Yes, Microsoft is still working on a ‘Halo’ TV series
Remember the Halo live action TV show Microsoft announced way back in 2013? Unlike Spartans that never die, it sure felt like the project’s been dead for quite a while. The tech titan told AR12Gaming in an interview, though, that it has never stopped developing the series and that it’s still working with Steven Spielberg and Showtime like it said years ago. 343 Industries, the Microsoft Studios subsidiary in charge of the franchise, said it’s merely taking its time to ensure that the final product can meet fans’ expectations.
AR12Gaming reached out to Microsoft to check on the project’s status, considering it’s been a while since we’ve heard anything about it. Not to mention, Microsoft has cancelled a bunch of projects within the past few years, including Xbox Entertainment Studios and Xbox Fitness. Unfortunately, the company remains as secretive as ever and has yet to reveal any juicy info about the show, such as when we’ll finally be able to watch it.
Here’s the Microsoft spokesperson’s full statement:
“Progress on the Halo Television Series continues. We want to ensure we’re doing this the right way together with a team of creative partners (Steven Spielberg and Showtime) that can help us build the best Halo series that fans expect and deserve. We have no further details to share at this time.”
‘Pokémon Go Fest’ issues refunds after tech problems ruin event
After an up and down first year of existence, the Pokémon Go Fest was supposed to be a triumphant event where players could work together in news ways and earn unique awards. The event unfortunately suffered as cell networks and the game’s servers couldn’t keep up with the strain, preventing many attendees who had traveled from around the world from participating. Niantic Labs CEO John Hanke was actually booed when he appeared at the event, and later in the day the company announced it would refund attendees for their ticket costs, add $100 in PokéCoins to their accounts and give them the Legendary Pokémon Lugia.
The issues, and Niantic’s inability to deal with them before they derailed the event, recalled many of the problems Pokémon Go has dealt with since its launch. Incredibly popular right out of the gate, the game suffered with significant instability for months, and still occasionally has problems preventing players for logging in now. It’s the first augmented reality game with participation and appeal on a massive scale, but putting its most hardcore players through a day like yesterday is just another strike against it, even as the money continues to roll in.
- Double Stardust
- Double Candy
- Double XP
- Increased Pokémon encounters
- Reduced hatching distance
- Reduced buddy distance
Also, beginning today, Legendary raids have been unlocked, featuring Lugia as well as Articuno monsters. They will be joined “soon” by Zapdos and Moltres.
‘Pokémon Go Fest’ issues refunds after tech problems ruin event
Watch the nostalgic trailer for Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’
After no shortage of hype, Warner Bros. is finally ready to show what Steven Spielberg’s take on Ready Player One is all about. The studio has released the first trailer for the adaptation of Ernest Cline’s novel, and it’s clear that the flick is playing up not just the book’s disjunction between a dystopic real world and VR, but the endless references to pop culture of decades gone by. Some of them are patently obvious in the clip — you’ll see a famous time-traveling car and a certain giant robot — but some are of the blink-and-you’ll-miss-it variety. Take Duke Nukem in the epic battle above, for example.
The preview is a whirlwind tour that focuses more on the spectacle of the OASIS’ virtual world than the story, which isn’t surprising when the movie isn’t slated to premiere until March 2018. It’s big on slam-bang action scenes (such as a gigantic virtual race) more than anything else. As such, we have some unanswered questions: how closely does it hew to the tale of Wade Watts and his quest to win James Halliday’s final game? How much will it lean on spectacle versus tackling the broader concepts of the novel? It could take months before we have a better sense of that, but it’s apparent that the visual style is at least on point — it’s easy to see why people would flock to the spectacle of the OASIS given a real world devoid of adventure.
Watch the nostalgic trailer for Spielberg’s ‘Ready Player One’
Overwatch’s principal designer explains endgame statistics cards
Ever wonder how the statistic cards shown at the end of an Overwatch match are generated? You’re not alone. That’s why Overwatch principal designer Scott Mercer stepped in on the game’s forum to explain the process.
Earning a card on the Overwatch endgame screen means you earned the most of that statistic across all players. “Even if you have gold medals for eliminations on your team, if a player on the enemy team has more eliminations then they are eligible for the card and not you,” Mercer wrote. “This rule is in place because if someone else ever got a card and you had more of the stat in question, the system was considered to be broken.”
