Webtagr - Technology News Summarizer

2024 Box Office Top 10: Animation Reigns Supreme, Superhero Fatigue Sets In

2024-12-30

The 2024 box office was a rollercoaster, a sluggish first half due to strikes giving way to a blockbuster-fueled second half. Animation dominated, with Pixar's Inside Out 2 becoming the highest-grossing animated film of all time at $1.698 billion, outperforming many superhero films and claiming the year's top spot. Disney's Moana 2 also scored big, nearing $800 million. Superhero movies, meanwhile, underperformed except for Deadpool & Wolverine ($1.33 billion), highlighting the genre's waning box office dominance. Other hits included sequels like Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, Kung Fu Panda 4, and the Wicked adaptation, proving classic IPs and quality content still resonate.

(www.slashfilm.com)

Game box office superhero movies

Prison-Born Board Game 'Poleana' Takes Mexico by Storm

2024-12-29

Poleana, a board game originating in Mexican prisons nearly a century ago, is experiencing a surge in popularity. Combining chance and strategy, the game demands quick thinking and calculations as players navigate the board, aiming to 'escape' the prison it symbolizes. Despite its origins, the game's unique appeal has drawn diverse players, leading to large-scale tournaments. Poleana is more than just a game; it's a testament to cultural preservation and social inclusion.

(apnews.com)

Game board game Mexico

Tetris in Conway's Game of Life: A Collaborative Epic

2024-12-29

A team of programmers collaborated for a year and a half to successfully simulate Tetris within Conway's Game of Life. Instead of directly coding Tetris in Life, they used a layered abstraction approach, culminating in a computer built using metapixels and VarLife, programmed in QFTASM assembly language. This computer boasts a 16-bit asynchronous RISC Harvard architecture with numerous instructions and addressing modes. The final Tetris program runs within a massive Game of Life pattern, showcasing an impressive feat of computational power.

(codegolf.stackexchange.com)

Game Conway's Game of Life metapixels Tetris

Hidden Features of Animal Crossing's NES Emulator Discovered and Exploited

2024-12-29

A hacker named jamchamb reverse-engineered Nintendo's GameCube game, Animal Crossing, uncovering a hidden NES emulator. This emulator not only played the game's built-in NES titles but also allowed loading custom ROMs from a memory card. Further exploitation revealed a method to inject custom code into the game via modified memory card files, ultimately achieving arbitrary code execution and unlocking the game's developer mode. This opens doors for game modification and homebrew content, highlighting the power of reverse engineering and its potential applications in game development.

(jamchamb.net)

Game game modification NES emulator

NBA's 3-Point Boom: 12 Potential Solutions Ranked

2024-12-28

The 2024-25 NBA season has seen a dramatic increase in three-point attempts, leading to concerns from fans and the league alike. This article explores twelve potential solutions to address this issue, ranging from adjusting the three-point line to altering the scoring system. Options like moving the three-point line further back, capping three-point attempts, and adding a four-point line all present drawbacks. A shift in scoring (four points for threes, three for twos) is suggested as a potentially better solution, although it would impact historical records. The article concludes that the NBA needs to proactively address this trend to maintain the game's excitement and long-term health.

(www.cbssports.com)

Game Three-Point Shooting Rule Changes

Tasmania LAN Party Photo Archive Goes Online

2024-12-27

After years of searching, a blogger has successfully recovered and compiled photos and videos from Tasmania's LAN parties between the 1990s and the early 2000s. A total of 1584 photos and 2 videos document the early days of online gaming culture and technological advancements. This valuable archive is now publicly available on archive.org.

(issung.com)

Game LAN party gaming history

Doodle Dreams: Bringing Your Drawings to Life

2024-12-27

Doodle Dreams is an app that transforms your hand-drawn doodles into animations. Simply draw your desired characters on paper, scan them using the app, and it will recognize and create animations. You can choose different backgrounds, music, and effects to make your doodles more vivid and engaging. This app is suitable for all ages; whether you're an experienced artist or a beginner, you can easily create your own animated works.

