While its compact design comes with some trade-offs, the Xgimi Horizon S Max stands out as one of the brightest and most powerful projectors I've reviewed.

The FBI issues mitigation advice as Medusa ransomware attacks continue.Getty ImagesThe Federal Bureau of Investigation has recently warned of weird ransomware attack threats delivered by the United States Postal Service, yes really, alongside a dangerous ransowmare campaign from so-called Ghost attackers, and some of the most sophisticated threats against Gmail users ever. Having previously also advised users to use two-factor authentication to mitigate such attacks, a newly published FBI industry alert has rolled the mitigation advice into one as ongoing attacks by the Medusa ransomware gang continue. Enable 2FA for webmail services such as Gmail and Outlook, as well as for VPNs, the FBI has warned. And enable it now. Heres what you need to know.FBI And CISA Issue Medusa Ransomware Industry Joint AlertMedusa, a highly dangerous ransomware-as-a-service provider, known to have impacted at least 300 victims from the critical infrastructure sector since the campaign was first observed in June 2021, is known to employ both social engineering and unpatched software vulnerability exploitation during attacks. FBI investigations as recently as February have enabled intelligence agencies to assemble a dossier of tactics, techniques, and procedures, indicators of compromise, and detection methods associated with the threat actors.In partnership with the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, the FBI has issued a joint March 12 cybersecurity advisory against the backdrop of attacks by the Medusa ransomware group. The full FBI alert, AA25-071A, goes into great depth regarding the technicalities of the Medusa operation. As such, it is of importance that this should be read by all cyber-defenders. However, for the purposes of this article I am going to focus on the attack mitigation advice offered by the FBI.Mitigating MedusaFBI Says Enable 2FA For Webmail And VPNs NowWhen it comes to the immediate, as in right now, actions that all organizations should be taking in order to mitigate the Medusa ransomware attack campaigns, the FBI has recommended the following:Require two-factor authentication for all services where possible, but in particular for webmail such as Gmail, Outlook and others, along with virtual private networks and any accounts that can access critical systems.Require all accounts with password logins to use long passwords and consider not requiring frequently recurring password changes, as these can weaken security.Retain multiple copies of sensitive or proprietary data and servers in a physically separate, segmented, and secure location.Keep all operating systems, software, and firmware up to date. Prioritize patching known exploited vulnerabilities in internet-facing systems.Identify, detect, and investigate abnormal activity and potential traversal of the indicated ransomware with a networking monitoring tool.Monitor for unauthorized scanning and access attempts.Filter network traffic by preventing unknown or untrusted origins from accessing remote services on internal systems.Audit user accounts with administrative privileges and configure access controls according to the principle of least privilege.Disable command-line and scripting activities and permissions.Disable unused ports.Despite FBI And CISA Advice, The Hackers Must Be LaughingNot everyone is happy with the advice that has been given by the FBI and CISA with regard to the Medusa ransomware group threat. Take Roger Grimes, a data-driven defence evangelist at KnowBe4, who said that it continues a long tradition of warning people about ransomware that spreads using social engineering, that then does not suggest security awareness training as a primary way to defeat it. Grimes said that, in the experience of KnowBe4, social engineering is involved in 70% - 90% of all successful hacking attacks. Yet, despite the official alert noting that social engineering is one of the primary methods of distributing the ransomware threats, awareness isnt mentioned in the 15 recommended mitigations. It's like learning that criminals are breaking into your house all the time through the windows and then recommending more locks for the doors, Grimes said. Warning that such a continued misalignment between the ways we are most often attacked by threat actors and their malware programs and how we are told to defend ourselves enables hackers to continue to be successful, Grimes concluded that the hackers must be laughing."

