Iwas reading a game design piece that gave me pause for a second about whether this is what game design at the AAA level is about now focusing on analytics and trying to math the perfect game.A monumental shift that more people havent talked about occurred in the 2010s with the rise of the indie industry and how it put to rest a lot of the assumptions about AAA development. For today, I want to talk about why you cant just use numbers to create a great and memorable game, and when the best games have a little grit to them.Objectively averageGame Design at its core is not something you can really teach or easily put into words. You can explain to someone what good coding is or different art styles, however, its a lot harder to explain the differences in feel betweenMariovs.Crash Bandicoot, or howDoom 2016andDoom Eternalare completely different experiences despite continuing a franchise and both being FPS.In my opinion, feel is the X factor that separates bad games from good games, and good games from award winners. Its the distinction between titles that people remember for years to come and those that completely disappear within two weeks of launch.If you dont understand mechanics and game design, then you end up with a bad game that no one wants to play. However, if you only look at a game from a numerical standpoint and not how it feels to play, you can end up with something surprisingly worse a game that is remarkably average that no one will remember it or your studio after playing it. For a studio, youre not going to be growing with new and exciting ideas or having a fan base that comes along for that ride.Part of sustainable game dev is being able to create games that keep people excited about whats coming next from your studio. You want them to be interested in your games sight unseen just the fact that you are working on something or publishing it gets them excited. Studios like Strange Scaffold or New Blood Interactive are examples of this.And to be able to understand feel at this level means going beyond just playing what everyone loves.Finding the rough edgesPart of good game design and good game criticism is being able to look at games beyond just what everyone else is playing. You cant study game design solely by playing the best games each year. The reason is that you are playing a heavily curated and refined experience with all of its edges sanded down. Youre not going to see the pitfalls of a genre or the pain points, or even know what they are. And sometimes, that off-kilter 6 out of 10 game may have something completely original and amazing in it.One of my absolute favorite games of recent memory isAstlibra: Revision, a game that is a hodge podge of assets and free music that is as far away from polished or a AAA experience as a game could be. And yet, it all comes together for an amazing time that still feels cohesive. Something like this could have never been conceived by a major studio or someone who only plays AAA games. The same could be said of hits likeBalatro, Vampire Survivors, Lethal Company, and many more. These are games that are not the best looking, graphics card shattering, games that required millions to develop.What these games all share is exploring a very unique and specific aspect of game design and gameplay. Are they all perfectly designed titles that hit their market segments? No. Some of the most memorable games released in the past 14 years all have some element of chaff to them they were not designed by a marketing committee. But what they do have is something that resonates with people, very much in the same way that games likeStardew ValleyandFactoriodid.Imagine telling someone 10 years ago that this would be a scene from one of the most successful games ever madeDesigners and publishers continue to chase game success stories thinking that there is some kind of mythical blueprint that if you follow to the letter,yourgame will be the next million copy seller that will win GOTY from every outlet.What we find instead, is that those games that try to copy another one end up doing far less than that game. People dont want to play a game theyve already played they need something new and exciting. With Bullet Heaven games, Ive lost count of the number of them Ive played that are either worseVampire Survivors or ExactlyVampire Survivorsbut with X theme. Whereas my favorite examples have all gone in a different direction, such asBrotato, Picayune Dreams,orDeath Must Die.Feeling it outUnderstanding the differences in game feel between bad, good, and masterclass examples of design is something that you cant quite put into words. You can explain to someone how to code jumping physics in your game; you cant spell out the exact numbers needed to make jumping feel good. Heres a bit of an exercise: can you make a platformer with a similar feel toSuper Mario Worldor a shooter likeDoom, but you can only watch footage of these games; you are not allowed to play them.Many designers Ive seen who try to make games inspired by these classics often do it in the most cookie-cutter way but there is a monumental difference between howMarioorDoomplays vs. the myriad of games inspired by them. Ive said this point before and it needs to be understood by everyone:Classic games are not the goal of your games design, they are the benchmarks that you need to clear if you expect someone to even think about playing them.If anyone tells you the perfect way to build a platformer, strategy, FPS, or any game, they are lying. There are always foundational aspects of game mechanics and genres that need to be understood, but these are the boxes you need to understand before you can start thinking outside of them. If you think that a consumer will be interested in any game made like it was back in 1989, even the best of that year, you are sorely mistaken. This is also why its difficult to explain to someone this game is great or this game is bad without playing a spectrum of games. Just because you have jump or shoot as verbs in your game doesnt mean they are helping sell your game to the consumer.the best games Ive played all are about finding that feel that works for them, and running with it.When a game does do something above and beyond with its mechanics, I want to tell everyone about it so that they can then be inspired by it and do something different.Anyone who understands coding and basic design can make any genre they set their minds to but making something that will excite people is another matter. You never know when building your game what will resonate with someone. Making a perfectly optimized platformer is one thing, but what about a game about climbing a mountain using a hammer and having to get over it? And its that ability to create something that resonates that is open to everyone how so many indie games are able to punch way above their weight and deliver experiences that not even the largest teams with the biggest budgets can achieve.If you would like to support what I do and let me do more daily streaming, be sure to check out myPatreon. MyDiscord is now opento everyone for chatting about games and game design.

