#but id rather have a functioning game on release

[goatsorcery]

i will say, despite my newfound burst of optimism about this game, a fall 2024 release date feels a bit ambitious, i was honestly expecting spring 2025 at the earliest given the changes the game has gone through in development over the past few years

[icewindandboringhorror]

Hrmm... Revising my game and I feel like there's still sooo much writing left to do, for something that probably won't even amount to much, so.. I do want to narrow my focus more (especially given my health problems seeming to get worse/less energy the past few years), but I'm not sure how would be best to...

I currently have 5 characters as the Main ones with full planned questlines and such, with each character having 6 quests you can do for them. But I haven't really started the writing for the 5th main character. So then I was thinking, if I were going to write 6 full quests worth of content anyway... is it better to allocate that time on just doing a Complete 6 Quests for ONE single character, OR would it be better to do something like.. choose THREE side characters and do 2 quests for each of them? So that people have a wider variety to interact with and sort of sample around (of course with the idea that, once the first version of the game is released, IF people actually care about it enough to make it worth the effort, I would then add additional content to complete those 3 characters stories as well)

-

SO... If you were playing an interactive fiction sort of game centered around talking to & doing quests for a cast of characters (like there's no larger plot, more it's just about interacting with people, every character kind of has a self contained story, the focus is just learning about them and the world and exploring the area) --- Which would you rather have?

(and of course it would be stated up front which characters have only partial questlines, so people don't expect them to have full quests like the others and then get disappointed, or etc. etc.)

Basically, is it better to just focus in specifically on having one fully complete questline? Or for there to be a few stories that are not complete yet, but have more initial options available?

[love-and-deepspace-wiki]

Surrounding Characters: Luke & Kieran

Ages: 18

(In the spring of 2046, they were both 16. At that time, Rafayel was "22", Zayne was 25, Xavier was "26", and Sylus was 36. Since Sylus is currently 38, this would mean the twins are currently 18)

Birthday: Unknown

Employer: Sylus

Occupation: (basically whatever tasks Sylus needs done)

Workplace: primarily, Onychinus' Base

(Update: In light of the new World Underneath story "Mischief", I've updated this post to include more detailed information about the twins. In addition to this post, Luke and Kieran each now have individual posts that are linked below)

Luke

Kieran

Random Facts

Details:

Luke and Kieran are twins employed by Sylus. They first appear in the Main Story when they rescue the protaganist from the "Man in Black" who had taken her from The Nest. They subsequently appear in the recently released World Underneath story "Mischief".

Throughout the game, they function like Sylus' errand boys, enforcers, assistants, etc. They're like his rignt hand men, handling various tasks at his (and sometimes, the protaganist's) request. They're described as "eccentric, rule-breaking twins" who "enjoy playing pranks". Their in-game note says they "often wear masks to conceal their faces", but we've yet to see either of them appear unmasked.

Note: Interestingly, the protagonist makes mention of expressions of theirs (for example, seeing them do things like smile) that wouldn't be visible behind the masks they're depicted in. So, I'm unsure if they have removed their masks in interactions we aren't shown direct footage of.

Background:

In the World Underneath story "Mischief", we learn that Luke and Kieran were both research subjects under the Ever Group's supervision. Their subject ID was 808. After multiple attempts to escape, they finally succeeded when they were 16.

After Protocore exposure, they both showed rejection reactions and researchers concluded that "transformation occurring within three months is highly possible". For this reason, they were being transferred to the disposal site for termination when they made their escape.

Since they were projected to only have three months of life left, they opted to go out with a bang by killing Sylus. Though there was a real possibility Sylus would kill them, Luke said he'd rather "get killed and die early" than transform.

Through their story, we learn that:

The twins have identical builds, movements, and (originally) identical faces.

The twins mutually influence each other's visual, pain, and auditory senses

Luke can see images within Kieran's field of vision and vice versa.

When one experiences pain, the other feels it in equal measure.

Restraining one of them effortlessly subdues the other

When they act together, they're even more coordinated than one person.

Luke is always in the light, and Kieran in the shadows.

They grew up on the streets before being placed at Ever's research facility.

While at Ever's research facility, the twins became experts at fighting each other. They learned it could earn them painkillers or sedatives. If the fight was severe enough, it earned them a pass on the next day's “trials”.

The twins often used their identical appearances to convince an opponent that there was only one of them. The first person who didn't fall for this trick was Sylus.

Masks:

After their attempt to kill Sylus failed, the twins expressed a desire to work for him instead. Upon this request, Sylus tells them to prove themselves by fighting each other.

In the middle of combat, one of the twins began to transform. From within his body, black crystals crawled up his body and face. Though the other twin didn't transform, they still experienced the same agony. To escape the pain, the transforming twin considered killing himself. But rather than risk harming his twin in the process, he ultimately opted to gouge the crystals out with a knife. As a result, that twin was left with grotesque scars covering his face and body.

In order to still look identical, Luke had matching masks made for them by one of the 303 twins (inferred to possibly be Philip from the Odd Workshop).

Clothing:

Both twins are only ever shown wearing matching black outfits, which consist of the following:

A bird-like mask with red accents

Shorts

Leggings/tights?

Boots

A black top

A hooded, long-sleeved top

A vest-like outer garment

A belt with ornamental feathers

Leather gauntlets

The only notable difference in their outfits are the number displayed on their hoods and the placement of a decorative ring on the attached horns.

Notable Quotes:

Kieran: "She ours, by the way. We called dibs a long time ago."

Luke: "I'm really curious… She's brave enough to drink from a black glass."

Interesting Facts:

Kieran refers to the "Man in Black" as "that ungrateful traitor"

When Sylus arrives, they leave to take care of any remaining troublemakers before ultimately bringing the protagonist to Onychinus' Base.

[4ltrd]

See Update in Reblog Below!

I've futzed around with a bunch of machine translation over the years, and here's what I've landed on (for Android and Windows).

Note: For both of these, the translations are wildly imperfect. Having some knowledge of the language you're translating obviously helps, or you're going to be confused when Google or DeepL decide to infer the wrong pronouns because they aren't people and don't understand context.

EverTranslator

When I'm purely on my phone, I use EverTranslator. It's free and much better than it used to be once you make a few changes in the settings. I have it set to . . .

Joiner between text blocks: Space

Remove ending dashes: On

Remove line breakers inside text blocks: On

Remove spaces in Chinese, Japanese, and Korean text: On

EverTranslator: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=tw.firemaples.onscreenocr

UGT (with a controller)

Mirroring Your Screen on your PC

I cast my phone to my laptop via Windows Phone Link or ScrCpy when I use UGT.

§ Windows Phone Link

Upsides of WPL:

It should be natively included in your version of Windows (you'll need to get the app on your phone, though).

(Usually) sound will come through your PC instead of phone.

USB connection not required--you can connect wirelessly to a PC on the same internet connection. Great if your phone is charging across the room.

Downside:

Can't rotate the screen manually for apps that are weird about rotating (AKNK).

§ BlueStacks

This method ought to also work with BlueStacks, but I haven't ever used BlueStacks because I'm paranoid about where I allow my Google data to be accessed.

§ Samsung Dex

Samsung Dex doesn't rotate apps at all, so that method is straight out.

§ ScrCpy

Scrcpy via USB Debugging mirrors your Android to your PC without having to root your phone. This is a little more advanced than using Windows Phone Link or BlueStacks, but you're using your own phone without granting anyone your Google credentials AND you can rotate the screen easily (unlike Dex or Windows Phone Link).

Upsides of ScrCpy:

You can rotate the ScrCpy window on your PC by holding alt and pushing the left arrow key. Great for AKNK's outings and sleep support.

Downside:

Getting sound through your PC rather than phone via ScrCpy is less reliable. Though it supposedly ports audio to your PC natively with the latest release, I still need to use the dev's SndCpy: https://github.com/rom1v/sndcpy/blob/master/README.md

Setting Up UGT

UGT requires more work than EverTranslator, but once you've set it up, it's worth it. You can use it for anything on your PC. Congratulations, you can now play any untranslated Japanese otome game via emulator.

A walkthrough on how to set up UGT: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2741318181

You'll need to futz around with the config file a bit, especially with the autoglue, even when you move from game to game, but it's worth the hassle.

UGT normally supports controllers to make it easier/faster to translate (and save your wrists/fingers), but that feature is broken at the moment. The dev knows. So, I cobbled together a script in AutoHotKey for my Xbox controller . . .

