I must confess, although I often wax poetic about the old ways of the Linux desktop, I much prefer my distributions to help make my daily workflow as efficient as possible. Because of that, my taste in Linux desktop distributions veers very far toward the modern side of things. I want a distribution that integrates apps seamlessly, gives me notifications, looks great, and makes it easy to work with certain services that I use.

However, every so often it’s nice to dip my toes back into those old-school waters and remind myself why I fell in love with Linux in the first place. That’s precisely what MiyoLinux did for me recently. This lightweight distribution is based on Devuan and makes use of the i3 Tiling Window Manager.

Why is it important that MiyoLinux is based on Devuan? Because that means it doesn’t use systemd. There are many within the Linux community who’d be happy to make the switch to an old-school Linux distribution that opts out of systemd. If that’s you, MiyoLinux might just charm you into submission.

But don’t think MiyoLinux is going to be as easy to get up and running as, say, Ubuntu Linux, Elementary OS, or Linux Mint. Although it’s not nearly as challenging as Arch or Gentoo, MiyoLinux does approach installation and basic usage a bit differently. Let’s take a look at how this particular distro handles things.

Installation

The installation GUI of MiyoLinux is pretty basic. The first thing you’ll notice is that you are presented with a good amount of notes, regarding the usage of the MiyoLinux desktop. If you happen to be testing MiyoLinux via VirtualBox, you’ll wind up having to deal with the frustration of not being able to resize the window (Figure 1), as the Guest Additions cannot be installed. This also means mouse integration cannot be enabled during the installation, so you’ll have to tab through the windows and use your keyboard cursor keys and Enter key to make selections.

Once you click the Install MiyoLinux button, you’ll be prompted to continue using either ‘su” or sudo. Click the use sudo button to continue with the installation.

The next screen of importance is the Installation Options window (Figure 2), where you can select various options for MiyoLinux (such as encryption, file system labels, disable automatic login, etc.).

The MiyoLinux installation does not include an automatic partition tool. Instead, you’ll be prompted to run either cfdisk or GParted (Figure 3). If you don’t know your way around cfdisk, select GParted and make use of the GUI tool.

With your disk partitioned (Figure 4), you’ll be required to take care of the following steps:

• Configure the GRUB bootloader.

• Select the filesystem for the bootloader.

• Configure time zone and locales.

• Configure keyboard, keyboard language, and keyboard layout.

• Okay the installation.

Once, you’ve okay’d the installation, all packages will be installed and you will then be prompted to install the bootloader. Following that, you’ll be prompted to configure the following:

• Hostname.

• User (Figure 5).

• Root password.

With the above completed, reboot and log into your new MiyoLinux installation.

Usage

Once you’ve logged into the MiyoLinux desktop, you’ll find things get a bit less-than-user-friendly. This is by design. You won’t find any sort of mouse menu available anywhere on the desktop. Instead you use keyboard shortcuts to open the different types of menus. The Alt+m key combination will open the PMenu, which is what one would consider a fairly standard desktop mouse menu (Figure 6).

The Alt+d key combination will open the dmenu, a search tool at the top of the desktop, where you can scroll through (using the cursor keys) or search for an app you want to launch (Figure 7).

Installing Apps

If you open the PMenu, click System > Synaptic Package Manager. From within that tool you can search for any app you want to install. However, if you find Synaptic doesn’t want to start from the PMenu, open the dmenu, search for terminal, and (once the terminal opens), issue the command sudo synaptic. That will get the package manager open, where you can start installing any applications you want (Figure 8).

Of course, you can always install applications from the command line. MiyoLinux depends upon the Apt package manager, so installing applications is as easy as:

sudo apt-get install libreoffice -y

Once installed, you can start the new package from either the PMenu or dmenu tools.

MiyoLinux Accessories

If you find you need a bit more from the MiyoLinux desktop, type the keyboard combination Alt+Ctrl+a to open the MiyoLinux Accessories tool (Figure 9). From this tool you can configure a number of options for the desktop.

All other necessary keyboard shortcuts are listed on the default desktop wallpaper. Make sure to put those shortcuts to memory, as you won’t get very far in the i3 desktop without them.

