by Stone Marshall | Jun 24, 2016 | Minecraft News |
To help fix issues joining public Battle Minigames, developer 4J Studios has released Minecraft update 1.29 on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and PlayStation Vita in North America and Europe today.
The issues were discovered shortly after Minecraft update 1.28 was released earlier this week, and 4J Studios went to work right away on the patch. A fix for Wii U is currently in testing with Nintendo.
If you live in the US and purchased the $9.99 Battle Map Pack Season Pass, 4J Studios is aware of an issue where the DLC maps are missing:
The Battle Map Pack Season Pass gives you access to all four map packs as they become available, and “all future content that is part of this pass will be accessible in-game once it is available.” The final map pack is expected by June 2017.
Did today’s patch fix all your Battle Minigame issues?
Minecraft Update 1.29 Today on PS4, PS3 & PS Vita Fixes Battle Minigame Joining Issue
by Stone Marshall | Jun 24, 2016 | Awesome Book News |
Twenty years ago audiences turned out in movie theaters in droves to see aliens torch several national landmarks. Powered by a series of catchy ads and posters that showed the White House engulfed in flames as a spaceship hovered overhead, “Independence Day” was the film to see in the summer of 1996. It blew past other hits such as “Twister” and “Mission: Impossible” to become the year’s highest-grossing film, established Roland Emmerich as his era’s “Master of Disaster,” and made Will Smith a star.
Now, the aliens are back in “Independence Day: Resurgence.” For many moviegoers the first film remains the embodiment of blockbuster entertainment, but there’s no denying the fact that in the years since we first made contact, tastes have changed. Superhero movies are now the driving force at the box office. The question is, will moviegoers still show up in force for a movie without a costumed hero?
Right now, Fox, the studio orchestrating the invasion, is banking on an opening of $50 million when it hits theaters on Friday. It’s a solid start, but it won’t be enough to displace “Finding Dory” from the top of the box office heap. The Disney smash is looking at a second weekend of roughly $70 million after it shattered records for an animated film debut, opening at $135.1 million.
Fox spent a hefty $165 million to get the flying saucers out of dry dock and will launch the picture across 4,067 locations. Smith did not return for the sequel, but Emmerich is once again in the directing chair. He brought back original cast members such as Jeff Goldblum and Bill Pullman, and added newcomers such as Liam Hemsworth and Jessie Usher to the mix. The monuments getting atomized have also changed. This time Big Ben gets the White House treatment.
It’s shaping up to be a crowded weekend at the multiplexes, with four new wide releases entering the fray. “Free State of Jones” will try to bolster mainstream cinema’s IQ level a few points when it debuts on Friday at 2,815 locations. The historical drama about a Southern farmer (Matthew McConaughey) who leads an armed rebellion against the Confederacy is a big bet by STX Entertainment, a newly launched studio that hopes to make the kind of mid-budget films that major studios have largely abandoned in favor of comic book movies. It cost $50 million to make and will try to prove that there’s an audience for dramas in the height of popcorn season. The studio did defray some of its risk on the film, bringing in a number financial partners, including IM Global, which will handle international rights for the picture. “Free State of Jones” should bow to roughly $12 million domestically.
Sony will counter with “The Shallows.” Just as “Independence Day: Resurgence” seems like a throwback to the days of Irwin Allen, the film, which pits Blake Lively against a shark, calls to mind another ’70s era hit, “Jaws.” “The Shallows” is a much smaller gamble, however, with the potential for more modest rewards. It carries a $17 million price tag and is looking at an opening of $7 million when it debuts on roughly 2,800 screens. The film is one of the first greenlit under Tom Rothman, Sony’s new film chief, after he took over the studio in 2015.
Lastly, Amazon Studios will offer up “The Neon Demon,” Nicolas Winding Refn’s blood-splattered look at the world of fashion. The horror film debuted to mixed notices in Cannes, with some critics digging the fever dream atmosphere, and other reviewers finding it to be a forgettable strut down the runway. Broad Green will handle the theatrical rollout. “The Neon Demon” should debut to between $2 million to $3 million in more than 700 theaters.
