A new outdoor concourse at Boston’s South Station by Pelli Clarke & Partners replaces a low slung entry that leads riders to the central hall—a vast improvement upon this quotidian scenario so many suburbanites experience daily. Riders have historically huddled off of drab rolling stock onto a concrete platform underneath a metal roof that leaks when it rains. They proceeded to a space that was once grand, but now pales compared to its former self. This new concourse, dubbed The Great Space, has 10 concrete arches that support three domes—each reaches 60 feet from floor to ceiling. The arches delineate passageways throughout the hall, connecting the atrium to the street, bus stops, and other transit connections. The floor-to-ceiling heights in the new concourse are 60 feet. (Jason O’Rear) At the center of each of the three domes is a ring of spotlights. These fixtures further brighten the interiors, which also rely on natural light for illumination. The underside of the domes were covered with a diagrid pattern that extends from the base of the arches up to the ring of lights. The outer walls of the concourse were clad in corrugated concrete, this adds texture and dimension to the design. “The transformed public concourse at South Station is not only an essential transportation space but also a bold architectural statement for Boston,” Graham Banks, a partner at Pelli Clarke & Partners, said in a statement. “By combining functionality with beauty,” Banks added, “the light-filled, expansive space enhances Boston’s position as a connected, forward-thinking hub and offers a monumental entryway befitting a great city.” The new approach (Jason O’Rear) The project was first announced in 2021, reported by James McCown for AN. The 126-year-old train shed was due for an upgrade; it hadn’t been renovated for 30 years. The concourse’s completion marks the end of phase one to the major redevelopment project happening at South Station, backed by the developer Hines. The Boston Planning and Development Authority (BPDA), Amtrak, and Mass DOT are also on the project team. Outer walls of the concourse were clad in corrugated concrete. (Jason O’Rear) At the apex of the arches is a ring of spotlights. (Jason O’Rear) Previously, South Station’s train and bus terminals were separated. The station rehabilitation project consolidated them, improving connectivity. This gesture expanded bus terminal capacity by 50 percent, the architects added, and makes for more seamless connections between Amtrak, commuter rail, subway, and city bus lines. Phase two of the transformative project will deliver South Station Tower—a new, 51-story tower above the platform also designed by Pelli Clarke & Partners. The effect will echo Marcel Breuer’s Pan Am (now MetLife) Tower above Grand Central Terminal in New York: A tall, modern skyscraper above a squat Beaux Arts train shed. A rendering of South Station tower (Courtesy Hines) South Station Tower will offer 680,000 square feet of premium office space, and 166 luxury residences, the architects said. There will also be dining options and a rooftop park. Phase two of the transformative project will complete later this summer.

Until recently, the all-white bedding aesthetic has dominated the bedroom-scape. We’ve forgotten that the best colorful bedding sets bring a sense of personality to our sanctuary. A terra-cotta set can make a room feel distinctly Mediterranean, you can see the Scandinavian influence in a bold stripe, and a pastel bedding set creates a sense of calm and comfort for cuddling up. There’s a lot of interior design potential to unlock in a set of colored sheets, and we consider them one of the small mood-boosting luxuries for a bedroom.From a bold-and-bright plaid duvet to sunny yellow sheets, we’ve selected our favorite picks to brighten up your space and help you part ways with a less than dreamy color palette. Below, find splashy sets from tried-and-true bedding brands and our tips on how to style them.Our Top Picks for the Best Colorful Bedding:Best Mediterranean Style: Quince Bamboo Sheet Set, $130For a Coastal Bedroom: Frette Color Block Duvet Cover, $1,000A Bold and Breathable Sheet Set: Bamboo Bay Sheet Set, $110Best Y2K Style: GreenRow Sloan Patchwork Quilt, $459For an Antique-Inspired Space: Piglet Mix & Match Linen Bundle, $523Nashia BakerNashia BakerQuince Bamboo Sheet SetWe rated these bamboo sheets “best overall” for their breathability and durability. ”This set feels smooth and cool to the touch but still cozy enough to bundle up with during the winter months,” senior commerce editor Nashia Baker adds. She has these sheets in a terra-cotta orange, which brings “desert tones and earthiness” to her room, creating a sense of serenity and openness in her space.Frette Colour Block Sheet SetThese luxurious sheets are made from 100% solid cotton sateen in Italy, and they boast a color palette that feels distinctly Mediterranean. The color-blocking offers a reprieve from any color story that’s too overbearing, and the dusky blue and deep coral make it perfect for a luxurious beach