We’ve been doing a great job with the ‘Pillage’ part of the Village and Pillage update for a while now, which means it’s time for the ‘Village’ part. So today the first village of the Village and Pillage update gets a makeover!

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 Grindstone functionality
• Updated plains villages

GRINDSTONE

• Moved inventory/crafting table repairing into the Grindstone, this will be its new home
• Has the ability to remove all non-curse enchantments from an item; for each enchant removed some XP is reimbursed

UPDATED PLAINS VILLAGES

• The plains villages have got an updated look
• The new look is adapted to the Plains biome, both when it comes to climate and to available resources
• Uses the mysterious Jigsaw block for generation
• Adds new structure files, quite a lot actually

DEDICATED SERVER

SERVER.PROPERTIES

• difficulty and gamemode settings now accept string names (integer values are still allowed as legacy option)
• Server will exit faster if eula.txt is not set

COMMAND LINE

• Added new option --help. Not going to tell you what it does.
• New command line option initSettings initializes eula.txt and server.properties with defaults, then exits

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, we show you the road ahead. 

Season of the Forge has begun for all players of Destiny 2. Seasonal Ranks have been reset, and there are new rewards to earn. Pinnacle Weapon Quests for Gambit, Vanguard Strikes, and the Crucible are available to those willing to put in the effort. Some of you out there are well on your way to earning the Unbroken Title for reaching Legend in three seasons of Competitive Crucible. It’s a great time to dive in, and we have even more coming to owners of the Annual Pass next Tuesday. If you haven’t yet seen the gameplay calendar for Black Armory, check it out:

We’ve also cooked up a ViDoc to walk you through our goals for the next year. Filled to the brim with developer commentary, the ViDoc walks through the upcoming seasons of content and the Annual Pass beat by beat to help set expectations on what we’re aiming to achieve.

This is a new way for content to roll out for Destiny. Justin Truman puts it well in the ViDoc: “We really don’t want to be a box product that you think of as being on a disc. We want to be a world that evolves and changes over time.”

We’re excited for the future. We’ve already taken our first steps toward it.

Scourge of the Past

When we revealed the Annual Pass earlier this year, we mentioned the inclusion of new Raid Lairs. In Season of the Forge’s reveal earlier this week, we said it contains a Raid, not a Raid Lair, a concept we had introduced last year. Lairs were extensions of an existing Raid setting. Black Armory’s “Scourge of the Past” doesn’t fit that definition. It takes place in a new setting, tells its own story, and isn’t related to the events of the Dreaming City. Destiny Raids have come in many shapes and sizes, from “Crota’s End” to “Last Wish”, and “Scourge of the Past” falls within that spectrum. 

Scourge will release on Friday, December 7 at 9 AM. Its recommended Power is 640, but there is no minimum Power requirement. Any Guardian who owns the Annual Pass can drop into the space and explore. Good luck! 

Powerful Progression

Starting in Destiny 2 Update 2.1.1, the power cap for all players of Destiny 2: Forsaken will be increased to 650. We’ve been receiving some questions since the new cap was announced, and want to set the record straight here:

As we continue to work towards a goal of Destiny 2 feeling like a world that evolves and changes over time, we are looking at how players earn powerful rewards overall, and how this could change in future seasons. We have quite a bit of time until Season of the Drifter begins, but we’ll be sure to give an update on what to expect in the future. Until then, happy hunting!

A package of Gratitude

Coin Flip

Knife Trick

If we find any issues in the course of development for Destiny 2 Update 2.1.3, this release may be delayed. Stay tuned for future announcements.

Helping Hands

Our Player Support team has been combing through the forums since Season of the Forge began, looking for any trending issues that players have been encountering. For known issues and workarounds, check out the info below.

This is their report.

Destiny 2 Update 2.1.0

Earlier this week we deployed Destiny 2 Update 2.1.0 to players. This update marked the beginning of Season of the Forge, and laid the foundation for upcoming content included with the Destiny 2: Forsaken Annual Pass.

Players who missed the Update 2.1.0 Patch Notes can find them here.

Destiny 2 Update 2.1.1.1

Next Tuesday, December 4, Destiny 2 Update 2.1.1.1 will become available to players. This update marks the opening of the Black Armory for players who own the Destiny 2: Forsaken Annual Pass.

All Destiny 2 players will need to download and install this update when it is available. Please see below for the Update 2.1.1.1 deployment timeline for Tuesday, December 4.

