Everything posted by [MC]Ronin[MC]
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Alice: Madness Returns is a psychological hack and slasher action-adventure platform game developed by Chinese studio Spicy Horse and released by Electronic Arts for Microsoft Windows, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. This is the sequel to American Alice McGee. Premiere Date: June 14, 2011 Writer: R. J. Berg Composers: Jason Tai; Marshall Cruer; Chris Wren Developer: Spicy Horse Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Genres: Action-adventure game, Platform game, Hack and slash In Alice: Madness Returns, the heroine of American McGee's Alice has not escaped the demons she worked so hard to banish. The Wonderland of her imagination has been mangled into a dark and demonic caricature, filled with even more torturous hallucinations than she last encountered. Alice's mind is a dark place indeed, and in this long-awaited sequel, we discover that the real world isn't any sunnier. Creative and creepy visuals give this action platformer a twisted and surreal vibe, drawing you into a land inhabited by fire-breathing doll babies and squirming leeches. The action doesn't display the same kind of creativity, unfortunately. The game recycles the same basic ideas over and again, and its failure to grow and challenge leads to occasional tedium. Nevertheless, leaping and floating through an eerie oversized dollhouse and a Japanese-inspired dreamland is a joy, and there are enough hidden secrets to make it worth inspecting Madness Returns' grotesque nooks. Alice: Madness Returns is a fun but thoroughly ordinary game that takes place in an extraordinary setting. In American McGee's Alice, the titular dreamer had seemingly overcome her insanity. A fire at her home had killed her parents and sister, leaving both her mind and her imagined Wonderland in shambles. She eventually triumphed over the Red Queen and her own madness, but it seems that this victory was a temporary one. Alice is still under medical care, struggling to remember the circumstances that led to her family's horrific end. Her psychiatrist urges her to forget her past, insisting that doing so is the only way to wellness. Yet forgetting proves a formidable task, and soon Alice finds herself once again lost in her imagination, where Wonderland lies in ruin. To save herself, she must save Wonderland, and vice versa. But this is not the curioser and curioser world author Lewis Carroll dreamed up when he wrote Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. Rather, it is a place of nightmares, where the card guards that once protected the Red Queen are now undead monstrosities, and hobbyhorses are not playthings, but deadly weapons. Wonderland itself is Madness Returns' finest attribute. Each chapter explores a different visual theme, some of them impossible to describe in a few simple words. Rusted platforms float against a cloudy yellow backdrop, next to clock towers from which giant forks and teapots dangle. Gnarled vines twist into an off-kilter heart above a giant castle whose spires lean in all directions. Alice's clothing changes from chapter to chapter, and her flowery prints and blood-red fabrics subtly match the level art. Wonderland is not the only place you explore, however. At the start of each chapter, you wander about an increasingly morose London. This vision of that city is more grubby and industrial than even Carroll's contemporary Charles Dickens conjured, drained of color and inhabited by impossibly wrinkled old crones and filthy fishermen. This world is not flawlessly rendered, however. Textures pop in frequently (and sometimes back out, and then in again), and the game pauses at bizarre times to load data. Audio is an occasional issue as well: characters might talk over their own lines and are sometimes drowned out by the ambient music. At least that music is evocative, if not as excellent as the original Alice's score. The occasional tinkling of a toy piano and the buzz of low double basses provide fine contrast to the pounding drumbeats that accompany battle. Alice is generally a dream to control due to the effortless way you can string multiple jumps together and float gently downward. When you drift or perform midair leaps, flower petals blossom in your wake, emphasizing Alice's grace in a graceless land. The smoothness of motion makes bouncing from springy mushrooms and catching drafts of air a delight, and rarely is timing or landing a leap a struggle. For a few hours, you get caught up in freewheeling around this unusual place, scanning for secrets and admiring the view. You can shrink yourself to minute size and enter keyholes, where you might find lost memories, Madness Returns' equivalent of audio logs. You come across floating pig snouts and can shoot them full of pepper from your pepper grinder to uncover new pathways. Hidden treasures are scattered all over, and hearing the telltale snort from a nearby snout elicits a pleasant Pavlovian response: you hear the oink and immediately move into scouting mode. Every so often, Madness Returns' level layouts displays a glimmer of creativity, such as when playing cards flip and slide into view, extending your path. However, reaching your destination is a usually predictable affair. You spend a lot of time jumping onto floating surfaces and into gusts of air so that you can flip a switch that creates another set of surfaces and gusts. Sometimes you need to drop bombs to weigh down pressure plates, shrink to miniscule size to bring invisible platforms into view, or run under a spiked ceiling threatening to slam down on you. But Alice: Madness Returns has a limited bag of tricks, and so you frequently perform the same actions in the same context. Monotony too often results, particularly when your objectives are simple fetch quests. (Some residents of Wonderland are unwilling to divulge information unless you do them petty favors.) Levels have no sense of momentum: were it not for the unique environments, you could replace one sequence with any other and not even notice, and navigation is barely more challenging in the penultimate chapter than it is in the first. Luckily, combat freshens things up, due in part to the horrific enemies you face. Hideous monsters dripping with black ooze fling projectiles from above, and goblins wielding dinnerware threaten to stab you. Each enemy requires a slightly different technique to bring down, and Alice is fortunate enough to have the right tools for the job. First up is the returning vorpal blade, Madness Returns' version of a light attack. The hobbyhorse does strong attack duty, while the pepper grinder is your basic ranged assault weapon. Then there's the teapot, which you can think of as a grenade launcher, as well as your parasol, which you use to block incoming attacks. Once you get accustomed to the patterns and weaknesses, the vile fiends aren't difficult to fell. But while fights aren't often challenging, facing multiple enemy types at once is still fun, because you must use your entire arsenal in a single battle. Many battles are too easy to feel like anything but filler, and the sticky target lock can push the camera into awkward positions. But the sound of porcelain shattering when you slam your hobbyhorse into a wretched freak crusted with dolls' heads is worthwhile compensation. Alice: Madness Returns occasionally tries to enhance the proceedings by wandering outside its comfort zone. You slide down ramps, solve some puzzles on a chessboard, jump about in a two-dimensional version of Wonderland, and so forth. The attempts to vary the pace are admirable, but in most cases, the execution is less than ideal. For instance, there are sequences in which you take control of a rolling doll's head and navigate in 2D and 3D alike. It's a neat idea, but the too-close camera and some awkward transitions in and out of third-person and side views frustrate. Running from a gigantic executioner should have led to pulse-pounding chases, but these sequences have you running toward the camera. It takes a special game to make it fun to run toward the unknown, and Alice is not such a game. An underwater shoot-em-up, a musical minigame--you might welcome the change of tempo at first, only to discover that these sections whistle a boring tune. Fortunately, these are short detours, not core mechanics, and they are overshadowed by Alice: Madness Returns' better elements. It might take you nine or 10 hours to complete the game, and should you buy it new, you get a code to download American McGee's Alice. This port of the original PC game takes some getting used to: moving Alice doesn't cause her to face that direction. (Fans of the original will miss the ease of movement mouselook provided on the PC.) The action feels stiff by modern standards, but its dramatic art design and uneasy atmosphere are timeless. The Cheshire Cat fades into view, filling you in on the state of Wonderland while doing his best Alan Rickman impression. Instead of shooting pepper at the Red Queen's guards, you fling razor-sharp playing cards. And in at least one important way, the original still surpasses this late-in-coming sequel: it more effectively uses events and characters from the source material. And thus it is more likely to tap into your nostalgia either for Carroll's works or for their place in pop culture. If you grab the game on the used market, you can still purchase American McGee's Alice separately, though you shouldn't assume that Madness Returns is a lesser value without the inclusion of the original. It's fun to move through Wonderland as if carried by a summer breeze, bringing a touch of beauty to its contorted imagery. It's a shame that the game never expands its fundamentals. Looking back on time spent with Alice: Madness Returns is like remembering a vacation from your childhood: you remember where you went, but not what you did. Yet Alice's broken psyche is so tortured, her waking nightmare so vivid, that you're tempted to push forward to see what deliciously morbid sights yet await.
