Super Smash Bros. Ultimate Has Transforming Stages
Super Smash Bros. Ultimate boasts a massive roster that's only growing bigger as we approach the release date. But it's not just in the character select screen where you'll be spoiled for choice. The game contains a ton of stages too, and they can actually transform in the middle of a match.
During a Smash Ultimate-themed Nintendo Direct, game director Masahiro Sakurai showed off the feature, in which a battle took place in a Metroid-themed stage. A flash of light appeared and then it became a stage themed after the The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword. You will be able to choose when to turn on the feature using the "Stage Morph" option.
Sakurai also addressed just how many stages will be available in the game. It has more than 100 in all, but counting stage variants he says it's more than 300. All stages can be selected from the very beginning, and they'll be listed in the order in which they appeared in the series.
Nintendo seems to be packing as much as it can into for this "Ultimate" iteration of Smash Bros. The roster itself includes every character to ever appear in the series along with a handful of new ones--Simon and Richter Belmont, King K. Rool, Chrom and Dark Samus Echo characters also debuted during today's presentation. It also has more than 800 songs, both original tracks and homages to classic music. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate is coming to Nintendo Switch on December 7.
5 applications to manage your to-do list on Fedora
Effective management of your to-do list can do wonders for your productivity. Some prefer just keeping a to-do list in a text file, or even just using a notepad and pen. For users that want more out of their to-do list, they often turn to an application. In this article we highlight 4 graphical applications and a terminal-based tool for managing your to-do list.
GNOME To Do
GNOME To Do is a personal task manager designed specifically for the GNOME desktop (Fedora Workstation’s default desktop). When comparing GNOME To Do with some others in this list, it is has a range of neat features.
GNOME To Do provides organization of tasks by lists, and the ability to assign a colour to that list. Additionally, individual tasks can be assigned due dates & priorities, and notes for each task. Futhermore, GNOME To Do has extensions, allowing even more features, including support for todo.txt and syncing with online services such as todoist.
Install GNOME To Do either by using the Software application, or using the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install gnome-todo
Getting things GNOME!
Before GNOME To Do existed, the go-to application for tracking tasks on GNOME was Getting things GNOME! This older-style GNOME application has a multiple window layout, allowing you to show the details of multiple tasks at the same time. Rather than having lists of tasks, GTG has the ability to add sub-tasks to tasks and even to sub-tasks. GTG also has the ability to add due dates and start dates. Syncing to other apps and services is also possible in GTG via plugins.
Install Getting Things GNOME either by using the Software application, or using the following command in the Terminal:
sudo dnf install gtg
Go For It!
Go For It! is a super-simple task management application. It is used to simply create a list of tasks, and mark them as done when completed. It does not have the ability to group tasks, or create sub-tasks. By default, Go For It! stored tasks in the todo.txt format, allowing simpler syncing to online services and other applications. Additionally, Go For It! contains a simple timer to track how much time you have spent on the current task.
Go For It is available to download from the Flathub application repository. To install, simply enable Flathub as a software source, and then install via the Software application.
Agenda
If you are looking for a no-fuss super simple to-do application, look no further than Agenda. Create tasks, mark them as complete, and then delete them from your list. Agenda shows all tasks (completed or open) until you remove them.
Agenda is available to download from the Flathub application repository. To install, simply enable Flathub as a software source, and then install via the Software application.
Taskwarrior
Taskwarrior is a flexible command-line task management program. It is highly customizable, but can also be used “right out of the box.” Using simple commands, you can create tasks, mark them as complete, and list current open tasks. Additionally, tasks can be tagged, added to projects, searched and filtered. Furthermore, you can set up recurring tasks, and apply due dates to tasks.
Space Hulk (the original DOS game) is a forgotten gem that by all rights should have inspired an entire genre of ‘real-time tactical horror’ clones. Based loosely on the Warhammer 40k board game (that also gave us the more-faithfully-adapted but less-critically-acclaimed Space Hulk: Ascension), Space Hulk was a masterclass in tension and tactics, with slow, powerful Terminator Space Marines stomping their way through abandoned corridors, and alien Genestealers doing their best to sneak around behind them and tear their hearts out through their armor.
Much like its venerable grandfather, Dereliction sees your squad of marines making their way slowly through a derelict vessel while fighting off swarms of alien bugs as they try to get from point A to point B and close the blast door behind them (ideally, for drama’s sake, at the last possible second.) Dereliction‘s also played in real-time with time-slowing if it all gets too overwhelming. After the encounter you can buy upgrades including new weapons and are free to replay missions you’ve unlocked previously for more coin.
