Senior VFX Artist Aleksei Shcherbina unveiled his latest creation, featuring dynamic effects for a soldier character in Unreal Engine 5. This soldier is equipped with two weapons, each capable of inflicting varying levels of damage. Theres also a super ability: a powerful, high-damage shot from the soldiers gun that is unleashed after charging.For this project, the artist utilized Unreal Engine 5, Houdini, and After Effects. Click this link to see more shots and check out Alekseis other works, including his depiction of a 125mm tank projectile penetrating a steel plate. He based this on references and videos of real explosions and cumulative charge penetrations to maintain accuracy and realism.Visit Aleksei Shcherbinas ArtStation page for more and join our80 Level Talent platformand ournew Discord server, follow us onInstagram,Twitter,LinkedIn,Telegram,TikTok, andThreads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.Source link The post Epic Soldier Super Ability VFX Powered By Unreal Engine 5 appeared first on CG SHARES.

Commanders are essential to your empire's growth and survival in Civilization VII. Without them, you'll have to control dozens of military units one by one, which can cause dysfunction and confusion if you're heading into war. By using your Commanders properly, you'll be able to earn XP for them by defeating enemy units. This in turn allows you to unlock new Promotions for your Commanders, which give them specific skills and abilities. Every Commander has five dedicated skill trees with five to six abilities in each of the trees. While you'll eventually be able to unlock all Promotions for your Commanders, there are some you should target before others. Below, we'll go over three Promotions you should unlock first for both the Army Commander and the Fleet Commander in Civilization VII. Army Commander - Initiative The first Promotion Point you want to spend for the Army Commander is Initiative, which is located under the red "Assault" category. Initiative allows your units to move after they are deployed from the Commander. This is a huge bonus, as sometimes it takes time for your Commander to get to a combat situation and if you have to take multiple turns to unpack your units and then have them attack, they could take massive damage as a result. With Initiative, your Commander can arrive, unpack the units, and then you can attack with all of them on the same turn. Not only does this protect your units from more damage, but it allows them to attack before an enemy can. Fleet Commander - Weather Gage Weather Gage is located under the green "Engagement" category of the Fleet Commander's Promotion Points. It does the same exact thing as the Initiative Promotion for the Army Commander. After unpacking your naval vessels from the Fleet Commander, they can move and attack on the same turn. This is especially useful for naval ships, as you often need to arrange them strategically in the water to attack a fortified district on land or other units in the water. Army Commander - Mobility The next Promotion Point you want to spend for the Army Commander is Mobility, which is the first skill in the orange "Manuever" category. Mobility is a skill designed for Commanders that you plan to send all over the map, going from encounter to encounter. The skill gives your Commander another movement tile every turn while on land. It also ignores any movement restrictions from terrain when your units are packed with the Commander. So if you come across a river or mountain range, your Commander can still move freely and farther with the Mobility skill equipped. Mobility is not a skill you want to unlock for Commanders that you plan on keeping stationary at a settlement. For those Commanders, I recommend unlocking Zeal, the first skill in the blue "Leadership" category. Zeal increases all of a settlement's production yields by 5% when a Commander is stationed there. Fleet Commander - Naval Artillery It's time to venture into the red category, which is all about increasing your combat strength for a Commander's units. Specifically for the Fleet Commander, the best early Promotion Point to spend is on Naval Artillery. This skill gives your naval units a +5 to Combat Strength when they are within the Commander's movement radius and attacking a fortified district. Fortified districts refer to most enemy capitals in a settlement. Going for Naval Artilley allows your naval units to deal more damage to these capitals, which can in turn help your land units claim the capital and the settlement for your empire. Army Commander - Rout Similar to the Naval Artilley, the Rout skill is under the red "Assault" category for an Army Commander and is centered around improving your unit's combat strength. Rout gives your infantry units a +2 to Combat Strength when in the Commander's radius and attacking. Infantry units refer to units containing soldiers that fight with their hands instead of at range. Any unit that wields a sword or can only attack when in the adjacent tile counts as an infantry unit. You can read the description of a unit if you need to know for sure that it's infantry. Rout allows your infantry units to deal more damage when they attack an enemy while being near a Commander. Why that's important is fairly self-explanatory, but this could turn a stalemate into a major victory during a combat engagement. Fleet Commander - Warships Warships is the final Fleet Commander Promotion we recommend you target first. This skill is located under the yellow "Logistics" category and gives you a 15% increase in the production of naval units when your Fleet Commander is stationed in a city. Naval units, especially ones during the Modern Age, can take forever to produce, sometimes exceeding 10 turns. With the Warships skill, you can cut down on that time significantly, allowing you to produce more ships at any one of your coastal cities. It's important that you station your Fleet Commander with the Warships skill at a coastal city and not a town. If you station the Fleet Commander in a town, you can only purchase naval units, not produce them. The Warships skill specifies an increase in production, not a reduction in price. So by stationing your Fleet Commander with the Warships skill in a coastal city, you can then produce naval units much faster in that specific city.

