Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-19-2020, 10:58 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Fortnite: Operation Snowdown Winter Event Brings Free Skins, Quests, And More
Epic Games has launched its latest seasonal event in Fortnite: Battle Royale, and as you might guess from the name, it's a winter-themed one. Operation Snowdown brings new activities and free rewards for all players to take part in and earn from now until January 5.
During Operation Snowdown, the NPC Snowmando will offer quests (such as tracking down Snowmando outpost locations) with a variety of new seasonal rewards, such as the Frosty Globes pickaxe, Shield Surprise back bling, and more gliders and wraps, plus another back bling and pickaxe. You can get a peek at some of these in the image below. There are also new and returning skins/outfits to purchase on the Fortnite item shop. Everyone can also now claim the Sing Along emote, which causes you to pull out a book and begin caroling, for free from the item shop--if you purchased it previously, you'll get your V-Bucks refunded.
Gallery
While you're playing, you'll also encounter new tools to get the job done. There are custom X-4 Stormwing planes that are wrapped in Christmas lights, special Chiller grenades, Sneaky Snowmandos (which disguise you as a snowman), and "Snowmando-wrapped presents."
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-19-2020, 03:56 AM - Forum: Windows
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20 ways classrooms came together in 2020 with Microsoft Education
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This year, we saw millions of classrooms come together in unexpected ways. While it might not have been easy from behind a mask or computer screen, everyone in the Microsoft Education community—from principals and teachers to students and parents—have shown flexibility and resilience this year. The community has worked together to create engaging and inclusive learning environments, support one another, and even have fun. As we reflect on the year, we’re sharing 20 highlights from Microsoft Education in 2020, and the technology that helped us get through it together.
Bringing the online classroom to life for students
It’s important for students to see their teacher and classmates at the same time during remote learning. That’s why Teams expanded to a 7×7 Gallery View, allowing up to 49 students to be visible on video at one time.
Another way to mimic the classroom setting is throughTogether Mode.An alternative to Gallery View, this feature has brought students out of their individual tiles and transported them into a shared setting—whether that’s a virtual auditorium, conference room, or coffee shop.
A smaller setting can also help foster student participation. Breakout Rooms have helped students work within smaller groups for a discussion or assignment, just like they would in an in-person classroom.
The new Spotlight feature has allowed teachers to control the main video feed that students see during class. This can help students focus on the presenter, rather than on the many faces on the screen.
It has also been critical to provide students with the right devices during remote and hybrid learning. Windows 10 devices have been crucial in giving reliable, secure technology to learn from anywhere.
Staying organized and productive while teaching and learning from home
Education Insights in Microsoft Teams uses at-a-glance data views to catch teachers up on their students’ activity, from turning in assignments to engaging in class conversations. The Insights dashboard can save teachers time in planning, giving feedback to students, and providing help.
Microsoft Listshave made it easy for both teachers and students to stay organized, assign responsibilities, manage their schedules, and more. These virtual to-do lists provide a simple and smart way to make sure everyone meets their deadlines.
Teachers can use the Rubricstool in Assignments to create customizable, reusable rubrics. These help students understand the criteria they’ll be graded against and enable teachers to better evaluate their students’ work.
Assignment Notificationshave allowed teachers to notify students about upcoming assignments, giving teachers more flexibility in how they choose to communicate with students and assign them projects.
Supporting students and developing their social-emotional learning
Technology can play a key part in developing social-emotional learning (SEL) from home. SEL-specific Praise Badges and Stickershave helped teachers recognize student social skills, grow emotional vocabulary, and give valuable recognition to the daily wins in their students’ learning.
It can be difficult to gauge well-being during remote learning, but with tools like Reflect Messaging in Teams, educators can create a quick check-in to get insights on their students and offer support as needed.
To spread positivity and encouragement, teachers can share Kindness Cards with students. Each virtual card has ideas, reminders, or inspiration that teachers can use to model kind behavior.
Many milestone moments for students, like graduation ceremonies and sports finals, were cancelled this spring. Graduation Kits gave students a chance to virtually celebrate their accomplishments at the end of the school year, and Orientation Kits helped students with the return to school through online welcome and information sessions.
