Schlagwort: minecraft

  • Explore New Worlds and Solve Environmental Challenges With Gaming This Earth Day

    Explore New Worlds and Solve Environmental Challenges With Gaming This Earth Day

    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    Summary

    • Explore games that allow players to explore and engage with the natural world
    • Help Duriel sacrifice his horde as they donate buckets of maggots to Tiggywinkles animal rescue hospital
    • Learn about a new building at Rare, which has sustainability at its heart

    At Microsoft we have made bold commitments to improve the impact of our business on the environment. Consequently, Xbox has made strategic, innovative and meaningful investments that scale up across the gaming industry:

    • Our Shutdown (Energy Saving) power mode, Active Hours and Carbon Aware console updates have made the use of our consoles more energy and emissions efficient. 
    • The Xbox Sustainability Toolkit has empowered game developers to optimize their game code for energy efficiency on Xbox consoles and beyond. 

    In addition to these software innovations, we are making advancements in hardware and infrastructure spaces as well:

    • The Xbox Wireless Controller – Remix Special Edition was an exercise to explore ways to use less new plastic and reduce waste.
    • We are supporting impact reductions in-office, with Rare unveiling a new LEED Gold accredited building on its UK campus — Xbox’s first mass timber building in Europe for Xbox Game Studios.

    As important as it is that we make these material changes, one of the great benefits gaming can have on environmental issues is often overlooked!  The medium of gaming can act as a tool which provides world exploration for those that may not easily access the natural environment. It also fosters outside of the box thinking, empathy, and team action – all necessary ingredients to solve environmental issues. Gaming can unlock the world, break the barriers of what is possible and inspire environmental action for generations to come.  

    Read on to learn more about gaming as a medium for environmental change and how Xbox is celebrating Earth Day.   

    Play

    Explore Sustainability with Minecraft

    Bring climate and sustainability science to life with incredible animals. Minecraft Education Planet Earth III created in partnership with BBC Earth engages students with a free curriculum that includes lesson plans and discussion guides. Explore the way these animals’ lives are intertwined by playing as both predator and prey, parent and offspring, friend and ally, and discover the precarious balance of survival.

    Research climate change while learning the principles of AI. With Minecraft Education AI for Earth students will learn principles of AI while taking their first steps into this exciting realm of computer science. Learners will use the power of AI in a range of exciting real-world scenarios, including preservation of wildlife and ecosystems, helping people in remote areas, and research on climate change.

    Explore games with environmental themes on Game Pass

    Simulation games provide a unique ability to explore and grow environments while also managing and regenerating natural resources. Check out these games that highlight these themes within their mechanics and stories:

    • Lightyear Frontier (Game Preview) (Available with Xbox Game Pass on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Cloud) – Build a sustainable ecofarm and carefully manage your relationship with the ecosystem in this peaceful open-world farming adventure on a planet at the far edge of the galaxy. This game encourages sustainability efforts, including planting trees to replace those you harvest and cleaning up pollution. Invite up to three friends to create a flourishing homestead.
    • Coral Island (Available with Xbox Game Pass on Xbox Series X|S, PC, and Cloud) – Play a part in conserving native flora and fauna, dive into the seas to clean up the coral reef, and pick up trash all around the island in this family-friendly farming simulator inspired by Southeast Asia. The development team from Indonesia included themes of conservation in the way players must maintain the island’s ecosystem all while encouraging you to form a bond with nature.
    • Stardew Valley (Available with Xbox Game Pass on Console, PC, and Cloud) – You’ve inherited your grandfather’s overgrown farm plot and with a little dedication, you might be able to restore Stardew Valley to greatness! With an anti-consumerism plot against the JoJa Corporation and a whole lot of land to explore, Stardew Valley showcases love of nature and focuses on life’s simple pleasures.

    Give

    The Seattle Aquarium uses Xbox Controllers to research the depths of local waterways

    Xbox is excited to spotlight and support the incredible underwater remotely operated vehicle (ROV) research work of the Seattle Aquarium—a program designed to inform habitat restoration efforts throughout the region and reverse the decline of local kelp forests. The aquarium’s ROV Nereo, named after the scientific name for bull kelp (Nereocystis luetkeana), is a small, customizable, and easily maneuverable device that can dive up to 100 meters deep and transmit live video and data to the surface. Our favorite part? The researchers use Xbox controllers to pilot the ROV Nereo and navigate through the dense and dynamic kelp forests in Elliott Bay, the waterway surrounding the aquarium.

    In addition to providing food and shelter for hundreds of marine animals, bull kelp also sequesters carbon from the water and locally mitigates the effects of ocean acidification. While some regions in the Salish Sea have thriving kelp forests, other regions are seeing up to a 95% decline, and researchers aren’t always sure why. The aquarium’s ROV work helps researchers survey declining kelp ecosystems and the factors that impact their health so the   broader Washington kelp conservation, restoration, and management community can work towards restoration.

    To expand the scope and scale of this work, the aquarium is collaborating with the Tulalip Tribes Natural Resources Shellfish Program to help them get their own ROV program up and running. The aquarium is also partnering with state agencies and Reef Check to compare ROV and scuba diving as methods for collecting data, and to evaluate the effectiveness of different environmental monitoring strategies. By using Xbox controllers to operate the ROV, the aquarium is not only making research more fun and accessible to future generations of marine conservationists, but also demonstrating the power of technology for environmental conservation and education. Through education and outreach events with a variety of local organizations, the aquarium hopes this program will inspire more people to appreciate and protect the kelp forests and the marine life they support.

    To learn more about the Seattle Aquarium and the work they do visit seattleaquarium.org and watch our Xbox livestream at the Seattle Aquarium from Earth Day 2023.

    Diablo IV: Duriel’s Offering to Tiggywinkles

    Duriel the Maggot King has enlisted Diablo IV fans to help sacrifice his horde. For every 25 likes on the Earth Day post from Diablo’s X account, Blizzard will be donating a bucket of Maggots to Tiggywinkles, up to 666 buckets of maggots, to help feed their bird nursery. With each bucket containing roughly 45,000 maggots, you could help Blizzard fund Tiggywinkle’s bird rehabilitation program for more than two years by simply liking their post.

    Tiggywinkles is a specialist animal rescue hospital in the UK. They are dedicated to rescuing and rehabilitating all species of local wildlife. Every animal brought to the hospital is given a chance and treated with the best available care. Any animal or bird unable to be released back to the wild is maintained at the Hospital, in as natural conditions as possible. Head to the Diablo X account to help turn likes into buckets of maggots for the birds.

    Engage 

    Barn X on the Rare Campus

    Xbox has constructed its first mass timber building in Europe at Rare, the Xbox Game Studio and creator of Sea of Thieves. The new solar-powered studio is already inspiring game developers to create unique shared experiences for players.

    Located in Twycross, Leicestershire, Rare’s new building – called ‘Barn X’ – was opened in early 2023 on the Rare campus, which is surrounded by nature in the heart of the English countryside.

    Rare’s Studio Head, Craig Duncan, said: “Our new barn is a demonstration of leading-edge sustainability and environmental design, creating a model green workplace.  The opportunity to expand our campus by building a state-of-the-art environment for our teams while supporting Microsoft to achieve its sustainability goals has been genuinely rewarding. The new space design promotes collaboration, creativity and wellbeing, which are essential ingredients for a team to create fun experiences for players everywhere.”