bedroom.Bamboo Bay Sheet SetOur eyes are really on the sage variety here, whose soft, friendly colorway feels bright and comforting. A couple rattan nightstands and you have a coastal bedroom, or a few white end tables and it works within the framework of farmhouse design. What’s more, contributor Jordan Goldberg has these high-quality Amazon sheets in her bedroom and says they boast “the perfect thickness while still being airy and breathable to keep you cool while sleeping.”GreenRow Sloan Patchwork QuiltThis quilt is a bit of a Y2K throwback with bold pinks, oranges, and gold thread woven very subtly into the texture. This feels—if not suitable for a kid’s room—like a great way to liven up your bedroom, especially if you lean toward fun, flashy pieces, or there’s simply not enough of Lizzie McGuire’s vibe going on.Bed Threads 100% French Flax Linen Bedding SetThis 100% French Flax Linen set in a pinky shade of lavender looks old-world and French country, making it a perfect pick for a more antique-style bedroom. Senior digital design editor Zoë Sessums says, “A friend of mine has a range of sunset hues on his bed and frankly, I’m jealous (though it’s hard to go wrong with white linen sheets). I found these to be sturdy, beautiful, and perfect for temperature control.”Photo: Yelena Moroz AlpertPiglet Mix & Match Linen BundlePiglet has more options for interchangeable, mix-and-match bed covers than anyone else on this list. Made from 100% linen, these sheets are as soft after a wash as they are aesthetic. If you’re a fan of cottagecore or vintage vibes, the endless gingham and maxi stripe prints will work wonderfully with your already-established bedroom decor.Brooklinen x Caroline Z. Hurley Classic Percale Core Sheet SetThis brand-new release from Brooklinen makes an impact without sucking the air out of the room. Commerce writer Julia Harrison pairs this set with a white duvet cover for a more muted approach to colorful bedding. She also opted for the taupe shade, but it also comes in coral and sky, should you be interested in a bright, bold bedding moment. As for the quality, Harrison attests, “the cool, clean feel of the percale puts me to sleep right away.”Linoto Linen Sheet SetThis deep burgundy linen set is such a rich color, it’s transfixing. We’d pair this with a small Renaissance-like painting overhead, a white iron bed, and a few dark wood end tables, piled high with books for a studious European look.Ellison Studios Lull BedFor the more modern sleeper, try this upholstered and ’70s-inspired bed from Australian-based design company Ellison Studios. The velvety apricot material is made from 100% GRS-certified recycled plastic bottles, and it brings an unmistakable sunniness to your space. Pair this with bright sheets for full maximalism, or keep things simple with white bedding and a few throw pillows with some personality.Schoolhouse Woven Plaid Duvet CoverSchoolhouse calls this print “reminiscent of a summer camp in the Catskills,” which we’ll lift because we like to imagine we lived that too. It does seem like a print and weight completely suitable for a summer night’s camping trip, with or without a tent, under the stars, in a truck bed, or as a picnic blanket for watching fireworks: the quintessential summer linen.Photo: Lauren ArzbaecherBuffy Cloud ComforterWe’ve raved many a time about Buffy’s Cloud Comforter, but a lesser known feature is the 11 colorways it comes in. If you’re firmly in the duvet-covers-be-damned camp, this duvet insert delivers on color and comfort without any of that corner tie nonsense. The porcelain blue is especially tempting.Parchute Matelasse CoverletFor ultraminimalists, this simple coverlet from Parachute imitates the look of a quilt without the fill, delivers on the work of a good throw blanket, and makes for a perfect year-round bed linen on account of its weight. Use this on top of a flat sheet for your spring and summer setup, and throw it on top of your duvet for fall and winter. The moss brings a splash of color that maintains a sophisticated and minimalist quality, while keeping a space from becoming whitewashed.Ettitude CleanBamboo Pillowcase SetButter yellow is here to stay, and we don’t mind that. This yellow pastel makes for an understated decor moment that still shows design muscle, and it works surprisingly well as a neutral—pair it white, blue, brown, green, even the right shade of purple, and you have something that speaks volumes about your ability to throw a (bed)room together. What’s even more delicious? This particular set is made from 100% bamboo lyocell, and it’s Oeko-Tex-certified.Brooklinen Washed European Duvet SetA total coastal classic, this linen duvet set in striped blue is the ultimate East Coast beach house bedding. Made from 100% Certified European Flax, this set is durable, breathable, and super soft. Contributor Madeleine Luckel can verify: “When I got these I thought white linen sheets year-round might be a slightly bold move, since I don’t live my life on a Greek island, but the nature of the fiber is versatile and temperature-regulating.”