Preparing students for the future while still having (virtual) fun
Many summer camps were canceled due to social distancing recommendations, so Microsoft created Passport to Digital Fun, a free virtual summer camp with weeks of interactive workshops. We also created winter camps to keep students engaged and learning during the winter break.
Students from around the world imagined solutions to some of today’s most pressing issues through a virtual coding competition with Minecraft: Education Edition.
To keep students engaged during online learning in other ways, we hosted multiple events such as Global Learning Week, Hack the Classroom, Hour of Code, Imagine Cup Junior, and Global Read Aloud, each attended by thousands of students and educators from around the world. Teachers have also been empowered to create their own virtual events through Flipgrid, which offers advanced features such as augmented reality and video blogs.
We’ve been inspired by educators’ drive to learn and grow amid this year’s challenges, including through Microsoft Innovative Educator (MIE) programs. This community of educators has continued to thrive as teachers shared their experiences and resources.
Throughout the year, we participated in a variety of in-person and virtual events for teachers, including BETT, EDUCAUSE, Education Transformation Summit, and ISTE20 Live. Each of these events helped educators find community, support, and resources during an unpredictable year.
Global connections were perhaps more important in this year than any. Microsoft continued to build connections with educator communities, seeking to empower teachers with training resources through the Microsoft Educator Center and events like the Global Training Partners Summit, where Microsoft-trained educators help others around the world meet their unique challenges.
We will carry each of these highlights with us as we look to 2021, and hope you will too. We are optimistic about what the next year will bring for the Microsoft Education community—and know that we will continue to learn and grow together.
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Nintendo’s Doug Bowser Discusses The Future Of Animal Crossing: New Horizons
Without doubt one of the biggest gaming success stories of 2020, especially in Nintendo’s case, has been the unrelenting world domination of Animal Crossing: New Horizons. Right from its hugely successful launch up until this very day, the game has been breaking sales records and winning over the hearts of players with no signs of slowing down.
So how is Nintendo planning on keeping this momentum going? We’ve seen plenty of significant content updates over the past few months as new features get added and seasonal changes come and go, so will these updates continue?
In an interview with Polygon, Nintendo of America president Doug Bowser was asked about the game’s future. Two potential ideas were raised – a New Leaf-style approach where the same yearly schedule is repeated before a larger update arrives, or a Pocket Camp approach where the game constantly evolves. Here’s what he had to say in response:
“Yeah, I see two potential avenues here, one you already mentioned, which has been our update schedule that comes from the developers. And that can be around seasons, it can be around events, it can be around enhanced gameplay features. And that will continue as we go forward.
“I think the thing that is very unique and different about Animal Crossing: New Horizons, however, is also the [user-generated content], and people’s ability to really lean into user-generated content and make that available and to share that with their friends. And that doesn’t happen on any cadence. That’s an ongoing, constantly changing and evolving environment where people can visit each other’s islands and take advantage of that UGC, bring it to their islands and share it. So I think that’s another aspect that really is strengthening the engagement over time with Animal Crossing.”
Following on from this response, Bowser clarifies that Nintendo “definitely sees” the sort of updates the game has received throughout its first year continuing.
So, in case you had any fears of New Horizons slowing down, it looks like the usual seasonal updates and new additions will be finding their way into the game for a good while yet. As the game rapidly heads for the title of best-selling Switch game of all time, it’s great – and probably expected – to see the development team continuing its support, even if they are relying a little on players keeping the game alive through sharing their experiences.
Do you see yourself playing New Horizons for years to come? Would it take a more significant update like the one that New Leaf received to keep you interested? Share your thoughts with us below.
Thunderful’s Say No! More Has Been Pushed Back To 2021, New Trailer Appears
Thunderful Publishing and developer Studio Fizbin have announced that Say No! More will no longer be launching this year as planned.
The game, which sees players rediscovering how to say ‘no’ in a world which has forgotten how to stand up for itself, will now launch in 2021. A new ‘Say No! To 2020’ trailer has been released to coincide with the announcement, which you can check out for yourself above.
In a world where the word “no” has been all but forgotten, the population is focused on people-pleasing, the daily grind and making it through the week with an unwavering artificial smile. On your first day as an intern in the corporate world, work continues to pile up and to top it all off your superior decides to take your lunch box. Sat dejected at your desk, you happen upon a portable cassette player with a cassette inside simply titled “No!”.