A Nice Nod to Old-School Linux

If you’re itching to throw it back to a time when Linux offered you a bit of challenge to your daily grind, MiyoLinux might be just the operating system for you. It’s a lightweight operating system that makes good use of a minimal set of tools. Anyone who likes their distributions to be less modern and more streamlined will love this take on the Linux desktop. However, if you prefer your desktop with the standard bells and whistles, found on modern distributions, you’ll probably find MiyoLinux nothing more than a fun distraction from the standard fare.

A couple of years ago, Demon’s Rise 2 was Pocket Tactics’ RPG Game of the Year: a hex-based fantasy RPG laser-focused on complex tactical gameplay. Now, Wave Light has released the Shieldwall Chronicles: a hex-based fantasy RPG laser-focused on complex tactical gameplay. How does this new entry compare to such an illustrious predecessor?

Like Demon’s Rise, Shieldwall is an extremely crunchy game. Your standard attack calculation figures in the character’s skill minus distance, evasion, and cover, and then subtracts armor from your damage if you get a hit. Then the target may get a chance at a counterattack of the same complexity. With buffs and special attacks, you’re looking at a lot of calculations for each move. All this math can result in frustrating situations where two characters with piles of health can’t hit each other at all or can only plink off single health points at a time, dragging out the battles.

Luckily, you can play in ‘simple’ and ‘complex’ mode and slide the difficulty of each mission up and down on the fly. Complex mode makes you use action points for everything, including moving and making attacks, while simple mode gives each character a set number of attacks and movement distance. In simple mode, you only need to be concerned about whether you have enough action points for the special ability you want to use, or if you should save them for the next round. These abilities are mostly determined by your characters class and level. 

The characters come with both male and female models. Happily, the two models are statistically identical but visually totally unique designs, giving your team a lot of flair. Character animations are varied and give your characters and their individual moves some personality, even though they occasionally bug out and send them moonwalking across the tavern floor. Spell and damage effects are also well-done, especially the satisfying sprays of blood that accompany a direct hit and the molten fireball effects. Although the game runs on phones, it’s definitely meant for tablet-sized devices.

Each of the fifteen character types has its own set of special abilities. It takes some time to learn what they are all capable of, but eventually you’ll get some interesting tactical choices to make, even in simple mode.  Back off and heal? Buff your attack and go for the kill? Which character best supports the others? Some specials are equivalent to more advanced attacks. Others are buffs or debuffs that can make the difference between your attacks bouncing off armor or scoring a critical hit. Magical items and gear also sometimes provide special abilities including bonus attacks. You’ll pick up one for free after each level and between missions, you can freely buy from a massive selection of loot.

You also need to be concerned with your units’ morale, which provides some realistic reactions to various battlefield situations, leading to panic if your units are surrounded or see their comrade fall. The consequences of panic are actually a bit too light, since it just removes the unit’s ability to use special moves. I’d rather see something like XCOM where the AI takes over control of a panicked character. This can still lead to a failure spiral, if you suddenly desperately need your cleric to calm down and heal. 

Maps have a lot of variety, including cramped indoor hallways, urban streets and squares, and wide outdoor spaces. The terrain makes a big difference in strategy, especially the many opportunities to take full or half cover. Cover makes a huge difference in reducing your chances of getting hit, making careful flanking moves a vital strategy and ranged units in good cover particularly deadly.

The storyline is well-written enough, but it doesn’t stray from fantasy adventure tropes. This is a little disappointing considering the Demon’s Rise series had you leading a party of devil-worshipers. In Shieldwall, you head a generic mercenary company that gradually gets pulled into to a larger conflict. There are a few choices to be made, but they are more of the “turn left” or “turn right” variety than critical dilemmas, mostly seeming to affect the next map you’ll be fighting on. Your characters don’t really have an individual impact on the story, and any one that drops during a mission will be right as rain during the next one. Mission failure just means trying again, and you can freely swap units to try a different strategy. The storyline is simply something to hang the tactical game on and provide an excuse for all the swords and arrows. It is very, very long, though: at least 40 hours.

