• GAMERANT.COM
    How To Cook Food In Towers Of Aghasba
    Cooking is an important part of Dreamlit Incs Towers of Aghasba, as it allows you to raise your characters health bar without having to rely on berries and wild fruits. Since finding berries can take time, having the right cooking tools in your inventory can make everything faster and easier.
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  • GAMERANT.COM
    Overwatch 2 Teases Balance Changes for Upcoming 6v6 Tests
    Overwatch 2 recently teased some of the balance changes for the Season 14 6v6 tests, including cooldown adjustments, reversions to several hero reworks, and duration reductions for barriers and battlefield obstacles. These and more changes will be implemented in an effort to adapt Overwatch 2 to the 6v6 format when the first test begins on or around December 17.
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  • GAMEDEV.NET
    As fue como empec a crear mi propio juego en RPG Maker.
    En principio. Sostena la idea de que para hacer un juego de rol tendra que programarlo desde cero, sin motor grfico ni de juego. Todo a mano y encima hecho con html y Javascript que es lo nico en lo que medio me defiendo programando.El hacer un juego con Rpg Maker haba quedado como una opcin. Pero, quera ser... Ya sabes, ese tpico genio underdog que crea un juego o demo tcnica sin recursos, conocimientos ni habilidades necesarias para desarrollar un videojuego medianamente aca
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  • GAMEDEV.NET
    pros and cons of using Lyra?
    Hi,been trying to figure this one out for a bit.Anyone use Lyra before to make a full game?Any experiences to share?This should be it:https://www.fab.com/listings/93faede1-4434-47c0-85f1-bf27c0820ad0
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  • BLOGS.NVIDIA.COM
    Efficiency Meets Personalization: How AI Agents Improve Customer Service
    Editors note: This post is the first in the AI On blog series, which explores the latest techniques and real-world applications of agentic AI, chatbots and copilots. The series will also highlight the NVIDIA software and hardware powering advanced AI agents, which form the foundation of AI query engines that gather insights and perform tasks to transform everyday experiences and reshape industries.Whether its getting a complex service claim resolved or having a simple purchase inquiry answered, customers expect timely, accurate responses to their requests.AI agents can help organizations meet this need. And they can grow in scope and scale as businesses grow, helping keep customers from taking their business elsewhere.AI agents can be used as virtual assistants, which use artificial intelligence and natural language processing to handle high volumes of customer service requests. By automating routine tasks, AI agents ease the workload on human agents, allowing them to focus on tasks requiring a more personal touch.AI-powered customer service tools like chatbots have become table stakes across every industry looking to increase efficiency and keep buyers happy. According to a recent IDC study on conversational AI, 41% of organizations use AI-powered copilots for customer service and 60% have implemented them for IT help desks.Now, many of those same industries are looking to adopt agentic AI, semi-autonomous tools that have the ability to perceive, reason and act on more complex problems.How AI Agents Enhance Customer ServiceA primary value of AI-powered systems is the time they free up by automating routine tasks. AI agents can perform specific tasks, or agentic operations, essentially becoming part of an organizations workforce working alongside humans who can focus on more complex customer issues.AI agents can handle predictive tasks and problem-solve, can be trained to understand industry-specific terms and can pull relevant information from an organizations knowledge bases, wherever that data resides.With AI agents, companies can:Boost efficiency: AI agents handle common questions and repetitive tasks, allowing support teams to prioritize more complicated cases. This is especially useful during high-demand periods.Increase customer satisfaction: Faster, more personalized interactions result in happier and more loyal customers. Consistent and accurate support improves customer sentiment and experience.Scale Easily: Equipped to handle high volumes of customer support requests, AI agents scale effortlessly with growing businesses, reducing customer wait times and resolving issues faster.AI Agents for Customer Service Across IndustriesAI agents are transforming customer service across sectors, helping companies enhance customer conversations, achieve high-resolution rates and improve human representative productivity.For instance, ServiceNow recently introduced IT and customer service management AI agents to boost productivity by autonomously solving many employee and customer issues. Its agents can understand context, create step-by-step resolutions and get live agent approvals when needed.To improve patient care and reduce preprocedure anxiety, The Ottawa Hospital is using AI agents that have consistent, accurate and continuous access to information. The agent has the potential to improve patient care and reduce administrative tasks for doctors and nurses.The city of Amarillo, Texas, uses a multilingual digital assistant named Emma to provide its residents with 24/7 support. Emma brings more effective and efficient disbursement of important information to all residents, including the one-quarter who dont speak English.AI agents meet