So that explains what the original poster complained about—always getting a card for assists, yet never for kills or healing. Likely, someone else had earned that statistic, but the player in question still did well enough to be commended in another way.
“The display of statistic cards are not tuned differently based on the hero you are playing,” Mercer added. “If I was to tune eliminations to show up more, I can’t do it just for Zenyatta. It would also affect Soldier: 76 or any of the other heroes.”
Likewise, tuning defensive and offensive assists to show up less for Zenyatta would also impact Mercy, he added.
Assists for Zenyatta work in two ways: Players get a defensive assist when the Orb of Harmony or Transcendence heals a teammate when they eliminate an enemy. An offensive assist is counted when the enemy eliminated had the Orb of Discord on them. “The statistic has nothing to do at all with whether you are on offense or defense during your game,” Mercer said.
Both have “nearly identical” weighting, however. If a player is never seeing a defensive assist card, it’s probably because there’s another support hero—on the player’s team or the enemy team—that has an easier time getting defensive assists. An Overwatch hero like Mercy is a good example: She’s always got her beam on someone.
Though the statistics cards listed at the end of an Overwatch match don’t really add up to anything—it’s just a display of how well you did—it’s still nice to understand the process behind how cards are generated.
Overwatch’s principal designer explains endgame statistics cards
‘Minecraft’ novel by ‘World War Z’ author is now available
As strange as it sounds, Minecraft got the novelization treatment, and the final product is now out for purchase. The good news is that the Mojang team put Microsoft’s millions to good use by commissioning Max Brooks, author of the apocalyptic zombie novel World War Z. Minecraft: The Island apparently tells the story of a hero who got stranded on a mysterious island and ends up unraveling its secrets.
When the book was first announced, Mojang’s Marsh Davies described it as a “cuboid Robinson Crusoe, but madder: a hero stranded in an unfamiliar land, with unfamiliar rules, learning to survive against tremendous odds.” In the book, the cuboid hero will face hunger, the elements and, yes, zombies that roam the island at night.
Del Rey, the publishing house in charge of the project, called the book the launch of a series when the partnership with Brooks was revealed, so this might be the first of many. If you’re curious and looking for something to read for the weekend, you can get a copy right now from Microsoft’s Books store.
There’s already a Doomfist cosplay at SDCC 2017
Well, that was quick.
Before new Overwatch hero Doomfist even arrived in the live game—he arrives on July 27—he’s already got a cosplay on display at San Diego Comic Con. For the convention, which runs all weekend, Blizzard worked with costume designer Henchmen Studios to create the whole look.
The costume took six weeks to construct, and that’s working with a team of 14 people, according to Kotaku. The pieces include leatherwork and 3D printing. And the gauntlet itself? It weighs 15 pounds. Henchmen Studios worked hard to get every detail just right, but there’s one true test—is cosplay Doomfist able to shoot bullets out of his knuckles?
Blizzard hired a model from Toronto, “caviar_bleu“, to don the costume. And he’s got a hard job ahead of him for the rest of the weekend, carrying about 15 pounds of mechanical fist.
The developer is going all out for SDCC 2017, releasing new merchandise and participating in a wealth of panels. For Hearthstone, Blizzard even opened up an ice cream shop right outside the convention. SDCC runs until July 23.
Australia learns that low gravity isn’t the best place to fight in the Overwatch World Cup
Don’t make Winston angry, or he’ll knock you out of the space station and into the depths of low gravity on Overwatch’s new map, Horizon Lunar Colony.
That’s exactly what Australian national Overwatch team tank Ashley “Trill” Powell, playing Winston, tried to do to Italy’s Tracer player in the map’s low gravity area during their Overwatch World Cup group stage match. But in space—as the commentator jokes—no one can hear you scream: And that worked in Italy’s advantage. Trill managed to knock Italy’s Tracer out the space colony’s doors and into the edges of the low gravity area, but her Blink ability was enough to pull her back to safety.
From there, all Winston could do was wave.
While most of Italy and Australia’s Overwatch players were fighting on the point, Winston got caught outside when backup—Italy’s Solider: 76—came in to relieve Tracer. By then, Trill accepted his fate and tumbled into the abyss.
