charles taylor - stock.adobe.com Opinion Microsoft’s wartime pact with the EU rings hollow - and could spell trouble for UK IT buyers Microsoft has moved to assure its European customers that it will fight any attempt by President Trump to disrupt their ability to access its services, but can UK customers take the company at its word? By Owen Sayers, Secon Solutions Published: 20 May 2025 Microsoft has moved to re-assure governments across the European Union (EU) that it will fight any move by President Trump to interrupt services, should relations between Brussels and Washington deteriorate further, causing the United States to make cloud services a gambling chit in a trade war.  The company promised Europe it would “promptly and vigorously contest such a measure,” yet its overtures to EU customers should leave its governments confused, rather than assured. Its tacit recognition that the much-vaunted Microsoft EU Boundary might provide its European customers with little real protection from US interventions – despite taking over two years to implement – cannot be glossed over.  The issue in play is not just that Microsoft, being a US-headquartered ‘communication services provider’, is subject to many American laws that make transfers of data to them a complicated process. But that they might no longer be able to give guarantees of continuity of service if, for example, President Trump should wake up one morning and decide to order them to cease their EU operations. This admission, coming on top of well documented Microsoft global service outages and serial security compromises in recent years, will almost certainly stoke any fires of concern.  Such a possibility might have seemed remote just a few months ago, but Trump’s recent search for effective levers to exert control over other countries as part of his “America First” initiative means that what was previously a low risk, with negligible likelihood but massive impact, is now much more likely and could perhaps even be proximate. Microsoft president Brad Smith clearly agrees, as evidenced by his new comments about pre-emptive measures and offsets.  Certainly, that is the view many readers will hold after Smith’s somewhat clumsily presented efforts to calm the cloud market that he admits drives 25% of Microsoft’s global revenues, and is clearly important for him to protect. Telling foreign leaders that Microsoft is embarking on a crusade of change, as he repeatedly did, flies in the face of his attempts to thwart regulatory interventions regarding the software giant’s restrictive cloud licensing practices and grudging moves to unbundle its software from its operating system in the European Union. They might also consider that previous positive approaches and engagements from Microsoft, and even directly from Smith, have not prevented them from levelling blame at the EU when things go wrong. As the company did during the wholly EU-unrelated Crowdstrike-initiated global service outage. At best, the historic relationship between Microsoft and European leaders has been spasmodic, and it would be understandable if they take these new assurances with a huge pinch of salt. Microsoft now plans to further address these new risks through the creation of a new EU board to manage its expanded datacentre estates in Europe, whilst ignoring that ‘branch-office’ management does not in fact change the nature of its US-centric operations, and nor can they prevent the effects of any Presidential diktat. Time and again Microsoft has attempted to address legitimate consumer and EU-member government concerns through measures that are presented as forward-thinking and positive, but have zero effective benefit when analysed. For example, UK FOI disclosures made in June 2024 confirmed the long-held suspicion that Microsoft is dependent on the ability to process data globally wherever they choose for both their Azure and Microsoft 365 cloud service families, and this – not layers of localised senior execs – is at the root of their problems. Due to their global operating model any EU board managing datacentres will have no practical ability to technically or legally protect EU data from a US Government choosing to exert its entirely legitimate, if controversial, control over them and the European data they manage. What should cause immediate concern for the UK is that these overtures to the EU do not consider the UK at all – because it lies entirely outside of the Microsoft EU Data Boundary, and doesn’t appear to be included in these new promises either. Should companies with a foot in both UK and Europe decide the protections offered up by Microsoft are indeed effective they may therefore need to re-locate their data and workloads to benefit from them, and history suggests that where the work shifts, so invariably do the key jobs. Microsoft, in any event, appears to