Chris Kerr, News EditorNovember 25, 20241 Min ReadImage via SonyAt a GlanceSony is developing a handheld device capable of running PlayStation 5 titles on the move.Sony wants to re-enter the handheld arms race by developing a new portable PlayStation console. According to a report from Bloomberg, the Japanese company is developing a handheld device capable of running PlayStation 5 titles on the move.People familiar with the project said the console is in the early stages of development and will enable Sony to compete with Nintendo and the immensely popular Switch (which has sold over 146 million units to date).It could also contend with any future portable Xbox hardware from Microsoft, which continues to express an interest in the handheld market.It's claimed the device is years away from launching and could be shelved before ever making it to market.Sony's handheld historySony has previous experience when it comes to building handhelds. The company released the PlayStation Portable (PSP) to compete with the Nintendo DS in 2004. The PSP was eventually succeeded by the PlayStation Vita in 2011.Although the PS Vita was the last dedicated PlayStation handheld to hit shelves, Sony did tentatively revisit the concept with the PlayStation Portala remote player for the PlayStation 5 that lets owners access and play their PS5 catalog over select Wi-Fi networks.Unlike the Nintendo Switch and Valve's Steam Deck, however, the PlayStation Portal isn't a standalone device.Sony declined to comment on the news when approached by Bloomberg.Read more about:Top Stories[Company] PlayStationAbout the AuthorChris KerrNews Editor, GameDeveloper.comGame Developer news editor Chris Kerr is an award-winning journalist and reporter with over a decade of experience in the game industry. His byline has appeared in notable print and digital publications including Edge, Stuff, Wireframe, International Business Times, andPocketGamer.biz. Throughout his career, Chris has covered major industry events including GDC, PAX Australia, Gamescom, Paris Games Week, and Develop Brighton. He has featured on the judging panel at The Develop Star Awards on multiple occasions and appeared on BBC Radio 5 Live to discuss breaking news.See more from Chris KerrDaily news, dev blogs, and stories from Game Developer straight to your inboxStay UpdatedYou May Also Like

Instagram is adding the ability to share your live location with friends in your DMs for up to one hour at a time so you can find each other when arriving at concerts, outings, and other gatherings. The feature works within Instagrams direct messages, which also gets a few other new features, including sticker packs and nicknames.Instagram says you can share your location privately with others through DMs, either one-to-one or within group chats, and the feature is off by default. Its similar to the location-sharing features inSnapchats SnapMap, which includes the ability to share pictures with friends on a map. For now, these features are only available in select countries (Instagram does not list where.)You can rename your friends within group chats. Image: InstagramTheres an indicator in the chat to remind you that youre sharing your location. Image: InstagramYou can also now give yourself and your friends nicknames in your DMs, including within group chats. You can lock friends out of that ability if you dont like what they named you, and the feature only stays within specific chats so outsiders cant see each other's provided nicknames.DMs have 17 new sticker packs with over 300 new stickers, too, which you can drop into chats with your friends. You can even mark the stickers friends send you as favorites inside chats, re-use them, and make your own with the cutouts feature or generate them with AI.Instagrams head, Adam Mosseri, said last week that people are using messages more than the create button, so the company is now testing a new placement for the chat icon that puts it on the bottom and center of the app.

The European Union says Twitter alternative Bluesky violates the EU Digital Services Act rules around information disclosure, reports Reuters. But since Bluesky isnt yet big enough to be considered a very large online platform under the DSA, the regulator says it cant regulate Bluesky the way it does X or Threads. The Financial Times quotes European Commission spokesperson Thomas Regnier, who told reporters about the violation during a Monday press briefing:All platforms in the EU...have to have a dedicated page on their website where it says how many users they have in the EU and where they are legally established, said commission spokesman Thomas Regnier. This is not the case for Bluesky as of today. This is not followed.Regnier reportedly went on to say that the commission has asked the EUs 27 national governments to look for any trace of Bluesky like EU-based offices. The regulator hasnt reached out to Bluesky directly, yet, The Financial Times writes. Bluesky didnt immediately reply to The Verges request for comment. RelatedThe DSA is designed to hold platforms legally responsible for content posted to them, but with fewer than 45 million users, Bluesky isnt big enough yet to qualify for its very large online platform label. Booming signups in the wake of the US Presidential election drove its user count to 15 million users 10 days ago, and its now at 22.5 million users, according to a stat-tracking site put together by one of the platforms developers. Its continued growth could put it at odds with EU regulators soon enough.

