Want to send something to space? Get in line. The demand for rides off Earth is skyrocketing, pushing even the busiest spaceports, like Floridas Kennedy Space Center, to their operational limits. Orbital launches worldwide have more than doubled over the past four years, from about 100 to 250 annually. That number is projected to spiral further up this decade, fueled by an epic growth spurt in the commercial space sector. To relieve the congestion, some mission planners are looking to the ocean as the next big gateway to space. China has sent more than a dozen space missions from ocean platforms since 2019, most recently in January 2025. Italys space program has announced it will reopen its ocean launchpad off the coast of Kenya, while German space insiders envision an offshore spaceport in the North Sea. In the US, the idea of sea launches has attracted attention from heavyweights like SpaceX and inspired a new startup called the Spaceport Company. Launching rockets from offshore platforms like barges or oil rigs has a number of advantages. For one thing, it dramatically expands potential locations to lift off from, especially along the equator (this provides rockets with a natural speed boost because, thanks to geometry, the equator moves faster than the poles). At the same time, it is potentially safer and more environmentally friendly, placing launches further from population centers and delicate ecosystems. Ocean launches have taken place on and off for decades. But the renewed interest in offshore spaceports raises a host of questions about the unique regulatory, geopolitical, and environmental trade-offs of sea-based launches. It also offers a glimpse of new technologies and industries, enabled by a potentially limitless launch capacity, that could profoundly reshape our lives. The best way to build a future where we have dozens, hundreds, or maybe thousands of spaceports is to build them at sea, says Tom Marotta, CEO and founder of the Spaceport Company, which is working to establish offshore launch hubs. Its very hard to find a thousand acres on the coast over and over again to build spaceports. Its very easy to build the same ship over and over again. The saga of sea launches The vision of oceanic spaceports is almost as old as rocketry itself. The first large rocket to take off from sea was a V2, the notorious missile developed by Germany in World War II and subsequently adopted by the United States, which the US Navy launched from the aircraft carrier USS Midway south of Bermuda on September 6, 1947. As it turned out, the inaugural flight was a bit of a mixed bag. Neal Casey, an 18-year-old technician stationed on the Midway, later recalled how the missile tilted dangerously starboard and headed toward the vessels own command center, known as the island. I had no problem tracking the rocket, said Casey, according to the USS Midway Museum. It almost hit the island. Despite this brush with disaster, the test was considered a success because it proved that launching rockets from sea platforms was technically feasible. That revelation enabled the proliferation of missile-armed vessels, like warships or submarines, that have prowled the sea ever since. Of course, missiles are designed to hit targets on Earth, not venture into space. But in the early 1960s Robert Truax, an American rocketry engineer, began pursuing a spectacular vision: the Sea Dragon. Standing nearly 500 feet tall, it would have been by far the biggest rocket in history, towering over the Apollo Programs Saturn V or SpaceXs Starship. No launchpad on land could withstand the force of its liftoff. A rocket this gargantuan could only be launched from a submerged position beneath the sea, rising out of the water like a breaching whale and leaving whirlpools swirling in its wake. Truax proposed this incredible idea in 1963 while he was working at the rocket and missile manufacturerbursting from the ocean in the Apple+ series For All Mankind. Truax was eerily prescient about many future trends in spaceflight, and indeed, various governments and private entities have developed offshore launch platforms to take advantage of the flexibility offered by the seas. The most wanted launching sites are close to the equator, says Gerasimos Rodotheatos, an assistant professor of international law and security at the American University in the Emirates who has researched sea-based launches. Many countries there are hard to deal with because of political instability or because they dont have the infrastructure. But if youre using a platform or a vessel, its easier to select your location. Another major advantage is safety. Youre far away from cities, Rodotheatos adds. Youre far away from land. Youre minimizing the risk of any accidents or any failures. For these reasons, rockets have intermittently lifted off from sea for nearly 60 years, beginning with Italy's Luigi Broglio Malindi Space Center, a retrofitted oil rig off the coast of Kenya that launched orbital missions from the 1960s to the 1980s and may soon reopen after a nearly 40-year hiatus. Sea Launch, a multinational company founded in 1995, launched dozens of missions into orbit from the LP Odyssey, another repurposed drilling rig. The company might still be in business if Russia had not annexed Crimea in 2014, a move that prompted the venturea partnership between Russia, Ukraine, the United States, and Norwayto shutter later the same year. The saga of Sea Launch proved that offshore launches could be commercially profitable, but it also exposed gray areas in international marine and space law. For instance, while Sea Launch was a venture between four spacefaring