feel that such efforts in the UK are unnecessary given the level of dependency the UK government already has on the Seattle tech giant, whether that be in the workings of the civil service, the NHS or national infrastructure. A view that can only have been solidified by the key positions the government has given over to Microsoft executives to effectively steer the UK’s national technology strategy. This is what should be the attention-grabber for Microsoft’s UK customers today; not that Microsoft is making big commitments and high-profile promises to the EU, but that the tech giant no longer feels the need to do the same for its UK operations and, as a result, UK consumers and companies can expect to suffer as a result. With their choices limited and their data access subject to the whims of foreign powers, with a government too dependent on Microsoft to put up a fight. Read more about Microsoft cloud Microsoft makes ‘digital commitments’ amid pledge to continue growing its European datacentre footprint, in the face of growing geopolitical uncertainty Microsoft pushes back on analyst claims its changing relationship with OpenAI is forcing it to scale back its datacentre expansion plans in the US and Europe. In The Current Issue: UK critical systems at risk from ‘digital divide’ created by AI threats UK at risk of Russian cyber and physical attacks as Ukraine seeks peace deal Standard Chartered grounds AI ambitions in data governance Download Current Issue Starburst chews into the fruits of agentic – CW Developer Network Calm settles over digital identity market - for now... (Hark, is that Big Tech on the horizon?) – Computer Weekly Editors Blog View All Blogs

More on this topicWhy is Lasdun’s towering homage to Mackintosh still under threat? The City of London gave the green light to the scheme last week (16 May) via delegated powers to kick-start redevelopment of Milton Gate, a 1980s block designed by National Theatre architect and former Royal Gold Medal winner Lasdun. Backed by developer Brookfield Properties, the part-demolition scheme will provide about 27,800m² of office space at 60 Chiswell Street, near the Barbican, through a demolition and façade replacement strategy which retains 70 per cent of the substructure. Historic England, which granted the Lasdun building a certificate of immunity from listing in 2023, had earlier raised concerns about the latest proposals, which, it argued in January, would ‘cause harm to several listed buildings’ in the Chiswell Street Conservation Area.Advertisement However, City of London planning officers approved the scheme, which they said would be compatible with the existing context, ‘being read as a well-layered piece of design which celebrates moments in the public realm’. Catherine Croft, director of heritage campaign group The Twentieth Century Society, described the decision to approve the scheme as ‘hugely regrettable’ in comments to the AJ. Croft argued: ‘The consented scheme will totally destroy the architecturally and culturally significant elements of a fine building. The City will lose a major work by an outstanding architect and further erode its distinctive character, despite the building being well over the 30-year threshold for listing at Grade II.’ Croft continued: ‘Milton Gate is a clear example of a building that should have been saved by listing; C20 Society put it forward and engaged with the developer on several occasions, championing its architectural significance.’ ‘The proposed removal of the notable blue-glazed exterior form of 60 Chiswell Street would also remove all its architectural and historic interest, while the maximisation of the site through extensions would intrude upon and curtail open views from the south courtyard and along Chiswell Street,’ said the heritage body.Advertisement Brookfield said the scheme would appeal to ‘modern occupiers looking for large, efficient floorplates and outstanding environmental, social and governance credentials’, while reducing its environmental impact. The all-electric scheme is aiming for net zero in operation and aims to achieve EPC A, BREEAM Outstanding and NABERS 5* certificates. AHMM’s proposals include repositioning an entrance on the corner of Moor Lane and Ropemaker Street; a statement double-height reception; and a pocket park. The ground floor will also accommodate food and beverage uses. Simon Allford, founding director of Allford Hall Monaghan Morris, said the scheme was ‘the result of Brookfield Properties and AHMM’s shared ambition to create an innovative, low-carbon reinvention of an existing building’. He added: ‘The activated ground floor engages with the historic streetscape, whilst the generous office volumes above open onto, cascading balconies and verdant terraces, delivering a new green edge to the city’s historic skyline.’ A timeline for completion is unknown.