The Future of Fab / News / November 25, 2024 / Assets, Godot, Unity, UnrealFab, Epic Games new universal game development asset marketplace launched last month and its safe to say the launch wasnt 100% smooth. Fab was intended to replace the Unreal Engine marketplace, SketchFab store as well as Quixel Megascans. They already announced that Quixel Megascans return as well as the re-enabling of the Quixel Bridge application, at least until Fab proves to be a suitable replacement.Late last week Epic Games released the Fab roadmap giving us insight into features that will be coming to Fab in the future. Items on the roadmap include:Improvements to search functionalityThe ability to have sitewide salesImproved asset navigation and filtering as well as new sorting optionsParity of features between My Library and Discover as well as the ability to create collectionsImprovements to the UP Plugin for FabMajor improvements to the product pages including links to forums, changelogs, FAQs, video support and moreProduct wishlistingThe return of text reviewsImproved seller tools such as the ability to set discounts, create bundles, initiate refunds and moreFuture roadmap items include Godot and Roblox support, the FAB desktop app (assumedly the Quixel Bridge replacement), Metahuman support and moreYou can learn more about the future of the Fab marketplace and the Fab development roadmap in the video below.

Semiconductors are essential in powering various electronic devices and driving development across telecommunications, automotive, healthcare, renewable energy, and IoT industries. In semiconductor manufacturing and design, the two main phases, FEOL and BEOL, present unique challenges. LLMs are trained on vast amounts of text data using self-supervised learning techniques that can capture rich domain knowledge.LLMs can also help in tasks like design rule checking, layout generation, and space exploration in Integrated Circuit (IC) design. LLMs allow the generation of new designs that adhere to the specified constraints and optimize for desired performance metrics, learning from large IC layouts and design rule datasets. However, most models are general and do not possess specific knowledge within the semiconductor industry. This reflects unique problems, such as complex physics and chemistry for semiconductor devices and processes.Currently, LLMs are general-purpose models that, despite their power, need more specialized knowledge for tasks specific to the semiconductor industry. Artificial Intelligence (AI) improved semiconductor manufacturing by improving mask optimization and hotspot detection through machine learning, deep reinforcement learning, and datasets like LithoBench. In the semiconductor industry, domain-specific large language models (LLMs) such as ChipGPT and ChatEDA outperformed general models in tasks like code generation, debugging, and chatbot assistance. LLMs also evaluated natural language generation tasks, using expert feedback to improve benchmarks and address challenges in complex domain-specific evaluations.To integrate the power of LLMs in the semiconductor industry, researchers from Aitomatic Inc., FPT Software AI Center, and Tokyo Electron Ltd conducted detailed research and proposed SemiKong, the first industry-specific LLM for the semiconductor domain that provides a foundation for developing customized proprietary models. SemiKong 1.0 focuses on building a foundational model with an expert-level understanding of etching problems. This approach involves training models with comprehensive domain-specific data. The training process was divided into two stages: pretraining and fine-tuning.There are very few high-quality datasets for the semiconductor domain. To address this, a large-scale text-based dataset focused on semiconductor concepts and etching problems emerged, including pretraining data from technical books, papers, and patents, along with instruction data featuring 50,000 questions. Tools like GPT-4o-mini handled formatting, while GPT-4o generated and answered some questions. The SemiKong model was trained in three steps. First, it was pre-trained using Llama3 checkpoints to learn about the semiconductor industry. Then, it went through supervised fine-tuning to improve its ability to handle tasks like answering questions and reasoning. Finally, the model was fine-tuned with quantization to make it ready for real-world use, gaining deeper knowledge about semiconductor manufacturing along the way. The researchers used 8 NVIDIA A100 80GB GPUs for training for better performance and training speed.The evaluation of the SemiKong model involved comparing its performance across several criteria, including Clarity and Directness (C&D), Practicality and Immediate Usability (PIU), Efficiency and Brevity (E&B), Logical Flow and Coherence (LFC), Expert-to-Expert Communication (EEC), and Use of Examples and Specificity (UES). Experiments showed that fine-tuning alone did not significantly