    Barn X has recently been certified LEED GOLD for its design and construction – a worldwide-recognized symbol of sustainability achievement and leadership. It is one example of how Microsoft is implementing sustainable solutions for the future as it pursues its goal to be carbon negative by 2030.

    You can read more about the new building and how it is enabling creativity and enhancing wellbeing here.

    Playing for the Planet Annual Impact Report

    As a founding member of the Playing 4 The Planet Alliance, we are excited to share the 2023 Annual Impact Report. The report includes:

    • A measure of progress towards Playing 4 the Planet’s strategic goals.
    • Updates on focus areas, such as decarbonization, The Green Game Jam, and more.
    • A review of members’ commitments towards sustainability.

    Xbox won the Green Studio of the Year award at Gamescom Opening Night Live 2023. We thank the industry for recognizing our green gaming efforts, but we can achieve more when we work with others.  That’s why we’re excited to welcome Activision Blizzard, one of America’s Greenest Companies 2024, to Team Xbox. We look forward to collaborating with our new teammates from Activision Blizzard and King, who are already improving the impact of gaming.

    And even more from Team Microsoft: Visit Microsoft Unlocked to explore innovations across  Microsoft products, partners and customers that are helping to achieve our carbon goals!

    Website: LINK

  • Women Behind Minecraft Are Building a Better World Through the Power of Play, Block by Block

    Women Behind Minecraft Are Building a Better World Through the Power of Play, Block by Block

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    “I would say reach out to someone in the industry, so whether it’s an alumnus from your school or someone you’ve seen on a panel, just start a conversation, start building your network,” Duan says. “We all started somewhere. You can find so many people who are willing to share their story and support your journey in this industry.” 

    “Being part of studios that get the game into players’ hands very quickly, means you can feel that impact, what resonates and what doesn’t,” Chenn says. If I had Minecraft when I was 5 on my Game Boy, I know I would be a creator today.” 

    Walters, who came into Mojang after 13 years with Lucasfilm, urges early career women to “stick with it” in the competitive and demanding gaming and entertainment industries. 

    “You will definitely encounter obstacles and setbacks. If it’s something you’re passionate about, don’t ever give up, right? Find ways to overcome. Pivot when you need to, find ways to achieve your goals. That may mean learning new skills, seeking new opportunities or networking with others,” she says. “Be confident that we can do it, but also be collaborative, supportive, curious and adventurous. Be resilient and persistent.”  

    “One of the core reasons I joined the company is because of our purpose, which is building a better world through the power of play,” says Duan, who brought experience from working at LucasArts and Leapfrog on game-based learning to Minecraft Education.  

    Her team is responsible for getting Minecraft games to players on an array of platforms across console, PC and mobile. 

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    “When I joined Mojang three years ago, it felt like a homecoming to be able work on an IP [intellectual property] that is as universal as Minecraft and to understand the impact that we could have on the world.” 

    For Walters, who leads efforts to deliver new experiences and expand outside of the core Minecraft game, that means extending the game’s ethos into entertainment. She’s just recently gone to work on a Minecraft film in progress. 

    Minecraft’s consumer products business alone has doubled in revenue over the past two years.  

    Website: LINK

  • Xbox’s Promise to Bring More Games to More Players Around the World

    Xbox’s Promise to Bring More Games to More Players Around the World

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Today, on a special edition of the Official Xbox Podcast, we shared an update on plans to continue to bring more games to more people around the world, with the exciting news that the first Activision Blizzard game on Xbox Game Pass will be Diablo IV, beginning March 28.

    Phil Spencer, Sarah Bond, and Matt Booty also shared the vision on game exclusivity, the future of Xbox hardware, and the overall Xbox promise. There’s a lot to talk about, so we encourage you to watch the full episode here:

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGlD9SO3rKU?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    With the combined creativity across Team Xbox, players can expect an incredible 2024 with the likes of Senua’s Saga: Hellblade II, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, Avowed, Ara: History Untold, Towerborne and more coming your way, alongside continued updates for our blockbuster franchises Call of Duty, Minecraft, Forza, The Elder Scrolls Online and Microsoft Flight Simulator.

    There will be even more to play as we begin to fulfill our commitment to offer Activision and Blizzard games with Game Pass, both new releases and classic games from its legendary catalog. We’re happy to share that Diablo IV will be available to play by the 34 million Game Pass subscribers on both PC and Xbox consoles beginning March 28! This is only the start of Xbox players being able to enjoy Activision and Blizzard games on Game Pass – we look forward to sharing more soon.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qAzsvhydCps?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Our combined studio teams already ship some of the biggest franchises and critically-acclaimed adventures across multiple platforms: Minecraft, Call of Duty, Overwatch, Diablo, The Elder Scrolls Online, and more have built communities across consoles, PC, and mobile. Likewise, Xbox Game Studios and Bethesda have brought dozens of games to Steam alongside Xbox consoles on launch day; the teams at Xbox have extensive experience supporting multiple platforms, while continuing to invest heavily in our studios, our consoles and services.

    Indeed, our games are reaching more players than ever; across Activision, Bethesda, Blizzard, King, and Xbox Game Studios, we reach hundreds of millions of players across console, PC, and mobile.

    To ensure long-term success for both Xbox and the industry as a whole, we must continue to evolve. Today we announced that we will expand the communities we reach: we are currently in the process of bringing four Xbox games to other platforms. These are titles which have been available to Xbox players for at least a year, including hidden gems that deserve to be experienced more widely, and live service games whose communities will benefit from welcoming even more players. We will share more details on these titles soon.

    By bringing these games to more players, we not only expand the reach and impact of those titles, but this will allow us to invest in either future versions of these games, or elsewhere in our first-party portfolio. There is no fundamental change to our approach on exclusivity. 

    Likewise, our commitment to game preservation is unwavering. Xbox players should have confidence in building your digital library in the Xbox ecosystem.  We will continue to reward that with the most robust, player-friendly experiences, including backwards compatibility, cross-play, cross-save progression, convenient cloud gaming, and more. Xbox consoles will continue to provide a flagship experience for players; it’s where you get the best value and convenience, it’s where Game Pass provides unprecedented access to an ever-evolving library of games. To be clear: Game Pass will continue to be only available on Xbox platforms. 

    This is what it means to be part of Xbox:

    • The biggest games in the world will be on Xbox.  
    • Our games will come to Game Pass day one
    • A robust and innovative multi-year hardware roadmap
    • Compatibility with your library is a priority, inclusive of cross-play, cross-save, and robust cloud features.  
    • Xbox will continue to help game creators find the biggest audience possible.

    Whether you’ve been with us since 2001, recently joined Game Pass to enjoy games like Starfield or Palworld, or are looking forward to the next season of Call of Duty, the creative teams at Xbox are stronger together – no matter where you play. Xbox will be around for decades to come – we hope you’ll join us on this journey.

    Website: LINK

  • Minecraft Education Launches Good Game Ahead of Safer Internet Day

    Minecraft Education Launches Good Game Ahead of Safer Internet Day

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Every day, online games are a way for young people to connect with others. They’re engaging, creative spaces where players interact and build community. At Xbox, we strive for every player to have an inclusive, welcoming experience — and an important step in that is creating environments where players feel safe. Together, we can foster thriving digital communities. 

