• Subnautica 2 a encore été repoussé, et cette fois jusqu'en 2026. Apparemment, c'est pour éviter un bonus de 250 millions de dollars. Le développement semble un peu chaotique, comme d’habitude. Bref, il faudra encore attendre pour explorer les profondeurs. Pas vraiment une surprise, mais bon, qui s’en soucie vraiment ?

    #Subnautica2
    #Report
    #Krafton
    #JeuxVidéo
    #ActuGaming
    Subnautica 2 a encore été repoussé, et cette fois jusqu'en 2026. Apparemment, c'est pour éviter un bonus de 250 millions de dollars. Le développement semble un peu chaotique, comme d’habitude. Bref, il faudra encore attendre pour explorer les profondeurs. Pas vraiment une surprise, mais bon, qui s’en soucie vraiment ? #Subnautica2 #Report #Krafton #JeuxVidéo #ActuGaming
    WWW.ACTUGAMING.NET
    Subnautica 2 repoussé à 2026 : un report pour éviter un bonus de 250 millions de dollars ?
    ActuGaming.net Subnautica 2 repoussé à 2026 : un report pour éviter un bonus de 250 millions de dollars ? Le développement de Subnautica 2 traverse une zone de turbulences. Plus tôt cette semaine, Krafton, […] L'article Subnautica 2 repoussé à
    1 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • Games Inbox: Would Xbox ever shut down Game Pass?

    Game Pass – will it continue forever?The Monday letters page struggles to predict what’s going to happen with the PlayStation 6, as one reader sees their opinion of the Switch 2 change over time.
    To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk
    Final Pass
    I agree with a lot of what was said about the current state of Xbox in the Reader’s Feature this weekend and how the more Microsoft spends, and the more companies they own, the less the seem to be in control. Which is very strange really.The biggest recent failure has got to be Game Pass, which has not had the impact they expected and yet they don’t seem ready to acknowledge that. If they’re thinking of increasing the price again, like those rumours say, then I think that will be the point at which you can draw a line under the whole idea and admit it’s never going to catch on.
    But would Microsoft ever shut down Game Pass completely? I feel that would almost be more humiliating than stopping making consoles, so I can’t really imagine it. Instead, they’ll make it more and more expensive and put more and more restrictions on day one games until it’s no longer recognisable.Grackle
    Panic button
    Strange to see Sony talking relatively openly about Nintendo and Microsoft as competition. I can’t remember the last time they mentioned either of them, even if they obviously would prefer not to have, if they hadn’t been asked by investors.At no point did they acknowledge that the Switch has completely outsold both their last two consoles, so I’m not sure where their confidence comes from. I guess it’s from the fact that they know they’ve done nothing this gen and still come out on top, so from their perspective they’ve got plenty in reserve.

    Expert, exclusive gaming analysis

    Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.

    Having your panic button being ‘do anything at all’ must be pretty reassuring really. Nintendo has had to work to get where they are with the Switch but Sony is just coasting it.Lupus
    James’ LadderJacob’s Ladder is a film I’ve been meaning to watch for a while, and I guessed the ending quite early on, but it feels like a Silent Hill film. I don’t know if you guys have seen it but it’s an excellent film and the hospital scene near the end, and the cages blocking off the underground early on, just remind me of the game.
    A depressing film overall but worth a watch.Simon
    GC: Jacob’s Ladder was as a major influence on Silent Hill 2 in particular, even the jacket James is wearing is the same.
    Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
    Seeing the future
    I know everyone likes to think of themselves as Nostradamus, but I have to admit I have absolutely no clue what Sony is planning for the PlayStation 6. A new console that is just the usual update, that sits under your TV, is easy enough to imagine but surely they’re not going to do that again?But the idea of having new home and portable machines that come out at the same time seems so unlikely to me. Surely the portable wouldn’t be a separate format, but I can’t see it being any kind of portable that runs its own games because it’d never be as powerful as the home machine. So, it’s really just a PlayStation Portal 2?
    Like I said, I don’t know, but for some reason I have a bad feeling about that the next gen and whatever Sony does end up unveiling. I suspect that whatever they and Microsoft does it’s going to end up making the Switch 2seem even more appealing by comparison.Gonch
    Hidden insight
    I’m not going to say that Welcome Tour is a good game but what I will say is that I found it very interesting at times and I’m actually kind of surprised that Nintendo revealed some of the information that they did. Most of it could probably be found out by reverse engineering it and just taking it apart but I’m still surprised it went into as much detail as it did.You’re right that it’s all presented in a very dull way but personally I found the ‘Insights’ to be the best part of the game. The minigames really are not very good and I was always glad when they were over. So, while I would not necessarily recommend the gameI would say that it can be of interest to people who have an interest in how consoles work and how Nintendo think.Mogwai
    Purchase privilege
    I’ve recently had the privilege of buying Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from the website CDKeys, using a 10% discount code. I was lucky enough to only spend a total of £25.99; much cheaper than purchasing the title for console. If only Ubisoft had the foresight to see what they allowed to slip through their fingers. I’d also like to mention that from what I’ve read quite recently ,and a couple of mixed views, I don’t see myself cancelling my Switch 2. On the contrary, it just is coming across as a disappointment.From the battery life to the lack of launch titles, an empty open world is never a smart choice to make not even Mario is safe from that. That leaves the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally that’s recently been showcased and is set for an October launch.
    I won’t lie it does look in the same vein as the Switch 2, far too similar to the ROG Ally X model. Just with grips and a dedicated Xbox button. The Z2 Extreme chip has me intrigued, however. How much of a transcendental shift it makes is another question however. I’ll have to wait to receive official confirmation for a price and release date. But there’s also a Lenovo Legion Go 2 waiting in the wings. I hope we hear more information soon. Preferably before my 28th in August.Shahzaib Sadiq
    Tip of the iceberg
    Interesting to hear about Cyberpunk 2077 running well on the Switch 2. I think if they’re getting that kind of performance at launch, from a third party not use to working with Nintendo hardware, that bodes very well for the future.I think we’re probably underestimating the Switch 2 a lot at the moment and stuff we’ll be seeing in two or three years is going to be amazing, I predict. What I can’t predict is when we’ll hear about any of this. I really hope there’s a Nintendo Direct this week.Dano
    Changing opinions
    So just a little over a week with the Switch 2 and after initially feeling incredibly meh about the new console and Mario Kart a little more playtime has been more optimistic about the console and much more positive about Mario Kart World.It did feel odd having a new console from Nintendo that didn’t inspire that childlike excitement. An iterative upgrade isn’t very exciting and as I own a Steam Deck the advancements in processing weren’t all that exciting either. I can imagine someone who only bough an OG Switch back in 2017 really noticing the improvements but if you bought an OLED it’s basically a Switch Pro.
    The criminally low level of software support doesn’t help. I double dipped Street Fighter 6 only to discover I can’t transfer progress or DLC across from my Xbox, which sort of means if I want both profiles to have parity I have to buy everything twice! I also treated myself to a new Pro Controller and find using it for Street Fighter almost unplayable as the L and ZL buttons are far too easy to accidently press when playing.
    Mario Kart initially felt like more of the same and it was only after I made an effort to explore the world map, unlock characters and karts, and try the new grinding/ollie mechanic that it clicked. I am now really enjoying it, especially the remixed soundtracks.
    I do however want more Switch 2 exclusive experiences – going back through my back catalogue for improved frame rates doesn’t cut it Nintendo! As someone with a large digital library the system transfer was very frustrating and the new virtual cartridges are just awful – does a Switch 2 need to be online all the time now? Not the best idea for a portable system.
    So, the start of a new console lifecycle and hopefully lots of new IP – I suspect Nintendo will try and get us to revisit our back catalogues first though.BristolPete
    Inbox also-rans
    Just thought I would mention that if anyone’s interested in purchasing the Mortal Kombat 1 Definitive Edition, which includes all DLC, that it’s currently an absolute steal on the Xbox store at £21.99.Nick The GreekI’ve just won my first Knockout Tour online race on Mario Kart World! I’ve got to say, the feeling is magnificent.Rable

    More Trending

    Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk
    The small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content.
    You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot.
    You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter.
    Arrow
    MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World too hard?

    GameCentral
    Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.
    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
    #games #inbox #would #xbox #ever
    Games Inbox: Would Xbox ever shut down Game Pass?
    Game Pass – will it continue forever?The Monday letters page struggles to predict what’s going to happen with the PlayStation 6, as one reader sees their opinion of the Switch 2 change over time. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Final Pass I agree with a lot of what was said about the current state of Xbox in the Reader’s Feature this weekend and how the more Microsoft spends, and the more companies they own, the less the seem to be in control. Which is very strange really.The biggest recent failure has got to be Game Pass, which has not had the impact they expected and yet they don’t seem ready to acknowledge that. If they’re thinking of increasing the price again, like those rumours say, then I think that will be the point at which you can draw a line under the whole idea and admit it’s never going to catch on. But would Microsoft ever shut down Game Pass completely? I feel that would almost be more humiliating than stopping making consoles, so I can’t really imagine it. Instead, they’ll make it more and more expensive and put more and more restrictions on day one games until it’s no longer recognisable.Grackle Panic button Strange to see Sony talking relatively openly about Nintendo and Microsoft as competition. I can’t remember the last time they mentioned either of them, even if they obviously would prefer not to have, if they hadn’t been asked by investors.At no point did they acknowledge that the Switch has completely outsold both their last two consoles, so I’m not sure where their confidence comes from. I guess it’s from the fact that they know they’ve done nothing this gen and still come out on top, so from their perspective they’ve got plenty in reserve. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Having your panic button being ‘do anything at all’ must be pretty reassuring really. Nintendo has had to work to get where they are with the Switch but Sony is just coasting it.Lupus James’ LadderJacob’s Ladder is a film I’ve been meaning to watch for a while, and I guessed the ending quite early on, but it feels like a Silent Hill film. I don’t know if you guys have seen it but it’s an excellent film and the hospital scene near the end, and the cages blocking off the underground early on, just remind me of the game. A depressing film overall but worth a watch.Simon GC: Jacob’s Ladder was as a major influence on Silent Hill 2 in particular, even the jacket James is wearing is the same. Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Seeing the future I know everyone likes to think of themselves as Nostradamus, but I have to admit I have absolutely no clue what Sony is planning for the PlayStation 6. A new console that is just the usual update, that sits under your TV, is easy enough to imagine but surely they’re not going to do that again?But the idea of having new home and portable machines that come out at the same time seems so unlikely to me. Surely the portable wouldn’t be a separate format, but I can’t see it being any kind of portable that runs its own games because it’d never be as powerful as the home machine. So, it’s really just a PlayStation Portal 2? Like I said, I don’t know, but for some reason I have a bad feeling about that the next gen and whatever Sony does end up unveiling. I suspect that whatever they and Microsoft does it’s going to end up making the Switch 2seem even more appealing by comparison.Gonch Hidden insight I’m not going to say that Welcome Tour is a good game but what I will say is that I found it very interesting at times and I’m actually kind of surprised that Nintendo revealed some of the information that they did. Most of it could probably be found out by reverse engineering it and just taking it apart but I’m still surprised it went into as much detail as it did.You’re right that it’s all presented in a very dull way but personally I found the ‘Insights’ to be the best part of the game. The minigames really are not very good and I was always glad when they were over. So, while I would not necessarily recommend the gameI would say that it can be of interest to people who have an interest in how consoles work and how Nintendo think.Mogwai Purchase privilege I’ve recently had the privilege of buying Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from the website CDKeys, using a 10% discount code. I was lucky enough to only spend a total of £25.99; much cheaper than purchasing the title for console. If only Ubisoft had the foresight to see what they allowed to slip through their fingers. I’d also like to mention that from what I’ve read quite recently ,and a couple of mixed views, I don’t see myself cancelling my Switch 2. On the contrary, it just is coming across as a disappointment.From the battery life to the lack of launch titles, an empty open world is never a smart choice to make not even Mario is safe from that. That leaves the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally that’s recently been showcased and is set for an October launch. I won’t lie it does look in the same vein as the Switch 2, far too similar to the ROG Ally X model. Just with grips and a dedicated Xbox button. The Z2 Extreme chip has me intrigued, however. How much of a transcendental shift it makes is another question however. I’ll have to wait to receive official confirmation for a price and release date. But there’s also a Lenovo Legion Go 2 waiting in the wings. I hope we hear more information soon. Preferably before my 28th in August.Shahzaib Sadiq Tip of the iceberg Interesting to hear about Cyberpunk 2077 running well on the Switch 2. I think if they’re getting that kind of performance at launch, from a third party not use to working with Nintendo hardware, that bodes very well for the future.I think we’re probably underestimating the Switch 2 a lot at the moment and stuff we’ll be seeing in two or three years is going to be amazing, I predict. What I can’t predict is when we’ll hear about any of this. I really hope there’s a Nintendo Direct this week.Dano Changing opinions So just a little over a week with the Switch 2 and after initially feeling incredibly meh about the new console and Mario Kart a little more playtime has been more optimistic about the console and much more positive about Mario Kart World.It did feel odd having a new console from Nintendo that didn’t inspire that childlike excitement. An iterative upgrade isn’t very exciting and as I own a Steam Deck the advancements in processing weren’t all that exciting either. I can imagine someone who only bough an OG Switch back in 2017 really noticing the improvements but if you bought an OLED it’s basically a Switch Pro. The criminally low level of software support doesn’t help. I double dipped Street Fighter 6 only to discover I can’t transfer progress or DLC across from my Xbox, which sort of means if I want both profiles to have parity I have to buy everything twice! I also treated myself to a new Pro Controller and find using it for Street Fighter almost unplayable as the L and ZL buttons are far too easy to accidently press when playing. Mario Kart initially felt like more of the same and it was only after I made an effort to explore the world map, unlock characters and karts, and try the new grinding/ollie mechanic that it clicked. I am now really enjoying it, especially the remixed soundtracks. I do however want more Switch 2 exclusive experiences – going back through my back catalogue for improved frame rates doesn’t cut it Nintendo! As someone with a large digital library the system transfer was very frustrating and the new virtual cartridges are just awful – does a Switch 2 need to be online all the time now? Not the best idea for a portable system. So, the start of a new console lifecycle and hopefully lots of new IP – I suspect Nintendo will try and get us to revisit our back catalogues first though.BristolPete Inbox also-rans Just thought I would mention that if anyone’s interested in purchasing the Mortal Kombat 1 Definitive Edition, which includes all DLC, that it’s currently an absolute steal on the Xbox store at £21.99.Nick The GreekI’ve just won my first Knockout Tour online race on Mario Kart World! I’ve got to say, the feeling is magnificent.Rable More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World too hard? GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy #games #inbox #would #xbox #ever
    METRO.CO.UK
    Games Inbox: Would Xbox ever shut down Game Pass?
    Game Pass – will it continue forever? (Microsoft) The Monday letters page struggles to predict what’s going to happen with the PlayStation 6, as one reader sees their opinion of the Switch 2 change over time. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@metro.co.uk Final Pass I agree with a lot of what was said about the current state of Xbox in the Reader’s Feature this weekend and how the more Microsoft spends, and the more companies they own, the less the seem to be in control. Which is very strange really.The biggest recent failure has got to be Game Pass, which has not had the impact they expected and yet they don’t seem ready to acknowledge that. If they’re thinking of increasing the price again, like those rumours say, then I think that will be the point at which you can draw a line under the whole idea and admit it’s never going to catch on. But would Microsoft ever shut down Game Pass completely? I feel that would almost be more humiliating than stopping making consoles, so I can’t really imagine it. Instead, they’ll make it more and more expensive and put more and more restrictions on day one games until it’s no longer recognisable.Grackle Panic button Strange to see Sony talking relatively openly about Nintendo and Microsoft as competition. I can’t remember the last time they mentioned either of them, even if they obviously would prefer not to have, if they hadn’t been asked by investors.At no point did they acknowledge that the Switch has completely outsold both their last two consoles, so I’m not sure where their confidence comes from. I guess it’s from the fact that they know they’ve done nothing this gen and still come out on top, so from their perspective they’ve got plenty in reserve. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Having your panic button being ‘do anything at all’ must be pretty reassuring really. Nintendo has had to work to get where they are with the Switch but Sony is just coasting it.Lupus James’ LadderJacob’s Ladder is a film I’ve been meaning to watch for a while, and I guessed the ending quite early on, but it feels like a Silent Hill film. I don’t know if you guys have seen it but it’s an excellent film and the hospital scene near the end, and the cages blocking off the underground early on, just remind me of the game. A depressing film overall but worth a watch.Simon GC: Jacob’s Ladder was as a major influence on Silent Hill 2 in particular, even the jacket James is wearing is the same. Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk Seeing the future I know everyone likes to think of themselves as Nostradamus, but I have to admit I have absolutely no clue what Sony is planning for the PlayStation 6. A new console that is just the usual update, that sits under your TV, is easy enough to imagine but surely they’re not going to do that again?But the idea of having new home and portable machines that come out at the same time seems so unlikely to me. Surely the portable wouldn’t be a separate format, but I can’t see it being any kind of portable that runs its own games because it’d never be as powerful as the home machine. So, it’s really just a PlayStation Portal 2? Like I said, I don’t know, but for some reason I have a bad feeling about that the next gen and whatever Sony does end up unveiling. I suspect that whatever they and Microsoft does it’s going to end up making the Switch 2 (and PC) seem even more appealing by comparison.Gonch Hidden insight I’m not going to say that Welcome Tour is a good game but what I will say is that I found it very interesting at times and I’m actually kind of surprised that Nintendo revealed some of the information that they did. Most of it could probably be found out by reverse engineering it and just taking it apart but I’m still surprised it went into as much detail as it did.You’re right that it’s all presented in a very dull way but personally I found the ‘Insights’ to be the best part of the game. The minigames really are not very good and I was always glad when they were over. So, while I would not necessarily recommend the game (it’s not really a game) I would say that it can be of interest to people who have an interest in how consoles work and how Nintendo think.Mogwai Purchase privilege I’ve recently had the privilege of buying Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 from the website CDKeys, using a 10% discount code. I was lucky enough to only spend a total of £25.99; much cheaper than purchasing the title for console. If only Ubisoft had the foresight to see what they allowed to slip through their fingers. I’d also like to mention that from what I’ve read quite recently ,and a couple of mixed views, I don’t see myself cancelling my Switch 2. On the contrary, it just is coming across as a disappointment.From the battery life to the lack of launch titles, an empty open world is never a smart choice to make not even Mario is safe from that. That leaves the upcoming ROG Xbox Ally that’s recently been showcased and is set for an October launch. I won’t lie it does look in the same vein as the Switch 2, far too similar to the ROG Ally X model. Just with grips and a dedicated Xbox button. The Z2 Extreme chip has me intrigued, however. How much of a transcendental shift it makes is another question however. I’ll have to wait to receive official confirmation for a price and release date. But there’s also a Lenovo Legion Go 2 waiting in the wings. I hope we hear more information soon. Preferably before my 28th in August.Shahzaib Sadiq Tip of the iceberg Interesting to hear about Cyberpunk 2077 running well on the Switch 2. I think if they’re getting that kind of performance at launch, from a third party not use to working with Nintendo hardware, that bodes very well for the future.I think we’re probably underestimating the Switch 2 a lot at the moment and stuff we’ll be seeing in two or three years is going to be amazing, I predict. What I can’t predict is when we’ll hear about any of this. I really hope there’s a Nintendo Direct this week.Dano Changing opinions So just a little over a week with the Switch 2 and after initially feeling incredibly meh about the new console and Mario Kart a little more playtime has been more optimistic about the console and much more positive about Mario Kart World.It did feel odd having a new console from Nintendo that didn’t inspire that childlike excitement. An iterative upgrade isn’t very exciting and as I own a Steam Deck the advancements in processing weren’t all that exciting either. I can imagine someone who only bough an OG Switch back in 2017 really noticing the improvements but if you bought an OLED it’s basically a Switch Pro (minus the OLED). The criminally low level of software support doesn’t help. I double dipped Street Fighter 6 only to discover I can’t transfer progress or DLC across from my Xbox, which sort of means if I want both profiles to have parity I have to buy everything twice! I also treated myself to a new Pro Controller and find using it for Street Fighter almost unplayable as the L and ZL buttons are far too easy to accidently press when playing. Mario Kart initially felt like more of the same and it was only after I made an effort to explore the world map, unlock characters and karts, and try the new grinding/ollie mechanic that it clicked. I am now really enjoying it, especially the remixed soundtracks. I do however want more Switch 2 exclusive experiences – going back through my back catalogue for improved frame rates doesn’t cut it Nintendo! As someone with a large digital library the system transfer was very frustrating and the new virtual cartridges are just awful – does a Switch 2 need to be online all the time now? Not the best idea for a portable system. So, the start of a new console lifecycle and hopefully lots of new IP – I suspect Nintendo will try and get us to revisit our back catalogues first though.BristolPete Inbox also-rans Just thought I would mention that if anyone’s interested in purchasing the Mortal Kombat 1 Definitive Edition, which includes all DLC, that it’s currently an absolute steal on the Xbox store at £21.99.Nick The GreekI’ve just won my first Knockout Tour online race on Mario Kart World! I’ve got to say, the feeling is magnificent.Rable More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@metro.co.uk The small printNew Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers’ letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader’s Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don’t forget to follow us on Twitter. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World too hard? GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
    Like
    Love
    Wow
    Angry
    Sad
    506
    2 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • NOOBS ARE COMING (Demo) [Free] [Action] [Windows] [Linux]

    SirCozyCrow5 hours agoThe sound track is PEAK! I loved playing this, and my partner who normally doesn't play games like this one had a good time as well. I enjoyed the learning curve and I can't wait to play the harder difficulties.Here's a video I made, my partner jumped in for a few minutes as well.Replyso funReplyDrew.a.Chain1 day agoVery addictive!ReplyTrashpanda1191 day agolove the playstyle and the art style definitly fun to play plus the music is the cherry on topReplyAhoOppai1 day agoreally fun game cant wait for the full gameReplyDin Xavier coding1 day agoI chose the laser eye. How do I turn the attack around? Can I even do that?Replyoverboy1 day agoHey, the laser eye gets a random direction at the start of each wave, it's one of the specificities of this attack ;)ReplyFort Kenmei1 day agoGameplay and Critique ;)Replyoverboy1 day agoThanks a lot for the awesome video and the feedback! :)ReplyTLGaby2 days agoJust to know browser progress keep getting reset.Replyoverboy1 day agoThanks for the report! Could it be due to some of your browser settings?Unfortunately, browser-based games can't always guarantee reliable local saves due to how browsers handle storage.To avoid this in the future, I recommend trying the downloadable version of the demo,  it provides a more stable environment for saving progress. :)Replyepic.Replyoleekconder2 days agoVery nice. Spent couple hours easy=) UPD: And some moreReplyMaximusR3 days agoes un juego que ya jugue en su momento cuando tenias menos cosas y ahora que esta actualizado quisiera grabarlo otra vezReplyEPIClove the spiders ♥ReplynineGardens3 days agoOkay so.... tried out a few things, and some Dev suggestions to report:
    Bigfoot is such a cool idea, and running around at that speed with like.... all THAT going on just gave me motion sickness.Summoner is hysterical fun. All hail spiders. Tomatoe's are pretty fun too.The Adept is so cool in theory, but... once you have the right build is a bit of a "standing still simulator"  Also, if you have totoms or other turrets, there's very much the question each round of "Will my circle spawn NEAR the totoms , or far from them "   I kind of wonder if the mage circle should like... fizzle out after 20 seconds and appear somewhere else. Just... something to give a bit more dynamism, and to make the original spawn point less critical.Okay: added thoughts:Watering psycotic tomatoes feels great.Being a malevolent spider with 8 arms feels amazing. Feels very good and natural."Orbital" is one of the greatest and most fun abilities in the game.  I would take this even without the damage boost.Lots of fun, but also very silly. Good job.Replydave99993 days agowith some size you can kick the totems around to reposition them towards your circle, it benefits them too, adept can choose the wand at the start and with it you have no sustain problem anyway whatever build you want to set upReplynineGardens3 days agoOh damn- only just found out you can kick the totems!Okay, yeah in this case all is well. Or at least.... I still think a moving circle could be cool, but the fact that you can move your totems over to where the circle is makes things much better.Replyjust get enough amount+size and they hit everything, bounce is overkill ReplyLost track of time 10 hours in and still hooked. Absolutely love it! Can't wait for the full releaseReplyDriftedVoid4 days agoPretty good!
    ReplyIndyot4 days agoIt's a pretty addictive game, congrats! I lowkey missed a bit of satisfaction on the weapons though.ReplyCongrats on the game! I really like the weapons that you interact with which gives it a fun spin.Reply1Soultaken4 days agoAnyone know good combos for the items?Replydave99994 days agolasers plus amount+adept some arcane for basic dmgtotems +amount+ bounce+adept optional size and arcane you can stand still in the endall shovels with crit, strength their extra souls help you snowball hard and easy probably the most straightforward and stable very good build you can beat the game with nearly anything its well balanced but this one is very strong and easy soul flask, more chests are near always must pick, the high luck value ones give you better items the free reroll is a must pick, lightning dagger is somewhat unique as it  can carry you the entire early game even if you do not get enough element damageReplydave99998 days agounderestimated totems Replylimey8 days agoi like how you made like MULTITUDES of updates on this so like as soon as i check my feed its just thisReplydave99998 days agomy best run so far,  there s a hidden mechanic that  makes weapons  you have more likely to drop?Replyoverboy8 days agoLmao, awesome — looks like a really fun build to play! Yeah, Shop RNG uses a lot of hidden tricks to help you find relevant attacks, while still allowing unrelated ones to appear. That way, you can discover unique builds and experiment freely!Replyoverboy8 days agoThank you so much for the incredible reception of the web demo on Itch, and to everyone who wishlisted the game! Many of the changes—along with much more to come in future updates—are directly based on your feedback here and on the game’s Discord.