Autohotkey: https://www.autohotkey.com/

The script: https://vatnalilja.neocities.org/UGTAHK

Once you load this script into AutoHotKey and run it, the buttons on your Xbox controller will work as follows:

UGT's normal functions will work; consult the program

A will translate the active window (use ctrl+F10 to set a translation rectangle so it's not unnecessarily translating everything onscreen—you can always use ctrl+F10 to set a new rectangle)

B will clear the translation (the equivalent of spacebar in UGT)

Y will act as the left click of a mouse button

Left joystick will act as a mouse, so you can move around the screen to select things without touching the mouse

I updated the above AHK config file so its set back to UGT default (ctrl+f12), allowing you to run it out of the box with UGT. My original version was tailored to my modified hot keys.

These AHK settings may conflict with games that require these buttons on a gamepad, but you can look up AutoHotKey's instructions and easily change them in the script. I promise it isn't hard. Otome games are usually point-and-click, though.

This is what my setup looks like on Windows with my Android phone cast to my laptop via Windows Phone Link using UGT and a controller (not that you can see the controller part). It's so big. Good for my old eyes!

Here's my setup via ScrCpy:

DeskTranslator

Another option besides UGT is DeskTranslator, which won't require you to connect Google or DeepL in the settings or set up anything in Google Cloud Dashboard, but will require you to know some Python, access PowerShell, etc.

The installation directions for DeskTranslator and its requirements are available on each repository page, and if you need help installing Python packages, you can very easily search Google for the right commands to copy/paste into PowerShell.

One nice thing about DeskTranslator is that it will give you reasonably real-time translations without having to push any keys/buttons. Use this combined with Windows' captions in a foreign language and you can have translation of spoken dialogue that has no built-in captions in your game.

You can also drag the translation box over a normal dialogue box and use it that way, too (like UGT or DeepL's app--see reblog below for more on DeepL's app).

When used with ScrCpy, you can simply hold your phone in your hand (connected to your PC by USB) and tap the screen like normal. No controller or keyboard hot keys are needed.

ScrCpy + SndCpy with Windows Captions and DeskTranslator

ScrCpy + SndCpy and DeskTranslator

If you use Apple products or a controller other than an Xbox controller, YMMV. There is a version of UGT that is on Linux and experimental on MacOSX: https://pypi.org/project/pyugt/. Godspeed.

[luigiblood]

The oddities of Nintendo Switch Online retro service

I've talked about a lot of things about this service, on Twitter, on Tumblr, but also a lot on Discord, but I have been thinking about a post where I could put all the accumulated information that I've gotten over the years through datamining and leaks.

Here's a post about all the little things that you may not know about the retro service of Nintendo Switch Online.

Identifiers and Stats

One of the most obvious parts of datamining these apps is that each game have a unique identifier rather than just being a game name.

On NES Switch Online, they use identifiers identical to the NES Mini ROMs, which are usually like CLV-P-H***J or CLV-P-N***E for Japanese and English, usually. On SNES, they use now an identifier like this S-****_j or S-****_e and other consoles follow suit.

The thing about these identifiers is that they have an order, they all usually follow each other. But in all the apps, there are always gaps, and those gaps can tell a huge story.

Currently as of February 2nd 2023, there are 66 Famicom games, 63 NES games, 53 Super Famicom games, and 55 Super Nintendo games on the service on all regions. If you start counting the gaps, it seems that internally, they have 185 NES titles and 174 SNES titles MINIMUM. This is a pretty huge difference.

Thanks to a leaked build of NES Switch Online from last year, we can figure out some of those missing titles, involving mostly Capcom and Konami, which are unlikely to release on the service as most of them were rereleased through collections before, though it hasn't necessarily stopped them.

That said, if you remember, we had done a similar research with Nintendo 64 and Genesis titles at launch, which the press have definitely talked about, where we found out there were potentially 38 N64 titles and 52 Genesis titles running internally at minimum, but Nintendo has actually done us dataminers a bit of a response: All IDs on N64 and Genesis are now randomized since the first updates, which means we cannot do this kind of research anymore.

That said the updates to NES and SNES apps have not done this change, they probably decided it wasn't worth it. But all that to say that Nintendo is definitely taking notice of our datamining (and won't be the last time) and won't necessarily hesitate to throw us for a loop.

The secrets of NES Switch Online 2.0.0 update

Now I'm definitely going way back in December 2018, 4 months after the debut of the full Nintendo Switch Online service after a year delay (do you actually remember that?).

In January 2019, people started to take notice of SNES game descriptions within the language files, hinting SNES Switch Online coming in the near future, and the potential games coming.

To this day, all the games except two released on the service: We're missing The Legend of the Mystical Ninja and Contra III: The Alien Wars.

The other thing that was noticed is what's called an enumeration of emulator types:

EMULATOR_TYPE_CANOE = 0 EMULATOR_TYPE_KACHIKACHI = 1 EMULATOR_TYPE_HIYOKO = 2 EMULATOR_TYPE_COUNT = 3

Canoe is the name of the SNES emulator since SNES Mini, Kachikachi is the name of the NES emulator since NES Mini, Hiyoko was, at the time, unknown, but turned out to be the Game Boy (Color) emulator, and Count is most likely a counter, to say there are 3 different emulator types, it's a programming standard.

What most people ignored at the time is that the app also included a function called getEmulatorTypeFromCode, which would return the Emulator Type based on the identifiers I talked about earlier.

Once I took notice of this and checking other code making use of it, I figured out something huge, and after talking to an actual reliable insider who also confirmed it (don't get used to this), my conclusion: They had originally developed a multi-emulator app, which would have included all games from NES, SNES and GB in one single app.

Now you may wonder why this didn't pan out, I don't have the exact reason but I can have some educated guesses: Aside from the accidental reveal of SNES emulator on Switch which I think is not that huge, I think the seperation of systems is probably because of the developers wanting to compatimentalize the development instead of having to test a huge app every time they wanted to update it to avoid potential huge regressions.

I think it's not necessarily a bad reason, as a developer I also take importance of the ease of development VS user experience, and I do think this decision is not really a bad thing overall, making a multi emulator can be extremely hard and you could deal with problems because of decisions taken extremely early on.

The secrets of SNES Switch Online

The SNES emulator derived from the Wii U Virtual Console by NERD has a bunch of secrets that you may not know about... such as the currently unused SNES Mouse emulation.

Once you start checking around the code about how to enable the SNES Mouse emulation, you find out two things:

It can be enabled using metadata within the custom ROM format.

It was able to be force enabled using specific internal emulator Game IDs.

The most interesting part of the Game IDs is that only 3 Game IDs specifically forced the SNES Mouse to be emulated: 0x11A0, 0x11A2 and 0x11A3. If we just keep ourselves to SNES titles that could only work with the SNES Mouse... we could think of only two, actually. Most of the SNES games that supports the mouse can also just work with the controller.

We can only think of Mario Paint and Mario & Wario as SNES titles that only works with SNES Mouse, but also both are first titles, so in terms of rights, there's no issues here.

The problem is like, what's the third title? And that's where we can have a lot of ideas here.

The thing about those emulator Game IDs is that they don't correspond to the Switch Online IDs, they correspond to IDs that have been populated since the Wii, but especially Wii U Virtual Console, but we don't exactly know when NERD took over the emulator from Intelligent Systems. It is currently impossible to tell for sure.

So we can only think of the following:

The third title is actually the PAL version of Mario Paint, when they used to seperate game versions in different IDs.

The third title is Sound Fantasy, the unreleased but confirmed to be completed third SNES Mouse first party game.

Or it is a game that Nintendo decided it was better to play with a mouse rather than the controller, but I don't think it's likely.

Unfortunately I don't know for certain.

One other thing about the SNES Switch Online service, you may have noticed that some of the games currently on the service can actually be played up to 4 players at the same time... at least outside of it since the emulator locks you up to 2 players maximum.

If you thought that they did not emulate the Multitap, you'd be wrong. In fact, the games in question all contain metadata saying up to 4 players, unlike what the menus might tell you, and they all technically emulate the SNES Multitap, but the user interface can only allow you 2 players, so it's sorta funny that the second player is technically plugged to the multitap from an emulation standpoint.

Funny.

The secrets of N64 Switch Online

This part has some plot twists to it, but in fact I should rather say the secrets of the N64 Wii U Virtual Console emulator, as most of these things were brought over from this.

Unlike what most people might tell you, NERD has not much to do with the N64 emulation, it was developed by iQue. If you wonder what's my evidence, the debug menu between the NES/GB VC emulator for 3DS (which is confirmed done by iQue because the source code of it leaked in 2020), and the N64 VC emulator for Wii U are pretty much the same.

