The London-based practice, which has offices in Cardiff, was commissioned by a collaboration of 23 Welsh social landlords, Tai ar y Cyd (Shared Housing) to design the pattern book last January. The group includes all Welsh local authorities, as well as roughly half of the countrys registered social landlords.The book proposes 15 types of home and 18 variants, ranging from one-bedroom flats and four-bedroom houses to fully wheelchair-accessible bungalows and flats, which, Stride Treglown says, can be deployed anywhere in the country.The Welsh government, which has supported and part-funded the initiative, said it will make building homes in Wales faster, cheaper, and less carbon and energy-intensive.AdvertisementDesigned to meet Welsh Development Quality and Housing Quality standards, the Modern Methods of Construction Category 2 homes will feature pre-manufactured timber panels within timber frames, with a choice of bio-based insulation including wood fibre, cellulose fibre and sheeps wool, and finishes including timber and brick. Source:Stride TreglownStride Treglown's Housing Pattern Book for Wales: Enhanced wall typeWherever possible, the homes will use timber sourced from Welsh forests and manufactured in Welsh factories in order to support local jobs and businesses.The Welsh government said the book would encourage higher-quality homes, economic regeneration, faster construction, use of low-carbon materials, cost certainty, reduced waste and less disruption to communities.A design guide launched alongside the pattern book offers guidance on how to use it, including placemaking advice to help users identify which house type to choose and technical information about its performance expectations in different orientations.Stride Treglowns designs feature a choice of two performance levels, baseline and enhanced, which it says will allow for construction skills to vary from site to site in the short term, with the ambition that eventually all homes would be of a Passivhaus-equivalent standard.Advertisement Source:Stride TreglownStride Treglowns Housing Pattern Book for Wales: VisualisationStride Treglown was commissioned to design the Pattern Book early last year, after Tai ar y Cyd formed specifically to spearhead the project.Rob Wheaton, associate director at Stride Treglown, told the AJ that the practices work on a previous low-carbon housing project near Swansea had helped win it the pattern book commission.The project, Gwynfaen Farm, involved the delivery of 144 homes built with Welsh timber, during which time Stride Treglown developed strong relationships with Welsh timber providers and a knowledge of the supply chain, according to Wheaton.The architect said that, in the short term, the pattern book would ease the compliancy process that social housing providers in Wales must go through to secure grant funding, as well as making regional placemaking smoother.He added that the long-term ambition was to engage with planners and local authorities on how this can be more widely adopted, including over the border.Unlike the Housing Pattern Book which will be launched in New South Wales, Australia, later this year, the designs in the Welsh Pattern Book will not be pre-approved for planning permission, and planners will need to consider the specifications of any site and development, the Welsh government confirmed.The Tai ar y Cyd Pattern Book was officially unveiled on 15 January at the University of Wales Trinity Saint Davids Swansea Campus.Jayne Bryant, the Welsh cabinet secretary for Housing and Local Government, described the project as a significant step forward in [the governments] commitment to building sustainable and affordable homes here in Wales.She added: This innovative pattern book give developers the tools they need to build homes more quickly and deliver against our target of building 20,000 affordable low-carbon homes by the end of this Senedd term.

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Ridge Racer 64 is finally playable again after its N64 debut 25 years agoOn your marks...Image credit: Nintendo News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on Jan. 31, 2025 Ridge Racer 64 is now available for Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack subscribers.Up until now, the arcade racer - the first Ridge Racer game to come to a Nintendo-flavoured console - was only playable for those who still have a Nintendo 64 hooked up.Nintendo 64 January 2025 Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack.Watch on YouTubeReleased in 2000 for the Nintendo 64, Nintendo states this "arcade classic" takes you on "fast-paced races across three different environments for a total of nine courses"."Dive right in with Quick Play to race three laps around the Revolution Novice course or take on Grand Prix and choose any available track to test your skills," the blurb teases. "Other modes include Car Attack, which lets you compete for better cars, and Time Attack, where the only thing you're racing against is your own best time! Challenge your friends in Multiplayer and put the pedal to the metal in three modes: Battle Mode, Stage Mode, and Team Mode."Last week we learned Nintendo added another three classic games to its SNES Switch Online collection, including one not seen in the west before: Fatal Fury 2, and Super Ninja Boy.For those not in the know, Nintendo Switch Online is Nintendo's answer to PS Plus. It launched back in 2018, and marks the first time Nintendo has locked the ability to play multiplayer games online behind a paid service. To sweeten the deal, Nintendo has thrown in a wealth of additional perks like cloud saves, game trials, and exclusive money-saving offers - not to mention a whole library of classic Nintendo titles.