The option to romance NPC characters in RPGs has been around for a long time, and even recent titles like Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2 offer that feature to players. However, Avowed is bucking that trend by almost completely removing players' ability to court their companions. According to Avowed director Carrie Patel, she made the decision to downplay romance because she felt it takes away from the experience of playing the game.While appearing on IGN's Unlocked podcast, Patel revealed that she believes the romantic options in RPGs "undermine that core experience" and practically invite players to focus more on the romance than on the story or even the characters themselves. Instead, Patel favored a more natural form of bonding with the player's companions that doesn't end with two characters in bed."My hope with players and their companion relationships in Avowed is that they would feel natural, and players would get out of them exactly what they want and exactly as much as they put in," said Patel. She added that it was supposed to be like "you're getting to know some new friends."Continue Reading at GameSpot

Strangled Adra is a unique point of interest in Avowed. These special Adra Waystones are similar to those found in Avowed's Party Camps, and allow the Envoy to converse directly with one of the game's most important NPCs. However, while the normal Waystones seem to be filled with pure Essence, the Strangled Adra appears to be suffering from a mysterious malady. In this guide, we'll show you where to find all five Strangled Adra in Avowed, and reveal the rewards you'll collect when locating them.

There are many ways to play The Sims 2, but for Sims (and players) driven by a need for wealth, finding the highest-paying career might be the first question that comes to mind. Sims can take jobs in The Sims 2 by checking the newspaper or using a computer. However, jobs pay differently at different levels of the ladder.

SEGA is gearing up for the February 21st release of Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii on PlayStation4, PlayStation5!Like a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii places Goro Majima as the sole main character of the story set after the events of Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth. Set on the tropical waters and islands of Hawaii, Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii offers an unpredictable assortment of high seas thrills. Sail aboard the Goromaru and enjoy hot-blooded battles, a treasure trove of minigames.Meet a charismatic cast of new characters, brought to life by star-studded actors, including First Summer Uika, Kenji Matsuda, Munetaka Aoki, Ryuji Akiyama, Ayumi Tanida, and Shunsuke Daitoh!StoryView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageAfter losing his memory, Goro Majima, a once-feared legend in the yakuza world, sets sail in search of treasure.Half a year after teaming up with Kiryu for a massive battle in the Millenium Tower, Goro Majima washes up with the wreckage of a boat on the shore of a remote, sparsely populated island. With no memoriesnot even his own nameMajima joins forces with Noah, the young islander who saved his life, and embarks on a search for clues to his forgotten past. However, what waits for them is a powder-keg world where scoundrels vie for a legendary treasure.Push Combat to the Extreme with Two Battle StyleView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageIn addition to his signature Mad Dog style, which is all about speed, Majima can also use his Sea Dog style to wield a cutlass and other buccaneer gear.View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageWith his Mad Dog style, Majima blends together a combination of punches, kicks, and knife strokes to make quick work of his enemies.Additionally, you can swap to Sea Dog style, a swashbuckling fighting style befitting a pirate at sea. With a pair of cutlasses and three sidearms at his disposal, Majima can easily make shark bait of his enemies.Using the Madness Gauge, Majima can summon dark deities capable of turning the tides of battle. Conjuring them requires treasures known as Dark Instruments, which youll need to plunder from the ships of defeated rival pirate crews.Pirate BattlesThe game takes place on and around the islands of Hawaii, where different motives collide. As you sail across the Pacific, foster bonds with your maties and battle against the scoundrels that roam the high seas!View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageCaptain the Goromaru as you explore the vast ocean! During your voyages, youll discover lighthouses, treasure islands, and various other locations. However, dont forget to ready your cannons, as you may have to go to pirate battle with the dangerous marauders that lurk in wait!Maneuver around enemy bombardments and send volleys of cannonballs into their ships hull! Once it has taken enough damage, board their ship with your crew and brawl it out to secure victory!To really kick ass in pirate battles, youll need to modify your ship, strategically deploy your forces, and power up your crew! Meet over 100 recruitable seafarers and modify your ship with options that range from different designs and decorations to armor and stronger cannons!View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageMinigamesYou can also have fun with Karaoke, Dragon Kart, Outfits, and many other activities!View and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageView and download imageDownload the imagecloseCloseDownload this imageLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in Hawaii Product Information:TitleLike a Dragon: Pirate Yakuza in HawaiiRelease DateFebruary 21, 2025 (Fri)PlatformPlayStation5 / PlayStation4LanguagesSubtitles: Japanese, English, Korean, Chinese (Traditional, Simplified)Websitehttps://ryu-ga-gotoku.com/pirate/asia_en/SEGA Asia Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/sega.asia.ENCopyrightSEGA