I may as well mention the biggest secret of all which had a plot twist later: The N64 emulator used to have unfinished 64DD emulation code in it, since Wii U.

I do insist on unfinished because it was nowhere near enough to boot a single 64DD game, but they for some reason included a Sim City 64 configuration file on Wii U at one point, probably for initial testing.

When the emulator was ported to Switch with improvements such as Vulkan graphics rendering on Super Mario 3D All-Stars and Nintendo 64 Switch Online app, a bunch of the 64DD emulation code stayed as is, in the same unfinished state.

However something funny happened in between, the emulator had code to recognize the fanmade 64DD cartridge ports, and those are definitely fanmade, and they must have looked at other emulation code for it, and most likely, code that I even wrote myself as I did add support for these in emulators before. Note that at that point, the code to boot those games were not seemingly present, or maybe I missed it.

So I would like to assume iQue had still wanted to make 64DD games working, but wanted to test on easier to emulate versions of the games. That said, I did mention this on Twitter... and then they removed every single line of code involving 64DD in the 1.2.0 update build in January 2022. It was probably not literally removed, just not compiled as it is still a good skeleton code for it. I am definitely convinced that I'm being looked at.

When it comes to other stuff in the emulator... well did you know that the Controller Pak, the memory cartridge that you put inside the controller's slot to save in a bunch of games, is actually fully emulated since Wii U?

It is very annoying that they had something like this working, but couldn't figure out to swap between both that and the Rumble Pak for games that could make use of both.

If you wonder about the Transfer Pak, the Wii U has a bit of it, but it's just turning the hardware ON and OFF, and this code has stayed as is on Switch. I know Emily Rogers has mentioned there were experiments and I believe her, but unfortunately, the code must be in a seperate branch and not put in place in N64 Switch Online builds.

If you tell me "oh they didn't plan Pokémon transfers for Pokémon Stadium," please look at the japanese Direct about it and you'll find a widely different sentence that does not actually rule out support for this, stating that "Pokémons cannot be transferred from the Game Boy." I dunno about you, but that's a statement that makes it vague because they could just mean the actual real Game Boy.

Now I'm not really dumb, as Nintendo has showed that Switch Online is mostly low budget and does the bare minimum, but there are things that shows a bit more attention to things...

When it comes to new things that weren't in the emulator on Wii U, they actually emulated the Real Time Clock chip from Animal Crossing's N64 original version. This code actually isn't in Super Mario 3D All-Stars, this must be a fairly new addition, and since there's only one game using it, it is fair to assume Animal Crossing is actually in a working state in the emulator.

When Mario Golf was added to the service, the Lua script dedicated for it is... a bit odd. It includes code for asynchronous netplay, where each player would take control of the game in turns in an attempt to optimize the netplay and reduce lag. This code is fully unused, there's not even the functions that it uses in the emulator yet.

This could also be additional evidence towards my theory that the NSO apps would see a refresh including user experience to some extent, but this stuff was added since April 2022, so whatever they are doing, it's certainly in private and has been in the works for almost a year now.

This post... is a bit long already, and there are still a bunch of other little secrets to uncover, but I think I covered the most technical ones so far, I hope this post is mostly clear about these secrets. Feel free to give me feedback.

[ierotits]

care to tell us how divergent ruined apocalypse fiction? i’m genuinely curious :autismstare:

sorry it took so long to answer!!! theres much better posts about this out there, but ill try give a summary lmao. it didnt necessarily ruin apocolypse fiction, but it definitely pushed teen dystopia a step back!

basically with the popularity of the hunger games at the end of the 2000s start of the 2010s, there was a huge boom in dystopian series aimed at teenagers and young adults. the maze runner, the 5th wave, matched, uglies, i am number four, etc etc etc. the hunger games wasnt necessarily the first, or even what started the boom, but it was certainly the most well known, and the best of them. some of these series were actually interesting, and explored elements of modern society the way dystopia is meant to, it should always be a reflection of issues that effect the contemporary audience, and make the think about the ways in which they interract with their own world. some of these series sort of missed this element, but created interesting enough worlds and futures that they could almost be forgiven

divergent was ABSOLUTELY an attempt to profit off the popularity of the genre of the time, and while it didnt fail to gain a profit, it did, as far as i can tell, begin the end of the boom. the concept was so simple, seemed barely thought out, and as i really cant see how it reflected anything about society. other series would take the concept of splitting society into groups, and have it actually do something. for example, the series that split people based on their looks was at least a commentary on the commodification of beauty. the hunger games had factions acting as a form of racial and class based segregation. divergent split them based on......what. "this group are brave. this group are smart. this group smoke weed." it didnt tell shit about society, the categories were so arbitrary that there was really no point to it. the books were just generally badly written too, and the plot absolutely fell apart by the end of the series. i remember there being some bullshit love triangle thing too which seemed to have no point other than drama

unfortunately at that point, teenagers would eat up anything dystopian (me included) and the series did well. so, after the success of the hunger games movies, they were adapted into their own film series. it was an absolute fuckin flop, if i remember right the 2nd one did so badly that they never even released the last movie. most people then went back and looked at the books and seemed to realise just how shit and rushed they were. teen dystopias started becoming less and less successful, i moved on to fantasy, the hunger games movies all released and did well (even if i have many complaints about them) and that series cemented itself as a success, but i cant think of any other film adaptations that really succeeded, many had a first film that failed and they never finished the series. and with that, came the end of an era

i genuinely think dystopia and some of these series are a really great first introduction for teenagers to get into the idea of having fiction telling them about the world around them and how it functions. ill still recommend the hunger games for most young teens trying to find a first young adult series. id love to see the genre make a comeback, but only in a genuine way where authors are trying to say something about society, rather than the divergent situation of just trying to profit off what is popular

[govindhtech]

Apple iPhone SE 4: Affordable iPhone With Powerful Upgrades

In terms of appearance and functionality, the next Apple iPhone SE 4 is expected to represent a significant improvement over earlier SE models, more in line with newer iPhone models. The smaller 4.7-inch LCD screen on the current SE model will be replaced by a 6.1-inch OLED screen, akin to the iPhone 14‘s screen, in the SE 4, which is anticipated to make its debut in late 2024 or early 2025. With its thinner bezels, Face ID, and perhaps a notch or even a Dynamic Island, this design change suggests that the SE 4 may mirror the iPhone 14’s body.

According to recent models, Apple is also heading toward a USB-C port for this gadget, which would comply with revisions in EU regulations. Rumor has claimed that it might also have an Action Button, which is an option from the iPhone 15 series that takes the place of the conventional mute switch. A single-lens back camera with a 12MP sensor and features like Deep Fusion, Smart HDR, and potentially Cinematic Mode though Night Mode might not be included is anticipated to be part of the SE 4’s camera front.

In keeping with Apple’s practice of increasing processing power across its portfolio, the Apple iPhone SE 4 might be powered inside by an upgraded Apple silicon chip, perhaps the A17 Bionic or even the A18. Given that Apple is said to be equipping this phone with a somewhat larger battery than the previous SE, which would lengthen usage on a single charge, this should result in increased performance and efficiency.

Because of the improvements to its feature set, the SE 4 is expected to cost more than its predecessors, possibly making it a competitive mid-tier choice in Apple’s portfolio. To cater to customers looking for affordability in addition of the Apple experience, the pricing will probably stay lower than flagship models given Apple’s history with the SE range.

According to these observations, the Apple iPhone SE 4 will undergo a major overhaul, increasing its attractiveness to consumers who prefer small but powerful gadgets, particularly those seeking an affordable iPhone with contemporary features.

FAQs

Will the iPhone SE 4 have a physical home button?

No, it is rumored that the Apple iPhone SE 4 will use a notched design, most likely inspired by the iPhone 14. This would signal a change in design toward a full-screen experience with Face ID rather than Touch ID, and the death of the home button for the SE series.​

What storage options will the iPhone SE 4 offer?

The iPhone SE 4 is rumored to have at least two storage options, with 128GB and maybe 512GB being the beginning capacities. A 64GB base model is also being rumored, though it is less certain.​

Will the iPhone SE 4 support 5G?

There is a good probability that the Apple iPhone SE 4 will have 5G capabilities because Apple has been including 5G technology into its latest models.”

What processor will the iPhone SE 4 use?

The A18 Bionic chip, which is also utilized in the iPhone 14, is probably going to be included in the iPhone SE 4. This will make it competitive in the mid-range market by offering enough processing power for daily chores and light gaming.​

Apple SE 4 price

Leaks and reports suggest the Apple iPhone SE 4 will cost $499–$549. The iPhone SE 3 started at $429, so this is a big price rise. However, these are estimates, and the final pricing may vary.

