Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

Indie Animation 'Flow' Scores Upset Golden Globe Win

2025-01-07

Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis' 'Flow' pulled off a major upset, winning the Golden Globe for Best Animated Feature. Made on a modest $3.7 million budget, the Latvian, Belgian, and French co-production beat out Disney/Pixar blockbusters and other big-budget contenders. The film, a post-apocalyptic tale of animals surviving a biblical flood, showcased the growing inclusivity of the Golden Globes towards independent and international cinema. 'Flow's' win is also a testament to the power of open-source software, as it was created using Blender, a first for a Golden Globe winner in this category. Zilbalodis' acceptance speech highlighted the significance of this win for the small Latvian film industry and his personal journey of learning collaboration.

(variety.com)

Game Golden Globes indie film

The Fallacy of 'Gold' in Fantasy Games: A Historical Perspective on Currency Systems

2025-01-07

This article challenges the common fantasy game trope of using 'gold' as a universal currency. The author argues that in the ancient Mediterranean world, gold coins were impractical for everyday transactions due to their high value. Analyzing ancient Greek, Roman, and medieval currency systems, the article demonstrates that silver and copper coins were the primary mediums of exchange. The author suggests that fantasy games should adopt more historically accurate currency systems, reflecting the economic realities of ancient societies. This includes considering non-monetary transactions like bartering and debt accounting to better represent wealth disparities and economic functions.

(acoup.blog)

Game currency history game design

Open Source Game Dev Bible: Zero to Hero

2025-01-06

This project, "2D Game Development: From Zero To Hero," is an open-source compendium of community knowledge on game design and development. Licensed under Creative Commons, it aims to be a learning resource and encourages community contributions. The book covers game design, development, algorithms, tips and tricks, and is available in PDF and EPUB formats. Source code is available on GitHub and GitLab. The author actively discourages AI-generated contributions to maintain quality and originality.

(github.com)

Game community contribution

The Man Keeping 70-Year-Old Pinball Machines Alive

2025-01-06

Steve Young, a metallurgical engineer with a lifelong passion for pinball, has built The Pinball Resource, a unique business that supplies parts and expertise for repairing vintage pinball machines. His vast collection of rare parts and schematics, accumulated over 50 years, makes him the go-to resource for enthusiasts worldwide. Operating out of an unassuming workshop, Young eschews modern marketing, relying instead on word-of-mouth and a reputation for trust and expertise to maintain his thriving, old-school business.

(arstechnica.com)

Game vintage games pinball

Duolicious: The Open-Source Dating App Revolution

2025-01-05

Duolicious, claiming the title of world's most popular open-source dating app (by monthly active users), offers a unique approach to finding love. Leveraging a question bank of over 2000 prompts, it delves deep into user personalities to match them with compatible individuals. Rejecting shallow swiping and liking, Duolicious fosters genuine connections through original messaging. Completely free and ad-free, it's sustained by community donations and code contributions. Both the front-end and back-end code are open-source, inviting developers to contribute.

(github.com)

Game dating app AI matching

IGNITE: The First All-IGS Art Pack Released!

2025-01-05

Mistigris art group and Break Into Chat have released IGNITE, the first-ever art pack entirely in the IGS (Instant Graphics and Sound) format. IGS is an obscure graphics protocol for BBSes, and IGNITE is a tribute to its creator, Larry Mears. The pack includes static images and animations on diverse themes and features a web-based IGS drawing tool, JoshDraw, created by the author. IGNITE supports Atari ST and is available in various compatible formats.

(breakintochat.com)

Game art pack

Rust Game Dev After a Year: A Tale of Triumphs and Tribulations

2025-01-05

A year after initially documenting the struggles of game development in Rust, the author provides an update. While the Rend3/WGPU/Vulkan graphics stack is now reasonably functional, significant hurdles remain. Several major game projects abandoned Rust in 2024, citing ownership restrictions and lengthy compile times as major deterrents. Key libraries have been abandoned, requiring the author to take on maintenance. Performance is also a bottleneck, with the CPU maxing out at around 25% GPU load. Despite these challenges, progress continues, with plans to release an improved renderer to crates.io in a few months. The post underscores the ongoing difficulties in Rust game development, emphasizing the considerable time investment needed for low-level maintenance and the need to address rendering efficiency and spatial computation.