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What the Year of the Metal Rat will bring us The representatives of this zodiac sign love the affection The Year of the Metal Rat is expected to bring creative energy, luck, health and prosperity, the Independent and Chinese Zodiac reports. Unlike the Gregorian calendar, observed in most parts of the world, the Chinese one is based on the movements of the moon. What the Year of the Metal Rat will bring us Metallic rat-metal rat-metal rat Like the western zodiac, the Chinese is divided into 12 cycles, each lasting one year instead of one month. The start of the Chinese New Year usually falls between January 21 and February 20. This year, it will begin on January 25 and end on February 11, 2021. Each of the 12 cycles in the Chinese zodiac is subject to a particular animal, which affects the traits of people born in a given year, as well as world events. How did the Chinese zodiac appear? Legend has it that in order to create it, the Jade Emperor, a traditional Chinese deity, organized a competition between different animals. To complete successfully, participants in the race had to swim a fast-flowing river, writes BTA. The magnanimous bull offered the cat and the rat to climb on its back. The thirsty rat threw the cat into the water. According to a different version of the story, the rat did not share with the cat - its closest girlfriend - about the upcoming race, which resulted in a feud between them. As the bull neared the finish, the rat jumped in front of him, thus winning the race and becoming the first animal in the Chinese zodiac. The bull finished second, followed by the tiger, the rabbit, the dragon, the snake, the sheep, the monkey, the rooster, the dog and the boar (pig). People born in a given year are thought to have borrowed some of the animal's features in the Chinese zodiac, which it is subject to. Born in the Year of the Rat, for example, they are sociable, hardworking, skillful, observant, adaptable, stubborn. Their sign is a symbol of fertility, protection, prosperity. Representatives of this zodiac sign love the affection. To keep this year plentiful, astrologers advised the January 25th holiday menu to include the Rat's favorite treats - nuts and cheeses, and people to wear their most valuable clothes and jewels. Considering that the Rat is the first of the 12 zodiac signs according to the Chinese calendar, the year that will pass under its sign will be a year of new beginnings. Filled with creative energy, the representatives of all zodiac signs will gain confidence in their abilities and will feel masters of their own lives with the power to be whatever they want. The Rat was born in 1924, 1936, 1948, 1960, 1972, 1984, 1996, 2008, 2020. Famous representatives of the zodiac sign are: Source: Getty Images / Guliver William Shakespeare, Prince Charles, Louis Armstrong, Hugh Grant, Ozzie Osborne, Samuel L. Jackson, Tilda Swinton, Terry Pratchett, Avril Lavigne, George Washington, Gary Lineker, Eminem, George Bush, Julianne Moore, Julianne Moore, Julianne Moore Lowe, Katy Perry, Scarlett Johansson.
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Moscow: The expulsion of our diplomats is a provocation Russia's foreign ministry has come out on scandal "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation regards the expulsion of the two Russian diplomats from Sofia as a frankly unfriendly step and provocation. Russia reserves the right to take reciprocal action," the Foreign Ministry said. The agency added that Bulgaria had not provided any meaningful evidence of its decision to expel Russian diplomats. The Kremlin also added that they retain the right to reciprocal measures. Strong Euro-Atlantic support for Bulgaria in the spy scandal From there, they point out that the actions of the Bulgarian authorities are contrary to the "constructive and mutually respectful nature of the Bulgarian-Russian relations". "On January 24, the Bulgarian authorities decided to expel a diplomat from the embassy and an employee of the Trade Representation of the Russian Federation to Bulgaria from the country. No credible evidence was presented to support this decision. We consider this move by Sofia as openly unfriendly and provocative, contrary to the constructive and traditionally mutually respectful nature of Russian-Bulgarian relations. We reserve the right to respond, ”the Russian Foreign Ministry wrote. Russian diplomats accused of espionage have 48 hours to leave Bulgaria Moscow's statement on the occasion comes against the backdrop of a strong diplomatic response from a number of foreign missions in our country. The US Embassy said it welcomed the actions of the Bulgarian government, and the UK said it was following with interest the statements of the Bulgarian chief prosecutor on the subject and that the United Kingdom supported Bulgaria. Canadian diplomats have said they are concerned about information leaked about Russian espionage in Bulgaria.
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Premiere Date: January 26, 2018 Mode: Single player game Genre: Construction and management simulation Platforms: PlayStation 4, Microsoft Windows, Xbox One, Linux, Mac OS Developers: Kalypso Media, Gaming Minds Studios, Gaming Minds Publishers: Kalypso Media, Kalypso Media Digital Ltd., Kalypso Media USA Inc. SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Windows MINIMUM: Requires 64 bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64bit versions) Processor: Intel Core i5 750 @ 2.6 GHz or AMD Phenom II X4 @ 3.2 GHz Memory: 4 GB memory Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce GTX460 or AMD Radeon HD5870 (1024MB VRAM with Shader Model 5.0) DirectX: Version 11 Storage space: 7 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers RECOMMENDED: Requires 64 bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7 SP1 or Windows 8.1 or Windows 10 (64bit versions) Processor: Intel Core i5 2400s @ 2.5 GHz or AMD FX 4100 @ 3.6 Memory: 8 GB memory Graphics Card: nVidia GeForce GTX 680 or AMD Radeon HD7970 or better (2048MB VRAM or more, with Shader Model 5.0) DirectX: Version 11 Storage space: 7 GB available space Sound Card: DirectX Compatible Sound Card with latest drivers Exploit the economic opportunities of the United States in an extensive campaign, working your way step by step from coast to coast across this great continent. Lead your Railway Empire to success by establishing a comprehensive rail network and optimizing transportation of passengers and goods. Master challenges and objectives through a range of scenarios, or create your perfect railway network in construction mode without any financial pressure. Over 40 historically accurate locomotives and more than 30 different wagons can be acquired over the course of the game, and must be put to use in the best way in order to take advantage of their strengths and weaknesses. Invest in over 300 new technologies across five different eras to progress and maximize the potential of your rail network. Compete with up to three rival companies, and even sabotage their efforts with the use of bandits and spies. ‘Ride Along’ feature allows you to explore your rail network and beautiful scenery from the driver’s cab in a first person perspective. United States, 1830: ‘The New World’ is in its ascendancy. Industry is booming, and the race is on to establish the most dominant and powerful rail empire in all of North America. It’s time to outthink and outmaneuver your competitors as you lead your company into the 20th century! In Railway Empire, you will create an elaborate and wide-ranging rail network, purchase over 40 different trains modelled in extraordinary detail, and buy or build railway stations, maintenance buildings, factories and tourist attractions to keep your travel network ahead of the competition. You’ll also need to hire and manage your workforce if you want to ensure an efficient train service, whilst also develop over 300 technologies ranging from mechanical improvements to the trains themselves to workplace infrastructures and advanced amenities as you progress through five eras of technological innovations. However, you can’t just build and research your way to the top – the competition never sleeps, and to keep your business on track you’ll have to survive against up to three rival tycoons. To get to the top you may have to resort to more cutthroat tactics as you attack and sabotage your opponents through raids and industrial espionage. Being avid fans of the Railroad Tycoon series, we approached this game with all the excitement of a six-year-old on Christmas Eve. The latest offering published by Kalypso Media, famed for continuing the Tropico series of games and trying to fill the void left by Dungeon Keeper with their own Dungeon series, we felt that the game would be in safe hands. Add to that, it was developed by own in-house developer Gaming Minds Studios, which brought us the latest incarnations of the Patrician and Port Royale series. Safe to say, we were very keen to see how the void of train simulations would be filled. Would this game be a steaming success though, or just a plain old train wreck? Railway Empire gives you the typical options of campaign, scenario, free mode, and sandbox to play. It is recommended you take a single ticket to campaign mode first as it also acts as a tutorial as you learn your way around the interface. Led through the basics by real historical characters, they let you get to grips with the controls and the fundamentals of the game. The first thing we thought that could derail our gaming experience would be the control system, often a thorn in the side of most simulation games that are ported from PC to console, but rest assured the game delivered an easy to use system of laying tracks and building stations. Much like the Tropico series, it feels as if it were made for the console and not just a port. Set in the USA, Railway Empire takes you on an express journey from 1830-1910, tasked with building the most powerful railroad company and modernising the continent. Our first campaign saw us starting off on the great plains of the US and with the slightly daunting task of beginning a transcontinental railway. Each campaign took us to a different part of