Apple SE 4 release date

Although a release date has not been confirmed, many analysts believe the iPhone SE 4 will launch in late 2024 or early 2025.​

Read more on Govindhtech.com

[rot8erconex]

[ID: photo of tags that read "tbh i read this and still didn't get half it since i still have no good idea what 'vtubing' actually is/looks like/how it functions. but even w/o that…GODDAMN. current events. all who live to see such times. the contracts that knit together civilization (for better or worse). every now and then a post comes along like a gargantuan eldritch shadow under the ice." /end ID]

For those in this particular situation, VTubing is a bizarre intersection between gaming live streamers and anime-infused idol culture. I have more - including a repeat of the previous sentence but with some interjections - beneath the "Keep reading". Also, a little update from the past three days' of events.

For those in this particular situation, VTubing (short for Virtual YouTubing, though it's also done on Twitch so the name is partially a misnomer) is a bizarre intersection between gaming live streamers (Nijisanji uses the word "Livers" and I specifically avoided using the term because I know that screen readers would parse it as the plural of a human organ rather than the intended pronunciation of "lie-vurz") and anime-infused idol culture. People who play video games, or cook, or just read chat on live streaming on Twitch or YouTube, but instead of having a face cam, they will have a virtual avatar - usually heavily anime inspired, though I have seen straight up 3D models of the streamer's fursona - which mimics the facial expressions made by the actual person behind the gameplay.

This affords a level of anonymity while still allowing viewers to see the streamer's genuine reactions to things. Additional benefits, obviously, exist for people who are uncomfortable with their own body - such as trans people being able to style their model the way they wish they were, but also, I know of one YouTuber who does VTubing when she streams because she suffers from chronic pain and doesn't want to have to deal with looking nice when she hangs out with her fans. Her model is a highly-stylized version of her actual appearance, but with horse ears attached because she's a horse enjoyer.

There are a lot of "indie" VTubers, but there are also two major companies (and a few smaller ones) who run entire outfits of multiple VTubers. Hololive, run by Cover, and Nijisanji, run by AnyColor. Both companies will perform auditions every so often, and then a few months later, will release a batch of three-to-five VTubers which will be referred to as a "generation" - numbered in sequential order but also labeled with the language that this generation is targeted at. Selen Tatsuki was, IIRC, part of Nijisanji EN gen 2.

The VTubers in a generation largely work independently from one another, but can do collab streams - even with other generations, languages, or (though this requires more effort) other companies' streamers.

Each VTuber - at least all of them in the corporate sphere and many indies - has lore behind their character. With Hololive EN gen 1 - what I'm most exposed to - we have:

Gwar Gura, a shark girl from a subaquatic Atlantis who came to the surface because she liked human video games.

(I'm not gonna try spelling her full name, so let's just call her Ina) who is a normal girl that has become the priestess for an eldritch horror.

Calliope Mori, the grim reaper come to the realm of the living because she wants to write music. Personality-wise I think she might be my favorite, but she rarely plays games I want to watch.

Kiara, a phoenix who teaches her viewers and co-commentators German

and Amelia, a time-traveling detective (descended from John Watson) who is in the current era to make sure that she does come into existence.

This lore is usually not used to put on an act, but rather to help obfuscate the streamer's real-life details. Gura, for example, can tell stories about her childhood and claim that they happened in Atlantis. Calli can refer to her real-life home as "the Underworld". Etc.

As for the update? Nijisanji has been quiet in the past few days, and Doki has not said anything else past what she said would be her final public statement. The day after my post, a few fans tried to put together a document poking holes in Doki's story but their own document misrepresents the facts of the case (such as the fact that it was Niji, not Doki, who first made the bullying allegations public knowledge) so many people are disregarding it. A Redditor who works in the PR team of a different company has put together a thread in which they detail what they think happened behind the scenes to cause this shitshow, and if they are right, then this is the last we will hear publicly on the matter from either party, because the shitshow was caused by a huge misunderstanding by Nijisanji's lawyers as to what Doki planned to do with the document that she had compiled, but now that misunderstanding has been cleared.

Apparently the Nijisanji situation is so bad, it's being used in REAL TIME as part of law school lessons and mock trials. Actual lawyers are pointing out that this violated several Canadian, Japanese, and possibly more countries's privacy and disclosure laws as well.

Like holy fuck. They have fucked up big time.

There's entire threads on Twitter and 4chan where lawyers are going over the specific violations Doki's lawyers could have a field day with, using Niji/Elira/Vox/Ike's "our side" video as very easy evidence to site some violation or another.

And for the third time, I'm not really into Niji and keep getting into talents right before or after they announce graduation or are reborn elsewhere, strange habit, but 1. I hate companies mistreating their employees, 2. I hate bullying, 3. This is now, honestly and truthfully, one of those literal garbage fires you can't ignore once you gaze at it. Every day so far the hole Niji keeps digging gets dug deeper and deeper-

We're watching a corporation collapse in real time and pay severely for the mistreatment of its employees. Honestly I'm invested and need to see how this shit ends. This has ramifications for the vtubing sphere and even sets precedents for how similar cases like this will be handled in the future.

Doki, I hope you can live a happy life, because I respect the shit out of you, and I hope you get a lot of money out of this that you can do wonderful things with. Thank you for surviving and being alive

[thetoxicgamer]

Here is a Demo for Forgive M Father 2, a Bloody but (Love) Crafty Cosmic Horror First-Person Shooter

If you've been craving a Lovecraftian game that avoids explicit depictions of tentacle monsters, Forgive Me Father 2 may not be your ideal choice. However, if you enjoy exploring a decrepit Victorian asylum, listening for ominous creature sounds, evading bright energy projectiles, and wielding a shotgun akin to the DOOM series set in Lovecraft's universe, this game might be to your liking. The Steam Next Fest demo provides access to one level from Byte Barrel's cosmic horror first-person shooter. In the brief 15 minutes I played, I found it to be a rather unsettling experience. It features firearms that turn most foes into gory messes, environments characterized by vivid and grotesque aesthetics, and a musical score that ranges from jumpscare elements to heavy metal. Unfortunately, I haven't played the well-received original game, so I can't make direct comparisons, but it appears to maintain the same style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XbVeAyzkarc Similar to many classic "boomer shooter" games, there are subtle elements hidden amidst the chaos. During the demo, the game equips you with a wind-up flashlight reminiscent of Amnesia: The Dark Descent, and you must navigate dimly lit areas behind hospital curtains. There are color-coded key puzzles, secrets cleverly concealed slightly above eye level, and amusing additions like functional toilets. While it doesn't directly compare to System Shock, it strikes a balance similar to id Software classics, combining visceral satisfaction with clever level design. The full game, set to release on October 19th, promises a "dynamic madness" system, which appears to be more traditional than the introspective approach to mental health seen in Amnesia. In essence, it seems that in this game, unlocking new features may have a deteriorating effect on your character's sanity, mirroring a common theme in games. Personally, I'm more intrigued by cosmic horror that diverges from Lovecraft's themes and minimizes violence, but I could see myself enjoying a few more levels of this game. If you're still uncertain, you can explore 12 other Steam Next Fest demos as well. Read the full article

[linuxgamenews]

There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight offers a taste of gameplay via Proton

There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight single-player spy thriller game aims at Linux via Steam Deck and Windows PC with a Demo. According to the latest details straight from the folks at Sunny Demeanor Games. Due to evolve its way onto Steam in 2024. We are due to take a dive deep into the newest spy thriller adventure, There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight. This one's going to be both unique and even deep. First up, picture this: it’s the Ides of March 15th. The same day a historic Julius Caesar met a rather sharp end. Now, why's this date important? Our There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight bad guy is Brutus. The date is a nod to Mission: Impossible too, where a key moment is called "Job 3:15". On top of that, the developer "anticipates good compatibility with Linux through Steam's Proton compatibility layer. Similar to how the Steam Deck functions." Since this opens up Proton support, with further hope for a There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight native port.

"While there are no specific plans for Mac and Linux versions at the moment, it's encouraging to know that you are open to revisiting these decisions in the future."