improve performance, as domain-specific knowledge was crucial. When pretraining was combined with fine-tuning, performance improved. Larger models with 70B parameters outperformed smaller ones, with the SemiKong 70B model excelling in all criteria.In summary, the proposed method provided a robust solution for integrating LLM technology with the semiconductor industry and achieved great performance. It performed better than the open-source foundation model. However, SemiKong is in its initial phase, and significant work remains. This work of integrating the latest LLM technology in manufacturing can act as a baseline for future research in the domain of semiconductors and change it forever!Check out the Paper and GitHub Page. All credit for this research goes to the researchers of this project. Also,dont forget to follow us onTwitter and join ourTelegram Channel andLinkedIn Group. If you like our work, you will love ournewsletter.. Dont Forget to join our55k+ ML SubReddit. Divyesh Vitthal Jawkhede+ postsDivyesh is a consulting intern at Marktechpost. He is pursuing a BTech in Agricultural and Food Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kharagpur. He is a Data Science and Machine learning enthusiast who wants to integrate these leading technologies into the agricultural domain and solve challenges. Read this AI Research Report from Kili Technology on 'Evaluation of Large Language Model Vulnerabilities: A Comparative Analysis of Red Teaming Techniques'

Silent Hill 2 Remake developer Bloober Team made a handful of small changes to the beloved survival horror game and players have now discovered another: creepy messages hidden in TV static.As reported by PC Gamer, YouTuber Shiba uploaded two videos after discovering the secrets. "A message is playing on the TV in Brookhaven Hospital, transmitted in Morse code," they said. "The sound is mostly drowned out by the static from the TV, making it difficult to hear clearly. However, the Morse code is distinct, with a clicking noise that resembles a telegraph."Shiba shows the TV doing so, and translates the code as saying "again and again and again" in perpetuity. The TVs in the nurses' lounge and the break room of the Boar section of Toluca Prison play the same messages.The 25 Best Horror Video Games EverIGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!IGN's Twenty Questions - Guess the game!To start:...try asking a question that can be answered with a "Yes" or "No".000/250Not every TV in the game does so though, as the Woodside Apartments set, Brookhaven Hospital set, and room 106 at Jack's Inn set all display another message: "Why did you do it James?"Both messages fuel different fan theories but it's unclear if there are any further answers hidden in the game. Regardless, they add to the mystery and mythos of Silent Hill 2 and hopes for more questions to be answered in the future.Bloober Team and publisher Konami released the Silent Hill 2 remake on October 8 to glowing critical reception and strong sales, leaving many fans of the previously dormant horror franchise eager for more.Bloober has said it's open to making other Silent Hill games, though at the moment is focused on its sci-fi survival horror game Cronos: The New Dawn.In our 8/10 review of the Silent Hill 2 remake, IGN said: "Silent Hill 2 is a great way to visit or revisit one of the most dread-inducing destinations in the history of survival horror."Ryan Dinsdale is an IGN freelance reporter. He'll talk about The Witcher all day.

It's official, Nintendo is having a great Black Friday this year. Tears of the Kingdom is the only Nintendo Switch game released by Nintendo to retail for $69.99, and soon at $30, this will be the lowest we've seen the game yet. If you're a Walmart+ member, a five-hour early access starts at 12pm ET today (November 25).If it doesn't sell out within that time, it'll be live at 5pm ET for everyone else. As a backup, Target has the game down to $39.99 right now as well, which, while it isn't as good, is still a tremendous offer. You can see the Tears of the Kingdom listing at Walmart below, and even add to your cart ready to buy ASAP. We'll endeavor to update you if retailers like Best Buy, Amazon, and Target also match the offer.Live: Nov. 25The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomNovember 25: Available from 12pm ET for Walmart+ Members. Early access ends at 5pm ET.Should You Sign Up for Walmart+?While one of the standout deals in Walmarts first wave of Black Friday offers is a 50% discount on a 12-month Walmart+ membership, it's still probably not worth signing up just to snag a single deal. Youd likely be better off purchasing the game at Target for $40. Instead, consider whether early access to Walmarts upcoming deals or the other benefits of a 12-month membership makes sense for you. Take some time to weigh the value of the subscription against your shopping habits to decide if its the right choice.Walmart+ 12-Month MembershipGet