the States and also through the ages of steam trains right up until the first diesel engines. More than just looking after your trains, you have to be aware of the demands of the towns and cities along your railroad. Sadly, however, the tasks and lack of variation of buildings soon became a little repetitive, with every track needing a supply tower and access to a maintenance shed. That said, the game does give you many options to modify your city and you really feel that you're helping your company grow. Another great feature is the ability to get the train drivers view and take a passive seat watching the world go by on the tracks you have built over long wooden bridges and through extensive tunnels. Unlike Tropico, the game lacked a multiplayer option which seemed oddly missing, but in free mode you always have the option of playing against up to three rivals who also make an appearance in the campaign mode. Much like in Railroad Tycoon, Empire sees the ability to invest, merge and buy out your competitors and also invest in various industries. Be aware, however, as the other company owners will use saboteurs and other underhanded tactics to derail your efforts. One of the characters, for example, seems to be based somewhat on Al Capone (a little anachronistic for our liking), a mobster who has access to criminal techniques. Each one of the bosses has different skills and personalities. The great fun we had against these AI characters left us craving all the more for some online action. Another thing we were looking for was variation of maps, visiting countries such as China and the UK, but the locomotive options and maps are pretty much limited to the continental US. Let's hope for some DLC in the near future. To progress your trains through the ages you need to unlock items on a packed research tree, with a lot of the objects and trains on it seeming quite similar and with only subtle improvements. If you are a lover of trains, you will find many of the familiar classics such as the John Bull (imported from England), all of which have realistic statistics. The lack of customisation options, other than dining cars and a few others, made us feel that there could have been a bigger range of ways to personalise your empire. Who wouldn't want to build a train with cool silver alloy wheels and pink go-faster stripes? The developers decided to stick with reality though. Decked out trains looking like something out of Back to the Future Part III probably wasn't on the minds of 1830s pioneers. As you can probably guess, scenario mode gives you the opportunity to complete various challenging tasks within time limits, such as delivering cattle or increasing a city's po[CENSORED]tion. This additional content provides extra hours of entertainment on top of the campaign mode. When you're all done you can head to the sandbox and free mode, which won't help too much with the gaining of trophies/achievements, but will theoretically see you playing for many hours (trophy hunting seems to be relatively easy, so if you're eyeing a platinum here, it shouldn't take you too long). It seemed to be more of an opportunity to build something truly picturesque for those without space to have a model train set. One thing that baffled us was to separate free mode and sandbox into two different features. Why not just give you the option on sandbox mode to play with or without unlimited money and no rivals rather than make a whole new mode? In conclusion, if you're looking for a high-octane gaming experience or a pick-up and play title, then dodge this one. However, if you're after an in-depth simulation or you're a massive train fan, then this is a game you should take a further look at choo-choosing. The only things that let it down are the lack of multiplayer, limited customisation options, and a clunky research tree. That said, the more we played, the more fun we had, and that's always a good sign. So, if you want a realistic tycoon game with lots of different modes to play that doesn't punish you for making the game as easy as you want, take a chance on Railway Empire.
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They test the world's smallest flying car The future of flying cars is not that far off, at least not according to Japan's SkyDrive, which is already testing a person's decision on the subject. SkyDrive is a Japanese startup company founded mainly by Toyota engineers - about 30 - who started working on a flying car in their spare time. In 2018, they officially went into business, and this January received serious funding from Toyota (nearly $ 400 million), which allowed them to continue on their preliminary plan. At this point, they are absolutely on schedule with the first stage, after they began flying tests on the "world's smallest flying car." Unmanned tests have been running for over a year, but according to The Asahi Shimbun, pilot tests of single-seater flying vehicles have already been conducted last month. They take place in a sheltered enclosure at Toyota Headquarters. If everything goes according to schedule, we should see a public demonstration this summer, and limited numbers will be put on sale in 2023. Three years later (2026) the mass sale should start. SkyDrive's goal is to ease traffic in large conglomerates such as Tokyo, but the flying machine can also carry out rescue missions when conventional infrastructure is unusable. The dimensions of the prototype are 3.6 by 3.6 meters, its height is 1.6 meters, and each pair of propellers are mounted. SkyDrive aims to achieve a top speed of 100 km / h in the air and up to 150 km / h when flying near the ground. And engineers say they will be able to reach a minimum flight height of a meter above the surface.
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Deadly spiders in Australia because of moisture A funnel spider bite can kill a person The po[CENSORED]tion of Sydney's funnel spider in Australia has started to increase rapidly due to recent days' rainfall and high temperatures. This spider is a dangerous predator that bites painfully, leaves clear bite marks and can cause death in humans. Now dangerous animals are in breeding season and are particularly sensitive and irritable. The poison of the males is 6 times stronger than that of the females. Funnel spiders move mostly at night, and during the day they search for hiding places, most often hiding in shoes, boxes, cabinets, or other household items. Between 30 and 40 fungal spider bites are recorded in Australia every year. Death after a bite can be prevented only with antidote and with medical help as quickly as possible.
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Domuschiev: The Bulgarian economy is operating qualitatively and competitively "We have a lot to brag about, we are going up," the chairman of CRIB said "We have something to boast about. Although some speak of an imminent crisis, the Bulgarian economy is operating steadily and going up. " This was stated by the chairman of the Confederation of Employers and Industrialists in Bulgaria (CEIB) Kiril Domuschiev. Domuschiev recalled that our country recorded an increase in its gross domestic product (GDP) of 3.6% in 2019, which even surpassed the projected value of 3.1%. According to him, this positive trend is mainly due to the Bulgarian employers, who are the real engine of the economy in Bulgaria. "Record highs were also made in the past year. According to data from the first 7-8 months of last year, it was nearly 17 billion euros, which shows that the Bulgarian economy is working qualitatively and competitively. I thank the real business, the members of our organizations, for the efforts they make for the development of the economy and the prosperity of Bulgarian society, "said Domuschiev. This year KRIIB assumes the rotating chairmanship of the Association of Bulgarian Employers' Organizations (AOBR), which also includes the Association of Bulgarian Industrial Capital (AICB), the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce (BIA), and the Bulgarian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BCCI). At their traditional press conference, the organization outlined priorities to work on in 2020. The measures identified are related to improving the business climate, accelerated resolution of human resources problems and overall energy reform in Bulgaria. Among the priorities are accelerated e-governance, the battle with the gray economy, the abolition of the dividend tax and a 5% reduction in income tax on sole traders, as well as Bulgaria's accession to ERM II, Schengen and the OECD. The AODB will also demand urgent measures against the misuse of hospital records, the abolition of the entitlement to paid annual leave for periods of non-work, and changes in labor and social legislation to limit labor shortages. "Fighting the gray economy is one of the priorities that we affect every year. As representatives of the responsible Bulgarian business, we unite efforts of all interested parties to show our intolerant attitude towards the informal economy, to highlight good business practices and to outline the main problems and ways for overcoming them, ”said Domuschiev. According to the International Monetary Fund, as of the end of last year, the share of the gray economy in Bulgaria is 37.8%. "The gray economy is a threat to the bright business," said CRIB's chairman. According to him, effective counteraction to corruption is fundamental in this case because it is precisely what facilitates the informal economy. The union of employers' organizations is also seeking a balance between economic development and the environment. They therefore support the adherence to the 'polluter pays' principle, linked to the idea of increasing the tax on cars that are most polluting, and to incriminating the burning of waste. "It is particularly important to take immediate and effective measures to stop the import and management of wastes of undetermined type and origin. It is imperative to activate the Customs Agency, the Ministry of Interior, the Prosecutor's Office and other responsible institutions, "said Domuschiev. The organization also said that the share of coal plants in our energy is 45%, and for the transition to another model will be long and expensive.