(users.rust-lang.org)

Game

DIY Multideck: One Deck to Rule Them All (Board Games)

2025-01-04

The DIY Multideck is a 162-card system (3 standard decks) letting you play hundreds of board games, from classics to modern titles using boards or coins. Waterproof and durable, it's perfect for travel, game prototyping, and trying games before buying. Gameplay involves selecting card subsets and focusing on specific corners; drawing on cards adds words, icons, or game boards. The official website provides instructions for numerous games.

(diymultideck.mauri.app)

Game board games card game system

Battlezone: How a Simple Tank Game Became a Military Simulator

2025-01-04

Released in 1980, Atari's Battlezone revolutionized gaming with its groundbreaking first-person perspective and 3D vector graphics. Powered by three microprocessors—one dedicated to complex matrix calculations for perspective—the game pushed the limits of technology, overcoming challenges like object limitations and screen clipping. Unexpectedly, its success caught the attention of the US Army, leading to a rushed conversion into a military training simulator, Army Battlezone. This article details the development of Battlezone, its surprising military application, and the ethical dilemmas faced by its creators, highlighting the challenges and ingenuity of early game development.

(spectrum.ieee.org)

Game arcade games

The Gentrification of Video Game History: Erasure and the Hidden Gems

2025-01-03

This article argues that mainstream video game history often overlooks the contributions of non-Western cultures and regions. Using examples from Taiwan, South Korea, and Brazil, the author highlights how language barriers, cultural biases, and differing business models marginalize many deserving games. This ‘centering’ perspective distorts the true picture of video game history, ignoring unique player experiences and cultural contributions worldwide. The article calls for a more inclusive and diverse narrative of video game history.

(felipepepe.medium.com)

Game video game history cultural diversity game industry

Terrain Rendering in Under 20 Lines of Code: A Voxel Space Engine Revival

2025-01-03

This project recreates the Voxel Space terrain rendering algorithm used in the 1992 game Comanche. The algorithm, implemented in under 20 lines of code, leverages height and color maps to render terrain using a ray-casting-like approach. The article details the algorithm, offering optimization strategies like back-to-front and front-to-back rendering, and level of detail adjustments for performance improvement. The project is open-source, including code and a runnable web demo.

(github.com)

Game Graphics Rendering

Marvel Rivals Lifts 100-Year Bans on Mac and Steam Deck Players

2025-01-03

The free-to-play game Marvel Rivals initially mistakenly issued 100-year bans to Mac and Steam Deck players using compatibility tools like Proton and CrossOver. Following player outcry and intervention by the CEO of CodeWeavers, NetEase reversed the bans and promised to improve its anti-cheat system accuracy. This highlights the challenge game developers face in balancing fair play with supporting diverse platform compatibility.

(arstechnica.com)

Game Anti-cheat Compatibility

20-Year-Old Handheld Game Reborn: Web Remake of Darklaga Cannonball Symphony

2025-01-03

In 2022, the author rediscovered the source code of their 2004 handheld game, Darklaga Cannonball Symphony, and decided to remake it. To ensure it remains playable for the next 20 years, they used only long-lasting technologies like HTML, CSS, JavaScript, and WebGL 1.0, creating a browser-based game. The entire game weighs only 1.4MB, making it easy to download and install. The article details the technical aspects of the remake, including file size optimization, handling audio decoding issues, and the choice of TypeScript. The remake retains the original gameplay, although the extreme mode proves too challenging for the author now.

(nicollet.net)

Game game remake

WoW Hardcore: Twitch's Next Big Soap Opera

2025-01-03

The OnlyFangs guild, comprised of top Twitch streamers, has transformed World of Warcraft Classic's Hardcore mode into a captivating live-streamed soap opera. With permadeath as the ultimate consequence, streamers fully immerse themselves in roleplaying, creating intense drama. Cheating scandals, public executions, and inter-faction rivalries drive the narrative, attracting tens of thousands of viewers and surpassing the hype of new game releases. This phenomenon revitalized WoW's popularity, boosting streamer viewership and establishing a unique content format.

(www.rollingstone.com)

Game World of Warcraft Livestreaming Roleplaying

Savoy vs. Hollywood Swing: A Deep Dive into Style Myths

2025-01-03

This essay debunks common misconceptions surrounding the 'Savoy' and 'Hollywood' styles of Lindy Hop. Through meticulous analysis of vintage footage, the author reveals the diversity of styles among dancers of both regions, highlighting the influence of era, geography, and individual preferences. The article argues against simplistic labeling, emphasizing the unique qualities of each dancer and advocating for a deeper appreciation of stylistic diversity rather than rigid categorization.