There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight release date trailer

Now, onto There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight that you will be diving into. A secret agent, Franklin Benjamin, with the weight of the world on your shoulders. You get to cruise in the swankiest cars, charm some amazing people, and tackle some wild challenges to save the day. There's even an evil genius, so you are the one to stop him. Some madman with deadly satellite tech that can strike anywhere, even other satellites. In There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight you have help: Virginia, who's got tons of field experience. Also, Hatcher, the tech guru. But hey, it's your show! Your choices dictate how this all unfolds. It’s text-based, due to have you diving into a spy novel where YOU are the main character. And there’s also amazing music in the background. Feeling safe? Calm tunes play. Danger? The music turns intense. It’s all about setting that perfect mood for your adventure. Controls? Just a mouse to delve into There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight. Every move you make, every line you say – it's just a click. If you're thinking, "What's it like?", well, imagine a mix of classics like GoldenEye 007, the Mission: Impossible adventures, and some Telltale magic like the Batman series. And the humor? Think Austin Powers, The Office’s “Threat Level Midnight” episode. There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight even has a hint of The Simpsons with their “You Only Move Twice” episode. So, it’s not just action – there are some laughs too!

The Demo:

Now, bonus info! Before There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight release on March 15th, 2024, there’s a demo out that you can try, covering 5 mega chapters. And this isn’t a one-time thing; it’s sticking around for a while. So, you've got time to test-drive your secret agent Demo on Linux and Steam Deck via Proton. This spy thriller game is also developed in Unity 3D. Also, keep an eye out this October. There's a Kickstarter coming, not for the main adventure, but for a James Bond-style title track. If you back it, you could even see your name in the credits, or get an early sneak peek. To sum it up, There’s Always a Madman: Fight or Flight isn't just another title to play; it’s an experience to be lived. Due to make its way onto Linux and Steam Deck via Proton with Windows PC. Also be sure to Wishlist this spy thriller game on Steam.

[bmblboop]

“Ren! Nora! Flower-Power!”

(This analysis is a little bit gif/image heavy so I will include image descriptions below each photo. Please message me if you wish to submit a more detailed description for each gif/photo OR if you want to request I add a cut/keep reading function.)

Team attacks in RWBY have always been interesting to see - how they combine the strengths of each pair and demonstrate the strength of their bond. I could go into detail about every attack and variation of each (including this little tidbit about how the Pyrrha/Nora attack ‘Pomegrenade’ has since become Jaune’s signature team attack with his teammates) BUT, Today I want to focus on these two.

(ID. A screenshot of Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie from RWBY)

Ren and Nora are arguably the closest characters in the RWBY canon, having grown up together following a deeply traumatic experience in the destruction of Kuroyuri. So, if team attacks are all about understanding and complimenting each other’s abilities, why haven’t we seen their combo attacks more often?

The History of Flower Power

Okay, the short answer is that the ‘Flower Power’ team name didn’t exist until Volume 3, when Jaune was inspired by team RWBY’s team attacks from Volume 2 and sought to replicate it. We don’t even see the attack formation since JNPR had a miscommunication and discussed that for the rest of the battle. The name has not been brought up in canon since.

The longer answer is that team attacks involve a great deal of trust and coordination with your partner. The team attacks that JNPR attempted at the Vytal Festival fell apart due to lack of clarity and communication. We will come back to this later.

Why are we talking about a team attack was mentioned exactly once?

Because it existed in the, now deceased, mobile game Amity Arena:

(ID. A gif of Ren and Nora from from the RWBY Amity Arena mobile game. The art features their Volume 4 outfits, both pointing their weapons toward the camera.)

Flower Power is basically a Ren card with a special attack that calls Nora to the screen. She then launches him into the air and he delivers an AOE explosion where he lands.

(ID. A gif of the unlock animation for the Legendary Flower Power card. Ren somersaults into view, and punches the air a few times. Nora then arrives behind him, riding her hammer, before winding back and hitting Ren with it. Ren is now in the air, landing with a punch to the ground and an explosion to indicate the impact. He stands up and poses beside Nora, his symbol illuminating the background.)

Okay, so what? Now we know what their team attack could have looked like?

This was one of the few attacks that existed in Amity Arena without any direct references from the show (or After the Fall/Before the Dawn for that matter) aside from the name. Did the Amity Arena designers just, make it up because they’re a popular pair?

For a while, I thought nothing of it. Until the Volume 7 finale.

 (ID. A gif of Nora following through on a hammer swing off camera. The footage pans up to reveal Ren in the air, moving toward the camera. It cuts to Neo smiling and Ren crashing through her illusion.)

This IS the Flower Power team attack from the game. The card was released in the 1.13.0 patch on October 24th 2019, and this episode aired in early February 2020. Given the amount of time it takes for an episode of any show to be written, boarded, animated and finished - I will operate under the assumption this attack existed in the show first and CRWBY informed the game team behind the scenes, rather than claim the show copied the move from the game.  (Additionally, AmityArena needed RWBY permission on all their cards, costumes and hidden lore, so there is no way this was a coincidence.)

What it means for Character Development

Flower Power, as a combo attack, isn’t super complex - but it does require a lot of trust. Any team attack that involves one partner launching the other to deliver a devastating attack is going to be a very elaborate trust-fall exercise, but I find it even more dangerous considering the method yeeting being employed here is Nora’s hammer. Add onto that the fact that Ren is facing away from Nora in all of these versions of Flower Power - he has to be prepared for the momentum of the hammer swing even though he can’t see where she is or how she is swinging it.

TL;DR - Trust is important for this attack to work or else someone is gonna get really hurt.

While Ren and Nora are very close friends, and have proven their closeness over and over again, they aren’t as open with each other as they appear. Nora doesn’t tell Ren she’s fallen in love with him, Ren doesn’t tell Nora he’s concerned about the responsibility of being a Hunstman. They don’t spend time figuring out their relationship after the kiss and the election night massacre, thus leaving a big floating question mark above the future of their relationship as they entered Volume 8.

I think it is very intentional that the first time we see the team attack, and it fails, is when their relationship has hit it’s lowest point at the end of a volume centered around Trust.

(To clarify - Nora and Ren’s teamwork was fine vs Neo there, I’m saying symbolically and thematically that is why it failed)

So what does that mean for the future? Will we see a true version of Flower Power? Well, that’s going to depend on when Nora and Ren figure out themselves and their relationship to each other. So when Ren and Nora survive the fall of Atlas and reconcile their feelings, I expect their relationship to improve and become more open with each other. Ren’s ability to see/sense emotions will help greatly with that. It may not be for a while, personally I would not expect it before Nora’s new arc of self-worth reaches it’s climax. Eventually, we’ll see a successful Flower Power attack with all the power and triumph of the first time we saw Bumblebee or Ice Flower or Pomegrenade in action.

And it’s going to be beautiful.

[regrettablewritings]

Hello! Id like to request 3, 5, 13, and 22 for Poe please?

Hello! Stuff’s below the cut, assuming Tumblr has stopped assing around!

3. Who is the most romantic?: As much as people like to joke about him and play him up as a rowdy boy who takes very little seriously, it’s quite easy to forget that Poe is canonically a sentimentalist at heart. He keeps his mother’s wedding ring on his person so that he can one day give it to someone whom he wants to be with, for crap’s sake! I think what also makes him showing off his romantic side a bit out of place is that no matter what anyone says, love blooming during a war is still something happening during a very chaotic time. Maybe inspirational, arguably a little too optimistic, but always and most definitely out of place. And considering his rank as general, Poe’s got a lot on his plate. Even when he wants to take you out to a nice dinner and do any usual courting actions, the likelihood is just so low . . . But don’t underestimate him. Poe can be quite resourceful in addition to being determined. Some nights when it seems quiet, he’ll set up a blanket somewhere for the two of you to sit on. If you’re on a ship, it’ll be by a window; if it’s on a planet, he’ll find a nice, quiet spot that’s not too close to base but not too far just in case; if you’re in more of a bunker, he’ll find a nice, quiet corner as far from everyone as he can get and sketch a randomized star chart that probably isn’t based anywhere near reality. Whatever the case, you’ll see stars and planets of some kind and he’ll encourage you to make a game of it, pointing at random dots and he’ll either identify the planet or make up a name for it and then go on to make up silly or amazing stories about the adventures he’s hypothetically had there or the dates you could go on while there. It’s very sweet, and also rather promising about the future.