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Welcome
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Premiere date: April 27, 2010 Genre: Sports Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PSP, Wii, iOS, Java Platform, Micro Edition Modes: Single player game, Multiplayer game Series: FIFA, FIFA World Cup video games Developers: EA Canada, HB Studios Once every four years, EA Sports gets to put out a licensed World Cup game in addition to its regular FIFA offerings. This year, 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa is arriving in stores just six months after the release of the superb FIFA Soccer 10, so predictably it doesn't represent a major leap forward over that game. Some noticeable improvements have been made on the field, though, and while you won't find the same wealth of gameplay modes on offer here as in a regular FIFA release, there are plenty of options to keep you entertained while you're waiting for the next World Cup match to kick off and when you want to relive or rewrite the tournament once it's over. Unlike FIFA 10, which features both club and international teams from all over the world, 2010 FIFA World Cup offers only international teams. You won't be left wanting, though, because while only 32 teams get to play in the finals, the game features no fewer than 199 of the squads that entered the tournament's qualification process. If you choose to jump straight into the finals in World Cup mode, you only get to play with the teams that are taking part in this year's finals in South Africa, but if you choose to play through the qualification games beforehand, you can attempt to change the fortunes of any team in the game. You can choose to play a number of friendly matches in between qualification rounds, which makes the whole process take a lot longer than it needs to, but those games at least give you an opportunity to experiment with different formations and tactics just as real managers do. Leading a low-ranked team to its first-ever finals appearance is very satisfying, and playing with those teams is a much different experience than taking control of big names like Brazil, Italy, or England. Regardless of which team you take control of, 2010 FIFA World Cup plays an entertaining and realistic game of soccer. Players are even more physical than their FIFA 10 counterparts, and it's not uncommon to see them tussling for control of the ball or just getting in each other's way. Every player on the field, as well as the referee, now has real physical presence at all times, and when they come into contact with each other or with the ball, the results are invariably believable. Players who are on the floor need to be avoided because you can't simply run through them; the referee will do his best to avoid the ball but will occasionally get hit by it; fouls are committed by players who have so much momentum that they can't avoid colliding with each other; and when the referee books one of your players for a particularly egregious tackle, the slow-motion replay generally leaves no doubt that his decision was warranted. In regular play, you get to control every outfield player on your team, switching semiautomatically to whoever is closest to the ball. The controls are extremely responsive, and customization options include different button layouts, assistance settings for specific actions (passes, shots, crosses), and a simple two-button setup for newcomers to the series. The regular controls employ every button, both analog sticks, and even the D pad if you want to alter tactics on the fly, and there are plenty of actions that require you to press one button while holding down another. With the two-button setup, though, you just have one button for passing and pressing (the function changes according to whether you're in possession of the ball or not) and a second for shooting and sliding tackles. These controls don't afford you anything like the level of control of the regular setups, but they definitely make the game more accessible, and using them is a good way to get comfortable with the basics before you inevitably feel the need to use the "proper" controls. Another, more challenging way to ease into 2010 FIFA World Cup is to check out the Captain Your Country mode. Like FIFA 10's Be a Pro option, this mode puts you in control of just a single player. You can choose to play as one of the thousands of pros featured in the game, create a new player from scratch, or even import your created player from FIFA 10, which is a nice touch. You then pick a country that you want to play for, and you must earn your spot in the first team by participating in B-team friendlies and the like in the months leading up to the World Cup finals. As one player on a team of 11, you're required not to chase the ball all over the field, but rather to play your chosen position realistically. Small chevrons at your player's feet point toward the area of the field that your player should be in anytime you stray from it, and a rating from 1 to 10 that appears onscreen at all times lets you know how well you're doing in the manager's eyes. If you miss a pass or unleash a shot that's off target, you might see your rating drop, but if you send in a cross that one of your strikers gets on the end of or make a crucial tackle, it goes up. Even while keeping an eye on your player and on the ball (which is still the camera's focus), it's difficult not to obsess over your individual rating. It appears alongside those of three teammates (who can be controlled by other players) and is much better than the less-precise system that served the same purpose in FIFA 10. Inevitably, there will be times when your teammates in Captain Your Country mode frustrate you, but there are also times that you get to feel like part of a well-oiled machine as you make runs off the ball, call for passes and through balls, and try to beat or participate in offside traps. If you make captain, you also get to change tactics and set piece takers, as well as tell the goalie when to rush out and when to stay on his line, which makes you feel like you have added responsibilities much as you would wearing the captain's armband for real. Sadly, while Captain Your Country offers a fun and lasting challenge, it's not without its faults, both on and off the field. On the field, the main problem is that it's all too easy to call for a pass or through ball a split second after the impressive AI has already sent the ball your way. When this happens, the button you just pressed causes you to preload a first-touch pass or through ball of your own rather than call for the ball, which often results in your giving away possession needlessly. Off the field, the messages that you get concerning your team status are wildly inconsistent, especially where the captaincy is concerned. You might average a hat trick a match as team captain throughout much of the qualifying process and then only scrape into the World Cup squad as a reserve, for example. Furthermore, whereas real managers generally don't like the captain's armband to move around too much, those in 2010 FIFA World Cup don't like any player to hang onto it for more than a few matches in succession. That's completely unrealistic, and it's frustrating to put in a man-of-the-match performance as captain and then lose the armband for the next game--especially when it doesn't even go to the player you've previously been told is in contention for the role. Another disappointing aspect of Captain Your Country mode is that even though it supports up to four players, there's no option to play it online. Playing with friends locally is a lot of fun, but it's also a big enough time commitment that getting everyone together to play through the entire competition might be tough. The options that you do get for online play are limited. Other than playing head-to-head matches against friends, ranked opponents, and players that you find via the lobby system, your only option is to participate in the Online World Cup. Here, you choose a country to represent and then you earn points for that country by beating random opponents in a makeshift tournament structure that includes both group and knockout stages. The most interesting thing about this mode is that you don't have to play with the country that you're representing, and you're actually encouraged to use weaker teams because winning matches with them earns you a lot more points. When the action is lag-free and you're getting live updates from other players' matches that are relevant to your tournament progression, the Online World Cup mode can be thrilling and tense in the same way that watching your real-life team compete is. All too often though, matches suffer from just enough lag to throw off the timing of your button presses and to make controls feel less responsive. This is a more prevalent problem on the PlayStation 3 than it is on the Xbox 360 in our experience, and it can be incredibly frustrating--especially if you're awarded a penalty and are trying to stop the neat new composure gauge that moves from left to right dead in the middle so that your shot doesn't miss. Other online features of 2010 FIFA World Cup include regular squad updates that are already in effect, a currently empty store for downloadable content, and the promise of a Story of the Finals mode that will challenge you to complete objectives in scenarios based on the events of this year's tournament. A similar Story of Qualifying mode is already included in the game and offers 45 different scenarios, each with three different objectives attached. For example, you can take control of France in the 28th minute of their November 2008 qualifying game against Romania after they've gone two-nil down, and your three objectives are to avoid defeat, to win, and to concede no more goals. In some scenarios you control an entire team, while in others you control a single player. Either way they're enjoyable challenges, and given how many different scenarios and objectives you're presented with (not to mention all of the different teams you play with), there's plenty of variety. Earn enough points by completing objectives, and you can unlock scenarios from the 2006 World Cup--a tantalizing tease for the 2010 scenarios that are coming soon. It will be interesting to see if the commentary team of Clive Tyldesley and Andy Townsend reprise their roles with match-specific commentary in the upcoming 2010 scenarios, because hearing the duo talk in detail about what the scenarios mean for each team's qualification chances really adds a great deal to the Story of Qualifying mode. Tyldesley and Townsend's work elsewhere in 2010 FIFA World Cup is also impressive and is certainly superior to that of FIFA 10's pairing of Martin Tyler and Andy Gray. Rather than sounding like two guys who recorded their lines in isolation, their commentary sounds like it's coming from a booth at the stadium, and while it's occasionally repetitive, it's also detailed, well delivered, and--outside of the Captain Your Country mode, where they get as confused about team captaincy as the managers--almost always accurate. 