(doodledreams.cc)

Game animation doodle creation

Fake Nintendo Lawyer Terrorizes YouTubers, Exposing YouTube's Copyright Flaws

2024-12-27

A user impersonating a Nintendo lawyer is terrorizing YouTubers by filing false copyright claims, leading to video takedowns and account suspensions. Using forged emails and documents, the perpetrator successfully bypassed YouTube's verification system, causing significant stress and financial losses for creators. This incident highlights vulnerabilities in YouTube's copyright claim process and the severity of online fraud, raising concerns about platform oversight and the need for improved safeguards.

(www.theverge.com)

Game YouTube copyright false claims online harassment online fraud copyright protection

Deep Dive into the Code of the Classic Game 'Elite'

2024-12-23

A new website offers an in-depth exploration of the code behind the 1984 BBC Micro cassette version of the legendary game 'Elite'. Features include playable versions in your browser, downloadable source code, code maps, and over 115 articles detailing every aspect of the game's development. It's a treasure trove for retro gaming enthusiasts and programmers alike.

(elite.bbcelite.com)

Game Retro Gaming Code Analysis

Complete Decompilation of LEGO Island (1997)

2024-12-23

The isle project has achieved a functionally complete decompilation of the classic game LEGO Island (Version 1.1, English) released in 1997. The goal is to create an accurate representation of the original game's code, matching recompiled instructions to the original machine code. Both ISLE.EXE and LEGO1.DLL are fully decompiled and functionally identical to the originals. Further work focuses on improving code accuracy, naming, documentation, and structure. While some bugs may remain, the game is playable. The project uses CMake and recommends Microsoft Visual C++ 4.2 for compiling for optimal accuracy.

(github.com)

Game game decompilation LEGO Island reverse engineering

Minecraft Server Site Selection Sparks Voting System Debate

2024-12-21

A Minecraft server's site selection problem led to an in-depth discussion of different voting systems. The initially used plurality voting system resulted in the least popular option winning due to the "spoiler effect." Subsequently, instant-runoff voting was tried, which solved some problems, but violated monotonicity when candidates changed. The author further introduces the Borda method and Arrow's impossibility theorem, ultimately recommending score voting and approval voting as superior options because they satisfy the three conditions of Arrow's impossibility theorem: unanimity, non-dictatorship, and independence of irrelevant alternatives.

(blog.danielh.cc)

Game voting systems Arrow's impossibility theorem

Eonfall: Browser-Based Third-Person Co-op Action Game

2024-12-21

NeoRelm Game Studios has released Eonfall, a third-person co-op action game playable in your browser. Check out the exciting trailer and play now! Get ready for intense cooperative action with your friends.

(eonfall.com)

Game action game co-op game browser game

Rec Room Releases Copyable Game: BonkysInferno

2024-12-21

Rec Room has launched a new copyable game, ^BonkysInferno. Based on the 'Make it to Midnight' environment, the objective is to score the most points by knocking opponents into lava or past a laser fence with Bonky's hammer. The game features a collectible system, damage system, Bonky's hammer mechanics, a round system, and a HUD, all built using Circuits and Rec Room Studio, allowing for player replication and modification. Players are encouraged to explore the circuits with their Maker Pen and use Rec Room Studio for deeper customization.

(forum.rec.net)

Game copyable game game development

Delta Emulator Triples Apple's In-App Prices to Push Patreon

2024-12-20

Delta gaming emulator developer Riley Testut is tripling the price of in-app purchases on Apple's iOS App Store to encourage users to subscribe via Patreon. This move leverages Apple's new policy allowing external payment links while protesting Apple's in-app purchase system. Patreon subscriptions offer additional benefits like iPad and SEGA Genesis support, private Discord access, and more convenient refunds and customer support.

(www.theverge.com)

Game game emulator in-app purchase

GitHub Open Sources Fully Documented Commodore 64 Elite Source Code

2024-12-20

A fully documented and annotated source code for the classic Commodore 64 game Elite has been open-sourced on GitHub. This repository provides four variants of the source code, catering to different hardware platforms and build processes. Developers can explore the meticulously commented source code to understand Elite's inner workings and even compile a playable D64 disk image on modern machines using the provided Makefile, runnable on emulators or real hardware. This project aims to help appreciate this iconic 8-bit game, offering significant educational and archival value.

