They waited until the very last minute (and the end of the Steam sale).Stay classy, Activision.

ASUS has hit a home run with its expanded ProArt laptop lineup, and the P16 is a proud creative flagbearer.

The Epic Games Store has entered the mobile space. Starting today, Android and iOS users in Europe can download the Epic Games Store for mobile, through which they can access Fortnite, Rocket League Sideswipe, and the brand-new mobile version of Fall Guys. This includes the first updated version of Fortnite for iOS in four years, just in time for the Marvel-centric Absolute Doom--it's poetic, since the last update for Fortnite iOS occurred just before the start of the previous Marvel season during Chapter 2.Aside from the free rewards that we'll get to in a moment, the biggest item here is the arrival of the mobile version of Fall Guys--it's the same game, now on your phone. All your cosmetic items carry over, and Fall Guys has full cross-progression and cross-platform play between the mobile and console/PC versions.Android users will be moving on from the old Epic Games Launcher, which simply allowed you to install and update Fortnite and Rocket League Sideswipe. The Epic Games Store for mobile is intended as an alternative app store, similar to the well-established Amazon Appstore for Android, so the idea is that it will also offer many games from other developers and publishers.Continue Reading at GameSpot

Star Wars Outlaws' release is almost around the corner, set for the end of this month on August 30. Marketed as the "first truly open-world Star Wars experience," the possibilities that this design and vision will bring to the IP are exciting indeed. Developed by Massive Entertainment in partnership with Ubisoft, Star Wars Outlaws promises to provide fans with an immersive playground as they take on the role of small-time criminal Kay Vess and follow her attempts to scrape by in the seedy underworld of the galaxy during the Imperial Era.