Ubisoft moving "some of our biggest productions" into 2026 and 2027 after positive impact of Assassin's Creed Shadows delay "To create the best conditions for success." Image credit: Ubisoft News by Tom Phillips Editor-in-Chief Published on May 14, 2025 Ubisoft says it has postponed several of its "biggest productions" currently in development in order to grant them more time in the oven, after previously delaying Assassin's Creed Shadows in order to provide further polish. Exactly which games these are was not named by Ubisoft during its financial results broadcast today, though in an investor call listened to by Eurogamer, Ubisoft boss Yves Guillemot suggested the impacted titles came from the publisher's top five brands - Assassin's Creed, Far Cry, Rainbow Six, The Division and Ghost Recon. Guillemot said Shadows' delay had been a "good decision to deliver a really strong quality" and that the delayed projects would now launch beyond the current financial year ending 31st March 2026, in either the following year ending March 2027, or the year after ending March 2028. "After a review of our pipeline, we have decided to provide additional development time to some of our biggest productions in order to create the best conditions for success," Guillemot said today in a statement. "As a consequence, FY2026-27 and FY2027-28 will see significant content coming from our largest brands." What's coming this year then? Ubisoft lists Anno 117: Pax Romana, its long-delayed Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time remake, Rainbow Six Mobile and The Division spin-off Resurgence, as well as "other titles" to be announced at a later stage. Assassin's Creed Shadows will get is first major expansion later this year, while Rainbow Six Siege gets its big X update in June. (There's no mention at all of Beyond Good & Evil 2.) Elsewhere, Ubisoft has commented further on Assassin's Creed Shadows' launch, its plans for a new subsidary backed by Chinese publisher Tencent, and ongoing push to cut costs and headcount. The company's latest financial results show it earned a "slightly below objective" €1.85bn (£1.56m) for the year ending 31st March, a miss it blamed on "lower than expected partnerships, notably due to a timing impact". Of course, Ubisoft's biggest launch of the year was Assassin's Creed Shadows, which finally arrived in March after a notable delay from last year. Ubisoft avoided providing a new sales figure for the game today, though said its financial performance "reaffirms the strength and resilience" of the brand. As previously announced, Shadows had the second-highest day one sales revenue for the series - behind the lockdown-era launch of Valhalla. Today, Ubisoft said Shadows had now recorded 160m gameplay hours across all players to date. How many players? Ubisoft isn't saying, and hasn't provided a fresh figure since the game passed 3 million players a week after launch. The Assassin's Creed brand as a whole had "around 30 million unique players" for the fourth consecutive year, Ubisoft said, the same as Rainbow Six. Ubisoft's third pillar, Far Cry, had "around 20 million" meanwhile. On Ubisoft's continued mission to cut costs - and employees - the company said it had succeeded in trimming €200m from its fixed costs ahead of time, with a lowered headcount now at 17,782 people. That's a decrease of 3000 people from September 2022, due to layoffs and reduced recruitment. Over the next two years, Ubisoft is now aiming to cut a further €100m, Guillemot said. "This year has been a challenging one for Ubisoft, with mixed dynamics across our portfolio, amid intense industry competition," Guillemot continued. "Despite these headwinds, Ubisoft managed to deliver positive free cash flow generation over the fiscal year, reflecting the discipline applied across the Group. "Aware of the challenges ahead, we took decisive steps to continue strengthening the company's future," Guillemot continued. "The launch of Assassin's Creed Shadows was a defining moment. It reaffirmed the power of the Assassin's Creed brand, with a highly favorable community response from long-time fans and new players alike. We also completed our initial cost savings program ahead of schedule. We are committed to going further, with additional savings of at least €100m over the next two years to drive structural efficiencies and reinforce the foundations of our organisation." Further details of Ubisoft's plan to launch a new subsidiary with Tencent that will house the company's biggest three brands - Assassin's Creed, Rainbow Six and Far Cry - will be laid out later this year, Ubisoft said. That said, Ubisoft said today that this new group will focus on "improving the quality of narrative-driven solo experiences", "expanding live service offerings with richer multiplayer features and more frequent content updates", and targeting "underpenetrated markets such as mobile and China". And in other news, Ubisoft's film and television division has announced a Riders Republic movie, with Bad Boys for Life directors Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah signed up to work on the project.

May 14, 2025Ravie LakshmananVulnerability / Malware Samsung has released software updates to address a critical security flaw in MagicINFO 9 Server that has been actively exploited in the wild. The vulnerability, tracked as CVE-2025-4632 (CVSS score: 9.8), has been described as a path traversal flaw. "Improper limitation of a pathname to a restricted directory vulnerability in Samsung MagicINFO 9 Server version before 21.1052 allows attackers to write arbitrary files as system authority," according to an advisory for the flaw. It's worth noting that CVE-2025-4632 is a patch bypass for CVE-2024-7399, another path traversal flaw in the same product that was patched by Samsung in August 2024. CVE-2025-4632 has since been exploited in the wild shortly after the release of a proof-of-concept (PoC) by SSD Disclosure on April 30, 2025, in some instances to even deploy the Mirai botnet. While it was initially assumed that the attacks were targeting CVE-2024-7399, cybersecurity company Huntress first revealed the existence of an unpatched vulnerability last week after finding signs of exploitation even on MagicINFO 9 Server instances running the latest version (21.1050). In a follow-up report published on May 9, Huntress revealed that three separate incidents that involved the exploitation of CVE-2025-4632, with unidentified actors running an identical set of commands to download additional payloads like "srvany.exe" and "services.exe" on two hosts and executing reconnaissance commands on the third. Users of the Samsung MagicINFO 9 Server are recommended to apply the latest fixes as soon as possible to safeguard against potential threats. "We have verified that MagicINFO 9 21.1052.0 does mitigate the original issue raised in CVE-2025-4632," Jamie Levy, director of adversary tactics at Huntress, told The Hacker News. "Any machine that has versions v8 - v9 21.1050.0 will still be affected by this vulnerability. We've also discovered that upgrading from MagicINFO v8 to v9 21.1052.0 is not as straightforward since you have to first upgrade to 21.1050.0 before applying the final patch." Found this article interesting? Follow us on Twitter  and LinkedIn to read more exclusive content we post. SHARE    