(github.com)

Game Game Source Code

Kong in Concert Released

2024-12-18

Kong in Concert, a collaborative arrangement of Donkey Kong Country music, was released on September 12, 2004. Individual songs and the full album are available for download. Note that the original game content is copyrighted by Nintendo. Contact Binnie Katti regarding this project or website.

(dkcproject.ocremix.org)

Game game music Donkey Kong Nintendo

Mathematical Modeling Reveals Just How Bad the Dreidel Game Is

2024-12-18

Last year, the author used the PRISM probabilistic modeling language to model the traditional holiday game Dreidel, proving its lack of fun. This year, he refined the model to simulate the entire game until its conclusion. The new model corrects the previous flaw of only simulating the elimination of the first player and improves the calculation logic for betting and player elimination. Through model simulation, the author found that, on average, a four-player game takes 760 spins to end, and the longest can even exceed 6 hours. This fully proves that the Dreidel game is long, tedious, and frustrating.

(buttondown.com)

Game probabilistic modeling game analysis

2024 World Chess Championship: A Data-Driven Deep Dive

2024-12-18

The 2024 World Chess Championship saw Gukesh Dommaraju triumph over Ding Liren, becoming the youngest World Champion ever. This analysis uses data-driven insights, including accuracy, error types, average centipawn loss, move times, conversion rate, and comeback rate, to dissect the match. Data suggests Ding Liren exhibited slightly higher precision and consistency, but a crucial blunder in the final game proved decisive. The author concludes that while data analysis offers an objective perspective, it needs to be combined with other factors for a holistic understanding of the match's complexities.

(medium.com)

Game data analysis

Nostalgic Game 'Alley Cat' Remake Released

2024-12-17

Programmer Joflof has finally completed a remake of the classic 1983 game 'Alley Cat' after many years of work. This remake not only retains the original pixel graphics and sound effects but also adds five new levels and multiplayer modes for up to four kittens to play simultaneously. Additionally, Joflof has included special arcade mode configuration options for arcade enthusiasts. Currently, the game is only available for Windows, but the author hopes that enthusiasts will help port it to Linux and Mac systems.

(www.joflof.com)

Game retro game remake arcade game

PuzzleZilla: Online Jigsaw Puzzle Maker Launches

2024-12-15

PuzzleZilla is a new online platform allowing users to create custom jigsaw puzzles from any image uploaded from their device or the internet. The site offers a wide variety of pre-categorized puzzles, including cars, babies, cities, animals, flowers, nature, girls, landscapes, dinosaurs, castles, movies, anime, cats, dogs, paintings, food, and fantasy themes. Users can easily create and play their puzzles online.

(puzzlezilla.com)

Game online jigsaw puzzle image upload custom puzzle

Eyes Wide Shut: A Deep Dive into Kubrick's Misunderstood Masterpiece

2024-12-15

Stanley Kubrick's final film, Eyes Wide Shut, is a complex and layered work that continues to fascinate and frustrate viewers. Released in 1999, the film explores themes of sex, class, capitalism, and powerful secret societies, weaving together numerous allusions to literature, music, opera, ballet, and mythology. The film's unconventional narrative structure and visual style leave much open to interpretation, making it a rich and rewarding experience for those willing to engage with its complexities.

(boydrinksink.com)

Game Eyes Wide Shut Stanley Kubrick Film Analysis

SmartHome eNotepad Sync Error

2024-12-15

The SmartHome eNotepad application, a note-taking app seemingly integrated into an adventure game from steviep.xyz, is experiencing a sync error. The error message indicates it cannot access the SmartHome library, suggesting a problem syncing notes with a smart home system. The cause of the error requires further investigation.

(smarthome.steviep.xyz)

Game Smart Home Application Error Game

DOOM Ported to Run Entirely on AMD GPUs

2024-12-15

An AMD developer has successfully ported the classic game DOOM to run almost entirely on AMD GPUs. Leveraging the ROCm library and the LLVM libc C library, the port offloads rendering and game logic to the GPU, handling OS functions via an RPC interface. This impressive feat showcases the potential of the LLVM C library for GPU programming and opens exciting possibilities for game development.