If you’re already a fan of Wave Light’s Demon’s Rise series, Shieldwall Chronicles is more of the same but with a somewhat less interesting setting and slightly more complex gameplay. New players who are after some RPG tactics with lots of math will also love this game.

© 2019 Valve Corporation. All rights reserved. All trademarks are property of their respective owners in the US and other countries.

Starting at 2:00 p.m. PST today, members of the Xbox One Preview Beta Ring will begin receiving the latest 1904 Xbox One system update (19h1_release_xbox_dev_1904.190224-1940). Read on for more about the new features, fixes and known issues in the latest 1904 system update.

New Features:

A complete feature list for 1904 is published here https://news.xbox.com/en-us/2019/02/21/new-features-rolling-out-to-xbox-insiders-this-spring/

This build contains the new Voice command features to please test.

Voice Skills

• New Alexa Voice skills are available today for flighting. Please try the new “Alexa, Pair controller” and “Alexa, Eject disc” voice commands and let us know what you think.

Fixes:

Messaging

• We have resolved the issue that some users were report unable to send/receive messages.
• Users are now warned when viewing a group conversation with someone they blocked.

System

• Localization fixes.

Known Issues:

Achievements

• We are aware that Achievements lists are not being displayed correctly while in a game.

Audio

• We are aware of issues of No Audio heard from Non-Spatial Audio games when using Dolby Atmos for Home Theater with the LG SJ9 soundbar.

Blu-Ray

• We are investigating some reports that the Blu-ray player doesn’t support HDR when playing HDR10 & Dolby Vision disc with “Enable Dolby Vision” turned on in settings.

Disney Adventures

• We are tracking an issue that this title is crashing on launch.

Game Pass Mobile App

• Issue/Impact – After pushing a remote installation of a game from the Game Pass mobile app, customers will not see progress of the installation on in the mobile app and may not receive install notifications.  The game will still successfully install if there is sufficient available space on the console.
• Affected audience – must be in 1904 preview, must be a GP subscriber, must be using the GP mobile app, must be pushing game installations from the app.
• Workarounds – None.  A fix is coming in the next version of the mobile app in March.  Customers interested in getting early access to the fix can download the Game Pass Beta app.

Home

• We are aware that the clock/time is missing from home and the dashboard.
• We are tracking that notifications are not displaying on the console (such as achievement toasts).

Party Chat

• We are investigating that users cannot join party chat.  Workaround : We have found that a reboot of the console resolves.

Profile Color

• Sometimes users may encounter the incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.

System

• We are tracking an issue in which the Console locks up when accessing guide after playing a title or app.

Space Engineers is Leaving Early Access, is available as a Free Weekend and is 20% off!*

Space Engineers is a sandbox game about engineering, construction, exploration and survival in space and on planets. Players build space ships, space stations, planetary outposts of various sizes and uses, pilot ships and travel through space to explore planets and gather resources to survive. Featuring both creative and survival modes, there is no limit to what can be built, utilized and explored.

*Offer ends March 7 at 10AM Pacific Time

Can you think of anything in this world that’s as exciting as the existence of compost? No. You can’t. Which is why we’ve included it in this week’s snapshot. You’re welcome!

A full summary of the content available in this snapshot can be found in the changelog on Minecraft.net, the following is a short summary:

• Added the Compost
• Added Barrel sounds
• Added Grindstone sounds
• Added Sweet Berry Bush sounds
• Added placement and break sounds for crops and Netherwart
• Added sounds for Blast Furnace and Smoker
• Changed Campfire model and texture
• Fixed bugs

COMPOST

• Instead of eating your veggies you can make fertilizer from it!
• Crafted with 3 planks and 4 fences.

To get snapshots, open your launcher and go to the “launch options” tab. Check the box saying “Enable snapshots” and save. To switch between the snapshot and normal version, you can find a new dropdown menu next to the “Play” button. Back up your world first or run the game on in a different folder (In the “launch options” page).

Please report any and all bugs you find in Minecraft to bugs.mojang.com.

Snapshots can corrupt your world, please backup and/or run them in a different folder from your main worlds. 