It’s not the first time we’ve seen the low gravity area in a professional Overwatch tournament, though. In June, LuxuryWatch Red used the low gravity area to get closer to the capture point without taking fire from Meta Bellum during OGN Overwatch Apex’s Challenger Series.
And it worked. Using the unconventional flank, LW Red was able to capture the first point on Horizon Lunar Colony within seconds.
But moving back to the Overwatch World Cup, it wasn’t all bad for Australia. The Horizon Lunar Colony space mishap was not indicative of Australia’s overall play in Group C. Even without Trill, Australia managed to hold Italy on Horizon Lunar Colony’s first point to secure another point. Australia kicked off its home turf Overwatch World Cup debut with a massive showing, taking all four points on the first day of group play. Australia now leads Group C, followed by Sweden, Portugal, and Italy.
Over in Group D, Finland leads with a 4-0 record, followed by Japan, who upset Spain in a 3-1 series. A team full of players mostly unknown to an international scene, many expected Spain—which is packed with professional and former professional players—to perform better. Spain sits in third, with Vietnam rounding out Group D in fourth.
Overwatch World Cup Sydney begins again at 8pm ET on July 21. (That’s 10am AEST on July 22 for those local to Australia.) Sweden will take on Italy first, followed by Australia versus Portugal, Finland versus Spain, and Japan versus Vietnam. You’ll be able to catch all the action on the Overwatch Twitch stream.
Australia learns that low gravity isn’t the best place to fight in the Overwatch World Cup
Overwatch fan recreates Doomfist in Minecraft with all his abilities and it’s incredible
Overwatch’s newest hero is already pummeling polygons in another game.
Minecraft has a dedicated community of players building out Overwatch in the block-based world. So it’s no surprise to see that one of them has already made a Doomfist.
It only took Minecraft creator McMakistein one week to model the new Overwatch hero and recreate his abilities in the game using more than 400 Minecraft command blocks. “The first thing in my process is always making the models,” McMakistein said on Reddit. “Once they’re done, I then program a running animation and just the visual appearance in general.”
The abilities get created one-by-one after that. He’s able to get it all done so quickly because hero mechanics are usually pretty similar, so he’s able to reuse code from older characters. Doomfist in Minecraft has all the same abilities as he does in Overwatch—Hand Canon, Seismic Slam, Rocket Punch, Rising Uppercut, and ultimate ability Meteor Strike.
Like with in Overwatch, your ultimate ability meter needs to be filled up to 100 percent to use it. The best part, though? You can import Doomfist into your own game using McMakistein’s work. The command is available on his site. The video explains how to get everything to work.
He’s also uploaded other heroes, like Genji, Hanzo, and Tracer, but it’s unlikely we’ll be able to see two teams of six in action on a Minecraft-based Overwatch map.
“It’s not possible with the scale I’m making these characters at,” McMakistein said. “Even one character produces a considerable amount of lag. Having 12 different characters active at once would kill the user’s computer.”
Overwatch fan recreates Doomfist in Minecraft with all his abilities and it’s incredible
Minecraft: Story Mode Season 2, Episode 1 review
Available now on PS4, Xbox One, PC, iOS and Android
While it was pretty astonishing that we got a Minecraft-inspired Telltale experience to begin with, here we are in 2017 and the developer has unleashed the first episode in a second season entitled Hero In Residence. The concept itself remains as strange as it did when it was first announced, but by that same token, the franchise is still oddly entertaining and filled with personality.
The most enjoyable aspect of Minecraft: Story Mode is that it’s clearly aimed at a younger audience. This does mean adults may struggle to get into it – as you’d assume – but if you’re a Telltale connoisseur then this feels like a well-earned vacation. All the usual tropes from the studio are apparent, of course, so you’ll be making decisions and weaving your way through a somewhat unique plot. However, the ramifications are so light and what you’re asked to do so fluffy that you can’t help but have fun with it.
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Kicking off more or less directly after the end of season 1, where returning hero Jesse and friends have defeated the Wither Storm, you’re tasked with getting back to normal. Or, at least, as normal as being a giant block-faced person can be. Naturally, this doesn’t last long when a new threat emerges in the form of a neighbouring town known as Champion City with its leader Stella.