Unlike Space Hulk, in Dereliction you have perfect information about the map and enemy movements. Rather than carefully managing an unknown threat you must deal with an overwhelming threat: but that razor-edge sense of impending doom stays with you. You need to juggle several tasks–locking doors, picking up useful and necessary items, operating terminals–while also being on watch for a stream of bugs that could instantly mess up your whole game plan. Well-coordinated, your marines can easily hold back the horde, but if you let something slip through its game over, man, game over.
The setting is your typical military-style spaceship built of square rooms and unlikely corridors, lockers full of cash and ammo crates stuffed with grenades, all shadowy or sickly lit. Creepy ambient noises and music set the mood perfectly. The story text is even well-composed; just evocative enough without seeming too purple.
Dereliction is dripping with atmosphere, which unfortunately tends to smear all over every important element of gameplay. The interface is largely integrated into the game map, which is highly immersive, but difficult to use. To know what keycard you need for a given terminal you have to peer at the actual in game model. To lock a door you have to spin the camera until you can hold your finger on the keyhole. To look at the map, you have to zoom all the way out, which is elegant at first, but cumbersome when you are trying to get a quick overview of your tactical situation. The lurid acid green floor lighting is the same color as the discs you drag around to identify and control your marines.
These discs are also where you have info on health status, weapon and carried items. Since you are dragging this around to move the marines they can easily become separated from their vitals. There’s no other way to know at a glance even how many marines are still alive, not to mention what they are carrying or armed with. What’s more, without their discs around them troops gray-black armor blends into the gray-black bulkheads of the ship. If they are stuck somewhere away from their control spot, good luck trying to find them before they get eaten. You do have the ability to slow time while still handing out orders, but that doesn’t help much if you can’t figure out who’s who, where they’re going, and what they’re supposed to be doing.
Controls are especially fiddly. If your soldiers are stacked up it can be tough to grab the one you want. Dragging to move takes precious extra seconds, and sometimes fails if you try to move the wrong way, leaving your finger hovering over the screen for far too long. Some destinations will grab your cursor like a magnet while others won’t activate no matter how hard you try. It also takes a lot of wiggling to get the soldiers facing the right direction.
This is especially a big problem because units need so much handholding they won’t even turn around until the swarm is already devouring them. Pointed in the generally correct direction they will effectively defend their angle but turned too far one way and they’ll stubbornly ignore approaching death. They will also happily wade out into danger if they think that is the most efficient path to where you want them to go.
There’s a good game in here about carefully managing the movement of the aliens and protecting your perimeter. Some features do have opportunities to make interesting gameplay choices. For instance, I loved how locking a door behind you had the potential to backfire if the bugs were able to break through, thus essentially turning the passage into a one way path for aliens only. It was cool how you had to be careful not to break batteries–but they could be used as electrical bombs.
As it is, Dereliction has some pretty fundamental design problems that prevent it from being recommendable. It’s just plain hard to play for now, which is a shame since the atmosphere is so good and the genre is so under-served.
First NBA 2K19 Gameplay Footage Revealed, Looks Really Good
2K Sports has released the first gameplay trailer for NBA 2K19--and it's pretty incredible. Titled "Take the Crown," the video shows of a number of NBA superstars include LeBron James (in his new LA Lakers uniform), as well as Kemba Walker, John Wall, Ben Simmons, Anthony Davis, Steph Curry, and more.
The trailer is set to a Jay Rock's "Win." You can watch the full video in the embed above. Given the Xbox branding, this video might have been captured on Xbox One.
NBA 2K19 will be available September 11 for PC, PS4, Xbox One, and Nintendo Switch. The 20th Anniversary Edition will launch a few days earlier, on September 7. Ahed of that, an offering called "The Prelude" will launch August 31 for PS4 and Xbox One. Check out our pre-order guide for all the details.
A demon has possessed you and used your body to tear a swath of bloodshed through New York. You are now free, but life as you knew it is over. Your only path forward is joining the Unavowed - an ancient society dedicated to stopping evil. No matter what the cost.
Watch the Narcosis devs explain how they sold their unusual game
Selling video games is (maybe) surprisingly hard. Players talk all the time about what kind of experiences they want, but in the end getting them hooked on your game can take a little preparation and a lot of hard work.
Today, we were lucky enough to chat with some of the dev team behind Narcosis, David Chen and Jeff Mattas, who did the heavy lifting of adding to the game’s story and selling that story to the press and public. This week, they and the rest of Honor Code re-released the game on PS4, and we were lucky enough to chat with them about their experiences in game development.
It was a helpful chat, complete with tips from Chen about game marketing and Mattas on budget voice recording. If you’re an indie trying to get your game out in the world, you should definitely watch!
