and start watching.
These updates are available based on the input from our Xbox Insiders who have helped shape these features. Thank you to all of you for your valuable input and continued participation. If you’d like to help define the future of Xbox and get access to early features, download the Xbox Insider Hub app on your Xbox One or Windows 10 PC today and share your ideas at the Xbox Ideas Hub. You can also visit the Xbox Insider Blog here for the latest release notes and to learn more. Enjoy the April Update and happy gaming!
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 04-17-2019, 02:12 AM - Forum: Windows
- No Replies
Artificial intelligence takes on ocean trash
Inspiration sometimes arrives in strange ways. Here is the story of how a dirty disposable diaper led to the development of an artificial intelligence (AI) solution to help rid the world’s coasts of massive amounts of waste and garbage.
It starts in 2005: Camden Howitt is surfing off Puerto Escondido on Mexico’s wild west coast when, suddenly, a floating diaper smacks him in the face. He paddles back to shore in disgust, only to stumble upon a discarded toilet seat lying on the sand.
When Howitt returns home to New Zealand half a world away, his heart sinks when he sees how much trash and other refuse is also washing up on its geographically isolated, and once pristine, 15,000-kilometer (9,300-mile) coastline.
Many people might merely shrug at such a seemingly intractable global problem and see it as just too hard to fix. But not Howitt. His mission became clear: He would dedicate his life to protecting paradise.
Camden Howitt, Co-Founder of Sustainable Coastlines.
Co-Founder Sam Judd came up with the idea of forming a non-profit organization while surfing in the Galápagos Islands in 2008. A year later, the two created Sustainable Coastlines in New Zealand to educate, motivate, and empower individuals and communities to clean up and restore their coastal environments and waterways.
It was the start of an obsession, and one that has just attracted a grant from AI for Earth: Microsoft’s US$50 million, five-year commitment to put AI in the hands of those working to protect our planet across four key areas – agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, and water.
Microsoft President, Brad Smith (middle), during his visit to New Zealand with Camden Howitt (right) and Sustainable Coastlines development lead Dr Sandy Britain (left).
“This kind of initiative is exactly what our planet needs – something simple, but effective, that can easily be adopted at grass-roots level to make a difference, empowering every community to keep their environment clean and make the world a better place for future generations,” Microsoft President Brad Smith said on visit to New Zealand in March.
At Lyall Bay, near the capital Wellington, Smith braved a blustery day to see the organization’s litter-busting technology in action. He helped collect garbage from the beach, then logged and categorized it in the Sustainable Coastlines’ uniquely comprehensive database.
Since it started, Sustainable Coastlines and its growing legions of volunteers have removed enough trash from shorelines around New Zealand and the Pacific to fill the equivalent of nearly 45 shipping containers. They have picked up tens of millions of individual items, 77% of which are single-use plastic.
It’s an impressive achievement, but the problem of ocean garbage is getting worse and is a global scourge that has no boundaries. Howitt ’s vision now is “to combine my deep love for the outdoors with a passion for designing systemic tools for large-scale change.” To get there, Sustainable Coastlines has teamed up with Microsoft and its innovative technology partner, Enlighten Designs.
To find out more, I recently visited Sustainable Coastlines’ headquarters in the nation’s most populous city, Auckland.
New Zealand Prime Minister, Jacinda Ardern (middle), at the opening of The Flagship Education Centre, with Sam Judd (left) and Camden Howitt (right).
Howitt looks more or less how you might expect a passionate, ocean-loving environmentalist to look. His beard is long and rugged, his tan is deep, and his determination is strong. Before long he is proudly showing me around the building, The Flagship Education Center, which was opened by New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in October last year.
His organization is determined to be sustainable in practice as well as in name. The building captures and recycles its own water. Membrane roofing both insulates and breaks down airborne pollutants into non-toxic by-products. All gray and black water is treated and composted on site. Its offices are powered by state-of-the-art solar panels and batteries that contribute excess power to the city’s standard electricity grid.
Later, Howitt opens up about the scale of the environmental challenges and myths confronting his homeland of long beaches and hundreds of islands at the western edge of the South Pacific. Over the years, a carefully constructed clean-and-green brand has made foreign tourism a massive money-spinner for New Zealand’s economy. And, many Kiwis honestly regard themselves as “tidy” citizens.
Yet the World Bank ranks New Zealand as the planet’s tenth-largest per capita producer of urban waste, well ahead of the United States at 19th. “That’s a top ten that no one wants to be in,” Howitt says. “As New Zealand’s population rockets and we consume like there’s no tomorrow, we could easily rise in that ranking.”
He hopes new technologies and solutions can help reverse this disturbing trend.
Enlighten Designs has built a platform that employs intelligent digital storytelling and visualization tools as part of Microsoft’s Cognitive Services suite. And, together with Microsoft, it is also developing a national litter database that will not only track the impact of clean-up efforts on waste but also generate accurate, scientifically valid data and insights.