    I’m also excited to announce that the game will release on Steam on 8 July 2025!
    Demo - Update 35Singleplayer UI: Level Up Upgrade Phase and Chest Pickup Phase UI now display the items and attacks inventoriesSingleplayer Shop: subtle animation while selecting a Buy Button
    Many Balancing tweaks
    Balancing: nerfed Life Steal in various waysBalancing: nerfed Knockback in various waysBalancing: too much items enhancing HP Max were put in the Demo, this means it was easier to get a lot of HP and to survive in the Demo due to higher ratio of items providing HP
    Added a subtle duration during which the player can still pickup Souls even if they’re slurped by the Soul Portal
    Fine tuned the color of some weapons to improve the visibility
    Balancing: Ballista don’t double their projectiles based on amount anymoreIf Player HP is Full and HP Max > 20, the player can’t be one-shot
    Bugfix: in-game achievement pop up could be displayed below other UI elements while it should always be above everything else
    Potential Bugfix for a rare bug happening in Multiplayer shop where player2 Shop sections wasn’t displayed at allRework the save system in preparation for upcoming features
    ReplyxHELLO_WORLDx10 days agocontracts on the gameReplydave999910 days agoelijah_ap10 days agoLove the art style, upgrades, controls, etc. Balance might be the only thing off about this. If you were to add anything, I would want to see more variety in the stages, similar to Vampire Survivor. Otherwise- really great.ReplyThank you so much! I’ll keep working on the balance with each update, and I appreciate the suggestion on stage variety!ReplyNetsmile10 days agoTorch IV has a problem rounding numbers in the stats hover over display. Other levels of torches workReplyoverboy10 days agoThanks, I'll fix this displayed rounding number issue soon!ReplySkeppartorsk10 days agoFor now I'd say it's fun, but lacking a bit in balance. I absolutely suck at brotatolikes. But find this one easy, so it's probably undertuned as far as difficulty is concerned. The power and availability of HP and regen items, makes you just literally not care if you get hit. Then the relatively strong armor on top and you're just too tanky for anything to feasibly ever kill you.Replyoverboy10 days agoThanks for the feedback! Sounds like tanky builds might be a bit too forgiving right now, i'll do some balancing changesReplySkeppartorsk9 days agoLife steal has similar issues too. There's also the standard issue with knockback in these kinds of games. The lack of any enemy resistance/diminishing returns, means it's way too easy to get enough knockback that enemies cannot touch you anymore. Ranged attacks are too few and far between to worry about with the current levels of sustain. Meaning you can just Stand Still and Kill way too realiably.
    Edit: Lategame with 6x Wands I'm getting so much screen shake it's triggering simulation sickness. It was due to having Pierce + Bounce. The screen shake from my projectiles bouncing off the edge of the map.Replyoverboy8 days agothanks for your feedback, it will help for the game balancing!For now I try to avoid diminishing returns by design to make sure each feature and stat is super easy to understand because I dislike when roguelike gets too opaque, I prefer that the player fully and easily undestand each of its choices, but yeah that involves a good balance to find!In future updates, Life Steal will become harder to get, Knockback will be capped at lower maximum applied values.Regarding the overall difficulty, the full version has 3 extra level of difficulties, and based on some feedbacks i have from beta testers, the balance between the 5 difficulty modes seem to be close to what i'm aiming forThere is already an option to disable screenshakes ;)Edit: Would you be interested to join the beta-test of the full game? If so please join the Discord and ping me in DM ;)ReplySkeppartorsk8 days agoI did notice that you could turn off screen shake entirely. But admittedly a lot of the visceral feel of the combat goes away when you fully disable the screen shake. But when you have too many Leeroy/knockback projectiles/bouncing projectiles. It just reaches the point where simulation sickness sets in. Wish there was something like an intensity setting, or a way for it to cap out at how often a screen shake can get triggered.
    I agree on the opaque thing. But I was more thinking something akin to how CC Diminishing Returns works in WoW. Where 1st hit = full value, 2nd hit within 10s = half value, 3rd hit = 1/4 value. Then 10s of immunity before it resets. That way you still get knockback when you pick knockback. But you can't just perma nail enemies against the wall.
    Edit: Also there's a wording issuewith how multiple pentagrams work. If you have adept pentagram and the item pentagram the wording is "when you stand inside a pentagram" But the item one gives the 20% damage ONLY and the adept one gives the adept bonuses ONLY. The wording would mean that both pentagrams should give adept bonus AND 20% damage bonus.Edit2: I'd suggest reformatting Grimorius tooltip so that the -10% armor is above the "on level up"portion. The indentation difference between the +1% speed and -10% armor is small enough that I read it as losing 10% armor on every level up.Replyoverboy8 days agoThanks a lot for the interesting insights!I nerfed HP, Lifesteal and Knockback using various techniques in the last update, along with many other changes.Just tested Pentagram/Adept and it works as expected: the 2 effects stack correctly as the wording impliedI reformatted Grimorius tooltip as you suggested ;)ReplyView more in threadBad Piggy11 days agoVery cool in it's current state. I love how much it really emphasises movement like how some active abilities need to be grabbed from around the arena to do themThat said, I think enemy projectiles could honestly stand out more. I could hardly see them at times in all the chaos.Still, I think this is a pretty solid base right now, and as always, you have a beautiful visual style, though I feel like the game suffers a little from how busy it can get. Great stuff so far thoughReplyThanks Bad Piggy! Really glad you’re enjoying the mechanics. I appreciate the feedback on projectile visibility and how busy things can get. I’ll definitely look into ways to improve those aspects. Really grateful for the kind words and thoughtful feedback!ReplyLeoLohandro11 days agoA copy of the brotato), but still fun.Replyoverboy11 days agoHey thanks a lot! Yes this game is a Brotato-like with many twists and new innovative mechanics, such as:- Equippable Boss Patterns- Minion Summoning- Growing Plant Minions with a watercan- Amount and Size stats - Physics-Based Weapons – like chained spikeballs- Kickable stuff- Playable character merge feature- Dozens and dozens of unique effectsI'm aiming for something like The Binding of Isaac meets Brotato — a deep, replayable experience full of chaotic synergies and wild builds that feel totally unique each run, with all the "being a boss fantasy and humor" deeply included in the mechanics and content :)Reply
    #noobs #are #coming #demo #free
    NOOBS ARE COMING (Demo) [Free] [Action] [Windows] [Linux]
    SirCozyCrow5 hours agoThe sound track is PEAK! I loved playing this, and my partner who normally doesn't play games like this one had a good time as well. I enjoyed the learning curve and I can't wait to play the harder difficulties.Here's a video I made, my partner jumped in for a few minutes as well.Replyso funReplyDrew.a.Chain1 day agoVery addictive!ReplyTrashpanda1191 day agolove the playstyle and the art style definitly fun to play plus the music is the cherry on topReplyAhoOppai1 day agoreally fun game cant wait for the full gameReplyDin Xavier coding1 day agoI chose the laser eye. How do I turn the attack around? Can I even do that?Replyoverboy1 day agoHey, the laser eye gets a random direction at the start of each wave, it's one of the specificities of this attack ;)ReplyFort Kenmei1 day agoGameplay and Critique ;)Replyoverboy1 day agoThanks a lot for the awesome video and the feedback! :)ReplyTLGaby2 days agoJust to know browser progress keep getting reset.Replyoverboy1 day agoThanks for the report! Could it be due to some of your browser settings?Unfortunately, browser-based games can't always guarantee reliable local saves due to how browsers handle storage.To avoid this in the future, I recommend trying the downloadable version of the demo,  it provides a more stable environment for saving progress. :)Replyepic.Replyoleekconder2 days agoVery nice. Spent couple hours easy=) UPD: And some moreReplyMaximusR3 days agoes un juego que ya jugue en su momento cuando tenias menos cosas y ahora que esta actualizado quisiera grabarlo otra vezReplyEPIClove the spiders ♥ReplynineGardens3 days agoOkay so.... tried out a few things, and some Dev suggestions to report: Bigfoot is such a cool idea, and running around at that speed with like.... all THAT going on just gave me motion sickness.Summoner is hysterical fun. All hail spiders. Tomatoe's are pretty fun too.The Adept is so cool in theory, but... once you have the right build is a bit of a "standing still simulator"  Also, if you have totoms or other turrets, there's very much the question each round of "Will my circle spawn NEAR the totoms , or far from them "   I kind of wonder if the mage circle should like... fizzle out after 20 seconds and appear somewhere else. Just... something to give a bit more dynamism, and to make the original spawn point less critical.Okay: added thoughts:Watering psycotic tomatoes feels great.Being a malevolent spider with 8 arms feels amazing. Feels very good and natural."Orbital" is one of the greatest and most fun abilities in the game.  I would take this even without the damage boost.Lots of fun, but also very silly. Good job.Replydave99993 days agowith some size you can kick the totems around to reposition them towards your circle, it benefits them too, adept can choose the wand at the start and with it you have no sustain problem anyway whatever build you want to set upReplynineGardens3 days agoOh damn- only just found out you can kick the totems!Okay, yeah in this case all is well. Or at least.... I still think a moving circle could be cool, but the fact that you can move your totems over to where the circle is makes things much better.Replyjust get enough amount+size and they hit everything, bounce is overkill ReplyLost track of time 10 hours in and still hooked. Absolutely love it! Can't wait for the full releaseReplyDriftedVoid4 days agoPretty good! ReplyIndyot4 days agoIt's a pretty addictive game, congrats! I lowkey missed a bit of satisfaction on the weapons though.ReplyCongrats on the game! I really like the weapons that you interact with which gives it a fun spin.Reply1Soultaken4 days agoAnyone know good combos for the items?Replydave99994 days agolasers plus amount+adept some arcane for basic dmgtotems +amount+ bounce+adept optional size and arcane you can stand still in the endall shovels with crit, strength their extra souls help you snowball hard and easy probably the most straightforward and stable very good build you can beat the game with nearly anything its well balanced but this one is very strong and easy soul flask, more chests are near always must pick, the high luck value ones give you better items the free reroll is a must pick, lightning dagger is somewhat unique as it  can carry you the entire early game even if you do not get enough element damageReplydave99998 days agounderestimated totems Replylimey8 days agoi like how you made like MULTITUDES of updates on this so like as soon as i check my feed its just thisReplydave99998 days agomy best run so far,  there s a hidden mechanic that  makes weapons  you have more likely to drop?Replyoverboy8 days agoLmao, awesome — looks like a really fun build to play! Yeah, Shop RNG uses a lot of hidden tricks to help you find relevant attacks, while still allowing unrelated ones to appear. That way, you can discover unique builds and experiment freely!Replyoverboy8 days agoThank you so much for the incredible reception of the web demo on Itch, and to everyone who wishlisted the game! Many of the changes—along with much more to come in future updates—are directly based on your feedback here and on the game’s Discord. I’m also excited to announce that the game will release on Steam on 8 July 2025! Demo - Update 35Singleplayer UI: Level Up Upgrade Phase and Chest Pickup Phase UI now display the items and attacks inventoriesSingleplayer Shop: subtle animation while selecting a Buy Button Many Balancing tweaks Balancing: nerfed Life Steal in various waysBalancing: nerfed Knockback in various waysBalancing: too much items enhancing HP Max were put in the Demo, this means it was easier to get a lot of HP and to survive in the Demo due to higher ratio of items providing HP Added a subtle duration during which the player can still pickup Souls even if they’re slurped by the Soul Portal Fine tuned the color of some weapons to improve the visibility Balancing: Ballista don’t double their projectiles based on amount anymoreIf Player HP is Full and HP Max > 20, the player can’t be one-shot Bugfix: in-game achievement pop up could be displayed below other UI elements while it should always be above everything else Potential Bugfix for a rare bug happening in Multiplayer shop where player2 Shop sections wasn’t displayed at allRework the save system in preparation for upcoming features ReplyxHELLO_WORLDx10 days agocontracts on the gameReplydave999910 days agoelijah_ap10 days agoLove the art style, upgrades, controls, etc. Balance might be the only thing off about this. If you were to add anything, I would want to see more variety in the stages, similar to Vampire Survivor. Otherwise- really great.ReplyThank you so much! I’ll keep working on the balance with each update, and I appreciate the suggestion on stage variety!ReplyNetsmile10 days agoTorch IV has a problem rounding numbers in the stats hover over display. Other levels of torches workReplyoverboy10 days agoThanks, I'll fix this displayed rounding number issue soon!ReplySkeppartorsk10 days agoFor now I'd say it's fun, but lacking a bit in balance. I absolutely suck at brotatolikes. But find this one easy, so it's probably undertuned as far as difficulty is concerned. The power and availability of HP and regen items, makes you just literally not care if you get hit. Then the relatively strong armor on top and you're just too tanky for anything to feasibly ever kill you.Replyoverboy10 days agoThanks for the feedback! Sounds like tanky builds might be a bit too forgiving right now, i'll do some balancing changesReplySkeppartorsk9 days agoLife steal has similar issues too. There's also the standard issue with knockback in these kinds of games. The lack of any enemy resistance/diminishing returns, means it's way too easy to get enough knockback that enemies cannot touch you anymore. Ranged attacks are too few and far between to worry about with the current levels of sustain. Meaning you can just Stand Still and Kill way too realiably. Edit: Lategame with 6x Wands I'm getting so much screen shake it's triggering simulation sickness. It was due to having Pierce + Bounce. The screen shake from my projectiles bouncing off the edge of the map.Replyoverboy8 days agothanks for your feedback, it will help for the game balancing!For now I try to avoid diminishing returns by design to make sure each feature and stat is super easy to understand because I dislike when roguelike gets too opaque, I prefer that the player fully and easily undestand each of its choices, but yeah that involves a good balance to find!In future updates, Life Steal will become harder to get, Knockback will be capped at lower maximum applied values.Regarding the overall difficulty, the full version has 3 extra level of difficulties, and based on some feedbacks i have from beta testers, the balance between the 5 difficulty modes seem to be close to what i'm aiming forThere is already an option to disable screenshakes ;)Edit: Would you be interested to join the beta-test of the full game? If so please join the Discord and ping me in DM ;)ReplySkeppartorsk8 days agoI did notice that you could turn off screen shake entirely. But admittedly a lot of the visceral feel of the combat goes away when you fully disable the screen shake. But when you have too many Leeroy/knockback projectiles/bouncing projectiles. It just reaches the point where simulation sickness sets in. Wish there was something like an intensity setting, or a way for it to cap out at how often a screen shake can get triggered. I agree on the opaque thing. But I was more thinking something akin to how CC Diminishing Returns works in WoW. Where 1st hit = full value, 2nd hit within 10s = half value, 3rd hit = 1/4 value. Then 10s of immunity before it resets. That way you still get knockback when you pick knockback. But you can't just perma nail enemies against the wall. Edit: Also there's a wording issuewith how multiple pentagrams work. If you have adept pentagram and the item pentagram the wording is "when you stand inside a pentagram" But the item one gives the 20% damage ONLY and the adept one gives the adept bonuses ONLY. The wording would mean that both pentagrams should give adept bonus AND 20% damage bonus.Edit2: I'd suggest reformatting Grimorius tooltip so that the -10% armor is above the "on level up"portion. The indentation difference between the +1% speed and -10% armor is small enough that I read it as losing 10% armor on every level up.Replyoverboy8 days agoThanks a lot for the interesting insights!I nerfed HP, Lifesteal and Knockback using various techniques in the last update, along with many other changes.Just tested Pentagram/Adept and it works as expected: the 2 effects stack correctly as the wording impliedI reformatted Grimorius tooltip as you suggested ;)ReplyView more in threadBad Piggy11 days agoVery cool in it's current state. I love how much it really emphasises movement like how some active abilities need to be grabbed from around the arena to do themThat said, I think enemy projectiles could honestly stand out more. I could hardly see them at times in all the chaos.Still, I think this is a pretty solid base right now, and as always, you have a beautiful visual style, though I feel like the game suffers a little from how busy it can get. Great stuff so far thoughReplyThanks Bad Piggy! Really glad you’re enjoying the mechanics. I appreciate the feedback on projectile visibility and how busy things can get. I’ll definitely look into ways to improve those aspects. Really grateful for the kind words and thoughtful feedback!ReplyLeoLohandro11 days agoA copy of the brotato), but still fun.Replyoverboy11 days agoHey thanks a lot! Yes this game is a Brotato-like with many twists and new innovative mechanics, such as:- Equippable Boss Patterns- Minion Summoning- Growing Plant Minions with a watercan- Amount and Size stats - Physics-Based Weapons – like chained spikeballs- Kickable stuff- Playable character merge feature- Dozens and dozens of unique effectsI'm aiming for something like The Binding of Isaac meets Brotato — a deep, replayable experience full of chaotic synergies and wild builds that feel totally unique each run, with all the "being a boss fantasy and humor" deeply included in the mechanics and content :)Reply #noobs #are #coming #demo #free
    OVERBOY.ITCH.IO
    NOOBS ARE COMING (Demo) [Free] [Action] [Windows] [Linux]
    SirCozyCrow5 hours agoThe sound track is PEAK! I loved playing this, and my partner who normally doesn't play games like this one had a good time as well. I enjoyed the learning curve and I can't wait to play the harder difficulties.Here's a video I made, my partner jumped in for a few minutes as well.Replyso funReplyDrew.a.Chain1 day ago(+1)Very addictive!ReplyTrashpanda1191 day ago(+1)love the playstyle and the art style definitly fun to play plus the music is the cherry on topReplyAhoOppai1 day ago(+1)really fun game cant wait for the full gameReplyDin Xavier coding1 day agoI chose the laser eye. How do I turn the attack around? Can I even do that?Replyoverboy1 day agoHey, the laser eye gets a random direction at the start of each wave, it's one of the specificities of this attack ;)ReplyFort Kenmei1 day agoGameplay and Critique ;)Replyoverboy1 day ago(+1)Thanks a lot for the awesome video and the feedback! :)ReplyTLGaby2 days agoJust to know browser progress keep getting reset.Replyoverboy1 day ago (2 edits) (+1)Thanks for the report! Could it be due to some of your browser settings?Unfortunately, browser-based games can't always guarantee reliable local saves due to how browsers handle storage.To avoid this in the future, I recommend trying the downloadable version of the demo,  it provides a more stable environment for saving progress. :)Replyepic.Replyoleekconder2 days ago (1 edit) (+1)Very nice. Spent couple hours easy=) UPD: And some moreReplyMaximusR3 days agoes un juego que ya jugue en su momento cuando tenias menos cosas y ahora que esta actualizado quisiera grabarlo otra vezReplyEPIClove the spiders ♥ReplynineGardens3 days ago (1 edit) (+2)Okay so.... tried out a few things, and some Dev suggestions to report: Bigfoot is such a cool idea, and running around at that speed with like.... all THAT going on just gave me motion sickness.Summoner is hysterical fun. All hail spiders. Tomatoe's are pretty fun too.The Adept is so cool in theory, but... once you have the right build is a bit of a "standing still simulator"  Also, if you have totoms or other turrets, there's very much the question each round of "Will my circle spawn NEAR the totoms (instant win), or far from them (oh no)"   I kind of wonder if the mage circle should like... fizzle out after 20 seconds and appear somewhere else. Just... something to give a bit more dynamism, and to make the original spawn point less critical.Okay: added thoughts:Watering psycotic tomatoes feels great.Being a malevolent spider with 8 arms feels amazing. Feels very good and natural."Orbital" is one of the greatest and most fun abilities in the game.  I would take this even without the damage boost.Lots of fun, but also very silly. Good job.Replydave99993 days agowith some size you can kick the totems around to reposition them towards your circle, it benefits them too, adept can choose the wand at the start and with it you have no sustain problem anyway whatever build you want to set upReplynineGardens3 days agoOh damn- only just found out you can kick the totems!Okay, yeah in this case all is well. Or at least.... I still think a moving circle could be cool, but the fact that you can move your totems over to where the circle is makes things much better.Replyjust get enough amount+size and they hit everything, bounce is overkill ReplyLost track of time 10 hours in and still hooked. Absolutely love it! Can't wait for the full releaseReplyDriftedVoid4 days agoPretty good! ReplyIndyot4 days agoIt's a pretty addictive game, congrats! I lowkey missed a bit of satisfaction on the weapons though.ReplyCongrats on the game! I really like the weapons that you interact with which gives it a fun spin. (i.e. the spike ball)Reply1Soultaken4 days agoAnyone know good combos for the items? (I just pick randomly.)Replydave99994 days ago (1 edit) (+2)lasers plus amount+adept some arcane for basic dmg (its instable to setup and only overboy starts with one) totems +amount+ bounce+adept optional size and arcane you can stand still in the endall shovels with crit, strength their extra souls help you snowball hard and easy probably the most straightforward and stable very good build you can beat the game with nearly anything its well balanced but this one is very strong and easy (realized in the end that all size was wasted on this) soul flask, more chests are near always must pick, the high luck value ones give you better items the free reroll is a must pick, lightning dagger is somewhat unique as it  can carry you the entire early game even if you do not get enough element damage (I understand that the more gimmicky things like pets and kickables give the game versatility but to min max they are not that competative)Replydave99998 days agounderestimated totems Replylimey8 days agoi like how you made like MULTITUDES of updates on this so like as soon as i check my feed its just thisReplydave99998 days ago (1 edit) (+1)my best run so far,  there s a hidden mechanic that  makes weapons  you have more likely to drop?Replyoverboy8 days ago(+2)Lmao, awesome — looks like a really fun build to play! Yeah, Shop RNG uses a lot of hidden tricks to help you find relevant attacks, while still allowing unrelated ones to appear. That way, you can discover unique builds and experiment freely!Replyoverboy8 days ago (1 edit) Thank you so much for the incredible reception of the web demo on Itch, and to everyone who wishlisted the game! Many of the changes—along with much more to come in future updates—are directly based on your feedback here and on the game’s Discord. I’m also excited to announce that the game will release on Steam on 8 July 2025! Demo - Update 35 (06 June 2025)Singleplayer UI: Level Up Upgrade Phase and Chest Pickup Phase UI now display the items and attacks inventories (useful to check the scaling of current equipped attacks for example) Singleplayer Shop: subtle animation while selecting a Buy Button Many Balancing tweaks Balancing: nerfed Life Steal in various ways (lower values gained from items) Balancing: nerfed Knockback in various ways (lower values gained, higher item rarity, lower max applied value) Balancing: too much items enhancing HP Max were put in the Demo, this means it was easier to get a lot of HP and to survive in the Demo due to higher ratio of items providing HP Added a subtle duration during which the player can still pickup Souls even if they’re slurped by the Soul Portal Fine tuned the color of some weapons to improve the visibility Balancing: Ballista don’t double their projectiles based on amount anymore (only number of ballistas scales with amount) If Player HP is Full and HP Max > 20, the player can’t be one-shot Bugfix: in-game achievement pop up could be displayed below other UI elements while it should always be above everything else Potential Bugfix for a rare bug happening in Multiplayer shop where player2 Shop sections wasn’t displayed at allRework the save system in preparation for upcoming features ReplyxHELLO_WORLDx10 days agocontracts on the gameReplydave999910 days agoelijah_ap10 days agoLove the art style, upgrades, controls, etc. Balance might be the only thing off about this. If you were to add anything, I would want to see more variety in the stages, similar to Vampire Survivor. Otherwise- really great.ReplyThank you so much! I’ll keep working on the balance with each update, and I appreciate the suggestion on stage variety!ReplyNetsmile10 days agoTorch IV has a problem rounding numbers in the stats hover over display. Other levels of torches workReplyoverboy10 days ago (1 edit) Thanks, I'll fix this displayed rounding number issue soon!ReplySkeppartorsk10 days agoFor now I'd say it's fun, but lacking a bit in balance. I absolutely suck at brotatolikes. But find this one easy, so it's probably undertuned as far as difficulty is concerned. The power and availability of HP and regen items, makes you just literally not care if you get hit. Then the relatively strong armor on top and you're just too tanky for anything to feasibly ever kill you.Replyoverboy10 days ago (1 edit) (+1)Thanks for the feedback! Sounds like tanky builds might be a bit too forgiving right now, i'll do some balancing changesReplySkeppartorsk9 days ago (2 edits) Life steal has similar issues too. There's also the standard issue with knockback in these kinds of games. The lack of any enemy resistance/diminishing returns, means it's way too easy to get enough knockback that enemies cannot touch you anymore. Ranged attacks are too few and far between to worry about with the current levels of sustain. Meaning you can just Stand Still and Kill way too realiably. Edit: Lategame with 6x Wands I'm getting so much screen shake it's triggering simulation sickness. It was due to having Pierce + Bounce. The screen shake from my projectiles bouncing off the edge of the map.Replyoverboy8 days ago (2 edits) (+1)thanks for your feedback, it will help for the game balancing!For now I try to avoid diminishing returns by design to make sure each feature and stat is super easy to understand because I dislike when roguelike gets too opaque, I prefer that the player fully and easily undestand each of its choices, but yeah that involves a good balance to find!In future updates, Life Steal will become harder to get, Knockback will be capped at lower maximum applied values.Regarding the overall difficulty, the full version has 3 extra level of difficulties, and based on some feedbacks i have from beta testers, the balance between the 5 difficulty modes seem to be close to what i'm aiming for (minus some issues like you pointed out, and of course some balancing required on specific builds and items)There is already an option to disable screenshakes ;)Edit: Would you be interested to join the beta-test of the full game? If so please join the Discord and ping me in DM ;)ReplySkeppartorsk8 days ago (4 edits) I did notice that you could turn off screen shake entirely. But admittedly a lot of the visceral feel of the combat goes away when you fully disable the screen shake. But when you have too many Leeroy/knockback projectiles/bouncing projectiles. It just reaches the point where simulation sickness sets in. Wish there was something like an intensity setting, or a way for it to cap out at how often a screen shake can get triggered. I agree on the opaque thing. But I was more thinking something akin to how CC Diminishing Returns works in WoW. Where 1st hit = full value, 2nd hit within 10s = half value, 3rd hit = 1/4 value. Then 10s of immunity before it resets. That way you still get knockback when you pick knockback. But you can't just perma nail enemies against the wall. Edit: Also there's a wording issue (or a bug) with how multiple pentagrams work. If you have adept pentagram and the item pentagram the wording is "when you stand inside a pentagram" But the item one gives the 20% damage ONLY and the adept one gives the adept bonuses ONLY. The wording would mean that both pentagrams should give adept bonus AND 20% damage bonus.Edit2: I'd suggest reformatting Grimorius tooltip so that the -10% armor is above the "on level up"portion. The indentation difference between the +1% speed and -10% armor is small enough that I read it as losing 10% armor on every level up.Replyoverboy8 days agoThanks a lot for the interesting insights!I nerfed HP, Lifesteal and Knockback using various techniques in the last update, along with many other changes.Just tested Pentagram/Adept and it works as expected: the 2 effects stack correctly as the wording impliedI reformatted Grimorius tooltip as you suggested ;)ReplyView more in threadBad Piggy11 days agoVery cool in it's current state. I love how much it really emphasises movement like how some active abilities need to be grabbed from around the arena to do themThat said, I think enemy projectiles could honestly stand out more. I could hardly see them at times in all the chaos.Still, I think this is a pretty solid base right now, and as always, you have a beautiful visual style, though I feel like the game suffers a little from how busy it can get. Great stuff so far thoughReplyThanks Bad Piggy! Really glad you’re enjoying the mechanics. I appreciate the feedback on projectile visibility and how busy things can get. I’ll definitely look into ways to improve those aspects. Really grateful for the kind words and thoughtful feedback!ReplyLeoLohandro11 days agoA copy of the brotato), but still fun.Replyoverboy11 days ago (2 edits) (+1)Hey thanks a lot! Yes this game is a Brotato-like with many twists and new innovative mechanics, such as:- Equippable Boss Patterns (active skills you can trigger by picking orbs on the map)- Minion Summoning- Growing Plant Minions with a watercan- Amount and Size stats - Physics-Based Weapons – like chained spikeballs- Kickable stuff (you can even play soccer with your minions or other co-op players)- Playable character merge feature (get the effect of 2 different characters or more at the same time)- Dozens and dozens of unique effects (turning enemies into Sheep, or Golden Statues, or both?)I'm aiming for something like The Binding of Isaac meets Brotato — a deep, replayable experience full of chaotic synergies and wild builds that feel totally unique each run, with all the "being a boss fantasy and humor" deeply included in the mechanics and content :)Reply
    0 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • As a former Xbox 360 owner I don’t understand Xbox today – Reader’s Feature