(swungover.wordpress.com)

Game Lindy Hop dance styles

Disney Villain Songs Are Dying: Mufasa's 'Bye Bye' is Exhibit A

2025-01-02

Disney animation once thrived on memorable villain songs, but recent years have seen a decline in quality. The article uses "Bye Bye," a song from the Mufasa: The Lion King sequel, as a prime example. It argues the song lacks creativity and impact, failing to establish the villain Kiros's personality or threat level. Compared to classic Disney villain songs, "Bye Bye" falls woefully short. The author suggests that great villain songs showcase the villain's wickedness and advance the plot, but "Bye Bye" does neither. The article concludes with a plea for Disney to revitalize its approach to villain songs and return to its former glory.

(www.polygon.com)

Game Disney villain songs

Dragon Name Generator: Craft Unique Names for Your D&D, Skyrim, and WoW Dragons

2025-01-02

Struggling to name your dragon? DragonNameGenerator.net offers a powerful tool to generate unique dragon names tailored to various games (D&D, Skyrim, WoW, etc.), colors, genders, and even your own name! It covers diverse dragon types and lore, from fiery red dragons to cunning black ones. Specialized generators for D&D, Skyrim, and WoW enhance your gaming experience by providing names perfectly suited to each universe. Create the perfect name for your mythical companion today!

(dragonnamegenerator.net)

Game dragon name generator gaming role-playing

The Secret History of Bogus Software: The Untold Story of Microsoft's Early Game Developers

2025-01-02

In the 1980s, a group of Microsoft programmers secretly formed "Bogus Software," a clandestine game studio. They developed iconic games like Minesweeper and Solitaire, along with other lesser-known titles. Initially internal projects, many eventually found their way into the Windows Entertainment Pack. This article details the history of Bogus Software, its members, the games they created, and the fascinating stories behind them.

(minesweepergame.com)

Game Microsoft history programming culture

Play DOOM to Prove You're Human: A CAPTCHA Like No Other

2025-01-01

This project, DOOM CAPTCHA, lets you play a miniaturized version of DOOM to verify you're human. It uses Emscripten to compile a minimal DOOM port to WebAssembly, enabling communication between the C-based game loop and a JavaScript CAPTCHA UI. Modifications were made to add events like player birth, death, and enemy kills, crucial for CAPTCHA functionality. The project uses the legally-accessible shareware version of DOOM, and tweaks game parameters for increased difficulty (Nightmare! skill level, faster gameplay), skipping the menu, and directly starting the level. To pass, players must kill at least 3 monsters within a time limit.

(doom-captcha.vercel.app)

Game

Cesium for Unreal: Bringing the Real World into Unreal Engine

2025-01-01

Cesium for Unreal is a free and open-source plugin that combines the 3D geospatial capabilities of Cesium with the high-fidelity rendering power of Unreal Engine. This allows developers to create digital worlds with real-world scale and 3D content within Unreal Engine. Access global curated 3D content, including terrain, imagery, 3D cities, and photogrammetry, with one-click via Cesium ion. The plugin integrates seamlessly with the Unreal Engine Editor, Actors, Components, Blueprints, and other UE features, enabling a high degree of interactivity, physical realism, and photorealism.

(cesium.com)

Game Unreal Engine 3D Geospatial

Rapid Game Prototyping with LÖVE

2024-12-31

A programmer, aiming to complete a full game in 2025, built chess and card game prototypes using the LÖVE2D framework in Lua. LÖVE's simple yet powerful API allowed for complex UI interactions with minimal code, further accelerated by LLM-assisted code generation. The author found LÖVE ideal for prototyping, especially UI, but noted the need for improvements in hot reloading and logic separation for larger projects. The plan is to use LÖVE to develop a basic game MVP.

(healeycodes.com)

Game game prototyping

Russia's Homegrown Consoles Fail to Match PS5, Xbox Series X

2024-12-31

Russia's attempt to create its own game consoles is facing difficulties. One console, powered by the Elbrus processor, lacks the performance to compete with the PS5 or Xbox Series X. Another, a cloud-gaming console from MTS, costs only $45 and relies on a cloud gaming platform. The Russian government admits these consoles can't compete with current-gen machines but aims to promote domestic game development.