nations, it registered its rig and vessels to Liberia, which has been interpreted as a flag of convenience. Such strategies could present the opportunity for companies or other entities to evade certain labor laws, tax obligations, and environmental regulations. Some states are very strict on the nationality and transparency of ownership, and other states less strict, says Alla Pozdnakova, a professor of law at the University of Oslos Scandinavian Institute for Maritime Law, who has researched sea-based launches. For now, it seems that it hasnt been really that problematic because the United States, for example, would require that if youre a US citizen or a US company, then you have to apply for a license from the US space authorities, regardless of where you want to launch. But if the US imposes strict oversight on launches, other nations might apply different standards to licensing agreements with launch providers. I can imagine that some unauthorized projects may become possible simply because they are on the seas and there is no real authorityby contrast to land-based space launchesto supervise those kinds of launches, Pozdnakova says. Boeing, which managed Sea Launch, was fined $10 million in 1998 by the US Department of State for allegedly sharing information about American defense technology with its foreign partners in violation of the Arms Export Control Act. In addition to the legal and national security risks posed by Sea Launch, Pacific Island nations raised concerns to the United Nations in 1999 that the companys offshore rockets could damage the environment by, for instance, creating oil slicks from unused fuel in discarded boosters. The complex issues that offshore spaceports raise for international law, environmental protection, and launch access have never been more relevant. SpaceX, which is famous for pioneering offshore rocket landings, has also flirted with sea-based launches. The company went so far as to purchase two oil rigs for $3.5 million apiece in 2020. They were renamed Deimos and Phobos after the two moons of Mars. SpaceX is building floating, superheavy-class spaceports for Mars, moon & hypersonic travel around Earth, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted on Twitter (when it was still Twitter) in 2020. SpaceX eventually abandoned this project and sold the rigs, though Gwynne Shotwell, its president and COO, said in 2023 that sea-based launches were likely to be part of the companys future. SpaceX did not respond to a request for comment. The company might need to move launch operations offshore if it wants to carry through on its aspirations for Starship, which is the most powerful rocket ever developed and the keystone of SpaceXs future plans to send humans to the moon and Mars.according to SpaceNews. We want to talk about dozens of launches a day, if not hundreds of launches a day. The environmental impact of launching hundreds of rockets a day, either from sea or land, is not known. While offshore launches pose fewer direct risks to local environments than land launches, very little is understood about the risks that rocket emissions and chemical pollution pose to the climate and human health at current levels, much less exponentially higher ones. Its hard to deny that launching or emitting anything further from people is usually better, says Sebastian Eastham, the senior lecturer in sustainable aviation at Imperial College London, who studies aerospace emissions and their environmental impacts. But when we say that we're concerned about the emissions, it is incomplete to say that were not launching near people, so people arent going to be affected. I really hope that we find out that the impacts are small, he continues. But because you have this very rapid growth in launch emissions, you cant sample now and say that this is representative of what it's going to be like in five years. Were nowhere near a steady state. In other words, rocket launches have been largely overlooked as a source of greenhouse-gas emissions and air pollution, simply because they have been too rare to be considered a major contributor. As space missions ramp up around the world, experts must aim to constrain the impact on climate change, the ozone layer, and pollution from spent parts that burn up in the atmosphere. The McDonalds of spaceports Offshore launches are almost routine in China, where companies like Galactic Energy, Orienspace, and the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation have expanded orbital liftoffs from barges. (None of these companies responded to a request for comment.) But at the moment, sea-based launches are limited to small rockets that can deploy payloads of a few thousand pounds to orbit. No ocean spaceport is currently equipped to handle the worlds most powerful rockets, like SpaceXs Falcon Heavy, which can deliver more than 140,000 pounds to orbit. There are also currently no public plans to invest in sea-based infrastructure for heavy-lift rockets, but that may change if smaller offshore spaceports prove to be reliable and affordable options. All the activities now are based on off-the-shelf technologies, Rodotheatos says, meaning facilities like oil rigs or barges. If one company makes an investment to design and implement a floating platform from zero, specifically fitted for that purpose, I expect to see a big change. Tom Marotta founded the Spaceport Company in 2022 with a similar long-term vision in mind. After working both for the space company Astra and on the regulatory side at the Federal Aviation Administrations Office of Commercial Space Transportation, Marotta observed what he calls a