Share your thoughts on how 1.14 is shaping up in the comments below!

This week at Bungie, the Drifter is preparing for a turn to lead the next season. 

We’re nearing the end of Season of the Forge. Guardians have plundered the Black Armory of its secrets and weapons. Shaxx hosted Crimson Days and Lord Saladin is watching over the final Iron Banner of the season. Before the Drifter takes center stage, we’ll be hosting a Raid-Along livestream featuring Scourge of the Past. If you’ve ever wanted to know what it’s like to build a raid from the ground up, this is your chance to peek behind the curtains here at Bungie.

Scourge of the Past Raid Along

Date: Tuesday, February 26

Time: 10 AM–12 PM PST

Members of the Raid Test team will be fighting the good fight, as designers, artists, producers and more lend commentary on taking an idea and creating the greatest challenge our game has to offer.

Alright, Alright, Alright…

To get Gambit primed for the Season of the Drifter, we have been working on some Quality of Life improvements We’re changing the way this little game is played, based on our own experience as players and a lot of feedback that we’ve collected since Forsaken launched. Today, Senior Designer Robbie Stevens is speaking on behalf of the team to take us through the changes you can expect on March 5.

Robbie: As we build on the Gambit theme in Season of the Drifter, we want to make sure to address some of the top feedback items for the base activity. Below is a sneak peek of changes we’ve made based on the community’s feedback. Expect more details and additional quality-of-life changes for Gambit when Season of the Drifter drops on March 5.

These changes arrive with the Season of the Drifter. To get you ready for the change in seasons, we’re enabling Triple Infamy for the final week of Season of the Forge.

Triple Infamy

Start: 2/26/2019, 9 AM PST

End: 3/5/2019 

Are you looking to become a Dredgen and impress the Drifter? Or maybe acquire a few weapons to round out your collection? Wins, losses, and bounties will all reward you with increased Infamy throughout the week.

Back to the Sandbox

Alongside the Gambit quality-of-life changes, our Sandbox Team will be fine-tuning some weapon archetypes to refresh the gameplay experience in Destiny 2. The following is a quick preview of some changes coming with Destiny Update 2.2.0, with developer commentary from Sandbox Designer Victor Anderson:

Linear Fusion Rifles

These Energy weapons have dominated Gambit for quite some time. First came Sleeper Simulant. Then came the Queenbreaker. We’ve made them less forgiving so we can enjoy a change of pace.

A new season means a new reality in combat. Keep up the chatter, and we’ll keep curating the Sandbox so that Destiny adapts to the way you play!

They’ll Be Your Guide

Navigating the various destinations of Destiny can sometimes be difficult, whether a snag occurs when following a quest line or an enemy fails to appear in the world. The Player Support Team is here to shine a light on the right path forward so you can get you to the loot you’ve been hunting.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0 Resolved Issues Preview – Part 2

Following the conversation from last week, here’s the second batch of player-impacting issues that we expect to be resolved with Update 2.2.0 in early March.

Take A Seat

Whether it is a group of Crucible Legends or a single Titan taking down a raid boss, we’re always excited to see what the community brings to the table for the Movie of the Week. Watch as Chaperones, Whispers, and a Midnight Coup dominate their enemies in the clips below.

Movie of the Week: Destiny Fun Police—Born Again

Honorable Mention: Making Us Proud

With just 12 days between you and Season of the Drifter, the team is hard at work dotting the i’s and crossing the t’s on Destiny 2 Update 2.2.0.

Before we go, I wanted to share a quick preview of something that the Hunters among you have been asking for. If you ever found yourself thinking, “It would be awesome if I could see my entire cloak when previewing shaders,” we have some good news for you. Update 2.2.0 will make a slight change to your view when inspecting cloaks in the character screen.

We’ll have more patch note previews leading up to Season of the Drifter. Until then, have a great weekend, and we’ll see you in the wild.

Cheers,

dmg04

Publisher indienova has revealed that its upcoming shoot ’em up AngerForce: Reloaded is ready to go on Nintendo Switch. You’ll be able to get your hands on it this April.

