Cold-hard tactics Hands-on with Frosthavens ambitious port from gigantic box to inviting PC game Checking out an early version, headed by X-COM creator Julian Gollop. Kevin Purdy Mar 20, 2025 5:18 pm | 1 Credit: Arc Games Credit: Arc Games Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreFrosthaven, a board game that was somehow even bigger and more ambitious than its considerably weighty forebear Gloomhaven, asks a lot of its players.Each turn means picking two from maybe a dozen different possible action cards. Each of those cards has two options (plus a "default"), and each of those cards is played out against multiple other actions by your enemies and companions. And that's just the game itselfactually getting the game set up and getting your fellow gamers to agree on semi-regular appointments is a whole other crusade against tough odds. When you're zoomed in, and especially in interior spaces, you can easily see Frosthaven's hex-based board game roots Arc Games When you're zoomed in, and especially in interior spaces, you can easily see Frosthaven's hex-based board game roots Arc Games Treacherous terrain is a big part of the strategy, whether using it for power-ups or kiting enemies into bad spots. Arc Games Treacherous terrain is a big part of the strategy, whether using it for power-ups or kiting enemies into bad spots. Arc Games When you're zoomed in, and especially in interior spaces, you can easily see Frosthaven's hex-based board game roots Arc Games Treacherous terrain is a big part of the strategy, whether using it for power-ups or kiting enemies into bad spots. Arc Games Summons and spell-casting add another layer of complexity onto the game's meaty combat. Arc Games Summons and spell-casting add another layer of complexity onto the game's meaty combat. Arc Games Your outpost provides you with boons, quests, and other higher-level management options. Arc Games Your outpost provides you with boons, quests, and other higher-level management options. Arc Games Summons and spell-casting add another layer of complexity onto the game's meaty combat. Arc Games Your outpost provides you with boons, quests, and other higher-level management options. Arc Games LikeGloomhavenbefore it,Frosthaven is getting a PC game, which should make exploring a baddie-infested tundra easier to set up and potentially easier to do multiplayer. A closed beta test begins March 27, with sign-ups at the game's website. The game will launch into early access during 2025, with more than 35 quests across the first two acts available, with over 130 quests planned in total. It will have single-player and up to four-player multiplayer, with players able to pick up their teammates' characters if there's a momentary dropout.Frosthaven trailer. Two big names are attached to this very big game. Isaac Childres, creator ofGloomhavenandFrosthaven, is a consultant on the PC games. And the developer is Snapshot Games, led by X-COMcreator Julian Gollop. In a press release, Gollop said his team has "been taking great care of replicating the board game experience as much as possible" but also wants "newcomers and long-time veterans" to play the game in "a more accessible way to help introduce their friends to the game."Not exactly a grandmaster testerI played a couple of combat encounters and explored the game's unfinished outpost-building, card art, and world map with a developer as my teammate. Art, music, voices, and other aspects of the game were not yet finished, as the game is only hitting early access soon (hence why some of it is missing from the provided screenshots). But I got a sense that Frosthaven is well on its way to making computers do all the chore work of this weighty game, leaving you room to flex your strategy skills.I can say this for certain: The game's tutorial does a lot of work in introducing you to the game's core mechanics, which include choosing cards with sequential actions, "burning" cards for temporary boosts, positioning, teamwork, and having enough actions or options left if a fight goes longer than you think. I'm not a total newcomer to the -haven games, having played a couple rounds of the Gloomhavenboard game. But none of my friends, however patient, did as good a job of showing just how important it was to consider not just attack, defend, or move, but where each choice would place you, and how it would play with your teammates.I played as a "Banner Spear," one of the six starting classes. Their thing isyou guessed ithaving a spear, and they can throw it or lunge with it from farther away. Many of the Banner Spear's cards are more effective with positioning, like pincer-flanking an enemy or attacking from off to the side of your more up-close melee teammate. With only two players taking on a couple of enemies, I verbally brushed off the idea of using some more advanced options. My developer partner, using a Deathwalker, interjected: "Ah, but that is what summons are for."Soon enough, one of the brutes was facing down two skeletons, and I was able to get a nice shot in from an adjacent hex. The next thing I wanted to do was try out being a little selfish, running for some loot left behind by a vanquished goon. I forgot that you only pick up loot if you end your turn on a hex, not just pass through it, so my Banner Spear appeared to go on a little warm-up jog, for no real reason, before re-engaging the Germinate we were facing.The art, animations, and feel of everything I clicked on was engaging, even as the developers regularly reassured me that all of it needs working on. With many more experienced players kicking the tires in early access, I expect the systems and quality-of-life details to see even more refinement. It's a long campaign, both for players and the developers, but there's a good chance it will be worth it.Kevin PurdySenior Technology ReporterKevin PurdySenior Technology Reporter Kevin is a senior technology reporter at Ars Technica, covering open-source software, PC gaming, home automation, repairability, e-bikes, and tech history. He has previously worked at Lifehacker, Wirecutter, iFixit, and Carbon Switch. 1 Comments