Author(s): Towards AI Editorial Team Originally published on Towards AI. Over the past two years, we’ve helped teams design and deploy real-world LLM systems — RAG pipelines, copilots that actually reduce load, PoCs that became products, and cut down hallucinations. One year ago, we decided to put everything we knew about building architectures around LLMs — the stack, the mistakes, the gotchas, the strategies — into a single guide: Building LLMs for Production — “the most comprehensive textbook to date on building LLM applications,” as Jerry Liu (Founder & CEO, LlamaIndex) put it. The response was amazing. People read it. People built with it. People shared it. But a few months in, our DMs started filling up: “Has the book been updated?” “Does it cover the latest models like o3 or Gemini 2.5?” “Can I use [X vector DB] instead?” “How do I choose the right model for my use case?” “What if I want to do [insert new approach] that isn’t in the book?” Fair. The landscape’s shifting fast. Inference got scaled. SLMs showed up. Context windows stretched. Costs dropped. Everything moved. If AI has taught us anything, it’s to think AI-first — not just to keep up, but to build in ways that scale. So instead of answering each DM (which we still do), we took a step back. And we decided to build something that answers all of it, now and as things evolve. The result? From Beginner to Advanced LLM Developer A 60+ hour, hands-on course that takes you from “I can prompt ChatGPT” → to deploying a production-grade RAG system with a real front end. But we didn’t just pack it with knowledge — we designed it to evolve with the field. Here’s what you walk away with: ✅ A repeatable pipeline that adapts with tools, not trends ✅ A deep instinct for how to think like an AI engineer ✅ Lifetime access and weekly updates as the ecosystem changes ✅ A private Slack for graduates + a 70,000+ builder community on Discord Because staying current isn’t enough — you also need confidence that what you ship today still holds tomorrow. That’s why we’re now running monthly live cohorts — so you stay sharp, supported, and up to date. The next cohort kicks off June 1 with a live welcome call with our CEO. Launch price: $249 (75 % off) — zero risk thanks to a 30-day money-back guarantee. 👉 Join the course here The results speak for themselves: “The course greatly expanded my knowledge of building and assessing RAG pipelines.” — Eoin McGrath “Best course out there to become an AI engineer. Planning to build my own startup based on the learnings.” — Abhijit L. “From zero to hero as an LLM Developer — a clear path to build LLM applications that can change your career.” — Luca Tanieli Even industry voices you know have shared support: “A resource I’ll return to again and again, no matter how fast the AI landscape shifts.” — Tina Huang, Lonely Octopus This course is for you: You know Python but haven’t taken an LLM past the notebook. If you’re frustrated by shallow tutorials and fragmented docs… If you want to build things that work, not just read about them… If you’re ready to take LLMs seriously and want a proven structure… There’s a roadmap. And it’s working. The next cohort starts June 1st. As soon as you join, you get full access to all course material — no need to wait for the live kickoff. You can start building right away. What You’ll Learn: 🧠 LLM Basics & Prompt Mastery Transformers, tokenization, and prompting that actually reduces hallucinations 🔍 Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Chunking, embedding models, re-ranking, query rewriting, eval, and feedback loops 🎨 Fine-Tuning LoRA, adapters, and domain-specific models that actually perform 🤖 Tool & API Integration Function calling, external tools, and chained agent workflows 🚀 Deployment & Cost Control Gradio, Streamlit, latency fixes, caching, logging, monitoring, cost tracking 🏆 Capstone Project & Certification Build and ship your own LLM app — get feedback, and leave with a portfolio-ready build If you’re thinking, “This sounds great, but what if it’s not for me?” — we get it. That’s why the course comes with a 30-day, no-questions-asked money-back guarantee. Try it. Dive into the material. If it doesn’t meet your expectations, we’ll refund you in full. 👉 Secure your spot for the June 1st cohort Join thousands of data leaders on the AI newsletter. Join over 80,000 subscribers and keep up to date with the latest developments in AI. From research to projects and ideas. If you are building an AI startup, an AI-related product, or a service, we invite you to consider becoming a sponsor. Published via Towards AI

Apple's gearing up for WWDC 2025, and the company's Apple Developer application has been updated as part of the preparations.Apple has updated its Developer app ahead of WWDC 2025.On Wednesday, the iPhone maker released an update for its official Developer app. Aside from bug fixes and "various enhancements," the updated application will offer access to WWDC 2025 videos and consultations, as well as a new assortment of WWDC-related stickers.Apple's next annual Worldwide Developer Conference is set to begin with a keynote video on June 9, 2025. It's where the company will update its next-generation operating systems, namely iOS 19, macOS 16, visionOS 3, and watchOS 12, among others. Continue Reading on AppleInsider | Discuss on our Forums

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" We seem to have more video footage and still images than ever before, thanks to smartphones, GoPro cameras and the backlog of older ones collected across a lifetime. Managing all these formats, as well as making sure they look their best, can be a frightening proposition. Thankfully, Winxvideo AI is a powerful all-in-one solution that not only uses advanced Artificial Intelligence software to upgrade the quality of your content but can rescue old photos and footage too. The newly updated version 4.0 also brings huge improvements to speed, plus a special price offer, so you can save both time and money while you upgrade your photo and video library. Grab your discount on Winxvideo AI Winxvideo AI comes with an impressive array of features that can turn tired, old, blurry videos into something far more professional. For example, if you have footage of a significant event that was shot on an old device and only displays in low resolution, then the AI upscaling tool can cleverly convert it to 720p ,1080p or even 4K! It offers dedicated AI models for different video types – whether enhancing fine details, smoothing low-detail footage, refining animations, or upscaling photorealistic content. Digiarty Winxvideo AI significantly improves video quality thanks to its advanced AI models that remove noise, sharpen footage, and clean up compression artifacts caused by low light or poor equipment. This means that the unimpressive video you shot of an important occasion can instantly look better than you thought possible, and play back in glorious 4K with realistic detail, revealing textures like skin, hair, fur, and fabric with impressive clarity. Is a great shot spoiled by the camera shaking? No problem, the AI Stabilization capabilities in Winxvideo AI can fix that in only a few clicks. If you find that your video is jerky and stutters due to a low frame rate, that’s fixable too thanks to the AI frame interpolation that can boost frame rates for smooth footage or allow you to convert it to slo-mo instead. Alongside these tools there’s also a full suite of video editing