Whether DOOM: The Dark Ages is going to be able to perform to Microsoft and Bethesda’s commercial expectations in the long run remains to be seen, but the first-person shooter seems to have got off to a decent start as far as physical sales in the UK are concerned. As per charts released by the Gfk, DOOM: The Dark Ages topped the charts for highest selling physical titles in the UK for the week ending May 17.  Joining DOOM: The Dark Ages atop the charts is fellow new release The Precinct. Fallen Tree Games and Kwalee’s old-school GTA-inspired action-adventure title occupies the second place in the charts. Meanwhile, Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 sits in eighth place, down from the top spot last week, while Assassin’s Creed Shadows comes in at No. 6, slipping down from fourth place last week.  Interestingly, ten years on from its original release, The Witcher 3 takes the No. 7 spot in the charts with its GOTY Edition, while fellow old horse Grand Theft Auto 5 also continues to figure in the charts, sitting in fifth place. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, meanwhile, comes in at No. 10. You can check out the full top 10 for the week ending May 17 below.  No.Title1.DOOM: The Dark Ages2.The Precinct3.EA Sports FC 254.Minecraft5.Grand Theft Auto 56.Assassin’s Creed Shadows7.The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt GOTY Edition8.Clair Obscur: Expedition 339.Astro Bot10.Mario Kart 8 Deluxe

It’s been quite a couple weeks for stories about AI in the courtroom. You might have heard about the deceased victim of a road rage incident whose family created an AI avatar of him to show as an impact statement (possibly the first time this has been done in the US). But there’s a bigger, far more consequential controversy brewing, legal experts say. AI hallucinations are cropping up more and more in legal filings. And it’s starting to infuriate judges. Just consider these three cases, each of which gives a glimpse into what we can expect to see more of as lawyers embrace AI. A few weeks ago, a California judge, Michael Wilner, became intrigued by a set of arguments some lawyers made in a filing. He went to learn more about those arguments by following the articles they cited. But the articles didn’t exist. He asked the lawyers’ firm for more details, and they responded with a new brief that contained even more mistakes than the first. Wilner ordered the attorneys to give sworn testimonies explaining the mistakes, in which he learned that one of them, from the elite firm Ellis George, used Google Gemini as well as law-specific AI models to help write the document, which generated false information. As detailed in a filing on May 6, the judge fined the firm $31,000.  Last week, another California-based judge caught another hallucination in a court filing, this time submitted by the AI company Anthropic in the lawsuit that record labels have brought against it over copyright issues. One of Anthropic’s lawyers had asked the company’s AI model Claude to create a citation for a legal article, but Claude included the wrong title and author. Anthropic’s attorney admitted that the mistake was not caught by anyone reviewing the document.  Lastly, and perhaps most concerning, is a case unfolding in Israel. After police arrested an individual on charges of money laundering, Israeli prosecutors submitted a request asking a judge for permission to keep the individual’s phone as evidence. But they cited laws that don’t exist, prompting the defendant’s attorney to accuse them of including AI hallucinations in their request. The prosecutors, according to Israeli news outlets, admitted that this was the case, receiving a scolding from the judge.  Taken together, these cases point to a serious problem. Courts rely on documents that are accurate and backed up with citations—two traits that AI models, despite being adopted by lawyers eager to save time, often fail miserably to deliver.  Those mistakes are getting caught (for now), but it’s not a stretch to imagine that at some point soon, a judge’s decision will be influenced by something that’s totally made up by AI, and no one will catch it.  I spoke with Maura Grossman, who teaches at the School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo as well as Osgoode Hall Law School, and has been a vocal early critic of the problems that generative AI poses for courts. She wrote about the problem back in 2023, when the first cases of hallucinations started appearing. She said she thought courts’ existing rules requiring lawyers to vet what they submit to the courts, combined with the bad publicity those cases attracted, would put a stop to the problem. That hasn’t panned out. Hallucinations “don’t seem to have slowed down,” she says. “If anything, they’ve sped up.” And these aren’t one-off cases with obscure local firms, she says. These are big-time lawyers making significant, embarrassing mistakes with AI. She worries that such mistakes are also cropping up more in documents not written by lawyers themselves, like expert reports (in December, a Stanford professor and expert on AI admitted to including AI-generated mistakes in his testimony).   