Costly cyberattacks against various elements of the auto industry rose sharply last year as hackers ... [+] become more sophisticated, according to a new report from cybersecurity company Upstream.gettyThe rolling computers our cars and trucks have become, the companies that produce them and dealers who sell them have come under a sharp increase in costly cyberattacks according to a new report from cybersecurity company Upstream Security Inc.In 2024, 60% of cybersecurity incidents in the automotive and smart mobility sectors affected thousands to millions of mobility assets, including vehicles, EV charging stations, smart mobility apps, and connected devices, the 2025 Global Automotive and Smart Mobility Cybersecurity Report by Upstream revealed.In particular, massive-scale incidents, each impacting millions of vehicles, more than tripled, rising from 5% in 2023 to 19% in 2024, according to the report.Chart from Upstream report showing sharp increase in "high-massive" impact cybersecurity attacks ... [+] against the auto industry in 2024.UpstreamIndeed, massive-scale incidents continued to increase between 2023 and 2024, accounting for nearly 60% of all incidents, the report revealed.Jason Masker, director of solutions architecture at cybersecurity company Upstream Security Inc. Ed GarstenThese threat actors are looking for, what's the best leverage I have to get you to pay me. If that's now, I can impact millions of vehicles. I can impact your reputation. I can impact your I'm going to get you to pay me, to keep this quiet, said Jason Masker, director of solutions architecture at Upstream, in an interview on the sidelines of a cybersecurity conference in Dearborn, Michigan this week.The attacks have grown far beyond simply hacking into a vehicles controls, although thats still a threat.The report cites a discovery by Duke University researchers that radar used to adjust proper separation of vehicles when adaptive cruise control is in use can be attacked with potentially disastrous results.This type of attack can be used to fool adaptive cruise control systems that use radar, into thinking the car in front of it is speeding up, when it is not, resulting in a frontal collision, the report warned.Other types of cyberattacks cited included:The U.S. division of a Japanese automaker hit with ransomware attack resulting in data theft of 22GB of sensitive vehicle and customer information.Chinese tier-two supplier hit by a ransomware attack leading to a major breach of 1.2TB of data, impacting Chinese and global manufacturers.Italian branch of a German automaker experienced a data breach compromising customer personal identifiable information.Chart from Upstream report on breakdown of auto-related cybersecurity attacks in 2024. UpstreamAuto dealers were especially vulnerable to costly cyberattacks. In one incident cited by the report, a major ransomware attack against a major dealership management software provider affecting 15,000 dealerships, led to a three-week service outage, over $1 billion in economic damage and a $25 million ransom demand.The Anderson Economic Group-AEG, estimated that total direct losses to franchised auto dealers reached $1.02 billion, according to the report.AEGs figure includes lost earnings from the approximately 56,000 new unit sales the company estimated were lost during the three-week period, lost earnings on used car sales, lost earnings on parts and service, additional staffing and IT service costs and additional floor plan interest costs on inventory.The breadth of effort by so-called black hat attackers continues to grow, including invading or disabling the computer systems that track commercial truck drivers legally-mandated service logs until a ransom is paid, basically shutting down operations.They're learning from every interaction, from every impact, noted Masker. If we didn't get paid out enough that time, maybe we'll go a little further next time.Its all evidence malicious cyberattackers have turned their attention from individual drivers to targets with much deeper pocketsnamely automakers and suppliers that would take huge financial hits should their computer systems be disabled for an extended time.If I'm talking about hundreds of millions or billions, even, of dollars a year, what's a month, right? If you're shut down for 30 days, yeah, that money's not coming in, noted Masker.Indeed, cyberattackers have changed their tactics from merely disabling a system to extract ransom payments.Traditional ransomware extortion tactics, where attackers encrypt critical data, shutdown the victim's operation, and extort them with the threat of releasing sensitive data (e.g., double extortion) have proven less effective for attackersdata encryption is resource-intensive and many organizations can restore their data from backups, the report noted.The sharp increase in cyberattacks has revealed what the report terms a widening gap between regulations designed to minimize such attacks and companies efforts to stay ahead of attackers, due to a false sense of security.The report urges automakers and mobility stakeholders to go beyond regulations to address the threats causing serious implications for safety, operational availability and data privacy.Upstream takes a multi-level approach to defending against cyberattacks. Most notably, it monitors activities in more than 25 million vehicles, ingesting what Masker describes as dozens of billions of transactions, giving its clients fair warning about possible attacks.The company also employs individuals to join and lurk on certain websites where they might catch discussions planning attacks.There's all kinds of auto enthusiasts out there, said Masker. Sometimes they're just trying to make their cars go fast. Wouldn't hurt anyone. Theyre working on their own car, but they discover something that somebody goes, ah, I can take this and apply it and do something kind of malicious. So we have people in those forums.Upstream CEO Yoav Levy expects artificial intelligence to play a much greater role in helping to detect such attacks, predicting in the report, an acceleration in AI adoption, integrating it across detection, investigation, and mitigation processes.Experts quoted in the report all expect the incidences of cyberattacks against the auto industry to increase this year affecting everything from connected electric vehicle battery charging networks to manufacturing operations.The motivation for the attacks remains simple, according to Masker.Its all about the payday.