spaceport bottleneck that had to be addressed to keep pace with the demands of the commercial space sector. To that end, the Spaceport Company procured a former US Navy training vessel, named the Once in a Lifetime after the Talking Heads song, as its first launchpad. The company is currently serving customers for suborbital space missions and missile tests, but its broader vision is to establish a network of scalable orbital spaceports across the ocean. We want to be the McDonalds of spaceports, and build a model that can be repeated and copied-and-pasted all around the world, Marotta says. Marotta sees boundless applications for such a network. It could expand launch capacity without threatening coastal ecosystems or provoking pushback from local communities. It could serve as a reliable backup option for busy spaceports on land. It could give nations that normally dont have access to spaceflight an affordable option for their own launch services. Many nations want their own sovereign orbital launch capability, but they dont want to spend a billion dollars to build a launchpad that might only be used once or twice, Marotta says. We see an opportunity there to basically give them a launchpad on demand. Marotta also has another dream in mind: ocean platforms could help to enable point-to-point rocket travel, capable of transporting cargo and passengers anywhere on Earth in under 90 minutes. Youre going to need dedicated and exclusive use of rockets off the coasts of major cities to serve that point-to-point rocket travel concept, Marotta says. This is science fiction right now, but I would not be surprised if in the next five years we see [organizations], particularly the military, experimenting with point-to-point rocket cargo. Offshore launches currently represent a small tile in the global space mosaic, but they could dramatically change our lives in the coming decades. What that future might look like, with all of its risks and benefits, depends on the choices that companies, governments, and the public make right now. Becky Ferreira is a science reporter based in Ithaca, NY. She writes the weekly Abstract column for 404 Media and is the author of the upcoming book First Contact, about the search for alien life.

Stitch was founded in 2012 by HTAs former head of urban design and masterplanning Sally Lewis. The move, which will see its four-strong team join Broadway Malyans London office in Waterloo, aims to strengthen and expand both practices capabilities in the design and delivery of homes across the UK.It follows previous acquisitions in 2022 when Broadway Malyan acquired architecture practice DC3 and its sister company, workplace design specialist Will + Partners as part of its strategic growth plans.Stitch is known for its work on urban sites, mainly around London, and its housing schemes such as phases of mixed the Acton Gardens development, the Marlowe Road Estate regeneration and several sites within the Old Kent Road Opportunity Area in Southwark.AdvertisementLewis said the deal would allow her practice to grow and benefit from working within a much larger team.She told the AJ: The landscape for small practices has become very difficult to navigate in recent years and being a business owner no longer holds the glamour that it did 10 years ago.We compete against large practices at every turn, and constantly need to convince an increasingly risk-averse industry that we can do the job.Joining forces with a larger organisation seems an obvious way forward and I have no doubt that this move will elevate Stitch into a new position of strength.Lewis also hopes the move will help bolster and grow its London Neighbourhood Scholarship a charity set up by Stitch offering career support to local young people studying architecture so as to promote a more diverse and equitable future industry.AdvertisementBroadway Malyan chief executive Ian Apsley told the AJ: Adding Stitch gives us that expertise in estate regeneration and community-led housing, especially in and around London, which is somewhere we have been looking to strengthen.Asked whether he thought the move would change perceptions and improve the quality of Broadway Malyans own design, he responded: [All] architects strive for continual improvement, dont they? I see the input of fresh voices as beneficial.Broadway Malyan was set up in 1958 and has grown from its roots in the south-east of England to be a 340-strong with studios across Europe, the Middle East and Asia.Its latest accounts, for the year ending 30 April 2024, show the group earned 40.3 million, an increase of 7.3 per cent on the 37.6 million turnover posted in 2023. Source:Broadway MalyanBroadway Malyan's proposed Jersey terminalWhat does the deal mean to you?Ian Apsley, chief executive, Broadway MalyanBroadway Malyan's Ian ApsleyHow long had you been looking to add a specialist residential practice to your books?This came originally from our business strategy launched in 2022, which looked at how we might gain knowledge and expertise in certain areas more quickly than growing a team from scratch. The first project that was part of this was the Will + Partners deal in late 2022 to add workplace strategy capability to the group.Broadening our UK housing expertise was one of the other themes. Broadway Malyan was founded as a housing practice and were still strong in the sector in the UK, especially with housing-focused masterplanning. It seemed a logical step to look at a practice that complements what we already do in terms of mix of tenures and geography.Is this part of a larger acquisition drive?We will look at opportunities if they are the right strategic