    As a former Xbox 360 owner I don’t understand Xbox today – Reader’s Feature

    GameCentral

    Published June 15, 2025 1:00am

    Xbox 360 is coming up to its 20th anniversaryA reader looks back on the Xbox 360 era and is frustrated at how things have evolved since then, with ROG Xbox Ally and the move towards multiformat releases.
    I though the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday was pretty good. Like Sony’s State of Play, it was mostly third party games but there was some interesting stuff there and I think overall the vibe was better than from Sony. I liked the look of High On Life 2, There Are No Ghosts At The Grand, and Cronos: The New Dawn the best but there was a lot of potentially cool games – I’d include Keeper, because it looked interestingly weird, but I don’t feel Double Fine are ever very good at gameplay.
    The biggest news out of the event was the new portable with the terrible name: Asus ROG Xbox Ally. I bet you can just imagine some parent asking that for that at shop at Christmas, to buy their kid? Not that that would ever happen because the thing’s going to be stupidly expensive.
    It seemed like a distraction, a small experiment at best, and I didn’t really pay much attention to it, especially as I already have a Steam Deck. But then today I read that Microsoft has cancelled its plans for their next gen portable and that actually this ridiculously named non-Xbox device may end up being the future of gaming for Microsoft.
    I’ve always preferred Xbox as my console as choice, probably because I was always a PC gamer before that. Although now I look back at things I have to admit that I only got the Xbox One out of brand loyalty and I wouldn’t have if I’d been thinking about it more clearly.
    By that point I was in too deep and so I bought the Xbox Series X/S out of muscle memory more than anything, wasn’t I proven to be a chump?
    What frustrates me most about Xbox at the moment is how indecisive it seems. I almost didn’t watch the Xbox Games Showcase because I knew I’d have to see Phil Spencer, or one of his goons, grinning into the camera, as if nothing is wrong. And, of course, that’s exactly what he did, ‘hinting’ about the return of Halo, as if everyone was going to be pumping the air to hear about that.

    Expert, exclusive gaming analysis

    Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.

    News flash, Phil: no one cares. You’ve run that series into the ground, like all the other Xbox exclusives, to the point where they just feel old fashioned and tired. Old school fans don’t care and newer ones definitely don’t. It may sell okay at first on PlayStation 5, but only out of curiosity and as a kind of celebration that Sony has finally defeated Microsoft.
    To all extents and purposes, Xbox is now third party. The only thing that makes them not is that they still make their own console hardware but how long is that going to last? The ROG Ally is made by Asus and if Microsoft don’t make a handheld are they really going to put out a home console instead? That’s going to cost a lot of money in R&D and marketing and everything else, and I don’t know who could argue that it’s got a chance of selling more than the Xbox Series X/S.
    Phil Spencer has been talking about making a handheld for years and yet suddenly it’s not going to happen? Is there anything that is set in stone? I even heard people talking about them going back to having exclusives with the next generation, if it seemed like things were working out.
    I loved my Xbox 360, it’s still my favourite console of all time – the perfect balance between modern and retro games – but its golden era is a long time ago now, well over a decade. Xbox at the time was the new kid on the block, full of new ideas and daring to what Sony wouldn’t or couldn’t. When was the last time Xbox did anything like that? Game Pass probably, and that hasn’t worked out at all well.

    More Trending

    Nothing has, ever since that disastrous Xbox One reveal, and I just don’t understand how a company with basically infinite resources, and which already owns half the games industry, can be such a hopeless mess. I’m just sticking with PC from now and in the future, I’m going to pretend the Xbox 360 was my one and only console.
    By reader Cramersauce

    Xbox One – not a good follow-up to the Xbox 360The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
    You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

    GameCentral
    Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.
    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
    #former #xbox #owner #dont #understand
    As a former Xbox 360 owner I don’t understand Xbox today – Reader’s Feature
    As a former Xbox 360 owner I don’t understand Xbox today – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published June 15, 2025 1:00am Xbox 360 is coming up to its 20th anniversaryA reader looks back on the Xbox 360 era and is frustrated at how things have evolved since then, with ROG Xbox Ally and the move towards multiformat releases. I though the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday was pretty good. Like Sony’s State of Play, it was mostly third party games but there was some interesting stuff there and I think overall the vibe was better than from Sony. I liked the look of High On Life 2, There Are No Ghosts At The Grand, and Cronos: The New Dawn the best but there was a lot of potentially cool games – I’d include Keeper, because it looked interestingly weird, but I don’t feel Double Fine are ever very good at gameplay. The biggest news out of the event was the new portable with the terrible name: Asus ROG Xbox Ally. I bet you can just imagine some parent asking that for that at shop at Christmas, to buy their kid? Not that that would ever happen because the thing’s going to be stupidly expensive. It seemed like a distraction, a small experiment at best, and I didn’t really pay much attention to it, especially as I already have a Steam Deck. But then today I read that Microsoft has cancelled its plans for their next gen portable and that actually this ridiculously named non-Xbox device may end up being the future of gaming for Microsoft. I’ve always preferred Xbox as my console as choice, probably because I was always a PC gamer before that. Although now I look back at things I have to admit that I only got the Xbox One out of brand loyalty and I wouldn’t have if I’d been thinking about it more clearly. By that point I was in too deep and so I bought the Xbox Series X/S out of muscle memory more than anything, wasn’t I proven to be a chump? What frustrates me most about Xbox at the moment is how indecisive it seems. I almost didn’t watch the Xbox Games Showcase because I knew I’d have to see Phil Spencer, or one of his goons, grinning into the camera, as if nothing is wrong. And, of course, that’s exactly what he did, ‘hinting’ about the return of Halo, as if everyone was going to be pumping the air to hear about that. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. News flash, Phil: no one cares. You’ve run that series into the ground, like all the other Xbox exclusives, to the point where they just feel old fashioned and tired. Old school fans don’t care and newer ones definitely don’t. It may sell okay at first on PlayStation 5, but only out of curiosity and as a kind of celebration that Sony has finally defeated Microsoft. To all extents and purposes, Xbox is now third party. The only thing that makes them not is that they still make their own console hardware but how long is that going to last? The ROG Ally is made by Asus and if Microsoft don’t make a handheld are they really going to put out a home console instead? That’s going to cost a lot of money in R&D and marketing and everything else, and I don’t know who could argue that it’s got a chance of selling more than the Xbox Series X/S. Phil Spencer has been talking about making a handheld for years and yet suddenly it’s not going to happen? Is there anything that is set in stone? I even heard people talking about them going back to having exclusives with the next generation, if it seemed like things were working out. I loved my Xbox 360, it’s still my favourite console of all time – the perfect balance between modern and retro games – but its golden era is a long time ago now, well over a decade. Xbox at the time was the new kid on the block, full of new ideas and daring to what Sony wouldn’t or couldn’t. When was the last time Xbox did anything like that? Game Pass probably, and that hasn’t worked out at all well. More Trending Nothing has, ever since that disastrous Xbox One reveal, and I just don’t understand how a company with basically infinite resources, and which already owns half the games industry, can be such a hopeless mess. I’m just sticking with PC from now and in the future, I’m going to pretend the Xbox 360 was my one and only console. By reader Cramersauce Xbox One – not a good follow-up to the Xbox 360The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy #former #xbox #owner #dont #understand
    METRO.CO.UK
    As a former Xbox 360 owner I don’t understand Xbox today – Reader’s Feature
    As a former Xbox 360 owner I don’t understand Xbox today – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published June 15, 2025 1:00am Xbox 360 is coming up to its 20th anniversary (Microsoft) A reader looks back on the Xbox 360 era and is frustrated at how things have evolved since then, with ROG Xbox Ally and the move towards multiformat releases. I though the Xbox Games Showcase on Sunday was pretty good. Like Sony’s State of Play, it was mostly third party games but there was some interesting stuff there and I think overall the vibe was better than from Sony. I liked the look of High On Life 2, There Are No Ghosts At The Grand, and Cronos: The New Dawn the best but there was a lot of potentially cool games – I’d include Keeper, because it looked interestingly weird, but I don’t feel Double Fine are ever very good at gameplay. The biggest news out of the event was the new portable with the terrible name: Asus ROG Xbox Ally. I bet you can just imagine some parent asking that for that at shop at Christmas, to buy their kid? Not that that would ever happen because the thing’s going to be stupidly expensive. It seemed like a distraction, a small experiment at best, and I didn’t really pay much attention to it, especially as I already have a Steam Deck. But then today I read that Microsoft has cancelled its plans for their next gen portable and that actually this ridiculously named non-Xbox device may end up being the future of gaming for Microsoft. I’ve always preferred Xbox as my console as choice, probably because I was always a PC gamer before that. Although now I look back at things I have to admit that I only got the Xbox One out of brand loyalty and I wouldn’t have if I’d been thinking about it more clearly. By that point I was in too deep and so I bought the Xbox Series X/S out of muscle memory more than anything, wasn’t I proven to be a chump? What frustrates me most about Xbox at the moment is how indecisive it seems. I almost didn’t watch the Xbox Games Showcase because I knew I’d have to see Phil Spencer, or one of his goons, grinning into the camera, as if nothing is wrong. And, of course, that’s exactly what he did, ‘hinting’ about the return of Halo, as if everyone was going to be pumping the air to hear about that. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. News flash, Phil: no one cares. You’ve run that series into the ground, like all the other Xbox exclusives, to the point where they just feel old fashioned and tired. Old school fans don’t care and newer ones definitely don’t. It may sell okay at first on PlayStation 5, but only out of curiosity and as a kind of celebration that Sony has finally defeated Microsoft. To all extents and purposes, Xbox is now third party. The only thing that makes them not is that they still make their own console hardware but how long is that going to last? The ROG Ally is made by Asus and if Microsoft don’t make a handheld are they really going to put out a home console instead? That’s going to cost a lot of money in R&D and marketing and everything else, and I don’t know who could argue that it’s got a chance of selling more than the Xbox Series X/S. Phil Spencer has been talking about making a handheld for years and yet suddenly it’s not going to happen? Is there anything that is set in stone? I even heard people talking about them going back to having exclusives with the next generation, if it seemed like things were working out. I loved my Xbox 360, it’s still my favourite console of all time – the perfect balance between modern and retro games – but its golden era is a long time ago now, well over a decade. Xbox at the time was the new kid on the block, full of new ideas and daring to what Sony wouldn’t or couldn’t. When was the last time Xbox did anything like that? Game Pass probably, and that hasn’t worked out at all well. More Trending Nothing has, ever since that disastrous Xbox One reveal, and I just don’t understand how a company with basically infinite resources, and which already owns half the games industry, can be such a hopeless mess. I’m just sticking with PC from now and in the future, I’m going to pretend the Xbox 360 was my one and only console. By reader Cramersauce Xbox One – not a good follow-up to the Xbox 360 (Microsoft) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
    0 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • I’m going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader’s Feature

    I’m going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader’s Feature

    GameCentral

    Published June 15, 2025 6:00am

    Mario Kart World – is it a let-down?A reader is unimpressed by Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 and argues that the controversial free roam mode is not its only issue.
    As a day one Nintendo Switch 2 owner I have to admit I’m a little disappointed. Not with the console itself, which I think is pretty much prefect for the price and what it has to do, but with the only game worth getting at launch: Mario Kart World.
    Now, I don’t think it’s terrible, but I do think that not only is it not as good at Mario Kart 8 but that it’s kind of a flawed experiment and one of the weakest entries in the whole series. But I’ll talk about the positives first, just to show it’s not all bad.
    Knockout Tour is great, I think everyone would agree. A bit boring in single-player, but fantastic online and the game’s best feature. I also like all the weird extra characters, although how you unlock them and the costumes is very random and unsatisfying. The open world is also very nicely designed in its own right, and very large, but… that’s kind of all I’ve got in terms of praise.
    First, I’ll get the obvious thing out of the way: the open world is completely wasted. None of the challenges in it are interesting, if you can even find them, and a lot of them are overly hard and frustrating. There’s no story or dialogue or anything. You just drive around at random in free roam and hope you come across something interesting, which you almost certainly won’t.
    If any game was born to have fetch quests in it, it was this and yet there’s nothing like that. It all feels like it’s waiting for the actual game to be dropped onto the world but there’s nothing there. Maybe it will come in DLC, but even if it’s free why wasn’t it there from the start? Why wouldn’t you go all out for basically your only launch game? It’s baffling.
    But for me that’s not the real problem because, rightly or wrongly, free roam is really just a side show. My problem is that the actual racing in the two main modes is very dull. It may not seem that way when you’ve got a dozen people firing shells at you at once, but that gets old very quickly, and it doesn’t actually happen that much, especially in single-player.

    Expert, exclusive gaming analysis

    Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning.

    Most of the time you’re just driving alongand taking slow bend after slow bend in what aren’t even really courses at all. Knockout Tour is worst for this, because you’re essentially driving point-to-point and it really does feel like you’re just road racing, with nothing in terms of exciting or unexpected track design.
    Grand Prix is barely any better either, with very few lapped races and too many wide roads that are too easy to take. I went back to play Mario Kart 8 and it’s filled with tightly designed courses and weird and physically impossible track designs. It seems a weird to say but Mario Kart World is basically too realistic, or rather too mundane in its design. Everything about it feels flabby and under-designed.
    Sure, occasionally you fly vertically up into the air or down the side of a volcano, but when you get down to the actual racing it’s so plain and boring. The tracks aren’t designed for time trials and racing skill, they’re designed for power-ups and 24 player online races, and that has ruined everything.

    More Trending

    I’m sure other people will enjoy the game but as someone that has enjoyed every previous Mario Kart it’s not for me. Which means I’m now left with a neat new console with nothing to play on it, except for old Switch 1 games. And that will definitely include Mario Kart 8.
    By reader Lambent

    What is the future of Mario Kart World?The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro.
    You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email.

    GameCentral
    Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content.
    This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
    #going #say #mario #kart #world
    I’m going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader’s Feature
    I’m going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published June 15, 2025 6:00am Mario Kart World – is it a let-down?A reader is unimpressed by Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 and argues that the controversial free roam mode is not its only issue. As a day one Nintendo Switch 2 owner I have to admit I’m a little disappointed. Not with the console itself, which I think is pretty much prefect for the price and what it has to do, but with the only game worth getting at launch: Mario Kart World. Now, I don’t think it’s terrible, but I do think that not only is it not as good at Mario Kart 8 but that it’s kind of a flawed experiment and one of the weakest entries in the whole series. But I’ll talk about the positives first, just to show it’s not all bad. Knockout Tour is great, I think everyone would agree. A bit boring in single-player, but fantastic online and the game’s best feature. I also like all the weird extra characters, although how you unlock them and the costumes is very random and unsatisfying. The open world is also very nicely designed in its own right, and very large, but… that’s kind of all I’ve got in terms of praise. First, I’ll get the obvious thing out of the way: the open world is completely wasted. None of the challenges in it are interesting, if you can even find them, and a lot of them are overly hard and frustrating. There’s no story or dialogue or anything. You just drive around at random in free roam and hope you come across something interesting, which you almost certainly won’t. If any game was born to have fetch quests in it, it was this and yet there’s nothing like that. It all feels like it’s waiting for the actual game to be dropped onto the world but there’s nothing there. Maybe it will come in DLC, but even if it’s free why wasn’t it there from the start? Why wouldn’t you go all out for basically your only launch game? It’s baffling. But for me that’s not the real problem because, rightly or wrongly, free roam is really just a side show. My problem is that the actual racing in the two main modes is very dull. It may not seem that way when you’ve got a dozen people firing shells at you at once, but that gets old very quickly, and it doesn’t actually happen that much, especially in single-player. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Most of the time you’re just driving alongand taking slow bend after slow bend in what aren’t even really courses at all. Knockout Tour is worst for this, because you’re essentially driving point-to-point and it really does feel like you’re just road racing, with nothing in terms of exciting or unexpected track design. Grand Prix is barely any better either, with very few lapped races and too many wide roads that are too easy to take. I went back to play Mario Kart 8 and it’s filled with tightly designed courses and weird and physically impossible track designs. It seems a weird to say but Mario Kart World is basically too realistic, or rather too mundane in its design. Everything about it feels flabby and under-designed. Sure, occasionally you fly vertically up into the air or down the side of a volcano, but when you get down to the actual racing it’s so plain and boring. The tracks aren’t designed for time trials and racing skill, they’re designed for power-ups and 24 player online races, and that has ruined everything. More Trending I’m sure other people will enjoy the game but as someone that has enjoyed every previous Mario Kart it’s not for me. Which means I’m now left with a neat new console with nothing to play on it, except for old Switch 1 games. And that will definitely include Mario Kart 8. By reader Lambent What is the future of Mario Kart World?The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy #going #say #mario #kart #world
    METRO.CO.UK
    I’m going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader’s Feature
    I’m going to say it: Mario Kart World is not as good as it should be – Reader’s Feature GameCentral Published June 15, 2025 6:00am Mario Kart World – is it a let-down? (Nintendo) A reader is unimpressed by Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 and argues that the controversial free roam mode is not its only issue. As a day one Nintendo Switch 2 owner I have to admit I’m a little disappointed. Not with the console itself, which I think is pretty much prefect for the price and what it has to do, but with the only game worth getting at launch: Mario Kart World. Now, I don’t think it’s terrible, but I do think that not only is it not as good at Mario Kart 8 but that it’s kind of a flawed experiment and one of the weakest entries in the whole series. But I’ll talk about the positives first, just to show it’s not all bad. Knockout Tour is great, I think everyone would agree. A bit boring in single-player, but fantastic online and the game’s best feature. I also like all the weird extra characters, although how you unlock them and the costumes is very random and unsatisfying. The open world is also very nicely designed in its own right, and very large, but… that’s kind of all I’ve got in terms of praise. First, I’ll get the obvious thing out of the way: the open world is completely wasted. None of the challenges in it are interesting, if you can even find them, and a lot of them are overly hard and frustrating. There’s no story or dialogue or anything. You just drive around at random in free roam and hope you come across something interesting, which you almost certainly won’t. If any game was born to have fetch quests in it, it was this and yet there’s nothing like that. It all feels like it’s waiting for the actual game to be dropped onto the world but there’s nothing there. Maybe it will come in DLC, but even if it’s free why wasn’t it there from the start? Why wouldn’t you go all out for basically your only launch game? It’s baffling. But for me that’s not the real problem because, rightly or wrongly, free roam is really just a side show. My problem is that the actual racing in the two main modes is very dull. It may not seem that way when you’ve got a dozen people firing shells at you at once, but that gets old very quickly, and it doesn’t actually happen that much, especially in single-player. Expert, exclusive gaming analysis Sign up to the GameCentral newsletter for a unique take on the week in gaming, alongside the latest reviews and more. Delivered to your inbox every Saturday morning. Most of the time you’re just driving along (even 150cc isn’t that fast) and taking slow bend after slow bend in what aren’t even really courses at all. Knockout Tour is worst for this, because you’re essentially driving point-to-point and it really does feel like you’re just road racing, with nothing in terms of exciting or unexpected track design. Grand Prix is barely any better either, with very few lapped races and too many wide roads that are too easy to take. I went back to play Mario Kart 8 and it’s filled with tightly designed courses and weird and physically impossible track designs. It seems a weird to say but Mario Kart World is basically too realistic, or rather too mundane in its design. Everything about it feels flabby and under-designed. Sure, occasionally you fly vertically up into the air or down the side of a volcano, but when you get down to the actual racing it’s so plain and boring. The tracks aren’t designed for time trials and racing skill, they’re designed for power-ups and 24 player online races, and that has ruined everything. More Trending I’m sure other people will enjoy the game but as someone that has enjoyed every previous Mario Kart it’s not for me. Which means I’m now left with a neat new console with nothing to play on it, except for old Switch 1 games. And that will definitely include Mario Kart 8. By reader Lambent What is the future of Mario Kart World? (Nintendo) The reader’s features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@metro.co.uk or use our Submit Stuff page and you won’t need to send an email. GameCentral Sign up for exclusive analysis, latest releases, and bonus community content. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Your information will be used in line with our Privacy Policy
    0 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • The 17 Best Barstools and Counter Stools