Pinnacle Achievement

Many of you are jamming out some pinnacle weapons, but we want to put a spotlight on some pinnacle achievement in the “Last Wish” Raid. Feast your eyes on one of the most difficult player achievements in Destiny 2 to date.

Movie of the Week: Three-Player Petra’s Run

Honorable Mention: Thunderlord

Not going to lie, I’m having trouble writing this outro. All I can think about is the ascent to the Mountaintop in Competitive Crucible. But wait, isn’t it a full Curse week too? I need to hunt down a certain meatball for my Dredgen seal. Any way you slice it, there’s quite a bit to do in Destiny 2. I still have goals from Forsaken to complete, and the Black Armory is about to bring more to the table.

Cheers,

Dmg04

During a routine Congressional oversight meeting today, Federal Trade Commission chairman Joseph Simons agreed to begin an investigation into “loot box” monetization schemes in video games and whether they take advantage of young players.

While it’s yet unclear how this investigation will play out, the fact that the FTC plans to scrutinize loot boxes is something you should be aware of if you’re working on (or planning) a game that uses them.

“Given the seriousness of this issue, I think it is time for the FTC to investigate these mechanisms to ensure children are being adequately protected, and to educate parents about potential addiction or other negative impacts of these games,” New Hampshire Democratic senator Maggie Hassan told FTC leaders, referencing recent reports that exposing young people to loot boxes in games may be linked to gambling problems later in life. 

Hassan foreshadowed this request months ago, and it now comes in the wake of multiple countries cracking down on loot box monetization systems, including Belgium, the Netherlands, and South Korea.

While game industry stakeholders like the ESRB and the ESA have so far defended loot boxes on the basis that they’re not gambling, per se, critics of the practice (including lawmakers in states like Hawaii and Washington) have tended to focus on how predatory they can be, especially when it comes to young players.

I took some time this week to catch up with Katie, a Program Manager who works with Xbox Media, whose name you might recognize from recent posts about Dolby Vision. Learn more about Katie, her work bringing Dolby Vision to the Xbox One and much more!

Hi, Katie! Really appreciate you chatting with us; it’s awesome to get the chance to introduce you to our Xbox Insiders. Mind sharing what you do at Xbox?

Certainly!  I am a Program Manager on the SiGMA team, working on Xbox Media.  Basically, I help deliver top media experiences on Xbox through new features and external partner support.  Day to day, my role can include working with external partners (like Netflix and YouTube) to best support their apps on our platform, working with internal devs to fix various bugs or issues, or evaluating new features we would like to enable.

You recently worked with Dolby to bring Dolby Vision to consoles for the very first time! Can you tell us a bit about what that work looks like?

Bringing Dolby Vision support to Xbox was a really exciting and challenging project to work on.  When we started looking at this technology, no other game console had implemented Dolby Vision.  We worked extensively with Dolby to architect a solution to support their technology on our platform.  It also required a significant collaboration with Netflix in order to bring this new feature to their application.  This was a huge endeavor, and required very close partnership with all three companies.  It was an amazing experience to lead such a large project, and have a successful feature launch.

OK, I’ve gotta know: What kind of TV do you have, and is it compatible with Dolby Vision?

Ha!  I’m a little embarrassed to say, I don’t own a real TV.  I have a 10 year old computer monitor with a VGA adapter for video, and a hardwired controller plugged into computer speakers for my audio.  I’m fairly low tech at home, and instead spend a lot of time outdoors.  However, I have been eyeing the new LG OLED TVs, and may upgrade later this year.

We’ve worked alongside the Women in Gaming group to feature the women on our team, and one thing I really enjoyed was how we were asked to offer up advice to women now aspiring to work within the gaming industry. Do you have any advice for the women reading our blog on how to get started in gaming or technology?

Great question, I’m really passionate about helping people (especially women) get into the gaming and technology fields.  My biggest piece of advice is to go big – seek out opportunities that scare you.  When I was graduating college, I signed up for an interview with Microsoft in the hopes that I would get a free lunch (there was no way I thought I would actually get an offer).  And a year ago, a dream job opened up on a different team, but were looking for a Senior or Principal Program Manager and I was still very Junior.  However, I went to the hiring manager and told him, “You should hire me for this position.  This is an area I love, and a technology I know.  By the way, my name is Katie.”  A week later I had the job, and have loved it ever since.