Greetings, Travelers! As Genshin Impact approaches its fifth year, we are excited to welcome the sixth major nation of Teyvat Natlan, in the upcoming version 5.0 Flowers Resplendent on the Sun-Scorched Sojourn going live on August 28. Known as the Nation of War or the Nation of Pyro where Saurians have lived alongside humans since time immemorial, Natlan and her people are distinguished from other nations not only by their unique tribal traditions and natural environments, but also by their agility and their unparalleled movement capabilities blessed by the power of Pyro. Today, well share some useful tips to help you explore this new region like a local or in the form of a Saurian!We would also like to invite all Travelers who have completed Archon Quest Prologue: Act III Song of Dragon and Freedom in Mondstadt to visit Natlan using an unlocked Teleport Waypoint located at its entrance. Travelers who reached Adventure Rank 28 or above who have completed the Archon Quest Chapter I: Act III A New Star Approaches in Liyue can move on to the Archon Quests in Natlan without having to first complete the prerequisite quests of other nations.Become a SaurianThe dragons in Natlan are called Saurians, and they are the result of a long evolution and coexisting with humans. Located west of the Desert of Hadramaveth in Sumeru, Natlan has a varied panorama ranging from canyons and cliffs to flowing waters and hot springs, and even dangerous volcanoes. Version 5.0 will offer the opportunity to meet three of the six local tribes, the Children of Echoes, the Scions of the Canopy, and the People of the Springs, to discover how their members move in steep and difficult-to-cross landscapes thanks to their respective Saurians.For reasons that are still unclear, Travelers are unable to unlock the power of the Pyro element upon their arrival in Natlan, but you will be able to transform yourself into a Saurian temporarily by indwelling them or their Spiritsconce to roam around during your adventure!The first Saurian you may indwell is a Tepetlisaurus. They are faithful companions taken in by the Children of Echoes, the tribe known for its expert miners and talented dancers inside the canyon. Transforming into a Tepetlisaurus allows you to burrow underground and climb cliffs. By indwelling a Yumkasaurus, you will be able to move travel through mid-air swiftly, reach high places with ease, and experience for yourself why the Scions of the Canopy that hang from steep cliffs with ropes, adore these Saurians as extreme sports enthusiasts. If you approach the People of the Springs, a laidback tribe who is known for their hot springs, try indwelling the Koholasarus to take a dip in the water, hot springs, and even the flowing Phlogiston streams in the air.1/3Now showing slide 1 of 3Show allUse a new resourceIn the Nation of Pyro, the Pyro element can materialize as a unique resource known as Phlogiston. Phlogiston comes in different forms and can be utilized by the locals as a brand-new resource in movement or combat. Once you indwell a Saurian, you may notice that your skills will consume a separate Phlogiston bar located to the right of your Saurian form. Natlans characters also have a Phlogiston bar which appears above their HP bar. Throughout your journey, you may come across Phlogiston, either as harvestable resources, or useful tools such as the Spiritways of flowing Phlogiston, offering fast tracks to the Koholasarus and warriors from the People of the Springs to travel.Warriors of Natlan can further enhance their abilities through the ancient ritual of Phlogiston Engravings, and thus gain the Nightsouls Blessing. Glowing patterns will appear on characters under the influence of the Nightsouls Blessing, granting them an advantage in combat.Team up with local warriorsAs the Nation of War, Natlan has experienced countless crises and dangers in numerous battles in which both locals and Saurians have fought valiantly. The Ancient Names of brave warriors are passed down from generation to generation to honor their legacy. At the Stadium of the Sacred Flame, each of the six tribes designates a Champion from among the greatest warriors who make up its ranks, and we will have the opportunity to recruit three of them from the Children of Echoes, the Scions of the Canopy, and the People of the Springs. Each of these Champions is distinguished by unique traits and abilities reflecting their tribe.Our first companion from Natlan is Kachina, a four-star Geo polearm wielder from the Children of Echoes. Not only will we meet her from the very beginning of our journey, we can even recruit her for free as a reward for completing Act I of Natlans Archon Quest. Kachina is able to summon Turbo Twirly and ride it to scale walls and cliffs in daily exploration, and also unleash ground-slam attacks to deal AoE Geo DMG in combat.Kinich, famous for his hunting skills in the Scions of the Canopy, is a five-star Dendro claymore warrior who wields the grappling hook expertly, so as to swiftly swing through the air and easily reach great heights, or link to enemies and perform Loop Shots to deal significant damage. Interestingly, Kinich is accompanied by the Almighty Dragonlord, Ajaw, who is capable of unleashing dragon-breaths at intervals to deal AoE Dendro DMG when Kinich casts his Elemental Burst.If youre visiting the People of the Springs, Mualani, the owner of a watersports equipment store and a renowned local tour guide, is your ideal companion. Fond of watersports including swimming, surfing, and beach volleyball, this five-star Hydro catalyst wielder can mount her Sharky Surfboard and quickly move across water, liquid Phlogiston, and flat ground. In combat, as Mualani surfs around on her Sharky Surfboard, she can mark enemies in her path and inflict Sharkys Bites on them, dealing increased Hydro DMG after multiple hits.1/2Now showing slide 1 of 2Show allNatlans three playable characters are able to locate and mark local specialties, which benefits their entire party while interacting with certain harvestable items: Kachina can restore Stamina, Kinich can increase Movement Speed, and Mualani can restore Phlogiston. In version 5.0s Event Wishes, Mualani and Kachina will debut in the first phase along with Kaedehara Kazuhas rerun, and Kinichs debut will come with the Raiden Shogun in the later phase.Try the Tribal ChroniclesTo better unveil the history and heroic tales of each tribe, the Reputation System returns to Natlan through the Tribal Chronicles, a new series of three-act narrative quests for each tribe that weaves together traditions, stories, and people that replaces the Story Quests in Natlan. Visit each tribes Obsidian Totem Pole to unlock their Tribal Chronicles, as well as their Bounties and Supply Notices. Completing these Tribal Chronicles not only provides a deeper and immersive understanding of the customs and culture of different tribes but also earns Tribe Reputation EXP and rewards for the corresponding tribe.In addition, World Quests, exciting stories, as well as Archon Quests await you in Natlan with many surprises and rewards. However, we will leave Travelers to explore all this new content at their own pace. The Sacred Flame burns with an incandescent glow, and ignites the hearts of the brave! We look forward to seeing you in-game when Genshin Impact version 5.0 goes live August 28!