fit and, most importantly, if the synergy with the people is strong.What will be the main benefits for Broadway Malyan from this deal? Has a driver of this move been to change perceptions and improve the quality of your own design output?Adding Stitch gives us that expertise in estate regeneration and community-led housing, especially in and around London, which is somewhere we have been looking to strengthen. And all architects strive for continual improvement, dont they? I see the input of fresh voices as beneficial.How do you think the link-up will be perceived by the industry?Positively I hope. Ultimately were all aiming to deliver good projects that provide high-quality homes and give our clients a great experience. The combined strengths of Broadway Malyan and Stitch will help achieve this. And I think were a bit different in our approach to others in the wider industry.Sally and her team will carry on working under the Stitch brand with our support.How do you expect the arrival of Stitch to be viewed by clients?Weve had really positive feedback from both our and Stitchs current clients and are already in conversation with others about potential projects.Are you interested in hearing from other practices that might want to join your fold?Im always happy to chat if they think they have something specific they can add to our offer. But were not looking to acquire for the sake of it. Were aiming for organic growth and Stitch will be an important part of that.We may well see more mergers as it is a tough environment for smaller practices. I would counsel caution though. There needs to be genuine synergy. Its not easy for larger practices either in the current climate so theyre not just a lifeline.Sally Lewis, founder, StitchStitch's Sally LewisYouve headed your own practice for nearly 13 years. At any time during that period had you ever thought about joining up with another practice?Over the years I have considered many routes to build the practice and share the burden and rewards of leading a team. Most successful partnerships evolve from relationships established at university or in early career jobs and I didnt have this opportunity, so joining another practice has always been on my radar.When was the first seed planted for this move?A friend introduced me to Ian Apsley.How long did it take for you to make up your mind to go for it?We hit it off at the first meeting last summer and all interactions since then have been positive and full of goodwill from both sides. I was clear from the start that I wanted to keep the Stitch brand and protect my team, and this was fully supported.Did you ask anybody for advice during the process?I was quite confident that I was doing the right thing, but I did run it past a trusted architect friend in the early stages of the process and he was very encouraging and supportive.What do you think you can achieve together that you cant do alone?The landscape for small practices has become very difficult to navigate in recent years and being a business owner no longer holds the glamour that it did 10 years ago. We compete against large practices at every turn and constantly need to convince an increasingly risk-averse industry that we can do the job. Joining forces with a larger organisation seems an obvious way forward and I have no doubt that this move will elevate Stitch into a new position of strength.It is also a great move for me personally as I will be constantly in the company of incredibly talented and impressive architects and leaders in the Broadway Malyan global team. The London Neighbourhood Scholarship will benefit hugely from the move as Broadway Malyan will provide the support we need to grow and expand our efforts.What do you think you can give to Broadway Malyan?I hope we can offer a new point of view to complement their great work, particularly with our track record in estate regeneration and community-led housing and our ethos of joined-up design and partnership working. We also bring our commitment to local social value through The London Neighbourhood Scholarship.Do you think there are any misconceptions about the notion of being bought by a larger commercial practice?There may be but I think there will be an inevitable shift in how these things will be perceived because its been a tough few years and we all need to be more resilient and adaptable. Ego-led practice is hopefully a thing of the past.Ego-led practice is hopefully a thing of the pastAre there any successful examples of similar deals that you are keen to emulate?It's been great to see how Will + Partners has maintained and enhanced its brand since joining Broadway Malyan, convincing me that Broadway Malyan is a collective of talent rather than a melting pot for growth. Broadway Malyan is the only practice I know that has successfully pulled this off so I have no fear that we will be gobbled up!How will it affect your team and staff numbers?There will be no change other than the opportunity for us to grow and benefit from working within a much larger team.Do you think the nature of practice is changing?Yes. Prevailing uncertainty and risk in the industry means more caution, and poorly procured public sector work means more wasted resource. But architects specialise in innovation and will find ways to overcome these challenges. I hope that we will be seeing more practices joining forces and embracing a culture of partnership working over the coming years.What advice would you give to anybody else in a smaller practice who was considering making a similar move?I'd advise them to have the conversations and keep an open mind. Protect and share what is important to their practice. Be agile not fragile.How will you judge whether it has been a success?Its already looking like success as we are starting to get enquiries for the type and scale of projects that would have been impossible without being part of the Broadway Malyan family. Watch this space! Source:KFHMarston Way by Stitch Architects. Photo: KFH