Crystal Dynamics, a part of the Square-Enix family and the studio behind the award-winning Tomb Raider game franchise, is constantly on the hunt to add even more top-tier gaming talent worldwide to our family. We pride ourselves on attracting and developing the best of the best to craft the most exciting projects in gaming. Our 25 years of development experience, as well as our studio members’ combined AAA game industry pedigree, has established us as one of the premier studios in the world today. Come and make us even better! Crystal Dynamics is headquartered in sunny Redwood City, CA, just south of San Francisco and north of San Jose
Join the studio as an External Lead Designer helping shape a new project! Benefits for this full-time position include a competitive salary, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance options and 20 days of paid time-off. You also receive free access to a well-appointed 50,000 foot athletic club (complete with a rock climbing wall and pool!), an impressive on-site cafeteria with food options for every palate, and a gorgeous natural campus by San Francisco Bay.
Position Summary:
The Lead Designer works with external partners to ensure they deliver at a high standard of playability and fun. While this is generally a hands-off role, we are looking for a person with execution experience who can work in engine with external partners. They should have a high level of expertise in formalized 3D world building processes, from planning and paper maps to 3D software implementation in a proprietary engine. A successful Lead Designer will be a hands-on individual contributor with a strong understanding of everything from the fundamentals of game balance and tuning to the social implications of shared gameplay. They will have experience leading other developers to build engaging various game modes and campaigns. They must be able to iterate and refine their level given many different development challenges. The person filling the position should be comfortable with scripting in a visual-based scripting language. The ideal candidate should display strong collaborative skills when working with multiple disciplines including Narrative, Environment art, systems design and engineering.
Essential Duties & Responsibilities:
Concept, design and implement fun and engaging game levels from the ground up.
Guide, mentor, and lead the design and development of cutting-edge online experiences.
Document design decisions clearly and communicate to key stake holders.
Broad based understanding about what makes levels and systems fun.
Ability to design and develop level design from concept to finished product.
Strong math and balancing skills.
Excellent knowledge of game design theory and game development concepts.
Experience documenting and tuning game systems.
An understanding of contemporary game design and the competitive landscape.
A great passion and enthusiasm for designing and playing games
Requirements:
7+ years of Level Design experience.
Must have at least one AAA game shipped as a Level Designer, ideally in a Senior or Lead capacity.
Experience working on levels for highly rated (AAA) action-adventure titles or 3rd person shooter titles.
Experience developing levels for online experiences.
Leadership experience in guiding design teams.
Strong understanding of the competitive landscape.
A passion for playing and developing games.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in a game development program or similar
Experience with 3D level design tools (Unity, Maya, and Unreal). Unity being a must.
Experience working with proprietary development tools utilizing modular development for 3D assets in a prototype methodology for world building.
Experience building large open worlds with a keen eye for system design concepts a plus
Great working knowledge of game design theory and game development methodologies including level design theory and practice
Can easily break down core level design elements and use them when for creating combat, puzzle and traversal sections of a level
Must display evidence of work in portfolio style during interview (level design layouts, block mesh layouts, paper maps, etc)
Mid to advanced experience with common game scripting languages Unreal script, C#, Python / Lua
A deep passion and enthusiasm for making and playing action/adventure games
A good understanding of the competitive landscape in the console world
Must be able to work in both a collaborative and “get it done” environment
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.
New Preview Delta & Omega Ring 1806 System Update – 7/29/18
Starting at 2:00 p.m. PDT today, members of the Xbox One Preview Delta and Omega Rings will begin receiving the latest Xbox One system update (1806.180726-1758). Read on for more about the fixes and known issues in the latest 1806 system update.
Fixes:
My Games and Apps
Users should no longer experience Various Games and Apps failing to launch which required a title uninstall and reinstall. This fix will resolve the issue when you launch the title.
Users should no longer experience an issue with the Store app erroring out with the (0x80070bfa) error when browsing/launching the Store.
Networking
Fixes to resolve the issue with Wireless and Wired networks failing to be detected when the console wakes from Instant on/connected standby.
Known Issues:
Groups
You may see issues with Groups if you frequently switch between your non-Preview console and your Preview console. Workaround: Reset your Groups locally on the Preview console through “My games & apps” > Groups, then using the “Delete all groups” button at the bottom of the page to resync from the service.
Profile Color
Sometimes users may encounter an incorrect Profile color when powering on the console.
The 2D-platformer is a genre that has stood the test of time and, with just a few simple changes, it’s still possible to make it feel fresh and exciting. Whether it’s the power to reverse time, the ability to swap perspectives, or some gravitational tweaks to mix things up. 6180 the mooncasts the Moon itself as our protagonist, showing that, with the right gameplay, even controlling astronomical bodies can feel elegant and precise.
Originally releasing on the Wii U eShop, our lovely lunar friend has made the jump to Switch, bringing the same, relaxing, minimalist journey we enjoyed so much in our original review. You control the Moon as it dances through the stars, venturing from planet to planet trying to find out why the Sun has vanished. It’s an adventure to the heart of the solar system, punctuated by charming, whimsical dialogue from an undeniably unique cast of characters. While the plot itself might not be anything remarkable, it’s presented to the player with such sincerity and heart that it becomes compelling, and the fact that each planet has its own personality makes you want to press on to see the next interaction.
Controlling the moon is as simple as pressing ‘A’ to jump and moving left or right to guide yourself around the series of 5 areas, each of which contains 10 levels. Some of these can be completed in less than a minute, while some trickier challenges can stretch this out over multiple attempts. While new ideas are steadily introduced, your bright orb of light is generally tasked with jumping from platform to platform, dodging spikes and other obstacles to make it to the goal. There are no lives or any kind of ‘Game Over’ screens, so you’re free to keep trying as much as you like, and even unlock checkpoints along the way. It’s simple, straightforward fun delivered in small, rapid chunks of gameplay – making this perfect for the Switch’s portable mode.
Unfortunately, what is arguably the game’s most defining feature has been impacted somewhat by the jump from one eShop to another. Whenever you jump off the screen, either from the top or bottom, you appear immediately on the other side, looping the area in a number of gravity-bending ways. Reaching a higher platform can be achieved by dropping down for example, and moving forward so you end up falling from the top of the screen. On Wii U, this actually took place across two screens, making delightful use of the GamePad by forcing the player to split their attention across both the television and the smaller screen as the moon moved between both. On Switch, everything is contained on the one screen, so the mechanic absolutely remains but is a little less interesting as a result. On other platforms, such as PC, this was always the case, so it isn’t an outright disaster by any means, but this astral phenomenon does lose some of its shine nonetheless.
That being said, the game still looks gorgeous on Switch whether in handheld mode or docked, with its distinctive palette of stark backgrounds and gleaming white abstractions of the Universe. It’s not going to stun with its variety of open environments by any means, but its artistic direction is clear and it carries a mysterious, whimsical mood that’s only elevated by the excellent soundtrack. Each movement frequently adds another note or delicate chime to the soundscape, lending a dynamic quality to the drifting piano pieces and quiet moments. The fact that the musical score follows you from one level to the next helps smooth over how quickly some of them go by, helping it feel more like a single, cohesive journey.
It isn’t a game that relies on punishing difficulty either, which may be seen as a flaw by some seasoned platformers, but helps make this accessible to anyone. In fact, you could fairly handily complete the entire game in about 2 – 3 hours total, and despite an integrated achievement system and unlockable mirror-mode, there isn’t a huge amount of content here outside of the main adventure. For its budget price, though, we still feel it’s absolutely worth it if you’re looking for a more relaxed experience, with a gradual increase in challenge as you progress helping its cause nicely.
Conclusion
6180 the moon is a dreamlike journey through the stars, where every individual component of its delicate soundtrack, minimalist visuals and graceful gameplay mechanics work together to form an extremely compelling experience. Rather than an intense challenge, it offers up a short but memorable adventure that’s easily broken up into smaller sessions, or enjoyed all at once in a single lazy afternoon. While the Wii U version provided a unique perspective through its use of the GamePad, we’d still absolutely recommend this solar trip on Switch for anyone who missed out on it before – there’s still plenty of time to catch the sunrise.
Random: Here’s How Animal Crossing Characters Read Your Lovingly-Crafted Mail
When you’re not casually shopping for new pieces of furniture, or worrying about the ever-growing potential of hefty mortgage debt, one of the features available to players in Animal Crossing allows you to send completely customised letters to your favourite animalistic chums. From there, you’ll then receive a reply which somehow seems to register certain elements of what you said and give you a gift in the process. But how on Earth does this actually work?
Well, James Chambers, a software security researcher, has been digging into the game’s files and coding to try and find out. The results make a lot of sense, but are surprising at the same time – essentially, the game reads the characters inputted by the player and gives that letter a score based on a number of factors. These factors include things such as correct use of punctuation, whether or not someone has spammed the same letter over and over again, and several more.
When all of these points are totalled up, the overall score determines the response you’ll receive from the NPC. If you score over 100 points, your reply will be positive and have a random chance of receiving a gift, but any scores below 50 will receive a negative reply.
The score also reportedly affects the number of friendship points you earn with the recipient; a bad letter has a base score of -1, while good letters have a base score of 3. Attaching a present boosts the score by 3, however, so you can actually get at least 1 point with a letter made up of complete nonsense.
It’s certainly an interesting find, although it does take away a little bit of the magic somewhat. Either way, at least now you know that those little critters in your games console aren’t coming to life to read your mail…