Box Office: ‘Independence Day: Resurgence’ No Match for ‘Finding Dory’
by Stone Marshall | Jun 23, 2016 | Minecraft News |
During this year’s E3 event, which took place on 14th of June at the Los Angeles Convention Congress, best game developers took the podium to announce their upcoming games for consoles, PCs, and mobile devices.
Surprisingly, few games were announced for the latter. This could either mean mobile game developers disregard E3 or the gaming industry is just fed up of Android and iOS devices. Nonetheless, we’ve managed to compile a list of some fascinating titles announced at the event, some of which are already available while others will arrive in the coming months.
Pokémon Go-Niantic/Nintendo
Pokémon fans will be able to catch Nintendo’s adorable creatures this July. Pokémon Go, developed by Niantic in conjunction with Nintendo, will launch this July but with a completely new experience, it will be played in augmented reality, taking the experience of mobile games to the next level. That simply means players will be catching these creatures without looking at their smartphones, but via wrist-worn wearable called Pokémon Go Plus that will alert users of nearby Pokémon so that they can capture it. The device is sold independently at $35 and is open for pre-orders.
Unfortunately, it will not be ready at launch, Nintendo confirmed. The smartwatch-like device will connect to iOS and Android devices through Bluetooth and a player will tap a button to catch a Pokémon. Generally, Pokémon Go is all about hunting for Pokémon in a real-world location. Gamers look through their smartphone cameras to see Pokémon appear in the local environment then capture them.
Batman- The Telltale Games
Telltale series announced a five episode series based on Dark Knight’s adventures. Players will have the opportunity to wear the suit of scandalous billionaire Bruce Wayne and Batman’s well-known mask. The game tells the story in a comical manner and focusses on action, drama, crime, corruption and treachery in Gotham city. The first 15 minutes of an E3 demo shown by Telltale rep showed Batman stalking some heavily armed men who have invaded the city hall.
During the event, the rep said Bruce Wayne is as important as Batman, implying the game may see more of Wayne than Batman. There is a hidden Bat cave where Batman keeps his wide range of gadgets, the costume, and the Batmobile, which resembles a car. However, the game focusses on the complicated life and the fractured psyche of Bruce Wayne.
Minecraft Realms-Mojang
Minecraft is one of the most renowned mobile games. The title’s Pocket Edition has established itself at the top of the chart of paid-for games in App Store and Google Play Store. However, the game’s mobile fans have been grumbling of the inability to play with their colleagues on the other platforms. Mojang responded in time at the E3 event when it announced Minecraft Realms that has been included in Minecraft Pocket Edition 0.15 update (The Friendly Update), which also adds goodies like new texture packs and mobs. Minecraft Realms player-server service will let players on phones and tablets join their colleagues on the other platforms like Xbox Live, Windows 10 and Samsung Gear VR. Minecraft Realms will be available for free 30-day trial by new players, who will be required to pay at least $7.99 per month thereafter.
Severed-Drinkbox Games
Drinkbox Games first showed Severed back in early 2014. Finally, the game will be released later this summer after a two-year wait. The game is centered on one-armed warrior lady (fights on with a single sword) who adventures into the world in search of her family. She encounters all kinds of monsters, which she will involve in fiery battles. Drinkbox did not give a concrete release date, but hopes are high that it will be one of the best mobile games to hit the iOS platform this summer.
The Elder Scrolls: Legends-Bethesda
The Elder Scrolls fans will be pleased with the announcement of the Legends, Bethesda’s created strategy card game set in the Elder Scroll Universe. Players will approach rivals in three game modes. Moreover, they will craft decks by combining two of these five game attributes; Agility, Endurance, Intelligence, Strength, and Willpower. Each crafted deck takes a different class. For instance, if a gamer combines Agility and Strength, he will be able to build an Archer deck while combining Willpower and Intelligence yields a Mage deck. You will be required to use your own insight and tactics to decide on the best pick suitable for the situation at hand.
Pokémon Go, Minecraft Realms and the Best Mobile Games Announced at Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) 2016
by Stone Marshall | Jun 23, 2016 | Minecraft News |
Microsoft, the new owner of Mojang, attended this year’s E3 event and announced the new Minecraft: Pocket Edition 0.15 update, which was named “The Friendly Update”. From now on, players will have access to Minecraft Realms – the subscription-based service that will allow them to rent official Minecraft servers, and they will be able to play with their friends who own an Xbox 360 or Xbox One console, thanks to cross-platform play support.