The RPG-in-a-box board game has emerged as a full-fledged genre in recent years. Successful titles such as Gloomhaven, Descent: Legends of the Dark, and Kinfire Chronicles: Nights Fall seek to emulate the Dungeons & Dragons experience without the need for a Dungeon Master or any prep work. Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan is the new kid in the corridor, fighting with tooth and claw to carve out some space in a somewhat crowded setting. At first blush, its another heavily story-driven cooperative game that alternates between narrative passages and fight scenes. It has a secret weapon tucked in its sleeve, however, as the core framework is based on one of the best board game combat systems ever designed.Designer Gordon Calleja brought Vengeance to the table in 2018. This little-known brawler allows players to recreate revenge action films like Oldboy and Kill Bill. The magic of that game is centered upon its dice-based action system. Instead of spending action points on your turn, you roll a small handful of dice that dictate what actions you can perform. The mechanic is ported almost whole cloth into Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan, as Calleja has teamed up with David Chircop to craft this epic work. The result is a fast-paced and fluid system where you can spend a movement symbol to leap into a nearby space, then expend a dagger to slash a thug, and an arrow to bullseye the thief at the end of the alley. There is a sense of freedom and creativity that establishes the foundation of the experience.Whats particularly brilliant is in how these results are leveraged for big swingy turns. Various character abilities provide recipes that can be triggered. For instance, the Mercenary can turn a focus and movement result into a charge, allowing them to rush forward and attack. Some of these powers will simply convert dice values or add additional results to your pool, which can then be spent to trigger other abilities and compound in severity. Each character gains new abilities over time, resulting in builds that are dynamic and wild late in the campaign. This creates a very unique combination of thoughtfully puzzling out the results of a dice pool to perform action combos that unleash dramatic surges of power. Its a visceral thing in practice, stunted only by the somewhat meager pace that new abilities are gained across the 30 hours of campaign play.The most surprising facet is the quality storytelling. Set in the pre-established Fateforge RPG setting from Studio Agate, the prescribed narrative consists of the players traveling from their home forest in search of a missing person in a large foreign city. There are some really well-written twists here, including the core tenet of the opposing ruler being benevolent and beloved by his people. The companion digital application (for both PC and mobile platforms) delivers all of the narrative and handles layers of branching decisions, careening in various directions based upon the group and their agency in the world. Its a fascinating adaptation of the app-based formula, something thats been common in board games for nearly a decade now. But instead of using the app to roll dice and do math, here its helping to deliver big chunks of plotline something that can be cumbersome at best when playing a physical board game. Its a feature that has not yet been harnessed to its full extent in prior app-driven games, and this appears to be the first implementation that really relishes the advantage of tracking information digitally and outside of the players view.Over the course of the X-game campaign the moment-to-moment action alternates between narrative passages and combat scenes. The latter form the bulk of playtime, taking roughly 40-60 minutes each. This tempo is wonderful, allowing for bite-sized sessions if so desired. The speed and flow of the dice system couples well with the narrative pace, making for a lively game that never drags. Most scenarios are also very interesting and offer unexpected developments. There are a number of different encounter structures and a meaningful expression of creativity. Each scenario is tense with external pressure provided in the form of a timer. Foes tend to clog your pathway and present obstacles that must be thwarted. This forces risk-taking as you need to push the pace in order to accomplish the objectives in the allotted number of turns.There are many flaws inherent to this style of game and Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan manages to minimize the bulk of them. Bookkeeping, often a chore, is nominal. Storage between sessions is simple as characters are kept in their own tuckboxes and everything else is easily packed away. Setting up each fight takes some effort, but its much quicker than either Gloomhaven or Descent: Legends of the Dark. All of these quality of life achievements cause the games few blemishes to unfortunately stand out. This includes a lack of any narration by voice actors, and a tendency to require the same players show up week after week to play the game.. You can add new players mid-campaign, but this must occur between the three acts. Publisher Mighty Boards promises a single session battle mode, but that has not been released just yet. On the whole, these are minor complaints that dont detract meaningfully from the games achievement.Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan is not just another RPG-in-a-box. Its a standout title that deserves to be recognized among the best of the genre. With a slick app, strong writing, and an electric combat system, this is a wonderful tabletop experience that begs deep exploration.Fateforge: Chronicles of Kaan is currently available as a pre-order. The deluxe edition runs $119, while the standard edition of the game is also available for $89. The game was reviewed using a copy provided by Mighty Boards. Vox Media has affiliate partnerships, but not with Mighty Boards. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. You can find additional information about Polygons ethics policy here.