The RIBA East shortlist ranges from a retrofit of a 1970s house by Scott Batty to a landmark affordable business and community complex in Essex by HAT Projectsand a major research centre for AstraZeneca by Herzog & de Meuron and BDP.Pollard Thomas Edwards (PTE), one of nine RIBA East winners last year with its Beechwood Village housing scheme, is again in contention. It has been shortlisted for the Knights Park housing scheme in Cambridge, a joint project with Alison Brooks Architects consisting of 249 low-carbon homes. Source:Alison Brooks ArchitectsKnights Park by Pollard Thomas Edwards and Alison Brooks ArchitectsOther projects vying for an award include a new 4,650m teaching hub by Jestico + Whiles and a 2,940m sustainability HQ in a former 1930s telephone exchange by Architype, Feilden and Mawson and Eve Waldron Design, both for Cambridge University.AdvertisementRural houses also feature prominently on the shortlist, including Tim Poulsons Mill Hide, a Paragraph 79 house next to a Cambridgeshire nature reserve, ArkleBoyce Architects Clayworth, an accessible one-off contemporary house in the Chilterns, and Sanei Hopkins Architects Housestead, featuring living functions broken down into their simplified components.RIBA Central regional director Matt Blakeley, said the RIBA East region continues to deliver as one of the shining lights of architectural excellence in the UK.Praising the outstanding quality of the projects, Blakeley added: From mass housing to community buildings, commercial to educational spaces, the diversity and innovation on display is truly remarkable.The sheer volume and quality of the projects that now come forward in the region highlight not only the talented architectural community but the vision and collaboration of clients, stakeholders and contractors who make these projects possible. Source:Jim StephensonSunspot by HAT ProjectsAll projects shortlisted for RIBA regional awards will be visited by a jury, with the winners announced later this spring.AdvertisementThe winners will then be considered for several RIBA Special Awards, including the RIBA Sustainability Award and RIBA Building of the Year, before being considered for a highly coveted RIBA National Award, to be announced in summer.The shortlist for the RIBA Stirling Prize the UKs best new building will be drawn from the RIBA National Award-winning projects and announced in September.The Stirling Prize winner will be announced in October. Source:Hufton CrowThe Discovery Centre (DISC) by Herzog & de Meuron / BDPShortlist (in full) for 2025 RIBA East architecture awards1970s House Retrofit, St Albans by Scott Batty ArchitectAmento by James Gorst ArchitectsBrambles by Bere ArchitectsBrentwood School Reception and Ashton by Cottrell and Vermeulen ArchitectureCast Corbel House by GraftedCatslide House by Graeme Williamson ArchitectsClayworth by ArkleBoyce Architects LtdDovehouse Court Almshouses by Mole Architects LtdElmside by Michael Collins ArchitectsFolded House by WesterdahlHarpenden House by Emil Eve ArchitectsHousestead by Sanei Hopkins ArchitectsJankes Barn by Lynch ArchitectsKnights Park by Pollard Thomas Edwards and Alison Brooks ArchitectsMill Hide by POULSON ARCHITECTUREMirror Pod Extension by Mart Barrass ArchitectNorth Sea East Wood by Hayhurst & Co.Sunspot by HAT ProjectsThe Discovery Centre (DISC) by Herzog & de Meuron / BDPThe Entopia Building Architype, Feilden and Mawson and Eve Waldron DesignTTP Campus by Sheppard RobsonUniversity of Cambridge West Hub by Jestico + WhilesYoungs Court Development at Emmanuel College, Cambridge by Stanton Williams Source:Taran WilkhuHarpenden House by Emil Eve Architects

Our Picks Best AAA alkaline battery Amazon AAA alkaline batteries View details $14 at Amazon View details Best AA alkaline battery Energizer Max AA alkaline batteries View details $14 at Amazon View details Best C alkaline battery Duracell C alkaline batteries View details $22 at Amazon View details Best D alkaline battery Amazon D alkaline battery View details $9 at Amazon View details Best 9V battery Amazon Basics 9V battery View details $12 at Amazon View details There are many things you can get that will need alkaline batteries. From the most popular kid toys to the latest tech gadgets, you'll want to be able to use them right out of the box. If you want a battery that lasts, we've done the research for you.In our quest to find the best alkaline batteries on the market, we tested several models and brands. Our evaluation included extensive discharge tests to find long-lasting alkaline batteries -- including AA, AAA, C, D and 9-volt options. We also considered the cost per battery for each option to ensure you're getting the best bang for your buck.Note that none of these options are rechargeable batteries, which might be the better option for those looking to reduce e-waste over time -- but with alkaline battery sales having reached $9.28 billion across the US in 2024, there's still huge demand for the technology that shows no signs of letting up.Here are our picks of the best batteries and how each model performed in our tests, starting with Amazon's own brand of AAA batteries. $14 at Amazon The competition for the best AAA battery was closely contested, as all competing brands demonstrated similar performance in our discharge