It's taken eight years, but finally Game Pass is positioned to save the Xbox console business and give Xbox a pointAmongst the doom and gloom around Xbox consoles, there is still reason to be hopeful.Image credit: Eurogamer Opinion by Tom Orry Editorial Director, Gamer Network Published on Jan. 31, 2025 My son is all-in on Xbox. On the TV he only plays Xbox. He prefers the Xbox UI and services (not that he'd use that term, he's not a robot), the Xbox controller, and the fact that he has Game Pass on there. He has multiple Xbox hoodies and bemoaned the lack of an Xbox birthday cake in the supermarket that was selling a PlayStation-branded one. When I ask him if he thinks he'll prefer PlayStation one day, he's typically pre-teen: "Why would I?" he replies as if talking to the world's dumbest man. He's not a console warrior, but it's fair to say that Xbox is his life.My feelings on Xbox change every time I attempt to figure out what my feelings are. I've stared at that sentence on and off for a week or so, wondering if I can just stop there and publish, letting people think I've made a highly intellectual point and didn't in fact just have a jumbled mess of thoughts stuck in my head.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Watch on YouTubeI want to say something about the present and future of Microsoft's gaming division, but what exactly, and where do I possibly start? As someone with more fondness for Xbox than the average person (no doubt why my son is so keen on the console that "has no games") I find it bizarre in the extreme that we are entering what might be the best period for Xbox-published games of all time while the uncertainty over the future of the company's console business and general public sentiment has never been rockier.I'm not going to suggest Xbox is safe because my son prefers it to PlayStation, but he's clearly not the only person who thinks this. There's always a running commentary alongside video game consoles that is desperate to declare winners and losers - I know this as I've been part of that group. If we're talking about Xbox vs PlayStation, well, PlayStation has won. Simple. Add to this the fact that there are no "red lines" for Xbox games coming to other platforms now, and it's easy to see where the doomongering comes from.Xbox has always struggled to gain a strong footing outside the US and has underperformed in Europe. My view is that you either like Xbox because of its hardware and functionality, or you dislike it because it hasn't had enough/any big exclusive games - the latter usually being too much of a mountain to climb for most people. The notion that the major reason to buy a console is to play the games exclusively available for it has gone out the window completely at Xbox. In fact there aren't any windows at all, or a ceiling, or walls. Xbox is essentially an idea floating around now, uncontained, and that's hard for people to pin an allegiance to - and allegiances do matter. Listen, I like the Xbox more than most people because the Xbox 360 was "my" console. It came at the perfect time in my life and had loads of games I loved. That's not the reason I think Xbox consoles have a future, though. | Image credit: XboxSo does Xbox, the console/box/machine, have a future? Sorry for being that guy again, but I think it all comes down to Xbox Game Pass. Ever since Game Pass promised Day One games from Microsoft it felt like an unbelievable service, one that I expected people would be all over. It reminds me of the summer I got a cinema pass and would watch two or three movies a day over the school holiday. I felt like I'd found a loophole akin to carrying in a bottle of coke and a packet of Minstrels under my coat. Why not watch Toy Story 2 a second time, followed by Gladiator? For me, Game Pass worked. I was sold on Xbox and I enjoyed the games. But what if you didn't think much of the Xbox line-up because it was missing the blockbusters? I can see how that is a big problem. A U-571/Frequency double bill isn't for everyone, even if you've already paid for the tickets.I don't think PlayStation's exclusive line-up over the last two generations has wildly beaten Xbox (some of my favourites are from Xbox's raft of studios), but there's no denying Sony has fired bigger, crowd-pleasing guns as well as smaller niche hits. Uncharted, The Last of Us, Spider-Man, Ratchet & Clank, God of War, Horizon, Gran Turismo, Bloodborne, Ghost of Tsushima, Days Gone, Dreams, Until Dawn, Returnal, Demon's Souls... the list could go on, and that's not even including the likes of FF7 Remake/Rebirth, Death Stranding, FF16, Stellar Blade, etc. It's fair to argue that Xbox had the service, but it didn't have the games big enough to spearhead it.Following the delayed release of Halo Infinite in December 2021, the next new Game Pass release from Xbox Game Studios of any note was Pentiment, some 11 months later. Minecraft Legends, a so-so spin-off arrived in April 2023, the severely lacking Forza Motorsport in October the same year. Another substantial wait followed, with the visually spectacular but ultimately disappointing Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2 in May, 2024. Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 released in November in a rather sorry state, ending a rather tepid three years of first-party titles that left a lot of people wondering what the hell was going on over at Xbox. Things, however, do seem to be improving on the Game Pass front, even if the latest out of Microsoft is missing any numbers we can properly dig into. Brilliant oddities like Pentiment need to live alongside a steady stream of big-hitters for Game Pass to sell consoles, and that might be about to happen. | Image credit: Xbox Game StudiosDerailing this section ever so slightly, a quick shout-out to Pentiment and Grounded (not mentioned already as its initial release didn't fit into my arbitrary timeline). Two brilliant games, quite unlike anything you'd expect from the "We make Gears of War and Halo" publishing house - two games, I'd argue, that would be looked at with a greater admiration of their creators' artistry had they been published by let's say, PlayStation. Of course, PlayStation wouldn't go near them these days, which is a bizarre turn of events given the "Hooah" vibes associated with Xbox and Sony's legacy of experimentation.Anyway, back to the old Xbox release schedule, or "the void" as I called it. Activision Blizzard and Bethesda have helped, but their contributions to Game Pass are really only just getting started. Starfield was seen by many as the saviour, an Xbox exclusive RPG from the makers of Skyrim and Fallout, on Game Pass from the day of release. Sadly we know how Starfield turned out, with some substantial tweaks and fixes arriving too late to change public perception. Black Ops 6 in October and Indy in December, though, show what is possible now, if the juggernaut that is Microsoft Gaming can get rolling.Let's look at 2025's (and sneak in the end of 2024 because it helps make my point stronger!) Game Pass line-up.Call of Duty: Black Ops 6S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2: Heart of ChornobylIndiana Jones and the Great CircleNinja Gaiden 2 BlackEternal StrandsSniper Elite: ResistanceCitizen Sleeper 2AvowedAtomfallSouth of MidnightClair Obscur: Expedition 33Doom: The Dark AgesThat list, which runs until May 2025, is undeniably strong and I've left off plenty. Five big releases from Xbox (I'm rolling in all the subsidiaries of Microsoft Gaming here for ease) dotted around some third-party games that have great potential to be excellent. We don't know what June and beyond hold, but it could potentially see an Oblivion remake, Fable, Gears, Call of Duty and more. People obviously buy consoles for reasons other than exclusives, such as big-hitters like GTA, but they need something to fill the gaps. For far too long Xbox was full of gaps. Things are starting to tighten up.At a time when PlayStation seems to have got itself into some bother by unwisely going all-in on live service games, an Xbox line-up packed to the rafters with single-player experiences is a great look and a tempting offering. When you are drawing from Xbox's in-house studios, Bethesda, Activision, Blizzard, and external but funded titles there should no longer be any reason for droughts. For years people have wanted Xbox to match PlayStation's prestige output. The signs are pointing towards that becoming a reality, but the fight is no longer Xbox vs PlayStation, it's Game Pass vs PlayStation. This is the inside of a PC. No one really ever wants to see this. It's like thinking you'll be OK watching an operation in ER. We shouldn't be exposed to these kind of things!Xbox is making a big push to convince people that everything is an Xbox. It's a solid selling point, but one I think needs far more work on the technical side to succeed. While Microsoft's cloud gaming offering has been in beta for years now, Nvidia's Geforce Now has made huge strides to the point that for most people on good internet connections it's interchangeable with a high-end PC experience - and it's really only the relatively small number of supported games compared to what's available on Steam that lets it down. It's seriously impressive from a