Writer Matt Fraction will pick up the Batman baton this September, DC Comics announced at the annual ComicsPRO industry conference today, joining current Batman artist Jorge Jimenez for a new Batman #1 hitting shelves in September.Picking up after Jeph Loeb and Jim Lees Hush sequel, H2SH, concludes with Augusts Batman #163, the new Batman era will come with a redesigned Batman costume a fresh take on his classic blue and gray color scheme, a new Batmobile, and a new pop-influenced look for Gotham City, according to Jimenez.As for Fraction, he most recently wrote Batman in his last book for DC Comics, the rollicking comedy Supermans Pal Jimmy Olsen, but its safe to assume that the character will be a little different than his appearances there.Jorge and I have a very superhero-forward kind of take on Batman, Fraction said in DCs news release. Weve got a new Batmobile, weve got a new costume, weve got new characters, and weve got a lot of old ones too good and bad; all the stuff that makes Batman the coolest character in comics. We want to celebrate it all.Fraction and Jimenezs Batman will begin with a fresh structure, too: A series of connected stories that offer one self-contained chapter in each issue. DC didnt just come to show off Batman news, not in their own Summer of Superman initiative. The publisher also announced a new Supergirl series launching May 14, featuring her small town adventures, from writer and artist Sophie Campbell (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles): As well as a new five-issue miniseries starting June 18, Krypto: The Last Dog of Krypton, a Krypto origin story comic from artist Mike Norton (Battlepug) and writer Ryan North (Fantastic Four, Squirrel Girl, Dinosaur Comics), another noted dog lover. We dont cheat by reading his thoughts in balloons, North joked in DCs news release, noting that Nortons art does the talking for this super mans best friend.Rounding out the announcements was a new creative team and direction for Action Comics: Writer Mark Waid (Batman/Superman: Worlds Finest) and artist Skylar Patridge, a veteran of DCs anthology specials, will refocus the book on Clark Kents early years as Superboy in Smallville, starting with Junes Action Comics #1087.