test. Affordability and reliability played a significant role in our evaluation.Amazon AAA batteries emerged as the most reliable during our discharge test, exhibiting consistently repeatable results across three different runs and boasting the longest average discharge time at 28 minutes, 32 seconds.Moreover, if you're considering buying in bulk, this option is, by far, the better choice. The 36-pack is currently priced at less than $18 at the time of this publication, translating to approximately 50 cents per unit. Now that's true value. $14 at Amazon AA batteries are likely the most popular battery size, given their widespread use in a variety of electronic devices. They don't hold as much charge as a C or D battery, which means you're probably going to be replacing them a lot. Again, it comes down to bulk price and performance.The two leading AA battery brands, Energizer and Duracell, stood out in the competition, displaying similar performance, with Energizer having a slight edge. The decisive factor turned out to be price. A single Energizer AA Max battery powered three fan motors arranged in parallel for an impressive average of 30 minutes, 15 seconds, marking the best score among the group.Furthermore, Energizer AA Max batteries are the second most affordable option. The 20-pack is currently priced at approximately $14 at the time of this publication, equating to around 73 cents per unit. With outstanding performance and an affordable price, if you're in the market for AA batteries to power your holiday gifts or any other device, this is the optimal choice. $22 at Amazon This one was straightforward. Duracell outperformed its competition convincingly. The only caveat is that this may not be your most budget-friendly option. Since C batteries are primarily used for medium-drain devices like cameras, radios, and even some intruder alarms, longevity and reliability are paramount.In our discharge test, Duracell C-type batteries powered four fan motors in parallel for an outstanding average of 25 minutes, 42 seconds, nearly doubling the average duration achieved by other competing brands. Quality sometimes comes at a price, and Duracell C batteries are no exception. The 10-pack is priced at roughly $15 at the time of this publication, totaling roughly $1.56 per unit, the highest price per unit in this category. $9 at Amazon D batteries are predominantly used in high-current drain devices that require prolonged running times and emergency gadgets such as flashlights, radio transmitters, and even some water heaters. It should come as no surprise that, in this case, we particularly value performance over price.Amazon D batteries excel in performance. They were able to sustain our five-motor parallel circuit for nearly 18 minutes on average, the highest score in this category. Impressively enough, they maintained a voltage output higher than 1.2 volts throughout each of the three runs. That's a lot of juice.That said, they are the second priciest option on our list. The 4-pack is priced at approximately $9 at the time of this publication, translating to roughly $2.25 per unit. $12 at Amazon

Yes, Elden Ring Nightreign will have a poison swamp, but in Fortnite-style map changesYou're poison running through Nightreign.Image credit: FromSoftware / Bandai Namco News by Ed Nightingale Deputy News Editor Published on Feb. 11, 2025 As is tradition at this point, Elden Ring Nightreign will have a poison swamp just like previous Souls games.That said, it's a little different this time. Nightreign will feature "large-scale changes to terrain in the form of procedurally appearing volcanos or swamps or forests".That's according to director Junya Ishizaki, who spoke to PC Gamer (via GamesRadar) to discuss these changes to the game's map.Elden Ring Nightreign - gameplay reveal trailer.Watch on YouTube"We wanted the map itself to be a giant dungeon, so players have the chance to traverse and explore a different way every time they play," he says. "You have to choose the boss you want to face at the end of the third day."Once you've made that choice, maybe you have an idea of how you want to strategize against that boss, and this might change how you approach the map. We wanted to offer players that agency, to decide 'I need to go after a poison weapon this time to face this boss'."It certainly seems inspired by Fortnite's map changes, that altered familiar locations with the addition of volcanoes and swamps over time, albeit here with the possibility of happening - or not - each match. As previously announced, Nightreign also features a battle royale-style shrinking zone, as players outlast its day and night cycle over three in-game days. The procedural nature of these terrain changes also fits with what seems to be a roguelike-esque structure to the game.Indeed, the reveal trailer for the game appears to show a variety of environments we can now assume are procedurally generated, including a seemingly poisonous area and a lava-filled cave. That looks pretty poisonous to me | Image credit: FromSoftware / Bandai NamcoSwamps aren't the only returning feature either, as Ishizaki previously confirmed a "small number" of enemies from across the Dark Souls series will appear in Nightreign. Eagle-eyed fans already spotted The Nameless King from Dark Souls 3 in the trailer, but presumably more will be included, perhaps as part of these randomised events?It won't be long before we can find out more about Nightreign as its beta test takes place this weekend for those who previously registered. The test will last from Friday 14th February to Monday 17th February as a series of three hour long sessions.