2010 FIFA World Cup's visuals are every bit as impressive as other aspects of the game. The South African stadiums look spectacular, and while some of the players appear to have been training for the tournament in the uncanny valley, most are easily recognizable, and all are incredibly well animated. The broadcast-style camera cuts to shots of the managers, and player close-ups happen a little too frequently on the default settings, but they're authentic, and there's an option to turn them off so they're really not a problem. If you're excited for the tournament that's kicking off in June, you're sure to have a lot of fun with 2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa. There are some lengthy load times in between matches, and it doesn't offer the same breadth of content that FIFA 10 does, but it improves upon that game in enough ways that you should consider adding it to your collection even if you already own that game. The finals in South Africa last for only a month, but this game will keep you entertained at least until the inevitable release of FIFA Soccer 11.
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Name Game: The Talos Principle Price: 39,99€-5,99€ The Discount Rate: -85% Link Store:Steam Offer Ends Up After : The offer ends on January 27
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Premiere Date: December 11, 2014 Developer: Croteam Genre: Puzzle Game Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Android, iOS, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch, Linux, Mac OS, MacOS Writers: Tom Jubert, Jonas Kyratzes Publishers: Croteam, Devolver Digital SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Windows MINIMUM: OS: Windows 7 Processor: Dual-core 2.0 GHz Memory: 2 GB memory Graphics: DirectX 11 class GPU with 1GB VRAM (nVidia GeForce 480 GTX, AMD Radeon HD 5870) DirectX: Version 9.0c Storage space: 5 GB available space RECOMMENDED: OS: Windows 7 64-bit Processor: Quad-core 3.0 GHz Memory: 4 GB memory Graphics Card: AMD RX 480 or NVIDIA GTX 970 DirectX: Version 9.0c Storage space: 8 GB available space The Talos Principle, much as its name suggests, is a thinker's game. (No, it doesn't have anything to do with the man-god of Skyrim.) Barely a second goes by when it doesn't encourage you to either stretch the limits of your mind with some brutally tough but rewarding puzzles or to consider the nature of humanity and the conundrums of empiricist philosophy. It's a game I found myself thinking about more often the longer I'm away from it, and I'm surprised that it's the non-puzzle elements that stick with me the most. This disconnect saddens me. While developer Croteam handles both elements well, they don't complement each other as well as they probably should. It's a fun puzzler — marvelous, even. It doesn't introduce any nifty, novel gimmicks of its own in the vein of Portal's portal gun, but it positively nails using conventional elements like blocks, signal jammers, laser connections, motion-recording devices, and even turrets to complete each puzzle. It eases you into the tough parts (perhaps too gently, as the going is a tad too easy early on), but in time it reaches a pitch of near-orchestral magnitude. Want a real challenge? Go for the puzzles that reward stars. The Talos Principle's first-person perspective puzzles differ from Portal's with their emphasis on deliberate thinking rather than action and speed. In one puzzle alone, I used to block to disable a force field by setting it on a trigger, after which I took a jammer to disable the fan that was blowing me back down one particular corridor. I stripped the head off the disabled fan, then used a laser connector to trigger another pair of doorways by shooting out three beams. I then doubly disabled one of the open force fields with the jammer, and then popped a new cube on a spring before another fan, which sent the cube flying over the wall into the next room with another trigger. I then reconfigured my jammers and connectors to work my way back to the cube, dumped it on the trigger panel, and claimed the tetromino that was my goal. Whew. Such moments feel like completing the Triforce in a Zelda game, and this was just one puzzle out of around 120. It happens often, and Talos Principle maintains that essential "Aha!" factor for hours, partly because there are so many gadgets to toy with and combine in interesting ways, although some repetition slips in by the end. The narrating voice overhead here is Elohim (essentially Hebrew for "god"), and he's basically just around to tell you that you'll gain everlasting life if you finish all the puzzles, create a sense of forbidden mystery around a big central tower, and suggest the entire world around you is a sham. And hitting "H" for a third-person perspective reveals a big surprise of who you’re playing as. And that's where the philosophy comes in. Running parallel to the puzzle focus is my personal quest to discover who and what I really am and whether I'm actually a "person," explored through little terminals dot each subzone that beep and boop, begging for interaction. I gained insight from listening to audio logs and reading e-mails from the designers of your world contain everything from inane song lyrics to reflections on an important garbage dump/archaeological site. It explores concepts of humanity and being through quotes by writers like John Milton, William Blake, and others. At times, it even adds to the mystery by letting you partake in surveys testing your humanity, but which seem to be administered by a real person. The Talos Principle asks us to ask ourselves old philosophical questions dating back to Socrates, but by the same token, they're not that hard to grasp. (Some of the sources may also be B.S. created for the story itself.) If there's one thing I don't like about it, it's that the terminal forced me to choose from preset responses most of the time, instead of typing in my own. We've seen stuff like this in The Stanley Parable as well, although with more humor and sometimes to better effect. Here, we almost never have a chance to laugh. But The Talos Principle brings its own appeal, chiefly in the form of (easily readable) QR codes with messages from robots, yammering about the glory of Elohim, or how hard this or that puzzle is. (We should be able to leave some of our own messages for others to read this way — somewhat Dark Souls style — after launch.) But the puzzling stands just fine on its own, although the lore enriches it and delivers different endings depending on your choices and actions. Even in opening new zones and items, The Talos Principle maintains this devotion to brain teasers. Collecting Tetris-style tetrominos unlocks new zones, new gadgets to use with the puzzles, and eventually that mysterious tower. Once a full set's collected, you line them up much as you would in Tetris at various interface panels before key doors, and those get just as challenging as the puzzles at times. I once sat at a panel for 15 minutes just trying to get the pieces to fit. Opening those doors is a treat, particularly if you're the sort who's already given to studying the peripatetic philosophy spouted throughout The Talos Principle. There's the Roman ruins level, with its obvious debts to Pompeii, Hadrian's Villa, and the Roman forum. There's the ancient Egyptian level, with its nods to the Oxyrhynchus archaeological site at the core of all this, and there's a medieval level with obvious nods to early France. Even the fantastic creeps in other zones, such as in the tower itself, which seems to hold up the world like Stephen King's Dark Tower. Don't look too closely, and at times these views seem almost realistic, partly because the developers scanned real objects and settings before adding them in. It's void of all animal life, though, aside for tracks for birds you never see, which only adds to the mysteries hiding in the puzzle walls. Verdict The Talos Principle is a good world to get lost in. The strong, heady philosophical focus isn't as integrated into the puzzles as it initially suggested, but for those of you who like to flex your minds by action rather than heavy reading or contemplation, the puzzle sections deliver just as well. Much like Portal, The Talos Principle makes you feel smart just by playing it, as the bulk of the puzzles hit that sweet spot between too easy and near-impossible.