    Online environments have their own unique challenges compared with real-world scenarios, and they require different digital skills, especially for our youngest players. Ahead of Safer Internet Day, Minecraft Education has created a new addition to the CyberSafe collection of immersive Minecraft worlds designed to help young people stay safe, happy, and thriving online.  

    CyberSafe: Good Game is a fun, story-based adventure that helps players understand the responsibilities, tools, responses, and strategies that enable healthy online interactions, collaboration, and rewarding digital experiences, whether those are part of multiplayer gaming or other online activities.  

    Minecraft Education users can find CyberSafe: Good Game in the in-game lesson library. The world is also available for free for Minecraft Bedrock players in the Minecraft Marketplace

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bjWQG8HP-uc?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    An Adventure Through Online Gaming

    CyberSafe: Good Game takes place just before summer break, as a group of friends discusses how to level up in their favorite game together. Unfortunately, one of their friends can’t play because they broke their controller after a series of frustrating encounters with online bullies. 

    To help their friend, players create a Good Game Guide. This guidebook will provide helpful strategies for managing challenging online situations in support of a safer, more enjoyable gaming experience. 

    In CyberSafe: Good Game, players encounter common problems they might experience in online spaces, including online bullies sabotaging their success, excessive distractions from the in-game chat, inappropriate screen names and language, and more. In each scenario, they’ll have the chance to use the right tools to address the issue. Players can choose to ignore, correct, mute, or report a behavior. 

    After each challenge, players will reflect on what they’ve experienced and add an entry into their Good Game Guide. At the end of the adventure, they’ll be able to use this guidebook as a code of conduct for their future online gaming experiences.  

    Building a Better Online Community for Everyone

    CyberSafe: Good Game emphasizes responsibility and treating others with respect, kindness, and consideration when online. The game’s challenge-based framework allows players to apply effective tools and strategies to the gaming space, giving them opportunities to practice appropriate responses, normalizing their use, and fostering empathy and responsible digital behavior. 

    “Good Game is the latest learning adventure in the CyberSafe series where players are given the tools to be agents on their safety journey. In a world that deeply needs more collaboration and dialogue, what could be more important than sparking a cultural shift to foster healthy and respectful communities,” says Carlos Figueiredo, Director of Player Safety on Minecraft.

    As the world becomes more infused with technology, it’s critical that young people learn to look at digital spaces as forums they can use to make the world better. 

    Research shows the role that parents and educators can take to help young people navigate the online world. Microsoft’s annual Global Online Safety Survey found that 87 percent of children surveyed reported talking to their parent about an online risk. That means young people often trust their parents for support on these issues, and speaking with parents, caregivers or trusted adults is an important part of creating safer online habits.  

    These conversations aren’t always easy, but there are some powerful strategies parents can keep in mind. A report from the National Institute of Standards and Technology shares some key findings: 

    • Start the conversation early. 
      Discussions about digital citizenship can start as soon as young people begin using technology. By the time they’re in elementary school, children often already know about security, privacy, and online risks, and they’re eager to learn how to stay safe.  
    • Talk it out to help young people navigate online spaces. 
      Parents might hesitate to bring up online privacy and security because they don’t feel like they know enough. But when children talk to their parents, they become more knowledgeable, even if the conversations aren’t highly technical—just topics like online activities and making good choices.  
    • Understand how young people see the digital world
      Children tend to see online privacy and security as within their control, and they understand that different risks come with different situations. On the other hand, parents tend to see most online activities as risky, so they often enforce restrictions instead of discussing positive behaviors and outcomes. 

    If you’re looking for more resources and tips for family gaming, visit xbox.com/family. You can learn more about what Xbox offers for families, including information about privacy and access to privacy tools, the Xbox Family Settings app, and our Community Standards. Finally, explore the Family Online Safety Toolkit to find further guidance and support for safe, fun, and healthy digital communities. 

    Website: LINK

  • An Update on Minecraft Legends

    An Update on Minecraft Legends

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    The post An Update on Minecraft Legends appeared first on Xbox Wire.

    Website: LINK

  • Xbox Wire’s Holiday Guide to the Perfect Co-op and Party Games

    Xbox Wire’s Holiday Guide to the Perfect Co-op and Party Games

    Reading Time: 7 minutes

    If you’re heading home for the holidays, hosting a party, or just looking for a way to get the kids to stop trying to steal presents under the tree, let Xbox Wire (and an Xbox Series X or Xbox Series S) help you this holiday season.

    We know that gaming brings people of all backgrounds and generations together – and our recent survey among Xbox Ambassadors who are parents demonstrated this in action. As part of the study, 59% of respondents shared that they game more with friends and family over the holidays. A Power of Play survey from the ESA had similar findings, with and 46% of respondents adding that video games help them stay connected to loved ones.

    With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of situations in which a local multiplayer game might help solve a common holiday problem  – finding the right game to play with loved ones.  Our solutions range from quiet co-op adventures to rowdy party games, so you’ll be sure to find something for everyone.

    Best of all, many of the games on the list are available as part of Xbox Game Pass,  meaning a single membership gives you unlimited access to every one of our solutions for entertaining over the holidays. Not to mention, the Xbox Family Settings app provides peace of mind and an easy way to manage your  family’s play. Parents can easily create child accounts, customize screen time limits, respond to notifications, manage who their children can play and communicate with, manage spending and much more – all for free.

    Best Game to Help The Kids (and Yourself) Unwind

    A mixture of sugar, no school, and impending presents would put any cooped-up family on edge around the holidays – so allow us to recommend Minecraft as a salve. Starting a new seed and hopping into a split-screen co-op is incredibly simple – and once you’re in, the options are limitless.

    You could allow the family a single run in Survival mode before heading to bed, or offer them a chance to create a holiday wonderland in Creative mode. And you never know, that incredibly relaxing music might just help them drift off to sleep in the end, too.

    Best Game For When The Kids Have Gone To Bed

    There’s a chance that the kids and your old aunt don’t want to see monsters being mowed down in great numbers, but when night falls, Sanctuary will welcome you. Diablo IV is the perfect place to game to let off some steam after long days, offering copious amounts of bombastic combat, an immersive story campaign, and some Midwinter terrors as part of the ongoing seasons. With couch co-op, a friend can also get in on the action too, making Diablo IV the perfect game to curl up on the sofa with.

    Best Game For An Outdoor Adventure While You’re Stuck Indoors

    It can be difficult to get out for fresh air when you’re at home during the holiday season, but Grounded can offer a grassy escape for us all. The backyard provides the perfect opportunity to get back to nature in all its forms, building a base to survive, and fighting off marauding insects as you go. Grounded also just released the Make It and Break It update, which lets you build your very own version of the backyard with a suite of intuitive tools and gadgets. The expansive feature will keep everyone  occupied for hours, but be warned, you might become the test subjects of some extremely chaotic creations.

    Plus, if you’ve got a console and a PC at home, and a Game Pass Ultimate Subscription, you and a chosen family member can team up and navigate a treacherous backyard together. And if a couple of visiting cousins happen to have consoles at home, they can join in using Xbox Cloud Gaming, too, letting all four of you play.

    Best Game For When You Can’t Get A Moment’s Peace

    There are some holidays where sitting down for a cup of tea is nigh on impossible, never mind gathering around the telly to play a video game. Fortunately, Vampire Survivors’ high-octane fun is easy to pick up and put down during those restless days, and its digestible rounds of 30 minutes or (usually) less means that everybody can have a go, whether it’s on their own or in couch co-op mode with a buddy.