When David Oldroyd was a pre-med student, he envisioned the dream house he would own someday. Ever curious, he enrolled in an introductory design class and soon ended up on a path that transformed his life. I found myself studying for fun through the night and knew something was up, Oldroyd says. I gambled on a semester off from medicine and only took design courses. I have never looked back.David OldroydOrlando Diaz-Azcuy, founder of ODADA, hired Oldroyd in 1990, and for more than two decades they collaborated on a variety of projects from corporate offices to showrooms and residences. Based in San Francisco, Oldroyd is now principal and owner of the firm, which is known for a clean, sophisticated aesthetic.Oldroyds own inspirations take many forms, yet his love of classical music, nurtured by his parents, is a mainstay. His mother encouraged him to practice, while his father taught him to hear the sound of snowfall. Visuals are just as resonant for the designer and his clients, so he will often sketch something that catches his eye on the back of a business card, or take a snapshot with his mobile phone. Certain pieces from the pre-Instagram days still remain vivid in his mind. As a child I was mesmerized by the swirling patterns of hand-braided cotton area rugs, woven from the last use of hand-me-down fabrics.Today, David Oldroyd joins us for Friday Five!Photo: Shaun Sullivan1. My PianoThe best day for me starts early by playing classical music on the piano. I have the perfect arrangement in my living room, sitting at my black satin piano against an undulating white plaster wall sculpture. I look toward the green rolling hills of Twin Peaks, made golden by the sunrise. Occasionally the fog tumbles down the ridge and descends to the Bay. Its an inspiring setting to dive into the music of Philip Glass, Frdric Chopin, Ryuichi Sakamoto, or Erik Satie.Photo: Shaun Sullivan2. P_Wall SculptureIn my living room I have the P_Wall sculpture (2006) by Andrew Kudless of Matsys, acquired in 2008. Conceived as a study of the ways in which architecture can be understood as a material system where form, growth and behavior are interrelated, its rippling forms evoke fractals in nature, from the macro cosmic machinations of the universe to the micro texture of human skin. It represents to me the way music moves, weaving and winding its way into your soul.3. Amangiri Desert ResortGrowing up in Southern Utah, Ive always been awed by the majesty of the desert there. Its perceived emptiness is instead filled with the transcendent colors, textures, and shapes of uninterrupted nature, timeless and eternal. That landscape is artfully juxtaposed by the exquisitely crafted and contextually sensitive architecture at Amangiri. It captures the spirit of a place as well as anything Ive ever experienced a place to feel lost and be found at the same time!4. A Nephews GiftFor Christmas one year I was given a small wooden horse made by my nephew, who was a small child at the time. Crafted in his grandfathers basement from scraps and screws, it represented something dear to him being shared with me. A constant reminder of intrinsic humble beauty, it stands gazing out in front of the minimalist Gerhard Richter oil painting Vermalung (Braun) from 1972.Photo: Shaun Sullivan5. Venini StemwareOver the years Ive put together a large collection of one of my favorite glasses, High Society, designed by Ludovico Diaz de Santillana in 1962. The surface is finished in the sumptuous battuto technique, and is one of the most difficult and costliest series ever produced by Venini. Although simple in shape, it is lovely to look at, possesses terrific weight, and feels amazing in the hand.Works by David Oldroyd:This image embodies my design philosophy. Sculpted minimalism with a touch of lyrical maximalism and imbued with the soul of the hand-crafted. \\\ Photo: Matthew MillmanThis interior was sculpted within an empty shell of concrete and glass, It illustrates my desire for a few glorious things wrapped in sumptuous materials and luxurious finishes, all grounded in effortless function. \\\ Photo: Matthew MillmanIn an aged oak forest, we created an oasis of open glass-enclosed rooms grounded with stone floors, capped with wood ceilings, sheathed in flowing linen sheers, and filled with a mix of flexible furniture and objects that play off the surrounding natural landscape. \\\ Photo: Matthew MillmanA current favorite project, The Launiu Ward Village, is a culmination of the journey of learning about the Hawaiian Islands. The towers faade is undulating as if sculpted by the Kona winds. Responding in that context, we carefully sculpted the buildings entrance experience, framing it with natural lava and coral stones, woven textiles, and warm woods. \\\ Photo: Courtesy of Ward Village

YouTube is an Angry Librarian who is in love with Mr. Beast.Continue reading on UX Collective