    Bar stools aren't intended for hours of lounging. What they are intended for, however, is constant use. Because what’s a bar if not a counter by another name? And a counter, in many cases, is also a breakfast table, the after-school snack buffet, the take-out and basketball-watching hub, and, eventually, the cocktail bar, come hosting hour. For each activity, the same seat does its duty. Unlike dining room chairs, bar stools suffer thoughtlessness: We yank them out, half asleep in the morning. We hike our feet up their pegs, lost in a TV show's plot. When friends come over, we lean forward, animatedly. All the while unwittingly testing each little joint and bolt beneath us. That’s why shopping for them requires a good deal of thought. So, we went ahead and did a lot of that thinking for you. Below, you’ll find some of ELLE Decor's favorite stools, from the design-forward to the budget-conscious. You'll also find a little about what went into our choices. The ClassicCarter Counter Stoolat Serena and LilyThere's a lot to be said for a classic. With this elevated chair-like stool, you can rest against the back and bring your feet up to its pegs. Also, it comes in six colorways.Dimensions37"H x 18.25" W x 21" DFeaturesSolid beech, painted finish. No assembly required. Holds up to 275 lbsThe Vacationer Avalon Rattan Swivel Bar Stoolat Serena and Lily If there's a material evocative of vacation, it's rattan. This version also has a swivel seat and basket-weave back. But, you'll have to appreciate the natural wear on a material—it's part of the appeal. Dimensions38.5"H x 20.5"W x 22"DFeaturesMade with hand-wrapped rattan, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowLaurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse® Baggett Solid Wood Windsor Back StoolNow 15% Offat WayfairIf you like the look of light wood but at an affordable pricepoint, this option from Wayfair is totally serviceable. And, it comes in three classic colorways. Dimensions14.8'' W X 14.2'' D; back is 12.5'' HFeaturesWood frame, some assembly required; holds up to 300 lbsMartha Stewart Martha Stewart Playa Handcrafted Rattan Counter StoolNow 36% Offat WayfairTDimensions35'' H x 23'' W x 22.5'' DFeaturessolid wood; some assembly required. Holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowElegant designVanity Counter Stoolat nickeykehoe.comAnd what if you want the back, the cushioned seat, and a considered, elevated design? Time to check on Nickey Kehoe. Says our own Interiors Director, Bebe Howorth: “I love a stool with a little bit of back support, but doesn’t impose on the space like a chair.” Dimensions33.25" H x 18" W x 19.5" DFeaturesNatural oak; Susan Deliss, constanza in denimBarely-there backrestSede Counter Stool at ArticleA short back, a cushioned seat, and an elegant, tapered leg, this stool has a lovely silhouette at a low price point. Available in three colorways and the option of a leatherseat. Dimensions31"H x 16"W x 17"DFeaturesSolid and veneered wood, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWayne Swivel Bar & Counter Stoolsat West ElmThere's no denying the appeal of the swivel. And if you foresee your bar stools serving a primarily social function, you'll want to seek that out. As Dorothy Scarborough, Editorial Assistant at ELLE Decor and Town & Country says: "Bar stools, by their very design, are tricky. When you're a few martinis in, it's fun to swing your legs and turn in circles, but when you're trying to enjoy a bowl of cereal, bar stools make for a less than ideal experience. This West Elm design has a higher back and arms, and at only 26 inches off the ground, doesn't make you feel like you're sitting on a tower. It's almost like a real chair, but it has all the jazzy chicness of a barstool."Adam Stoolat framacph.comOf course, not all stools need to be tall chairs. The perch-type stool can serve its function expertly, even with a minimal design, like this one from Frama. Dimension30" H x 17" W x 10" DFeaturesPowder coated frame, oiled seat; steel frame, oak seatAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowErgonomic PerchWayland stool at oandgstudio.comPrepare for a comfortable perch with this statuesque stool from O&G Studio. Says ELLE Decor's Market Director, Benjamin Reynaert: "I personally sit-tested the Wayland Stool, and let me tell you—the carved solid wood seat isn’t just a design detail, it’s a comfort revelation, perfectly pairing form with the casual functionality of its bamboo-inspired turnings and classic box stretcher base, all available in a palette of 19 hand-applied stained finishes that highlight the American craftsmanship of O&G Studio."Dimensions25" H x 21.25" W x 18" DFeaturesMade with ash and maple wood, stained; "stylized bamboo turnings of the Wayland Family."Industrial chicSteel Stoolat ZARA HomeFrom Zara Home comes this sharp number. Not as tall as some, and, clearly, not intended for hours of sitting, this steel stool brings a chic taste of the industrial to any room. Dimensions17" H x 11" W x 11" DAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWinsome Winsome Satori Stoolat AmazonWith a curved wooden seat and a classic, ladder-leg construction, this Winsome Satori stool is chic, simple, and affordable. Bonus: It's available in multiple heights.Dimensions16" H x 18" W x 29" DFeaturesSolid beech wood with a walnut finishLancaster Stool at webstaurantstore.comIndustrial but make it comfortable: The Lancaster stool comes in multiple colors and heights. Plus: the cushion is removable, making these stools stackable for easy storage. Dimensions24" H x 16 " D x 16" WFeaturesFrame is coated steel, and the cushion is corrosion-resistant powder coated vinyl. Holds up to 400 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowCurvy and Cushy Lulu and Georgia Ashford Bar Stoolat Lulu and GeorgiaThis curvy stool from Lulu and Georgia comes with the brusque silhouette of its industrial cousins tempered by the soft edges, arched lines, and plush seat of a comfortable chair.Dimensions30" H x 18.25" W x 18.25" DFeaturesAsh wood frame, foam cushion; hand-crafted and made from sustainable materialsThe Heavy-Lifting VacationerAlastair Bar & Counter StoolNow 37% Offat Joss & MainA return to the vacation rattan, this classic, backless stool comes with all the attitude of a beach cabana at a reasonable price. Offered in multiple colors and heights for beach-adjacent rooms of all sorts. Surprisingly, perhaps, this stool claims to hold up to 500 lbs, making it the heaviest lifter of them all. Dimensinos24'' H X 16'' W X 16'' DFeaturesMade from rattan and plastic, it can hold up to 500 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowInnovative eleganceMoon Stoolat sunatsix.comIt's all about the considered design on these moon stools. But, made from solid white oak treated with tenna oil, they're also stain resistant and built for use. Dimensions30” H x 19.5” W x 16”DFeatureshand-made from white oak using traditional joinery; three finishes availableHigh-quality classic Range Stoolat assemblyline.coThese classic stools are solid wood, handmade, and all about the understated beauty of quality. Which also means you'll need to order these well in advance of your first soiree, as they take roughly 12 to 14 weeks to make. Dimensions25” H x 13” L x 13” WFeaturesMade from white oak; multiple finishes available.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMainstays Natural wood stoolat WalmartYes, Walmart makes a totally serviceable, classic wooden bar stool. Sold in packs of two, and available in multiple heights, they get the job done. Dimensions13.50" H x 29.00" D x 13.50" WFeaturesMade from woodFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat makes a bar stool comfortable? Let's be honest: Most stools are not built for comfort. Especially the perch variety, as we're calling it—stools with just a flat shelf or round disk to sit on—are functional. If comfort is high on the must-have list, look for a perch with a slightly concave seat, engineered for the shape of a human body. Or skip the perch and go for stools with backrests and cushions. Here's a rule of thumb: the thicker the cushion, the higher the back, the longer you'll want to sit. Ideally, however, you'll find a showroom to test out any piece you're looking to invest in. How do you clean a stool? Most of the stools we've listed have specific instructions for cleaning, but non-abrasive cleaners are always recommended. And, most if not all of the stools we've chosen are intended for indoor use only. Even indoors, however, keeping your stools out of direct sunlight will help preserve the finish. Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhy Trust Us?For more than three decades, ELLE DECOR has covered stylemakers, trendsetting interiors, and must-have home furnishings. With a focus on the latest design trends and ideas about how to incorporate them into improving your own space, we’re your go-to resource for elevating and beautifying your home. Our team of editors and interior design pros research and review every new article we publish to ensure you have the most up-to-date, expert-approved information.
    #best #barstools #counter #stools
    The 17 Best Barstools and Counter Stools
    Bar stools aren't intended for hours of lounging. What they are intended for, however, is constant use. Because what’s a bar if not a counter by another name? And a counter, in many cases, is also a breakfast table, the after-school snack buffet, the take-out and basketball-watching hub, and, eventually, the cocktail bar, come hosting hour. For each activity, the same seat does its duty. Unlike dining room chairs, bar stools suffer thoughtlessness: We yank them out, half asleep in the morning. We hike our feet up their pegs, lost in a TV show's plot. When friends come over, we lean forward, animatedly. All the while unwittingly testing each little joint and bolt beneath us. That’s why shopping for them requires a good deal of thought. So, we went ahead and did a lot of that thinking for you. Below, you’ll find some of ELLE Decor's favorite stools, from the design-forward to the budget-conscious. You'll also find a little about what went into our choices. The ClassicCarter Counter Stoolat Serena and LilyThere's a lot to be said for a classic. With this elevated chair-like stool, you can rest against the back and bring your feet up to its pegs. Also, it comes in six colorways.Dimensions37"H x 18.25" W x 21" DFeaturesSolid beech, painted finish. No assembly required. Holds up to 275 lbsThe Vacationer Avalon Rattan Swivel Bar Stoolat Serena and Lily If there's a material evocative of vacation, it's rattan. This version also has a swivel seat and basket-weave back. But, you'll have to appreciate the natural wear on a material—it's part of the appeal. Dimensions38.5"H x 20.5"W x 22"DFeaturesMade with hand-wrapped rattan, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowLaurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse® Baggett Solid Wood Windsor Back StoolNow 15% Offat WayfairIf you like the look of light wood but at an affordable pricepoint, this option from Wayfair is totally serviceable. And, it comes in three classic colorways. Dimensions14.8'' W X 14.2'' D; back is 12.5'' HFeaturesWood frame, some assembly required; holds up to 300 lbsMartha Stewart Martha Stewart Playa Handcrafted Rattan Counter StoolNow 36% Offat WayfairTDimensions35'' H x 23'' W x 22.5'' DFeaturessolid wood; some assembly required. Holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowElegant designVanity Counter Stoolat nickeykehoe.comAnd what if you want the back, the cushioned seat, and a considered, elevated design? Time to check on Nickey Kehoe. Says our own Interiors Director, Bebe Howorth: “I love a stool with a little bit of back support, but doesn’t impose on the space like a chair.” Dimensions33.25" H x 18" W x 19.5" DFeaturesNatural oak; Susan Deliss, constanza in denimBarely-there backrestSede Counter Stool at ArticleA short back, a cushioned seat, and an elegant, tapered leg, this stool has a lovely silhouette at a low price point. Available in three colorways and the option of a leatherseat. Dimensions31"H x 16"W x 17"DFeaturesSolid and veneered wood, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWayne Swivel Bar & Counter Stoolsat West ElmThere's no denying the appeal of the swivel. And if you foresee your bar stools serving a primarily social function, you'll want to seek that out. As Dorothy Scarborough, Editorial Assistant at ELLE Decor and Town & Country says: "Bar stools, by their very design, are tricky. When you're a few martinis in, it's fun to swing your legs and turn in circles, but when you're trying to enjoy a bowl of cereal, bar stools make for a less than ideal experience. This West Elm design has a higher back and arms, and at only 26 inches off the ground, doesn't make you feel like you're sitting on a tower. It's almost like a real chair, but it has all the jazzy chicness of a barstool."Adam Stoolat framacph.comOf course, not all stools need to be tall chairs. The perch-type stool can serve its function expertly, even with a minimal design, like this one from Frama. Dimension30" H x 17" W x 10" DFeaturesPowder coated frame, oiled seat; steel frame, oak seatAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowErgonomic PerchWayland stool at oandgstudio.comPrepare for a comfortable perch with this statuesque stool from O&G Studio. Says ELLE Decor's Market Director, Benjamin Reynaert: "I personally sit-tested the Wayland Stool, and let me tell you—the carved solid wood seat isn’t just a design detail, it’s a comfort revelation, perfectly pairing form with the casual functionality of its bamboo-inspired turnings and classic box stretcher base, all available in a palette of 19 hand-applied stained finishes that highlight the American craftsmanship of O&G Studio."Dimensions25" H x 21.25" W x 18" DFeaturesMade with ash and maple wood, stained; "stylized bamboo turnings of the Wayland Family."Industrial chicSteel Stoolat ZARA HomeFrom Zara Home comes this sharp number. Not as tall as some, and, clearly, not intended for hours of sitting, this steel stool brings a chic taste of the industrial to any room. Dimensions17" H x 11" W x 11" DAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWinsome Winsome Satori Stoolat AmazonWith a curved wooden seat and a classic, ladder-leg construction, this Winsome Satori stool is chic, simple, and affordable. Bonus: It's available in multiple heights.Dimensions16" H x 18" W x 29" DFeaturesSolid beech wood with a walnut finishLancaster Stool at webstaurantstore.comIndustrial but make it comfortable: The Lancaster stool comes in multiple colors and heights. Plus: the cushion is removable, making these stools stackable for easy storage. Dimensions24" H x 16 " D x 16" WFeaturesFrame is coated steel, and the cushion is corrosion-resistant powder coated vinyl. Holds up to 400 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowCurvy and Cushy Lulu and Georgia Ashford Bar Stoolat Lulu and GeorgiaThis curvy stool from Lulu and Georgia comes with the brusque silhouette of its industrial cousins tempered by the soft edges, arched lines, and plush seat of a comfortable chair.Dimensions30" H x 18.25" W x 18.25" DFeaturesAsh wood frame, foam cushion; hand-crafted and made from sustainable materialsThe Heavy-Lifting VacationerAlastair Bar & Counter StoolNow 37% Offat Joss & MainA return to the vacation rattan, this classic, backless stool comes with all the attitude of a beach cabana at a reasonable price. Offered in multiple colors and heights for beach-adjacent rooms of all sorts. Surprisingly, perhaps, this stool claims to hold up to 500 lbs, making it the heaviest lifter of them all. Dimensinos24'' H X 16'' W X 16'' DFeaturesMade from rattan and plastic, it can hold up to 500 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowInnovative eleganceMoon Stoolat sunatsix.comIt's all about the considered design on these moon stools. But, made from solid white oak treated with tenna oil, they're also stain resistant and built for use. Dimensions30” H x 19.5” W x 16”DFeatureshand-made from white oak using traditional joinery; three finishes availableHigh-quality classic Range Stoolat assemblyline.coThese classic stools are solid wood, handmade, and all about the understated beauty of quality. Which also means you'll need to order these well in advance of your first soiree, as they take roughly 12 to 14 weeks to make. Dimensions25” H x 13” L x 13” WFeaturesMade from white oak; multiple finishes available.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMainstays Natural wood stoolat WalmartYes, Walmart makes a totally serviceable, classic wooden bar stool. Sold in packs of two, and available in multiple heights, they get the job done. Dimensions13.50" H x 29.00" D x 13.50" WFeaturesMade from woodFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat makes a bar stool comfortable? Let's be honest: Most stools are not built for comfort. Especially the perch variety, as we're calling it—stools with just a flat shelf or round disk to sit on—are functional. If comfort is high on the must-have list, look for a perch with a slightly concave seat, engineered for the shape of a human body. Or skip the perch and go for stools with backrests and cushions. Here's a rule of thumb: the thicker the cushion, the higher the back, the longer you'll want to sit. Ideally, however, you'll find a showroom to test out any piece you're looking to invest in. How do you clean a stool? Most of the stools we've listed have specific instructions for cleaning, but non-abrasive cleaners are always recommended. And, most if not all of the stools we've chosen are intended for indoor use only. Even indoors, however, keeping your stools out of direct sunlight will help preserve the finish. Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhy Trust Us?For more than three decades, ELLE DECOR has covered stylemakers, trendsetting interiors, and must-have home furnishings. With a focus on the latest design trends and ideas about how to incorporate them into improving your own space, we’re your go-to resource for elevating and beautifying your home. Our team of editors and interior design pros research and review every new article we publish to ensure you have the most up-to-date, expert-approved information. #best #barstools #counter #stools
    WWW.ELLEDECOR.COM
    The 17 Best Barstools and Counter Stools
    Bar stools aren't intended for hours of lounging. What they are intended for, however, is constant use. Because what’s a bar if not a counter by another name? And a counter, in many cases, is also a breakfast table, the after-school snack buffet, the take-out and basketball-watching hub, and, eventually, the cocktail bar, come hosting hour. For each activity, the same seat does its duty. Unlike dining room chairs, bar stools suffer thoughtlessness: We yank them out, half asleep in the morning. We hike our feet up their pegs, lost in a TV show's plot. When friends come over, we lean forward, animatedly. All the while unwittingly testing each little joint and bolt beneath us. That’s why shopping for them requires a good deal of thought. So, we went ahead and did a lot of that thinking for you. Below, you’ll find some of ELLE Decor's favorite stools, from the design-forward to the budget-conscious. You'll also find a little about what went into our choices. The Classic (with a Back) Carter Counter Stool$398 at Serena and LilyThere's a lot to be said for a classic. With this elevated chair-like stool, you can rest against the back and bring your feet up to its pegs. Also, it comes in six colorways.Dimensions37"H x 18.25" W x 21" DFeaturesSolid beech, painted finish. No assembly required. Holds up to 275 lbsThe Vacationer Avalon Rattan Swivel Bar Stool$648 at Serena and Lily If there's a material evocative of vacation, it's rattan. This version also has a swivel seat and basket-weave back. But, you'll have to appreciate the natural wear on a material—it's part of the appeal. Dimensions38.5"H x 20.5"W x 22"DFeaturesMade with hand-wrapped rattan, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowLaurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse® Baggett Solid Wood Windsor Back StoolNow 15% Off$165 $140 at WayfairIf you like the look of light wood but at an affordable pricepoint, this option from Wayfair is totally serviceable. And, it comes in three classic colorways. Dimensions14.8'' W X 14.2'' D; back is 12.5'' HFeaturesWood frame, some assembly required; holds up to 300 lbsMartha Stewart Martha Stewart Playa Handcrafted Rattan Counter StoolNow 36% Off$399 $256 at WayfairTDimensions35'' H x 23'' W x 22.5'' DFeaturessolid wood; some assembly required. Holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowElegant designVanity Counter Stool$3,400 at nickeykehoe.comAnd what if you want the back, the cushioned seat, and a considered, elevated design? Time to check on Nickey Kehoe. Says our own Interiors Director, Bebe Howorth: “I love a stool with a little bit of back support, but doesn’t impose on the space like a chair.” Dimensions33.25" H x 18" W x 19.5" DFeaturesNatural oak; Susan Deliss, constanza in denimBarely-there backrestSede Counter Stool $249 at ArticleA short back, a cushioned seat, and an elegant, tapered leg, this stool has a lovely silhouette at a low price point. Available in three colorways and the option of a leather (versus fabric) seat. Dimensions31"H x 16"W x 17"DFeaturesSolid and veneered wood, holds up to 300 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWayne Swivel Bar & Counter Stools$449 at West ElmThere's no denying the appeal of the swivel. And if you foresee your bar stools serving a primarily social function, you'll want to seek that out. As Dorothy Scarborough, Editorial Assistant at ELLE Decor and Town & Country says: "Bar stools, by their very design, are tricky. When you're a few martinis in, it's fun to swing your legs and turn in circles, but when you're trying to enjoy a bowl of cereal, bar stools make for a less than ideal experience. This West Elm design has a higher back and arms, and at only 26 inches off the ground, doesn't make you feel like you're sitting on a tower. It's almost like a real chair, but it has all the jazzy chicness of a barstool."Adam Stool$610 at framacph.comOf course, not all stools need to be tall chairs. The perch-type stool can serve its function expertly, even with a minimal design, like this one from Frama. Dimension30" H x 17" W x 10" DFeaturesPowder coated frame, oiled seat; steel frame, oak seatAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowErgonomic PerchWayland stool $1,110 at oandgstudio.comPrepare for a comfortable perch with this statuesque stool from O&G Studio. Says ELLE Decor's Market Director, Benjamin Reynaert: "I personally sit-tested the Wayland Stool, and let me tell you—the carved solid wood seat isn’t just a design detail, it’s a comfort revelation, perfectly pairing form with the casual functionality of its bamboo-inspired turnings and classic box stretcher base, all available in a palette of 19 hand-applied stained finishes that highlight the American craftsmanship of O&G Studio."Dimensions25" H x 21.25" W x 18" DFeaturesMade with ash and maple wood, stained; "stylized bamboo turnings of the Wayland Family."Industrial chicSteel Stool$129 at ZARA HomeFrom Zara Home comes this sharp number. Not as tall as some, and, clearly, not intended for hours of sitting, this steel stool brings a chic taste of the industrial to any room. Dimensions17" H x 11" W x 11" DAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowWinsome Winsome Satori Stool$36 at AmazonWith a curved wooden seat and a classic, ladder-leg construction, this Winsome Satori stool is chic, simple, and affordable. Bonus: It's available in multiple heights.Dimensions16" H x 18" W x 29" DFeaturesSolid beech wood with a walnut finishLancaster Stool $48 at webstaurantstore.comIndustrial but make it comfortable: The Lancaster stool comes in multiple colors and heights. Plus: the cushion is removable, making these stools stackable for easy storage. Dimensions24" H x 16 " D x 16" WFeaturesFrame is coated steel, and the cushion is corrosion-resistant powder coated vinyl. Holds up to 400 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowCurvy and Cushy Lulu and Georgia Ashford Bar Stool$598 at Lulu and GeorgiaThis curvy stool from Lulu and Georgia comes with the brusque silhouette of its industrial cousins tempered by the soft edges, arched lines, and plush seat of a comfortable chair.Dimensions30" H x 18.25" W x 18.25" DFeaturesAsh wood frame, foam cushion; hand-crafted and made from sustainable materialsThe Heavy-Lifting VacationerAlastair Bar & Counter StoolNow 37% Off$264 $167 at Joss & MainA return to the vacation rattan, this classic, backless stool comes with all the attitude of a beach cabana at a reasonable price. Offered in multiple colors and heights for beach-adjacent rooms of all sorts. Surprisingly, perhaps, this stool claims to hold up to 500 lbs, making it the heaviest lifter of them all. Dimensinos24'' H X 16'' W X 16'' DFeaturesMade from rattan and plastic, it can hold up to 500 lbsAdvertisement - Continue Reading BelowInnovative eleganceMoon Stool$880 at sunatsix.comIt's all about the considered design on these moon stools. But, made from solid white oak treated with tenna oil, they're also stain resistant and built for use. Dimensions30” H x 19.5” W x 16”DFeatureshand-made from white oak using traditional joinery; three finishes availableHigh-quality classic Range Stool$1,200 at assemblyline.coThese classic stools are solid wood, handmade, and all about the understated beauty of quality. Which also means you'll need to order these well in advance of your first soiree, as they take roughly 12 to 14 weeks to make. Dimensions25” H x 13” L x 13” WFeaturesMade from white oak; multiple finishes available.Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowMainstays Natural wood stool$35 at WalmartYes, Walmart makes a totally serviceable, classic wooden bar stool. Sold in packs of two, and available in multiple heights, they get the job done. Dimensions13.50" H x 29.00" D x 13.50" WFeaturesMade from woodFrequently Asked QuestionsWhat makes a bar stool comfortable? Let's be honest: Most stools are not built for comfort. Especially the perch variety, as we're calling it—stools with just a flat shelf or round disk to sit on—are functional. If comfort is high on the must-have list, look for a perch with a slightly concave seat, engineered for the shape of a human body. Or skip the perch and go for stools with backrests and cushions. Here's a rule of thumb: the thicker the cushion, the higher the back, the longer you'll want to sit. Ideally, however, you'll find a showroom to test out any piece you're looking to invest in. How do you clean a stool? Most of the stools we've listed have specific instructions for cleaning, but non-abrasive cleaners are always recommended. And, most if not all of the stools we've chosen are intended for indoor use only. Even indoors, however, keeping your stools out of direct sunlight will help preserve the finish. Advertisement - Continue Reading BelowWhy Trust Us?For more than three decades, ELLE DECOR has covered stylemakers, trendsetting interiors, and must-have home furnishings. With a focus on the latest design trends and ideas about how to incorporate them into improving your own space, we’re your go-to resource for elevating and beautifying your home. Our team of editors and interior design pros research and review every new article we publish to ensure you have the most up-to-date, expert-approved information.
    0 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • Looking Back at Two Classics: ILM Deploys the Fleet in ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ and ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’