Although everyone is looking ahead to Grand Theft Auto 6, Rockstar Games isnt giving up on its current cash cows. An update for PC players coming March 4 will add console-exclusive content to Grand Theft Auto Online as well as a bunch of technical improvements to the single-player GTA 5 experience.Heres a breakdown of the new Grand Theft Auto Online content PC players will be able to access:Enjoy a range of new vehicles and upgrades at Haos Special Works (HSW) that push automotive performance to new heights, and test your driving skills with Premium Test Rides, HSW Races, and HSW Time Trials.Encounter Ambient Animals all across Southern San Andreas and take pictures of them to participate in the daily Wildlife Photography Challenge for new rewards.PC players can sign up for GTA+ Membership to get special benefits in the upgraded version of GTA Online and beyond.Track your criminal movements across all of GTA Onlines updates with the Career Progress feature as you build your empire.Navigate a refreshed Landing Page as your starting destination to get straight into the action. Plus, take advantage of an improved introductory flow for newer players with a GTA$4,000,000 windfall to buy property, vehicles, and other items when you start off as an Executive, Gunrunner, Nightclub Owner, or Biker in the Career Builder.These are all the improvements coming to Grand Theft Auto 5 on PC:Ray tracing features only available on PC such as ambient occlusion and global illumination plus ray traced shadows and reflections first debuted on consolesSupport for AMD FSR1 and FSR3, and NVIDIA DLSS 3Faster loading times using SSD and DirectStorage on supported devices and configurationsEnhanced support for higher resolutions, higher aspect ratios, and higher frameratesDualSense controller support, with adaptive triggersEnhanced audio with support for Dolby Atmos and improved fidelity of speech, cinematics, and musicAnd finally, Grand Theft Auto Online players on PC will be able to subscribe to GTA+, which provides free vehicles at The Vinewood Club, a garage that can hold 100 vehicles, $500,000 of in-game currency every month and the ability to purchase unique Shark Cards with 15% bonuses.Rockstar promises to continue supporting the previous version of Grand Theft Auto 5 for players whose PCs cant handle the visual upgrades, but this will also have the side effect of splitting Grand Theft Auto Online in two.Please note that to maintain this support, the original version of Grand Theft Auto Online on PC will be a separate instance, and players who remain on that version will not be able to play in sessions together with those on the upgraded version, Rockstar said. PC players who want to play with each other will need to ensure theyre playing the same version of the game. Both versions will be available to everyone who upgrades and first-time purchasers will get access to both versions as well.

When Apple announced the iPhone 16e on Wednesday, there was a lot of focus on the price tag ($599 is cheap for a new iPhone, but not that cheap), the lack of MagSafe support, and Apple's decision to finally kill off the Home button. But there's an interesting discussion surrounding the 16e's processor: the A18. At first glance, it seems like the same chip as the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus. The phones also have the A18, which makes it sound like the iPhone 16e offers the same performance as its more expensive sibling devices, for at least $200 less. The thing is, these aren't the same chips: The A18 in the iPhone 16e is "binned."What is a "binned" chip?"Binned" chips don't just apply to Apple products. All computer chip makers can bin their chips. It has to do with the manufacturing process: Chips are extremely complicated products, and they don't all come out exactly the same. Samples are tested for quality assurance purposes, and the chips that aren't quite up to snuff are separated from the ones that perform to standard. The former are then "binned," and won't be used as high-end chips, since they aren't able to hit the performance levels manufacturers are looking for.That doesn't mean binned chips won't be used at all, however. On the contrary, binned chips are often used, especially as mid- and lower-tier options. Manufacturers will often disable different "cores" of these chips to keep their performance in check. They're still perfectly capable chips, especially when they have this ceiling in place. Intel does this with its line of chips, for example, which is why you have different performance variants, like i5, i7, and i9. Apple does this, too: For the iPad mini 7, the company used binned A17 Pro chips. Now, Apple is using binned A18s for the iPhone 16e.How the iPhone 16e uses binned A18sSo, Apple makes a batch of A18 chips, originally intended to ship with the iPhone 16 series. During testing, some of these A18 chips aren't totally up to snuff, so they're set aside and not used for iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Plus devices.However, Apple has a new iPhone they want to sell for less than its flagship lineone that strips out "premium" features to keep costs down, but also offers incentives for users to actually buy their new iPhone over other options. It does have some binned A18 chips lying around: Why not use those instead?The iPhone 16e, then, uses the "same" chip as you'd find in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plusbut we know it doesn't perform as well, and thus can't be pushed as far. Apple, then, disables one of the GPU cores to keep performance in check. The 16e's CPU has the same six cores as the 16 and 16 Plus' (two performance and four efficiency), and the NPU has the same 16 cores across all devices. But where the GPU in the 16 and 16 Plus has five cores, the GPU in the 16e only has four cores. That's because these chips are binned. We won't know exactly how the binned A18 compares to the A18 found in the iPhone 16 and 16 Plus until reviewers get their hands on the iPhone 16e. However, my guess is the differences will be minimal. The CPUs and NPUs are the same, and the 16e's GPU still has four cores, which means performance for most tasks on the iPhone is going to be high. However, where the difference might show is in graphically demanding apps, such as AAA games. Developers could push the iPhone 16 a bit further than the iPhone 16e, because it has that extra GPU core. That will likely extend to the longevity of these devices, too: As software advances and becomes more demanding, the extra GPU core on the iPhone 16 could help keep it running smoother for longer.That said, it's just one extra core. In all likelihood, it's not going to amount to that great a difference. We'll see the numbers once reviewers run their benchmarks, but I think Apple's choice here was more about saving the company money than offering users a noticeably worse experience.

Whenever I have a carb emergency I make one of two things: cookies or quick bread. Lately Ive been leaning toward the latterlike banana bread, lemon poppy muffins, or biscuitsbecause theyre less sweet compared to cookies, and I enjoy the ritual smear of salted butter. Ive been making this Irish soda bread on repeat and I think youll like it too.Quick-bread satisfactionThe quick breads category is pretty wide. They can be sweet and cake-y like banana bread, barely sweet like scones, or savory like cheddar cheese and thyme biscuits. Unlike yeast-raised breads, quick breads are raised with chemical leaveners (baking soda or baking powder), which means they require absolutely none of the long proof times. Whats more, something like Irish soda bread requires very few ingredients.The Dutch oven is my vehicle of choice for this lofty, tender Irish soda bread. Similar to baking a sourdough loaf, humidity is your soda breads friend. Encasing your soda bread in a small space allows humidity to build up as moisture evaporates from the dough. The moist air keeps the surface of the loaf flexible for longer than if you bake it open on a sheet tray. The extra flexibility means the loaf can rise taller, uninhibited by a hard crust.How to make Irish soda breadI slightly modified this simple recipe, which has only four ingredients: flour, salt, baking soda, and buttermilk. Its very similar to biscuit dough (minus butter or oil). While traditional soda bread is the simplestno raisinsI choose to toss them in. You can substitute in other mix-ins if the mood strikes you: Try dried cranberries, chopped dried apricots, or chocolate chips. The dough is relatively plain so any flavor profile you choose will work just fine.I have two notes before you set out to make your loaf. Most importantly, dont overwork your dough. Youve heard it before, but with shaggy doughs like this its hard to resist kneading it until smooth. Dont do it. Leave it a bit shaggy and youll have a more tender loaf.About preheating your Dutch oven: The conventional oven should be preheated no matter what, but Ive made this recipe with a cold Dutch oven before. I actually made a whole Irish soda bread YouTube video using a cold pot. It comes out perfectly and well-risen. However, I've recently been preheating the Dutch oven as the conventional oven heats up, and the loaf comes out perfectly there too. In the recipe below, I preheat the pot. You can do eitherthe only difference I detect is a faster bake by 10 minutes if you choose to preheat.Any other Irish soda bread questions you have might be answered here. Otherwise, the dough takes mere minutes to put together. Irish Soda BreadIngredients:12 ounces all-purpose flour teaspoon salt teaspoon baking soda10 ounces buttermilk2 ounces raisins (optional)1. Put the Dutch oven inside the oven and preheat to 425F. Mix the flour, salt, and baking soda together in a large bowl.2. Pour in the buttermilk all at once and combine the ingredients by pressing and stirring. I use a plastic bowl scraper to do this.3. When the dough starts to become clumpy and shaggy, add the raisins (if using) and continue pressing and stirring. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann 4. When its mostly combined but there is still loose flour at the bottom of the bowl, pour the dough out onto an un-floured countertop. Pat and press the dough to pick up the dry bits. Use any sticky areas to target the loose flour. Once youve collected most of the loose parts, pat the dough into a (roughly) two-inch thick round. Use a serrated knife to score a half-inch deep plus sign into the dough. Place the loaf on a piece of parchment paper. Credit: Allie Chanthorn Reinmann 5. Carefully take the Dutch oven out and use the parchment to lift and lower the loaf into the pot. Put the lid back on and return the pot to the oven. Bake for 25 minutes, then remove the lid and bake for another 10 minutes until golden brown. Cool the soda bread on a wire rack before noshing.