early access to Walmart's Black Friday sale, starting November 25 at 12pm ET.Tears of the Kingdom Is Also $39.99 at TargetLike we said, if you can't wait, or as a backup, Tears of the Kingdom is $39.99 at Target for Black Friday from today onwards. It's is one of the best games on Nintendo Switch, and the sequel to Breath of the Wild brings new areas to explore in the clouds and depths below the surface, offering what feels like a brand-new take on Hyrule. It begins one year after Breath of the Wild. One day, while exploring under Hyrule Castle, Princess Zelda and Link discover a mummy that comes alive, shattering the Master Sword and wounding Link. When he awakens, Link finds himself on the Great Sky Island, one of the many floating islands in the sky. Here, the many mysteries of the ancient Zonai tribe are revealed.Black Friday DealThe Legend of Zelda: Tears of the KingdomWhat We Said in Our ReviewIn our 10/10 review, we said Tears of the Kingdom "is an unfathomable follow-up to one of the greatest games ever made, somehow improving upon it in nearly every way be that with simple quality-of-life improvements, a genuinely exciting story, or wildly creative new building mechanics that make you rethink what is possible. "It both revamps old ground and introduces vast new areas so immense it somehow makes me wonder if Breath of the Wild was actually all that big, with an almost alarming number of tasks to complete, mysteries to discover, and delightful distractions to keep you from ever reaching that place you naively thought you were headed. Nintendo has followed up a triumph with a triumph, expanding and evolving a world that already felt full beyond expectation and raising the bar ever higher into the clouds."More Black Friday Game Deals We've Found So FarSwitch OLED: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe BundleSwitch: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe BundleSonic X Shadow GenerationsSuper Mario OdysseySuper Monkey Ball Banana RumbleThe actual date ofBlack Friday in 2024 falls on November 29, but the holiday deals season starts a lot earlier than that. Plenty of retailers have already been dropping deals online. More and more deals will roll out leading up to the event, which culminates in massive discounts on Black Friday. Retailers will not reveal their biggest Black Friday deals until the big day, but most general deals will be available well in advance, such as the impressive Sonic deal.Robert Anderson is a deals expert and Commerce Editor for IGN. You can follow him @robertliam21 on Twitter.This article includes contributions from Noah Hunter.

This post contains full spoilers for Dune: Prophecy episode 2.Two Wolves, the second episode of Dune: Prophecy, offers more forward plot momentum than the series exposition-heavy premiere. But with the emphasis on action comes even more questions, as the show continues to reference aspects from the many millennia in the Dune timeline.Once again, Den of Geeks here to explain some of the more confusing aspects of the episode and point to clues about Dune: Prophecys central mystery, the identity of the prophesied Tiran-Arafel.The Suk SchoolTwo Wolves opens with Tula (Olivia Williams) welcoming a former sister who has left the order to join the Suk School. You might not recognize the name Suk, but youll probably notice the grey triangle on the doctors forehead. The same symbol appeared on Dr. Wellington Yueh in Dune, where he was played by Chang Chen.Named for its founder Mohandas Suk, the Suk Medical School is the most respected medical institution in the Imperium. Because of the lack of machines in the world of Dune, only the Suk Doctors carry the medical knowledge necessary to protect the ruling classes. Thus, Suk Doctors enjoy a certain amount of autonomy within the Imperium, which helps explain Tulas sense of gratitude when one arrived to examine the body of Mother Kesha.The Agony and the Rossak PoisonThe major conflict in Two Wolves involves Valya (Emily Watson) encouraging Lila (Chloe Lea) to experience the agony and access her genetic memories, sometimes referred to as other memory in the episode. To prepare for the agony, we see Tula preparing something called a Rossak poison.Fans of the Denis Villeneuve movies might recall something called the Spice Agony, which Paul undergoes in Dune: Part Two. Although the Sisters in Prophecy just refer to the agony, the basic process remains the same. In both the Agony and the Spice Agony, a subject drinks from the Water of Life, a poison from the a mixture of water and the bile of a sandworm on Arrakis. If the subject survives the poison, they emerge with special powers, including access to genetic memories.The Sisterhood, and eventually the Bene Gesserit, use the Water of Life as part of their method of testing and confirming a Mother Superior. Candidates spend years preparing their minds and bodies with techniques to resist the poison. Before that, when the forerunners