I told Grossman that I find all this a little surprising. Attorneys, more than most, are obsessed with diction. They choose their words with precision. Why are so many getting caught making these mistakes? “Lawyers fall in two camps,” she says. “The first are scared to death and don’t want to use it at all.” But then there are the early adopters. These are lawyers tight on time or without a cadre of other lawyers to help with a brief. They’re eager for technology that can help them write documents under tight deadlines. And their checks on the AI’s work aren’t always thorough.  The fact that high-powered lawyers, whose very profession it is to scrutinize language, keep getting caught making mistakes introduced by AI says something about how most of us treat the technology right now. We’re told repeatedly that AI makes mistakes, but language models also feel a bit like magic. We put in a complicated question and receive what sounds like a thoughtful, intelligent reply. Over time, AI models develop a veneer of authority. We trust them. “We assume that because these large language models are so fluent, it also means that they’re accurate,” Grossman says. “We all sort of slip into that trusting mode because it sounds authoritative.” Attorneys are used to checking the work of junior attorneys and interns but for some reason, Grossman says, don’t apply this skepticism to AI. We’ve known about this problem ever since ChatGPT launched nearly three years ago, but the recommended solution has not evolved much since then: Don’t trust everything you read, and vet what an AI model tells you. As AI models get thrust into so many different tools we use, I increasingly find this to be an unsatisfying counter to one of AI’s most foundational flaws. Hallucinations are inherent to the way that large language models work. Despite that, companies are selling generative AI tools made for lawyers that claim to be reliably accurate. “Feel confident your research is accurate and complete,” reads the website for Westlaw Precision, and the website for CoCounsel promises its AI is “backed by authoritative content.” That didn’t stop their client, Ellis George, from being fined $31,000. Increasingly, I have sympathy for people who trust AI more than they should. We are, after all, living in a time when the people building this technology are telling us that AI is so powerful it should be treated like nuclear weapons. Models have learned from nearly every word humanity has ever written down and are infiltrating our online life. If people shouldn’t trust everything AI models say, they probably deserve to be reminded of that a little more often by the companies building them.  This story originally appeared in The Algorithm, our weekly newsletter on AI. To get stories like this in your inbox first, sign up here.

You can trust VideoGamer. Our team of gaming experts spend hours testing and reviewing the latest games, to ensure you're reading the most comprehensive guide possible. Rest assured, all imagery and advice is unique and original. Check out how we test and review games here Contents hide Lara Croft is one of the most famous and popular video game characters of all time, and lately she’s been travelling into the world of other video games such as Call of Duty, Dead By Daylight, and Fortnite again. Naturally, despite the excellent remastered trilogies, Tomb Raider fans are desperately awaiting the reveal of Crystal Dynamics’ next AAA game starring the legendary heroine. While not official, there are rumors for the next game possibly appearing at Summer Game Fest, meanwhile, a recent Crystal Dynamics’ job listing possibly means Tomb Raider 12 is in the late stages of development. Job listing hints next Tomb Raider game might be in late stages of development   As first spotted by OP somethingisnotwight on the Tomb Raider subreddit, Crystal Dynamics posted a Senior Level Designer job listing on May 17th. On LinkedIn, the job listing post says Crystal Dynamics are seeking a Senior Level Designer who can: Spearhead strike teams as a high-impact individual contributor Take ownership of designing levels featuring compelling puzzle elements Apply Unreal expertise to build, iterate, and refine designs Image credit: LinkedIn This is interesting because of the mention of “strike teams”. Typically, strike teams are used during the late stages of development such as at the alpha stage, beta testing, or final