features so you can put together your own films, remove noise from audio tracks, the option to convert video to and from a wide range of formats, plus the helpful ability to compress file sizes to make them easier to share over email or messaging services. Restore and enhance photos and images  It’s not only video that you can improve with Winxvideo AI, as it also brings serious enhancements to still images. The AI upscaler technology instantly improves low-quality images by up to 10x, removing noise and blurriness to give you pin-sharp results. If you want to enhance portraits, Winxvideo AI’s Face Recovery restores fine details like eyelashes, pupils, and skin texture, while removing blemishes. It works perfectly for both individual portraits and group photos.Digiarty The same thing works on old photographs, which you can scan and then make them look like they were taken yesterday. Should you want to modernize old black and white pictures, then the colorize feature in Winxvideo AI makes this incredibly simple, bringing old images to life with full color versions. Everything is handled by the simple-to-use software that does all the heavy-lifting for you. Winxvideo AI version 4.0 takes things to a new level Thanks to big improvements in two of the AI models used in version 4.0, the latest iteration of Winxvideo AI boasts incredible performance gains, with upscaling speeds increased by up to 80% over version 3.9! Digiarty Not only that, the finished results also come with enhanced quality and details too. All this, while the CPU/GPU usage has been lowered, so your PC won’t be punished while working on the video or images. Grab time-limited special deals for Winxvideo AI This year also marks the 19th anniversary of Winxvideo AI’s creators Digiarty, which is being celebrated by a superb deal on the software where you can buy it for only $29.95, saving you $40 off the normal price. Hurry, though, as this is a time-limited deal to accompany the Digiarty festivities. With so many useful tools to upgrade your video and photo library, there’s never been a better time to buy Winxvideo AI, and thanks to the special deal there’s never been a cheaper time either. View Offer

We’re happy to announce that we’ve launched a new technical e-book, Create modular game architecture in Unity with ScriptableObjects, which provides best practices from professional developers for deploying ScriptableObjects in production.Along with the e-book, you can download a demo project from GitHub inspired by classic ball and paddle arcade game mechanics. The demo shows how ScriptableObjects can help you create components that are testable and scalable, while also being designer-friendly. Although a game like this could be built with far fewer lines of code, this demo shows ScriptableObjects in action.This post explains the benefits of ScriptableObjects, but doesn’t cover the basics or general coding in Unity. If you’re new to programming in Unity, head over to Unity Learn, which offers helpful introductory tutorials. The first chapter in the e-book also offers a solid primer.Let’s look at six ways you can benefit from using ScriptableObjects in your projects. Want to know more? All of these examples are explored further in the e-book and demo project.Although many of the techniques shared here can also be achieved using C# classes, one of the main benefits of ScriptableObjects is the accessibility to artists and designers. They can use ScriptableObjects to configure and apply game logic in a project without having to edit the code.The Editor makes it convenient to view and edit ScriptableObjects, enabling designers to set up gameplay data without heavy support from the developer team. This also applies to game logic, such as applying behavior to an NPC by adding a ScriptableObject (explained in the patterns below).Storing data and logic on a single MonoBehaviour can result in time-consuming merge conflicts if two people change different parts of the same Prefab or scene. By breaking up shared data into smaller files and assets with ScriptableObjects, designers can build gameplay in parallel with developers, instead of having to wait for the latter to finish setting up the gameplay in code before testing it.Issues can arise when colleagues with different roles access the game code and assets at the same time. With ScriptableObjects, the programmer can control what part of the project is editable in the Editor. Additionally, using ScriptableObjects to organize your code leads naturally to a codebase that’s more modular and efficient to test.Christo Nobbs, a senior technical game designer who specializes in systems game design and Unity (C#), contributed to The Unity game designer playbook, and is the main author of a blog post series on designing game systems in Unity. His posts, “Systems that create ecosystems: Emergent game design” and “Unpredictably fun: The value of randomization in game design” provide interesting examples of how designers can use ScriptableObjects.Modularity is a general software principle which can be implemented in C# without using ScriptableObjects. But, as mentioned above, ScriptableObjects help promote clean coding practices by separating data from logic, which is a first step toward modular game code. This separation means it’s easier to make changes without causing unintended side effects, and improves testability.ScriptableObjects excel at storing static data, making them handy for configuring static gameplay values like items or NPC stats, character dialogue, and much more. Because ScriptableObjects are saved as an asset, they persist outside of game mode, making it possible to use them for loading in a static configuration that dynamically changes at runtime.While changes to ScriptableObject data do persist in the Editor, it’s important to note that they are not designed for saving game data. In that case, it’s better to use a serialization system, such as JSON, XML, or a binary solution if performance is critical.MonoBehaviours carry extra overhead since they require a GameObject – and by default a Transform – to act as a host. This means you need to create a lot of unused data before storing a single value. A ScriptableObject slims down this memory footprint and drops the GameObject and Transform. It also stores data at the project level, which is helpful if you need to access the same data from multiple scenes.It’s common to have many GameObjects which rely on duplicate data that does not need to change at runtime. Rather than having this duplicate local data on each GameObject, you can funnel it into a ScriptableObject. Each of the objects stores a reference to the shared data asset, rather than copying the data itself. This can provide significant performance improvements in projects with thousands of objects.In software design, this is an optimization known as the flyweight pattern. Restructuring your code in this way using ScriptableObjects avoids copying values and reduces your memory footprint. Check out our e-book, Level up your code with game programming patterns to learn more about using design patterns in Unity.A good example of how ScriptableObjects can simplify your code is to use them as enums for comparison operations. The ScriptableObject can represent a category or item type, such as a special damage effect – cold, heat, electrical, magic, etc.If your application requires an inventory system to