Previous updates for Minecraft already brought support for cross-platform play among PC, Android, iOS and Windows Phone versions, and 0.15 now allows players to join servers along Xbox 360 and Xbox One consoles. Another nice addition is the Minecraft Realms integration, which exempts players from hosting games on their devices, in order to allow others to access their shared sandbox anytime, as this subscription-based server hosting service will give them the possibility to rent Minecraft servers. The pricing for Realms servers starts at $7.99 a month, but the first 30 days are free, so players will decide a month later if it’s worth investing money in Microsoft’s servers.
Minecraft: Pocket Edition 0.15 update comes also with new sounds for jumping on blocks (version exclusive); a skins button; a new store button used for buying skin packs and resource packs; Achievements for iOS and Android (version exclusive); Resource packs; a new UI for the main menu and skins menu; Blocks: pistons and sticky pistons; new gameplay involving pig riding with new sound when accelerates (version exclusive), Interact buttons, Boost – used when riding a pig with a carrot on a stick etc.
Items available in the new update are: Raw mutton, Cooked mutton, Fire charges, Spawn eggs, Horse (zombie horse and skeleton horse in version exclusive), Donkey, Mule, and for version exclusive have been introduced Stray, Husk and Wither skeleton horses. Other items are: Name tags, Leads, Carrot on a stick, Tipped arrows made with potion cauldrons (version exclusive), Horse armor made of leather (version exclusive).
Minecraft Pocket Edition 0.15 Update Brings Xbox Cross-platform Play
by Stone Marshall | Jun 22, 2016 | Minecraft News |
LOS ANGELES — In Minecraft, you can build just about anything you want, unless those things happen to be different enemies, behaviors or scenarios. Modders cracked the Minecraft software and started adding onto it long ago, but doing so it not easy for the average user, which is why Microsoft has begun to add simple, no-nonsense modification (“modding”) options that let players tweak Minecraft with only a modicum of programming know-how.
Microsoft showed me how the process worked during a press demonstration at E3 2016 yesterday (June 14). Enemies in Minecraft follow simple scripts written in JSON, a robust and workable JavaScript-based language. In a future update for the Windows 10, iOS and Android versions of Minecraft, users will be able to access these files. Whatever they update will appear in-game as soon as they restart the session. It’s really that simple.
To show us how the authorized-modding options worked, a Microsoft representative showed us a quick level he’d created that was populated by creepers, Minecraft’s signature exploding green bad guys. With a quick trip into Microsoft Paint, he altered a creeper’s image file to give it googly eyes and gym clothes. Then, he opened the JSON script and tweaked the creeper’s speed. As soon as he closed and reopened the session, the silly-looking creeper zoomed around the stage, giving the rep no time to react before it exploded right on top of him.
By adjusting a few simple values — height, width, speed and so forth — users can create very different variations on their favorite creatures simply by adjusting a few numbers in a text editor. If they want to get slightly more ambitious, users can even swap enemy behaviors. This involves some copying and pasting, but it’s still well within the grasp of anyone who’s ever programmed an HTML page.
The representative took the creeper protocols, opened up the JSON document that controlled the behavior of chickens, then swapped a few parameters. When he loaded up the game again and spawned a whole field full of chickens, he lit one on fire. Seconds later, the entire flock of poultry erupted into a cataclysmic explosion. It’s not hard to see how important this functionality could be.
Budding script kiddies with a little time on their hands could make some even more radical changes to the enemies without the modding tool. Microsoft showed off how it created a whole race of alien invaders, and black-suited G-Men to fight the aliens, using nothing more than existing character models, some height and behavior modification, and whole lot of time and effort.
While Microsoft’s modding tool is not that robust yet, there still seems to be a lot a creative player could do, and Microsoft hopes to implement even more modding abilities in the future. The initial update will hit sometime this fall, and while Microsoft has no plans for an in-game editor, it does plan to make documentation available to show average users how to manipulate JSON files.
Better still: If the modders screw up, they can just delete their attempted mods, and the game will repopulate the defaults automatically.
Make Chickens Explode with Microsoft’s Minecraft Mods