What just happened? The first step in Meta's attempts to have a tell-all book by a former employee blocked has succeeded. An arbitrator has decided in favor of the company, ruling that Sarah Wynn-Williams is prohibited from promoting Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism. Wynn-Williams' book includes several damning revelations and allegations against Meta. There are further details about the concessions the company offered to the Chinese government in the hope of launching a censored version of the platform in the country. The book also includes claims of sexual harassment by chief global affairs officer Joel Kaplan while he was a vice president for global public policy and Wynn-Williams' boss. Further allegations include Facebook ignoring internal warnings about its potential damage to human rights and democracy.The book also alleges that Chinese president Xi Jinping once used a human wall of security personnel to block any potential eye contact between himself and Mark Zuckerberg.Yesterday, Meta won an emergency arbitration ruling to temporarily stop promotion of the book. The arbitrator, Nicholas Gowen, said Meta would suffer "immediate and irreparable loss" in the absence of emergency relief.Sarah Wynn-Williams pictured with Mark Zuckerberg and Joel KaplanGowen said that Wynn-Williams must stop making disparaging, critical, or otherwise detrimental remarks against Meta and its employees and retract all such previous comments from all forums, including online, where they appear to the extent she can control. // Related StoriesFurthermore, Wynn-Williams cannot promote the book via a book tour or other means, or further publish or distribute it. Again, the order comes with the "to the extent she can control" caveat.Meta alleges that Wynn-Williams violated the non-disparagement terms of her September 2017 severance agreement. Book publisher Macmillan argues it was not bound by this agreement.It's unclear if the arbitrator can stop the book from being published. It remains on sale at retailers such as Amazon, where it is the number one best-seller in its category.Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said the ruling confirms that Wynn-Williams' "false and defamatory book" should never have been published."This urgent legal action was made necessary by Williams, who more than eight years after being terminated by the company, deliberately concealed the existence of her book project and avoided the industry's standard fact-checking process in order to rush it to shelves after waiting for eight years," Stone said.Meta previously said that Wynn-Williams' comments were out-of-date and that she was fired in 2017 for poor performance and toxic behavior. The international lawyer and a former New Zealand diplomat joined Facebook in 2011 and eventually became its director of global public policy.

What just happened? Texas Instruments has made a significant leap in the field of microelectronics with the unveiling of the world's smallest microcontroller unit, the MSPM0C1104. This diminutive device measures a mere 1.38 mm about the size of a black pepper flake. As consumers increasingly demand more features in smaller devices, the need for compact components like this MCU has become paramount. This trend is particularly pronounced in the medical and consumer electronics fields, where wearables and smart home devices are gaining popularity.The MSPM0C1104 MCU is part of Texas Instruments' Arm Cortex-M0+ MSPM0 MCU portfolio and leverages the advantages of wafer-level chip-scale package (WLCSP) technology, making it 38 percent smaller than competing devices. This technological advancement allows engineers to maintain high computing performance without increasing board size, which is crucial for devices such as earbuds and medical probes. The MCU features a 12-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with three channels, six general-purpose input/output pins, and compatibility with standard communication interfaces like UART, SPI, and I2C.Built on the enhanced Arm Cortex-M0+ core, the MSPM0C1104 operates at frequencies of up to 24 MHz. It includes up to 16 KB of embedded flash memory and 1 KB of SRAM. It also incorporates a high-speed on-chip oscillator with an accuracy of -2 percent to +1.2 percent, eliminating the need for an external crystal.Other notable features include a single-channel DMA, a CRC-16 accelerator, and a variety of high-performance analog peripherals such as an on-chip temperature sensor. The device also