equip gameplay items, ScriptableObjects can represent item types or weapon slots. The fields in the Inspector then function as a drag-and-drop interface for setting them up.Using ScriptableObjects as enums becomes more interesting when you want to extend them and add more data. Unlike normal enums, ScriptableObjects can have extra fields and methods. There’s no need to have a separate lookup table or correlate with a new array of data.While traditional enums have a fixed set of values, ScriptableObject enums can be created and modified at runtime, allowing you to add or remove values as needed.If you have a long list of enum values without explicit numbering, inserting or removing an enum can change their order. This reordering can introduce subtle bugs or unintended behavior. ScriptableObject-based enums don’t have these issues. You can delete or add to your project without having to change the code every time.Suppose you want to make an item equippable in an RPG. You could append an extra boolean field to the ScriptableObject to do that. Are certain characters not allowed to hold certain items? Are some items magical or do they have special abilities? ScriptableObject-based enums can do that.Because you can create methods on a ScriptableObject, they are as useful for containing logic or actions as they are for holding data. Moving logic from your MonoBehaviour into a ScriptableObject enables you to use the latter as a delegate object, making the behavior more modular.If you need to perform specific tasks, you can encapsulate their algorithms into their own objects. The original Gang of Four refers to this general design as the strategy pattern. The example below shows how to make the strategy pattern more useful by using an abstract class to implement EnemyAI. The result is several derived ScriptableObjects with different behavior, which then becomes a pluggable behavior since each asset is interchangeable. You just drag and drop the ScriptableObject of choice into the MonoBehaviour.For a detailed example showing how to use ScriptableObjects to drive behavior, watch the video series Pluggable AI with ScriptableObjects. These sessions demonstrate a finite state machine-based AI system that can be configured using ScriptableObjects for states, actions, and transitions between those states.A common challenge in larger projects is when multiple GameObjects need to share data or states by avoiding direct references between these objects. Managing these dependencies at scale can require significant effort and is often a source of bugs. Many developers use singletons – one global instance of a class that survives scene loading. However, singletons introduce global states and make unit testing difficult. If you’re working with a Prefab that references a singleton, you’ll end up importing all of its dependencies just to test an isolated function. This makes your code less modular and efficient to debug.One solution is to use ScriptableObject-based events to help your GameObjects communicate. In this case, you are using ScriptableObjects to implement a form of the observer design pattern, where a subject broadcasts a message to one or more loosely decoupled observers. Each observing object can react independently from the subject but is unaware of the other observers. The subject can also be referred to as the “publisher” or “broadcaster” and the observers as “subscribers” or “listeners.”You can implement the observer pattern with MonoBehaviours or C# objects. While this is already common practice in Unity development, a script-only approach means your designers will rely on the programming team for every event needed during gameplay.At first glance, it appears that you’ve added a layer of overhead to the observer pattern, but this structure offers some advantages. Since ScriptableObjects are assets, they are accessible to all objects in your hierarchy and don’t disappear on scene loading.Easy, persistent access to certain resources is why many developers use singletons. ScriptableObjects can often provide the same benefits without introducing as many unnecessary dependencies.In ScriptableObject-based events, any object can serve as publisher (which broadcasts the event), and any object can serve as a subscriber (which listens for the event). The ScriptableObject sits in the middle and helps relay the signal, acting like a centralized intermediary between the two.One way to think about this is as an “event channel.” Imagine the ScriptableObject as a radio tower that has any number of objects listening for its signals. An interested MonoBehaviour can subscribe to the event channel and respond when something happens.The demo shows how the observer pattern helps you set up game events for UI, sounds, and scoring.At runtime, you’ll often need to track a list of GameObjects or components in your scene. For example, a list of enemies is something you’d need to frequently access, but it’s also a dynamic list that changes as more enemies are spawned or defeated. The singleton offers easy global access, but it has several drawbacks. Instead of using a singleton, consider storing data on a ScriptableObject as a “Runtime Set.” The ScriptableObject instance appears at the project level, which means it can store data that’s available to any object from any scene, offering similar global access. Since the data is located on an asset, its public list of items is accessible at any time.In this use case, you get a specialized data container that maintains a public collection of elements but also provides basic methods to add to and remove from the collection. This can reduce the need for singletons and improve testability and modularity.Reading data directly from a ScriptableObject is also more optimal than searching the Scene Hierarchy with a find operation like Object.FindObjectOfType or GameObject.FindWithTag. Depending on your use case and the size of your hierarchy, these are relatively expensive methods that can be inefficient for per-frame updates.There are several ScriptableObjects frameworks which offer more use cases than these six scenarios. Some teams decide to use ScriptableObjects extensively, while others limit their use to loading in static data and separating logic from data. Ultimately, the needs of your project will determine how you use them.Create modular game architecture in Unity with ScriptableObjects is the third guide in our series for intermediate to advanced Unity programmers. Each guide, authored by experienced programmers, provides best practices for topics that are important to development teams.Create a C# style guide: Write cleaner code that scales assists you with developing a style guide to help unify your approach to creating a more cohesive codebase.Level up your code with game programming patternshighlights best practices for using the SOLID principles and common programming patterns to create scalable game code architecture in your Unity project.We created this series to provide actionable tips and inspiration to our experienced creators, but they aren’t rule books. There are many ways to structure your Unity project and what might seem like a natural fit for one application may not be for another. Evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of each recommendation, tip, and pattern with your colleagues before deploying it.Find more advanced guides and articles on the Unity best practices hub.