    Guided by visual effects supervisor John Knoll, ILM embraced continually evolving methodologies to craft breathtaking visual effects for the iconic space battles in First Contact and Rogue One.
    By Jay Stobie
    Visual effects supervisor John Knollconfers with modelmakers Kim Smith and John Goodson with the miniature of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E during production of Star Trek: First Contact.
    Bolstered by visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic, Star Trek: First Contactand Rogue One: A Star Wars Storypropelled their respective franchises to new heights. While Star Trek Generationswelcomed Captain Jean-Luc Picard’screw to the big screen, First Contact stood as the first Star Trek feature that did not focus on its original captain, the legendary James T. Kirk. Similarly, though Rogue One immediately preceded the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, it was set apart from the episodic Star Wars films and launched an era of storytelling outside of the main Skywalker saga that has gone on to include Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and more.
    The two films also shared a key ILM contributor, John Knoll, who served as visual effects supervisor on both projects, as well as an executive producer on Rogue One. Currently, ILM’s executive creative director and senior visual effects supervisor, Knoll – who also conceived the initial framework for Rogue One’s story – guided ILM as it brought its talents to bear on these sci-fi and fantasy epics. The work involved crafting two spectacular starship-packed space clashes – First Contact’s Battle of Sector 001 and Rogue One’s Battle of Scarif. Although these iconic installments were released roughly two decades apart, they represent a captivating case study of how ILM’s approach to visual effects has evolved over time. With this in mind, let’s examine the films’ unforgettable space battles through the lens of fascinating in-universe parallels and the ILM-produced fleets that face off near Earth and Scarif.
    A final frame from the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
    A Context for Conflict
    In First Contact, the United Federation of Planets – a 200-year-old interstellar government consisting of more than 150 member worlds – braces itself for an invasion by the Borg – an overwhelmingly powerful collective composed of cybernetic beings who devastate entire planets by assimilating their biological populations and technological innovations. The Borg only send a single vessel, a massive cube containing thousands of hive-minded drones and their queen, pushing the Federation’s Starfleet defenders to Earth’s doorstep. Conversely, in Rogue One, the Rebel Alliance – a fledgling coalition of freedom fighters – seeks to undermine and overthrow the stalwart Galactic Empire – a totalitarian regime preparing to tighten its grip on the galaxy by revealing a horrifying superweapon. A rebel team infiltrates a top-secret vault on Scarif in a bid to steal plans to that battle station, the dreaded Death Star, with hopes of exploiting a vulnerability in its design.
    On the surface, the situations could not seem to be more disparate, particularly in terms of the Federation’s well-established prestige and the Rebel Alliance’s haphazardly organized factions. Yet, upon closer inspection, the spaceborne conflicts at Earth and Scarif are linked by a vital commonality. The threat posed by the Borg is well-known to the Federation, but the sudden intrusion upon their space takes its defenses by surprise. Starfleet assembles any vessel within range – including antiquated Oberth-class science ships – to intercept the Borg cube in the Typhon Sector, only to be forced back to Earth on the edge of defeat. The unsanctioned mission to Scarif with Jyn Ersoand Cassian Andorand the sudden need to take down the planet’s shield gate propels the Rebel Alliance fleet into rushing to their rescue with everything from their flagship Profundity to GR-75 medium transports. Whether Federation or Rebel Alliance, these fleets gather in last-ditch efforts to oppose enemies who would embrace their eradication – the Battles of Sector 001 and Scarif are fights for survival.
    From Physical to Digital
    By the time Jonathan Frakes was selected to direct First Contact, Star Trek’s reliance on constructing traditional physical modelsfor its features was gradually giving way to innovative computer graphicsmodels, resulting in the film’s use of both techniques. “If one of the ships was to be seen full-screen and at length,” associate visual effects supervisor George Murphy told Cinefex’s Kevin H. Martin, “we knew it would be done as a stage model. Ships that would be doing a lot of elaborate maneuvers in space battle scenes would be created digitally.” In fact, physical and CG versions of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E appear in the film, with the latter being harnessed in shots involving the vessel’s entry into a temporal vortex at the conclusion of the Battle of Sector 001.
    Despite the technological leaps that ILM pioneered in the decades between First Contact and Rogue One, they considered filming physical miniatures for certain ship-related shots in the latter film. ILM considered filming physical miniatures for certain ship-related shots in Rogue One. The feature’s fleets were ultimately created digitally to allow for changes throughout post-production. “If it’s a photographed miniature element, it’s not possible to go back and make adjustments. So it’s the additional flexibility that comes with the computer graphics models that’s very attractive to many people,” John Knoll relayed to writer Jon Witmer at American Cinematographer’s TheASC.com.
    However, Knoll aimed to develop computer graphics that retained the same high-quality details as their physical counterparts, leading ILM to employ a modern approach to a time-honored modelmaking tactic. “I also wanted to emulate the kit-bashing aesthetic that had been part of Star Wars from the very beginning, where a lot of mechanical detail had been added onto the ships by using little pieces from plastic model kits,” explained Knoll in his chat with TheASC.com. For Rogue One, ILM replicated the process by obtaining such kits, scanning their parts, building a computer graphics library, and applying the CG parts to digitally modeled ships. “I’m very happy to say it was super-successful,” concluded Knoll. “I think a lot of our digital models look like they are motion-control models.”
    John Knollconfers with Kim Smith and John Goodson with the miniature of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E during production of Star Trek: First Contact.
    Legendary Lineages
    In First Contact, Captain Picard commanded a brand-new vessel, the Sovereign-class U.S.S. Enterprise-E, continuing the celebrated starship’s legacy in terms of its famous name and design aesthetic. Designed by John Eaves and developed into blueprints by Rick Sternbach, the Enterprise-E was built into a 10-foot physical model by ILM model project supervisor John Goodson and his shop’s talented team. ILM infused the ship with extraordinary detail, including viewports equipped with backlit set images from the craft’s predecessor, the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. For the vessel’s larger windows, namely those associated with the observation lounge and arboretum, ILM took a painstakingly practical approach to match the interiors shown with the real-world set pieces. “We filled that area of the model with tiny, micro-scale furniture,” Goodson informed Cinefex, “including tables and chairs.”
    Rogue One’s rebel team initially traversed the galaxy in a U-wing transport/gunship, which, much like the Enterprise-E, was a unique vessel that nonetheless channeled a certain degree of inspiration from a classic design. Lucasfilm’s Doug Chiang, a co-production designer for Rogue One, referred to the U-wing as the film’s “Huey helicopter version of an X-wing” in the Designing Rogue One bonus featurette on Disney+ before revealing that, “Towards the end of the design cycle, we actually decided that maybe we should put in more X-wing features. And so we took the X-wing engines and literally mounted them onto the configuration that we had going.” Modeled by ILM digital artist Colie Wertz, the U-wing’s final computer graphics design subtly incorporated these X-wing influences to give the transport a distinctive feel without making the craft seem out of place within the rebel fleet.
    While ILM’s work on the Enterprise-E’s viewports offered a compelling view toward the ship’s interior, a breakthrough LED setup for Rogue One permitted ILM to obtain realistic lighting on actors as they looked out from their ships and into the space around them. “All of our major spaceship cockpit scenes were done that way, with the gimbal in this giant horseshoe of LED panels we got fromVER, and we prepared graphics that went on the screens,” John Knoll shared with American Cinematographer’s Benjamin B and Jon D. Witmer. Furthermore, in Disney+’s Rogue One: Digital Storytelling bonus featurette, visual effects producer Janet Lewin noted, “For the actors, I think, in the space battle cockpits, for them to be able to see what was happening in the battle brought a higher level of accuracy to their performance.”
    The U.S.S. Enterprise-E in Star Trek: First Contact.
    Familiar Foes
    To transport First Contact’s Borg invaders, John Goodson’s team at ILM resurrected the Borg cube design previously seen in Star Trek: The Next Generationand Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, creating a nearly three-foot physical model to replace the one from the series. Art consultant and ILM veteran Bill George proposed that the cube’s seemingly straightforward layout be augmented with a complex network of photo-etched brass, a suggestion which produced a jagged surface and offered a visual that was both intricate and menacing. ILM also developed a two-foot motion-control model for a Borg sphere, a brand-new auxiliary vessel that emerged from the cube. “We vacuformed about 15 different patterns that conformed to this spherical curve and covered those with a lot of molded and cast pieces. Then we added tons of acid-etched brass over it, just like we had on the cube,” Goodson outlined to Cinefex’s Kevin H. Martin.
    As for Rogue One’s villainous fleet, reproducing the original trilogy’s Death Star and Imperial Star Destroyers centered upon translating physical models into digital assets. Although ILM no longer possessed A New Hope’s three-foot Death Star shooting model, John Knoll recreated the station’s surface paneling by gathering archival images, and as he spelled out to writer Joe Fordham in Cinefex, “I pieced all the images together. I unwrapped them into texture space and projected them onto a sphere with a trench. By doing that with enough pictures, I got pretty complete coverage of the original model, and that became a template upon which to redraw very high-resolution texture maps. Every panel, every vertical striped line, I matched from a photograph. It was as accurate as it was possible to be as a reproduction of the original model.”
    Knoll’s investigative eye continued to pay dividends when analyzing the three-foot and eight-foot Star Destroyer motion-control models, which had been built for A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, respectively. “Our general mantra was, ‘Match your memory of it more than the reality,’ because sometimes you go look at the actual prop in the archive building or you look back at the actual shot from the movie, and you go, ‘Oh, I remember it being a little better than that,’” Knoll conveyed to TheASC.com. This philosophy motivated ILM to combine elements from those two physical models into a single digital design. “Generally, we copied the three-footer for details like the superstructure on the top of the bridge, but then we copied the internal lighting plan from the eight-footer,” Knoll explained. “And then the upper surface of the three-footer was relatively undetailed because there were no shots that saw it closely, so we took a lot of the high-detail upper surface from the eight-footer. So it’s this amalgam of the two models, but the goal was to try to make it look like you remember it from A New Hope.”
    A final frame from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
    Forming Up the Fleets
    In addition to the U.S.S. Enterprise-E, the Battle of Sector 001 debuted numerous vessels representing four new Starfleet ship classes – the Akira, Steamrunner, Saber, and Norway – all designed by ILM visual effects art director Alex Jaeger. “Since we figured a lot of the background action in the space battle would be done with computer graphics ships that needed to be built from scratch anyway, I realized that there was no reason not to do some new designs,” John Knoll told American Cinematographer writer Ron Magid. Used in previous Star Trek projects, older physical models for the Oberth and Nebula classes were mixed into the fleet for good measure, though the vast majority of the armada originated as computer graphics.
    Over at Scarif, ILM portrayed the Rebel Alliance forces with computer graphics models of fresh designs, live-action versions of Star Wars Rebels’ VCX-100 light freighter Ghost and Hammerhead corvettes, and Star Wars staples. These ships face off against two Imperial Star Destroyers and squadrons of TIE fighters, and – upon their late arrival to the battle – Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer and the Death Star. The Tantive IV, a CR90 corvette more popularly referred to as a blockade runner, made its own special cameo at the tail end of the fight. As Princess Leia Organa’spersonal ship, the Tantive IV received the Death Star plans and fled the scene, destined to be captured by Vader’s Star Destroyer at the beginning of A New Hope. And, while we’re on the subject of intricate starship maneuvers and space-based choreography…
    Although the First Contact team could plan visual effects shots with animated storyboards, ILM supplied Gareth Edwards with a next-level virtual viewfinder that allowed the director to select his shots by immersing himself among Rogue One’s ships in real time. “What we wanted to do is give Gareth the opportunity to shoot his space battles and other all-digital scenes the same way he shoots his live-action. Then he could go in with this sort of virtual viewfinder and view the space battle going on, and figure out what the best angle was to shoot those ships from,” senior animation supervisor Hal Hickel described in the Rogue One: Digital Storytelling featurette. Hickel divulged that the sequence involving the dish array docking with the Death Star was an example of the “spontaneous discovery of great angles,” as the scene was never storyboarded or previsualized.
    Visual effects supervisor John Knoll with director Gareth Edwards during production of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
    Tough Little Ships
    The Federation and Rebel Alliance each deployed “tough little ships”in their respective conflicts, namely the U.S.S. Defiant from Deep Space Nine and the Tantive IV from A New Hope. VisionArt had already built a CG Defiant for the Deep Space Nine series, but ILM upgraded the model with images gathered from the ship’s three-foot physical model. A similar tactic was taken to bring the Tantive IV into the digital realm for Rogue One. “This was the Blockade Runner. This was the most accurate 1:1 reproduction we could possibly have made,” model supervisor Russell Paul declared to Cinefex’s Joe Fordham. “We did an extensive photo reference shoot and photogrammetry re-creation of the miniature. From there, we built it out as accurately as possible.” Speaking of sturdy ships, if you look very closely, you can spot a model of the Millennium Falcon flashing across the background as the U.S.S. Defiant makes an attack run on the Borg cube at the Battle of Sector 001!
    Exploration and Hope
    The in-universe ramifications that materialize from the Battles of Sector 001 and Scarif are monumental. The destruction of the Borg cube compels the Borg Queen to travel back in time in an attempt to vanquish Earth before the Federation can even be formed, but Captain Picard and the Enterprise-E foil the plot and end up helping their 21st century ancestors make “first contact” with another species, the logic-revering Vulcans. The post-Scarif benefits take longer to play out for the Rebel Alliance, but the theft of the Death Star plans eventually leads to the superweapon’s destruction. The Galactic Civil War is far from over, but Scarif is a significant step in the Alliance’s effort to overthrow the Empire.
    The visual effects ILM provided for First Contact and Rogue One contributed significantly to the critical and commercial acclaim both pictures enjoyed, a victory reflecting the relentless dedication, tireless work ethic, and innovative spirit embodied by visual effects supervisor John Knoll and ILM’s entire staff. While being interviewed for The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, actor Patrick Stewart praised ILM’s invaluable influence, emphasizing, “ILM was with us, on this movie, almost every day on set. There is so much that they are involved in.” And, regardless of your personal preferences – phasers or lasers, photon torpedoes or proton torpedoes, warp speed or hyperspace – perhaps Industrial Light & Magic’s ability to infuse excitement into both franchises demonstrates that Star Trek and Star Wars encompass themes that are not competitive, but compatible. After all, what goes together better than exploration and hope?

    Jay Stobieis a writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to ILM.com, Skysound.com, Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Trek Explorer, Star Trek Magazine, and StarTrek.com. Jay loves sci-fi, fantasy, and film, and you can learn more about him by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.
    #looking #back #two #classics #ilm
    Looking Back at Two Classics: ILM Deploys the Fleet in ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ and ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’
    Guided by visual effects supervisor John Knoll, ILM embraced continually evolving methodologies to craft breathtaking visual effects for the iconic space battles in First Contact and Rogue One. By Jay Stobie Visual effects supervisor John Knollconfers with modelmakers Kim Smith and John Goodson with the miniature of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E during production of Star Trek: First Contact. Bolstered by visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic, Star Trek: First Contactand Rogue One: A Star Wars Storypropelled their respective franchises to new heights. While Star Trek Generationswelcomed Captain Jean-Luc Picard’screw to the big screen, First Contact stood as the first Star Trek feature that did not focus on its original captain, the legendary James T. Kirk. Similarly, though Rogue One immediately preceded the events of Star Wars: A New Hope, it was set apart from the episodic Star Wars films and launched an era of storytelling outside of the main Skywalker saga that has gone on to include Solo: A Star Wars Story, The Mandalorian, Andor, Ahsoka, The Acolyte, and more. The two films also shared a key ILM contributor, John Knoll, who served as visual effects supervisor on both projects, as well as an executive producer on Rogue One. Currently, ILM’s executive creative director and senior visual effects supervisor, Knoll – who also conceived the initial framework for Rogue One’s story – guided ILM as it brought its talents to bear on these sci-fi and fantasy epics. The work involved crafting two spectacular starship-packed space clashes – First Contact’s Battle of Sector 001 and Rogue One’s Battle of Scarif. Although these iconic installments were released roughly two decades apart, they represent a captivating case study of how ILM’s approach to visual effects has evolved over time. With this in mind, let’s examine the films’ unforgettable space battles through the lens of fascinating in-universe parallels and the ILM-produced fleets that face off near Earth and Scarif. A final frame from the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. A Context for Conflict In First Contact, the United Federation of Planets – a 200-year-old interstellar government consisting of more than 150 member worlds – braces itself for an invasion by the Borg – an overwhelmingly powerful collective composed of cybernetic beings who devastate entire planets by assimilating their biological populations and technological innovations. The Borg only send a single vessel, a massive cube containing thousands of hive-minded drones and their queen, pushing the Federation’s Starfleet defenders to Earth’s doorstep. Conversely, in Rogue One, the Rebel Alliance – a fledgling coalition of freedom fighters – seeks to undermine and overthrow the stalwart Galactic Empire – a totalitarian regime preparing to tighten its grip on the galaxy by revealing a horrifying superweapon. A rebel team infiltrates a top-secret vault on Scarif in a bid to steal plans to that battle station, the dreaded Death Star, with hopes of exploiting a vulnerability in its design. On the surface, the situations could not seem to be more disparate, particularly in terms of the Federation’s well-established prestige and the Rebel Alliance’s haphazardly organized factions. Yet, upon closer inspection, the spaceborne conflicts at Earth and Scarif are linked by a vital commonality. The threat posed by the Borg is well-known to the Federation, but the sudden intrusion upon their space takes its defenses by surprise. Starfleet assembles any vessel within range – including antiquated Oberth-class science ships – to intercept the Borg cube in the Typhon Sector, only to be forced back to Earth on the edge of defeat. The unsanctioned mission to Scarif with Jyn Ersoand Cassian Andorand the sudden need to take down the planet’s shield gate propels the Rebel Alliance fleet into rushing to their rescue with everything from their flagship Profundity to GR-75 medium transports. Whether Federation or Rebel Alliance, these fleets gather in last-ditch efforts to oppose enemies who would embrace their eradication – the Battles of Sector 001 and Scarif are fights for survival. From Physical to Digital By the time Jonathan Frakes was selected to direct First Contact, Star Trek’s reliance on constructing traditional physical modelsfor its features was gradually giving way to innovative computer graphicsmodels, resulting in the film’s use of both techniques. “If one of the ships was to be seen full-screen and at length,” associate visual effects supervisor George Murphy told Cinefex’s Kevin H. Martin, “we knew it would be done as a stage model. Ships that would be doing a lot of elaborate maneuvers in space battle scenes would be created digitally.” In fact, physical and CG versions of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E appear in the film, with the latter being harnessed in shots involving the vessel’s entry into a temporal vortex at the conclusion of the Battle of Sector 001. Despite the technological leaps that ILM pioneered in the decades between First Contact and Rogue One, they considered filming physical miniatures for certain ship-related shots in the latter film. ILM considered filming physical miniatures for certain ship-related shots in Rogue One. The feature’s fleets were ultimately created digitally to allow for changes throughout post-production. “If it’s a photographed miniature element, it’s not possible to go back and make adjustments. So it’s the additional flexibility that comes with the computer graphics models that’s very attractive to many people,” John Knoll relayed to writer Jon Witmer at American Cinematographer’s TheASC.com. However, Knoll aimed to develop computer graphics that retained the same high-quality details as their physical counterparts, leading ILM to employ a modern approach to a time-honored modelmaking tactic. “I also wanted to emulate the kit-bashing aesthetic that had been part of Star Wars from the very beginning, where a lot of mechanical detail had been added onto the ships by using little pieces from plastic model kits,” explained Knoll in his chat with TheASC.com. For Rogue One, ILM replicated the process by obtaining such kits, scanning their parts, building a computer graphics library, and applying the CG parts to digitally modeled ships. “I’m very happy to say it was super-successful,” concluded Knoll. “I think a lot of our digital models look like they are motion-control models.” John Knollconfers with Kim Smith and John Goodson with the miniature of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E during production of Star Trek: First Contact. Legendary Lineages In First Contact, Captain Picard commanded a brand-new vessel, the Sovereign-class U.S.S. Enterprise-E, continuing the celebrated starship’s legacy in terms of its famous name and design aesthetic. Designed by John Eaves and developed into blueprints by Rick Sternbach, the Enterprise-E was built into a 10-foot physical model by ILM model project supervisor John Goodson and his shop’s talented team. ILM infused the ship with extraordinary detail, including viewports equipped with backlit set images from the craft’s predecessor, the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. For the vessel’s larger windows, namely those associated with the observation lounge and arboretum, ILM took a painstakingly practical approach to match the interiors shown with the real-world set pieces. “We filled that area of the model with tiny, micro-scale furniture,” Goodson informed Cinefex, “including tables and chairs.” Rogue One’s rebel team initially traversed the galaxy in a U-wing transport/gunship, which, much like the Enterprise-E, was a unique vessel that nonetheless channeled a certain degree of inspiration from a classic design. Lucasfilm’s Doug Chiang, a co-production designer for Rogue One, referred to the U-wing as the film’s “Huey helicopter version of an X-wing” in the Designing Rogue One bonus featurette on Disney+ before revealing that, “Towards the end of the design cycle, we actually decided that maybe we should put in more X-wing features. And so we took the X-wing engines and literally mounted them onto the configuration that we had going.” Modeled by ILM digital artist Colie Wertz, the U-wing’s final computer graphics design subtly incorporated these X-wing influences to give the transport a distinctive feel without making the craft seem out of place within the rebel fleet. While ILM’s work on the Enterprise-E’s viewports offered a compelling view toward the ship’s interior, a breakthrough LED setup for Rogue One permitted ILM to obtain realistic lighting on actors as they looked out from their ships and into the space around them. “All of our major spaceship cockpit scenes were done that way, with the gimbal in this giant horseshoe of LED panels we got fromVER, and we prepared graphics that went on the screens,” John Knoll shared with American Cinematographer’s Benjamin B and Jon D. Witmer. Furthermore, in Disney+’s Rogue One: Digital Storytelling bonus featurette, visual effects producer Janet Lewin noted, “For the actors, I think, in the space battle cockpits, for them to be able to see what was happening in the battle brought a higher level of accuracy to their performance.” The U.S.S. Enterprise-E in Star Trek: First Contact. Familiar Foes To transport First Contact’s Borg invaders, John Goodson’s team at ILM resurrected the Borg cube design previously seen in Star Trek: The Next Generationand Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, creating a nearly three-foot physical model to replace the one from the series. Art consultant and ILM veteran Bill George proposed that the cube’s seemingly straightforward layout be augmented with a complex network of photo-etched brass, a suggestion which produced a jagged surface and offered a visual that was both intricate and menacing. ILM also developed a two-foot motion-control model for a Borg sphere, a brand-new auxiliary vessel that emerged from the cube. “We vacuformed about 15 different patterns that conformed to this spherical curve and covered those with a lot of molded and cast pieces. Then we added tons of acid-etched brass over it, just like we had on the cube,” Goodson outlined to Cinefex’s Kevin H. Martin. As for Rogue One’s villainous fleet, reproducing the original trilogy’s Death Star and Imperial Star Destroyers centered upon translating physical models into digital assets. Although ILM no longer possessed A New Hope’s three-foot Death Star shooting model, John Knoll recreated the station’s surface paneling by gathering archival images, and as he spelled out to writer Joe Fordham in Cinefex, “I pieced all the images together. I unwrapped them into texture space and projected them onto a sphere with a trench. By doing that with enough pictures, I got pretty complete coverage of the original model, and that became a template upon which to redraw very high-resolution texture maps. Every panel, every vertical striped line, I matched from a photograph. It was as accurate as it was possible to be as a reproduction of the original model.” Knoll’s investigative eye continued to pay dividends when analyzing the three-foot and eight-foot Star Destroyer motion-control models, which had been built for A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, respectively. “Our general mantra was, ‘Match your memory of it more than the reality,’ because sometimes you go look at the actual prop in the archive building or you look back at the actual shot from the movie, and you go, ‘Oh, I remember it being a little better than that,’” Knoll conveyed to TheASC.com. This philosophy motivated ILM to combine elements from those two physical models into a single digital design. “Generally, we copied the three-footer for details like the superstructure on the top of the bridge, but then we copied the internal lighting plan from the eight-footer,” Knoll explained. “And then the upper surface of the three-footer was relatively undetailed because there were no shots that saw it closely, so we took a lot of the high-detail upper surface from the eight-footer. So it’s this amalgam of the two models, but the goal was to try to make it look like you remember it from A New Hope.” A final frame from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Forming Up the Fleets In addition to the U.S.S. Enterprise-E, the Battle of Sector 001 debuted numerous vessels representing four new Starfleet ship classes – the Akira, Steamrunner, Saber, and Norway – all designed by ILM visual effects art director Alex Jaeger. “Since we figured a lot of the background action in the space battle would be done with computer graphics ships that needed to be built from scratch anyway, I realized that there was no reason not to do some new designs,” John Knoll told American Cinematographer writer Ron Magid. Used in previous Star Trek projects, older physical models for the Oberth and Nebula classes were mixed into the fleet for good measure, though the vast majority of the armada originated as computer graphics. Over at Scarif, ILM portrayed the Rebel Alliance forces with computer graphics models of fresh designs, live-action versions of Star Wars Rebels’ VCX-100 light freighter Ghost and Hammerhead corvettes, and Star Wars staples. These ships face off against two Imperial Star Destroyers and squadrons of TIE fighters, and – upon their late arrival to the battle – Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer and the Death Star. The Tantive IV, a CR90 corvette more popularly referred to as a blockade runner, made its own special cameo at the tail end of the fight. As Princess Leia Organa’spersonal ship, the Tantive IV received the Death Star plans and fled the scene, destined to be captured by Vader’s Star Destroyer at the beginning of A New Hope. And, while we’re on the subject of intricate starship maneuvers and space-based choreography… Although the First Contact team could plan visual effects shots with animated storyboards, ILM supplied Gareth Edwards with a next-level virtual viewfinder that allowed the director to select his shots by immersing himself among Rogue One’s ships in real time. “What we wanted to do is give Gareth the opportunity to shoot his space battles and other all-digital scenes the same way he shoots his live-action. Then he could go in with this sort of virtual viewfinder and view the space battle going on, and figure out what the best angle was to shoot those ships from,” senior animation supervisor Hal Hickel described in the Rogue One: Digital Storytelling featurette. Hickel divulged that the sequence involving the dish array docking with the Death Star was an example of the “spontaneous discovery of great angles,” as the scene was never storyboarded or previsualized. Visual effects supervisor John Knoll with director Gareth Edwards during production of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story. Tough Little Ships The Federation and Rebel Alliance each deployed “tough little ships”in their respective conflicts, namely the U.S.S. Defiant from Deep Space Nine and the Tantive IV from A New Hope. VisionArt had already built a CG Defiant for the Deep Space Nine series, but ILM upgraded the model with images gathered from the ship’s three-foot physical model. A similar tactic was taken to bring the Tantive IV into the digital realm for Rogue One. “This was the Blockade Runner. This was the most accurate 1:1 reproduction we could possibly have made,” model supervisor Russell Paul declared to Cinefex’s Joe Fordham. “We did an extensive photo reference shoot and photogrammetry re-creation of the miniature. From there, we built it out as accurately as possible.” Speaking of sturdy ships, if you look very closely, you can spot a model of the Millennium Falcon flashing across the background as the U.S.S. Defiant makes an attack run on the Borg cube at the Battle of Sector 001! Exploration and Hope The in-universe ramifications that materialize from the Battles of Sector 001 and Scarif are monumental. The destruction of the Borg cube compels the Borg Queen to travel back in time in an attempt to vanquish Earth before the Federation can even be formed, but Captain Picard and the Enterprise-E foil the plot and end up helping their 21st century ancestors make “first contact” with another species, the logic-revering Vulcans. The post-Scarif benefits take longer to play out for the Rebel Alliance, but the theft of the Death Star plans eventually leads to the superweapon’s destruction. The Galactic Civil War is far from over, but Scarif is a significant step in the Alliance’s effort to overthrow the Empire. The visual effects ILM provided for First Contact and Rogue One contributed significantly to the critical and commercial acclaim both pictures enjoyed, a victory reflecting the relentless dedication, tireless work ethic, and innovative spirit embodied by visual effects supervisor John Knoll and ILM’s entire staff. While being interviewed for The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, actor Patrick Stewart praised ILM’s invaluable influence, emphasizing, “ILM was with us, on this movie, almost every day on set. There is so much that they are involved in.” And, regardless of your personal preferences – phasers or lasers, photon torpedoes or proton torpedoes, warp speed or hyperspace – perhaps Industrial Light & Magic’s ability to infuse excitement into both franchises demonstrates that Star Trek and Star Wars encompass themes that are not competitive, but compatible. After all, what goes together better than exploration and hope? – Jay Stobieis a writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to ILM.com, Skysound.com, Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Trek Explorer, Star Trek Magazine, and StarTrek.com. Jay loves sci-fi, fantasy, and film, and you can learn more about him by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy. #looking #back #two #classics #ilm
    WWW.ILM.COM
    Looking Back at Two Classics: ILM Deploys the Fleet in ‘Star Trek: First Contact’ and ‘Rogue One: A Star Wars Story’
    Guided by visual effects supervisor John Knoll, ILM embraced continually evolving methodologies to craft breathtaking visual effects for the iconic space battles in First Contact and Rogue One. By Jay Stobie Visual effects supervisor John Knoll (right) confers with modelmakers Kim Smith and John Goodson with the miniature of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E during production of Star Trek: First Contact (Credit: ILM). Bolstered by visual effects from Industrial Light & Magic, Star Trek: First Contact (1996) and Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) propelled their respective franchises to new heights. While Star Trek Generations (1994) welcomed Captain Jean-Luc Picard’s (Patrick Stewart) crew to the big screen, First Contact stood as the first Star Trek feature that did not focus on its original captain, the legendary James T. Kirk (William Shatner). Similarly, though Rogue One immediately preceded the events of Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), it was set apart from the episodic Star Wars films and launched an era of storytelling outside of the main Skywalker saga that has gone on to include Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018), The Mandalorian (2019-23), Andor (2022-25), Ahsoka (2023), The Acolyte (2024), and more. The two films also shared a key ILM contributor, John Knoll, who served as visual effects supervisor on both projects, as well as an executive producer on Rogue One. Currently, ILM’s executive creative director and senior visual effects supervisor, Knoll – who also conceived the initial framework for Rogue One’s story – guided ILM as it brought its talents to bear on these sci-fi and fantasy epics. The work involved crafting two spectacular starship-packed space clashes – First Contact’s Battle of Sector 001 and Rogue One’s Battle of Scarif. Although these iconic installments were released roughly two decades apart, they represent a captivating case study of how ILM’s approach to visual effects has evolved over time. With this in mind, let’s examine the films’ unforgettable space battles through the lens of fascinating in-universe parallels and the ILM-produced fleets that face off near Earth and Scarif. A final frame from the Battle of Scarif in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm). A Context for Conflict In First Contact, the United Federation of Planets – a 200-year-old interstellar government consisting of more than 150 member worlds – braces itself for an invasion by the Borg – an overwhelmingly powerful collective composed of cybernetic beings who devastate entire planets by assimilating their biological populations and technological innovations. The Borg only send a single vessel, a massive cube containing thousands of hive-minded drones and their queen, pushing the Federation’s Starfleet defenders to Earth’s doorstep. Conversely, in Rogue One, the Rebel Alliance – a fledgling coalition of freedom fighters – seeks to undermine and overthrow the stalwart Galactic Empire – a totalitarian regime preparing to tighten its grip on the galaxy by revealing a horrifying superweapon. A rebel team infiltrates a top-secret vault on Scarif in a bid to steal plans to that battle station, the dreaded Death Star, with hopes of exploiting a vulnerability in its design. On the surface, the situations could not seem to be more disparate, particularly in terms of the Federation’s well-established prestige and the Rebel Alliance’s haphazardly organized factions. Yet, upon closer inspection, the spaceborne conflicts at Earth and Scarif are linked by a vital commonality. The threat posed by the Borg is well-known to the Federation, but the sudden intrusion upon their space takes its defenses by surprise. Starfleet assembles any vessel within range – including antiquated Oberth-class science ships – to intercept the Borg cube in the Typhon Sector, only to be forced back to Earth on the edge of defeat. The unsanctioned mission to Scarif with Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) and Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and the sudden need to take down the planet’s shield gate propels the Rebel Alliance fleet into rushing to their rescue with everything from their flagship Profundity to GR-75 medium transports. Whether Federation or Rebel Alliance, these fleets gather in last-ditch efforts to oppose enemies who would embrace their eradication – the Battles of Sector 001 and Scarif are fights for survival. From Physical to Digital By the time Jonathan Frakes was selected to direct First Contact, Star Trek’s reliance on constructing traditional physical models (many of which were built by ILM) for its features was gradually giving way to innovative computer graphics (CG) models, resulting in the film’s use of both techniques. “If one of the ships was to be seen full-screen and at length,” associate visual effects supervisor George Murphy told Cinefex’s Kevin H. Martin, “we knew it would be done as a stage model. Ships that would be doing a lot of elaborate maneuvers in space battle scenes would be created digitally.” In fact, physical and CG versions of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E appear in the film, with the latter being harnessed in shots involving the vessel’s entry into a temporal vortex at the conclusion of the Battle of Sector 001. Despite the technological leaps that ILM pioneered in the decades between First Contact and Rogue One, they considered filming physical miniatures for certain ship-related shots in the latter film. ILM considered filming physical miniatures for certain ship-related shots in Rogue One. The feature’s fleets were ultimately created digitally to allow for changes throughout post-production. “If it’s a photographed miniature element, it’s not possible to go back and make adjustments. So it’s the additional flexibility that comes with the computer graphics models that’s very attractive to many people,” John Knoll relayed to writer Jon Witmer at American Cinematographer’s TheASC.com. However, Knoll aimed to develop computer graphics that retained the same high-quality details as their physical counterparts, leading ILM to employ a modern approach to a time-honored modelmaking tactic. “I also wanted to emulate the kit-bashing aesthetic that had been part of Star Wars from the very beginning, where a lot of mechanical detail had been added onto the ships by using little pieces from plastic model kits,” explained Knoll in his chat with TheASC.com. For Rogue One, ILM replicated the process by obtaining such kits, scanning their parts, building a computer graphics library, and applying the CG parts to digitally modeled ships. “I’m very happy to say it was super-successful,” concluded Knoll. “I think a lot of our digital models look like they are motion-control models.” John Knoll (second from left) confers with Kim Smith and John Goodson with the miniature of the U.S.S. Enterprise-E during production of Star Trek: First Contact (Credit: ILM). Legendary Lineages In First Contact, Captain Picard commanded a brand-new vessel, the Sovereign-class U.S.S. Enterprise-E, continuing the celebrated starship’s legacy in terms of its famous name and design aesthetic. Designed by John Eaves and developed into blueprints by Rick Sternbach, the Enterprise-E was built into a 10-foot physical model by ILM model project supervisor John Goodson and his shop’s talented team. ILM infused the ship with extraordinary detail, including viewports equipped with backlit set images from the craft’s predecessor, the U.S.S. Enterprise-D. For the vessel’s larger windows, namely those associated with the observation lounge and arboretum, ILM took a painstakingly practical approach to match the interiors shown with the real-world set pieces. “We filled that area of the model with tiny, micro-scale furniture,” Goodson informed Cinefex, “including tables and chairs.” Rogue One’s rebel team initially traversed the galaxy in a U-wing transport/gunship, which, much like the Enterprise-E, was a unique vessel that nonetheless channeled a certain degree of inspiration from a classic design. Lucasfilm’s Doug Chiang, a co-production designer for Rogue One, referred to the U-wing as the film’s “Huey helicopter version of an X-wing” in the Designing Rogue One bonus featurette on Disney+ before revealing that, “Towards the end of the design cycle, we actually decided that maybe we should put in more X-wing features. And so we took the X-wing engines and literally mounted them onto the configuration that we had going.” Modeled by ILM digital artist Colie Wertz, the U-wing’s final computer graphics design subtly incorporated these X-wing influences to give the transport a distinctive feel without making the craft seem out of place within the rebel fleet. While ILM’s work on the Enterprise-E’s viewports offered a compelling view toward the ship’s interior, a breakthrough LED setup for Rogue One permitted ILM to obtain realistic lighting on actors as they looked out from their ships and into the space around them. “All of our major spaceship cockpit scenes were done that way, with the gimbal in this giant horseshoe of LED panels we got from [equipment vendor] VER, and we prepared graphics that went on the screens,” John Knoll shared with American Cinematographer’s Benjamin B and Jon D. Witmer. Furthermore, in Disney+’s Rogue One: Digital Storytelling bonus featurette, visual effects producer Janet Lewin noted, “For the actors, I think, in the space battle cockpits, for them to be able to see what was happening in the battle brought a higher level of accuracy to their performance.” The U.S.S. Enterprise-E in Star Trek: First Contact (Credit: Paramount). Familiar Foes To transport First Contact’s Borg invaders, John Goodson’s team at ILM resurrected the Borg cube design previously seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987) and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (1993), creating a nearly three-foot physical model to replace the one from the series. Art consultant and ILM veteran Bill George proposed that the cube’s seemingly straightforward layout be augmented with a complex network of photo-etched brass, a suggestion which produced a jagged surface and offered a visual that was both intricate and menacing. ILM also developed a two-foot motion-control model for a Borg sphere, a brand-new auxiliary vessel that emerged from the cube. “We vacuformed about 15 different patterns that conformed to this spherical curve and covered those with a lot of molded and cast pieces. Then we added tons of acid-etched brass over it, just like we had on the cube,” Goodson outlined to Cinefex’s Kevin H. Martin. As for Rogue One’s villainous fleet, reproducing the original trilogy’s Death Star and Imperial Star Destroyers centered upon translating physical models into digital assets. Although ILM no longer possessed A New Hope’s three-foot Death Star shooting model, John Knoll recreated the station’s surface paneling by gathering archival images, and as he spelled out to writer Joe Fordham in Cinefex, “I pieced all the images together. I unwrapped them into texture space and projected them onto a sphere with a trench. By doing that with enough pictures, I got pretty complete coverage of the original model, and that became a template upon which to redraw very high-resolution texture maps. Every panel, every vertical striped line, I matched from a photograph. It was as accurate as it was possible to be as a reproduction of the original model.” Knoll’s investigative eye continued to pay dividends when analyzing the three-foot and eight-foot Star Destroyer motion-control models, which had been built for A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980), respectively. “Our general mantra was, ‘Match your memory of it more than the reality,’ because sometimes you go look at the actual prop in the archive building or you look back at the actual shot from the movie, and you go, ‘Oh, I remember it being a little better than that,’” Knoll conveyed to TheASC.com. This philosophy motivated ILM to combine elements from those two physical models into a single digital design. “Generally, we copied the three-footer for details like the superstructure on the top of the bridge, but then we copied the internal lighting plan from the eight-footer,” Knoll explained. “And then the upper surface of the three-footer was relatively undetailed because there were no shots that saw it closely, so we took a lot of the high-detail upper surface from the eight-footer. So it’s this amalgam of the two models, but the goal was to try to make it look like you remember it from A New Hope.” A final frame from Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm). Forming Up the Fleets In addition to the U.S.S. Enterprise-E, the Battle of Sector 001 debuted numerous vessels representing four new Starfleet ship classes – the Akira, Steamrunner, Saber, and Norway – all designed by ILM visual effects art director Alex Jaeger. “Since we figured a lot of the background action in the space battle would be done with computer graphics ships that needed to be built from scratch anyway, I realized that there was no reason not to do some new designs,” John Knoll told American Cinematographer writer Ron Magid. Used in previous Star Trek projects, older physical models for the Oberth and Nebula classes were mixed into the fleet for good measure, though the vast majority of the armada originated as computer graphics. Over at Scarif, ILM portrayed the Rebel Alliance forces with computer graphics models of fresh designs (the MC75 cruiser Profundity and U-wings), live-action versions of Star Wars Rebels’ VCX-100 light freighter Ghost and Hammerhead corvettes, and Star Wars staples (Nebulon-B frigates, X-wings, Y-wings, and more). These ships face off against two Imperial Star Destroyers and squadrons of TIE fighters, and – upon their late arrival to the battle – Darth Vader’s Star Destroyer and the Death Star. The Tantive IV, a CR90 corvette more popularly referred to as a blockade runner, made its own special cameo at the tail end of the fight. As Princess Leia Organa’s (Carrie Fisher and Ingvild Deila) personal ship, the Tantive IV received the Death Star plans and fled the scene, destined to be captured by Vader’s Star Destroyer at the beginning of A New Hope. And, while we’re on the subject of intricate starship maneuvers and space-based choreography… Although the First Contact team could plan visual effects shots with animated storyboards, ILM supplied Gareth Edwards with a next-level virtual viewfinder that allowed the director to select his shots by immersing himself among Rogue One’s ships in real time. “What we wanted to do is give Gareth the opportunity to shoot his space battles and other all-digital scenes the same way he shoots his live-action. Then he could go in with this sort of virtual viewfinder and view the space battle going on, and figure out what the best angle was to shoot those ships from,” senior animation supervisor Hal Hickel described in the Rogue One: Digital Storytelling featurette. Hickel divulged that the sequence involving the dish array docking with the Death Star was an example of the “spontaneous discovery of great angles,” as the scene was never storyboarded or previsualized. Visual effects supervisor John Knoll with director Gareth Edwards during production of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (Credit: ILM & Lucasfilm). Tough Little Ships The Federation and Rebel Alliance each deployed “tough little ships” (an endearing description Commander William T. Riker [Jonathan Frakes] bestowed upon the U.S.S. Defiant in First Contact) in their respective conflicts, namely the U.S.S. Defiant from Deep Space Nine and the Tantive IV from A New Hope. VisionArt had already built a CG Defiant for the Deep Space Nine series, but ILM upgraded the model with images gathered from the ship’s three-foot physical model. A similar tactic was taken to bring the Tantive IV into the digital realm for Rogue One. “This was the Blockade Runner. This was the most accurate 1:1 reproduction we could possibly have made,” model supervisor Russell Paul declared to Cinefex’s Joe Fordham. “We did an extensive photo reference shoot and photogrammetry re-creation of the miniature. From there, we built it out as accurately as possible.” Speaking of sturdy ships, if you look very closely, you can spot a model of the Millennium Falcon flashing across the background as the U.S.S. Defiant makes an attack run on the Borg cube at the Battle of Sector 001! Exploration and Hope The in-universe ramifications that materialize from the Battles of Sector 001 and Scarif are monumental. The destruction of the Borg cube compels the Borg Queen to travel back in time in an attempt to vanquish Earth before the Federation can even be formed, but Captain Picard and the Enterprise-E foil the plot and end up helping their 21st century ancestors make “first contact” with another species, the logic-revering Vulcans. The post-Scarif benefits take longer to play out for the Rebel Alliance, but the theft of the Death Star plans eventually leads to the superweapon’s destruction. The Galactic Civil War is far from over, but Scarif is a significant step in the Alliance’s effort to overthrow the Empire. The visual effects ILM provided for First Contact and Rogue One contributed significantly to the critical and commercial acclaim both pictures enjoyed, a victory reflecting the relentless dedication, tireless work ethic, and innovative spirit embodied by visual effects supervisor John Knoll and ILM’s entire staff. While being interviewed for The Making of Star Trek: First Contact, actor Patrick Stewart praised ILM’s invaluable influence, emphasizing, “ILM was with us, on this movie, almost every day on set. There is so much that they are involved in.” And, regardless of your personal preferences – phasers or lasers, photon torpedoes or proton torpedoes, warp speed or hyperspace – perhaps Industrial Light & Magic’s ability to infuse excitement into both franchises demonstrates that Star Trek and Star Wars encompass themes that are not competitive, but compatible. After all, what goes together better than exploration and hope? – Jay Stobie (he/him) is a writer, author, and consultant who has contributed articles to ILM.com, Skysound.com, Star Wars Insider, StarWars.com, Star Trek Explorer, Star Trek Magazine, and StarTrek.com. Jay loves sci-fi, fantasy, and film, and you can learn more about him by visiting JayStobie.com or finding him on Twitter, Instagram, and other social media platforms at @StobiesGalaxy.
    0 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • Why Half Backsplashes Are Taking Over Kitchen Design, According to Experts

    Pictured Above: Designer Amber Lewis balances New England charm with old-world sophistication with a half Calacatta Vagli marble backsplash in the kitchen of this Martha's Vineyard home. To backsplash or not to backsplash? That is the question. Or is it? Because if anyone’s ever told you “you shouldn’t do anything halfway,” they clearly haven’t heard of the half backsplash. This twist on a design mainstay makes a compelling case for stopping short. So maybe the real question is: to backsplash or to half backsplash?Lately, we’ve seen more and more designers going for the latter. “A trend these days is to use 1/2 or 2/3 stone backsplashes with a six- to nine-inch ledge,” says designer Jennifer Gilmer. “This is typically used behind a range and adds interest as well as softening the overall look.” It’s not just aesthetic—it’s strategic functionality. “The ledge is useful for salt and pepper shakers, olive oil, and other items,” she adds. Ahead, we break down everything to know about half backsplashes and why this kitchen trend is gaining traction in the design world.Related StoriesWhat Is a Half Backsplash?Lisa PetroleMagnolia’s director of styling, Ashley Maddox, enlisted the help of designer Hilary Walker to create her midcentury-modern dream home in Waco, Texas. Complete with walnut kitchen cabinetry topped with a Topzstone countertop continued into a partial backsplash.“A half backsplash or 1/3 backsplash is when the material stops at a point on the wall determined by the design,” explains designer Isabella Patrick. This makes it distinct from a “built-out or existing element, such as upper cabinets, a ceiling, soffit, or some other inherent element of the space.” In other words, it’s intentional, not just the result of running out of tile.Courtesy of JN Interior SpacesTaking the ceiling height into consideration, JN Interior Spaces decided a half backsplash would be suitable for this sleek, modern kitchen.While traditional backsplashes typically reach the bottom of upper cabinetry or span the entire wall, partial backsplashes usually stop somewhere around four to 25 inches up, depending on the look you’re going for.And while it may sound like a design compromise, it’s actually quite the opposite.Related StoryWhy Designers Are Loving the Half-Height LookOpting for a half backsplash is a clever way to balance proportion, budget, and visual interest. “If the design does not have upper cabinets, we would opt for a half backsplash to create visual interest,” Patrick says. “A full wall of the same tile or stone could overwhelm the space and seem like an afterthought.”Shannon Dupre/DD RepsIsabella Patrick experimented with this concept in her own kitchen, mixing materials for a more layered half backsplash look.Instead, Patrick often mixes materials—like running Cambria quartzite up from the counter to a ledge, then switching to Fireclay tile above. “This is a great example of how a singular material would have overwhelmed the space but also may have felt like an afterthought,” she explains. “Mixing materials and adding in details and personal touches is what good design is.”Another bonus? It lets the rest of the kitchen sing. “In another design, we eliminated the upper cabinets in favor of a more open and airy look so that the windows were not blocked—and so you were not walking right into a side view of cabinetry,” Patrick says. “No upper cabinets also makes the kitchen feel more of a transitional space and decorative, especially since it opens right into a dining room.”krafty_photos
copyright 2021This kitchen from JN Interior Spaces proves that a partial backsplash can still make a big impact. They chose to use an iridescent, almost-patina tile in this Wyoming kitchen.For Jill Najinigier of JN Interior Spaces, the choice is just as much about form as it is function. “It's all about how the backsplash interacts with the architecture,” she explains. “Wall height, windows, the shape of the hood, upper cabinets, or open shelves—where do they start and terminate?”In one standout project, Najinigier used a luminous tile just tall enough to tuck under a tapered plaster hood, topped with a narrow stone ledge carved from the same slab as the counter. The result? “Clean lines that make a stunning statement.”Mixing materials and adding in details and personal touches is what good design is.It’s Decorative and FunctionalHeather TalbertDesigner Kate Pearce installed a statement-making marble backsplash. Bringing it only halfway up allows its beauty to be appreciated while giving the other aesthetic elements in the space room to breathe.Don’t underestimate what that ledge can do. Designer Kate Pearce swears by hers: “I love my little five-inch-deep marble shelf that allows me to style some vintage kitchenware in the space,” she says. “And I think the shelfis exactly what gives the kitchen an approachable feel—versus having a full backsplash of marble, which would have given the space a more serious vibe.”Stylish ProductionsPrioritizing visually continuity, Italian designer Federica Asack of Masseria Chic used the same leathered sandstone, a natural material that will develop a wonderful patina, for both the counters and the backsplash.Designer Federica Asack of Masseria Chic used a leathered sandstone for both her countertop and half backsplash, adding a ledge that’s just deep enough to style. “It allows for a splash-free decorating opportunity to layer artwork and favorite objects,” she says.Designer Molly Watson agrees: “The simple shelf is just deep enough for some special items to be on display,” she notes of a project where carrying the countertop stone up the wall helped keep things visually calm and scaled to the space. Related StoryThe Verdict on Half BacksplashesErin Kelly"Keeping materials simple in this kitchen was important for scale," says designer Molly Watson. "Carrying the countertop up the wall as a backsplash allowed the space to feel larger."Half backsplashes are having a major design moment, but not just because they’re practical. They’re a blank canvas for creativity. From floating ledges and mixed materials to budget-conscious decisions that don’t skimp on style, they’re a smartway to make your kitchen feel lighter, livelier, and totally considered.So, go ahead—do it halfway.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.
    #why #half #backsplashes #are #taking
    Why Half Backsplashes Are Taking Over Kitchen Design, According to Experts
    Pictured Above: Designer Amber Lewis balances New England charm with old-world sophistication with a half Calacatta Vagli marble backsplash in the kitchen of this Martha's Vineyard home. To backsplash or not to backsplash? That is the question. Or is it? Because if anyone’s ever told you “you shouldn’t do anything halfway,” they clearly haven’t heard of the half backsplash. This twist on a design mainstay makes a compelling case for stopping short. So maybe the real question is: to backsplash or to half backsplash?Lately, we’ve seen more and more designers going for the latter. “A trend these days is to use 1/2 or 2/3 stone backsplashes with a six- to nine-inch ledge,” says designer Jennifer Gilmer. “This is typically used behind a range and adds interest as well as softening the overall look.” It’s not just aesthetic—it’s strategic functionality. “The ledge is useful for salt and pepper shakers, olive oil, and other items,” she adds. Ahead, we break down everything to know about half backsplashes and why this kitchen trend is gaining traction in the design world.Related StoriesWhat Is a Half Backsplash?Lisa PetroleMagnolia’s director of styling, Ashley Maddox, enlisted the help of designer Hilary Walker to create her midcentury-modern dream home in Waco, Texas. Complete with walnut kitchen cabinetry topped with a Topzstone countertop continued into a partial backsplash.“A half backsplash or 1/3 backsplash is when the material stops at a point on the wall determined by the design,” explains designer Isabella Patrick. This makes it distinct from a “built-out or existing element, such as upper cabinets, a ceiling, soffit, or some other inherent element of the space.” In other words, it’s intentional, not just the result of running out of tile.Courtesy of JN Interior SpacesTaking the ceiling height into consideration, JN Interior Spaces decided a half backsplash would be suitable for this sleek, modern kitchen.While traditional backsplashes typically reach the bottom of upper cabinetry or span the entire wall, partial backsplashes usually stop somewhere around four to 25 inches up, depending on the look you’re going for.And while it may sound like a design compromise, it’s actually quite the opposite.Related StoryWhy Designers Are Loving the Half-Height LookOpting for a half backsplash is a clever way to balance proportion, budget, and visual interest. “If the design does not have upper cabinets, we would opt for a half backsplash to create visual interest,” Patrick says. “A full wall of the same tile or stone could overwhelm the space and seem like an afterthought.”Shannon Dupre/DD RepsIsabella Patrick experimented with this concept in her own kitchen, mixing materials for a more layered half backsplash look.Instead, Patrick often mixes materials—like running Cambria quartzite up from the counter to a ledge, then switching to Fireclay tile above. “This is a great example of how a singular material would have overwhelmed the space but also may have felt like an afterthought,” she explains. “Mixing materials and adding in details and personal touches is what good design is.”Another bonus? It lets the rest of the kitchen sing. “In another design, we eliminated the upper cabinets in favor of a more open and airy look so that the windows were not blocked—and so you were not walking right into a side view of cabinetry,” Patrick says. “No upper cabinets also makes the kitchen feel more of a transitional space and decorative, especially since it opens right into a dining room.”krafty_photos
copyright 2021This kitchen from JN Interior Spaces proves that a partial backsplash can still make a big impact. They chose to use an iridescent, almost-patina tile in this Wyoming kitchen.For Jill Najinigier of JN Interior Spaces, the choice is just as much about form as it is function. “It's all about how the backsplash interacts with the architecture,” she explains. “Wall height, windows, the shape of the hood, upper cabinets, or open shelves—where do they start and terminate?”In one standout project, Najinigier used a luminous tile just tall enough to tuck under a tapered plaster hood, topped with a narrow stone ledge carved from the same slab as the counter. The result? “Clean lines that make a stunning statement.”Mixing materials and adding in details and personal touches is what good design is.It’s Decorative and FunctionalHeather TalbertDesigner Kate Pearce installed a statement-making marble backsplash. Bringing it only halfway up allows its beauty to be appreciated while giving the other aesthetic elements in the space room to breathe.Don’t underestimate what that ledge can do. Designer Kate Pearce swears by hers: “I love my little five-inch-deep marble shelf that allows me to style some vintage kitchenware in the space,” she says. “And I think the shelfis exactly what gives the kitchen an approachable feel—versus having a full backsplash of marble, which would have given the space a more serious vibe.”Stylish ProductionsPrioritizing visually continuity, Italian designer Federica Asack of Masseria Chic used the same leathered sandstone, a natural material that will develop a wonderful patina, for both the counters and the backsplash.Designer Federica Asack of Masseria Chic used a leathered sandstone for both her countertop and half backsplash, adding a ledge that’s just deep enough to style. “It allows for a splash-free decorating opportunity to layer artwork and favorite objects,” she says.Designer Molly Watson agrees: “The simple shelf is just deep enough for some special items to be on display,” she notes of a project where carrying the countertop stone up the wall helped keep things visually calm and scaled to the space. Related StoryThe Verdict on Half BacksplashesErin Kelly"Keeping materials simple in this kitchen was important for scale," says designer Molly Watson. "Carrying the countertop up the wall as a backsplash allowed the space to feel larger."Half backsplashes are having a major design moment, but not just because they’re practical. They’re a blank canvas for creativity. From floating ledges and mixed materials to budget-conscious decisions that don’t skimp on style, they’re a smartway to make your kitchen feel lighter, livelier, and totally considered.So, go ahead—do it halfway.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok. #why #half #backsplashes #are #taking
    WWW.HOUSEBEAUTIFUL.COM
    Why Half Backsplashes Are Taking Over Kitchen Design, According to Experts
    Pictured Above: Designer Amber Lewis balances New England charm with old-world sophistication with a half Calacatta Vagli marble backsplash in the kitchen of this Martha's Vineyard home. To backsplash or not to backsplash? That is the question. Or is it? Because if anyone’s ever told you “you shouldn’t do anything halfway,” they clearly haven’t heard of the half backsplash. This twist on a design mainstay makes a compelling case for stopping short. So maybe the real question is: to backsplash or to half backsplash?Lately, we’ve seen more and more designers going for the latter. “A trend these days is to use 1/2 or 2/3 stone backsplashes with a six- to nine-inch ledge,” says designer Jennifer Gilmer. “This is typically used behind a range and adds interest as well as softening the overall look.” It’s not just aesthetic—it’s strategic functionality. “The ledge is useful for salt and pepper shakers, olive oil, and other items,” she adds. Ahead, we break down everything to know about half backsplashes and why this kitchen trend is gaining traction in the design world.Related StoriesWhat Is a Half Backsplash?Lisa PetroleMagnolia’s director of styling, Ashley Maddox, enlisted the help of designer Hilary Walker to create her midcentury-modern dream home in Waco, Texas. Complete with walnut kitchen cabinetry topped with a Topzstone countertop continued into a partial backsplash.“A half backsplash or 1/3 backsplash is when the material stops at a point on the wall determined by the design,” explains designer Isabella Patrick. This makes it distinct from a “built-out or existing element, such as upper cabinets, a ceiling, soffit, or some other inherent element of the space.” In other words, it’s intentional, not just the result of running out of tile.Courtesy of JN Interior SpacesTaking the ceiling height into consideration, JN Interior Spaces decided a half backsplash would be suitable for this sleek, modern kitchen.While traditional backsplashes typically reach the bottom of upper cabinetry or span the entire wall, partial backsplashes usually stop somewhere around four to 25 inches up, depending on the look you’re going for.And while it may sound like a design compromise, it’s actually quite the opposite.Related StoryWhy Designers Are Loving the Half-Height LookOpting for a half backsplash is a clever way to balance proportion, budget, and visual interest. “If the design does not have upper cabinets, we would opt for a half backsplash to create visual interest,” Patrick says. “A full wall of the same tile or stone could overwhelm the space and seem like an afterthought.”Shannon Dupre/DD RepsIsabella Patrick experimented with this concept in her own kitchen, mixing materials for a more layered half backsplash look.Instead, Patrick often mixes materials—like running Cambria quartzite up from the counter to a ledge, then switching to Fireclay tile above. “This is a great example of how a singular material would have overwhelmed the space but also may have felt like an afterthought,” she explains. “Mixing materials and adding in details and personal touches is what good design is.”Another bonus? It lets the rest of the kitchen sing. “In another design, we eliminated the upper cabinets in favor of a more open and airy look so that the windows were not blocked—and so you were not walking right into a side view of cabinetry,” Patrick says. “No upper cabinets also makes the kitchen feel more of a transitional space and decorative, especially since it opens right into a dining room.”krafty_photos
copyright 2021This kitchen from JN Interior Spaces proves that a partial backsplash can still make a big impact. They chose to use an iridescent, almost-patina tile in this Wyoming kitchen.For Jill Najinigier of JN Interior Spaces, the choice is just as much about form as it is function. “It's all about how the backsplash interacts with the architecture,” she explains. “Wall height, windows, the shape of the hood, upper cabinets, or open shelves—where do they start and terminate?”In one standout project, Najinigier used a luminous tile just tall enough to tuck under a tapered plaster hood, topped with a narrow stone ledge carved from the same slab as the counter. The result? “Clean lines that make a stunning statement.”Mixing materials and adding in details and personal touches is what good design is.It’s Decorative and FunctionalHeather TalbertDesigner Kate Pearce installed a statement-making marble backsplash. Bringing it only halfway up allows its beauty to be appreciated while giving the other aesthetic elements in the space room to breathe.Don’t underestimate what that ledge can do. Designer Kate Pearce swears by hers: “I love my little five-inch-deep marble shelf that allows me to style some vintage kitchenware in the space,” she says. “And I think the shelf (and the pieces styled on it) is exactly what gives the kitchen an approachable feel—versus having a full backsplash of marble, which would have given the space a more serious vibe.”Stylish ProductionsPrioritizing visually continuity, Italian designer Federica Asack of Masseria Chic used the same leathered sandstone, a natural material that will develop a wonderful patina, for both the counters and the backsplash.Designer Federica Asack of Masseria Chic used a leathered sandstone for both her countertop and half backsplash, adding a ledge that’s just deep enough to style. “It allows for a splash-free decorating opportunity to layer artwork and favorite objects,” she says.Designer Molly Watson agrees: “The simple shelf is just deep enough for some special items to be on display,” she notes of a project where carrying the countertop stone up the wall helped keep things visually calm and scaled to the space. Related StoryThe Verdict on Half BacksplashesErin Kelly"Keeping materials simple in this kitchen was important for scale," says designer Molly Watson. "Carrying the countertop up the wall as a backsplash allowed the space to feel larger."Half backsplashes are having a major design moment, but not just because they’re practical. They’re a blank canvas for creativity. From floating ledges and mixed materials to budget-conscious decisions that don’t skimp on style, they’re a smart (and stylish) way to make your kitchen feel lighter, livelier, and totally considered.So, go ahead—do it halfway.Follow House Beautiful on Instagram and TikTok.
    0 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • How Do I Make A Small Space Look Bigger Without Renovating

    Living in a small space doesn’t mean you have to feel cramped or boxed in. With the right design tricks, you can make even the tiniest room feel open, airy, and inviting, no renovation required. Whether you’re in a compact apartment, a small home, or just trying to make the most of a single room, smart styling and layout choices can dramatically shift how the space looks and feels. From strategic lighting and paint colors to furniture swaps and clever storage solutions, there are plenty of easy, affordable ways to stretch your square footage visually. Ready to transform your space? Here are some practical, design-savvy ideas to make your home feel bigger without tearing down a single wall.

    1. Opt for Multi-Functional Furniture

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    In a small space, every piece of furniture should earn its keep. Look for multi-functional items: ottomans that open up for storage, beds with drawers underneath, or coffee tables that can extend or lift to become a desk. Not only do these pieces help reduce clutter, but they also free up floor space, making the room look more open. Bonus points for furniture that can be folded away when not in use. By choosing versatile pieces, you’re making the most of every inch without sacrificing style or comfort.

    2. Keep Pathways Clear

    Image Source: The Spruce

    One of the simplest yet most effective ways to make a small space feel bigger is to keep pathways and walkways clear. When furniture or clutter blocks natural movement through a room, it can make the space feel cramped and chaotic. Take a walk through your home and notice where you’re dodging corners or squeezing between pieces,those are areas to rethink. Opt for smaller furniture with slim profiles, or rearrange what you have to create an easy, natural flow. Open walkways help your eyes move freely through the room, making everything feel more spacious, breathable, and intentional. It’s all about giving yourself room to move,literally and visually.

    3. Use Glass and Lucite Furniture

    Image Source: The Spruce

    Transparent furniture made from glass or Lucitetakes up less visual space because you can see right through it. A glass coffee table or clear dining chairs can provide functionality without cluttering up the view. These pieces practically disappear into the background, which helps the room feel more open. They also add a touch of modern sophistication. When you need furniture but don’t want it to dominate the room, going clear is a clever design choice.

    4. Don’t Over-Clutter Your Space

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    In small spaces, clutter accumulates fast,and it visually shrinks your environment. The more items scattered around, the more cramped the room feels. Start by taking a critical look at what you own and asking: do I really need this here? Use storage bins, under-bed containers, or floating shelves to hide away what you don’t use daily. Keep surfaces like countertops, desks, and coffee tables as clear as possible. A minimal, clean setup allows the eye to rest and makes the space feel open and intentional. Remember: less stuff equals more space,both physically and mentally.

    5. Utilize Your Windows

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    Windows are like built-in art that can also dramatically affect how big or small your space feels. Don’t cover them with heavy drapes or clutter them with too many objects on the sill. Keep window treatments light and minimal,sheer curtains or roller blinds are perfect. If privacy isn’t a big concern, consider leaving them bare. Letting natural light flood in through your windows instantly opens up your space and makes it feel brighter and more expansive. You can also place mirrors or shiny surfaces near windows to reflect more light into the room and maximize their impact.

    6. Downsize Your Dining Table

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    A large dining table can dominate a small room, leaving little space to move or breathe. If you rarely entertain a big crowd, consider downsizing to a smaller round or drop-leaf table. These take up less visual and physical space and still offer enough room for daily meals. You can always keep a folding table or stackable chairs nearby for when guests do come over. Round tables are especially great for small spaces because they allow smoother traffic flow and eliminate awkward corners. Plus, a smaller table encourages intimacy during meals and helps the whole area feel more open and functional.

    7. Use Mirrors Strategically

    Image Source: The Tiny Cottage

    Mirrors can work magic in a small room. They reflect both natural and artificial light, which can instantly make a space feel larger and brighter. A large mirror on a wall opposite a window can double the amount of light in your room. Mirrored furniture or decor elements like trays and picture frames also help. Think about using mirrored closet doors or even creating a mirror gallery wall. It’s not just about brightness; mirrors also create a sense of depth, tricking the eye into seeing more space than there actually is.

    8. Install a Murphy Bed

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    A Murphy bedis a game-changer for anyone living in a tight space. It folds up into the wall or a cabinet when not in use, instantly transforming your bedroom into a living room, office, or workout area. This setup gives you the flexibility to have a multi-purpose room without sacrificing comfort. Modern Murphy beds often come with built-in shelves or desks, offering even more function without taking up extra space. If you want to reclaim your floor during the day and still get a good night’s sleep, this is one smart solution.

    9. Paint It White

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    Painting your walls white is one of the easiest and most effective tricks to make a space feel bigger. White reflects light, helping the room feel open, clean, and fresh. It creates a seamless look, making walls seem to recede and ceilings feel higher. You can still have fun with the space, layer in texture, subtle patterns, or neutral accessories to keep it from feeling sterile. White also acts as a blank canvas, letting your furniture and art stand out. Whether you’re decorating a studio apartment or a small home office, a fresh coat of white paint can work wonders.

    10. Prioritize Natural Light

    Image Source: The Spruce

    Natural light has an incredible ability to make any room feel more spacious and welcoming. To make the most of it, avoid blocking windows with bulky furniture or dark curtains. Consider using light-filtering shades or sheer curtains to let sunlight pour in while maintaining some privacy. Arrange mirrors or reflective surfaces like glossy tables and metallic decor to bounce the light around the room. Even placing furniture in a way that lets light flow freely can change how open your home feels. Natural light not only brightens your space but also boosts your mood, making it a double win.

    11. Maximize Shelving

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    When floor space is limited, vertical storage becomes your best ally. Floating shelves, wall-mounted units, or tall bookcases draw the eye upward, creating a sense of height and maximizing every inch. They’re perfect for books, plants, artwork, or even kitchen supplies if you’re short on cabinets. You can also install corner shelves to use often-overlooked spots. Keep them tidy and curated,group items by color, size, or theme for a visually pleasing look. Shelving helps reduce clutter on the floor and tabletops, keeping your home organized and visually open without requiring any extra square footage.

    12. Keep It Neutral

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    Neutral tones, like soft whites, light grays, warm beiges, and pale taupes,can make a space feel calm and cohesive. These colors reflect light well and reduce visual clutter, making your room appear larger. A neutral palette doesn’t mean boring; you can still play with textures, patterns, and accents within that color family. Add throw pillows, rugs, or wall art in layered neutrals for interest without overwhelming the space. When everything flows in similar tones, it creates continuity, which tricks the eye into seeing a more expansive area. It’s an effortless way to open up your home without lifting a hammer.

    13. Choose Benches, Not Chairs

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    When space is tight, traditional dining chairs or bulky accent seats can eat up more room than they’re worth. Benches, on the other hand, are a sleek, versatile alternative. They tuck neatly under tables when not in use, saving valuable floor space and keeping walkways open. In entryways, living rooms, or at the foot of a bed, a bench offers seating and can double as storage or display. Some come with built-in compartments or open space beneath for baskets. Plus, benches visually declutter the room with their simple, low-profile design.

    14. Use Vertical Spaces

    Image Source: The Spruce

    When you’re short on square footage, think vertical. Use tall bookshelves, wall-mounted shelves, and hanging storage to keep things off the floor. Vertical lines naturally draw the eye upward, which creates a feeling of height and openness. Consider mounting floating shelves for books, plants, or decorative items. Hooks and pegboards can add function without taking up space. Making use of your wall space not only maximizes storage but also frees up floor area, which visually enlarges the room.

    15. Add a Gallery Wall

    Image Source: House Beautiful

    It might seem counterintuitive, but adding a gallery wall can actually make a small space feel bigger,if done right. A curated display of art, photos, or prints draws the eye upward and outward, giving the illusion of a larger area. Stick to cohesive frames and colors to maintain a clean, intentional look. You can go symmetrical for a polished feel or get creative with an organic, freeform layout. Position the gallery higher on the wall to elongate the space visually. Just be sure not to overcrowd,balance is key. A thoughtful gallery wall adds personality without cluttering the room.

    Finishing Notes:

    Creating a spacious feel in a small home doesn’t require a sledgehammer or a major remodel, it just takes a bit of strategy and smart design. From downsizing your dining table to letting natural light pour in, each tip we’ve shared is an easy, budget-friendly way to visually open up your space.

    If you’re looking for even more inspiration, layout ideas, or style guides, be sure to explore Home Designing. It’s packed with expert advice, modern interior trends, and visual walkthroughs to help you transform your space, big or small, into something that truly feels like home.
    #how #make #small #space #look
    How Do I Make A Small Space Look Bigger Without Renovating
    Living in a small space doesn’t mean you have to feel cramped or boxed in. With the right design tricks, you can make even the tiniest room feel open, airy, and inviting, no renovation required. Whether you’re in a compact apartment, a small home, or just trying to make the most of a single room, smart styling and layout choices can dramatically shift how the space looks and feels. From strategic lighting and paint colors to furniture swaps and clever storage solutions, there are plenty of easy, affordable ways to stretch your square footage visually. Ready to transform your space? Here are some practical, design-savvy ideas to make your home feel bigger without tearing down a single wall. 1. Opt for Multi-Functional Furniture Image Source: House Beautiful In a small space, every piece of furniture should earn its keep. Look for multi-functional items: ottomans that open up for storage, beds with drawers underneath, or coffee tables that can extend or lift to become a desk. Not only do these pieces help reduce clutter, but they also free up floor space, making the room look more open. Bonus points for furniture that can be folded away when not in use. By choosing versatile pieces, you’re making the most of every inch without sacrificing style or comfort. 2. Keep Pathways Clear Image Source: The Spruce One of the simplest yet most effective ways to make a small space feel bigger is to keep pathways and walkways clear. When furniture or clutter blocks natural movement through a room, it can make the space feel cramped and chaotic. Take a walk through your home and notice where you’re dodging corners or squeezing between pieces,those are areas to rethink. Opt for smaller furniture with slim profiles, or rearrange what you have to create an easy, natural flow. Open walkways help your eyes move freely through the room, making everything feel more spacious, breathable, and intentional. It’s all about giving yourself room to move,literally and visually. 3. Use Glass and Lucite Furniture Image Source: The Spruce Transparent furniture made from glass or Lucitetakes up less visual space because you can see right through it. A glass coffee table or clear dining chairs can provide functionality without cluttering up the view. These pieces practically disappear into the background, which helps the room feel more open. They also add a touch of modern sophistication. When you need furniture but don’t want it to dominate the room, going clear is a clever design choice. 4. Don’t Over-Clutter Your Space Image Source: House Beautiful In small spaces, clutter accumulates fast,and it visually shrinks your environment. The more items scattered around, the more cramped the room feels. Start by taking a critical look at what you own and asking: do I really need this here? Use storage bins, under-bed containers, or floating shelves to hide away what you don’t use daily. Keep surfaces like countertops, desks, and coffee tables as clear as possible. A minimal, clean setup allows the eye to rest and makes the space feel open and intentional. Remember: less stuff equals more space,both physically and mentally. 5. Utilize Your Windows Image Source: House Beautiful Windows are like built-in art that can also dramatically affect how big or small your space feels. Don’t cover them with heavy drapes or clutter them with too many objects on the sill. Keep window treatments light and minimal,sheer curtains or roller blinds are perfect. If privacy isn’t a big concern, consider leaving them bare. Letting natural light flood in through your windows instantly opens up your space and makes it feel brighter and more expansive. You can also place mirrors or shiny surfaces near windows to reflect more light into the room and maximize their impact. 6. Downsize Your Dining Table Image Source: House Beautiful A large dining table can dominate a small room, leaving little space to move or breathe. If you rarely entertain a big crowd, consider downsizing to a smaller round or drop-leaf table. These take up less visual and physical space and still offer enough room for daily meals. You can always keep a folding table or stackable chairs nearby for when guests do come over. Round tables are especially great for small spaces because they allow smoother traffic flow and eliminate awkward corners. Plus, a smaller table encourages intimacy during meals and helps the whole area feel more open and functional. 7. Use Mirrors Strategically Image Source: The Tiny Cottage Mirrors can work magic in a small room. They reflect both natural and artificial light, which can instantly make a space feel larger and brighter. A large mirror on a wall opposite a window can double the amount of light in your room. Mirrored furniture or decor elements like trays and picture frames also help. Think about using mirrored closet doors or even creating a mirror gallery wall. It’s not just about brightness; mirrors also create a sense of depth, tricking the eye into seeing more space than there actually is. 8. Install a Murphy Bed Image Source: House Beautiful A Murphy bedis a game-changer for anyone living in a tight space. It folds up into the wall or a cabinet when not in use, instantly transforming your bedroom into a living room, office, or workout area. This setup gives you the flexibility to have a multi-purpose room without sacrificing comfort. Modern Murphy beds often come with built-in shelves or desks, offering even more function without taking up extra space. If you want to reclaim your floor during the day and still get a good night’s sleep, this is one smart solution. 9. Paint It White Image Source: House Beautiful Painting your walls white is one of the easiest and most effective tricks to make a space feel bigger. White reflects light, helping the room feel open, clean, and fresh. It creates a seamless look, making walls seem to recede and ceilings feel higher. You can still have fun with the space, layer in texture, subtle patterns, or neutral accessories to keep it from feeling sterile. White also acts as a blank canvas, letting your furniture and art stand out. Whether you’re decorating a studio apartment or a small home office, a fresh coat of white paint can work wonders. 10. Prioritize Natural Light Image Source: The Spruce Natural light has an incredible ability to make any room feel more spacious and welcoming. To make the most of it, avoid blocking windows with bulky furniture or dark curtains. Consider using light-filtering shades or sheer curtains to let sunlight pour in while maintaining some privacy. Arrange mirrors or reflective surfaces like glossy tables and metallic decor to bounce the light around the room. Even placing furniture in a way that lets light flow freely can change how open your home feels. Natural light not only brightens your space but also boosts your mood, making it a double win. 11. Maximize Shelving Image Source: House Beautiful When floor space is limited, vertical storage becomes your best ally. Floating shelves, wall-mounted units, or tall bookcases draw the eye upward, creating a sense of height and maximizing every inch. They’re perfect for books, plants, artwork, or even kitchen supplies if you’re short on cabinets. You can also install corner shelves to use often-overlooked spots. Keep them tidy and curated,group items by color, size, or theme for a visually pleasing look. Shelving helps reduce clutter on the floor and tabletops, keeping your home organized and visually open without requiring any extra square footage. 12. Keep It Neutral Image Source: House Beautiful Neutral tones, like soft whites, light grays, warm beiges, and pale taupes,can make a space feel calm and cohesive. These colors reflect light well and reduce visual clutter, making your room appear larger. A neutral palette doesn’t mean boring; you can still play with textures, patterns, and accents within that color family. Add throw pillows, rugs, or wall art in layered neutrals for interest without overwhelming the space. When everything flows in similar tones, it creates continuity, which tricks the eye into seeing a more expansive area. It’s an effortless way to open up your home without lifting a hammer. 13. Choose Benches, Not Chairs Image Source: House Beautiful When space is tight, traditional dining chairs or bulky accent seats can eat up more room than they’re worth. Benches, on the other hand, are a sleek, versatile alternative. They tuck neatly under tables when not in use, saving valuable floor space and keeping walkways open. In entryways, living rooms, or at the foot of a bed, a bench offers seating and can double as storage or display. Some come with built-in compartments or open space beneath for baskets. Plus, benches visually declutter the room with their simple, low-profile design. 14. Use Vertical Spaces Image Source: The Spruce When you’re short on square footage, think vertical. Use tall bookshelves, wall-mounted shelves, and hanging storage to keep things off the floor. Vertical lines naturally draw the eye upward, which creates a feeling of height and openness. Consider mounting floating shelves for books, plants, or decorative items. Hooks and pegboards can add function without taking up space. Making use of your wall space not only maximizes storage but also frees up floor area, which visually enlarges the room. 15. Add a Gallery Wall Image Source: House Beautiful It might seem counterintuitive, but adding a gallery wall can actually make a small space feel bigger,if done right. A curated display of art, photos, or prints draws the eye upward and outward, giving the illusion of a larger area. Stick to cohesive frames and colors to maintain a clean, intentional look. You can go symmetrical for a polished feel or get creative with an organic, freeform layout. Position the gallery higher on the wall to elongate the space visually. Just be sure not to overcrowd,balance is key. A thoughtful gallery wall adds personality without cluttering the room. Finishing Notes: Creating a spacious feel in a small home doesn’t require a sledgehammer or a major remodel, it just takes a bit of strategy and smart design. From downsizing your dining table to letting natural light pour in, each tip we’ve shared is an easy, budget-friendly way to visually open up your space. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, layout ideas, or style guides, be sure to explore Home Designing. It’s packed with expert advice, modern interior trends, and visual walkthroughs to help you transform your space, big or small, into something that truly feels like home. #how #make #small #space #look
    WWW.HOME-DESIGNING.COM
    How Do I Make A Small Space Look Bigger Without Renovating
    Living in a small space doesn’t mean you have to feel cramped or boxed in. With the right design tricks, you can make even the tiniest room feel open, airy, and inviting, no renovation required. Whether you’re in a compact apartment, a small home, or just trying to make the most of a single room, smart styling and layout choices can dramatically shift how the space looks and feels. From strategic lighting and paint colors to furniture swaps and clever storage solutions, there are plenty of easy, affordable ways to stretch your square footage visually. Ready to transform your space? Here are some practical, design-savvy ideas to make your home feel bigger without tearing down a single wall. 1. Opt for Multi-Functional Furniture Image Source: House Beautiful In a small space, every piece of furniture should earn its keep. Look for multi-functional items: ottomans that open up for storage, beds with drawers underneath, or coffee tables that can extend or lift to become a desk. Not only do these pieces help reduce clutter, but they also free up floor space, making the room look more open. Bonus points for furniture that can be folded away when not in use. By choosing versatile pieces, you’re making the most of every inch without sacrificing style or comfort. 2. Keep Pathways Clear Image Source: The Spruce One of the simplest yet most effective ways to make a small space feel bigger is to keep pathways and walkways clear. When furniture or clutter blocks natural movement through a room, it can make the space feel cramped and chaotic. Take a walk through your home and notice where you’re dodging corners or squeezing between pieces,those are areas to rethink. Opt for smaller furniture with slim profiles, or rearrange what you have to create an easy, natural flow. Open walkways help your eyes move freely through the room, making everything feel more spacious, breathable, and intentional. It’s all about giving yourself room to move,literally and visually. 3. Use Glass and Lucite Furniture Image Source: The Spruce Transparent furniture made from glass or Lucite (acrylic) takes up less visual space because you can see right through it. A glass coffee table or clear dining chairs can provide functionality without cluttering up the view. These pieces practically disappear into the background, which helps the room feel more open. They also add a touch of modern sophistication. When you need furniture but don’t want it to dominate the room, going clear is a clever design choice. 4. Don’t Over-Clutter Your Space Image Source: House Beautiful In small spaces, clutter accumulates fast,and it visually shrinks your environment. The more items scattered around, the more cramped the room feels. Start by taking a critical look at what you own and asking: do I really need this here? Use storage bins, under-bed containers, or floating shelves to hide away what you don’t use daily. Keep surfaces like countertops, desks, and coffee tables as clear as possible. A minimal, clean setup allows the eye to rest and makes the space feel open and intentional. Remember: less stuff equals more space,both physically and mentally. 5. Utilize Your Windows Image Source: House Beautiful Windows are like built-in art that can also dramatically affect how big or small your space feels. Don’t cover them with heavy drapes or clutter them with too many objects on the sill. Keep window treatments light and minimal,sheer curtains or roller blinds are perfect. If privacy isn’t a big concern, consider leaving them bare. Letting natural light flood in through your windows instantly opens up your space and makes it feel brighter and more expansive. You can also place mirrors or shiny surfaces near windows to reflect more light into the room and maximize their impact. 6. Downsize Your Dining Table Image Source: House Beautiful A large dining table can dominate a small room, leaving little space to move or breathe. If you rarely entertain a big crowd, consider downsizing to a smaller round or drop-leaf table. These take up less visual and physical space and still offer enough room for daily meals. You can always keep a folding table or stackable chairs nearby for when guests do come over. Round tables are especially great for small spaces because they allow smoother traffic flow and eliminate awkward corners. Plus, a smaller table encourages intimacy during meals and helps the whole area feel more open and functional. 7. Use Mirrors Strategically Image Source: The Tiny Cottage Mirrors can work magic in a small room. They reflect both natural and artificial light, which can instantly make a space feel larger and brighter. A large mirror on a wall opposite a window can double the amount of light in your room. Mirrored furniture or decor elements like trays and picture frames also help. Think about using mirrored closet doors or even creating a mirror gallery wall. It’s not just about brightness; mirrors also create a sense of depth, tricking the eye into seeing more space than there actually is. 8. Install a Murphy Bed Image Source: House Beautiful A Murphy bed (also known as a wall bed) is a game-changer for anyone living in a tight space. It folds up into the wall or a cabinet when not in use, instantly transforming your bedroom into a living room, office, or workout area. This setup gives you the flexibility to have a multi-purpose room without sacrificing comfort. Modern Murphy beds often come with built-in shelves or desks, offering even more function without taking up extra space. If you want to reclaim your floor during the day and still get a good night’s sleep, this is one smart solution. 9. Paint It White Image Source: House Beautiful Painting your walls white is one of the easiest and most effective tricks to make a space feel bigger. White reflects light, helping the room feel open, clean, and fresh. It creates a seamless look, making walls seem to recede and ceilings feel higher. You can still have fun with the space, layer in texture, subtle patterns, or neutral accessories to keep it from feeling sterile. White also acts as a blank canvas, letting your furniture and art stand out. Whether you’re decorating a studio apartment or a small home office, a fresh coat of white paint can work wonders. 10. Prioritize Natural Light Image Source: The Spruce Natural light has an incredible ability to make any room feel more spacious and welcoming. To make the most of it, avoid blocking windows with bulky furniture or dark curtains. Consider using light-filtering shades or sheer curtains to let sunlight pour in while maintaining some privacy. Arrange mirrors or reflective surfaces like glossy tables and metallic decor to bounce the light around the room. Even placing furniture in a way that lets light flow freely can change how open your home feels. Natural light not only brightens your space but also boosts your mood, making it a double win. 11. Maximize Shelving Image Source: House Beautiful When floor space is limited, vertical storage becomes your best ally. Floating shelves, wall-mounted units, or tall bookcases draw the eye upward, creating a sense of height and maximizing every inch. They’re perfect for books, plants, artwork, or even kitchen supplies if you’re short on cabinets. You can also install corner shelves to use often-overlooked spots. Keep them tidy and curated,group items by color, size, or theme for a visually pleasing look. Shelving helps reduce clutter on the floor and tabletops, keeping your home organized and visually open without requiring any extra square footage. 12. Keep It Neutral Image Source: House Beautiful Neutral tones, like soft whites, light grays, warm beiges, and pale taupes,can make a space feel calm and cohesive. These colors reflect light well and reduce visual clutter, making your room appear larger. A neutral palette doesn’t mean boring; you can still play with textures, patterns, and accents within that color family. Add throw pillows, rugs, or wall art in layered neutrals for interest without overwhelming the space. When everything flows in similar tones, it creates continuity, which tricks the eye into seeing a more expansive area. It’s an effortless way to open up your home without lifting a hammer. 13. Choose Benches, Not Chairs Image Source: House Beautiful When space is tight, traditional dining chairs or bulky accent seats can eat up more room than they’re worth. Benches, on the other hand, are a sleek, versatile alternative. They tuck neatly under tables when not in use, saving valuable floor space and keeping walkways open. In entryways, living rooms, or at the foot of a bed, a bench offers seating and can double as storage or display. Some come with built-in compartments or open space beneath for baskets. Plus, benches visually declutter the room with their simple, low-profile design. 14. Use Vertical Spaces Image Source: The Spruce When you’re short on square footage, think vertical. Use tall bookshelves, wall-mounted shelves, and hanging storage to keep things off the floor. Vertical lines naturally draw the eye upward, which creates a feeling of height and openness. Consider mounting floating shelves for books, plants, or decorative items. Hooks and pegboards can add function without taking up space. Making use of your wall space not only maximizes storage but also frees up floor area, which visually enlarges the room. 15. Add a Gallery Wall Image Source: House Beautiful It might seem counterintuitive, but adding a gallery wall can actually make a small space feel bigger,if done right. A curated display of art, photos, or prints draws the eye upward and outward, giving the illusion of a larger area. Stick to cohesive frames and colors to maintain a clean, intentional look. You can go symmetrical for a polished feel or get creative with an organic, freeform layout. Position the gallery higher on the wall to elongate the space visually. Just be sure not to overcrowd,balance is key. A thoughtful gallery wall adds personality without cluttering the room. Finishing Notes: Creating a spacious feel in a small home doesn’t require a sledgehammer or a major remodel, it just takes a bit of strategy and smart design. From downsizing your dining table to letting natural light pour in, each tip we’ve shared is an easy, budget-friendly way to visually open up your space. If you’re looking for even more inspiration, layout ideas, or style guides, be sure to explore Home Designing. It’s packed with expert advice, modern interior trends, and visual walkthroughs to help you transform your space, big or small, into something that truly feels like home.
    0 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
  • Why I Would Choose a Steam Deck Over a Nintendo Switch 2