I think women especially have a tendency to sell ourselves short.  We are constantly bombarded by the imposter syndrome and the fear of not being good enough.  So my advice is to go big and be bold in spite of these fears.  Search out the areas you are passionate about, and go after opportunities even if you don’t think you may be qualified.

What are you currently playing? Or do you have an all-time favorite game that you don’t think people should miss out on?

I enjoy repeating games and picking up on all of the funny jokes and references I missed the first time through.  Right now I’m replaying Borderlands 2, and I really enjoy Tiny Tina’s explosive character.  She has a quest to collect crumpets, and now whenever I see a crumpet store in Seattle, I think of the game.

In the same vein, what’s the coolest Achievement you’ve unlocked?

In Borderlands 2, there’s an arena called the Circle of Slaughter.  It took my friends and I almost a week to last all 5 rounds and get the achievement for Went Five Rounds.  There was lots of shouting involved as we made it all the way through.

Thanks again for taking the time to speak with us, Katie! Are there any spaces online our readers can reach out and follow along with your work?

I’m not really on social media, but if anyone has follow-up questions, feel free to direct them @xboxinsider on Twitter. Thanks for having me!

Feral Interactive has revealed that GRID Autosport is headed to Nintendo Switch in 2019.

This AAA racer was originally developed and published by Codemasters for PS3 and Xbox 360, and also saw releases on Windows, Mac, and mobile devices. The game received mostly positive reviews when it originally launched back in 2014, with almost universal praise being given to its career mode.

GRID Autosport challenges players to become pro-racers, mastering some of motorsport’s most exciting cars on the world’s most thrilling circuits. You’ll be racing in locations ranging from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway to the city streets of Barcelona, with customisable difficulty options and a range of driving disciplines available to mix things up along the way.

David Stephen, Managing Director of Feral Interactive, has said the following:

“GRID Autosport’s AAA production values and deep yet accessible gameplay will make it a fantastic addition to the Nintendo Switch. Following its success on iOS, we’re thrilled to bring it to Switch players.”

At present, that mention of “2019” is all we have to go on for a release date. We’ll make sure to keep an eye out for more news in the coming months.

Do you have any fond memories of this racer? Are you excited to see it arrive on Nintendo Switch? Tell us below.

In its continued celebrations surrounding the launch of Pokémon: Let’s Go, Pikachu! and Let’s Go, Eevee!, Niantic has added new Gym Leader customisation options to Pokémon GO.

Yes, players can now hit the streets, fields, and busy city centres to catch new Pokémon (or just sit on the sofa and hope they come to you) in new sets of Brock and Misty gear inspired by their appearances in the new games. As you might expect, the Brock gear is exclusive to male characters and the Misty outfit is exclusive to female users.

Each piece of individual clothing (top, trousers, etc.) will require a specific amount of PokéCoins. As always, you can either add PokéCoins to your account by spending real-life money in the store, or generate in-game currency by defending your local Gyms (if you really keep on top of your Gym defending, you should get enough for the whole set within a couple of weeks).

As a reminder, this weekend sees a huge Community Day celebration where all Pokémon which previously appeared in Community Day events will be returning. If you’re willing to brave the cold, this would be a great time to get out there and start catching ’em all. You can read all about the weekend’s event here.

Will you be treating yourself to these new styles? Tell us below.

We recently hosted a webinar about deploying Hyperledger Fabric on Kubernetes. It was taught by Alejandro (Sasha) Vicente Grabovetsky and Nicola Paoli from AID:Tech.

The webinar contained a detailed, step-by-step instruction showing exactly how to deploy Hyperledger Fabric on Kubernetes. For those who prefer reading to watching, we have prepared a condensed transcript with screenshots that will take you through the process that has been adapted to recent updates in the Helm charts for the Orderers and Peers.

Are you ready? Let’s dive in!

What we will build

First, we will deploy a Fabric Certificate Authority (CA) serviced by a PostgreSQL database for managing identities.

• Fabric Orderer

Then, we will deploy an ordering service of several Fabric ordering nodes communicating and establishing consensus over an Apache Kafka cluster. The Fabric Ordering service provides consensus for development (solo) and production (Kafka) networks.

• Fabric Peer

Finally, we will deploy several Peers and connect them with a channel. We will bind them to a CouchDB database.

Read more at Hyperledger