Senior Gameplay ProgrammerEpic GamesLondon, England, United Kingdom2 hours agoApplyWHAT MAKES US EPIC?At the core of Epic’s success are talented, passionate people. Epic prides itself on creating a collaborative, welcoming, and creative environment. Whether it’s building award-winning games or crafting engine technology that enables others to make visually stunning interactive experiences, we’re always innovating.Being Epic means being a part of a team that continually strives to do right by our community and users. We’re constantly innovating to raise the bar of engine and game development.PROGRAMMING - SPECIAL PROJECTSWhat We DoThe Special Projects team at Epic is responsible for executing high-impact projects that push the envelope to define the future of real-time graphics and gaming technology (The Matrix Awakens, Lumen in the Land of Nanite). In collaboration with the Unreal Engine team, we strive to put our technology and knowledge into the hands of users, empowering developers and content creators with the most powerful suite of real-time tools in the world.What You'll DoEpic Games is looking for a Senior Gameplay Programmer to join the team. As a member of our team, you will play a critical role in driving future projects that push boundaries, explore new technology, and help define the future of Unreal Engine. As a Senior Gameplay Programmer, you will define and implement the technical aspects of interactive projects and systems while collaborating with Programming teams and content creators to create cutting-edge interactive experiences.In this role, you willDesign, implement, and support new features or systems that interact with or extend Gameplay, Game AI, Sound, and Animation systemsExperiment with game design and use rapid prototyping while ensuring that strong architectural and algorithmic decisions are madePrototype and iterate on features and be willing to accept and respond to critical feedback while ensuring that strong architectural and algorithmic decisions are made; write robust, maintainable codeWork closely with art and design to create and iterate on gameplay featuresCollaborate with Unreal Engine teams to help guide ongoing feature developmentOptimize and fix bugs in existing gameplay systemsContribute ideas toward all aspects of the game’s production and developmentWhat we're looking forExperience developing games professionally and shipping AAA titlesFearless when it comes to diving into complex systems and existing code basesA keen analytical mind with strong problem-solving skillsStrong C++ skills and the ability to code and architect gameplay mechanics and systemsWell-versed in games and the ability to articulate what is strong/weak about the design of existing gamesAdept at delivering and responding to constructive feedbackSelf-motivated, strong work ethic, and the ability to work independentlyCreativity in problem-solving and the ability to think outside of the established solutionsKnowledge of ML/AI and its potential applicationsSomeone who is user-focused, passionate, solutions-focused, and innovative. These traits equal success at Epic and influence everything we doEPIC JOB + EPIC BENEFITS = EPIC LIFEWe pay 100% for benefits for both employees and dependents and offer coverage for supplemental medical, dental, vision, critical illness, telemedicine, Life and AD&D, long term disability insurance as well as weekly indemnity (short term disability) and a retirement savings plan with a competitive employer match. In addition to the EAP (employee assistance program), we also offer a robust mental well-being program through Modern Health, which provides free therapy and coaching for employees & dependents.ABOUT USEpic Games spans across 25 countries with 46 studios and 4,500+ employees globally. For over 25 years, we've been making award-winning games and engine technology that empowers others to make visually stunning games and 3D content that bring environments to life like never before. Epic's award-winning Unreal Engine technology not only provides game developers the ability to build high-fidelity, interactive experiences for PC, console, mobile, and VR, it is also a tool being embraced by content creators across a variety of industries such as media and entertainment, automotive, and architectural design. As we continue to build our Engine technology and develop remarkable games, we strive to build teams of world-class talent.Like what you hear? Come be a part of something Epic!Epic Games deeply values diverse teams and an inclusive work culture, and we are proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. Learn more about our Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Policy here.Note to Recruitment Agencies: Epic does not accept any unsolicited resumes or approaches from any unauthorized third party (including recruitment or placement agencies) (i.e., a third party with whom we do not have a negotiated and validly executed agreement). We will not pay any fees to any unauthorized third party. Further details on these matters can be found here. Create Your Profile — Game companies can contact you with their relevant job openings. Apply

