Cozy Games Free & Open-Source Godot Add-Ons / News, Resources / May 31, 2025 / Add-On, Godot The folks over at Cozy Cube Games have provided a GitHub repository that offers a fantastic collection of tools to enhance your Godot game development workflow. Here’s a look at 14 of the add-ons you can find there, all of which are available under the MIT open-source license and implemented using 100% GDScript. The repository consists of the following free add-ons for the Godot game engine: area_lights: Enhances lighting capabilities within your scenes. control_proxies: doodle_texture:  Create textures directly in Godot by doodling or sketching, perfect for prototyping and “sticky notes”. editor_relays: This add-on allows you to manage the Godot Editor from your application at run-time. gizmo_presets: Gain precise control over the visibility of Gizmos in Godot. Show/hide them all, or create and toggle your own custom presets. light_shafts: Add breathtaking volumetric light scattering effects, often known as “god rays,” to your scenes. lines_and_trails_3d: Easily create and manage dynamic 3D lines and trail effects for projectiles, movement paths, and more. manual_multimesh: Optimize your scenes by gaining more direct control over MultiMeshInstances, perfect for rendering many similar meshes efficiently. nine_patch_mesh: Create scalable 3D nine-patch meshes, ideal for flexible UI elements or environment pieces with repeating borders and centers. parallel_scene_views: Boost your productivity by viewing and interacting with multiple scene views simultaneously within the editor. preview_2d: Seamlessly integrate 2D and 3D workflows by adding a button to preview your 2D viewport directly from a 3D scene. procedural_texture_baker: Generate and bake unique procedural textures directly within Godot, saving time and adding variety. tile_path_3d: Effortlessly instance 3D objects along a spline path. Perfect for creating paths, roads, fences, and other repeating environmental details. transform_clusters: Once again, not really sure the use case on this one Key Links Cozy Cube Games Godot Add-Ons GitHub Repository Cozy Cube Games Homepage You can learn more about the Cozy Cube Games add-ons for the Godot game engine as well as see many of them in action in the video below.

Author When you google something what is displayed isn’t the result of a real time crawling. When a google bot visits a website all the pages making the site tree get downloaded to the search engine server. The search engine server checks the downloaded site main page HTML code. If links are found the bot will check if they link  to the main page server if they do those pages will get downloaded too. The code surrounding the links should be well formated to make them crawling friendly ( the bot needs to find it’s way to those links) Strict order is not required in the remaining sections of the site. Is this close? Calin said:The code surrounding the links should be well formated to make them crawling friendly ( the bot needs to find it’s way to those links) Strict order is not required in the remaining sections of the site. Is this close?Formatting makes no difference at all. The HTML standards at w3.org ( https://www.w3.org/standards/ ) define the shape of a link, and in fact everything in every (valid) html page at the world. The server has implementations that understand those standards, and can thus extract any link from any (valid) html page.Besides valid html pages there are also many non-valid html pages (they sort-of look like html, but don't do everything that the standard says should be done). There are code libraries for such pages as well in an attempt to extract useful information from it anyway. One such implementation is BeautifulSoup for Python, although I never used it. No doubt there are others. Advertisement Author Ok I get it, it’s one thing what’s posible and something else what should be done. What “should” be done varies, and what sites implement may exist in many different ways.Most modern web pages aren't simple HTML. They only have enough HTML to wrap the script tags to trigger JavaScript which is linked and loaded from a different page. The script infrastructure connects to server, runs a bunch of background requests, picks up the article or news story or content from the back end database, transmits a bunch of fingerprinting information to uniquely identify your broswer, loads a bunch of ads, and overall modifies the DOM (Document Object Model) that is ultimately what's displayed. If you turn off all Javascript and try to load many sites like news sites, you'll either get a visibly blank page or nothing more than a header and footer. The actual body contains little more than a collection of div and anchor tags that the script modifies into a human-usable page.The reasons for doing it that way vary. Some are there because they're trying to turn the web page into a programmed application rather than flat content. Many are to get around the fact that caching proxies and corporate tools interfere with their metrics and the data needed for their advertising information. A few are used to detect bots, change how the website gets scraped by bots, or to mitigate automated attacks like DDOS attacks. Sites like Cloudflare wrap the entire web page up requiring scripts to run for any access at all. Although URLs are theoretically free from time constraints, many systems generate them through data-driven means and the internal links used by the scripting systems are only valid for a short time. It's a way many sites like Facebook or Reddit or YouTube or TikTok keep their walled garden in place. Direct links to specific items keep working but the feed is algorithmic, always displaying whatever it is they want to push out to users uniquely.  