2025-03-21T01:41:57Z Read in app Tesla announced an all-hands meeting with short notice, causing employee confusion. Frederic J. Brown/AFP via Getty Images This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Tesla announced an all-hands meeting with short notice, causing some employee confusion.Tesla said the meeting aims to discuss Tesla's recent achievements.Tesla's unusual timing and deleted livestream link added to employee confusion.Tesla notified employees of an all-hands shortly before the event, according to a memo viewed by Business Insider.The company sent employees a link to a Teams chat and an X livestream on Thursday night with the message "Join the Company All Hands to hear about Tesla's recent achievements and how we're making the impossible possible."The event was set to kick off at 9:30 p.m. ET.Some workers expressed confusion about the event and the short notice for the company meeting, according to Teams messages viewed by BI. Typically, Tesla hosts all-hands during regular work hours."It feels a bit hasty. No one was expecting this tonight and we're all just trying to catch up," a Tesla engineer told BI.Tesla investors also appeared to become confused after the carmaker posted a livestream link before the event began, only to end the livestream and delete it about 30 minutes later. During the livestream, a man's voice could be heard saying several seemingly random things including "Dylan on stage" and "Stock parts. Joe. That's the best I can do."Some workers said they tried to access the livestream but the link on X didn't work, as Tesla sent a link to a livestream that had been deleted.Tesla restarted a new livestream shortly before 9:30 p.m. ET, but the live stream remained silent for nearly 30 minutes.Elon Musk tweeted a link to the event at 9:45 p.m ET.Three minutes later the live stream was still silent and Musk had responded to a tweet claiming to show a generational shift in political attitudes among white men with "Wow."The event began streaming at 9:58 p.m. ET.A spokesperson for Tesla did not respond to a request for comment.The carmaker has been facing headwinds in recent month. Tesla's stock is down more than 37% year-to-date and a series of protests have erupted across Tesla sales and service centers over the past few weeks.Do you work at Tesla or have a tip? Reach out to the reporter via a non-work email an device at gkay@businessinsider.com or via Signal at 248-894-6012

2025-03-20T23:48:04Z Read in app Nvidia hosted its first quantum computing day at GTC 2025, highlighting the announcements of quantum computing companies, including D-Wave, Infleqtion, and SEEQC. Katherine Tangalakis-Lippert This story is available exclusively to Business Insider subscribers. Become an Insider and start reading now.Have an account? Nvidia hosted its first quantum computing day at GTC 2025.At the event, major players in the quantum space made big announcements about recent developments.The event came months after Jensen Huang said it would be decades before quantum computing will be useful.Nvidia hosted its first-ever quantum computing day on Thursday at GTC 2025, expanding the tech conference's focus beyond accelerated computing and artificial intelligence and honing in on a burgeoning technology that researchers agree could usher in new innovations in materials science, medicine, and beyond.The inaugural Quantum Day brought with it a series of announcements from quantum computing companies, including D-Wave, Infleqtion, SEEQC, and more. Here are some of the biggest announcements and what they mean for the industry.Nvidia announces plans to build a quantum research lab in BostonDuring the roundtable discussion, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang announced his company's plan to build a quantum research lab in Boston."It will likely be the most advanced accelerated hybrid quantum computing research lab world," Huang said. "And it's going to be located in Boston so that we can partner with Harvard and MIT."Huang was careful to note that the announcement was planned ahead of his January comments, in which he suggested we're 20 years from quantum computing being "very useful," which sent quantum stocks tumbling earlier this year.Quantum blockchain architecture from D-WavePalo Alto-based D-Wave announced the publication of its latest paper, which introduced a new quantum blockchain architecture. The paper outlines how the company built and tested a "proof of quantum" algorithm that uses quantum computation to generate and validate blockchain hashes.Researchers in the field agree quantum computing could end encryption as we know it, resulting in massive security risks for any private data stored on the internet.D-Wave's research, the company says, could help power the next generation of blockchain for cryptocurrencies, supply chain management, healthcare, identity verification, and decentralized finance."We've performed connotations that your GPUs can't perform, and now we're able to build a blockchain that's more energy efficient than what's running on GPUs," Alan Baratz, CEO of D-Wave, told Business Insider.Contextual Machine Learning from Infleqtion and NvidiaInfleqtion, a quantum information technology company, unveiled its new machine learning approach, called Contextual Machine Learning, during Quantum Day. The CML approach was developed in partnership with Nvidia.The CML approach leverages quantum computing to enhance artificial intelligence. It allows machine learning models to process more information over longer time periods and from multiple sources simultaneously, enhancing AI's ability to recognize patterns in sensor data, predict trends, and make real-time decisions with greater accuracy.Classical-Quantum interface from SEEQC and NvidiaThe quantum hardware manufacturer SEEQC, in partnership with Nvidia, announced the world's first fully digital quantum-classical interface demo a milestone toward delivering the first chip-to-chip interface that will connect quantum processors with classical GPUs."What we've done is we've taken the core functionality of a quantum computer, put it on a chip, and then made that chip operate at the same temperature of qubits so that we can actually put them together and create the connectivity that way," SEEQC CEO John Levy told Business Insider.The prototype chip relies on the strengths of classical computing to handle error correction in real time while leveraging the strengths of quantum computing to process more data more quickly than classical computers alone can."The key insight is that we're doing it in a very power-efficient way because if you use regular chips, the heat of those chips would destabilize the cubits, so they wouldn't work," Levy said. "Our chips are operating at nine orders of magnitude lower power, so that's a billion times lower power than conventional chips."What it means for the industryIn addition to major recent announcements involving quantum computing research from Microsoft, Amazon Web Services, and Google, the news out of GTC highlights just how rapidly the industry is gaining momentum.Where quantum computing has for years been considered a theoretical field with little use beyond research, the evolving industry has now expanded beyond proving its academic potential to showcase its commercial uses.Oskar Painter, the director of quantum hardware at AWS, previously told Business Insider: "We really are at a very exciting time in quantum computing, and you're hearing a lot about it because this is a real tipping point."

How powerful will the Nintendo Switch 2 be? (YouTube)The Friday letters page is unconvinced that a Persona 4 remake is needed, as a reader is very glad Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 has been a hit.To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.ukCounting the daysI am very glad to hear that Nintendo is thinking about a 60fps mode, and hopefully other upgrades, for the Switch 2. I very much doubt its only going to be Xenoblade Chronicles X and my hope is well get two main options: either the game is made with the Switch 2 in mind, which would probably be most stuff thats been out the last two or three years, or theyll use DLSS and other tech to artificially improve the resolution and frame rate.This is a thing that happens already on other devices and Nintendo is known to be interested in it, especially as its extra helpful for low-powered consoles, so I think its basically guaranteed. How theyre going to explain it to a non-technical audience I dont know but what Im more worried about is whether Nintendo will try to charge for any part of it, especially if theres an update involved.Nintendo make a lot of money selling ports and remasters and I dont think theyre going to give up that money easily. Well see though, not long till April 2 now.RoystonPerceived dominanceNo matter how many news stories we get like this I will never not be shocked by just how bad the Xbox is doing compared to PlayStation and has been doing since forever really. In my mind everyone had an Xbox 360 in that generation, it was the lead format and the PlayStation 3 was barely ever talked about.And then I find out that actually it came last, behind the Wii as well, and that was what everyone thinks of as the biggest Xbox console. I know Microsoft is technically the biggest games company now but it doesnt feel like it. It feels like Xbox is running on fumes, about to get the chop, and Activision and Bethesda are just doing what they wouldve done anyway.The fact that Microsoft owns them is irrelevant if nothing has changed. It all seems such a slow agonising death, but its far too late to reverse things now.JaceRandom birthdayI know the Inbox enjoys non-important anniversaries but just so you know, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is 19 years old this week. If those rumours about a remake are true you wouldve thought now was the time to announce it, but I guess not.Oblivion was my first ever open world game, and I remember not really understanding how the game would work when I started and then being gobsmacked when I got out of the dungeon and into the fields with all the flowers, where I realised that I could literally go anywhere.It also had really good voiceovers, with Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, and Terence Stamp being much bigger names than I expected to be in a video game. Obviously Skyrim was better, but Oblivion was my first and I was really impressed.FreddyEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe wrong remakeIm not sure I understand the point of a Persona 4 remake. OK, its a PlayStation 2 game, which was a long time ago now, but the art style is stylised enough that it still looks decent today and Persona 3, which was also a PlayStation 2 game, seemed like such a small upgrade in its remake. Yes, the graphics are technically better but theyre not doing anything new or unexpected, that really justifies the remake existing.I say this as a Persona fan (although probably not as hardcore as some) and because I want them to just get on and make Persona 6 already. I realise its probably different teams, but its still a distraction and money going on that instead of a new game.I really dont understand why they didnt remake Persona 1 and 2, if they had to do something, since theyre 2D games and would have really benefitted from being modernised. I hate to say it was probably because it wouldve been too much effort. Persona 3 Reload feels more like a remaster than a remake and I doubt Persona 4 is going to be any different.WrexNew challengerIm so glad that Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 is doing so well. I enjoyed the original but theres no denying it was pretty janky and obviously low budget. I doubt the second one is mega budget either, but it looks like it. Im not surprised people are wanting to visiting Czechia after playing the game, because it makes it look really nice.I imagine the developer will make a third game now, but Id like to see them branch out and try some new settings. I do think they are the most interesting open world role-playing maker at the moment and definitely better than the washed-up Bethesda and BioWare.IshiWin some, loose someGot the AEW: Fight Forever wrestling game in the recent Steam sale. First impressions were great. 10 minutes later, the realisation set in. Bare match choices, lots of missing stars and the worst and least forgivable omission: four players max in a ring at one time. Even though it was only 3 odd I got it refunded. Very annoyed.The first Smackdown game, if Im remembering correctly, had six or eight people in the ring for Royal Rumbles and at least four for ladder matches.One positive of the sale was Dragon Age: The Veilguard. So far, Im enjoying it and up to now dont see what the outrage was all about. Im old though, so maybe I dont see what the younger peeps are triggered at. Did I use triggered right?I know you dont like multiple points in one letter, but did you play through Fallout: London without any issues? Ive spent days downloading, deleting, and redownloading it and mods and patches. I think Ive got it going now but Ive thought that before.BobwallettGC: We havent tried since launch.Empty fieldIm not sure if the PlayStation guy talking about GTA 6 is just trying to be optimistic but Im not sure Id count on anything being a hit this autumn other than that, except maybe Switch 2 games. Even if youre not that bothered by GTA, everyone and their dog is going to want to see what the fuss is about and thats going to eat up time and spare cash for at least six months.Its going to be interesting to see which games are confident enough to go for it, and go up against Rockstar, but I dont think its going to be many. More likely well have a very busy spring 2026, with everything running for the hills in the hope that people will get tired of GTA 6 by then.NosehairHistoric releaseHilarious and sad to see copies of Concord going for hundreds on eBay. I doubt many people will buy them, but some collectors will and I can kind of see why, to be honest. It is an important moment in video game history and a disc of it Is basically the only proof it exists now, unless you want to use up all that space on your hard drive to keep it from disappearing.$400 million is what it was rumoured to cost and it lasts just two weeks. The craziest thing is that it hasnt changed Sonys approach at all. Theres still almost no single-player games coming out from them and they keep saying that theyre still all in on live service games.Concord wont just go down in history as the biggest flop ever but as proof of just how insane the idea of live service games has made some publishers. Xbox is getting a lot of slack at the moment, and its mostly deserved, but what Ill give them Is that they havent fallen for that nonsense at all.All theyve got is Sea Of Thieves, which is really old now, and then a bunch of interesting single-player games on the horizon. Maybe thats because theyre super rich and they dont need any get rich quick type game but its interesting.I do feel Xbox has been poorly managed over the years, and not just by Phil Spencer. With all that money, and some good ideas, they shouldve been so much more than they are now. Maybe that means Sony were right and they shouldve made live service games instead?GannetInbox also-ransI dont get all this talk about Croc. I played the first game and it wasnt very good. Is it super popular and I didnt notice because I dont remember anyone talking about it before.KriegI see theres some rumours of a Final Fantasy 9 anime, but isnt it odd theres been so few Final Fantasy anime over the years? Advent Children is the most famous but you wouldve thought the whole series wouldve made a good anthology series.ModkerMore TrendingEmail your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.ukThe small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. 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By Germain Lussier Published March 20, 2025 | Comments (0) | It's time for the Severance season two finale. Image: Apple TV+ The Severance season two finale is here and it is epic. Not just in length, running about 75 minutes long, but in everything else too. Friday, well have the standard recap as well as a spoiler-filled interview with Severances head writer and showrunner, Dan Erickson. Now though, so much happens in this finale that we wanted to give you all a place to nerd out about it as soon as possible. So here it is. Were going to talk some spoilers below and we encourage you to do the same in the comments under that. But be sure to check back Friday morning for our detailed recap breaking down every curiosity as well as the interview. Again, I dont want to step on my toes too much here since I spent a long, long time doing the recap so here are just a few Wow things that come to mind for discussion below. How awesome was it to see the two Marks conversing? That was a great way to do that. Also, did Harmony Cobel just up and explain Macrodata refining and Cold Harbor to Mark? Yes, yes she did. It was the first of many answers the episode gave us.Moving on. Im going to need Apple to release prints of the new painting on the severed floor. That thing is awesome. Horrifying and creepy, but awesome. Those are all words that can describe Jame Eagan too. How fantastic was the Dylan scene? It was sad to see him return because of its implications but that went as well as one couldve hoped. Plus, it was great to have him down there because, well, everything else.Mark finishes Cold Harbor while being watched by a creepy Kier statue, a roast battle ensues, Lumon has a severed department thats a marching band, and did we really get the answer about the goats? Yes, yes we did. There were also some brutally violent action scenes, the full reveal of Cold Harbors impact on Gemma, and the devastating final moments where Mark is torn between his innie and his outtie in the persons of Helly and Gemma. And then the choice he made? Very noble but, ultimately, maybe too optimistic? A little short-sighted? All things to discuss below in full spoiler mode and well have much, much more in the coming days. Want more io9 news? Check out when to expect the latest Marvel, Star Wars, and Star Trek releases, whats next for the DC Universe on film and TV, and everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.Daily NewsletterYou May Also Like By Cheryl Eddy Published March 19, 2025 James Whitbrook and Gordon Jackson Published March 19, 2025 By Cheryl Eddy Published March 18, 2025 By Cheryl Eddy Published March 14, 2025 By Cheryl Eddy Published March 14, 2025 By Germain Lussier Published March 14, 2025

Watch Random Flow videos: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKFJy6TgdDCIC8rEkGbY09tE0IEn5j5b3&amp ;amp;si=99m9czjgBALNZY8ZThis is a very simple geonode setup for randomizing materials on a mesh in Blender.Check out my tools: https://www.blenderguppy.com/add-ons Visit my shops:https://gumroad.com/blenderguppy https://blendermarket.com/creators/blenderguppy Become my Patron:https://patreon.com/blenderguppy Follow me:https://facebook.com/blenderguppy https://instagram.com/blenderguppy https://twitter.com/blenderguppy #b3d #blender3d #3dmodeling #3dtexturing #conceptart

This method is a great way of creating nondestructive details on a mesh without modifying any topology.Shops:blendermarket.com/creators/blenderguppygumroad.com/blenderguppyPatreon:patreon.com/blenderguppy#b3d #conceptart #blender3d #blenderaddon #blendermarketing

Nature, Published online: 21 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00769-xA crackdown on sulfur in ship fuel are linked to a steep drop in thunderclouds in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea.

Nature, Published online: 19 March 2025; doi:10.1038/d41586-025-00680-5Neural recordings from parrots and songbirds reveal the ways in which vocal production is encoded in the brain, highlighting remarkable similarities between how parrots and humans learn to produce sounds.

Poiyomi Shaders are powerful and versatile tools designed for Unitys Built-In Rendering Pipeline, with a special focus on VRChat. They offer a diverse array of shading modes and advanced light-handling features, all while being free, open-source, and optimized for both ease of use and performance.This incredible boulder opal isnt the first precious stone 3D Artist and VRChat creator Xohu has brought to life using Poiyomi. Have a look at this beautiful labradorite:A tutorial on these stone shaders would be fantastic, but in the meantime, check out more of Xohus impressive VRChat designs:XohuXohuXohuIf youre interested in learning more about Poiyomi, weve covered its key features in this article, so dive right in:Also,join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads,where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Stunning Boulder Opal Recreated With Unitys Poiyomi Shaders appeared first on CG SHARES.