Upon listening to this mystical discovery you meet the flamboyant self-help coach who goes by the name of… Coach. Coach grants you the lost power of saying “No!” and sends you on a spree of No!-saying, thus changing the world. What will you do with this incredible new power? Well, you won’t be making any more coffees, that’s for sure! Expect the unexpected in this bonkers story about the power of “No!” and its ability to bring people together.
If you’re liking the look of this one, make sure to keep an eye out for it appearing on the Switch eShop in the new year. Thunderful says that it’s now expected to launch in the spring.
Will you be adding Say No! More to your Switch wishlist? Say No! in the comments below.
Unto The End: 5 Things You Need to Know Before Beginning Your Adventure
Summary
Unto The End is out today, available with Xbox Game Pass for console and PC
Experience full-blooded encounters, with a deep, one-of-a-kind combat system
An absorbing adventure, designed as a pure gaming experience, and with an emphasis on player skill
After four years in the making, the debut game from 2 Ton Studios is ready – Unto The End has arrived on Xbox One, Windows 10 PC, and Xbox Game Pass. We can’t wait for players to take their first steps as Unto The End’s hero – a father and husband who is really just a regular, red-haired dude. He just happens to live in a world where basic sword competency is an essential part of life.
Finding himself in a dire situation, the father must get home to his family. But it’s no stroll in the park. Unto The End is a challenging experience that demands skill and focus.
So, before beginning your Unto The End adventure, here are 5 things you need to know…
Combat requires deliberate actions
The combat system has been meticulously designed from the ground-up, with special thought given to the advantages of fighting in a side-on 2D space. For example, the ability to see enemies behind you, and to accurately judge high and low attacks. It has also been designed for precise, deliberate actions. Playing contrary to this – i.e. button mashing – will ultimately result in failure.
The key is learning to read your opponent and react accordingly. And, above all else, staying calm and focused. There are no easy enemies, and every enemy is different. There is no ‘getting lazy’ – every combat encounter presents new challenges. Mercifully, there is a ‘Combat Assist’ option, which slows enemy attacks and gives players who – like me – aren’t graced with lightning-speed reactions, more of a fighting chance.
The only levelling-up comes from YOU the player
While it is possible to craft some rudimentary items of armour that can improve your chances of survival, there is no XP or levelling-up. You aren’t suddenly granted magical powers or given a 10ft, flame-covered sword. Player skill is at the heart of the experience, and Unto The End is all about the player learning and developing over the course of the adventure.
Mastery of combat is intrinsic to the sense of progression. Whenever you rest at a fire, you can enter a dream that transports you back to your homestead, sparring against your wife. Take the time here to hone your combat skills. Attack, block, counter, fake, barge, roll… every move is available from the outset. It’s up to you to learn and, ultimately, master what’s at your disposal.
There are alternatives to fighting
Perfecting combat is just one step towards mastery of the game. Situational awareness is equally as important – learn to understand the world, the creatures that share it with you, and the clues and items they can sometimes provide to reveal alternatives to fighting. The inhabitants may seem hostile, but each has its own place and purpose. They aren’t simply enemies waiting to fight you.
While there isn’t a completely peaceful route home – there are times when you will most definitely have to bloody your blade – there are opportunities to gain a temporary trust with potential foes by trading, offering, or showing items. Other creatures may just be protecting their territory and rapid passage away from them is enough to show you aren’t a threat.
There are slight variations to the ending based on how you choose to act, so it’s worth attempting a playthrough that avoids killing whenever possible.
Unto The End is a focused, uncluttered gaming experience
Screen display elements such as health and stamina bars were a feature of early Unto The End prototypes, but the finished game is completely HUD-less. This design choice is to ensure players can keep a fixed focus on the father, without distraction. Instead, the father’s ‘states’ are communicated through his appearance and posture. For example, his health can be interpreted by the amount of blood visible on him.
And there are other indicators. If the father is mortally wounded, he drops to a knee and the music builds in intensity, letting the player know they need to use a herb to slow the bleeding, drink a tonic or heal at a rest fire, or risk bleeding out.