The plot never becomes too out of hand or overly complicated in the way of Batman: A Telltale Series, but this is the reason it’s so easy to play. It’s nonsense, at the end of the day, balanced out by some bizarre characters and ridiculous sub-plots that ensure the pace never lets up. It’s quite clear the developer understands its audience here and that having even an ounce of downtime probably isn’t what they’re looking for.
This doesn’t mean it goes overboard or bombards you with too much, because it doesn’t. Hero In Residence simply keeps events ticking over so that when you’ve reached the end of episode 1 – which takes around two hours or so – you’re more than ready for more.
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A big reason it works is the well-written dialogue and voice acting. There’s nothing here that’s going to be winning a comedy award, but it’s so keen not to take itself seriously that it’s open to everyone. Given that a large portion of people playing are probably going to be parents with their children, in the same way families will always head to the cinema to see a Disney movie, the whole thing is just very well pitched. You sit down, fly through an easy-to-understand and accessible story then sit back and wait for episode 2.
This is apparent in how Minecraft: Story Mode sets itself out, too. A lot more stripped back than other efforts that seek to introduce new combat options or complex mechanics, this is Telltale’s model in its most basic form – there isn’t that much to think about. Even the odd puzzle isn’t particularly taxing – but surely that’s the point, and a reason to nod proudly in the studio’s direction. This isn’t about pushing the envelope or turning Minecraft into something it isn’t. It simply exists to tie into a franchise that’s now bigger than life itself.
It’s a similar result in terms of the aesthetic. Countless times in the past titles from the developer have suffered terrible technical issues, which affect proceedings far more than they should. This isn’t the case here, mostly because we’re using that cutesy Minecraft look. It’s not hard to replicate a blocky aesthetic, and because of this fact everything looks really rather pleasant – especially the animations used on our band of would-be warriors.
It’s just all so stripped back and simple, and knowing you’re not about to be smacked in the face with serious visual or audio flaws is most definitely welcome. Even the soundtrack follows suit, reproducing the light-hearted tone the franchise is known for. You’ll have it in your head for days.
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All-in-all, then, Minecraft Season 2 has started off in very much the same vein as the first, but that does mean similar problems are apparent. Given that such things are intentional, it’s hard to pick holes, but if you’re looking for something deep and gritty then you shouldn’t give this a second’s thought – you’re barking up the wrong tree entirely.
This is akin to a hand-holding adventure than any kind of serious challenge or deep experience, and if you approach it as such you’ll be sorely disappointed. It’s cookie-cutter gaming at its most sweet, a way to expand Mojang’s universe to new territories and probably make a load of money in the process. It’s well put together and decent while it lasts, but that’s about as much attention as you should give it. When it’s over, it’s over.
There’s no doubt the Minecraft community will enjoy this as intended, and the fact it’s made it back for a round two will be all the information some need before jumping in, especially since the world has been established now. You just get to go on another journey with a cast of characters you recognise and understand. It doesn’t even matter if you haven’t played the original – there’s nothing here that you couldn’t figure out on your own.
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With that said, this is Telltale light, ticking the necessary boxes and ensuring that putting smiles on people’s faces is the number one priority. There’s certainly nothing wrong with that, but take it aboard before you make any decisions.
Verdict
Minecraft: Story Mode Season 2, Episode 1 is a nice return for the series as it continues to be as light and easy as before. The perfect next step for families who love Mojang’s absurdly successful creation.
We regret to inform you that you can’t vacation at this beautiful tropical ‘Minecraft’ resort
Minecraft players come up with some pretty creative creations, but this one in particular makes us wish we could live inside Minecraft, even just for a week or two.
Redditor FamilyCraft shared their own Minecraft rendition of a tropical resort, a stunning plot of land complete with palm trees, pools, and architecture reminiscent of Dubai.
Take a look at the tantalizing Minecraft resort posted on Imgur:
Don’t you just want to slip on your sandals and book your plane ticket right now? There’s even a helipad there.
Of course, its beauty partially comes from the add-on texture packs that brighten the colors and up-res the water and sky. Here’s the same resort in vanilla Minecraft:
Still impressive, from a creative standpoint. FamilyCraft said they were inspired by the Aperion Hotel project in Dubai.
The entire project took about one week with work being done by three or four active players and three or four more part-time players.
We regret to inform you that you can’t vacation at this beautiful tropical ‘Minecraft’ resort