current customer service demands while preparing organizations for the future.Key Steps for Designing AI Virtual Assistants for Customer SupportAI agents for customer service come in a wide range of designs, from simple text-based virtual assistants that resolve customer issues, to animated avatars that can provide a more human-like experience.Digital human interfaces can add warmth and personality to the customer experience. These agents respond with spoken language and even animated avatars, enhancing service interactions with a touch of real-world flair. A digital human interface lets companies customize the assistants appearance and tone, aligning it with the brands identity.There are three key building blocks to creating an effective AI agent for customer service:Collect and organize customer data: AI agents need a solid base of customer data (such as profiles, past interactions, and transaction histories) to provide accurate, context-aware responses.Use memory functions for personalization: Advanced AI systems remember past interactions, allowing agents to deliver personalized support that feels human.Build an operations pipeline: Customer service teams should regularly review feedback and update the AI agents responses to ensure its always improving and aligned with business goals.Powering AI Agents With NVIDIA NIM MicroservicesNVIDIA NIM microservices power AI agents by enabling natural language processing, contextual retrieval and multilingual communication. This allows AI agents to deliver fast, personalized and accurate support tailored to diverse customer needs.Key NVIDIA NIM microservices for customer service agents include:NVIDIA NIM for Large Language Models Microservices that bring advanced language models to applications and enable complex reasoning, so AI agents can understand complicated customer queries.NVIDIA NeMo Retriever NIM Embedding and reranking microservices that support retrieval-augmented generation pipelines allow virtual assistants to quickly access enterprise knowledge bases and boost retrieval performance by ranking relevant knowledge-base articles and improving context accuracy.NVIDIA NIM for Digital Humans Microservices that enable intelligent, interactive avatars to understand speech and respond in a natural way. NVIDIA Riva NIM microservices for text-to-speech, automatic speech recognition (ASR), and translation services enable AI agents to communicate naturally across languages. The recently released Riva NIM microservices for ASR enable additional multilingual enhancements. To build realistic avatars, Audio2Face NIM converts streamed audio to facial movements for real-time lip syncing. 2D and 3D Audio2Face NIM microservices support varying use cases.Getting Started With AI Agents for Customer ServiceNVIDIA AI Blueprints make it easy to start building and setting up virtual assistants by offering ready-made workflows and tools to accelerate deployment. Whether for a simple AI-powered chatbot or a fully animated digital human interface, the blueprints offer resources to create AI assistants that are scalable, aligned with an organizations brand and deliver a responsive, efficient customer support experience.Editors note: IDC figures are sourced to IDC, Market Analysis Perspective: Worldwide Conversational AI Tools and Technologies, 2024 US51619524, Sept 2024
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  • BLOGS.NVIDIA.COM
    Into the Omniverse: How Generative AI Fuels Personalized, Brand-Accurate Visuals With OpenUSD
    Editors note: This post is part of Into the Omniverse, a blog series focused on how developers, 3D artists and enterprises can transform their workflows using the latest advances in OpenUSD and NVIDIA Omniverse.3D product configurators are changing the way industries like retail and automotive engage with customers by offering interactive, customizable 3D visualizations of products.Using physically accurate product digital twins, even non-3D artists can streamline content creation and generate stunning marketing visuals.With the new NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint for 3D conditioning for precise visual generative AI, developers can start using the NVIDIA Omniverse platform and Universal Scene Description (OpenUSD) to easily build personalized, on-brand and product-accurate marketing content at scale.By integrating generative AI into product configurators, developers can optimize operations and reduce production costs. With repetitive tasks automated, teams can focus on the creative aspects of their jobs.Developing Controllable Generative AI for Content ProductionThe new Omniverse Blueprint introduces a robust framework for integrating generative AI into 3D workflows to enable precise and controlled asset creation.Example images created using the NVIDIA Omniverse Blueprint for 3D conditioning for precise visual generative AI.Key highlights of the blueprint include:Model conditioning to ensure that the AI-generated visuals adhere to specific brand requirements like colors and logos.Multimodal approach that combines 3D and 2D techniques to offer developers complete control over final visual outputs while ensuring the products digital twin remains accurate.Key components such as an on-brand hero asset, a simple and untextured 3D scene, and a customizable application built with the Omniverse Kit App Template.OpenUSD integration to enhance development of 3D visuals with precise visual generative AI.Integration of NVIDIA NIM, such as the Edify 360 NIM, Edify 3D NIM, USD Code NIM and USD Search NIM microservices, allows the blueprint to be extensible