    We may earn a commission from links on this page.After spending about a week with the Nintendo Switch 2, I have to admit that it’s a good console. It’s priced fairly for its sleek form factor and the performance it offers, and it sets Nintendo up to stay relevant while gaming graphics only continue to get more complex. And yet, for my own personal tastes, it’s still not my handheld of choice. Instead, I’ll be sticking to Valve’s Steam Deck, the first and still overall best handheld gaming PC, at least going by value for money. And if you don’t necessarily care about Nintendo’s exclusive games, there’s a good chance it might be the better option for you, too.The Steam Deck is cheaper than the Switch 2Out of the gate, the most obvious reason to get a Steam Deck over a Nintendo Switch 2 is price. Starting at for a new model, it’s only modestly cheaper than the Switch 2’s but that’s only part of the story. Valve also runs a certified refurbished program that offers used Decks with only cosmetic blemishes for as low as Restocks are infrequent, since Valve is only able to sell as much as gets sent back to it, but when they do happen, it's a heck of a great deal.That said, there is one catch. The Steam Deck OLED, which offers a bigger, more colorful screen and a larger battery, is more expensive than the Switch 2, starting at However, it’s maybe a bit unfair to compare the two, since the Switch 2 does not use an OLED screen and comes with less storage. If all you care about is the basics, the base Steam Deck is good enough—it’s got the same performance as the more recent one. And that performance, by the way, ended up being about on par with the Switch 2 in my testing, at least in Cyberpunk 2077.The Steam Deck is more comfortable to hold than the Switch 2This one is a bit of a toss-up, depending on your preferences, although I think the Steam Deck takes a slight lead here. While the Nintendo Switch 2 aims for a completely flat and somewhat compact profile, the Steam Deck instead allows itself to stretch out, and even though it’s a little bigger and a little heavier for it, I ultimately think that makes it more comfortable.At 11.73 x 4.60 x 1.93 inches against the Switch 2’s 10.7 x 4.5 x 0.55 inches, and at 1.41 pounds against the Switch 2’s 1.18 pounds, I won’t deny that this will be a non-starter for some. But personally, I still feel like the Steam Deck comes out on top, and that’s thanks to its ergonomics.I’ve never been a big fan of Nintendo’s joy-con controllers, and while the Switch 2’s joy-con 2 controllers improve on the Switch 1’s with bigger buttons and sticks, as well as more room to hold onto them, they still pale in comparison next to the Steam Deck’s controls.

    Steam Deck in profilevs. Switch 2 in profileCredit: Michelle Ehrhardt

    On the Switch 2, there are no grips to wrap your fingers around. On the Steam Deck, there are. The triggers also flare out more, and because the console is wider, your hands can stretch out a bit, rather than choking up on the device. It can get a bit heavy to hold a Steam Deck after a while, but I still prefer this approach overall, and if you have a surface to rest the Steam Deck against, weight is a non-issue.Plus, there are some extra bonuses that come with the additional space. The Steam Deck has large touchpads on either side of the device, plus four grip buttons on the back of it, giving you some extra inputs to play around with. Nice.It’s a bit less portable and a bit heavier, but for my adult hands, the Steam Deck is just better shaped to them.The Steam Deck has a bigger, cheaper library than the Switch 2This is the kicker. While there are cheap games that can run on the Switch 2 courtesy of backwards compatibility and third-party eShop titles, the big system drawscan get as pricey as Not to say the Steam Deck doesn’t have expensive games as well, but on the whole, I think it’s easier to get cheap and free games on the Steam Deck than on the eShop.That’s because, being a handheld gaming PC, the Steam Deck can take advantage of the many sales and freebies PC gaming stores love to give out. These happen a bit more frequently on PC than on console, and that’s because there’s more competition on PC. Someone on PC could download games either from Steam or Epic, for instance, while someone on the Switch 2 can only download games from the Nintendo eShop.So, even sticking to just Steam, you’ll get access to regular weekend and mid-week sales, quarterly event sales, and developer or publisher highlight sales. That’s more sales events than you’ll usually find on the Nintendo eShop, and if you’re looking for cheaper first-party games, forget about it. Nintendo’s own games hardly ever go on sale, even years after release.But that’s just the beginning. Despite being named the Steam Deck, the device can actually run games from other stores, too. That’s thanks to an easily installed Linux program called Heroic Launcher, which is free and lets you download and play games from your Epic, GOG, and Amazon Prime Games accounts with just a few clicks.

    Credit: Heroic Games Launcher

    This is a game changer. Epic and Amazon Prime are both underdogs in the PC gaming space, and so to bolster their numbers, they both regularly give away free games. Epic in particular offers one free PC game every week, whereas if you’re a Twitch user, you might notice a decent but more infrequent amount of notifications allowing you to claim free Amazon Prime games. Some of these are big titles, too—it’s how I got Batman: Arkham Knight and Star Wars Battlefront II. With a simple install and a few months of waiting, you could have a Steam Deck filled to the brim with games that you didn’t even pay for. You just can’t do that on Nintendo.And then there’s the elephant in the room: your backlog. If you’re anything like me, you probably already have a Steam library that’s hundreds of games large. It was maybe even like this before the Switch 1 came out—regular sales have a tendency to build up the amount of games you own. By choosing the Steam Deck as your handheld, you’ll be able to play those games on the go, instantly giving you what might as well be a full library with no added cost to you. If you migrate over to the Nintendo Switch 2, you’re going to have to start with a fresh library, or at least a library that’s only as old as the Nintendo Switch 1.Basically, while the Switch 2’s hardware is only more expensive than the Steam Deck, it’ll be easier to fill your Steam Deck up with high quality, inexpensive games than it would be on the Switch 2. If you don’t care about having access to Nintendo exclusive games, that’s a huge draw.TV Play is a mixed bagFinally, I want to acknowledge that the Steam Deck still isn’t necessarily a better option than the Switch 2 for everyone. That’s why I’m writing from a personal perspective here. Like all gaming PCs, it’ll take some fiddling to get some games to run, so the Switch 2 is definitely a smoother experience out of the box. It’s also got less battery life, from my testing. But the big point of departure is TV play.Playing your portable games on a TV on the Switch 2 is as simple as plugging it into its dock. With the Steam Deck, you have to buy a dock separately, and even then, you have to connect your own controller to it and manually find suitable TV graphics settings for each game on its own. It’s not nearly as easy or flexible.And yet, for folks like me, I’m willing to say that even TV play is better. Or, depending on what type of PC gamer you are, monitor play.That’s because you’re not limited to playing your Steam Deck games on the Deck itself, dock or not. Instead, you can play on the Deck when you’re away from your home, and then swap over to your regular gaming PC when you’re back. Your Deck will upload your saves to the cloud automatically, and your PC will seamlessly download them. While not as intuitive as plugging your Switch 2 into its dock, the benefit here is that your non-portable play isn’t limited by the power of your portable device, whereas docked Switch 2 play is still held back by running on portable hardware.The tradeoff is that maintaining a dedicated gaming PC in addition to a Steam Deck is more expensive, but maybe more importantly, requires more tinkering. And I think that’s the key point here. If you want a simple-to-use, pick-up-and-play handheld, the Switch 2 is a great choice for you. But if you’re like me, and you’re not afraid to download some launchers and occasionally dive into compatibility settings or swap between two devices, the Steam Deck might still be the best handheld gaming device for you, even three years later.
    #why #would #choose #steam #deck
    Why I Would Choose a Steam Deck Over a Nintendo Switch 2
    We may earn a commission from links on this page.After spending about a week with the Nintendo Switch 2, I have to admit that it’s a good console. It’s priced fairly for its sleek form factor and the performance it offers, and it sets Nintendo up to stay relevant while gaming graphics only continue to get more complex. And yet, for my own personal tastes, it’s still not my handheld of choice. Instead, I’ll be sticking to Valve’s Steam Deck, the first and still overall best handheld gaming PC, at least going by value for money. And if you don’t necessarily care about Nintendo’s exclusive games, there’s a good chance it might be the better option for you, too.The Steam Deck is cheaper than the Switch 2Out of the gate, the most obvious reason to get a Steam Deck over a Nintendo Switch 2 is price. Starting at for a new model, it’s only modestly cheaper than the Switch 2’s but that’s only part of the story. Valve also runs a certified refurbished program that offers used Decks with only cosmetic blemishes for as low as Restocks are infrequent, since Valve is only able to sell as much as gets sent back to it, but when they do happen, it's a heck of a great deal.That said, there is one catch. The Steam Deck OLED, which offers a bigger, more colorful screen and a larger battery, is more expensive than the Switch 2, starting at However, it’s maybe a bit unfair to compare the two, since the Switch 2 does not use an OLED screen and comes with less storage. If all you care about is the basics, the base Steam Deck is good enough—it’s got the same performance as the more recent one. And that performance, by the way, ended up being about on par with the Switch 2 in my testing, at least in Cyberpunk 2077.The Steam Deck is more comfortable to hold than the Switch 2This one is a bit of a toss-up, depending on your preferences, although I think the Steam Deck takes a slight lead here. While the Nintendo Switch 2 aims for a completely flat and somewhat compact profile, the Steam Deck instead allows itself to stretch out, and even though it’s a little bigger and a little heavier for it, I ultimately think that makes it more comfortable.At 11.73 x 4.60 x 1.93 inches against the Switch 2’s 10.7 x 4.5 x 0.55 inches, and at 1.41 pounds against the Switch 2’s 1.18 pounds, I won’t deny that this will be a non-starter for some. But personally, I still feel like the Steam Deck comes out on top, and that’s thanks to its ergonomics.I’ve never been a big fan of Nintendo’s joy-con controllers, and while the Switch 2’s joy-con 2 controllers improve on the Switch 1’s with bigger buttons and sticks, as well as more room to hold onto them, they still pale in comparison next to the Steam Deck’s controls. Steam Deck in profilevs. Switch 2 in profileCredit: Michelle Ehrhardt On the Switch 2, there are no grips to wrap your fingers around. On the Steam Deck, there are. The triggers also flare out more, and because the console is wider, your hands can stretch out a bit, rather than choking up on the device. It can get a bit heavy to hold a Steam Deck after a while, but I still prefer this approach overall, and if you have a surface to rest the Steam Deck against, weight is a non-issue.Plus, there are some extra bonuses that come with the additional space. The Steam Deck has large touchpads on either side of the device, plus four grip buttons on the back of it, giving you some extra inputs to play around with. Nice.It’s a bit less portable and a bit heavier, but for my adult hands, the Steam Deck is just better shaped to them.The Steam Deck has a bigger, cheaper library than the Switch 2This is the kicker. While there are cheap games that can run on the Switch 2 courtesy of backwards compatibility and third-party eShop titles, the big system drawscan get as pricey as Not to say the Steam Deck doesn’t have expensive games as well, but on the whole, I think it’s easier to get cheap and free games on the Steam Deck than on the eShop.That’s because, being a handheld gaming PC, the Steam Deck can take advantage of the many sales and freebies PC gaming stores love to give out. These happen a bit more frequently on PC than on console, and that’s because there’s more competition on PC. Someone on PC could download games either from Steam or Epic, for instance, while someone on the Switch 2 can only download games from the Nintendo eShop.So, even sticking to just Steam, you’ll get access to regular weekend and mid-week sales, quarterly event sales, and developer or publisher highlight sales. That’s more sales events than you’ll usually find on the Nintendo eShop, and if you’re looking for cheaper first-party games, forget about it. Nintendo’s own games hardly ever go on sale, even years after release.But that’s just the beginning. Despite being named the Steam Deck, the device can actually run games from other stores, too. That’s thanks to an easily installed Linux program called Heroic Launcher, which is free and lets you download and play games from your Epic, GOG, and Amazon Prime Games accounts with just a few clicks. Credit: Heroic Games Launcher This is a game changer. Epic and Amazon Prime are both underdogs in the PC gaming space, and so to bolster their numbers, they both regularly give away free games. Epic in particular offers one free PC game every week, whereas if you’re a Twitch user, you might notice a decent but more infrequent amount of notifications allowing you to claim free Amazon Prime games. Some of these are big titles, too—it’s how I got Batman: Arkham Knight and Star Wars Battlefront II. With a simple install and a few months of waiting, you could have a Steam Deck filled to the brim with games that you didn’t even pay for. You just can’t do that on Nintendo.And then there’s the elephant in the room: your backlog. If you’re anything like me, you probably already have a Steam library that’s hundreds of games large. It was maybe even like this before the Switch 1 came out—regular sales have a tendency to build up the amount of games you own. By choosing the Steam Deck as your handheld, you’ll be able to play those games on the go, instantly giving you what might as well be a full library with no added cost to you. If you migrate over to the Nintendo Switch 2, you’re going to have to start with a fresh library, or at least a library that’s only as old as the Nintendo Switch 1.Basically, while the Switch 2’s hardware is only more expensive than the Steam Deck, it’ll be easier to fill your Steam Deck up with high quality, inexpensive games than it would be on the Switch 2. If you don’t care about having access to Nintendo exclusive games, that’s a huge draw.TV Play is a mixed bagFinally, I want to acknowledge that the Steam Deck still isn’t necessarily a better option than the Switch 2 for everyone. That’s why I’m writing from a personal perspective here. Like all gaming PCs, it’ll take some fiddling to get some games to run, so the Switch 2 is definitely a smoother experience out of the box. It’s also got less battery life, from my testing. But the big point of departure is TV play.Playing your portable games on a TV on the Switch 2 is as simple as plugging it into its dock. With the Steam Deck, you have to buy a dock separately, and even then, you have to connect your own controller to it and manually find suitable TV graphics settings for each game on its own. It’s not nearly as easy or flexible.And yet, for folks like me, I’m willing to say that even TV play is better. Or, depending on what type of PC gamer you are, monitor play.That’s because you’re not limited to playing your Steam Deck games on the Deck itself, dock or not. Instead, you can play on the Deck when you’re away from your home, and then swap over to your regular gaming PC when you’re back. Your Deck will upload your saves to the cloud automatically, and your PC will seamlessly download them. While not as intuitive as plugging your Switch 2 into its dock, the benefit here is that your non-portable play isn’t limited by the power of your portable device, whereas docked Switch 2 play is still held back by running on portable hardware.The tradeoff is that maintaining a dedicated gaming PC in addition to a Steam Deck is more expensive, but maybe more importantly, requires more tinkering. And I think that’s the key point here. If you want a simple-to-use, pick-up-and-play handheld, the Switch 2 is a great choice for you. But if you’re like me, and you’re not afraid to download some launchers and occasionally dive into compatibility settings or swap between two devices, the Steam Deck might still be the best handheld gaming device for you, even three years later. #why #would #choose #steam #deck
    LIFEHACKER.COM
    Why I Would Choose a Steam Deck Over a Nintendo Switch 2
    We may earn a commission from links on this page.After spending about a week with the Nintendo Switch 2, I have to admit that it’s a good console. It’s priced fairly for its sleek form factor and the performance it offers, and it sets Nintendo up to stay relevant while gaming graphics only continue to get more complex. And yet, for my own personal tastes, it’s still not my handheld of choice. Instead, I’ll be sticking to Valve’s Steam Deck, the first and still overall best handheld gaming PC, at least going by value for money. And if you don’t necessarily care about Nintendo’s exclusive games, there’s a good chance it might be the better option for you, too.The Steam Deck is cheaper than the Switch 2Out of the gate, the most obvious reason to get a Steam Deck over a Nintendo Switch 2 is price. Starting at $400 for a new model, it’s only modestly cheaper than the Switch 2’s $450, but that’s only part of the story. Valve also runs a certified refurbished program that offers used Decks with only cosmetic blemishes for as low as $279. Restocks are infrequent, since Valve is only able to sell as much as gets sent back to it, but when they do happen, it's a heck of a great deal.That said, there is one catch. The Steam Deck OLED, which offers a bigger, more colorful screen and a larger battery, is more expensive than the Switch 2, starting at $549. However, it’s maybe a bit unfair to compare the two, since the Switch 2 does not use an OLED screen and comes with less storage. If all you care about is the basics (I’m perfectly happy with my LCD model), the base Steam Deck is good enough—it’s got the same performance as the more recent one. And that performance, by the way, ended up being about on par with the Switch 2 in my testing, at least in Cyberpunk 2077 (one of my go-to benchmark games).The Steam Deck is more comfortable to hold than the Switch 2This one is a bit of a toss-up, depending on your preferences, although I think the Steam Deck takes a slight lead here. While the Nintendo Switch 2 aims for a completely flat and somewhat compact profile, the Steam Deck instead allows itself to stretch out, and even though it’s a little bigger and a little heavier for it, I ultimately think that makes it more comfortable.At 11.73 x 4.60 x 1.93 inches against the Switch 2’s 10.7 x 4.5 x 0.55 inches, and at 1.41 pounds against the Switch 2’s 1.18 pounds, I won’t deny that this will be a non-starter for some. But personally, I still feel like the Steam Deck comes out on top, and that’s thanks to its ergonomics.I’ve never been a big fan of Nintendo’s joy-con controllers, and while the Switch 2’s joy-con 2 controllers improve on the Switch 1’s with bigger buttons and sticks, as well as more room to hold onto them, they still pale in comparison next to the Steam Deck’s controls. Steam Deck in profile (above) vs. Switch 2 in profile (below) Credit: Michelle Ehrhardt On the Switch 2, there are no grips to wrap your fingers around. On the Steam Deck, there are. The triggers also flare out more, and because the console is wider, your hands can stretch out a bit, rather than choking up on the device. It can get a bit heavy to hold a Steam Deck after a while, but I still prefer this approach overall, and if you have a surface to rest the Steam Deck against (like an airplane tray table), weight is a non-issue.Plus, there are some extra bonuses that come with the additional space. The Steam Deck has large touchpads on either side of the device, plus four grip buttons on the back of it, giving you some extra inputs to play around with. Nice.It’s a bit less portable and a bit heavier, but for my adult hands, the Steam Deck is just better shaped to them.The Steam Deck has a bigger, cheaper library than the Switch 2This is the kicker. While there are cheap games that can run on the Switch 2 courtesy of backwards compatibility and third-party eShop titles, the big system draws (Nintendo-developed titles like Mario Kart World, for example) can get as pricey as $80. Not to say the Steam Deck doesn’t have expensive games as well, but on the whole, I think it’s easier to get cheap and free games on the Steam Deck than on the eShop.That’s because, being a handheld gaming PC, the Steam Deck can take advantage of the many sales and freebies PC gaming stores love to give out. These happen a bit more frequently on PC than on console, and that’s because there’s more competition on PC. Someone on PC could download games either from Steam or Epic, for instance, while someone on the Switch 2 can only download games from the Nintendo eShop.So, even sticking to just Steam, you’ll get access to regular weekend and mid-week sales, quarterly event sales, and developer or publisher highlight sales. That’s more sales events than you’ll usually find on the Nintendo eShop, and if you’re looking for cheaper first-party games, forget about it. Nintendo’s own games hardly ever go on sale, even years after release.But that’s just the beginning. Despite being named the Steam Deck, the device can actually run games from other stores, too. That’s thanks to an easily installed Linux program called Heroic Launcher, which is free and lets you download and play games from your Epic, GOG, and Amazon Prime Games accounts with just a few clicks. Credit: Heroic Games Launcher This is a game changer. Epic and Amazon Prime are both underdogs in the PC gaming space, and so to bolster their numbers, they both regularly give away free games. Epic in particular offers one free PC game every week, whereas if you’re a Twitch user, you might notice a decent but more infrequent amount of notifications allowing you to claim free Amazon Prime games. Some of these are big titles, too—it’s how I got Batman: Arkham Knight and Star Wars Battlefront II. With a simple install and a few months of waiting, you could have a Steam Deck filled to the brim with games that you didn’t even pay for. You just can’t do that on Nintendo.And then there’s the elephant in the room: your backlog. If you’re anything like me, you probably already have a Steam library that’s hundreds of games large. It was maybe even like this before the Switch 1 came out—regular sales have a tendency to build up the amount of games you own. By choosing the Steam Deck as your handheld, you’ll be able to play those games on the go, instantly giving you what might as well be a full library with no added cost to you. If you migrate over to the Nintendo Switch 2, you’re going to have to start with a fresh library, or at least a library that’s only as old as the Nintendo Switch 1.Basically, while the Switch 2’s hardware is only $50 more expensive than the Steam Deck, it’ll be easier to fill your Steam Deck up with high quality, inexpensive games than it would be on the Switch 2. If you don’t care about having access to Nintendo exclusive games, that’s a huge draw.TV Play is a mixed bagFinally, I want to acknowledge that the Steam Deck still isn’t necessarily a better option than the Switch 2 for everyone. That’s why I’m writing from a personal perspective here. Like all gaming PCs, it’ll take some fiddling to get some games to run, so the Switch 2 is definitely a smoother experience out of the box. It’s also got less battery life, from my testing. But the big point of departure is TV play.Playing your portable games on a TV on the Switch 2 is as simple as plugging it into its dock. With the Steam Deck, you have to buy a dock separately (the official one is $79), and even then, you have to connect your own controller to it and manually find suitable TV graphics settings for each game on its own. It’s not nearly as easy or flexible.And yet, for folks like me, I’m willing to say that even TV play is better. Or, depending on what type of PC gamer you are, monitor play.That’s because you’re not limited to playing your Steam Deck games on the Deck itself, dock or not. Instead, you can play on the Deck when you’re away from your home, and then swap over to your regular gaming PC when you’re back. Your Deck will upload your saves to the cloud automatically, and your PC will seamlessly download them. While not as intuitive as plugging your Switch 2 into its dock, the benefit here is that your non-portable play isn’t limited by the power of your portable device, whereas docked Switch 2 play is still held back by running on portable hardware.The tradeoff is that maintaining a dedicated gaming PC in addition to a Steam Deck is more expensive, but maybe more importantly, requires more tinkering (there are ways to build a cheap gaming PC, after all). And I think that’s the key point here. If you want a simple-to-use, pick-up-and-play handheld, the Switch 2 is a great choice for you. But if you’re like me, and you’re not afraid to download some launchers and occasionally dive into compatibility settings or swap between two devices, the Steam Deck might still be the best handheld gaming device for you, even three years later.
    0 Yorumlar 0 hisse senetleri 0 önizleme
Arama Sonuçları
CGShares https://cgshares.com