    While Vampire Survivors has its own subtle narrative and fun progression system, in which you can unlock new levels, characters and powerups, it’s a great game to dip in and out of at your leisure, and it’s also available on Game Pass. Plus, if someone can’t wait their turn, they can always jump into a solo run with Xbox Cloud Gaming (Beta) on mobile.

    Best Game to Play for the Entirety of the Holiday Break

    If you’re back at home with the family for two weeks, you’ll definitely need something to do while you’re there. So why not set yourself and a family member a challenge? Can you make it through every single campaign in Halo: The Master Chief Collection?

    Comprising 67 missions spread over Halo: Reach, Halo: Combat Evolved Anniversary, Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, Halo 3: ODST, and Halo 4, it’s a huge, nostalgic chunk of classic sci-fi shooting to sink your teeth into – and it’s all available in split-screen, and via Game Pass. And that’s even before you start messing about in multiplayer…

    Best Game  for Recreating the Unique Stress of Making a Holiday Dinner

    Look, we don’t know exactly why you’d want to simulate making dinner for dozens of people when you might be doing it already – but we do know exactly how to do it. Step up, Overcooked 2, the game that laughs in the face of the ‘too many cooks’ cliché, and is also conveniently available via Game Pass.

    Between you and your family and friends, you’ll be able to test your resolve in a busy kitchen, prepping ingredients and plating up as fast as possible — perhaps even learning how to turn real-life cooking into a high-speed party game in the process (but probably without the comedy set pieces in the game itself). Of course, once all that’s done, there’s another key stress caused by holiday cooking. We cover that in the next category…

    Best Game  for Working out Who Needs to Wash the Dishes

    The holidays are a time of peace, love, and being on your best behavior in front of people you might dislike. However, that doesn’t have to apply to entertainment. Party Animals is a competitive brawler that allows you to channel that chaos through fluffy, flailing critters, bashing each other around for a moment of glory, and the chance to evade the cleaning up.

    Party Animals benefits from split screen co-op, so up to four players in the same room can join the same game and battle it out, either against each other or in teams. Just connect up a new controller, join as a guest player, and you’re good to go. Party Animals is also available on Game Pass, allowing everyone to hop into the action on just one subscription!

    Best Game To Explore a Galaxy Far, Far Away

    It’s only a matter of time before classic movies are shared by family and friends during the festive period, and Star Wars, with its installments spanning generations, is up there among them. LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga, lets you and another player experience classic storylines and explore all of the iconic areas of the Galaxy.

    Brick by brick, you can make your way through all nine Skywalker Saga films, with hundreds of iconic characters to unlock from the likes of Luke Skywalker, Obi-Wan Kenobi and Princess Leia, to more recent additions such as Rey, Finn and Kylo Ren. Available on Xbox via Game Pass, LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga is the perfect game for your loved ones to enjoy while you take care of those endless holiday tasks. You can also pick up the Galactic Edition, which features over 400 characters from the expanded Star Wars universe.

    Best Game to Play When an Ocean Divides You

    Sometimes circumstances are such that not all of us can be in the same room together for some family gaming fun this holiday season, but that doesn’t mean we can’t set out on a gaming jaunt together! Sea of Thieves provides that perfect blend of adventure, good times, and downtime on the waves to catch up over the holidays.

    Travel to distant islands seeking fortune while sharing your riches with family and friends. Take down a ship full of skeletons while sipping on eggnog (just don’t get any on your headset microphone) or share pumpkin pie recipes as you’re heading to port to cash in your hard-earned plunder. Maybe even sing a holiday shanty! There’s plenty of new content in Season 10, including the introduction of Guilds. You can also set sail in Sea of Thieves: The Legend of Monkey Island, a charming crossover that allows you to explore the classic point-and-click series in a set of Tall Tales. All three of the Tall Tales are available now, should you be craving nostalgia during the holiday season.

    However you choose to play it, Sea of Thieves offers plenty for you to enjoy together when distant shores are keeping you apart.

    Website: LINK

  • Free Play Days – Battlefield 2042, Autonauts, Akka Arrh, and Minecraft

    Free Play Days – Battlefield 2042, Autonauts, Akka Arrh, and Minecraft

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Are you ready for some action-packed, creative, and retro gaming fun? Get ready to try out three amazing games for a limited time with Free Play Days! Battlefield 2042, Autonauts, and Akka Arrh are available this weekend for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members to play from Thursday October 12 at 12:01 a.m. PDT until Sunday, October 15 at 11:59 p.m. PDT. 

    Additionally, Minecraft is free for all Xbox members from October 12 until October 15 (Game Pass Core, Game Pass Ultimate not required).

    Game Pass Core will give players access to our advanced multiplayer network, a select collection of over 25 games to play with friends around the world, and exclusive member deals! Read more about Game Pass Core at Xbox Wire.


    How to Start Playing


    Find and install the games on each of the individual game details page on Xbox.com. Clicking through will send you to the Microsoft Store, where you must be signed in to see the option to install with your Xbox Game Pass Core or Xbox Game Pass Ultimate membership. To download on console, click on the Subscriptions tab in the Xbox Store and navigate down to the Free Play Days collection on your Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.


    Keep the Fun Going


    Purchase the game and other editions at a limited time discount and continue playing while keeping your Gamerscore and achievements earned during the event! Please note that discounts and percentages may vary by title and region.


    Free Play Days (Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate Required)


    Xbox Live

    Battlefield™ 2042 Xbox One & Xbox Series X|S

    Electronic Arts

    3018

    $69.99 $62.99

    Experience Battlefield 2042 – Season 6: Dark Creations and master the unknown in claustrophobic close-quarters battles. Between October 12-15, gather your squad and play free on the new map – Redacted, wield new weapons and gadgets, and unlock 100 tiers of Battle Pass content.


    Xbox Live

    Autonauts

    Curve Games

    202

    $19.99 $3.99

    In Autonauts you must build, create, and automate. Start by establishing a colony, crafting bots, and teaching them via scratch-style programming to build an ever-evolving autonomous paradise of agriculture, industry, and enlightenment.


    Xbox Live

    Akka Arrh

    Atari

    14

    $19.99 $11.99

    Akka Arrh combines the intrigue of an incredibly rare Atari arcade prototype with the unique creative vision of Jeff Minter to deliver a wave shooter that is insanely fun to play. Akka Arrh drips with Minter’s sense of humor, his love of psychedelic color and light, and his ability to flat-out create games that are a joy to play.


    Free Play Days For All (Game Pass Core or Game Pass Ultimate Not Required)


    Xbox Live

    Minecraft

    Microsoft Studios

    2000

    $19.99 $15.99

    Xbox One X Enhanced

    Xbox Game Pass

    Minecraft is a game made up of blocks, creatures, and community. Blocks can be used to reshape the world or build fantastical creations. Creatures can be battled or befriended, depending on your playstyle. Experience epic adventures solo or with friends – there’s no wrong way to play (unless you’re digging straight down).

    Don’t miss out on this exciting Free Play Days for Xbox Game Pass Core and Xbox Game Pass Ultimate members! Learn more about Free Play Days here and stay tuned to Xbox Wire to find out about future Free Play Days and all the latest Xbox gaming news. 