(www.techspot.com)

Game Russian consoles Elbrus processor cloud gaming

2024 Amiga Game Releases Index: Retro Gaming Thrives

2024-12-31

The Lemon Amiga website has released its 2024 index of Amiga game releases, showcasing a plethora of new titles spanning various genres, including platformers, puzzles, and shooters. The index features both faithful ports of classic arcade games and original creations, highlighting the vibrant Amiga gaming community. It also includes game prototypes and titles under development, demonstrating the enduring passion for Amiga game creation.

(www.lemonamiga.com)

Game Amiga games retro gaming

Open Source Project Arnis: Replicating Real-World Locations in Minecraft

2024-12-31

Arnis is an open-source project written in Rust that generates any chosen location from the real world in Minecraft Java Edition with a high level of detail. Leveraging geospatial data from OpenStreetMap and the power of Rust, Arnis efficiently creates complex and accurate Minecraft worlds reflecting real-world geography and architecture. Users select an area, and Arnis processes the data to generate a Minecraft world centered at coordinates 0,0,0. Originally developed in Python, it was ported to Rust for enhanced performance.

(github.com)

Game Map Generation

Challenge Your Brain: Connect the Dots Without Crossing Lines

2024-12-31

This is a brain-teasing puzzle game that tests your spatial reasoning skills - connect the dots without crossing lines. The goal is to connect all the dots without any lines intersecting. It seems simple, but it involves complex logic, requiring players to carefully consider and plan their routes to successfully complete the challenge. The difficulty gradually increases, testing your patience and strategy. Suitable for players of all ages to enjoy the fun of puzzle-solving.

(vidzert.com)

Game puzzle game brain teaser spatial reasoning

Dreamcast Game Port Project Update

2024-12-31

Stefanos Kornilios Mitsis Poiitidis has released a project on GitLab called dca3-game, aiming to port the librw and re3 engines to the Dreamcast console. Created in December 2024, the project boasts over 3000 commits, multiple branches and tags, and several releases. This project offers Dreamcast enthusiasts the potential to experience classic games on their beloved console.

(gitlab.com)

Game Game Porting Open Source Project

PlayStation Doubles Down on Live Service Games

2024-12-31

Despite recent setbacks with some live service titles, PlayStation Co-CEO Herman Hulst reaffirmed the company's commitment to this model in a recent interview with Famitsu. He cited the success of Helldivers 2 as a prime example, highlighting its continuous content updates and strong player engagement. While acknowledging the competitive landscape, PlayStation aims to balance its portfolio, continuing to develop both live service and story-driven single-player games.

(insider-gaming.com)

Game live service games Helldivers 2

Once Upon a Time in the West: The Legendary Fly Scene

2024-12-30

Sergio Leone's masterpiece, *Once Upon a Time in the West*, features a legendary opening sequence: Jack Elam and a fly. This approximately 100-second scene showcases Elam's masterful acting, using subtle facial expressions and gestures to portray the character's sly wickedness. The fly serves as a vehicle for Elam to display his signature 'wall-eyed' intensity, transforming a simple interaction into a powerful statement on character and cinematic style. The scene, more than a plot device, is a showcase of Elam's iconic screen presence.

(pov.imv.au.dk)

Game film western Sergio Leone

YouTuber Wins DMCA Battle Against Fake Nintendo Lawyer

2024-12-30

German YouTuber Domtendo faced DMCA takedown requests from a fraudulent Nintendo lawyer, threatening his 17-year-old channel. By noticing the lawyer's use of a ProtonMail address and contacting Nintendo directly, Domtendo exposed the fraud. Nintendo confirmed the email's illegitimacy, leading to the retraction of the claims. This incident highlights flaws in YouTube's DMCA system and the prevalence of copyright abuse, prompting calls for policy reform.

(arstechnica.com)

Game Copyright Infringement

Chess Champion Carlsen Returns to Tournament After Jeans Controversy

2024-12-30

World chess champion Magnus Carlsen rejoined a major tournament after initially quitting over a dress code dispute. He was asked to change out of his jeans at the Fide World Rapid and Blitz Chess Championships in New York. The International Chess Federation (FIDE) subsequently relaxed its dress code to allow "elegant minor deviations," including appropriate jeans. Carlsen criticized the event's handling of the situation but ultimately returned, stating his love for the tournament. The incident sparked debate about dress code rules in professional chess.

(news.sky.com)

Game Chess Dress Code

Category: Game