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Tesla is already the second most expensive car company in the world Americans overtake Volkswagen in market cap, jumping the $ 100 billion mark for the first time About two weeks ago, the news was that Tesla's market capitalization was higher than the sum of the market capitalization of General Motors and Ford. During this period, Tesla's stock price jumped more than $ 10 billion to reach yesterday, when the company's shares reached nearly $ 600. The result of all this is that for the first time Tesla's market capitalization jumped above the $ 100 billion threshold. At its peak, it was around $ 107 billion, ending at $ 102 billion at the end of the day. Volkswagen with its $ 99 billion leader with double the market capitalization remains Toyota, whose stock price is about $ 200 billion. If you open the link you will see that of the top 25 companies in the industry, only four show growth in their market capitalization, while all others are in the red sector. Tesla is more expensive than Ford and GM combined The news is especially important for Ilon Musk, as it can trigger a plan to receive bonuses that could turn him into the richest man on the planet. At first, market capitalization must remain above the $ 100 billion threshold for half a year to receive the first of 12 tranches under its bonus program. In 2018, Musk presented to investors its development plan for the company, which many (probably) many analysts laughed at. He then pledged to make Tesla a $ 600 billion market capitalization. According to him, each subsequent $ 50 billion increase in market capitalization will give Musk 1.69 million shares, which to date are about $ 1 billion. If Tesla reaches $ 600 billion, Musk would own about 30% of the company at that time, which would mean a share of about $ 195 billion, making it the richest man on the planet. It is still very far from that goal at the moment, but two years ago it seemed even farther away, the first of the obstacles already seems to be achieved (and achievable)
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Will Europe become a desert? One third of the Earth's surface is at risk of drying up due to climate change and its effects are becoming visible in unexpected parts of the Mediterranean, Central and Eastern Europe. One of the lesser-known aspects of global warming is the change in the soil of the planet. Desertification (or so-called desertification) has been threatening Mediterranean countries such as Spain and Greece for some time, but now it also affects some unexpected parts of Europe, such as Hungary, says Monika Lakatos, a Hungarian meteorologist, quoted by the BGNES. 13 are European countries at risk of desertification. Scientists predict a climate disaster for Europe "The negative effects of climate change can be seen on extreme rainfall. Due to increased evaporation, some regions of the planet will become drier, while others will be at greater risk of flooding," says Lakatos. In the Kiskunság National Park an abandoned dried up water basin is a memory of a lake that was here years ago. The water meters deep gave fishermen a livelihood. Today, one of the old villas near it is still standing, with a boat waiting on the dry shores. Water levels have dropped by more than 6 meters in recent decades in the area. And despite widespread belief, planting more trees is not necessarily the best solution for saving soil in this region. Solt Bakronagi is responsible for climate protection at Kiskunság National Park: The world's fauna and flora are endangered "Many studies agree that tree planting increases evaporation and lowers water levels. It also contributes to drying out." Climate change potentially changes one third of the earth's surface and puts food supplies at risk of about 1 billion people worldwide.
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Two days more non-smoking leave offered by VMRO The bill has already been tabled in the National Assembly and is under discussion Two days of paid annual leave for non-smokers at work are offered with changes to the VMRO Labor Code, United Saints' United Patriots MP Alexander Sidi told reporters in parliament. He specified that the bill for amendment had already been tabled in the National Assembly and was intended to supplement the total ban on smoking in public places. Sidi explained that workers who smoke go outside the work premises and get an unregulated rest every hour or two. In his words, this puts discriminatory conditions on other non-smoking workers. "In this way, we believe that non-smokers who are conscientious in their jobs are entitled to additional leave of up to two days," the MP explained. The bill is yet to be discussed by the National Tripartite Cooperation Council. Andrei Slabakov: They are short of 2 non-smokers days "I am delighted with VMRO's proposal. It's been a long time to do something for non-smokers. These are extremely fragile and vulnerable creatures. Two days seem like a little. I think they need at least a week. ". This was commented today by MEP Andrei Slabakov in the Plus-minus program on NOVA. "We are ready to work for non-smokers. I even think they should retire at the age of 40 before the miners because they are really tired. Imagine how many books on healthy living they have read," the MEP said. "They also have to survive in some way. Obviously, we are terribly poisoned and obstructed a lot, and they deserve their vacation," Slabakov added.
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Premiere Date: April 15, 2014 Developer: EA Canada Series: FIFA World Cup video games Platforms: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 Modes: Single player game, Multiplayer game Publishers: Electronics Arts, EA Sports It doesn’t take long to appreciate what perfect partners the modern FIFA games and the World Cup are. EA Sports has always managed to capture the sense of occasion of a big event, and while in its annual releases its flashy presentation can at times feel excessive - albeit an accurate approximation of contemporary TV coverage - here it only adds to the grandeur and ceremony of a global sporting event. Though there are tweaks to FIFA’s core mechanics, it’s the presentation that makes 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil a souvenir piece worth bringing home. You’ll see tickertape celebrations, flashy idents and low camera swoops over authentically rendered stadia before games, while goals and key events during matches prompt cutaway shots to gaudily garbed fans in the stands, or celebrating among thronging crowds watching on giant screens across the world. Its vibrant presentation carries over into the oversaturated colours - during evening matches the pitch is bathed in a vivid orange glow, while encounters earlier in the day see the brightness slider nudged upwards. Fittingly, for a tournament taking place in a country with a temperate climate, it feels that much warmer. Even in the menus, daubed in splashes of tropical colour, it manages to capture the electric atmosphere of a tournament that’s capable of attracting the attention of even casual observers. As the competition begins, plenty who claim not to care about international football will find themselves inexorably drawn into its orbit. In many ways that fits with the target audience - the players who may not be invested enough in the sport at a domestic level to buy the annual editions of FIFA, but wish to enhance the experience of watching the tournament, to replay matches that have just finished to get a different outcome, for the empowering sensation of having rewritten history. It’s this audience EA Sports needs to cater to most, and as such there are problems with its approach here. That’s because FIFA has evolved a great deal since 2010’s World Cup tie-in, and anyone expecting to jump in after four years away will face a bit of a culture shock. Though few would argue that it hasn’t made considerable strides in most areas, the more authentic physics and animation make for a less immediately intuitive and responsive game of football. It does feel a little quicker than FIFA 14, if only in the speed of transitions between receiving the ball and advancing with it, while shots seem to travel at greater velocity - but for better and worse, those who’ve played this season’s game will instantly be in familiar territory. Fundamentally, it remains the same game, though it benefits from a number of adjustments. Penalty taking has been simplified - a sop to novices, no doubt, though a sensible change – while ’keepers have more options to distract opponents during their run-up. You can now adjust set-piece tactics to put more pressure on the goalie, or guide runners to the near post for flick-ons, though the results are inconsistent. Elsewhere, it offers a rather exaggerated riposte to fan complaints. Headers are no longer overpowered, if only because crosses are so frequently intercepted, often by defenders leaping over the back of your strikers with absolute impunity. Lofted through-balls now require pinpoint accuracy – you’ll underhit them more often than not, though at full power they’ll sail harmlessly through to the keeper. Causing a minor problem to solve a major one is a strange tactic, but too good to no good still represents an improvement of sorts. Rather than focusing exclusively on the tournament itself, you’re now able to guide a team through qualification. Whichever mode you choose, you’ll get to take part in training drills to boost your players’ stats. Some of these mirror the pre-match challenges most FIFA players will be accustomed to, but others are new. Their appeal is fleeting, however - after a while you’ll be itching to simply savour the pageantry of the big games - though they’re essential in the Captain Your Country mode. While the scoring system here is still bound to an arcane set of rules, it’s a rush to race your team-mates to the coveted armband, those incremental upgrades meaning more when you’re an individual chasing glory. Another welcome inclusion is EA Talk Radio, which gives you a choice of two presenting duos who’ll chat about the tournament and the sport in general while you’re navigating the menus. It’s like idly listening to a football-themed podcast, and helps cement that feeling of excitement, that you’re taking part in an event everyone is talking about. As a game with a naturally brief shelf life - let’s face it, you’re not going to find many online opponents come August - 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil could easily have been a rush job, hurried out of the door to capitalise on the anticipation for this summer’s festival of football. Yet while lingering mechanical problems remain, this is a surprisingly accomplished tie-in. Its fuse may burn shorter than most, but between June and July its flame will be dazzling. Verdict 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil might feel like a step back to anyone coming from the next-gen versions of FIFA 14, but for those who haven’t yet upgraded, it represents an improvement on the annual release. Meanwhile, fans looking to cheer their team on this summer will get a kick out of the sizzling carnival atmosphere it generates.