of the Sisterhood were members of a amalgam of Buddhism and Islam called the Zensunni, they used a poison derived from a plant called Rossak as part of their ritual.Over the centuries, as the Zensunni changed into the Sisterhood, the Water of Life replaced the Rossak. But the older method isnt completely forgotten, as Tula demonstrates.Other Memory and Lilas VisionLilas experience with other memories represents the most striking part of Dune: Prophecy so far. Weve seen elements of the process in Dune: Part Two, when Paul takes the Water of Life to become the Kwisatz Haderach and when Jessica speaks with the still unborn Alia. But Two Wolves gives viewers the first full depiction of the process.As she makes her way through the agony, Lila sees herself in a vast cavern, surrounded by women in robes. These women represent all of Lilas female ancestors, the people whose essence still lives within her.The scene makes literal something only hinted at in Frank Herberts books. Herbert generally depicts genetic memories through conversations between a living person and someone who died, as when the late Baron Harkonnen communicates with one of his grandchildren in the novel Children of Dune.The more literal portrayal in Prophecy reminds viewers that memories arent just echoes in the mind of the living. Rather, they operate as distinct and full people, often with their own motivations. Furthermore, the dead person can even possess the living, asserting their memories over the living persons consciousness to continue their own plots.That threat manifests in Two Wolves when Lila sees not Mother Raquella, but rather Sister Dorotea (Camilla Beeput). We saw Sister Dorotea in the previous episode as a close confidante and potential heir to Raquella as Reverend Mother. Because Dorotea did not share her concern for stopping Tiran-Arafel, Valya killed her.So when Dorotea has access to the present via Lila, she doesnt miss the opportunity for revenge. She takes control of Lila and issues a warning to Tula and Valya, a threat that might continue even past Lilas apparent death.Aoife Hinds Sister Emelines Connection to Reyna Butler, Vorian Atreides, and the Battle of CorrinThe night before she endures the agony, Lila seeks console from her fellow acolyte Sister Emeline (Aoife Hinds). Emeline shares a story from her familys past, about their service with Reyna Butler in the Battle of Corrin.If the name Butler sounds familiar, its because we talked about it in last weeks explainer. Reyna Butler was the central figure in the Butlerian Jihad, an anti-machine religious fervor that came out of the war between humans and AIs. What began as a resistance changed into a powerful cult, as Reyna started the Cult of Serena, named for her great-grand-aunt Serena Butler. When the robot Erasmus killed Serenas son, the latter fought back, sparking the war against the thinking machines.The Battle of Corrin occurs approximately 120 years after Serenas rebellion, and puts an end to machines and essentially begins the world of Herberts books. As outlined in the 2004 book Dune: The Battle of Corrin by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, the Butlerian Jihad managed to destroy most thinking machines in the galaxy, driving the robot overmind Omnius and powerful cyborgs called Titans to the planet Corrino.However, because humanity was still crippled by a massive pandemic released by Omnius, they could not take the planet. It took twenty years for humans to finish the work, after which the Omnius and the Titans were destroyed, effectively purging the galaxy of thinking machines. In the aftermath, Viceroy Faykan Butler changes his name to Faykan Corrino, becoming the first of the emperors in the line that will eventually include Javicco and, much later, Shaddam IV. Vorian Atreides establishes himself as a hero in the battle, while Abulurd Harkonnen betrays humanity to the machines.At least, thats the official story, a story that Valya Harkonnen despises as an Atriedes lie.Lady Shannon Richese (Tessa Bonham Jones) and the Rebellion on ArakkisDuring the sexposition scene between Constantine Corrino (Josh Heuston) and Lady Shannon Richese (Tessa Bonham Jones), the latter explains that the real power in the Imperium lies with whoever controls the desert planet, something everyone in the Great Houses and the Great Schools understands.Lady Shannons statement tracks with the basic themes of Dune; He who controls the spice controls the universe! goes an unusually straightforward line from David Lynchs adaptation. That conflict plays out in miniature in the alliance between Keiran Atreides (Chris Mason), a man called Horace (Sam Spruell), and the Fremen Mikaela (Shalom Brune-Franklin).Mikaelas bright blue eyes mark her as a native of Arrakis, as the coloring comes from exposure and addiction to the spice that flows through the air. Where other long-term residents of the planet, such as Baron Harkonnen in the films and potentially Desmond Hart in Prophecy, can dodge spice addiction by eating foods they import and avoiding prolonged exposure to the desert, Mikaelas eye color shows that shes been on the ground and with the people.Although we learn that shes secretly a member of the Sisterhood and works to advance Valyas plots, Mikaelas alliance with Keiran and Horace shows that already the Fremen, the natives of Arrakis, tire of the Imperiums interference and will enter into allegiances to get their planet back.Desmond Harts Powers, The Bene Tleilax, and Shai-HuludLike the preceding episode, Two Wolves ends with a shocking display of Desmond Harts powers. Sure, we see him (almost) toast someone alive again. But the real shock involves his second face off with Valya. The Mother Superior tries to use Voice on Desmond and force him to stab himself with his own blade, but he resists.According to Desmond, he gained his powers after an encounter with a sandworm on Arrakis. Shai-Hulud took my eye, and granted me the gift to see what even you cannot, he tells Valya.The Fremen call sandworms Shai-Hulud as part of their worship of the worm, a belief that the worm is the manifestation of their monotheistic god. The Dune movies show that few people survive encounters with the massive creatures, but also that the sandworms have powerful effects on the humans around them. After all, the Water of Life is partially derived from the bile of sandworms.However, book readers may suspect another, less mystical force at play: the Bene Tleilax. They may not have received the same attention as the Bene Gesserit or the Spacing Guild, but the Bene Tleilax are arguably the most important sub group in the Dune universe. Their creations are a constant across Frank Herberts books, despised by the rest of the universe but unavoidable with their skills.The Bene Tleilax, or Tleilaxu as theyre usually called, are part of a patriarchal society on the planet Tleilax. Like the Bene Gesserit, the Tleilaxu seek to control the Imperium through their extreme genetic manipulation. These practices lead to the creation of Axlotl Tanks, through which the Masters grow gholas or clones. A ghola of a particular person close to Paul becomes a major reoccuring character throughout Herberts books (no spoilers on that here). The Tleilaxu also develop a method of shapeshifting, called face dancing in the world of Dune.Both gholas and face dancers serve the ruling class on Tleilax, the Tleilaxu Masters. Although small in physical appearance, the Tleilaxu Masters have engineered themselves to have remarkable abilities, including a resistance to the Bene Gesserits power of Voice.Because of their unethical experiments, the Tleilaxu are held in low regard by most in the Imperium. Thats particularly true of the Bene Gesserit, with whom the Bene Tleilax have a long-standing rivalry. Desmond openly admits his goal of wiping the Bene Gesserit from the Imperium, which sure sounds like the type of thing a Tleilaxu would like to see.But is that enough to make him Tiran-Arafel?The Prophecy of Tiran-ArafelWe saw Mother Raquella prophesy the coming of Tiran-Arafel in the first episode of Dune: Prophecy, but its easy to forget that moment among the many, many other things that happened. Thankfully, the second episode gives the moment a bit more space, when Tula tells Lila that Tiran-Arafel refers to a tyrannical force with which the Sisterhood must reckon.The word tyrant has a lot of meaning for readers of Frank Herberts novels. Paul and Chanis son Leto II is often described as the Tyrant, thanks to his unyielding rule over the Imperium. And because he melded with a sandworm to become the God Emperor of Dune, Leto II rules for over 3,000 years, during which he guides humanity on what he calls the Golden Path.However, Leto II isnt born until 10,000 years after the events of Prophecy, so it seems like a real stretch for Raquella to worry about him now.Given Prophecys proximity to the war against machines, Tiran-Arafel might have more to do with the robots thought destroyed during the Butlerian Jihad. Weve already seen that Mother Raquella used a birthing matrix to engineer an ideal leader, and book readers know that the people on the planet Ix use some form of machines.Furthermore, Dune: Prophecy might cite the novel Sisterhood of Dune (2012) as an inspiration, but thats just one entry in a trilogy that includes Mentats of Dune (2014) and Navigators of Dune (2016). These books describe the early days of the Great Schools, and include the revelation that the Mentat school harbors a copy of the thinking machine Erasmus, the robot who killed Serena Butlers child.Could Tiran-Arafel be a machine, or a cyborg Titan, come back for revenge? Could Desmond Harts abilities be the result of machine interference, even more than the gift of the sandworm?We wont know until later episodes of Dune: Prophecy, and Den of Geek will be there to explain it all on the way.Dune: Prophecy airs Sundays at 9pm EST on HBO and Max.

This article is presented by Bicycle Cards.Being with friends and family around Thanksgiving isnt just about spending timeideally, youre figuring out how to spend quality time. You cant just eat food the whole day, and watching movies nonstop isnt the answer either. Instead, classic card games can bring everyone closer together.Thanksgiving is an ideal time for great holiday games, and because the event is all about tradition, some of the best games to play with together are the extremely old-school ones.Maybe youve all just gone to a family viewing of Moana 2if so, there are some great new Moana-inspired playing cards. Theres also some really cool cocktail recipe playing cards, which can be perfect for an adult-centric Thanksgiving or Friendsgiving game night! Either way, having a great deck of playing cards is essential, and for this Thanksgiving, there are some excellent games that you can play with family or friends, some of which you probably havent thought about in a very long time. There are plenty of other classic games you can share with friends, some of which are kind of deep cuts! (See what we did there?) Heres a quick refresher on three classic games, just in time for a big gathering of family or friends.RummyThis is a game you probably remember your parents playing, or somebody teaching you how to play on a road trip in the 90s. Its actually ridiculously fun and the rules are a bit more straightforward than you might remember.The GoalLike a lot of these games, the goal here is to get rid of all of your cards. You can do this by either creating melds or runs of three or four cards. Melds are the same kind of card (i.e. all Kings) and runs are sequential cards of the same suit (i.e. a 2, 3, and 4, but all of hearts.) You get rid of your cards by playing these runs and melds when you have them.The Set-UpOne dealer passes out the cards, one by one to each player. But, keep in mind, if there are two players, everyone gets 10 cards, if there are three to four players, everyone gets seven cards, and if there are five to six players, everyone gets six cards. In all cases, theres a draw pile of cards left over.How to Play and How to WinBasically, you want to get rid of your cards as fast as possible, and that means creating melds and runs. This is done in turn, and when you have a complete meld or run, you place those three (or four) cards on the table. The interesting thing is, as the game goes on, other players can add to existing melds or runs that are face-up on the table. You dont own those melds and runs! Once theyre on the table, theyre fair game!The first person to get rid of all their cards is the winner. If youre playing multiple rounds, you can score these rounds by adding up points based on the cards left over in the hands of the remaining players. The points break down like this: face cards are worth 10, 2-10 are worth their face value, and an Ace counts as one point.Wondering what the Rummy refers to? Thats when a player gets rid of all their cards in one turn. This moment is a combination of luck and skill, sort of like the crack shot of a drunken pirate.SpadesYouve probably heard of Spades, but this one is a little more obscure in the world of classic card games. That said, its fairly easy to learn, and very fun to play once you get the hang of it. Heres how to get into it!The GoalSpades is a game where youre trying to score points. You do this by winning tricks, which are, essentially, just another word for the amount of points you think youll win in a round of gameplay. Part of the twist of Spades is that yourenot just playing one hand. Its all about the long game!But the easiest thing to remember is that youre trying to score points, and thats done by winning tricks, which constitute points.The Set-UpAfter deciding on a dealer, all the cards are dealt, one at a time, starting with the player to the left of the dealer. You can then arrange your cards in your hands by suit. At this point, everybody decidesor bidson how many tricks they will be able to take. You do this by saying a number out loud. You cant not do thisno passing. Dont worry about suits, because the highest card in the game is always spades, which is why its called Spades.How to Play and How to WinThis is a scoring game, and you win by adding up your score over the course of various hands, or rounds, played. Most people like playing to 500 points, but 200 is okay too. Gameplay goes like this, the player on the dealers left plays a card, and then the next person tries to follow suit. If they cant, they can play a trump card, or discard. The trick (or round) is won by the player who plays the highest-value card. If you win the trick, you lead the next round.You keep doing this until all the cards have been played and theres nothing left. You cant lead with a spade unless thats the only card in your hand.Each hand is worth 13 tricks, but the scoring is a little more complicated. You get 10 points for each trick you bid, and you get one point for each trick you won beyond what you bid. So, if you bid 10, then your score is 100 if you make 10 tricks. If you win less than the number of tricks you bid, you break contract, and that means you get zero.Again, the idea is to play to 200 or 500 points. But, ultimately, your family or friends can decide ahead of time on how many points constitute an overall win.NertsStrangely, Nerts is a form of Solitaire that is enhanced by participating with other players. It sounds a bit complex at first, but once you realize that its basically a race, its extremely fun. The one thing to remember here is that you need multiple decks of cards because every player has their own.The GoalIts a race to get rid of your cards, but the key is that you have to start at the bottom with aces, and build up from there. The twist here is that everybody has their own deck, and the way you get rid of your cards requires you to eliminate the Nerts piles. One way to think of this is a sort of precursor to collective card games like Magic: The Gathering, but much more rudimentary.The Set-UpWith their own decks, each player creates a Nerts pile of 12 cards face down and a 13th card face up. Then, youve got four more face-up cards, which will create work piles. You leave the rest of the cards in a deck as a stock. When you turn the cards face-up, youll make a waste pile.There also needs to be a common era, a kind of home base that all the players can access. Youre working on your own, but there has to be a kind of central hub, like the bridge of a starship, where everybody can build their foundations.How to Play and How to WinThe main thing youre trying to do is get rid of your Nerts piles, which you can only do by moving cards from the Nerts pile onto work piles or foundation piles. This can only be done by sequencing the cards, starting with the Ace, and building up to the King. Essentially, you get rid of your Nerts cards by sequentially moving specific cards into corresponding piles; if a work pile or communal foundation pile has a 2 facing up, you can add a 3 from your deck.All of this can be happening simultaneously, to be clear. So while youre trying to move your Nertz pile cards to foundations, other players are doing the same thing. You cant remove cards from the common area, and you cant mess with somebodys basic tableau.The first person to get rid of all their Nerts pile says Nerts! out loud, and then the game ends because that person has won! If you think of it as solo-solitaire, that is also a race, Nerts becomes very fun and easy to learn.