polishing, as per Game Developer. Strike teams are small units wholly focused on specific areas and bugs, and they are usually started at least six months before the intended release of a game. While the job listing doesn’t explicitly mention Tomb Raider by name, it does mention “Strong focus on puzzle design, ideally within third-person action-adventure games”. This seems to be a clear reference to Tomb Raider 12, as it’s the only game Crystal Dynamics are currently developing, aside from Perfect Dark which they are co-developing with The Initiative for Xbox. However, that game is first-person. If the next Tomb Raider is in the late stages of development, we could be looking at a 2026 release, which would be appropriate as it’s the 30th anniversary of the series. Assuming it does come out next year, the timing will be interesting cause of the delay to GTA 6. Jason Schreier recently reported about the concerns amongst other developers about the possibility of another delay for Grand Theft Auto, so, if Tomb Raider is to come out next year, it will either want to launch before May or plan for Summer/Fall and risk the chance of another postponement from Rockstar. TR12 reveal at Summer Game Fest? Although nothing is official, there is the chance Tomb Raider 12 could be revealed at Summer Game Fest. Recently, renowned leaker, NateTheHate, was asked if either Tomb Raider, Project 007, or Wolf Among Us 2 will be at Geoff Keighley’s show. In response, NateTheHate said, “At least one” of the three will be present. Image credit: @NateTheHate 2 on X In addition, movie leaker, vthescooper, posted on April 11th they “can see the announcement coming anytime soon…”. Vthescooper has a thread of verified leaks for a wide range of different movies, and Tomb Raider 12 appears to be the only video game they have leaked details about. According to the leaker back in May 2024, the next TR game will be fully open-world set in India, with Lara able to freely traverse the landscape using a motorcycle, parachute, and other tools. The story will allegedly involve Lara racing “against a Society of Raiders and other rivals for powerful relics,” and there will be a “new feature based on recruiting teams and allies to strategically aid you in missions and defeating rivals”. None of this is official, but vthescooper’s post about a “Society of Raiders” was uploaded before being mentioned on the official Tomb Raider website as part of a sign-up process for fans. Image credit: @vthescooper on X It remains to be seen if Tomb Raider 12 will be shown off at Summer Game Fest. Right now, official details are light. All we know is that it is being developed by Crystal Dynamics using Unreal Engine 5, it will be published by Amazon Games, and it is a unified Lara with the survivor trilogy recognized as her origin. We also know her default unified attire thanks to it appearing in several crossovers, such as the recent Pinball FX. In other Tomb Raider news, Crystal Dynamics has assured fans that recent layoffs do not “alter plans” for what they are working on. Tomb Raider Platform(s): Android, iOS, PC, PlayStation, PlayStation 3, SEGA Saturn, Xbox 360 Genre(s): Action 8 VideoGamer Subscribe to our newsletters! By subscribing, you agree to our Privacy Policy and may receive occasional deal communications; you can unsubscribe anytime. Share

Since President Donald Trump excitedly announced that he would be accepting a $400 million plane from the Qatari government to serve as the next Air Force One, even members of his own party have expressed alarm. There’s the price tag of refurbishing the plane with top-secret systems—upward of $1 billion, according to some estimates. Then there are the conflicts of interest from accepting such a large present from a foreign nation—what some say would be the most valuable gift ever given to the U.S. But it would also mark a striking departure from tradition. While they’re often variants of commercial planes, presidential planes have almost always been U.S. military aircraft, flown and maintained by the Air Force. The first White Houses in the sky I’m an aviation historian who once worked in the United States Air Force’s history program for three years, so I’m well acquainted with the history of presidential aircraft. Franklin D. Roosevelt became the first president to fly while in office. In January 1943, he boarded the Navy-owned, civilian-operated Boeing Dixie Clipper—a seaplane—for a trip to Casablanca to meet with Allied leaders. President Franklin D. Roosevelt made the first presidential flight on a Dixie Clipper, a seaplane built by Boeing. [Photo: Hulton Archive/Getty Images] The security measures needed to safely transport the president—especially during wartime—spurred the creation of the first custom-built aircraft for presidential use, a heavily modified VC-54 Skymaster. Though officially named “The Flying White House,” the new presidential aircraft became better known by its nickname, the “Sacred Cow.” President Harry Truman used the Sacred Cow as his presidential aircraft through much of his first term in office. In late 1947, the U.S. Air Force ordered a second custom-built presidential aircraft, a modified DC-6, which Truman named the Independence. While in office, Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry Truman flew on a modified Douglas C-54, nicknamed the “Sacred Cow.” [Photo: © Museum of Flight/CORBIS/Corbis/Getty Images] During Dwight D. Eisenhower’s two terms, the president flew on two different planes operated by the Air Force: the Columbine II, which was a customized, military version of Lockheed’s commercial airliner the Constellation, and the Columbine III, which was a Super Constellation. Embracing the jet age In the 1960s, the use of jet engine technology in U.S. commercial aircraft revolutionized air travel, allowing planes to fly higher, farther, and faster. Jet travel became associated with the glamorous and the elegant lifestyles of the “jet set” crowd. So it’s fitting that President John F. Kennedy—who was sometimes called the “the first celebrity president”—was the first White House occupant to fly in a jet, the Boeing 707. Kennedy’s aircraft was also the first painted in the distinctive light-blue-and-white scheme that’s still used today. First lady Jacqueline Kennedy developed it with the help of industrial designer Raymond Loewy. It would go on to serve eight presidents before leaving the presidential fleet in 1990, when Boeing delivered the first of two modified Boeing 747s. These are the aircraft that continue to serve as the president’s primary plane. Boeing signed a contract to provide two new aircraft in 2017, during Trump’s last term. In 2020, the company decided to refurbish two existing aircraft that were originally built for another customer. The refurbishment has been more cumbersome and expensive than building a new aircraft from scratch. But it’s the only option because Boeing closed its 747 assembly line in late 2022. A nickname sticks On a trip to Florida, the crew of Columbine II first used “Air Force One” as the plane’s call sign to clearly distinguish the plane from other air traffic. While the public has associated the name Air Force One with the modified Boeing 707s and 747s and their distinctive colors, any plane with the president aboard will carry that call sign. They include several smaller aircraft, also operated by the Air Force, such as the North American T-39 Sabreliner used to transport Lyndon B. Johnson to his ranch in Texas and the Lockheed VC-140B JetStars, the fleet of backup planes used by several presidents, which Johnson jokingly called “Air Force One Half.” A cultural and political symbol Air Force One has long served as a symbol of the power and prestige of the presidency. It became an indelible part of U.S. history in November 1963, when Johnson took his oath of office from Air Force One’s cabin while Kennedy’s body lay in rest in the back of the aircraft. Vice President Lyndon B. Johnson is sworn in as president aboard Air Force One following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. [Photo: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group/Getty Images] Air Force One carried President Richard M. Nixon to China and the Soviet Union for historic diplomatic missions. But it also famously flew him from Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland to his home state, California, after he resigned from office. On that day, the plane took off as Air Force One. But it landed as SAM 27000, the plane’s call sign used when the president wasn’t on board. Trump has been compared to Nixon in more ways than one. And Trump’s complaint that Arab leaders have bigger and more impressive airplanes than the current Air Force One is reminiscent of Nixon’s own concerns of being outclassed on the world stage. When president, Nixon strongly advocated for American supersonic transport—a 270-passenger plane designed to be faster than the speed of sound—that he hoped could be modified to serve as a new Air Force One. He feared the failure to develop supersonic transport would relegate the U.S. to second-tier status, as other world leaders—particularly those from England, France, and the USSR—traversed the globe in sleeker, better performing aircraft. Trump’s concerns about Air Force One seem less focused on safety and security and more on size and opulence. His longing for a “palace in the sky” is befitting for a president drawn to soaring skyscrapers, lavish parades, and gold ornamentation. Janet Bednarek is a professor of history at the University of Dayton. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from Ars Technica: There's a lot of matter around, which ensures that any antimatter produced experiences a very short lifespan. Studying antimatter, therefore, has been extremely difficult. But that's changed a bit in recent years, as CERN has set up a facility that produces and traps antimatter, allowing for extensive studies of its properties, including entire anti-atoms. Unfortunately, the hardware used to capture antiprotons also produces interference that limits the precision with which measurements can be made. So CERN decided that it might be good to determine how to move the antimatter away from where it's produced. Since it was tackling that problem anyway, CERN decided to make a shipping container for antimatter, allowing it to be put on a truck and potentially taken to labs throughout Europe. [...] Overall, the hardware stayed cold, generally at a bit over 5 Kelvin. The exception was when the system was reconnected to the antimatter source hardware and the system reconnected to the electrical system at CERN. While those actions show up as temperature spikes, the superconducting magnets remained well under 7 Kelvin. An accelerometer was in place to track the forces experienced by the hardware while the truck was moving. This showed that changes in the truck's speed produced turbulence in the liquid helium, making measurements of its presence unreliable. Levels had dropped from about 75 percent of maximum to 30 percent by the time the system was reconnected, suggesting that liquid helium presents the key limiting factor in shipping. Measurements made while the system was in transit suggest that the whole process occurred losslessly, meaning that not a single proton escaped during the entire transport. The findings have been published in the journal Nature. Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Rocketz Prophet of Truth Member Oct 25, 2017 8,604 Metro Detroit Ubisoft has release a gameplay showcase of what to expect in Anno 117: Pax Romana. Get a chance to see the new roads and land armies. Release still set for 2025. Looks like content creators have videos and impressions as well if you choose to seek them out. View: https://youtu.be/GBXNl88yeW4?si=dR8qywUrXnks3ver  Firebricks Member Jan 27, 2018 2,438 This is my most anticipated game of the year, and it looks great.   PapaJustify Member Nov 3, 2017 1,318 Germany Incredible. It's all I wanted and more. I cannot wait.   OP OP Rocketz Prophet of Truth Member Oct 25, 2017 8,604 Metro Detroit Saw as well you get a choice now of what food you want to start your first group of citizens with.   MacReady Member Jan 21, 2024 476 Looks really good.   MacheteSquadSteve Member Jan 6, 2025 276 Going to spend a lot of time with this. As gorgeous as Manor Lords is, I'm looking forward to a more pleasant climate to build in.   strudelkuchen Member Oct 25, 2017 13,387 Looks good. Anno 1800 is the best one since 1404, I have high hopes!   ProdigyZA Member Jun 9, 2024 1,491 Looking great.   Nacho Papi Member Oct 27, 2017 3,270 Looks gorgeous!   Squirrel09 Member Nov 4, 2017 1,909 What's the combat like in these games? My impression was that they were themed city builders, are they more like RTS with a city building focus?   cabelhigh Member Nov 2, 2017 1,917 Visually looks good, but just that trailer gameplay wise looks a LOT like 1800...seems like the streams have more unique gameplay tho, but I dont have the time to watch them   Shahadan Member Oct 27, 2017 5,565 So apparently you can choose which foods to supply to houses? wow Not sure I like stuff being locked behind a tech tree however  Majora's Mask Member Oct 26, 2017 2,028 Will watch when I get home, but really hope M+KB is implemented on consoles.   attic Member Jun 28, 2024 383 wow so this is by far the earliest setting in the series so far, that's so cool. antiquity-heads are eating good   Xando Member Oct 28, 2017 37,600 There is a lot of footage out there. Seems like some german influencers got a lot of time with it   Potterson Member Oct 28, 2017 7,227 Looking at influencers' videos, it looks like Anno 1800 (chains of production, how you handle citizens and their needs etc, missions) with small changes. And... It's great. 1800 is amazing.  FliX Master of the Reality Stone Moderator Oct 25, 2017 10,928 Metro Detroit Awww yiss, been waiting for this!   Anno Member Oct 25, 2017 7,876 Columbus, Ohio idk that I need ground combat to return. But otherwise it looks amazing, unsurprisingly.   GTAce Member Oct 27, 2017 4,601 Bonn, Germany Anno 1800 with a (for me) entirely uninteresting setting. Love 1800, but I hoped for a game with a generally bigger scope, maybe even multiple eras.   