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SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS MINIMUM: Requires 64 bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 7 64bit Processor: Intel Core i7-4770 @ 3.4 GHz or AMD Ryzen 5 1300X @ 3.5 GHz Memory: 16 GB memory Graphics Card: Nvidia GPU GeForce 970 GTX (4GB VRAM), AMD RX560 (4GB VRAM) DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage space: 70 GB available space Additional notes: SSD strongly recommended. The game contains EAC anti-cheat technology. RECOMMENDED: Requires 64 bit processor and operating system OS: Windows 10 64bit Processor: i7-6700K @ 4.0 GHz, AMD Ryzen 5 2600X @ 3.6 GHz Memory: 16 GB memory Graphics Card: Nvidia GPU GeForce 1080 TI GTX (11GB VRAM), AMD Vega 64 (8GB VRAM) DirectX: Version 11 Network: Broadband Internet connection Storage space: 70 GB available space Additional notes: SSD strongly recommended. The game contains EAC anti-cheat technology. Grandpa has passed down his old farm to you. Help nurture it back to life in the new Homestead mode for Heat. Homestead is a new Single Player mode, in which you build an amazing farm by day, and go to sleep at night. It was inspired by games such as Harvest Moon and Stardew Valley, but we wanted to take it in a different direction, mixing in many survival elements. You can pick from 10 different scenarios. Each scenario has a different starting homestead, starting equipment, and some have special conditions. The game saves when you sleep at night, you can load up old saves, and it supports full admin commands. Heat Survive the wilderness, build a home, raise a family, and expand your territory. Gain power as President, deliver justice as Sheriff, fight for your tribe as Chief, or show some southern hospitality as Governor. Begin your new life in 19th century America. Heat is an online multiplayer survival mode for up to 40 players. Environment There are 20 unique biomes in Heat spread out over a 67km2 world, each with its own sub-biomes to explore. We developed a unique way to create dense forest floors which requires players to clear the land in order to build. Explore vast and diverse landscapes ranging from the cold mountainous peaks to the tropical seashores, and from the harsh deserts to the muggy swamplands. Built from the roots up using real-world photogrammetric data, experience next generation graphics in both variety and detail. Stockpiles and Shipping Bin We introduce a new concept in stockpiles. Heavy goods require physical space for storage, so while you can still store light goods in your small containers, wood, stone, ore, and other heavy materials must be stored in large stockpiles. This gives players a visual representation of their goods, and since stockpiles take up space, thought must also go into defending them. Each player also can craft a stash container which accepts a mix of light and heavy goods to help get them started, but these come with limited slots. Players may also build shipping bins. These can be placed in your base and you may sell harvested, crafted, and farmed goods in them for in-game currency. Shipping bins also come with a catalog with which you may order items using your hard earned in-game currency. Farming and Cooking Get farm-ready with the hoe, watering can, sprinklers, and scythe. Each tool has its own set of tiers, and there are a variety of crops that may be planted. Fertilizers are also an important consideration for the aspiring farmer. Once your crops have matured, harvest them and bring them to the cooking stations in order to produce a wide range of food types. You may also decide to sell your crops in your shipping bin and buy more seed for your farming operation. Building & Crafting Construct your new home - From a quick hobo shack, a rustic cabin deep in the woods, a refined mansion, or a giant fortress. Craft and place walls, floors, doors, windows, furniture, and other fixtures individually by your own design. Process goods with sawmills, tanneries, smelters and other workstations. These materials will aid in crafting at various workstations and purchasing blueprints. Protect your establishment with well-placed cannons and strategically planned fortifications using massive rampart building sections. Mounts, Livestock & Wildlife The landscape is po[CENSORED]ted by a variety of American wildlife, all of which can be hunted - assuming you are not hunted yourself. But they can also be tamed, whether as livestock or as a beloved pet. You may ride tamed horses, as well as other animals - even bears! Survival Gather and hunt for food to keep yourself strong. Collect a variety of raw materials from nature for use in crafting, building and refinement. Once you have the basics of sticks and stones down, you may begin your journey towards establishing yourself as an industrious and powerful colony or even President of the United States. There will be struggles and fallbacks along the way. Your character may be killed and robbed, where everything he or she has equipped is taken. Your property may be broken into and looted by a gang of raiders lead by other players. But with plenty of resources and defensive tactics at your disposal, raiders will be in for a serious fight. Go Forth and Multiply Start a family with other players or NPCs. Players can give birth to a newborn. The newborn grows to become a baby, the baby then grows up to be a child, the child eventually becomes an adult. A second option is to adopt from an orphanage by purchasing a baby basket in the shipping catalog. The baby will be inside the basket delivered to you. Adoption is very expensive, but provides a guaranteed outcome. Your children are a mix of the visual DNA of the two parents. Babies, children, and adults will need to feed and stay hydrated. Once your kids become adults you can equip them with outfits, gear, and weapons. They can help protect you when you are online. Road Building Build roads in the game or create pads around your base using the rake tool. Players may build roads using a variety of materials ranging from wood chips, dirt, sand, gravel, pavement and more. Players may also place freshly cut lawn for a well-kept look. Seats of Power As President, you own the Whitehouse, a section of land south of the monument, one intern, a golden gun, and two secret service NPCs. You also get to set and collect a President’s land tax. Players may also become the Sheriff, Chief, or Governor. Each are given their own areas, items, and NPCs. Combat & Capture On your adventures you'll encounter other players who may or may not be friendly. Likewise, you may not be so friendly either given these tactics at your disposal: - Fill 'em full of lead with plenty of handguns, rifles, shotguns and other firearms to craft. - Take the more silent approach with bows and javelins that will leave your foes looking like a pin cushion. - Get up in their face with melee instruments, or beat them down with some good old blunt force. - Capture, restrain, and put them into your interrogation dungeon with its various contraptions. - Messily dismember with a well-placed strike or shotgun blast. - Blow them to smithereens with artillery cannon fire and TNT. - Experience the thrill of vigilante justice from either a first or third person perspective. Character Customization Choose your gender and tune your appearance to your liking, including variations in skin tone, height and girth, the shape of facial features, hair or lack thereof, and voice tone.