tech point of view, which isn't something you can say about Xbox.There's also talk of not needing an Xbox and just buying a PC, which is great and all but ignores the fact that PCs are a complete pain and are liable to destroy your valuable free time with unexpected issues. I love PCs, I'd build an ever-changing rig of awesomeness if I had the time and money, but I've also been around them long enough to know that they are not a console replacement for the masses."I'll just play all those games on PlayStation," people say, one after another on message boards (they still exist), social media, and Reddit. I'm not sure if Xbox likers, of which I am, are intended to be chastised by these statements, but most aren't. That's fine, go ahead and play games on whatever you want. PlayStation, PC, Switch, phones, cloud, calculator it doesn't bother me one bit. You do you. I want to play Game Pass games on a console, and it just so happens that (aside from the OG Xbox One) Xbox makes great consoles with best-in-class functionality. If Xbox can show that all these great games, releasing on PlayStation and Switch 2, are available Day One as part of a sub if you're on an Xbox, I think there's life in an Xbox console yet. I think that's called having your cake and eating it too.On the walk to school this morning my son asked when the next Xbox was going to be released. "I don't know," I said. "Probably in a couple of years," I blagged. He, like me, can't wait.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide The arrival of the Illuminate immediately changed the state of Helldivers 2, bringing a brand-new enemy type to the game alongside numerous gameplay additions. However, it seems the threat of the Illuminate has only just started as the game continues to tease their invasion of Super Earth.The Illuminate are coming to Super EarthFollowing leaks of Super Earth maps that have been in development for almost a year now, it seems that the Invasion of Super Earth is nearing its debut.As the Illuminate work on its devastating Space Nexus to warp across the universe, it appears that the psychic aliens are getting ready to make their attack.For the past week, players have been able to see Spacetime Fluctuations occurring within the games galaxy map. While these fluctuations were quite small, the in-game indicator is now spiking with much higher peaks than before.While theres no announced release date for the invasion, it definitely seems like something big is coming very soon. With other Illuminate enemy types such as the terrifying Illusionist enemy the enemy faction is about to get a massive upgrade in troop variety.Its just amazing, isnt it?Helldivers 2 was already one of the most unique games ever made, but its moments like this that remind you exactly why the game is special. What other game has you fearing (or getting excited for) an actual alien invasion? Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson VideoGamer Podcast Listen Now For more Helldivers 2 coverage, read about the one restriction crossovers must abide by and why the developers dont want to add Star Wars into the game. Additionally, read about an upgraded stratagem coming to the game in a future update.Helldivers 2Platform(s):PC, PlayStation 5Genre(s):Action, Shooter, Third Person8VideoGamerSubscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

Here's an overview of the most recent Blender jobs on Blender Artists, ArtStation and 3djobs.xyz: (paid) 3d asset artist to model a UFO for a commercial Robot Head Modeling [#OPENFORHIRING] Blender Animator Needed for Special videos 3D Generalist Freelancer for Other Skies LTD (paid) animator to animate a UFO for a commercial Looking for Previs [...]Source

Every week, hundreds of artists share their work on the Blender Artists forum. I'm putting some of the best work in the spotlight in a weekly post here on BlenderNation.Source

Good News"There's a lot of love in this world" Elder Scrolls and Fallout voice actor Wes Johnson provides video update following medical emergency"It's going to be a while as I work my way back, but I'm coming back."Image credit: Wes Johnson News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Jan. 31, 2025 Some unfortune news emerged regarding voice actor Wes Johnson, known for playing notable roles across various Bethesda titles including Fallout 4, Skyrim, and Starfield, earlier this week. The VA suffered a medical emergency while travelling for an appearance and a GoFundMe campaign started by friends revealed that he was recieving treatment in an intensive care unit.Thankfully, it appears Johnson is now starting on the road to recovery, as he's posted a video update to his YouTube channel mainly thanking people for taking the time to donate and raise awareness of his situation, but also providing a bit of information as to how he's doing.