The main links can't be easily indexed, archived, or automated because they're constantly shifting around what the servers provide. Calin said:The code surrounding the links should be well formated to make them crawling friendlyNo, nice formatting is done only by web devs for themselves, so they can read their code.A bot will ignore formatting and also visual style (css).It's maybe worth noting that most html code is actually generated from other code, and not manually written.For example php code on the server generates html code from a link, where the link contains parameters controling what the php script should do. E.g. a link with page number may look like ‘www.blah.com?p=15’. The php script may then also access a data base to get desired text and images for page 15, and generate the final html code for the client browser to display.Contrary, Javascript is not run on the server, but on the client browser. It can thus make a realtime webgame for example, or decorative animations, implementing a media player, etc. It can modify the html code, e.g. changing a number so the animation is displayed. It can also communicate with the server to implement things like a webshop and payment system.Both php and JS are extremely flexible compared to C++. You can do anything, e.g. adding a new member variable to a class instance at runtime. Totally nuts and horrible. : ) 

html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd" Itoosoft has released RailClone 7, the latest version of its 3ds Max parametric modelling plugin.The update introduces a new set of Spline Operators for manipulating splines in a wide range of ways, comprising 10 new nodes with 19 separate features. Users of the paid Pro edition get RailClone Systems, a new set of readymade procedural assets for generating common architectural structures like windows, curtain walls, and cabling. A popular parametric modelling tool for architectural visualisation work First released in 2010, RailClone makes it possible to generate complex 3D models by defining procedural construction rules using a node-based workflow.Users can create complex 3D models by repeating simple base meshes, or ‘Segments’, along splines, using Generators to arrange them into arrays, and Operators to control their properties. Although the workflow applies to visual effects or motion graphics, the plugin is most commonly used to generate buildings and street furniture for architectural visualisation projects. It is compatible with a range of third-party renderers, including Arnold, Corona, FStorm, OctaneRender, Redshift and V-Ray. RailClone 7: new multi-purpose Spline Operators RailClone 7 adds a new category of Spline Operators to the software’s graph editor.The 10 new nodes include Basic Ops, a new ‘multi-tool’ for performing common operations on splines, like transforming, breaking, combining, flattening or chamfering splines. A new Boolean node performs standard Boolean operations on regions bounded by splines. Other new nodes include Offset, for creating repeating clones of splines; Catenary, for creating the catenary curves generated by cables hanging under their own weight; and Conform, for projecting splines onto terrain. The images in Itoosoft’s blog post show potential use cases ranging from creating road networks to structures like wiring, railings and gantries. In addition, a new Draw Splines mode makes it possible to preview the result of spline operations directly in the viewport. New version-independent portable file format, and updates to point clouds Other new features include the Itoosoft Portable file format, making it possible to save RailClone objects in a file format independent of the version of 3ds Max used to create them.The point cloud display mode has been updated, with each RailClone object now using a fixed number of points, rather than point density being dependent on distance from the camera. According to Itoosoft, the new mode is optimized for modern GPUs and versions of 3ds Max. There are also a number of smaller workflow and feature updates, especially to macros, array generation, and handling of V-Ray Proxies when rendering with V-Ray GPU or Vantage. Pro edition: new RailClone Systems procedural assets Users of the paid Pro edition also get RailClone Systems, a new set of customizable readymade procedural assets for creating common architectural elements like windows, suspended ceilings, curtain walls, boardwalks, and cabling.You can see the new assets in the online preview of RailClone’s asset library. Price and system requirements RailClone 7.0 is available for 3ds Max 2022+. Feature support varies between the compatible renderers. New licences start at $275, including one year’s maintenance. There is also a free, feature-limited Lite edition of the plugin. Read an overview of the new features in RailClone 7 on iToo Software’s blog Read a full list of new features in RailClone in the online release notes. Visit the RailClone product website (Includes a download link for RailClone Lite at the foot of the page) Have your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we don’t post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.