offers intelligent digital peripherals, including one 16-bit advanced timer, two 16-bit general-purpose timers, and a windowed watchdog timer.The MSPM0C1104 MCU operates within a wide temperature range of -40C to 125C and supports supply voltages from 1.62V to 3.6V. Its power efficiency is remarkable, consuming only 87A/MHz when active and 5A in standby mode with SRAM retention. This efficiency and compact size make it particularly suitable for battery-powered devices where extended battery life is essential.Texas Instruments' MSPM0 MCU portfolio features over 100 MCUs with pin-to-pin compatible package options, starting at $0.16 per unit in quantities of 1,000. The ecosystem is supported by a software development kit, hardware development kits, reference designs, subsystems, and tools like Zero Code Studio, enabling users to configure and develop MCU applications without extensive coding.Furthermore, the MSPM0C1104 MCU is supported by online collateral, training with MSP Academy, and online support through the TI E2E support forums. Texas Instruments offers a LaunchPad development kit for the MSPM0C1104, including an onboard debug probe for programming and debugging. // Related Stories

When it comes to streaming devices, one of the O.G. brands behind these Netflix and Disney+ gadgets is Roku. For close to two decades, Rokus plug-and-play dongles, set-top boxes, and smart TVs have dominated the AV marketplace. And while these devices are often inexpensive to begin with, much of the Roku lineup gets weekly sales treatment, too!As a matter of fact, right now you can get the Roku Express 4K+ at Amazon and Walmart for only $25. The full MSRP on this model is $40. We tested this Roku back in 2022 and reviewer Simon Cohen said, Roku does it again with a tiny streamer thats huge on features and value.Slightly bigger than a USB flash drive, the Roku Express 4K+ delivers an exceptional streaming experience, complete with fast Wi-Fi connectivity, excellent picture quality, and support for many of the leading home theater picture and sound formats, including HDR10 and Dolby Atmos. Once hooked up to the internet, the Express 4K+ becomes your instant gateway to hundreds of apps, games, and hours upon hours of free live TV content, including local news and weather!RelatedThe Express 4K+ also comes with a remote that has a built-in microphone, allowing you to search for movies, open and close apps, and more, all with simple voice commands. Youll even be able to control most TVs, including volume and power. While the Express 4K+ isnt Rokus most powerful streaming device (that honor goes to the Roku Ultra), this simple and intuitive streaming device is still a great purchase, especially for $25!Were not sure how long the sale will last, though, so if youre interested in scooping up a Roku device for a reasonable price, today might be your last shot. Take $15 off the Roku Express 4K+ when you purchase today, and be sure to take a look at our lists of the best Amazon deals, best Walmart deals, and best TV deals for even more discounts on top AV tech.Editors Recommendations

Love crossword puzzles but dont have all day to sit and solve a full-sized puzzle in your daily newspaper? Thats what The Mini is for!A bite-sized version of the New York Times well-known crossword puzzle, The Mini is a quick and easy way to test your crossword skills daily in a lot less time (the average puzzle takes most players just over a minute to solve). While The Mini is smaller and simpler than a normal crossword, it isnt always easy. Tripping up on one clue can be the difference between a personal best completion time and an embarrassing solve attempt.Recommended VideosJust like ourWordle hints and Connections hints, were here to help with The Mini today if youre stuck and need a little help.Please enable Javascript to view this contentBelow are the answers for the NYT Mini crossword today.New York TimesAcrossThe slightest bit ATADLike a crossword clue about crossword clues METASports shocker with a hint to the circled letters UPSETSign of life PULSESmall arguments SPATSDownMake excited AMPUPAutomaker with a Cybertruck TESLAThis is ___ (disclaimer accompanying an alarm) ATESTFirst ones might be awkward DATESFedEx competitor UPSEditors Recommendations

A veteran of the semiconductor industry, Lip-Bu Tan has an even longer track record as a technology investor, particularly in Chinese companies.

A worthwhile upgrade to Apples almost-everybody laptop comes at the almost-everybody price tag of $999.