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. In the video, which was posted to his YouTube channel and has been added to the GoFundMe campaign page, the actor simply addresses the camera for a couple of minutes from his hospital bed. You can watch the full thing below."Rumours of my demise...well, they weren't exaggerated, it was [pretty] close, but I'm still here" Johnson said at the start, "I'm still here because my wife decided to call the hotel where I was staying, doing announcing for the Alzheimer's Association, and have my son call security, and find out that I was nearly dead."Watch on YouTube"They took me to the hosptial, put me in a coma. I'd been there five days before I found out that my wonderful friends Bill Glasser, Shari Elliker, and Kim [Johnson] had put together this GoFundMe," the actor continued, "I found out there's a lot of love in this world, that I didn't know was out there, and I'm grateful to each and every one of you."Johnson individually thanked the likes of the Alzheimer's Association, the Washington Capitals NHL team he does PA announcing for, and Bethesda Game Studios for the support they've shown, as well as anyone who's raised awareness or shown concern about him."I'm not going anwhere," the actor said in closing, "It's gonna be a while as I work my way back, but I'm coming back. I look forward to seeing and having you all hear me then."As of writing, the GoFundMe campaign for Johnson has raised $174,613, and it's great to see that he's on the mend. Fallout community charity initiative FalloutForHope is putting on a stream today, January 31, on Twitch in support of Johnson. It'll feature guests like VA Courtenay Taylor and Bethesda's Emil Pagliarulo, and kicks off at 12PM ET/5PM BST.

Image: NintendoNintendo has announced that Animal Crossing: New Horizons will be hosting a limited Valentine's Day event in Japan.Available from 1st - 14th February 2025, the event will introduce new 'Heart Chocolate' and 'Heart Rose Bouquet' in-game items to be gifted to your fellow residents. Not only that, but 1000 players who partake in the event and gift said items will be randomly selected to recieve a prize containing badges based on Tom Nook, Isabelle, and Brewster.Players who have been selected for the prize draw will be notified via their Nintendo Account by 20th February 2025, with an additional unspecified time limit on when prizes can be redeemed. Nintendo has said that if a large number of prizes go unclaimed, then an additional lottery may be held.Subscribe to Nintendo Life on YouTube794kWatch on YouTube It has also stressed that while the lottery event will be available during the entire two-week period, special Valentine's Day conversations with in-game residents will only take place on 14th February.Naturally, while this doesn't mean much for those of us in the West, it's certainly interesting that Nintendo is holding a new in-game event for New Horizons in 2025. Could this be a sign of things to come? Well, probably not, but it's nice that the game is still receiving new content so long after its release.Image: NintendoWith the Nintendo Switch 2 on the horizon (heh!), we've got our fingers crossed that Nintendo is cooking up a brand-new Animal Crossing title behind closed doors. The company will be holding a Nintendo Direct focused on the new console on 2nd April 2025. Get 50% off while you still can'Ello 'ello, got some bells, guv'nor?What do you make of this new in-game event for New Horizons? Does it signal more to come? Let us know your thoughts with a comment down below. And thanks for the tip, LavaTwilight![source nintendo.com]Related GamesSee AlsoShare:00 Nintendo Lifes resident horror fanatic, when hes not knee-deep in Resident Evil and Silent Hill lore, Ollie likes to dive into a good horror book while nursing a lovely cup of tea. He also enjoys long walks and listens to everything from TOOL to Chuck Berry. Hold on there, you need to login to post a comment...Related Articles69 Games You Should Pick Up In Nintendo's 'Supercharge' eShop Sale (North America)Every game we scored 9/10 or higherNintendo Expands Switch Online's SNES Library With Three More TitlesIncluding a special Super Famicom release...Opinion: My Daughter Made Me Realise That Mario Wonder's Difficulty Options Need WorkYoshi or Nabbit, make your choiceRandom: Local Supermarket Wins Trademark Battle Against NintendoIt didn't expect to beat "such a commercial monster"