Hearing aids, like canes or orthopedic shoes, are something you don’t think about a lot when you’re young. But maybe you should.You probably either know someone who needs hearing aids, or you’ll need them some day yourself. About 30 million people in the United States, aged 12 and older, have hearing loss in both ears, and about two-thirds of people end up with hearing loss, which can range from mild to severe, by their 70s. But talking to your parents or grandparents about getting hearing aids can be tough — I’ve done it. They might not like the idea of sticking things in their ear canals or confronting the difficult realities of aging and health. They surely shy away from the price tag of hearing aids, which can cost thousands of dollars and are not covered by insurance or Medicare. But plugging tiny and exorbitantly expensive speakers into your ears isn’t the only way. Your mom might already own hearing aids without even knowing it.Hearing aids have never been more accessible — or futuristic. In April, a company called Nuance started selling glasses that double as hearing aids thanks to microphones and beam-forming speakers built into the frame. Although at $1,200, they’re not cheap, they cost far less than a pair of prescription hearing aids, which tend to range from $2,000 to $7,000.The Nuance glasses joined an increasingly crowded market of FDA-regulated over-the-counter hearing aids that includes everything from the latest Apple AirPods Pro, which gained the capability through a software update, to bean-sized buds from Sony. Prices for these devices start as low as $100, and you don’t need an audiologist to help set them up. Hearing aids have never been more accessible — or futuristic.You can also buy something that’s legally considered a personal sound amplification product (PSAP), which is not designed to treat hearing loss but does make things louder. Some of them can play music and handle phone calls too. In the age when earbuds are ubiquitous, these devices appeal to all ages.“It’s good that we’re seeing people in their 30s, 40s, and 50s, talking about it, because it’s totally changing the paradigm for them of engaging in hearing care earlier,” Nicholas Reed, a faculty member at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine, told me.I’m a millennial, but I’ve also dealt with hearing loss my entire life. A bad stretch of childhood ear infections left me mostly deaf in one ear and pretty spotty in the other. I learned to read lips as a teenager and avoid conversations at loud parties in college. Some surgery in my 20s brought me closer to normal, but I could still use a little help. I’ve spent the past few weeks trying out the Nuance glasses in various settings. They’re remarkable, not only because they feel almost indistinguishable from my regular glasses but also because I forget they’re hearing aids. Made by EssilorLuxottica, the company behind Ray-Ban and dozens of other glasses brands, the Nuance glasses employ some of the same technology that the Ray-Ban Meta glasses use to play music and help you talk to AI. And while the Nuance glasses don’t currently offer the option to stream audio, they do help you hear what your friend is saying in a loud bar.The AirPods Pro 2, which retail for $250, work equally as well. After Apple announced last fall that a software update would unlock an accessibility setting — it’s appropriately called Hearing Aid — I started using it all the time, toggling between listening to podcasts to ordering cold brew in a crowded coffee shop. In instances where I may have needed to ask people to repeat themselves in the past, I hear them fine the first time. I just have to wear AirPods all the time, which makes the glasses solution even more appealing. For most people, hearing loss typically starts in your 50s and gains momentum in your early retirement years. If you’ve ever been to a busy restaurant with your parents or grandparents, you know this can be alienating for the person left out and frustrating for the hearing person, too. The social isolation can lead to loneliness and anxiety, which can hasten cognitive decline and lower life expectancy.Nevertheless, neither traditional clinical hearing aids or the newer category of devices are easy fixes. Once you start wearing any sort of hearing aid, it takes time to adjust, and you might need help tweaking the sound as you get used to it. That’s one reason why so many people avoid it — only one in five who need hearing aids actually have them. You can’t put them in your ears and immediately have perfect hearing. Your brain adjusts over time, and so it may take weeks or months to adapt to the new frequencies hearing aids help you hear.Still, it’s a worthwhile project.“Sensory input is so key to our existence, but we just sort of overlooked it for so long,” Reed said. “It’s something that’s vital to your existence and how you connect with other people.”It’s not clear how the latest hearing aid innovation will move the needle on adoption. Even though over-the-counter hearing aids have been available since 2022, when the FDA implemented new regulations for the devices, it’s still an uphill battle to get people to wear them. “Sensory input is so key to our existence, but we just sort of overlooked it for so long.”— Nicholas Reed, faculty member at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine“We are not seeing large increases in hearing aid uptake since over-the-counter hearing aids have become available,” said Tricia Ashby, senior director of audiology practices at the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA). “And I have to say that mimics other countries who had over-the-counter hearing aids before the US did.”Given the fact that the older people who need them most are potentially less likely to try the latest technology, it might still take a few years for over-the-counter hearing aids to go mainstream. Given the precedent set by companies like Apple and Nuance, though, it’s possible that more devices will add hearing assistive features to existing products. You can imagine a future where you wear earbuds that are the interface for your voice assistant as well as your lifeline on a loud plane. You might have glasses that project walking directions onto your field of view and help you hear which direction traffic’s coming from when you have to cross the street. These kinds of features together only get more important as you get older and need a little more help.“We are in an age now where you’re thinking about optimizing aging, and how do you do it?” Reed said. “And it’s things like this.”A version of this story was also published in the User Friendly newsletter. Sign up here so you don’t miss the next one!See More: