Vray Is Now Finally Available for Blender & it looks good.https://youtu.be/S_TiPJCqtrQ#blender3d #b3d #vray #blender #walkthrough #review #vrayforblender(Feed generated with FetchRSS)

Recently announced at The Game Awards, The Witcher 4will see Ciri starring as the series new protagonist in a story that will kick off a new trilogy. And unlike Geralt, shes going to be making her own Witcher codex.Speaking in an interview with IGN, game director Sebastian Kalemba spoke about how Ciri, who is in the beginning of her career as a Witcher, is going to feel different as a protagonist than her mentor and adoptive father, Geralt of Rivia.I love this grit in her, he said. Shes almost obsessed with the way she lives. There are some moments where you have to go with your heart instead of always going with the calculated calls. And this is what I love in Ciri. Shes less calculating, following her heart, her passion, her gut feel.Shes about to form her own codex on her own terms, he added. The way she actually deals with the monsters, the way she deals with quests, the adventures, its her own unique way.We want to let players try to define her, Kalemba went on. Shes about to form her own codex on her own terms. The way she actually deals with the monsters, the way she deals with quests, the adventures, its her own unique way.Much like pastWitchertitles, however, thoughThe Witcher 4sprotagonist will be a defined personality and her own character, players will obviously be able to shape her and change her story through their actions. Kalemba saysThe Witcher 4will afford players greater control than before: We want to put player agency at the center.Player agency wont be limited to just choice-based storytelling either. According to Kalemba,The Witcher 4will also for greater flexibility from a gameplay perspective.Were giving] more tools for players disposal, to be able to not only play and go with the consequences narratively, but also gameplay-wise, he said. We want to give players more opportunities to be able to feel that they define their experience.The director went on to draw comparisons with past CDPR titles, stating thatThe Witcher 4will feature greater gameplay variety than its predecessor, instead delivering a more expansive experience along the lives ofCyberpunk 2077.I believe the gameplay [in Cyberpunk 2077] was more varied [than that in The Witcher 3] and it allowed more freedom when it comes to creating character builds and being able to experience encounters in your own way, Kalemba said. This is something we definitely want to bring as a lesson [to The Witcher 4]. We want to improve on [The Witcher 3s] gameplay but also we want to improve the alignment of the way you will be able to explore the world.Kalemba has also confirmed thatThe Witcher 4will maintain continuity with allWitcher 3endings, and that the game will also feature Geralt, even if he isnt returning as the protagonist.The Witcher 4entered full production earlier this year.

After a YouTube ad leaked the release window, Hangar 13 showcased Mafia: The Old Country during The Game Awards with some cinematics and gameplay. The clear elephant in the room is Grand Theft Auto 6, which launches in Fall 2025 and is the latest in a series that Mafia has invited comparisons to since the first game.However, when speaking to IGN in a new interview, game director Alex Cox and Hangar 13 president Nick Baynes clarified that theyre different titles. Baynes described The Old Country as comparable to Mafia 1 and 2 instead of Mafia 3.I think the way that we would describe Mafia 1 and 2, and I think a lot of fans would, is its a linear adventure thats set in a world around you that you can go off the beaten path and explore, but really the games taking you down that path of the story. So I think if you use Mafia 1 or 2 as touch points of what its like, thats certainly closer than Mafia 3.And yes, that means its not quite an open-world title, at least not in the strictest sense, per Cox. Baynes added, The way I describe it is youre not going to be playing Mafia: The Old Country and going off and doing endless side quests and doing activities in the world.We want players to go through and experience a story, but set in this beautiful world. And if you are going along a path and want to go over here and explore, in many cases, you can do that because the world exists around you. But were encouraging you to go through the story.One of the things I love about these games is people tend to complete them because they want to find out what happens. And again, this is a trend with this game as well. We want people to go through and experience the whole story.It wont say the game is purely linear since it sounds too tight or that its open-world which is too broad, hence the comparison to the first two Mafia games. Open-world is a very loaded term, and its a conversation we have had many times regarding, Should we use this word or not? And the answer is kind of yes and no. I hope that helps you!Mafia: The Old Country is out in Summer 2025 for Xbox Series X/S, PS5, and PC. As a prequel set in 1900s Sicily, it focuses on Enzo Favara, an indentured laborer who joins the Don Torrisi family for a better life. Of course, that means committing more than a few crimes. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months.

Happy Autumn, Alchemists!September is nearly over, and that means its almost Scary Month, but theres nothing scary about the FREE UPDATE were launching today! Well, that might not be true. Those of a delicate disposition may find some of our new Spirits a bit creepy, depending on how you feel about things like disembodied hands (oooh) and dogs (aaaah). We cannot be held responsible for any heart attacks you receive from playing Moonstone Island. I think.Lets take a look at all the tasty new content were adding today:4 new spirits These new babies are Psychic, Dark, Electric, and Ice type3 new seasonal events The Spirit Spring Festival, the Lunar Festival, and a Cooking FestivalNew Community Chest in Rowans shop You can find free stuff and gifts in here!New token of affection item A reward from the festivals that gives you relationship points with an NPC of your choosingNew spirit barn exteriors For the first time EVER!Added ability to swap NPC Spirits In case you change your mind, yknow?Updated furniture placement system to allow items to sit more snugly against walls Because its annoying when decor looks all weirdyNew NPC dialogue Many words, much like these ones, all written by MENew decorations See below!Why be vague when we can tell you all about the new decor? Lets do that! Heres what comes with the free update:Farm-Style Spirit Barn ExteriorSpirit Barn PortalFull Moon StatueAncient Spirit StatueFireworks RugFood Festival TrophyPile of LeavesMushroom StoolMushroom TableThere is also our Autumnal Accessories DLC, which costs $3.99 (with a 10% launch discount for the first week) and it comes with:Mushroom Spirit BarnAutumnal ArchwayElectricone RugLeaf StoolGhostshroom lampGhostshroom RugAnd thats it for our big autumnal bonanza! Go carve the pumpkin! Eat a cinnamon! Dress up as ghost! And, above all, a genuinely huge thank you for supporting us for this past year. Its been real cool, and thats largely due to all of yall. The post Moonstone Island Festival Update is Now Live! appeared first on Raw Fury.

Welcome to motel El Pelicano now open on Buddys Boulevard! Come in and say hi to the wheres the owner? Doesnt matter, grab a coffee and unlock some fresh new weapons skins to show off to your pals.Thats right weapon skins are finally here! Purchase Friends vs Friends: El Pelicano, on Steam and you can unlock 6 of em by completing a new quest chain, alongside 15 tuxedo-themed character skins (thats one for each character in the game!).Additional Ultra-Mega-Turbo-LEGENDARY BFF weapon skins have also been added to our previous DLC. Weve added a bunch for free to the base game too, alongside a few of the usual balance tweaks and bug fixes.Have fun friends! Play nicely now.The post Friends vs Friends: El Pelicano Is Available Now on Steam! appeared first on Raw Fury.

Charles de Gaulle talking to reporters in 1945 Bettmann via Getty ImagesLetters from Winston Churchill, a short story written under a pseudonym and a gold electronic wristwatch are some of the items once owned by Charles de Gaulle that will be up for auction next week.Together, the 372 lots are valued at about 1 million (roughly $1.05 million), according to the London TimesThe impressive stash of items was in a safe owned by Philippe de Gaulle, son of the famed military general and former French president. Philippe died in March at the age of 102. According to auctioneer Stphane Aubert, nobody in the de Gaulle family knew how valuable the safes contents were.It was a complete surprise, Aubert tells the Guardians Kim Willsher. Only the admiral Philippe de Gaulle had access to the safe, so when we opened it we really had no idea what we would find. It was a fabulous treasure trove. A history of the life of General de Gaulle, the savior of France.That treasure trove included the handwritten manuscript of de Gaulles celebrated 1940 speech in which he called upon the French to resist the Nazis. The then-brigadier general broadcast the appeal from London, where he had fled after the French agreed to collaborate with Nazi Germany. He met with Churchill, who granted him permission to deliver his speech on the BBC.Honor, common sense and the interests of the country require that all free Frenchmen, wherever they be, should continue the fight as best they may, de Gaulle said. He concluded the address: I call upon all Frenchmen who want to remain free to listen to my voice and follow me. Long live free France in honor and independence!The historically significant manuscript is not for sale, but it is on display at a public exhibition hosted by the auction house Artcurial.Other valuable manuscripts are up for auction, including one for The Enemys House Divided (1924), de Gaulles first book. The auction features a short story he wrote at just 14 years old, as well as another short story written several years later under the pseudonym Charles de Lugale.The collection also includes unpublished notebooks containing philosophical reflections, political analyses and literary commentary, per a statement from the auction house, offering rare insight into General de Gaulles ongoing intellectual development.A number of de Gaulles private letters are for sale, including notes he sent his wife during battle in 1940 and coded missives he wrote to his mother while in captivity as a prisoner of war during World War I.We are still trying to establish what code he used and what he said, Aubert tells the Guardian. They were able to communicate, but only de Gaulle and his mother knew the code.There are letters from Churchill in which he expresses concern about Soviet expansionism in 1946, according to the Times, and messages from dancer and singer Josephine Baker signed your loyal and dirty resistant.Along with the stash of written artifacts, a number of personal trinkets and mementos will be on sale, including de Gaulles wristwatch, a table clock and a toy soldier from his childhood.A portion of the auctions proceeds will be donated to the Anne de Gaulle Foundation. Named for de Gaulles daughter, who had Down syndrome, the foundation provides housing and support to people with disabilities.Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.Filed Under: Auctions, Books, British History, Cool Finds, European History, France, Historical Documents, History, Nazis, World Leaders, World War II

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Astro Bot takes home Game of the Year at The Game Awards 2024Breakout hit Balatro won three awards, including Best Independent GameImage credit: Team Asobi News by Sophie McEvoy Staff Writer Published on Dec. 13, 2024 Team Asobi swept The Game Awards last night, with Astro Bot winning four awards including Game of the Year.Astro Bot also took home Best Game Direction, Best Family Game, and Best Action/Adventure Game.Studio Zen's Metaphor: ReFantazio and LocalThunk's Balatro followed close behind, with both winning awards in three categories.Metaphor: ReFantazio was awarded Best Narrative, Best Art Direction, and Best RPG, while Balatro won Best Independent Game, Best Debut Indie Game, and Best Mobile Game.The night was full of announcements and reveal trailers. This included a first look at CD Projekt Red's The Witcher 4, Naughty Dog's latest project Intergalactic: The Heretic Prophet, and news that a sequel to 2006's Okami is finally in the works.This year's event also introduced a new category the Game Changers Award. The accolade was given to Tencent business development director Amir Satvat for his work helping developers affected by layoffs and studio closures.Here are the full list of winners:Game of the Year 2023: Astro Bot (Team Asobi)Best Game Direction: Astro Bot (Team Asobi)Best Narrative: Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero)Best Art Direction: Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero)Best Score and Music: Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth (Square Enix)Best Audio Design: Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 (Ninja Theory)Best Performance: Melina Juergens Semua's Saga: Hellblade 2Best Adaptation: Fallout (Amazon Prime Video)Best Ongoing Game: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios)Best Independent Game: Balatro (LocalThunk)Best Debut Indie Game: Balatro (LocalThunk)Best Mobile Game: Balatro (LocalThunk)Best VR/AR Game: Batman: Arkham Shadow (Camouflaj)Best Action Game: Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Best Action/Adventure Game: Astro Bot (Team Asobi)Best RPG: Metaphor: ReFantazio (Studio Zero)Best Fighting Game: Tekken 8 (Bandai Namco, Arika)Best Family Game: Astro Bot (Team Asobi)Best Sim/Strategy Game: Frostpunk 2 (11 Bit Studios)Best Sports/Racing: EA Sports FC 25 (EA Canada)Innovation in Accessibility: Prince of Persia: The Lost Crown (Ubisoft)Games for Impact: Neva (Nmada Studio)Best Community Support: Baldur's Gate 3 (Larian Studios)Best Multiplayer: Helldivers 2 (Arrowhead Game Studios)Players Voice: Black Myth: Wukong (Game Science)Most Anticipated Game: Grand Theft Auto 6 (Rockstar Games)Content Creator of the Year: CaseOhBest Esports Game: League of Legends (Riot Games)Best Esports Athlete: FakerBest Esports Team: T1, League of Legends

Microsoft is running a new global marketing campaign in the 4Q24, dubbed, This is an Xbox, highlighting many consumer devices that it deems to be an Xbox. While this messaging reaffirms a shift in Microsofts strategy to attract Xbox users off-console, questions are raised over Microsofts readiness in the cloud, mobile, PC, and handheld segments.Console contraction drives subscriptions saturationOver ten years ago, Microsoft launched Xbox One, a singular device to drive Xboxs ecosystem of games, software and services.Fast forward to today, and Microsofts new This is an Xbox campaign attempts to raise consumer awareness that smartphones, laptops, TVs, handhelds, streaming sticks, and VR headsets are also Xboxes, de-emphasizing the console as the center of the Xbox ecosystem.To understand how we got to this point, consider the following:Xbox has endured two generations of console decline. As Xbox Series X/S ends its fifth calendar year on the market, Omdias Games Hardware Database estimates that its installed base will fall short of its Xbox One predecessor by 5m units (see Figure 1). This threatens the active installed base long-term.Xboxs content ecosystem has become subscriptions driven, impacting full game purchase revenues as key blockbuster games content sees day-and-date releases on the platform.Game Pass subscriptions remain console-driven despite cloud offering. Omdias Game Subscriptions and Cloud Gaming Market Forecast reveals that the penetration rate of subscriptions for console-focused Game Pass tiers among active Xbox consoles will surpass 66% in 2024.Microsoft is now the steward of valuable multi-platform content. Its $69bn acquisition of Activision Blizzard King gives it control of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, and Candy Crush Saga, following its ownership of Bethesda series Fallout and Elder Scrolls.These key events facilitate a situation where revenue from Xbox Game Pass has evidently not grown fast enough to offset the cannibalization of full game purchase revenue on Xbox consoles. This is why Microsoft begun releasing key first party games on competing consoles that it wouldnt have dreamt of doing so previously.Figure 1: Xbox Series X/S falls behind Xbox One by 5 million units at the same point in its cycleSource: Omdia Games Hardware DatabaseThere are big shifts happening, then, and the identity of the Xbox console a loss leading box that earns its keep through software and services revenue has been called into question. Add on top of this the decision to acquire significant content that is simply too costly to make exclusive to Xbox consoles and Microsoft has been forced into a position where it must look beyond its console audience.Xbox is not ready to be unshackled from its console corePCs are among the devices Microsoft is calling Xboxes, and it is here where Microsoft has the most potential to reach new players, as PC Game Pass offers access to high value first-party content such as 2024s Call of Duty: Black Ops 6.Omdias Game Subscriptions and Cloud Gaming Market Forecast estimates subscriptions to PC Game Pass at the end of 2024 will stand at under a sixth of all Game Pass tiers combined, so the platform represents plenty of potential for Microsoft to exploit.Yet Microsoft remains in close competition with incumbent player Valve, whose Steam distribution platform is synonymous with PC gaming. While some major publishers such as Sega and Square Enix have begun publishing their Xbox console games on Microsofts PC storefront day-and-date, many remain content with Steam.Omdia analysis of annual Xbox console game launches reveals that the bulk of titles continue to launch without an accompanying Xbox PC release via the Microsoft Store, as indicated by the lack of Play Anywhere support (see Figure 2).Figure 2: Xbox console software continues to lack PC versions via Microsoft Store at launchSource: Microsoft, OmdiaOn mobile, Microsoft has also been keen to highlight smartphones as an Xbox that makes calls, yet the launch of an Xbox mobile store on Android is now off the table for 2024. This has left it without a means of directly engaging with its audience, standing in contrast with Epic Games, which has begun doing so with Fortnite and its recently launched Epic Games for Mobile.PC gaming handhelds are another device that Microsoft also highlights as Xboxes. But the user experience is far from perfect Windows 11s poor user suitability for handhelds continues to hold back partnering PC manufacturers. Omdias Games Handhelds Database estimates Valves Steam Deck will continue leading this product category in global sell-through in 2024.This leaves cloud streaming as the key means of turning devices like smartphones, tablets, and smart TVs into Xboxes. Yet cloud streaming also presents several hurdles:Xbox Cloud Gaming continues to require the top tier Game Pass Ultimate subscription, making it a hard sell to anyone who doesnt already own an Xbox console or gaming-capable PC. An ad-supported tier of Game Pass with a limited selection of games has yet to materialize.Microsoft cannot guarantee a console-quality experience via cloud streaming. While Xbox console hardware is used in data centers to stream games to players, the resulting quality and latency of streamed gameplay depends on several factors outside Microsofts control. These include the location of Microsofts servers, the quality and type of connection, and the video codec used.Additional friction remains. Games designed for large, 4K TVs arent guaranteed to look or play their best streamed to a small phone screen without a physical controller, which the audience off-console may not already own.The full Xbox games library remains unavailable for streaming. This creates a mismatch of expectations, especially for lapsed or long-time Xbox console players who have invested in physical and digital console games that persist in the console library today.Microsofts reach to customers on iPhones and iPads remains limited. Xbox Cloud Gaming continues to be unavailable on the iOS App Store. Apples core technology fee presents a tax on iOS users engagement that Microsoft has deemed not worth paying.Put simply, the Xbox ecosystem off-console is not yet ready to shoulder Microsofts ambitions to truly grow off-console. On mobile, Microsoft lacks a distribution platform to build up long-term engagement with new customers. And while PC Game Pass shows the most promise, the lack of third-party support for the Microsoft Store re-affirms Steams dominance.While cloud offers the most reach, it continues to present the same challenges to both Microsoft and consumers many of the same challenges which hampered uptake at the beginning of Xbox Series X/Ss console cycle. In 4Q24, This is an Xbox ultimately presents a vision of where Microsoft would like Xbox to be, rather than where it is today.

The group behind the HDMI standard, HDMI Forum, says that it will detail a new spec release in a press conference on January 6th that will enable a wide range of higher resolutions and refresh rates. The new capabilities will be supported with a new cable, according to the HDMI Forums email to The Verge announcing the presser.The spec is likely to be HDMI 2.2, as VideoCardz notes. The Forums email hints at it too, noting that the HDMI Licensing Administrator, which two of the planned speakers at the event represent, is appointed to license Version 2.2 of the HDMI specification. HDMI 2.1, which has only ever received lettered revisions since its 2017 introduction, supports 48Gbps bandwidth, up to 120Hz variable refresh rates, and resolutions up to 10240 x 4320. VideoCardz speculates that the updated spec could allow for higher resolutions and framerates without the need for Display Stream Compression. Whatever the spec brings, that mention of a new cable is a tidy reminder that like USB-C, not all HDMI cables are the same. It seems unlikely that HDMI Forum would change the port itself, so youll probably be able to use your old ones with the updated spec, and some might even support its higher bandwidth. Still, theres always the chance you need fresh cables to get all of the new capabilities when the time comes.