Spencer Magnusson writes: Proxies are a common industry standard in reducing geometry and making the viewport faster. Few people know that Blender already utilizes proxies within Blender. Let me show you 3 methods (2 of which are automatic!). Source

Published May 26, 2025 10:00am EDT close Smart routers offer more parental control over social media In the ongoing debate over regulating social media, one company is urging parents to take matters into their own hands. We stay on top of updates for our phones and laptops. Some of us even make sure our smartwatches and security cameras are running the latest firmware. But routers often get overlooked. If it's working, we assume it's fine, but that mindset can be risky.Now, the FBI has issued a warning that cybercriminals are actively exploiting old, unpatched and outdated routers. The alert, released in May 2025, explains how aging network devices with known flaws are being hijacked by malware and used to power anonymous cybercrime operations. A forgotten device in your home can silently become a tool for attackers. A router (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)The FBI alertThe FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center published a public service announcement on May 7, 2025, cautioning both individuals and organizations that criminals are taking advantage of outdated routers that no longer receive security patches.Devices manufactured around 2010 or earlier are especially vulnerable, as vendors have long ceased providing firmware updates for them. According to the FBI, such end-of-life routers have been breached by cyber actors using a variant of the "TheMoon" malware, allowing attackers to install proxy services on the devices and conduct illicit activities anonymously.In essence, home and small-office routers are being quietly conscripted into proxy networks that mask the perpetrators' identities online. The alert notes that through networks like "5socks" and "Anyproxy," criminals have been selling access to the infected routers as proxy nodes. In these schemes, paying customers can route their internet traffic through unwitting victims' routers, obscuring their own location while the victim's device (and IP address) bears the blame. A router (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)Which routers are affected?The FBI bulletin even names specific router models as frequent targets, including:Cisco M10Cisco Linksys E1500Cisco Linksys E1550Cisco Linksys WRT610NCisco Linksys E1000Cradlepoint E100Cradlepoint E300Linksys E1200Linksys E2500Linksys E3200Linksys WRT320NLinksys E4200Linksys WRT310NAll of these devices are roughly a decade or more old and have known security vulnerabilities that were never patched once support ended. With their firmware updates long discontinued, any still in use are soft targets for attackers.How hackers exploit these routersMany recent infections stem from devices with remote administration exposed to the internet. Attackers scan for such routers, exploiting known firmware flaws without needing passwords. A single crafted web request can trick an older device into running malicious code. Once inside, malware often alters settings, opening ports or disabling security features, to maintain control and connect to external command-and-control servers.One prominent threat is TheMoon, a malware strain first seen in 2014 that exploited flaws in Linksys routers. It has since evolved into a stealthy botnet builder, transforming infected routers into proxy nodes. Instead of launching direct attacks, TheMoon reroutes third-party traffic, masking hackers' identities behind everyday home networks. Cybercrime platforms like Faceless and 5socks sell access to these infected routers as "residential proxies," making them valuable assets in the digital underground.For users, a compromised router means slower connections, exposure to phishing and spyware, and potential legal trouble if criminals abuse their IP address. For businesses, the risk is even higher: Outdated routers can be exploited for deeper network intrusions, data theft and ransomware attacks. In critical sectors, the consequences can be severe, affecting safety and compliance. A woman working on her laptop (Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson)6 ways to stay safe from router hackersGiven the serious threats posed by outdated and compromised routers, taking proactive measures is essential. Here are six practical steps you can follow to protect your network and keep hackers at bay.1) Replace your old router if it's no longer supported: If your router is more than five to seven years old, or if you can't find any recent updates for it on the manufacturer's website, it might be time to upgrade. Older routers often stop getting security fixes, which makes them an easy target for hackers. To check, look at the label on your router for the model number, then search online for "[model number] firmware update." If the last update