    Website: LINK

  • This project facilitates augmented reality Minecraft gaming

    This project facilitates augmented reality Minecraft gaming

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Augmented reality (AR) is distinct from virtual reality (VR) in that it brings the real world into virtual gameplay. The most famous example of AR is Pokémon Go, which lets players find the pocket monsters throughout their own physical region. Minecraft is the best-selling video game of all time, but lacks any official AR gameplay. So Ryan Chan tackled the problem himself and built a system that translates real world movement into control of a player’s Minecraft avatar.

    We’ll just assume that you know how Minecraft works, because you have probably played it yourself. Chan’s project works with the standard game and doesn’t require any special mods — Chan could even use this to play on others’ Minecraft servers if he chose. The system counts footsteps and converts them into forward movement in-game. It also detects real life rotational movement and replicates that movement in the game. But other actions, like attacking or swapping items, require conventional button presses.

    The key components of this project are an Arduino MKR Zero board, a MPU-6050 IMU (inertial measurement unit), and two force sensitive resistors. The IMU detects rotational movement, while the force sensitive resistors detect footsteps when worn on the player’s shoes. Four mechanical key switches trigger the other actions. Chan configured the Arduino to appear as a standard USB HID keyboard and mouse when plugged into a computer, so Minecraft accepts the control commands without issue. To tidy everything up, Chan designed a custom PCB that hosts the aforementioned components.

    Using this system for Minecraft gaming is tricky, as it requires plenty of real world open space to navigate the virtual world. But with access to a large park, it lets the player enjoy an AR Minecraft experience.

    The post This project facilitates augmented reality Minecraft gaming appeared first on Arduino Blog.

    Website: LINK

  • Minecraft controls this LED array

    Minecraft controls this LED array

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Arduino TeamJuly 12th, 2022

    A common question asked by new makers is “what is the difference between a microcontroller development board and a single-board computer?” Or, in more common terms, “what is the difference between an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi?” There are many technical differences, but people are really asking about why you would use one over the other. The answer, in most cases, is that you use an Arduino to handle low-level control of sensors, motors, and so on, and you use a Raspberry Pi for computing processor-intensive tasks. If, however, you need both, then MrDemonFrog’s Minecraft-controlled LED array illustrates how to do so.

    MrDemonFrog’s project is simple. The hardware consists of an Arduino Uno board and four LEDs: red, blue, green, and amber. Those LEDs light up depending on what the player looks at inside of Minecraft. MrDemonFrog built a special map to demonstrate this. It has four huge walls in those primary colors. If the player looks at the red wall, then the red LED illuminates. The same is true for the other colors.

    This project is interesting because it shows how users can combine the power of a computer (including a Raspberry Pi) with Arduino’s ability to interface with hardware components. MrDemonFrog utilizes a Python script and OpenCV to detect the color in front of the Minecraft player. Once it determines the color, it sends a command to the Arduino through the Serial communications port. Instead of the Arduino making decisions on its own, as you probably experienced in beginner tutorials, it offloads that decision-making to the computer and simply acts as an interface for the low-level hardware (the LEDs).

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrn8bDnePwM?feature=oembed&w=500&h=281]

    Website: LINK

  • Minecraft Seeds – Spannende Startwelten für das Klötzchen-Abenteuer

    Minecraft Seeds – Spannende Startwelten für das Klötzchen-Abenteuer

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Ob ihr im Kreativmodus mit unbegrenzten Ressourcen unglaubliche Bauwerke erschafft oder lieber im Überlebensmodus gegen feindliche Kreaturen kämpft: Minecraft ist ein einzigartiges Erlebnis und bietet schier unbegrenzte Möglichkeiten der Fantasie freien Lauf zu lassen und Abenteuer in den Klötzchen-Welten zu erleben. Und das als PS Plus-Mitglied auch gemeinsam mit zu acht Online-Spielern. Minecraft für PlayStation sowie eine kostenlose Testversion des Spiels findet ihr im PlayStation-Store.

    Wo soll man nur beginnen?

    Erstellt ihr eine neue Welt in Minecraft, wird diese zufällig generiert. Die Überraschung, was euch denn nun in der Startwelt erwartet, macht mit den Reiz dieses kreativen Spiels aus. Habt ihr mit viel Hingabe eine fantastische Umgebung erschaffen oder stoßt zufällig auf beeindruckende Landschaften, dann zeigt es auch allen euren Freunden und Freundinnen.

    Dazu teilt ihr den sogenannten Seed, den einzigartigen Startwert einer Klötzchen-Welt. Dieser Zahlencode wird in den Spieleinstellungen in das entsprechende Feld eingetragen. Schaut euch doch mal unsere Vorschläge an, wir wünschen viel Spaß beim Erkunden.

    Eisige Berggipfel

    Seed: 24198801

    Bekommt keine Panik, wenn ihr gleich nach dem Erstellen der Welt mitten in einer engen Eishöhle landet. Ein paar Schläge nach allen Seiten und ihr seht das Tageslicht. Klettert an die Oberfläche und euch steht eine großartige Berglandschaft offen. Begebt euch gleich zu dem verschneiten Berg in der Mitte, der nicht nur auf der Spitze ein Dorf beherbergt, sondern auch viele natürliche Höhlen und Gänge besitzt, die es zu erkunden lohnt. Diesen und weitere interessante Seeds findet ihr zum Beispiel in dieser regelmäßig aktualisierten Übersicht.

    Land und Leute

    Seed: 79067

    Ihr könnt euch nicht entscheiden, ob ihr lieber in einem üppigen Wald oder in einer bergigen Wüstenlandschaft euer Abenteuer beginnen möchtet? Dann begebt euch in diese Startwelt, hier findet ihr die unterschiedlichen Biome gleich nebeneinander. Schnappt euch so einfach notwendige Ressourcen, ohne weite Strecken laufen zu müssen. Außerdem lernt ihr Dorfbewohner aus verschiedenen klimatischen Bedingungen lernen und habt reichlich Platz euch bautechnisch zu verwirklichen.

    Baut euch eine Bergfestung

    Seed: -567672433

    Ihr befindet euch in einem weitläufigen Wüstengebiet und direkt vor den Toren eines Dorfes. Ein guter Startpunkt, um eine eigene Welt zu erschaffen, wenn ihr gleich Handel treiben könnt. Wendet euren Blick aber auf das grimmige Felsmassiv, nur ein paar Schritte entfernt. Jeder James Bond-Bösewicht würde sich darüber freuen, hier sein Hauptquartier aufzuschlagen. Habt ihr euch häuslich eingerichtet, besucht noch einmal das Dorf und grabt ein Stück unter dem Brunnen. Ihr findet eine Treppe, die euch zu reichlich Ressourcen führt. Diesen und viele weitere tolle Seeds für die Bedrock-Version findet ihr bei Beebom.

    Einsam, aber nicht allein

    Seed: -714082416

    Ihr wollt Ruhe und ohne große Störungen ein eigenes kleines Reich aufbauen? Dann beginnt euer Abenteuer auf einer Insel und nutzt diesen Beebom Seed als Startpunkt der Reise. Auf dem malerischen Eiland baut ihr euer erstes Haus und wenn ihr bereit für die Erkundung seid, dann ist es nicht sehr weit, bis ihr auf ein Dorf auf dem nahegelegenen Festland stoßt. Schaut euch weiter um und ihr findet ein fast fertig gestelltes Portal, durch das ihr die Netherworlds gelangt. Alles, was ihr noch braucht sind natürlich Obsidian-Blöcke ,die sich ebenfalls i der Umgebung abbauen lassen.