(www.phoronix.com)

Game GPU Gaming

Chord Nebula: Learn Piano Chords Through Play

2024-12-14

Chord Nebula is an online game designed to help you learn and practice piano chords and common chord progressions in major and minor keys. You select your MIDI keyboard and key, then play to improve your skills. The game features a score and lives system, adding an element of fun to your learning.

(chords.yottanami.com)

Game piano chords music game

IRATA.ONLINE: Retro Computing Community Gets PLATOTerm Updates

2024-12-14

IRATA.ONLINE, a PLATO-based online service for retro-computing enthusiasts, has released updated versions of its PLATOTerm terminal emulator. Now supporting Atari 8-bit, C64, Amiga, and Android, IRATA.ONLINE offers a multi-user graphical interface, multiplayer games, social features, and a development environment. This platform aims to revive the PLATO system, providing a unique social and development experience for users.

(irata.online)

Game terminal emulator

The 1955 Le Mans Disaster: A Day of Speed and Death

2024-12-14

The 1955 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in tragedy when a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR, driven by Pierre Levegh, crashed into the spectators after colliding with a slower car. Mike Hawthorn's reckless pit maneuver triggered the chain of events, leading to over 80 deaths and numerous injuries. The disaster, a shocking display of the sport's inadequate safety standards, prompted sweeping changes in motorsport safety regulations and marked a turning point in the history of racing.

(www.essesmag.com)

Game Le Mans 24 Hours racing accident motorsport safety

Caves of Qud's Gigantic World Map: A 13.8 Gigapixel Adventure

2024-12-13

The upcoming sci-fi roguelike Caves of Qud, launching December 5th, boasts a massive world map totaling an astounding 13.8 gigapixels! This immense map consists of 240 x 75 zones, each zone containing 25 x 80 tiles, with each tile being 16 x 24 pixels. A web viewer allows exploration of the surface and even the first underground level (the remaining 2 billion+ levels are omitted due to data size). This breathtaking scale promises an epic, fantastical adventure, ripe with exploration possibilities.

(kernelmethod.org)

Game Caves of Qud World Map

Fixing the Loading Issues in Myst IV: Revelation

2024-12-13

This article documents the author's journey in fixing the notoriously slow loading times in Myst IV: Revelation. The game suffers from a two-second load time per click, even on SSDs. Using profiling tools, the author pinpointed the issue to the game's inefficient image loading via the LEADTOOLS library, which loads images row by row. The solution involved extracting game assets, converting images to the DDS format for faster loading, and implementing multithreading. However, challenges remain, such as crashes related to water effects, requiring further optimization.

(medium.com)

3

Game game optimization performance profiling

NES Expansion Port Finally Awakens After 39 Years

2024-12-12

After 39 years of dormancy, the Nintendo Entertainment System's long-forgotten expansion port is finally being utilized in commercial products. This article explores the history of the NES expansion port and why it remained largely unused for so long, examining factors such as Nintendo's strategy, technological limitations, and the market environment. Now, thanks to the efforts of the open-source hardware community and enthusiasts, the expansion port is being used to add features like Bluetooth controller support and Famicom Disk System compatibility, marking a breakthrough in retro gaming console modding.

(tedium.co)

Game expansion port retro gaming console modding

Pink Floyd's 'The Wall': A Descent into Isolation and the Search for Meaning

2024-12-12

Pink Floyd's 'The Wall' is a groundbreaking concept album chronicling the fictional Pink's journey from childhood trauma to self-imposed isolation. Haunted by the loss of his father in World War II, a domineering mother, and the crushing weight of fame, Pink constructs a metaphorical wall to shield himself from emotional pain. This wall, built brick by brick through life's hardships, leads him to the brink of insanity. Yet, the narrative explores themes of freedom and responsibility, culminating in a theatrical mental trial that leaves the listener questioning the nature of life, loss, and redemption. Inspired by Roger Waters' personal experiences and disillusionment with stardom, 'The Wall' remains a powerful and enduring piece of musical art.

(thewallanalysis.com)

Game The Wall Concept Album

Category: Game