Patches in progress Civilization VII, one month later: The community and developers chime in Executive Producer Dennis Shirk talks with Ars about the state of the game. Samuel Axon Mar 13, 2025 7:30 am | 11 Civilization VII has a lot of visual polish, and great gameplay systems. A flurry of patches have been improving other aspects, too. Credit: 2K Games Civilization VII has a lot of visual polish, and great gameplay systems. A flurry of patches have been improving other aspects, too. Credit: 2K Games Story textSizeSmallStandardLargeWidth *StandardWideLinksStandardOrange* Subscribers only Learn moreA month ago, Civilization VII launched to generally positive critical reviews, but user reviews on Steam and Metacritic werent nearly so positive, at least at first.Take a look at the Civilization subreddit, and youll see a general consensus: The bones of this game are great, and even most of the radical changes to the classic formula (like breaking the game into much more distinct ages) are a welcome refresh.On the other hand, theres also a sentiment that players are disappointed that some expected features are missing, some gameplay elements need additional polish, and most of all, the user interface was a bit of a mess at launch.A month later, developer Firaxis has already released a few patches and has more planned. As the games state continues to evolve, this seems like a good time to check in on it.I spent some time in the Civ community and spoke with Dennis Shirk, the game's executive producer, to learn how the launch went, how the game has changed since launch, and what its next steps are.Breaking with traditionCivilization VII broke with tradition in a few wayssplitting the game into distinct ages that each play like a separate game, allowing anachronistic leader/civilization combinations, and removing worker units, to name a few.You might have expected those to be the source of any controversy around the games launch, but that hasnt really been the case. In my review, I wrote that those shifts take the franchise in a new direction, bring over the best ideas from competing titles, and address long-standing problems with the Civilization experience.If you want a more traditional experience, you can go back to Civilization V, Civilization IV, Civilization II, or whichever your favorite was. Those games are infinitely re-playable, so theres no need to retread with a sequel.Our rule that we live by at Firaxis is the rule of thirds. We want to keep one-third of the game the same as previous iterations, one-third tweaked and improved upon, and one-third new, Shirk told me. Did we lean farther into the last third than we have in the past? We may have, but it was a risk we were willing to take to deliver a completely new part of the experience.A suboptimal starting positionThe Civilization subreddit is full of positive responses to those changes, and the large contingent of Civ geeks on the Ars editorial staff are mostly in agreement that theyre good changes, too. (The game has been a frequent discussion topic in the Ars Slack for several weeks.)The last month has seen players giving critical feedback, and Firaxis has been releasing patches to address complaints. For example, patch 1.1.0 on March 4 fixed some visual problems with the technology tree and made big changes to some victory conditions in the Modern Age, among other things.Players have noted positive changes that werent mentioned in patch notes, too. Reddit user AndyNemmity posted that the AI is significantly better in Military after a recent patch a week ago, writing:I know most of you don't see the Military AI in the fog of war, but I work on the AI mod, and run a ton of autoplays. I am 10+ autoplays with the new patch, and the base game military AI is VASTLY improved.Before, the AI would get stuck on the map in tons of different scenarios, often dying because they have an entire army stuck on the map, and can't use it. This is fixed. Now the autoplays look like actual militaries, warring, attacking, killing independents quickly and efficiently.The goodwill about the bones of the game and the positive responses to some patch additions are still accompanied by some consternation about the UI.Part of launching a game, especially when big changes are made, is figuring out what is resonating with players, and what may be an opportunity for improvement, Shirk said when asked about the launch challenges. In this instance, the UI did not meet players expectations, and we are committed to addressing thatalthough it will take time.Theres still a fair bit to be done, and modders have been filling the gaps. Modder Sukritact released a UI overhaul that addressed several complaintsincluding showing the gains and losses players will see if they replace a tile improvement or building with another one in the city view.Players praised these tweaks, going so far as to call that example in particular a game changer. A few days later, it was announced on the Civilization Discord that Firaxis had hired Sukritact as a technical artist. This mod by Sukritact adds much-needed information to the city view. The modder has since been hired by Firaxis. Credit: RileyTaugor The community has speculated that the game was rushed out the door before it was ready, primarily citing the UI issues.In hindsight, our UI team needed more time and space to take the UI where it needed to go, to really expose the level of information our players expect, Shirk admitted. Our team has been working hard to address these issues through rapid patching, and players will continue to see support for the foreseeable future.That said, debate about the UI is happening in the context of a wider