    Perfekt für Naturliebhaber

    Seed: -1156445526

    Ihr landet auf einer bunten Blumenwiese, im Hintergrund erhebt sich ein Bergmassiv mit Wasserfall und alles ist so friedlich. Dieser Seed bietet einen der besten Ausgangspunkte, um ein gemütliches Heim zu errichten, Ressourcen zu sammeln und auf Erkundungstour zu gehen. Es gibt in unmittelbarer Nähe viel zu entdecken, beispielsweise ein belebtes Dorf mit handelswilligen Einwohner, einen Berg mit einem riesigen Loch auf dem Gipfel, durch das ihr tief hinab in Lava-Höhlen blickt oder ein Portal in die Unterwelt. Mehr zu diesem fantastischen Startpunkt und eine große Sammlung weiterer Seeds, findet ihr bei unter anderem bei Gameranx.

    Noch mehr spannende Startwelten

    Minecraft Starter-Guide

    Um euch den Einstieg zu erleichtern, haben wir einen umfangreichen Guide mit abgeschlossenen Tutorials und jede Menge Praxis-Tipps erstellt.

    Website: LINK

  • Minecraft Seeds 2021 – Diese Welten solltet ihr unbedingt besuchen

    Minecraft Seeds 2021 – Diese Welten solltet ihr unbedingt besuchen

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Erstellt ihr eine neue Welt in Minecraft, wird diese zufällig generiert und ihr müsst euch überraschen lassen, was ihr vorfindet. Das macht natürlich mit den Reiz des Spiels aus: unbekanntes Terrain erkunden und auf spektakuläre Funde hoffen. Damit ihr eure Freunde einladen oder einfach anderen Spielern eure ganz persönliche Welt zeigen könnt, nutzt ihr den einzigartigen Startwert, den sogenannten Seed. Dabei handelt es sich um einen Zahlencode, den ihr im entsprechenden Feld der Einstellungen findet. Gebt hier auch den Seed der Bedrock-Version von Minecraft ein, den ihr in unseren Vorschlägen findet. Wir wünschen viel Spaß beim Erkunden und Bauen.

    Lebendiger Ozean

    Seed: -1113465022

    Eine winzige Insel, ein paar mickrige Bäume und ansonsten … Wasser so weit ihr schauen könnt. Klingt unspektakulär? Nicht, wenn ihr einen Tauchgang unternehmt und euch näher mit den riesigen Ozean-Monumenten beschäftigt.

    Gleich fünf Monumente findet ihr in unmittelbarer Nähe. Erkundet das kristallklare Meer, erfreut euch an den Fischschwärmen und baut Materialien ab. Die einsame Insel oder eines der Eilande in der nahen Umgebung, eignen sich dabei hervorragend zum Bau einer sicheren Heimatbasis. Mehr Infos findet ihr bei Pro Game Guides.

    Pandas, überall Pandas

    Seed: 1959330209

    Die putzigen Bären sind gar nicht mal so leicht zu finden. Auch, wenn ihr einen Bambuswald entdeckt, machen sich die meist passiven Tierchen gerne mal rar.

    Ihr wollt aber gerne Pandas züchten? Kein Problem, gebt einfach den Seed ein, ihr landet direkt in einem dichten Bambus-Dschungel und braucht nicht lange zu warten, bis ihr die ersten Tiere seht. Füttert ihr sie mit Bambus, werden sie sich paaren und ihr könnt euch über süße Panda-Babys freuen. Mehr Infos zu der Welt findet ihr unter diesem Link.

    Alles was ihr braucht

    Seed: 3302368487053953130

    Sucht ihr eine Startwelt, in der ihr gleich aus dem Vollen schöpfen könnt, dann probiert diesen Seed aus.

    Gleich am Spawnpunkt findet ihr ein großes Dorf mit vielen Bewohnern, Pferdeställen, Kühen, Schweinen und sogar ein Eisengolem dreht schon seine Runden als Beschützer. Ihr braucht euch also nicht erst schnell eine Bleibe für die Nacht zusammenzuschustern, ihr habt quasi ein gemachtes Nest vor der Nase. Baut euch mit der Zeit ein Haus in der Nähe und treibt schwunghaften Handel zwischen euren Ausflügen in die benachbarten Biome.

    Auf in den Kampf

    Seed: -1929151380

    Sobald ihr die Welt erstellt habt, seid ihr schon mitten in der Schlacht von Dorfbewohnern gegen eine Horde Zombies. Das scheint auch nicht das erste Mal für die Klötzchen-NPCs zu sein, denn ihr seht mit Armbrüsten bewaffnete Soldaten und einen imposanten Wachturm in der Mitte des Dorfes. Schaut fasziniert zu oder mischt euch ein, befreit den Eisengolem aus seinem Käfig und prügelt selber auf die Pixelmonster ein.

    Das ist schon mal ein imposantes Szenario zum Beginn, aber die genaue Erkundung der Umgebung lohnt sich richtig, wie ihr in diesem Video von Shifteryplays sehen könnt. Eine starke Startwelt für erlebnishungrige Minecrafter.

    Eiskönig(in)

    Seed: -832798848

    Ihr mögt schneebedeckte Gipfel und weite Eisflächen lieber als Grasland, Dschungel oder Steppe? Mit diesem Seed generiert ihr eine Startwelt, in der ihr nur ein paar Meter laufen müsst und schon seid ihr in einer Umgebung, die auch gut das Reich eines Eiskönigs oder einer Eiskönigin sein könnte.

    Also macht euch ans Werk und baut euch ein mächtiges Schnee-Schloss, von dem aus ihr die Gegend überblicken könnt. Rohstoffe und andere überlebensnotwendige Dinge findet ihr in einem nahegelegenen Dorf und bis zum nächsten, wärmeren, Biom habt ihr es auch nicht allzu weit. Diesen und weitere spannende Seeds findet ihr zum Beispiel Shifteryplays auf dieser Übersicht. Schaut rein, es lohnt sich.

    Minecraft kaufen

    Minecraft Starter-Guide

    In Minecraft könnt ihr jederzeit kreativ werden und eurer Fantasie freien Lauf lassen. Um euch den Einstieg zu erleichtern, haben wir einen umfangreichen Guide mit abgeschlossenen Tutorials und jede Menge Praxis-Tipps erstellt.

    Website: LINK

  • Minecraft ab diesem Monat mit PS VR-Unterstützung

    Minecraft ab diesem Monat mit PS VR-Unterstützung

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Der Wunsch wurde von Minecraft-Spielern und in unserer Minecraft PlayStation-Community oft geäußert und heiß diskutiert. Jetzt ist es endlich offiziell. Ja, wir stellen PlayStation VR-Unterstützung für Minecraft bereit und das sogar schon bald! Nämlich noch diesen Monat!

    Ja, ihr habt richtig gelesen!

    Uns bei Mojang ist es echt schwergefallen, solange nichts zu verraten. Die Unterstützung von PS VR war schon ein geplantes PS4-Feature, seitdem wir von Sony grünes Licht bekommen hatten, ein plattformübergreifendes Spiel und die Bedrock-Version für die PlayStation 4 zu entwickeln. Die Frage war also nie ob, sondern wann.

    Minecraft x PlayStation VRMinecraft x PlayStation VR

    Ich nehme an, ihr wollt Genaueres dazu wissen?

