Cities: Skylines 2 launched last week and Colossal Order have spent the time since combatting performance issues and teeth conspiracies. Today they released a first video of its upcoming editor tool, however, and it looks neat.
19.10.2023 - 11:33 / rockpapershotgun.com / New / Ai
343 Industries' and Microsoft's well-reviewed, but fan-derided and far from chart-topping sci-fi FPS Halo Infinite is experiencing a slight revival, and it's all thanks to the magic of, er, Pokemon. Pokemon being one of several new custom gametypes knocked together by intrepid Halo players using the Forge map editor's new AI toolkit, added in the Halo Season 5: Reckoning updates, which allow you to bring campaign AI into Forge maps and tweak its behaviour at length. I choose you, Master Chief!
As reported by IGN, Halo: Infinite's Steam playercount doubled in the wake of the Season 5 update, up from a piffling 7000 or so concurrent players to a... slightly less piffling 18,000. OK, so Counter-Strike 2 can breathe easy for the moment. But there's the glimmer of something longer-term in the new Forge options, which turn an already robust editor into the basis for some striking PvE experiences - including the aforesaid Pokemon homage, created by Xitter user DanTheBloke.
Quick update on the Pokemon battle arena!
Got em fighting now#HaloInfinite #HaloReckoning pic.twitter.com/3Iajkj68wq
The new Forge AI Toolkit doesn't provide access to every bell and/or whistle available to 343's own campaign designers, but it does cover a lot of ground - from setting zones for patrol routes to scripted triggers, all of it managed by a visual interface of branching nodes which seems, to my uneducated eye, perilously digestible. Perhaps it's time to dust off my old Carnage Heart instincts and do some Forging myself.
According to 343, the tools lend themselves to a range of genres, with people using it internally to build tower defence games. "Our North Star for the Forge AI Toolkit was wave-based PvE experiences," Forge lead designer Michael Schorr explained when the new features were announced. "Firefight, Horde - things like that are what we expect players will lean into first when they create stuff, but it also has the capacity to do more linear experiences." Technical designer Connor Kennelly added in the same post that "we totally expect players to make those campaign scenarios where you're taking a base or holding out a location."
So, what else have those incorrigible Forgers been up to besides Pokemon, which I do hereby spell without the accent over "e" in the hope of attracting reproachful comments from the wags at Eurogamer, who used to get very angry about this stuff when I temped for them? Well, how about this rather convincing-looking single lane MOBA from Resetera moderator Gowans, which was supposedly created in an hour or two using the existing Husky Raid map.
And then there's xXBarthXx's homage to The Maw, the final level of Halo: Combat Evolved. Or if you'd prefer to play a strategy game, consider this early
Cities: Skylines 2 launched last week and Colossal Order have spent the time since combatting performance issues and teeth conspiracies. Today they released a first video of its upcoming editor tool, however, and it looks neat.
Last night, X (formerly Twitter) finally launched two more subscription tiers to the paid version of its platform, known as the X Premium subscription. The Elon Musk-owned social media platform now has a Basic, Premium, and Premium Plus tier for those who want to access features such as editing a post, posting longer posts, and background video playing. Every tier unlocks some tier-specific benefits, and the most expensive plan, Premium Plus, unlocks all the features, and on top of that removes all ads and gives the user the “largest boost for your replies”. Let us take a look at the tiers, their price, and what they offer.
Another week, another set of new movies for you to watch at home. Halloween is right around the corner, which means spooky season is technically coming to an end, but don’t let that stop you: You can watch great horror movies all year long.
Apple has recently announced that it will be hosting its 'Scary Fast' event on Monday, October 30. The company is expected to launch its new M3 series of chips, which will deliver enhanced computational and graphical performance. Apple will also introduce upgraded versions of the MacBook Air and potentially the highly anticipated 24-inch iMac with M3 chips. According to the latest, Apple will announce the new M3 Macs on the 30th, but the launch could take place on Wednesday, November 8.
Alan Wake 2 finally hits PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC tomorrow, on Friday, October 27. After the wait was extended by a 10-day delay, the game's release is almost here. After getting a new launch trailer yesterday that showed more of this spooky world, developer Remedy Entertainment has another pre-launch update to share: New Game+ will arrive sometime after the game's launch.
Generative artificial intelligence has become a major discussion point in 2023, but we generally hear about its consumer-focused or business-focused applications. However, generative AI is not just limited to this space as it has made a strong impact in academics and research fields as well. A new report has highlighted that a group of researchers have developed an AI tool that can potentially predict deadly viruses before they can appear. This model can be crucial in predicting COVID-19-like pandemic situations ahead of time, and enable governments and the healthcare industry to be better prepared.
Alan Wake 2 developer Remedy will add a New Game Plus mode to the game after it launches, which will add a harder difficulty mode and a new «alternative narrative».
I absolutely love Amnesia: The Bunker—it's gotten lost in the tangle of one of the best years for gaming in a long time, but The Bunker is quietly one of the best horror games I've ever played. Now Frictional Games is augmenting that already mondo-stressful experience with a surprise Halloween update and harder-than-hard «Shell Shock» mode.
Ever since Elon Musk took over X (formerly Twitter), it has undergone a myriad of changes. In a bid to make it a super app that can compete with China's WeChat, the microblogging platform has received several new features, alongside a complete rebranding that resulted in Larry the Bird being replaced by an X. However, not all users are happy with the multitude of changes being introduced on the platform, with several of them calling these moves draconian. Just recently, it was announced that X would bring a 3-tier subscription model to its X Premium.
Are you planning to use one of the new Uniques items introduced with Season 2? Then look no further — our updated Diablo 4 database includes all new Unique items and their correct stats so you can plan out your build accordingly! Diablo 4 Season 2 Database Diablo 4 Season 2 Best Leveling Builds Additionally, you can use our brand-new Item Power Slider to see the exact affix breakpoints of your Unique item. Just click on the item name of choice on top of the tooltip to get to its database entry. Also, make sure to check out all the other updated entities in our updated database, like Skills, Paragon Nodes, Paragon Glyphs, and much more! You can find a list of all entities in our Diablo 4 Database Hub or by hovering over the «Database» tab in our main navigation on top of the page.
's Season 5: Reckoning has arrived, and it brings a variety of new content and general updates with it. Although a singleplayer campaign can be purchased in the tradition of the series, the online aspect of the game has been free-to-play since its launch in 2021. A steady stream of seasonal updates has expanded the multiplayer from a comparatively bare-bones launch, and Season 5 is no slouch when it comes to offering new opportunities in both gameplay and customization.
The newest season for Diablo 4 and its biggest yet (never mind that there’s only been one other season till now) is available now. Season of Blood sees players taking on a vampire army using vampiric powers. Check out the latest gameplay trailer below, thankfully lacking in errors.