discussion about the scope of Civilization VIIs launch.A tale of 10 platformsEvery mainline Civilization game in the past launched on just desktop platforms like Windows or Mac, but Civilization VII greatly expanded that. Depending on what counts (well say here that the Steam Deck counts as distinct from Linux, and the Xbox Series S is distinct from Xbox Series X), there were 10 launch platforms for Civilization VII:WindowsLinuxmacOSSteam DeckNintendo SwitchPlayStation 4PlayStation 5Xbox OneXbox Series SXbox Series XThats a lot to target at launch, and players in the subreddit have speculated that Firaxis was spread a bit thin here, making this part of the explanation for a relatively buggy UI on day one.Some also speculated that the classic desktop PC platform got a worse experience in order to accommodate console and Steam Deck players. For example, players lamented the lack of a drag and drop feature for views like the policy selection screen.The developers have made it crystal clear that PC is the top priority, though. Our core audience is absolutely PC, so we always start there, and work our way outward, adapting UI systems along the way, iterating on different UX approaches, Shirk said.He added that the controller support was developed with a partner, suggesting that supporting consoles out of the gate might not have taxed the team working on the desktop interface as much as some feared.At least in one respect, Firaxis has already publicly walked the walk: at one point it made the controversial decision to temporarily pause cross-save between PC and console so they could push updates to PC faster. Patching games on consoles requires a relatively slow and laborious certification process, but thats not the case for updating a game on Steam. Cross-loading cloud saves across PC and console was turned off for a while so Firaxis could iterate faster on PC. Credit: Samuel Axon Meanwhile, some console and handheld players have complained about their version of the interface.The most commonly named UI problem on console and handhelds is related to how the camera and hex selector could be moved across the map more efficiently. Currently, moving the camera is easyyou just use the left stick to pan around. But doing this doesnt move the hex selector with it, so you have to drag that selector hex by hex all the way across the map.Some similar games have a button you can press to bring the selector to where the camera is. In Civilization VII, the R3 button brings the camera to where the selector is, not vice versawhich isnt useful.Shirk talked a bit about the process of developing the controller-based interface and the challenges the team faced:We've been lucky enough to have some great partners help us develop the controller support, which added some strong console specific features like the radial menu. However, when you're working with different interfaces across different platforms, there are many assumptions that cannot be made like they can on PC. For example, a player using a mouse is not walled off from anything, but switch that to a controller, and a completely different thought process has to come into play.As for solutions, he added:Were working to give all versions the attention they deserve. When it comes to UI updates, were having team members continue to look at the community feedback in-depth and see how we can improve the experience for players regardless of system.When I asked about drag-and-drop on desktop, and R3s selection functionality on console and handheld, he said the examples you shared are among features we are tracking and exploring how to address, and that the March 4 1.1.0 patch that brought some UI changes was just a start. He added that a 1.1.1 coming March 25 will be when fans will really start to see the results of their feedback.And to answer your original question, R3 is coming along for the ride, he said.Following the legacy path to balanced gameplayIt seems like the UI is on the right track, but some tweaks need to happen on the gameplay front too, as players and critics tell it.There are complaints about the AIsomething as old as the franchise itself, to be fair. Some improvements have already been made, but players continue to report that AI civs keep founding cities close to players capitals for no apparent reason, causing frustration. "Ashoka traveled across the entire continent just to settle four tiles away from my capital," said DayTemporary3369, the Reddit user who posted this screenshot. They weren't alone in this complaint. Credit: DayTemporary3369 Religion gameplay needs attention, as theres no way to stop other leaders missionaries, leading to unsatisfying back-and-forth conversion gameplay. Similarly, players feel there arent enough defenses against espionage.If they're all allowed to target me at the same time, I should be allowed to defend myself from all of them, provided I have enough influence, said Reddit user Pay_No_Heed on the topic of counter-espionage. The complaint is reasonable, though a working design solution may not be as obvious as it seems.Players have also complained that ages end too abruptly, and that holds true for the end of the game, which happens when the Modern Age concludes. Its a quibble I also shared in my review. Many players are maxing out the games age length setting to combat this. Past Civilization games offered a one more turn option to extend the game past when someone had won. Firaxis has said this is coming to the end of the modern age in a future update.Theres also the Civilopedia, the in-game database of concepts and help documentation. Players have noted it's more barebones than expected, with several key concepts lacking