    Sobald wir den letzten Feinschliff vorgenommen haben, wird die PS VR-Unterstützung über einen Patch für das Hauptspiel der Minecraft-Serie zur Verfügung stehen. Jeder, der Minecraft bereits auf der PlayStation 4 hat, erhält diesen Patch automatisch. Ladet euch den Patch herunter, um die neue Minecraft VR-Funktion zu verwenden. Natürlich braucht ihr ein PS VR-Set, um es nutzen zu können. Aber das habt ihr ja sicher schon, stimmt’s?

    Ihr fragt euch sicherlich, was so besonders an Minecraft mit PlayStation VR sein soll.

    <Trommelwirbel>… Es ist immer noch Minecraft, aber als unvergleichliche VR-Erfahrung. Es handelt sich um genau das Minecraft, das ihr jeden Tag, jede Woche, jeden Monat, jedes Jahr auf der PlayStation 4 spielen könnt. Daran ändert sich nichts. Die volle Dröhnung Minecraft – garantiert!

    Minecraft x PlayStation VRMinecraft x PlayStation VR

    Aber irgendwas muss doch anders sein, oder?

    Ja, natürlich! Es gibt eine Reihe neuer Einstellungen und Anleitungen, damit ihr das VR-Erlebnis an eure Bedürfnisse anpassen könnt. Es gibt zudem zwei Hauptmöglichkeiten, um das Spiel in VR zu spielen: den Intensiv- und den Wohnzimmer-Modus. Wir finden beide echt cool, aber das müsst ihr für euch entscheiden.

    Genau wie beim Hauptspiel könnt ihr mit dem DualShock 4-Controller Gebäude und Vorrichten bauen und in den Kampf ziehen, nur mit dem Unterschied, dass ihr dabei vollends in die Minecraft-Welt eintaucht. Ich garantiere euch, dass ihr irgendwann eins mit dem Spiel sein werdet.

    Minecraft x PlayStation VRMinecraft x PlayStation VR

    Obwohl wir die Entwicklung von Minecraft für PS VR aufgrund der Pandemie anpassen mussten, war diese relativ stressfrei. Ich wage sogar zu sagen, dass sie normal war. Das Minecraft x PSVR-Erlebnis selbst basiert auf der Minecraft VR-Technologie, die wir einige Jahre zuvor für andere VR-Plattformen entwickelt haben. Skybox Labs hat darauf aufgebaut und die bestehende Technologie für PS VR angepasst und optimiert. Und natürlich standen uns unsere Freunde bei Sony stets mit Rat und Tat zur Seite, weil sie ihr System besser kennen als jeder andere.

    Es war eine geniale Teamarbeit und wir freuen uns, den PlayStation VR-Spielern eine großartige und eindringliche Erfahrung mit dieser Version von Minecraft bereitzustellen!

    Website: LINK

  • Alt, aber nicht veraltet – langjährige Multiplayer-Perlen die auch heute noch angesagt sind

    Alt, aber nicht veraltet – langjährige Multiplayer-Perlen die auch heute noch angesagt sind

    Reading Time: 4 minutes

    Die heutige Zeit ist für Gaming-Fans eine sehr bequeme, denn in immer kürzer werdenden Abständen erscheinen neue wirklich gute bis hochkarätige Spiele. Jedoch bringt dies auch einige Probleme mit sich, die es zu früheren Zeit nicht gab. So ist es aufgrund der großen Menge oft schwierig all die Titel zu spielen, die interessant erscheinen, sodass man gezwungen ist Rosinen zu picken, ehe diese dann dem nächsten neuen Titel weichen müssen. Doch wie ein gallisches Dorf behauptet sich manche Games geradezu penetrant und sorgen auch nach Jahren noch immer für enormen Spielspaß. Im Folgenden präsentieren wir euch eine Auswahl alter Perlen, die auch heute noch auf der PlayStation 4 für brillante Unterhaltung sorgen.

    Elite Dangerous

    Alt, aber nicht veraltet – langjährige Multiplayer-Perlen die auch heute noch angesagt sind

    Die Vielfalt an Videospielen ist immer bemerkenswert: Von Shootern mit über 100 Spielern auf der Map, über knallharte Racing Games, bis hin zu Strategie-Titeln gibt es viel zu erleben. Elite Dangerous gehört ohne Frage zu den einzigartigeren Spielen, wird uns hier doch unsere Milchstraße in einer fernen Zukunft präsentiert. Diese Weltraumsimulation erschien 2014 erstmals und seit 2017 dürfen wir auch auf der PlayStation 4 die unendlichen Weiten des Alls erforschen. Doch alleine sind wir hier nicht, denn auch zahllose andere Spieler bevölkern die Milchstraße und beeinflussen das Ökosystem durch ihre Handlungen.

    Die Freiheiten in Elite Dangerous sind immens, sodass Fans von Sandbox-Games hier ihre wahre Freude haben. So können wir alleine auf die Reise gehen oder aber auch mit anderen Spielern zusammen aktiv werden. Aber Vorsicht, denn nicht alle Spieler sind freundlich gesinnt. Aber auch an Aktivitäten mangelt es nicht, sodass für viel Abwechslung gesorgt ist. Wollen wir uns als Kopfgeldjäger verdient machen oder doch lieber in einem Asteroidengürtel Ressourcen abbauen? Wir können auch Handel treiben, uns in die komplexen Gefüge der Diplomatie einbringen oder aber die Galaxie erforschen. Aber Vorsicht: Elite Dangerous ist eine Simulation und schreibt die alte Redewendung „Der Weg ist das Ziel“ groß. Doch die einzigartigen Erlebnisse bleiben unter Garantie unvergessen!

    Holt euch Elite Dangerous im PlayStation Store.

    Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege

    Alt, aber nicht veraltet – langjährige Multiplayer-Perlen die auch heute noch angesagt sind

    Hinter Rainbow Six verbirgt sich eine Taktik-Shooter-Reihe, die insbesondere durch die beiden „Vegas“-Ableger aus den Jahren 2006 und 2008 eine große Fangemeinde aufgebaut hat. Den Grundstein hat die Reihe allerdings schon weit früher gelegt, und zwar im Jahr 1998. Hier feierte bereits der allererste Ableger der Reihe auf der PSX sein Debüt. Mit Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege hat die Serie 2015 ihren bisherig erfolgreichsten Ableger an den Start gebracht, der selbst heute noch zu recht sehr stark nachgefragt wird.

    Spielerisch treten hier zwei Teams mit je fünf Spielern gegeneinander an, wobei sich diese in Angreifer und Verteidiger aufteilen. Neben zahlreicher Maps kommt hier insbesondere dank der mittlerweile riesigen Anzahl an Operatoren kaum Langeweile auf, was deren einzigartigen Fähigkeiten zu verdanken sind. Diese reichen von Schutzschilden, über Standgeschützen, bis hin zu Dronen und verschießbaren Minikameras. Durch taktisches Einsetzen dieser Fähigkeiten, verbunden mit einer guten Gruppenkoordination gilt es das gegnerische Team auszuschalten oder das Missionsziel zu erreichen. Dabei besticht Rainbow Six Siege vor allem durch das hochkarätige kooperative Gameplay, welches so stark ausgeprägt ist, dass Einzelgänger hier nicht viel zu lachen haben.