and customizable. The microservices are available to preview on build.nvidia.com.How Developers Are Building AI-Enabled Content PipelinesKatana Studio developed a content creation tool with OpenUSD called COATcreate that empowers marketing teams to rapidly produce 3D content for automotive advertising. By using 3D data prepared by creative experts and vetted by product specialists in OpenUSD, even users with limited artistic experience can quickly create customized, high-fidelity, on-brand content for any region or use case without adding to production costs.Global marketing leader WPP has built a generative AI content engine for brand advertising with OpenUSD. The Omniverse Blueprint for precise visual generative AI helped facilitate the integration of controllable generative AI in its content creation tools. Leading global brands like The Coca-Cola Company are already beginning to adopt tools from WPP to accelerate iteration on its creative campaigns at scale.Watch the replay of a recent livestream with WPP for more on its generative AI- and OpenUSD-enabled workflow:The NVIDIA creative team developed a reference workflow called CineBuilder on Omniverse that allows companies to use text prompts to generate ads personalized to consumers based on region, weather, time of day, lifestyle and aesthetic preferences.Developers at independent software vendors and production services agencies are building content creation solutions infused with controllable generative AI and built on OpenUSD. Accenture Song, Collective World, Grip, Monks and WPP are among those adopting Omniverse Blueprints to accelerate development.Read the tech blog on developing product configurators with OpenUSD and get started developing solutions using the DENZA N7 3D configurator and CineBuilder reference workflow.Get Plugged Into the World of OpenUSDVarious resources are available to help developers get started building AI-enabled product configuration solutions:Omniverse Blueprint: 3D Conditioning for Precise Visual Generative AIReference Architecture: 3D Conditioning for Precise Visual Generative AIReference Architecture: Generative AI Workflow for Content CreationReference Architecture: Product ConfiguratorEnd-to-End Configurator Example GuideDLI Course: Building a 3D Product Configurator With OpenUSDLivestream: OpenUSD for Marketing and AdvertisingFor more on optimizing OpenUSD workflows, explore the new self-paced Learn OpenUSD training curriculum that includes free Deep Learning Institute courses for 3D practitioners and developers. For more resources on OpenUSD, attend our instructor-led Learn OpenUSD courses at SIGGRAPH Asia on December 3, explore the Alliance for OpenUSD forum and visit the AOUSD website.Dont miss the CES keynote delivered by NVIDIA founder and CEO Jensen Huang live in Las Vegas on Monday, Jan. 6, at 6:30 p.m. PT for more on the future of AI and graphics.Stay up to date by subscribing to NVIDIA news, joining the community and following NVIDIA Omniverse on Instagram, LinkedIn, Medium and X.
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  • BLOG.PLAYSTATION.COM
    First details on MLB The Show 25, plus looking towards the future of MLB The Show
    Major League Baseballs exciting 2024 season has wrapped and with MLB The Show 24s Season 4 content arriving tomorrow*, we at San Diego Studio wanted to take a moment to share a sneak peek at the future of this franchise.MLB The Show 24 Season 4Beginning tomorrow, all fans can enjoy every card in MLB The Show 24 as we move into Season 4 with the release of 2024 Finest with more content coming. Yes, this also means cards in your inventory from previous seasons in MLB The Show 24 can be enjoyed again!MLB The Show 25 Diamond DynastyWe appreciate the feedback from our community and have also decided that Sets and Seasons will not be returning in MLB The Show 25, allowing every card to be used freely throughout the year. While we look forward to sharing more about our live content plans for MLB The Show 25 at a later date, our Season 4 approach gives you a sense of the direction of MLB The Show 25.We are also excited to share that you, our fans, will be able to earn rewards in MLB The Show 24 to jump-start your MLB The Show 25 experience! Beginning tomorrow, you can start earning Now & Later MLB The Show Packs in playable content all throughout Diamond Dynasty! Each Now & Later MLB The Show Pack earned in MLB The Show 24 will grant an MLB The Show Pack in MLB The Show 25**.As we work to develop the most authentic and realistic Major League Baseball experience possible, we wanted to share a sneak peek of what is to come next year in MLB The Show 25.Road To The Show: Deepen the players journey before being drafted, and return control to how a player develops and grows in new and interesting ways.Diamond Dynasty*: With Sets and Seasons retiring, our fans can look forward to all-new elements of the Diamond Dynasty experience blended with what they love most about it.Franchise: Improved trade evaluation metrics are coming along with a new fun and engaging offseason experience.Gameplay: With the expansion of quick time events, defensive AI, and pathing updates, enjoy more engaging moment-to-moment gameplay.For all the latest MLB The Show information, head to TheShow.com, sign up for The Scouting Report, and follow our X, Facebook, and Instagram accounts.*Internet connection required for online features and software updates.**An internet connection, MLB The Show account, and purchase of MLB The Show 25, once available, is required to receive your Now & Later MLB The Show Pack in MLB The Show 25.