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Welcome
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The days of the ICE in Austria are coming to an end An end date has not yet been given, but the new government's measures are eloquent. It will begin with the "killing" of ICE in all public procurement by 2027. The new Austrian federal government is formulating a series of targets to dramatically reduce CO2 emissions in its transport sector. The Austrian People's Party (ÖVP) coalition and the Greens are asking the public authorities to buy only vehicles that do not emit any CO2 emissions from 2022. Another major challenge for them is focusing on subsidies for the electrification of official fleets, taxis, rental cars, shared vehicles, public transport, and private cars. The Government's 2020-2024 program states that the public sector should set a good example. For example, it should create binding guidelines to "make standard zero-emission public-sector procurement as soon as possible - possibly as early as 2022" (except for special vehicles, emergency vehicles and Army vehicles). On the other hand, the purchase of ICE cars should be an exception - "and it must be justified". From 2027, the program also states the goal of completely suspending new registrations of combustion engines in public procurement. Lifelong maintenance costs ("TCO / Total Cost of Ownership") will form the basis of the procurement process, including the consideration of environmental and health benefits. Coalition partners want to continue subsidizing electric buses, hydrogen buses, including infrastructure and charging stations. The purchase of electric and fuel cell vehicles should also continue to be encouraged through subsidies for private customers. The current purchase subsidy amounts to EUR 3,000 for electric vehicles up to EUR 50,000 (private) and up to EUR 60,000 (companies, municipalities and associations). Plug-in hybrids and electric cars with the so-called range extender (ICE) receive a subsidy of € 1,500. Diesel plug-in hybrids do not receive one. In addition, the new leadership intends to continue the # mision2030 program launched by the previous government. It seeks to create legislation to encourage "new registrations of taxis, rental cars and shared zero-emission vehicles" from 2025. By 2027, shared parking spaces for public parking lots will offer only fleet operators of clean electric vehicles. Car sharing service providers, call buses, taxis and shared taxis can expect to receive subsidies for converting their fleets to CO2 neutral. Finally, Austria aims to participate in a pan-European research and innovation project to accelerate the electrification of transport. In December, the European Commission approved state aid worth a total of € 3.2 billion for this project. To date, seven EU Member States are participating: Belgium, Germany, Finland, France, Italy, Poland and Sweden.
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Bulgaria among the best countries in the world, that's why
[MC]Ronin[MC] posted a topic in Lifestyle
Bulgaria among the best countries in the world, that's why Our country climbed into this year's ranking Bulgaria ranks 58th among 80 countries in the world, according to the US News and World Report's annual U.S. News Ranks 2020 Best Countries ranking. In the ranking of 2020 our country climbs from 67th place in 2019. The fifth edition of the Global Survey shows long-standing concerns about inequality, technology and climate change - and a rapid decline in world confidence in the US. Overall ranking of the best countries measures global performance by various indicators. Switzerland, Canada, Japan, Germany and Australia are in the top spot. The UK and US are ranked sixth and seventh respectively. Sweden and the Netherlands are eighth and ninth, with Norway top ten. The Balkan region also ranks Greece (27th), Turkey (35th), Croatia (44), Romania (54), Slovenia (56), Serbia (72). For the ranking of Bulgaria in the position in question, the publication cites several reasons, focusing on the factors that it believes are crucial for our country. "Situated in the southeastern part of the Balkans, Bulgaria connects Europe and Asia. Its location has made it an invasion of the past, but it also helps it develop a rich culture - the country is the birthplace of the Cyrillic alphabet," said the analysis accompanying the arrangement. According to the information, "The World Bank classifies Bulgaria as an above-average income country". "Bulgaria has a well-educated workforce, but is considered to be the poorest nation in the European Union. The challenges it faces are problems with corruption and organized crime," the publication continues with our country and continues: "Bulgaria defines itself as a secular state that guarantees freedom of religious expression." Within the ranking, several separate indicators are classified as an additional ranking. These include, for example, the "opportunity for fun and adventure", according to which we rank 52nd; "public climate" (32nd place), which includes criteria such as respect for property rights, gender equality, environmental concerns, human rights, religious freedom; "business opportunity" (47th place); "quality of life" (35th place). -
The young Syrian director who started a new life in Bulgaria How Ricardo falls into our country and what motivates him to continue after the horror of war A gray city in Syria. But this nuance is not synonymous with boredom, on the contrary. For Ricardo Ibrahim, this is the color that shows neutrality. It shows a society driven by a common conscience. "It was like a dream. Very controversial and incompatible. It is as if someone has erased much of your memory. The whole childhood and teenage experience is gone. You start your life again at the age of 21. New society, new people, new rules, new language. " Ricardo Ibrahim Syria has become a real living wound. A live-action tragedy before the eyes of the world. A tragedy that some fail to escape. Others flee their country, bearing the painful memory of it. And over time, they learn to live with it. "There are very few tall buildings in the city where I was born. Most are up to 3 floors and the old town is famous for its black stones and red roof tiles. A very nice contrast between black and red, ”recalls Ricardo, saying:“ Yes, the city was gray, but 30 km outside it started to get greener and more beautiful. We spent all summer on the mountain, where we have a house next to the forest. These mountains are covered with snow up to two meters in winter. There is also a river where we used to gather to drink, sing and play music almost every night. " Although in this paradise, life was not easy. And there were rules of survival: "Syria was like a socialist state. Very totalitarian. But people knew how to maneuver. Absolutely everything exists on this part of the Earth. What made the place nicer was the people. They are very different, but they are driven by a common conscience. " In those years, he hardly imagined that he would have to start his life again. In those days, he longed for art, and more specifically, cinema. "I love art because it's an alternative way of asking questions and answering without words," Ricardo says. It was this love that led him to Lebanon, where he studied directing. "In the beginning I went to Lebanon to study and then the war in Syria began. Who had a different opinion from the state propaganda was punished - used as a lesson to others. Crossing the border was a success, but getting back is very dangerous, "recalls Ricardo as he leaves home. It came to Bulgaria 6 years ago. And it does not hide that the beginning was very difficult. "To find a job, or friends, or my environment. Surviving without language ... "are some of the challenges Ricardo faced at the beginning. However, it gradually began to integrate. "Little by little, I began to see the similarities between Bulgaria and Syria, and I became calmer." Ricardo summarizes what makes the two countries close: "The new generation in both countries is much smarter than the old, ready to ask new questions and not accepts the packed truths. The new generation is learning without a teacher. " Ricardo senses that he is coping when he finds a job and begins his Bulgarian language lessons. He is grateful to his Bulgarian language teacher, who has helped him a lot. She finds inspiration in everyday situations: “When I am learning something new, or when I am playing. I love going to training with my team in ultra light frisbee. " He wants to feel more stable so he can help the people around him. One last look back We return to the childhood of Ricardo, who had a life in which all the doors were open. "I had a noisy childhood full of life and people around. The doors did not lock. There were always guests and almost every night there was an event. Singing, playing, movies, literature ... at home or with friends, "he remembers Homs. They call the city "the capital of the Syrian revolution." Ricardo mentions an interesting fact: “There are only 7 mosques and 7 churches in my neighborhood. St. Mchk. Julian Emeski, near the church where Our Lady left her belt, "the young director tells us. He adds bitterness that although there are so many symbols of faith in the place, nothing has saved them from falling bombs. But all this is behind him. Today, he is making his first steps in directing. He tells us, "Happiness in me is not about place. The difficulties are related to the place. But as long as I can still keep up with the pace that suits me, then I'm happy. "