5. Who says ‘I love you’ first?: It would depend, honestly. I don’t think Poe’s above saying it, but I think under certain circumstances, you might beat him to it. Circumstances that include the ship coming under attack and him having to fly out in defense. You’re nervous obviously. You’re always nervous whenever he flies out, even if it’s just for a recon mission. But in the middle of a blitz? You can’t understand why he seems so calm about it all! Why does he always seem so sure of himself when he jumps into that piloting suit? How does his brow remain unperturbed whenever he places that bulky helmet on his head? Is it all a facade? Or is he genuinely that confident? To your dismay, the only thing to rip you out of this fearful reverie was a sudden blast from the attack, the rattling sending you off balance. It was a mere stroke of luck that the man of the hour was already at your side, keeping you steady. “Gogogo, get to one of the pods!” he demands, his unwavering sense of leadership prevailing. “Be safe, okay?” It sounds so simple, yet when he says it, you know it’s not just some phrase to give you comfort. It’s an actual plea. Even as he parts, you can see the worry in his eyes. It’s the only hint you have that he might not be as dauntless as he seems. As you released, stumbling to keep moving forward, you turn back to see him heading toward the direction of the X-Wing hangar. You don’t know what you feel first: The pang in your gut; the thunder of your heartbeat; the scrambling of your mind as panic hits you. The only thing you notice (and in hindsight, no less), is that you called after him: “I love you!” He stops for a moment. He stares at you. You weren’t sure if he intended on doing anything. Maybe some part of you hoped he would respond in turn -- respond at all, really. But before anything could even happen, a shower of sparks from the breaking walls interrupted you, causing you both to stumble backwards. “Get to a pod, (Y/N), I’ll find you later! I promise!” you heard him call out to you. By the time the rain of static ended, he was gone.

13. When do they realize they should get together?: Poe comes to this conclusion first. Or rather, he is more accepting of this before you are. Deep down, you’ve been wanting to be with him for ages. How could you not? He’s handsome, brave, smart, sweet, funny, protective . . . But he’s also fighting as a general and pilot in the Resistance. You’re involved, too, of course, but you’re not anywhere near the front lines as he is. And as selfish as it may be, the fear of one day learning he won’t be flying back leaves your body filled with a heavy, dark bile of sadness and fear. Besides, surely a man of his standing would prefer a woman befitting of his caliber? Perhaps another warrior soul with a gorgeous face . . . Meanwhile, Poe already knows: You’re the one he wants. You’re smart, you think fast, you like his sense of humor, you’re loyal and kind -- and those are just the things he can think of on the spot if he didn’t have time to go into detail about how you were resilient, a different breed of hero he could respect. The tipping point that brought him to this, though, probably happened when everyone had gathered one evening during dinner hours and began to swap stories about their lives before the war and what they planned on doing after. When it came to Poe, he talked about how he kinda liked the idea of exploring the galaxy more, seeing places and embracing them without the cold grip of a looming war, helping to rebuild and maybe potentially help to establish stability on more outer realms . . . And these were all true, he did want these! But the more he talked about it, processing his thoughts into words . . . the more he couldn’t help but feel something missing. He never added that last little tidbit, but it did stay in his mind for the rest of the night. It didn’t leave until the next day when he saw you shuffling out of your sleeping quarters, hair a mess, eyes still crusting with sleep. “‘Mornin’,” you muttered as cheerily as your morning-broken body would let you. And just like that, he knew what his plans were missing: You. He wanted you to be there in all of his efforts, by his side. And, likewise, he wanted to be there with you. To support you, to experience what more life had to offer with you. He tried after the fact to see him doing any of these things without you but frankly, it just felt wrong. Incomplete. In short, you had been wanting to be with him after getting used to him. Poe wanted it after realizing he didn’t want it any other way.

22. Where does their first kiss happen?: Sooooo remember when I said you blurted out your love confession at a dramatic and less-than-ideal moment? It stuck with him. Even as Poe sprinted toward his X-Wing, even as he and a handful of other pilots took off to handle the threat. Honestly, it was a miracle he was able to stay focused just enough to avoid getting injured or even killed. But he did it, and now he had a promise to keep. Meanwhile, you were dealing with a lot. All the escapees managed to warp and regroup to a backwater planet for the time being, giving you one less thing to worry about so you could go ahead and worry about everything else. Like if Poe was safe, what the next steps were for this branch of the Resistance, and, oh yes, the fact that you had confessed your love to a general in the midst of an attack. Simple stuff. Of course you wanted him to return safely. You wanted that more than anything! But every time you tried to even consider what would happen next after the fact, your mind would collapse into a blob. To your dismay, you still didn’t have any answers when the X-Wings landed. Against your brain’s screaming pleas, you felt obligated to run with everyone else to the designated landing area and greet the heroes. The screams only silenced when you saw him. Your mind just couldn’t function enough to make any sounds or movements. You didn’t even so much as flinch when your brain registered that he had caught sight of you . . . and was walking towards you. “(Y/N)?” His voice sounded so distant, and yet you could hear something in his tone. You just weren’t sure what. Concern? Hesitancy? You felt his gloved hands cupping your cheeks. You could smell his sweat, hints of smoke from the mission, trace amounts of the soap he’d used this morning for his shower. You could see those brown eyes that you loved so much, how they practically shined with gladness and adoration -- Wait, what? You didn’t really have time to think back: The moment you felt his lips, warm and needful, connecting with your own, your mind went blank.

. . . I think I went a little overboard 😅  But I hope it came out alright! Thanks for asking!

[fightmeyeats]

ACNH: Colonial Desires in the Context of Quarantine

Since finishing up my undergraduate studies in June, one of the major things I've been doing with my free time is playing Animal Crossing: New Horizons (please don't @ me but I've already logged something like 400 hours). As much fun as the game is, one of the things that's really stood out to me is how much AC:NH depends on and reifies colonial logics, and how important it is to unpack this in the context of the game's popularity and the ongoing pandemic.

One of the first ways I want to address colonialism in AC:NH this is through the way I was first introduced to it, namely through its connection to my thesis and what I refer to as the "terraforming imaginary". Before I started playing or had even decided to buy the game, I was working on my thesis "Constructing New Worlds: An Investigation of Climate Change and the Terraforming Imaginary" (which, shameless self plug but if you're interested you can check out my 10 minute video presentation for symposium at Johns Hopkins University here). During this time I was talking about my thesis pretty non-stop with anyone who would listen and as a result probably about half of my friends independently sent me this meme

[ID: meme from @animalcrossingmemes which shows two children; the one on the left is smiling and looking off into the distance with the label "daydreaming about terraforming" while the child on the right looks stressed and upset with the label "actually terraforming". Beneath this meme is text from @kaijuno which reads "I realize this is an animal crossing meme but as an astrophysicist I was really excited for a second that someone was finally seeing the light on how fricking difficult an a huge waste of time it would be to try to terraform Mars". Beneath this text is another meme with four hands gripping each other's wrists to make a circle. In the center is the initial animalcrossingmemes image and each arm is labeled, respectively, "Minecraft Players," "Sims Players," "Animal Crossing Players," and "Astrophysicists apparently"]

Although my thesis addresses terraforming in the context of space exploration/colonization, AC:NH's engagement with "terraforming" (alongside other aspects of colonial practices and desires) helps to expand on the stakes of this. The reason I put "terraforming" in scare-quotes is because…technically, there isn't any terraforming in AC:NH, given that terraforming is "the operation consisting of rendering other stellar bodies—mainly planets and eventually asteroids—appropriate for human life" (Frédéric Neyrat, 46). While I'm all down for an interpretation of the Animal Crossing world as a non-Earth planet and the villagers as aliens, the island is already suitable for human life and the use of "terraforming" in the game is generally more readily identifiable as geoconstructivism: players redesign and restructure their islands, shaping waterways and topography to create idealistic spaces (as opposed to making the island literally livable). Either way, it speaks to the terraforming imaginary—the underlying set of logics and desires conducive to the imagining and desiring of “terraforming”, ie the logics and desires of colonization. Even though AC:NH's terraforming isn't technically terraforming, it is an embodiment of the terraforming imaginary, centering desires for the "civilizing"/"cultivating" of a space into an orderly, colonized ideal. On even a very surface level it is useful to think about this through the island rating system: islands are ranked out of five stars, with deductions made for things such as having "too many" weeds or not "cleaning up" by leaving items lying around rather than placed with intention. 

Another, perhaps more obvious, way in which AC:NH embodies colonial logics is through the "Nook Miles Tickets". Players trade in Nook Miles (an achievement based currency) for tickets which they can take to the airport and use to visit other, uninhabited islands which they can destroy to extract all of the resources slash-and-burn style. Players also have an increased likelihood of catching rare insects, fish, and sea animals to display to their own island museum or sell. As Wilbur, a dodo pilot, explains about this process: "we run the 'finders keepers' protocol here. Lumber, fruit, fish, whatever? Yours if you can carry it", going on to emphasize the importance of not leaving anything behind as there will be no returning; they "burn the flight plans" after each flight.