Unto The End has faith in the player – that you will not only be able to overcome the challenges it throws at you without needing to be coddled, but that you will also take immense satisfaction from doing so.
Curiosity and creativity are rewarded
Because Unto The End provides minimal hand-holding, it pays to be inquisitive at all times, without waiting for prompting or obvious sign-posting (because it’s not going to come!). Rest fires or helpful items can be found in hidden areas away from the beaten path. And scavenging for crafting items is essential, but the materials are rarely conspicuous, so you really do have to search for them.
There are also plenty of incidental surprises to find. The father can kick snow. He can puke. Wave his torch. There’s a hidden dream. Hidden lore items. There’s even the ability to set the menu and in-game text to Scottish Gaelic (Goidelic), which is the father’s language. There are plenty of little surprises and unexpected moments tucked away. Explore. Experiment. Be curious.
We hope you enjoy the journey.
Unto The End
Big Sugar Games
☆☆☆☆☆
★★★★★
PC Game Pass
Xbox Game Pass
Unto The End is a challenging, handcrafted combat-adventure. Alone and outmatched, a humble father must endure a desperate journey to get back to his family. Armed with a sword, a dagger, and his wits, he must outfight and outsmart the creatures he encounters as he treks through unfamiliar lands, where every step brings him closer to home but is fraught with untold dangers. Features: Read-React Combat: One of a kind combat system focused on skill and mastery, designed and built from the ground up specifically for 2D. Fight intelligently and strike tactically with your sword and range weapons in fierce one-on-one and group battles Handcrafted Nuanced Encounters: The adventure unfolds through carefully crafted encounters, each featuring intelligent, worthy opponents, all with their own motivations and place in the world Player-Skill Focused: A challenging single-player experience with minimal handholding. All the father’s abilities are available from the outset and mastery of those skills, as well as keen observation of your surroundings, are key to survival and success Unforgiving Terrain: From cavernous underground ruins to harsh mountain peaks, overcome environmental challenges and deadly traps as you travel through a world of meticulously crafted landscapes
“Connect all developers, engage in problem solving and help us to ship the best games possible!“
PRODUCTION
Our producers are the heart of the studio and ensure all Guerrillas work in sync to deliver the best results within the most ideal timeframe. As a Producer you will be an integral part of development team, constantly looking for opportunities to improve efficiency, introduce new ideas and evolve our production techniques.
WHAT YOU WILL DO
As a Senior Producer, your main tasks and responsibilities are:
Ensuring game projects run as smoothly and efficiently as possible, from concept to completion on time, while working with limited supervision and using your own independent judgement outside of existing procedures when necessary;
Managing all stakeholders and dependencies in the projects, dealing with a large number of different teams (and different dynamics);
Maintaining project schedules and status reports, dealing with possible risks and inevitable changes/alterations to original planning before they impact the schedule or overall end result;
Evaluate cross-discipline development pipelines to present well researched improvement ideas to leads;
Efficient scheduling and running of meetings, assessing all prior requirements and ensuring goals are clear and followed up on;
Contribute ideas openly and regularly for improvements to our studio practices at Guerrilla;
Mentoring of junior producers.
WHO YOU ARE
We’d love to hear from you if you:
Have 7 or more years of experience in games as a Producer, working with complex cross disciplinary teams;
Have experienced all stages of AAA development from concept to release as a Producer;
Thrive on opportunities to engage in high pressure problem solving;
Are capable of reading between the lines to clearly identify the most critical points in development discussions;
Enjoy taking a large numbers of variables, boiling them down to a clear and driven message with achievable goals.
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 - 12-19-2020, 03:55 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Deadline for GDC Core Concepts talk submissions extended to Jan. 11th
Heads up game developers, if you were planning to submit a talk to GDC 2021’s Core Concepts section, we have good news for you. The deadline for submissions has been extended past the holidays to January 11th, 2021.
This means you have extra time to prepare your presentation pitch, find collaborators for a panel or microtalk series, or prepare an up-to-date presentation on the ever-evolving video game industry.
For those looking to submit to the GDC 2021 Summits, VRDC, or Game Career Seminar, submissions for those talks will now open on January 25th.