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  • WWW.POLYGON.COM
    Warhammer documentary to star Napoleon Dynamite actor
    Earlier this week, Trademark Films dropped a trailer for The Grim and The Dark: The Search for John Blanche. The new documentary starring, of all people, Napoleon Dynamite actor Jon Heder follows a descent into the grimdark culture of Warhammer and the artists, writers, and creators who thrive in it, according to the studios announcement.The film seems targeted both at Warhammer diehards and newcomers alike, as the trailer opens on Heder searching for the center of grimdark and everything gnarly, while the camera comically zooms out to reveal hes standing in front of a massive statue of a Space Marine. The films description implies Heders search began due to a chance encounter at a game store, but the admiration for the art of wargames comes through in the trailers cinematic composition and editing. Shots of miniatures and core texts are interspersed with interview clips and medieval architecture (rightfully) framing Warhammer and the culture around it as esoteric and arcane. Heders comedic ignorance of the hobby balances the, pardon the phrase, grimdark aesthetic, making the trailer feel like the final documentary will be accessible to even the most uninformed viewer.The trailer culminates with a directive for Heder: If you want to talk to the grandmaster, go find John. This, of course, refers to artist John Blanche, who is credited with defining the visual language of Warhammer during his 46-year long tenure at Games Workshop. Blanche famously retired in June of last year, making rare media appearances that can be found on his personal blog. The trailer ends with a dramatic sequence of Heder knocking on what one could assume to be Blanches front door, before quickly cutting to an over-the-shoulder shot of a man, ostensibly Blanche, taking off his glasses in preparation.The film is slated to be released in spring of 2025, according to the Trademark Films announcement. Pre-orders are available now for $12.
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  • WWW.POLYGON.COM
    Fortnites battle pass price hike shows sometimes less is more
    My Fortnite locker, the name of the UI interface that contains all of my cosmetic items, has become the video game equivalent of a junk drawer. Rummage through my account, and youll find a backpack version of Ninken from Naruto lined up next to a rainbow gun wrap I got from the 2021 Pride collection. The game contains sub-menus for emotes, wraps, cars, instruments, and Lego kits. Its all too much, and to be frank, Im worried that recent changes in the Fortnite subscription service from Epic Games ignore a simple truth: Sometimes, less is more.On Wednesday, Epic Games announced a big change to Fortnite Crew, its monthly subscription service that awards players with the Battle Royale battle pass, V-bucks, and other perks. Starting on Dec. 1, Fortnite Crew subscribers will get content from the Music Pass and Lego Pass at no additional cost. So once the change goes live, players who subscribe to it will be able to progress and redeem cosmetics on the other games on the platform, like battle passes from Fortnite Festival and Lego Fortnite.On the surface, this looks extremely pro-consumer and in many ways, it is. Its essentially giving people more items for free. If I subscribe and I only want to play the Battle Royale mode, Ill still end up with a whole lot of other cosmetics from other games on Fortnite. In addition to that, Epic Games has also changed how the battle pass works, so leveling up one pass will unlock the items on another. This way, you dont need to grind each game individually if youre interested in earning cosmetics from other battle passes.It sounds great, but the announcement came with another notice: The standard price of the Battle Royale battle pass (outside of the Crew subscription) will be raised in price from 950 to 1,000 V-bucks.The price hike doesnt significantly change how much you pay in dollars. You can purchase 1,000 V-bucks for $8.99 from the in-game shop. Additionally, 50 V-bucks isnt exactly an exorbitant amount of currency, and it isnt even enough to buy a low-tier emote. However, if youre a regular player, that amount can add up, and even a paltry 50 V-bucks could make or break whether or not you are able to purchase a certain skin in the store on any given day. (Which matters, because who knows when your favorite cosmetic will return to the Fortnite shop, since it rotates items in and out!)For me, gradual price hikes like this only serve to enhance the value of the subscription service and allow players to justify springing for the full-on premium Fortnite subscription. Its almost like the modern video game equivalent of bundling cable or streaming services you might not want everything in there, but because all the individual parts are getting so expensive, it eventually makes financial sense.Whats more is that changes like this are catered toward how Epic Games wants its users to engage with its platform, rather than the actual way the majority of its players do. At time of publication, Lego Fornite has 24,600 active users, and Fortnite Festival has 8,500 players. In comparison, the unranked version of the Battle Royale mode has more than 542,000 players, and Zero Build has 344,800 players. Instead of improving the battle pass experience around these games, Epic Games has decided to raise the price and shove a bunch of unneeded items into the lockers of its Fortnite Crew subscribers.As a Battle Royale player, I dont want more junk. I want a transparent pricing system when it comes to cosmetic items. I want a consistent battle pass price. I want a locker and emote wheel that I can actually organize. I dont want to grind the battle pass leveling, and Id like the ability to buy old skins. So while the Fortnite Crew change might seem all right on the surface, it sure does feel like the company is throwing a whole lot of junk in my face.