We first heard about this one back in October, when it was expected to launch within the following couple of months. Of course, we’re now well and truly into 2019 so that never happened, but the delay was apparently due to the development team wanting to add a TATE mode. We think we can live with the delay, considering.

The game is set in a 19th-century world where humans are under threat from a robot rebellion. Players can improve their on-screen characters by choosing from randomly generated abilities, and your choices will impact your entire stage progression. You’ll be able to choose from dozens of different upgrades, hoping to compliment your character’s special abilities and forming your very own favoured playstyle.

Here are some more features for you if you’d like to know more:

Features:
– A straight-up hardcore STG that takes you back to the fast-paced 90’s.
– Original robot-tech and unique comic art style that employs Free-form Deformation technique to achieve detailed and 3D-like effects in 2D animation.
– 7 elaborate stages and 10+ crazed bosses to defeat.
– 4 original characters, each of them having two special abilities and one powerful bomb.
– Create your own unique play style by mixing and matching your character’s abilities.
– A roguelike randomized ability system in the arcade mode.
– Explore the story behind each character and the secrets surrounding the enemy legion.
– More than 20 original tracks.
– Nintendo Switch exclusive TATE mode.

The game launches on 2nd April in North America and will be priced at $9.99; a European release is expected just days after. Those who wish to pre-order the game nearer the time will also benefit from a 15% discount.

Does this look like a winner to you? Are you happy that a TATE mode has been added? Tell us below.

Merge Games has revealed that it is bringing Fatbot Games’ dungeon crawler Vaporum to the Nintendo Switch this April.

This award-winning, grid-based adventure title takes inspiration from the likes of Dungeon Master, Eye of the Beholder and Legend of Grimrock, but rather than opt for the traditional fantasy setting, it uses a steampunk aesthetic. The end result is a game which looks pretty unique and should scratch a very particular itch for RPG fans.

Here’s some PR:

Prepare to fight – you’ll encounter many enemies along your path. Each type has a distinctive set of strengths, weaknesses, and attack and defense mechanisms, so you’ll have to employ different tactics to beat them. Choose wisely when equipping yourself with gear; weapons differ from one another not only by damage levels and appearance, but also in terms of their unique bonuses or behaviors.

Use a wide range of skills thanks to the gadget-based RPG system: direct attacks, area attacks, offensive and defensive buffs, etc. But be careful, because while they are powerful, they also drain your energy. Remember that some enemies are immune to certain types of attack, so you will have to figure out the best way to deal with every encounter the game throws at you.

Solve intriguing puzzles and level-wide objectives where you will need to use both your wits and reflexes. While most riddles are contained in a single room, progression objectives can span entire levels, or even multiple ones.

Instead of increasing the abilities of your human character, improve your exoskeleton. Equip yourself with various items and define your own playstyle. Change your loadout at any time to adapt to all kinds of unexpected situations. As your exoskeleton becomes more powerful by absorbing a special substance – fumium – from defeated enemies, you will be able to unlock useful areas of the exo-rig, gaining significant permanent attribute bonuses and passive skills. Simply put – prepare for tonnes of customization.

+ Fight in real time – First-person real-time combat with deadly foes with varied abilities and behaviors
+ Be tactical – Use various attacks and read your opponents – each enemy has a different set of strengths and weaknesses
+ Fully voiced main characters – Find out what happened to the inhabitants of the tower with fully voiced phono-diaries kept by the main story’s protagonists
+ Tons of customization options – The gadget-based RPG system allows you to evolve your exoskeleton and define your own playstyle
+ Absorb fumium from defeated enemies – Unlock additional circuits in your exoskeleton and gain new bonuses and skills
+ Keep your wits about you – Solve level-wide objectives and puzzles that vary in difficulty
+ Explore and loot – Look for optional passages filled with additional challenges and rewards
+ What happened in the mysterious tower? – A storyline full of dark secrets and unexpected twists
+ Immersive steampunk setting – Beautiful graphics, stunning sound design and an atmosphere that makes you aware of the constant danger lurking around every corner

The Nintendo Switch version launches on April 11th and will cost £19.99.