We recognize that with the move of GDC to July, the timeline for talk submissions have shifted to a part of the year that is extraordinarily busy for many developers. As such, organizers of the 2021 Game Developers Conference suggested this deadline extension in order to assist developers caught up in the preparation for the year-end holidays.
Submissions for GDC 2021’s Core Concepts content should cover the following areas:
Advocacy
Audio
Business & Marketing
Design
Production & Team Management
Programming
Visual Arts
We hope the extra time gives you a chance to prepare submissions that you might have felt you had to pass on due to the timing of the holidays.
Gamasutra and GDC are sibling organizations under Informa Tech
Posted by: xSicKxBot - 12-19-2020, 03:55 AM - Forum: Lounge
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Stardew Valley Update 1.5 May Still Release In 2020
Indie developer Eric "ConcernedApe" Barone has been aiming the ambitious Stardew Valley 1.5 update for this year, but if you've looked at a calendar lately you know there's not much of this year left. But fret not, fellow farmers: Barone says he may still be able to release the update this year on PC.
In answering a fan on Twitter, Barone said it might come out on PC this year, though console players will still have to wait for early 2021. This was only a "might," so it seems he may still be working through some last remaining bugs and polish, as he said in November.
It might come out this year on PC, and then on console early next year
Previously, Barone has said that most of the new content is aimed at endgame players who have developed their farms, though there will be new features that players will be able to enjoy if they start from the beginning too. At least one new feature is split-screen cooperative play, which may support up to four players depending on the platform. Barone also teased a new door in the back of Willie's shop, but where it goes or what it does is unknown.
The Python complex() method returns a complex number object. You can either pass a string argument to convert the string to a complex number, or you provide the real and imaginary parts to create a new complex number from those.
This article shows you how to use Python’s built-in complex() constructor. You’ll not only learn how to use it—but also why it is useless and what you should do instead in newer Python versions.
Usage
Learn by example! Here are some examples of how to use the complex()built-in function:
You can use the complex() method with three different argument lists.
Syntax: complex(real) # Imaginary Part is 0j complex(real, img) # Both real and imaginary part are given complex(string) # String has format 'x+yj' for real part x and imaginary part y.
Arguments
real
The real part of the complex number
img
The imaginary part of the complex number
string
A string defining the real and imaginary part in the form 'x+yj' or 'x+yJ' where x and y are integers for the real and imaginary parts.
Exercise: Guess the output before running the code.
But before we move on, I’m excited to present you my brand-new Python book Python One-Liners (Amazon Link).
If you like one-liners, you’ll LOVE the book. It’ll teach you everything there is to know about a single line of Python code. But it’s also an introduction to computer science, data science, machine learning, and algorithms. The universe in a single line of Python!
The book is released in 2020 with the world-class programming book publisher NoStarch Press (San Francisco).
Interestingly, you don’t need the complex() constructor to create a complex number! Instead, newer version of Python have built-in complex number support—just use the the syntax x+yj for real part x and imaginary part y to obtain a complex number.
The Python complex() method returns a complex number object. To create a complex number:
Pass a string argument to convert the string to a complex number, or
Provide the real and imaginary parts to create a new complex number from those.
I hope you enjoyed the article! To improve your Python education, you may want to join the popular free Finxter Email Academy:
Do you want to boost your Python skills in a fun and easy-to-consume way? Consider the following resources and become a master coder!
Where to Go From Here?
Enough theory, let’s get some practice!
To become successful in coding, you need to get out there and solve real problems for real people. That’s how you can become a six-figure earner easily. And that’s how you polish the skills you really need in practice. After all, what’s the use of learning theory that nobody ever needs?
Practice projects is how you sharpen your saw in coding!
Do you want to become a code master by focusing on practical code projects that actually earn you money and solve problems for people?
Then become a Python freelance developer! It’s the best way of approaching the task of improving your Python skills—even if you are a complete beginner.
The game is free to keep for 24 hours until Dec 19th, 2020 - 16:00 UTC. Epic is also giving everyone a $10 coupon to be used on any purchase of $15 or higher.
We are welcoming everyone to join our discord[discord.gg]. We are more active there on finding giveaways, small or large, and there are daily raffles you can participate.