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  • DESIGN-MILK.COM
    Denvers New Populus Hotel Forges Connection Through Biophilia
    There are few straight lines at the new 13-story Populus hotel in downtown Denver, Colorado. Implementing a hyper site-responsive strategy, notable architecture firm Studio Gang designed the distinct structure based on the distilled form and unique growth pattern of the Aspen Tree otherwise known as the Populus precinctive to the area. How and where it sheds its bark was translated into a matrix of scalloped windows within the fluted buildings stacked log massing, individually denoting the properties 265 guest rooms as well as its comprehensive offering of internal and community-facing amenity spaces.Photo: Jason ORearThe practices holistic concept introducing biophilic elements at every scale and meeting the strictest sustainability standards carries through from the use of fly ash rather than water in the hotels sculpted concrete shell to the ingenious second function of the eye-shaped windows lids serving as shields that provide natural cooling on warmer days. A third function? They also work as streamlined gutters deflecting rainwater. These apertures do all this while also framing choice views of the Rocky Mountains in the distance and notable city monuments closer-by.Photo: Jason ORearThe icing on the cake: Populuss planted roof top featuring a wide variety of flora also local to the area and soon home to its diverse fauna as well. Theres no integrated parking facility and so guests are encouraged to use Denvers rapidly improving public transportation network or even walk to get around.Photo: Yoshihiro MakinoPhoto: Steve HallThe opening of Populus marks an incredibly significant milestone and represents a new model of environmentally conscious hospitality that will forever change the guest experience for mindful travelers, while adding vibrancy to the city of Denver, said Jon Buerge, President of Urban Villages, the development firm behind the locales inception that also secured 7,000 tons of certified carbon credits making it the first carbon positive hotel in the country.Photo: Steve HallThe hotel situates on a triangulated site at the intersection of Denvers ever-burgeoning arts, culture, and business districts. As a strategic hub linking these otherwise disconnected areas, Populus comprises a whole host of public hospitality venues, promoting a more integrated sense of urban density and lively activation.Photo: Yoshihiro MakinoPhoto: Yoshihiro MakinoManaged by Aparium Hotel Group, Populuss full embodiment of biophilic and sustainable principles carries through to this suite of soft products as well with two zero waste restaurants to boot. While ground level restaurant Pasque serves nature-based dishes beneath a suspended Reishi Tapestry produced using mushroom byproduct mycelium Stellar Jay is a bustling rooftop haunt with operable walls that open up to a large rooftop terrace and unfolding vistas. Theres also a coffee shop and ample flex-space for remote working or lounging.Photo: Yoshihiro MakinoNo detail or tree, really, was left unconsidered. For much of the interior outfit, Wildman Chalmers Design and Fowler Architecture and Design imbued the various spaces with a warm earth tone palette indicative of the Mountain West region; an important counterpoint to the somewhat sleek character of Populuss undulating structural core.Photo: Yoshihiro MakinoDefined by the large curvilinear windows, guest rooms in both the Aspen and Grove collections are infused with a serene minimalist yet textured atmosphere. Located on the top floor, the Pando Suite incorporates a dining area, kitchenette, 1.5 baths one with a soaking tub and panoramic views.Photo: Yoshihiro MakinoPhoto: Steve HallPhoto: Yoshihiro MakinoPhoto: Jason ORearWhat: PopulusWhere: Denver, ColoradoHow much: Guest rooms starting from $229Design draw: A biophilic and sustainable hotel in more ways than one; tapping into local natural beauty through various architectural and interior design details as well as eco-conscious dining and the anchoring of a new urban densification in downtown Denver.Book it: Populus DenverGo virtually on vacation withmore design destinations right here.Photography by Jason ORear, Steve Hall, and Yoshihiro Makino
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