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 hereMarvel Rivals devs have finally heard the community after backlash over the announcement of a half-rank reset structure with the mid-season update. The update for Season 1: Eternal Night Falls has been announced to arrive on February 21, bringing two much-awaited characters, Human Torch and The Thing into the game.Alongside the addition of these two heroes, NetEase revealed a half-rank reset structure in Dev Talk 10, which would drop several players four ranks below their current division and would also offer them new skin when they climb back up in Gold and above levels.However, the community wasnt happy with the new structure and voiced their concern for the hours they put in grinding to reach their current rank. As a result, NetEase has released Dev Talk 11 in which they revealed there will be no half-rank reset during the update when its out. Save Up to $1,200 on the Samsung Galaxy S25! Pre-order now and save big with trade-in and Samsung credit. Limited time only! *Includes trade-in value + $300 Samsung credit. NetEase scraps half rank reset structure in Marvel Rivals Season 1 mid-season updatePlayers can still get a free Invisible Woman skin in Marvel Rivals by reaching Gold. Image by VideoGamer.In the newly released Marvel Rivals dev talk, NetEase said, After the release of Dev Talk 10 regarding the seasonal rank adjustment, we received a wealth of feedback from the community. A common concern was the pressure associated with having a rank reset every half-season, which has made participating in competitive mode less enjoyable. In light of the communitys input, we have decided to make some changes to optimize the rank system.According to the new structure, the first half of the season will still conclude on February 21, 2025, at 8:00 AM (UTC+0). Players at Gold rank will receive the costume reward, as well as Crests of Honors for those in Grandmaster and above, and the Crest of Honor for the top 500 (One Above All). Must-Listen: Publishing Manor Lords w/ Joe Robinson VideoGamer Podcast Listen Now However, when the second half of the season begins, there will be no rank reset. Players will retain their ranks and scores from the end of the first half. To earn new rewards, players simply need to complete 10 matches in Competitive mode and meet the relevant conditions by the end of the season. Rewards will include a new Gold rank costume and a variety of Crests of Honor, featuring distinct designs for Grandmaster, Celestial, Eternity, and One Above All.This change was welcomed by the community as they turned in their comments for the devs where one user wrote, Devs instantly listened to the community. This is a big W. On the contrary, some believed that the structure would have balanced the game due to the arrival of the new heroes.If youre awaiting the release of The Thing and Human Torch in Rivals, check out the full info on their upcoming abilities in the game right here.Marvel RivalsPlatform(s):macOS, PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S, Xbox Series XGenre(s):Fighting, ShooterRelated TopicsMarvel Rivals Subscribe to our newsletters!By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime.Share

How does a displacement work with EEVEE and Cycles in Blender? What's the difference between texture and modifier displacement? Let's see.Source

This seems like a distraction for the driver. Distractions cause accidents. Accidents cost money. This is very true! You might wonder "how can it matter if you are stopped"?But even fully stopped you have to be aware if people are coming from behind you not knowing you aer stopped, so you can brace or avoid.Or if you are distracted you might not notice a light just turned and fail to go, again getting rear-ended by the driver behind you coming in at a speed that assumed you would start moving.Just never a g

Mysterious Mod MusicFreshly-released Baldur's Gate 3 custom campaign is all about finding "the dark secret of the Grand Theater", and your musical soul might be nicked in the process"This is a world where the Red Wizards hold the strings, and youll have to decide whether the cost of fame is worth the price."Image credit: Larian/Moezillaaa/VG247 News by Mark Warren Senior Staff Writer Published on Feb. 11, 2025 Do you long to take your Baldur's Gate 3 gang somewhere a bit more cultured than the Lower City Sewers? Well, a new custom campaign mod looks like it'll let you do just that, as well as offering a chance to delve into a musical mystery woven by the Red Wizards of Thay.Yep, this is another one of these big projects you can play in an initial form right now, like modder SquallyDaBeanz's Forsaken campaign - which arrived the other week as a teaser level that should eventually evolve into the full thing. There are also mods like Path To Menzobarranzan still in the works, because the BG3 custom campaign ball is properly rolling, like a goblin Karlach's chucked down a hill.