Although the rampantly destructive extraction of resources is the most apparent embodiment of colonial logics, the centrality of the museum and the imperative to complete each wing by finding and identifying all of the bugs, fish/sea creatures, fossils, and artworks in the game is an equally significant connection to colonialism. Benedict Anderson argues in Imagined Communities that the museum, along with the census and the map, "shaped the way in which the colonial state imagined its dominion—the nature of the human beings it ruled, the geography of its domain, and the legitimacy of its ancestry" (164). The specifics Anderson goes into differ of course, because he's talking about actual colonial states while AC:NH has the fluidity of embodying the underpinning desires which colonialism as process requires to function, but what holds true is that these specific forms of producing, organizing, and displaying knowledge which produced "a totalizing classificatory grid, which could be applied with endless flexibility...to be able to say of anything that it was this, not that; it belonged here, not there" (Anderson 184). Essentially, in AC:NH part of a player's ownership of the island occurs through a player's ability to classify and collect artefacts for the museum. Furthermore, this imperative to collect and preserve fossils, art work, bugs, fish, and sea creatures is part of the way the player's island is positioned as a place of value. 

The museum also implicitly functions to reify positions of authority, legitimizing a kind of monopoly of knowledge. In AC:NH, this primarily means the positions of the museum curator (Blathers) and, to a degree, Tom Nook (who selected and invited Blathers) are secured as the authorities on knowledge. When Tom Nook tells the player that the island(s) are deserted, we must take this as truth...yet fishing both on the player's island and the Nook Miles islands can turn up trash items like old tires, tin cans, and boots. Colonial logics depend on a management of who counts as "people" and what counts as "inhabited" and the myth of empty lands; Tom Nook's instance that these islands are all deserted is haunted by these lingering traces of some other inhabitation prior to the game's start. 

Okay, so you might be asking what does this all mean and why should we care? Let's talk about both the game's popularity and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic which contextualized its release (and continues to shape daily life). Animal Crossing: New Horizons has not only received overwhelmingly positive critical reception, but is one of the best selling games both for the Switch console and the Animal Crossing series. According to freelance journalist Imad Khan's New York Times article "Why Animal Crossing Is the Game for the Coronavirus Moment," the game's appeal centers in its function as an escape to an "island paradise where bags of money fall out of trees and a talking raccoon can approve you for a mortgage". Khan quotes Dr. Ramzan (a professor of game narrative at Glasgow Caledonian University) who refers to it as "the universe you’ve always wanted, but can’t get." Given the significantly decreased mobility and connection that has accompanied social distancing, as well as the increased stress and heightened inequality which have accompanied COVID-19, this probably isn’t particularly surprising. It makes sense that a cute, low-stress video game would be a valuable form of escapism.

Mobility is a particularly fraught discourse in this context: on the one hand, concerns surrounding containment/immobility are heightened in the context of neoliberalism and within colonial societies, which depend upon discourses of individualism and independence to demarcate the “freedom” which comes from capitalist economies. At the same time, the desire for things like connection/community, movement, and spatial autonomy/sovereignty are not inherently colonial, even as colonialist logics frequently position colonial/capitalist/neoliberal expansion as the solution. Animal Crossing is heavily situated within this entanglement, simultaneously offering a very real form of connection (and even protest) for many people while also implicitly speaking to latent beliefs that colonization is a legitimate form of mobility and escapism. To say that AC:NH is the universe we’ve always wanted but can’t get is to refuse to engage with the inherent contradictions of neoliberalism and reafirm the notion that colonial capitalist worlds are worth wanting; that the fantasy of individual wealth and success through destructive extraction and market freedom, when obtainable, is good.

None of this is to say that playing AC:NH is the same as colonization, because of course it isn't. However, the colonial undertones of the game reflect the pervasiveness of colonial logics and desires in our daily lives, subsequently further normalizing them. Journalist Kazuma Hashimoto, for example, emphasizes the importance of contextualizing AC:NH's colonial undertones within Japanese Colonialism in "Animal Crossing: New Horizons and Japanese Colonialism". As Hashimoto argues, "I am only asking that people familiarize themselves with Japanese colonialism and why something as innocuous as discovering a deserted island can be read as colonialism — especially within the context of a Japanese game".

Inattentiveness to the more subdued, invisibilized manifestations of violence facilitates their internalization and acceptance; educating ourselves and paying attention to and challenging places where we feel comfortable with these kinds of escapist fantasies is an important exercise in critical thinking which can help us to continue to refuse their real life manifestations. 

[clubnetoyun-blog]

Moving From IPHONE Background to Android App Advancement.

The entry of cell phones in our lives has actually made us lean entirely towards modern technology. Smart phone have now come to be a necessity generally due to the new and also intriguing applications and addictive games which are being launched day-to-day on the app store. Such mobile application advancement takes area on various platforms like Android, Windows and iphone and also there brings concerning several functions which always makes us stick to our mobile displays.

For more visit here MOD APK

Various mobile app development companies are acquiring importance with the extreme rise in the variety of applications and games being released on app store. There is a raising need of originalities for apps by different companies. The craze is such that even iOS developers are shifting themselves to developing apps on Android system. But, the primary problem they face is the proper execution of apps in Android app growth. So, here we are with some info for iOS turned Android app designers. Hope it turns out to be helpful.

 Android app advancement and also iOS are quite comparable.

The developers changing from iphone application advancement to Android application advancement have a false impression that they would need to go with the procedure of learning a whole new language entirely. But, that is not the truth, because you currently have those establishing skills present in you. Being an iOS developer, you must be rather conscious of Objective-C or Swift.

While programming with Android, we use the concept of Things Oriented Programming and also Java as the base which is similar to Objective-C and Swift. The concept of Delegates, bypassing methods and subclasses are also made use of in iphone and also as a result Android app growth becomes simple for the iOS developer. Nearly all the principles and logics being used in both platforms are same, it's just that in Android application growth, Java language is made use of. Therefore, the programmer needs to recover versed with Java key phrases as he will be using keywords like override, implements, extends, etc., and not the ones made use of in iphone.

 Android Studio as well as X code- Usage Difference.

Many a times it is rather irritating to use the Xcode IDE and now there are some significant renovations made it in over the last couple of years. In Android app growth through Android workshop, some of the Xcode features can also be applied.

The common coding method for overriding techniques, subdivisions, import declarations, and so on, used in iOS advancement is lowered to a great extent by Android Workshop by using Java keywords. Although both Xcode and Android Studio work rather in a similar way, there are still some differences in the UI code created in both the IDEs. Where on one hand Android utilizes different xml documents, on the other hand Xcode utilizes storyboards and also nibs.

 Display dimension distinction.

 The Android system has actually always been experimenting with the screen dimensions and coming up with brand-new additions to it by making enhancements in devices. Now, in Android one can not just deal with several screen sizes however additionally with numerous screen densities.

[jamesbyerj]

What's new in Vortex 1.2?