was years ago, consider replacing it with a newer model from a trusted brand.If you're not sure which router to get, check out my list of top routers for the best security. It includes models with strong security features and compatibility with VPN services.2) Keep your router's firmware updated: Your router runs software called firmware, which needs to be updated just like your phone or computer. To do this, open a web browser and type your router's IP address (often 192.168.0.1 or 192.168.1.1), then log in using the username and password (usually found on a sticker on the router). Once inside, look for a section called "Firmware Update," "System" or "Administration," and check if an update is available. Apply it if there is one. Some newer routers also have apps that make this even easier.3) Turn off remote access: Remote access lets you control your router from outside your home network, but it also opens the door for hackers. You can turn this off by logging into your router's settings (using the same steps as above), then finding a setting called "Remote Management," "Remote Access" or "WAN Access." Make sure this feature is disabled, then save the changes and restart your router.4) Use a strong password for your router settings: Don't leave your router using the default login, like "admin" and "password." That's the first thing hackers try. Change it to a long, strong password with a mix of letters, numbers and symbols. A good example would be something like T#8r2k!sG91xm4vL. Try to avoid using the same password you use elsewhere. You can usually change the login password in the "Administration" or "Security" section of the router settings. Consider using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords. Get more details about my best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 here.5) Look out for strange behavior and act quickly: If your internet feels unusually slow, your devices randomly disconnect or your streaming buffers more than usual, it could mean something is wrong. Go into your router settings and check the list of connected devices. If you see something you don't recognize, it could be a sign of a breach. In that case, update the firmware, change your passwords and restart the router. If you're not comfortable doing this yourself, call your internet provider for help.6) Reporting to authorities: The FBI asks that victims or those who suspect a compromise report incidents to the Internet Crime Complaint Center, which can help authorities track and mitigate broader threats.Kurt's key takeawayThis isn't just about asking everyone to upgrade their old gear. It's about the bigger issue of who's actually responsible when outdated devices turn into security risks. Most people don't think twice about the router sitting in a corner, quietly doing its job years past its prime. But attackers do. They see forgotten hardware as easy targets. The real challenge isn't just technical. It's about how manufacturers, service providers and users all handle the long tail of aging tech that still lives on in the real world.Should manufacturers be held accountable for keeping routers secure against cyber threats? Let us know by writing us atCyberguy.com/Contact.For more of my tech tips and security alerts, subscribe to my free CyberGuy Report Newsletter by heading to Cyberguy.com/Newsletter.Follow Kurt on his social channels:Answers to the most-asked CyberGuy questions:New from Kurt:Copyright 2025 CyberGuy.com. All rights reserved. Kurt "CyberGuy" Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on "FOX & Friends." Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

Jonathan L. Zittrain is a law/public policy/CS professor at Harvard (and also director of its Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society). He's also long-time Slashdot reader #628,028 — and writes in to share his new article in the Atlantic. Following on Anthropic's bridge-obsessed Golden Gate Claude, colleagues at Harvard's Insight+Interaction Lab have produced a dashboard that shows what judgments Llama appears to be forming about a user's age, wealth, education level, and gender during a conversation. I wrote up how weird it is to see the dials turn while talking to it, and what some of the policy issues might be. Llama has openly accessible parameters; So using an "observability tool" from the nonprofit research lab Transluce, the researchers finally revealed "what we might anthropomorphize as the model's beliefs about its interlocutor," Zittrain's article notes: If I prompt the model for a gift suggestion for a baby shower, it assumes that I am young and female and middle-class; it suggests diapers and wipes, or a gift certificate. If I add that the gathering is on the Upper East Side of Manhattan, the dashboard shows the LLM amending its gauge of my economic status to upper-class — the model accordingly suggests that I purchase "luxury baby products from high-end brands like aden + anais, Gucci Baby, or Cartier," or "a customized piece of art or a family heirloom that can be passed down." If I then clarify that it's my boss's baby and that I'll need extra time to take the subway to Manhattan from the Queens factory where I work, the gauge careens to working-class and male, and the model pivots to suggesting that I gift "a practical item like a baby blanket" or "a personalized thank-you note or card...." Large language models not only contain relationships among words and concepts; they contain many stereotypes, both helpful and harmful, from the materials on which they've been trained, and they actively make use of them. "An ability for users or their proxies to see how models behave differently depending on how the models stereotype them could place a helpful real-time spotlight on disparities that would otherwise go unnoticed," Zittrain's article argues. Indeed, the field has been making progress — enough to raise a host of policy questions that were previously not on the table. If there's no way to know how these models work, it makes accepting the full spectrum of their behaviors (at least after humans' efforts at "fine-tuning" them) a sort of all-or-nothing proposition. But in the end it's not just the traditional information that advertisers try to collect. "With LLMs, the information is being gathered even more directly — from the user's unguarded conversations rather than mere search queries — and still without any policy or practice oversight...." Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Zenless Zone Zero Season 2, Where Clouds Embrace The Dawn, launches next month The new season will drop on 6th June, the same day Zenless Zone Zero comes to Xbox. Image credit: YoHoverse News by Vikki Blake Contributor Published on May 24, 2025 Zenless Zone Zero Season 2, entitled Where Clouds Embrace The Dawn, will launch on 6th June. Calling it "a significant update and milestone moment" - the gacha game will also release on the same day for Xbox - HoYoverse teased that in Version 2, players will "embark on a brand-new and exciting journey to Waifei Peninsula, alongside Yixuan from Yunkui Summit". "In this expansive update, Proxies will venture into the all-new Waifei Peninsula alongside trusted allies such as Yixuan from Yunkui Summit, revitalize the Suibian Temple nestled within the bustling Failume Heights, and take on more challenging Hollow combat in a more open and spacious environment. To commemorate the game's first anniversary, Version 2.0 will bring a wide array of celebration rewards including a free S-Rank Agent, a free S-Rank W-Engine, 1,600 Polychromes and 20 Encrypted Master Tapes," the developer added. Version 2.0 Teaser "Where Clouds Embrace the Dawn" | Zenless Zone Zero.Watch on YouTube Following the resolution of the Sacrifice crisis in previous chapters, Season 2 sees Proxies further uncover the hidden secrets of Phaethon and experience new Hollow exploration gameplay that harnesses the forces of Ether. "The region's main city Failume Heights thrives near the Lemnian Hollow, renowned for the rare resource Porcelume. It offers distinctive tea houses, pawnshops, and dessert stalls, inviting Proxies to immerse themselves in the local atmosphere," HoYo added. "Meanwhile, Proxies will take on management of their very own Suibian Temple, upgrade the temple's facilities and earn in-game rewards by dispatching Bangboos, completing commissions, and collecting resources from the Hollows." Several new allies will join the roster: Yixuan, also known as the Grandmaster, will join the combat as an S-Rank Agent, Ju Fufu, the senior disciple of Yunkui Summit, who will debut as an S-Rank Fire Stun Agent, and Pan Yinhu, Yunkui Summit's A-Rank Physical Defense Agent. The S-Rank Ether Support Astra Yao and the S-Rank Physical Defense Caesar will return to the Version 2.0 banners. Players can also expect Hollow Zero: Lost Void to be updated with "new commissions and the possibility to equip multiple Gears to different Agents, adding more strategic options to battles", plus a brand-new 3D map with enhanced navigation features. "In Version 2.0, Proxies will be able to enter the cinema in Lumina Square to enjoy movies with different characters during the Gravitational Attraction event and obtain exclusive rewards by completing certain tasks, including an A-Rank W-Engine Reel Projector," we're told. "In the Soul of Steel: Golden Bond event, Proxies can pilot sleek mechs into the Hollows, take on a variety of challenges, and earn abundant rewards." In March, two voice actors working on Zenless Zone Zero were suddenly recast due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strike over AI abuse, and discovered the change alongside the publication of the game's patch notes. In a statement subsequently shared on social media, the studio said its contracts offer "explicit AI protections, regardless of union status" and it will continue to work on its clients' projects "in the most human way possible".