entries or explanation. Firaxis acknowledged this complaint and said its being worked on.Yes, with each update were improving whats exposed in the Civilopedia, including more gameplay data, easier navigation, et cetera. Expect much more to come in future updates, Shirk explained.In general, the game needs to have more information exposed to players. The gap is big enough that Reddit user JordiTK posted the heavily upvoted Ultimate List of Things That Civilization VII Doesnt Tell You." It's almost 5,000 words long, with more than 100 items.Almost every prior Civilization game has had players complaining that it didnt explain itself well enough, but the sentiment seems stronger this time. For what its worth, Shirk says the team recognizes this.Internally, our primary design goal for Civilization VII was to focus and iterate on the new mechanics, to really make sure this design would sing, he said. This focus on the new probably led us to work with a few false assumptions about what base level information players would need with our legacy systems, and it wasn't something that came up as loudly as it should have in user testing.Its not We Love the Developer Day just yetWhile everyone in the community and within Firaxis agrees theres still work to be done, the tone has improved since the launch because of these patches, and thanks to frequent engagement on Steam, Discord, and Reddit by the developers community manager.The launch situation was made a little worse than it needed to be because of, strangely enough, confusion around nomenclature. Players who paid for the pricier special editions of the game were given Advanced Access a few days before the main launch date.After it was apparent there were problems, some of the communications to players on storefronts and on Reddit called it "early access," causing a bit of a stir because until then players hadn't perceived the special edition advanced access to be the same as early access, which is a term typically used in the industry to let players know a game is incomplete and in a pre-release state.When asked about this, a spokesperson for 2K Games (the game's publisher) gave a statement to Ars that read:Our goal is always to deliver the best product possible, including during Advanced Access periods. With a game the size and scope of Civilization VII there will always be fixes and optimizations once the entirety of the player base is able to jump in. The intent behind the Advanced Access granted to purchasers of the Deluxe Edition and Founders Edition was not to offer a work in progress product, and we take the feedback delivered during that period seriously.Were working hard to make sure that players have the best experience in the world of 4X strategy for years to come, and player feedback remains critical in helping us grow and build the future of Civ.That suggests the use of early access was just a misstatement and not an attempt to cover for a rough pre-launch access period, but it wasnt a great start to the conversation.Since then, though, some of the most critical problems have been addressed, and the studio shared a roadmap that promised UI updates and polish in patches on March 4 (1.1.0, already released), March 25 (1.1.1), and sometime in April (1.2.0). The roadmap lists additional UI updates & polish for beyond April, too, confirming this will be a lengthy process. Here's the updated roadmap from Firaxis. Credit: 2K Games This frequent communication, combined with the fact that players recognize theres a good game here that needs some more polish, has meant that most of the discussions in the community during this first month have been pretty optimistic, despite the launch woes.There was a time years ago when games were marketed leading up to their launch, but then the communication with players was over. In todays market (especially for complex games like Civilization) theres often a need to iterate in public. Players understand that and will roll with it if its communicated clearly to them. Firaxis stumbled on that in the opening days, but its now clear the studio understands that well, and the updates are rolling out.We've seen a lot of rough launches for big games in recent years, and they often turn quite toxic. That said, the core Civilization community seems more patient and optimistic than you typically see in situations like this. That's a credit to Firaxis' years of goodwill, but it's also a credit to the moderators and other leaders in the game's community.When I reviewed Civilization VII, I wrote that the core systems were strong, and that the game likely has a bright future ahead of itbut I also said it might make sense to wait a few weeks to dive in because of UI and balance issues.Its a few weeks later, and it looks like the game is on the right track, but theres still a way to go if youre looking for an impeccably polished product. That hasnt stopped me from enjoying the dozens of hours Ive played so far, though.Samuel AxonSenior EditorSamuel AxonSenior Editor Samuel Axon is a senior editor at Ars Technica. He covers Apple, software development, gaming, AI, entertainment, and mixed reality. He has been writing about gaming and technology for nearly two decades at Engadget, PC World, Mashable, Vice, Polygon, Wired, and others. He previously ran a marketing and PR agency in the gaming industry, led editorial for the TV network CBS, and worked on social media marketing strategy for Samsung Mobile at the creative agency SPCSHP. He also is an independent software and game developer for iOS, Windows, and other platforms, and heis a graduate of DePaul University, where he studied interactive media and software development. 11 Comments