Since we last checked in [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/news/14168]back in November[/url], Tannin and Nagev have been hard at work fixing bugs and adding new features to Vortex based on your feedback. We've just released Vortex 1.2 into the wild for you all to enjoy, so here's a round-up of what's new.  [size=4]Updates for modders[/size] [b]Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord support[/b] The wait is finally over! Bannerlord is here and it's great. We were lucky enough to get access to the Bannerlord beta (thanks TaleWorlds!) a short time before the Early Access release and created a basic Vortex extension for it. In v1.2 we've further refined it to include a fully featured load order tab where you can reorder, sort and toggle all your installed modules. Vortex will now also open the game in single player by default, instead of opening the launcher.  More Info: [url=https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Modding_Bannerlord_with_Vortex]Modding Bannerlord with Vortex[/url] [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1587552652-955578048.jpeg[/img] [b]Halo: The Master Chief Collection Support [/b] You can now install your mods for Halo: The Master Chief Collection through Vortex. All mods packaged relative to the root game folder will be automatically compatible, we have been reaching out to authors ahead of this release to ask them to ensure their mods are packed in a Vortex friendly way. Map mods will show an icon indicating which Halo title they're intended for and you can group your mods by this property. We've also added a shortcut to Assembly to the dashboard for those who use the map patches. Let us know what you think!  More Info: [url=https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Modding_Halo:_The_Master_Chief_Collection_with_Vortex]Modding Halo: The Master Chief Collection with Vortex[/url] [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1587563578-1788148812.jpeg[/img]  [b]Wolcen: Lord of Mayhem support [/b] Another new addition to our lineup is support for Wolcen. With Vortex you can install and manage the priority of conflicting XMLs, Vortex will then merge them in order and deploy the combined file to your game.  [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1587567422-587316573.jpeg[/img] [b]The Witcher 3 enhancements [/b] After "The Witcher" landed on Netflix, we saw a dramatic increase in users modding Witcher 3. The community provided some excellent feedback on areas of Vortex that could be improved for a better user experience. As a result, we've added load order management for Witcher 3 as well as closer integration with the [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/witcher3/mods/484]Witcher 3 Script Merger[/url] by AnotherSymbiote. This allows you to easily create the load order you want, take care of conflicts, and merge script changes from several mods. More Info: [url=https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Modding_The_Witcher_3_with_Vortex]Modding The Witcher 3 with Vortex[/url] [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1587564841-1027184758.jpeg[/img] [b]Stardew Valley enhancements [/b]Based on the super helpful reports from the community, we've further improved Vortex support for Stardew Valley. Something that's been in the works for a while now. The most reported problem was how Vortex handled new files created by mods while the game was running. We've put a system in place that looks at new files in your mods folder and associates them with the correct mod so that they will be removed properly if the mod is disabled or uninstalled. This should prevent the harmless (but annoying) errors in the SMAPI log.  You will also be able to install and update SMAPI directly inside Vortex like any other mod, which makes keeping this vital file updated or toggling between the current and beta versions easier than ever. More Info: [url=https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Modding_Stardew_Valley_with_Vortex]Modding Stardew Valley with Vortex[/url] [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1587563701-86241142.jpeg[/img] [b]Monster Hunter World enhancements [/b] In the recent Vortex releases, we made significant improvements to this extension already. Including detection and installation of [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/monsterhunterworld/mods/1982]Stracker's Loader[/url] and the ability to install and manage ReShade Presets. Version 1.2 features some additional refinements to preset detection and some handy shortcuts on the dashboard for [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/monsterhunterworld/mods/2645]HunterPie[/url], [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/monsterhunterworld/mods/43]MHW Transmog [/url]and [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/monsterhunterworld/mods/2556]SmartHunter Overlay[/url]. More Info: [url=https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Modding_Monster_Hunter:_World_with_Vortex]Modding Monster Hunter: World with Vortex[/url] [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1587045898-191005827.jpeg[/img] [b]Game extension updates are now delivered much faster[/b] It's been the case up until now that important bug fixes for game support had to wait until the next full Vortex release, we felt that this wasn't a great experience for users. In version 1.2 and above if a game extension is updated to include an important fix you'll get the update next time you restart Vortex.  [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1587565696-910242066.jpeg[/img] [b]Resizable Dashlets [/b] You can now right-click any dashlet to adjust the width and height to suit your personal tastes.The close button has also been moved into this menu to prevent it being clicked by accident.  [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1587557068-1847103907.jpeg[/img] [b]Vortex now supports over 100 games! [/b] On top of the new games we officially support, the awesome developers in the community have created a bunch of new game extensions including: [list] [*][url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/73]Outer Wilds[/url] by [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/users/36249220]amazingalek[/url] [*][url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/74]S.T.A.L.K.E.R. Call of Chernobyl[/url] and [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/78]Shadow of Chernobyl[/url] by [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/users/3692912]W2nTeD[/url] [*][url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/80]Half Life 2[/url], [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/109]Portal 2[/url] and [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/81]Black Mesa[/url] by [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/users/41248120]AtomicTEM[/url] [*][url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/83]Undermine[/url] by [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/users/65566526]bwdy[/url] [*][url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/84]Fable Anniversary[/url] by [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/users/2811233]xOneManLegacy[/url] [*][url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/94]Phoenix Point[/url] by [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/users/5772928]Ijwu[/url] [*][url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/96]Beat Saber[/url] by [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/users/85550163]agc93[/url] [/list] You can see all the available extensions by clicking "Find more" at the bottom of the extensions tab in Vortex or [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/categories/4/]in the "User Extensions" category here[/url]. To help you show your appreciation to the extension authors, a new dashlet has been added to showcase new uploads and remind users to endorse the ones they have already installed. Roll on 200 games!  [line] [size=4]Updates for developers [/size] [b]Simplified game detection [/b] We've made it easier for Vortex to find games from several of the popular game stores. The new GameStoreHelper class can easily detect games installed with Steam, GOG, Epic, UPlay, Origin or the Windows Store. The example below will check for both the Steam and Windows Store app IDs, then return the installation path for the game.  [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1585226528-544335971.jpeg[/img] This function can also be extended by the community to include more game sources.  Documentation (Coming soon) | [url=https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/vortex-games/blob/6b6de897cba1ecf2566d2be7844fb2b0e6059f21/game-masterchiefcollection/index.js#L137]Example[/url] [b]Improved support for Vortex Mod Loader [/b] In 1.1 we released the initial version of our Vortex Mod Loader (powered by Harmony). We've since made refinements to allow the mod patches to be applied to and removed from the game assemblies as part of Vortex's deploy and purge events. Users can now expect their game to be fully reverted to its vanilla state when purging their mods. Harmony extensions can also take advantage of a load ordering page (if required). We're also working on some enhancements to the Vortex In-Game Overlay (aka VIGO) to make it even more powerful for extension developers.  [url=https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/harmony-patcher/wiki]Documentation [/url]| [url=https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/vortex-games/tree/master/game-untitledgoose]Example[/url] [b]Mod Load Order Page[/b] Several Vortex extensions utilise a page which allows users to adjust the priority of mods based on a load ordering system independent of file conflicts. Instead of requiring developers to build this from scratch each time, we've included a handy function as part of the context object to register a simple Load Order page for your game and offers several customisation options.  [img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/mods/2295/images/26/26-1585226528-419988451.jpeg[/img] Documentation (Coming Soon) | [url=https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/vortex-games/blob/6b6de897cba1ecf2566d2be7844fb2b0e6059f21/game-witcher3/index.js#L460]Example[/url] [b]Other Changes [/b] [list] [*]Registrations with the API will generate an error if they're not inside the context.once() function when loading the extension rather than silently failing. [*]Vortex has been updated to run on Electron v8 (from v4) and includes the bug fixes, security enhancements and performance improvements that come with it.  [/list] Published first at What's new in Vortex 1.2?

[aidentakami]

What do you do in Animal Crossing: New Horizons?

Animal Crossing is a game series created by Nintendo in 2001. Throughout the years, Nintendo has released several installments of the series throughout their variety of consoles, each one becoming more and more true to life. But what exactly do you do in these games that makes it such a popular series?

In the latest installment (Animal Crossing: New Horizons), you have more freedom than ever before; you can completely redesign your island, put furniture outside, make your own clothing, lay down paths, and so much more! These are all brand new features that were added to this game, other than graphic and aesthetic improvements. When you start, you are dropped off onto a deserted island (which you select the hemisphere, name, and layout for), through the Nook inc. Island Getaway Package. While there, you can collect materials like weeds and sticks, to make your own tools to use on the island! This is called the “DIY” aspect of the game, where you use these materials to craft furniture, tools, and special items like medicine and instruments. On your island, you start off with 2 randomized villagers that will live and stay on your island as it grows and improves. Be careful though, your villagers may want to move away if you treat them poorly or ignore them. During your island life, you can collect points through a system called “Nook Miles”. You collect “Nook Miles” by completing the tasks that appear in your “Nook Phone” (the Nook Phone is equivalent to a hub with all your applications as different things to do on the island; Nook Miles, Camera, Island designer, Custom Designs, Best friend message function, etc.) you can redeem these in-game points for furniture, clothing, and a special item called a “Nook Mile Ticket” (NMT for short). These can be used at your island airport to travel to a mystery island, which is a smaller, randomized island where you can collect the bugs, fish, flowers, and other materials. One of the biggest staples of the series id variety/choice. In New Horizons, there’s over 5000 different pieces of furniture, 12 paths, 50+ character design options, and 9 different clothing types! The possibilities are endless! The main task/goal of this game is to reach a 3-star town rating from Isabelle, resulting in K.K Slider performing at your island, basically “finishing” the game (there is still tons to do though, that’s just finishing one of the main tasks!). This doesn’t mean the game is over, as it’s not a game that ends, rather something you play everyday. The end goal is to achieve a 5-star town rating from Isabelle, meaning you’ve made the perfect town. 

There is still lots to come to this cutesy, real-life simulator, as it was only recently released in March. What are your thoughts on the game so far? Is debt gonna get the best of you while you try and pay what you owe to Tom nook? Have you started your island adventure yet? 

https://www.animal-crossing.com/new-horizons/