FliX Master of the Reality Stone Moderator Oct 25, 2017 10,928 Metro Detroit Squirrel09 said: What's the combat like in these games? My impression was that they were themed city builders, are they more like RTS with a city building focus? Click to expand... Click to shrink... The focus has historically been on production chains and trade. But looks like more combat options in this one than in 1800.  Bucca Member Oct 25, 2017 5,506 Beautiful   strudelkuchen Member Oct 25, 2017 13,387 monketron Member Oct 27, 2017 4,112 Hype levels at max. Cannot wait for this and also to see where they go with the DLC over the years. Shame we don't have a proper release date yet.   MegaSackman Member Oct 27, 2017 20,674 Argentina Only watched the trailer which didn't say much but I'll watch the rest later. Regardless, this is a day one for me. Thank god it's coming on consoles day one.   Shairi Member Aug 27, 2018 10,175 Oh damn, this looks sooo good. I'm so excited.   Splinky Member Jul 12, 2023 133 It makes sense to go straight to the Romans, those guys were way ahead of the curve in their love of grid layouts.   shoal Member Dec 27, 2020 753 Wow, I loved 1404 and didn't know this was coming out!   Genesius Member Nov 2, 2018 20,542 I'm excited for this but also a bit intimidated, especially since I'd be on console for this. I wonder if you'll be limited to Roman gods or if they would do something like incorporate early Christianity.  mavericktopgun Member Oct 27, 2017 5,435 Do we know if this comes to Switch 2? Mouse mode is perfect for this   strudelkuchen Member Oct 25, 2017 13,387 Genesius said: I'm excited for this but also a bit intimidated, especially since I'd be on console for this. I wonder if you'll be limited to Roman gods or if they would do something like incorporate early Christianity. Click to expand... Click to shrink... You are not limited to Roman gods.   Lightsong Member Nov 11, 2022 9,385 I'm so glad we went back so far in history. I loved 1800 but something even more modern is just not working well for this franchise.   Sec0nd The Fallen Oct 27, 2017 6,952 Looks nice. Anno 1800 was so wonderful and I've spent ridiculous amounts of hours in that game last summer. Don't feel like I'm ready for another Anno game yet, but I'll keep my eyes open for this one for sure.  FliX Master of the Reality Stone Moderator Oct 25, 2017 10,928 Metro Detroit Genesius said: I'm excited for this but also a bit intimidated, especially since I'd be on console for this. wonder if you'll be limited to Roman gods or if they would do something like incorporate early Christianity. Click to expand... Click to shrink... The console version of 1800 is wonderfully realised. Plays great with a controller.   SofNascimento cursed Member Oct 28, 2017 24,883 São Paulo - Brazil Give me all Roman games.   Lightsong Member Nov 11, 2022 9,385 My favourite Anno is still 1602, that had land combat too (controlled terribly, lol), so I'm totally on board with this.   Morten88 Member Dec 22, 2019 2,391 This looks really fucking good   Dmax3901 Member Oct 25, 2017 8,554 Looks so good, the tease of Romanising other provinces sounds super interesting, I wonder how extensive that will be. Would certainly be a good avenue for Season Passes to go down.   Smokey_Run The Fallen Oct 25, 2017 5,077 Can't wait to play it. It looks great. Hopefully a date gets announced soon.   MegaSackman Member Oct 27, 2017 20,674 Argentina I watched the IGN preview with distractions and didn't find anything truly different from 1800 outside of minor stuff. Not that it matters to me, 1800 was my first full Anno game (I played a FTP one a long time ago) and I'm ready for a new one, doesn't matter to me if it's more of the same.   FliX Master of the Reality Stone Moderator Oct 25, 2017 10,928 Metro Detroit Honestly 1800 is like the perfect game for me. More of the same is good in my book.   Aangster Member Oct 27, 2017 3,016 Looking forward to this, the universal UI being the console version of 1800 is my main concern though, because I don't think it'll work well for PC players and could end up being a bit of a disaster like Civ 7's.   Dmax3901 Member Oct 25, 2017 8,554 What do we think the chances are for this to get pushed to 2026?   Tmespe Member Oct 27, 2017 3,758 Dmax3901 said: What do we think the chances are for this to get pushed to 2026? Click to expand... Click to shrink... Medium since we don't have a release date yet. Then again the press preview is looking quite polished already.   Lucreto Member Oct 25, 2017 7,273 Dmax3901 said: What do we think the chances are for this to get pushed to 2026? Click to expand... Click to shrink... It's possible but they are still saying 2025, so it's still there target. There is a developer commentary livestream Wednesday so they might mention a date there.  finaljedi Member Jul 15, 2018 629 Cincinnati, OH I wonder when they run out of titles that add up to 9.   eonden Member Oct 25, 2017 17,557 That looks class.