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. Speaking of Karlach, it looks like you'll be able to take he with you into the fresh location added to the game by this latest custom campaign mod to drop - Moezillaaa's 'The Grand Theater - Sell your Lute to the Devil'It's set in The Grand Theater, a custom-built "imposing, yet strangely inviting structure" on the outskirts of Baldur's Gate, where bards perform amid a very cool pink hue and under the watchful eye of a mysterious group from Forgotten Realms lore."The flickering lights of lanterns and the alluring sound of music draw in travelers from far and wide, promising an experience of unparalleled entertainment," Moezillaaa writes, "However, what lies beneath the polished veneer of extravagant performances and mesmerizing illusions is a darker, more sinister story."The theater is owned and operated by a powerful faction known as the Red Wizards of Thay - arcane masters and manipulative schemers whose true intentions are often cloaked in secrecy. As they push their hidden agendas, they have crafted a show unlike any other: a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for performers to showcase their talents... but at a cost."Watch on YouTubeThe mod's been released as a "version 1.0" designed to serve as an intro, so it's got a long way to go before it's finished. However, so far you can dive into and explore a bunch of the pretty expansive and deatailed-looking Grand Theater, as well as kick off six custom quests and chat to plenty NPCs that boast 2000 plus freshly-written dialogue lines between them. Oh, and there's a "very rare reward item" to hunt for.Moezillaaa's laid out a roadmap of how they plan to expand this with future updates going forwards, with version 1.1 set to bring the likes of proper combat, more cutscenes, and what sounds like a fully explorable exterior for the theatre.Will you be checking out The Grand Theater? Let us know below, and make sure to stay tuned for plenty more news about BG3 mods.

Coming Out Swinging"Theres a moment in this that is just absolutely batsh*t" Daredevil: Born Again's showrunner really wants you to know how much more violent his show is than the Netflix series"The level of violence is way up there for a Marvel/ Disney show."Image credit: Marvel News by Oisin Kuhnke Contributor Published on Feb. 11, 2025 If there's one thing that Daredevil: Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane really wants you to know, it's that his take on the character will be super violent.You know, these days it feels like the only thing that ever comes up when it comes to the Netflix Daredevil series these days is how Dark and Gritty and Violent and Realistic it was. We got the occasional hit tweet here and there that actually shows off some of the good stuff, but there's been an unfortunate fixation on Daredevil being a serious comic book show, and it seems like Born Again showrunner Dario Scardapane is trying to live up to said fixation. Speaking to Empire, Scardapane shared that his take on the character will go even harder than the Netflix one, saying, "The level of violence is way up there for a Marvel/ Disney show.To see this content please enable targeting cookies. "I dont think theres anything else even in the ballpark. Theres a moment in this that is just absolutely batshit, and way past anything Netflix ever did." Not exactly sure why we have to make this the violence olympics, I'm all for a bit of fictitious violence, but a good show that doesn't make. Kingpin actor Vincent DOnofrio also took part in the interview, himself doubling down on how violent the show is. "Theres a world in which you might think that if that show kept running, wed be in this place eventually, or something like it," the actor said. "But weve gone further in the darkness, the action, the nastiness."Scardapane also isn't looking to repeat what he considers to be the mistakes of the Netflix series, saying, "If you look at how it ends almost every season, they punch the s**t out of each other, Kingpin goes to jail, we know hes gonna come back. I didnt want to do that. This dynamic is way more tense. Theres one scene between them in the first episode that lays it all out. Then we spend the next eight episodes throwing rocks at it." I'm not exactly sure how ever so slightly dunking on the thing that people liked so much they willed it into MCU canon is going to do your show any favours, but what do I know?After a long wait and lengthy delays, you'll finally be able to watch Daredevil: Born Again when it premieres on Disney Plus this coming March 5.