    Holt euch Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege im PlayStation Store.

    Minecraft

    Alt, aber nicht veraltet – langjährige Multiplayer-Perlen die auch heute noch angesagt sind

    Ohne Frage gehört Minecraft zu den aufsehenerregendsten Spielen der letzten 20 Jahre. Dabei zeigt der Titel eindrucksvoll, dass Grafik nicht alles ist – kommt sie in Minecraft doch sehr minimalistisch daher. Was das Sandbox-Game nach wie vor ausmacht ist der immense Spieltrieb, den wir schon von LEGO-Bauklötzen her kennen. Denn nur die Fantasie ist die Grenze und die Welt unser Spielplatz.

    Seit dem ursprünglichen Release im Jahr 2009 und dem Launch in 2014 auf der PlayStation 4 hat sich zudem viel getan, und ein Ende von weiteren Updates und neuen Inhalten ist quasi nicht in Sicht. Obwohl Minecraft in erster Linie für Solisten perfekt geeignet ist, so lohnt es sich doch auch mit Freunden oder in ambitionierten Gruppen zusammen zu arbeiten, um entweder zusammen Abenteuer zu erleben und Spaß zu haben, oder um die Welt nach eigenen Vorstellungen zu formen und gigantische Projekte umzusetzen.

    Holt euch Minecraft im PlayStation Store.

    TowerFall Ascension

    Alt, aber nicht veraltet – langjährige Multiplayer-Perlen die auch heute noch angesagt sind

    Hinter TowerFall Ascension steckt ein Nischen-Titel, der keinesfalls unterschätzt werden sollte. Dabei fokussiert dieser nicht etwa Online-Partien sonder abendliche Couch-Matches in geselliger Runde. Sei es in Teams oder aber im Free4All – die Matches sind süchtigmachend, rasant und fordern vor allem Skill ab. Agilität und vorausschauendes Spiel sind hier Trumpf.

    Schauplatz des Geschehens sind kleine 2D-Pixelart-Arenen, die untereinander enorm abwechslungsreich sind. Nur mit einem Bogen und begrenzter Munition bewaffnet, gilt es andere Spieler abzuschießen. Der große Mehrwert des Spiels kommt vor allem durch das rasante Gameplay und den aberwitzigen Situationen zustande, in denen wir uns wiederfinden. Unterschiedliche Pfeilsorten, fiese Fallen, Gravitation und die Möglichkeit Pfeile mit einem speziellen Manöver sogar aus der Luft aufzufangen sorgen für viel Kurzweil, großartige Momentaufnahmen und heiße Matches.

    Holt euch TowerFall Ascension im PlayStation Store.

    Website: LINK

  • Wes’s wonderful Minecraft user notification display

    Wes’s wonderful Minecraft user notification display

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    This Minecraft sign uses a Raspberry Pi to notify you when, and how many of, your friends are logged into your dedicated Minecraft server.

    [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8t-YJFhpH_4?feature=oembed]

    Let’s start by pointing out how wonderfully nostalgic many of Wes ‘Geeksmithing’ Swain’s projects are. From his Raspberry Pi–housing cement Thwomp that plays his favourite Mario games to The NES Project, his NES replica unit with a built-in projector — Wes makes the things we wished for as kids.

    The NES Project covered in HackSpace magazine

    We honestly wouldn’t be surprised if his next project is a remake of Duckhunt with servo-controlled ducks, or Space Invaders but it’s somehow housed in a flying space invader that shoots back with lasers. Honestly, at this point, we wouldn’t put it past him.

    Making the Minecraft friend notification display

    In the video, Wes covers the project in two parts. Firstly, he shows off the physical build of making the sign, including laser-cut acrylic front displayed with controllable LED lights, a Raspberry Pi Zero, and the wooden framing.

    Secondly, he moves on to the code, in which he uses mcstatus, a Python class created by Minecraft’s Technical Director Nathan Adams that can be used to query servers for information. In this instance, Wes is using mcstatus to check for other players on his group’s dedicated Mincecraft server, but the class can also be used to gather mod information. You can find mcstatus on GitHub.

    Each friend is assigned a letter that illuminates if they’re online.

    Lucky for Wes, he has the same number of friends on his server as the number of letters in ‘Minecraft’, so for every friend online, he’s programmed the display to illuminate a letter of the Minecraft logo. And while the server is empty, he can also set the display to run through various light displays, including this one, a dedication to the new Minecraft Nether update.

    If you’d like to try making this project yourself, you can: Wes goes into great detail in his video, and the code for the project can be found on his GitHub account.

    And while we have your attention, be sure to subscribe to Geeksmithing on YouTube and show him some love for such a great project.

    Website: LINK

  • Minecraft-controlled real world Christmas tree

    Minecraft-controlled real world Christmas tree

    Reading Time: 2 minutes

    Interact with the real world via the block world, with the Minecraft-controlled Christmas tree from the team at BroCraft Gaming.

    Illuminating

    David Stevens of BroCraft Gaming reached out to us last month to let us know about the real-life Christmas tree he and his team were planning to hack using Minecraft. Intriguing? Obviously. And after a few more emails, David has been back in touch to let us know the tree hack is now live and ready for the world to interact with.

    Here’s a blurb from the BroCraft team:

    Join our Minecraft server at brocraftlive.net, complete the tutorial if you haven’t already, and type /mcct to join our snowy wonderland. Collect power from power blocks dotted everywhere, then select a pattern with the Technician, and watch as the tree lights up on the camera stream LIVE before your very eyes! Visit the attractions, play our minigames, and find out what else our server has to offer.

    The tree uses individually addressable LEDs and the Adafruit Neopixel Python library. And with the help of a bespoke Java plugin, all instructions from within the Minecraft server are fed to the lights via a Raspberry Pi.

    You can view the live Christmas tree camera stream here, along with a brief FAQ on interacting with the tree within the BroCraft Minecraft server.

    Minecraft Pi

    You’ll need access to Minecraft to be able to interact with the tree. And, lucky for you, Minecraft Pi comes free with Raspbian on the Raspberry Pi!

    To flash the Raspbian image onto an SD card, follow this video tutorial from the team at The MagPi. And to get more acquainted with Minecraft on the Raspberry Pi, check out our free resources, including the getting started guide, Minecraft selfies, and the big Minecraft piano.

    Find more free Raspberry Pi resources on our projects site, and immerse yourself even further into the world of Minecraft Pi with The MagPi’s Hacking and Making in Minecraft Essentials Guide, available in print and as a free PDF download!

    Website: LINK

  • Build a house in Minecraft using Python

    Build a house in Minecraft using Python

    Reading Time: 9 minutes

    In this tutorial from The MagPi issue 68, Steve Martin takes us through the process of house-building in Minecraft Pi. Get your copy of The MagPi in stores now, or download it as a free PDF here.

    Minecraft Pi is provided for free as part of the Raspbian operating system. To start your Minecraft: Pi Edition adventures, try our free tutorial Getting started with Minecraft.

    Minecraft Raspberry Pi

    Writing programs that create things in Minecraft is not only a great way to learn how to code, but it also means that you have a program that you can run again and again to make as many copies of your Minecraft design as you want. You never need to worry about your creation being destroyed by your brother or sister ever again — simply rerun your program and get it back! Whilst it might take a little longer to write the program than to build one house, once it’s finished you can build as many houses as you want.

    Co-ordinates in Minecraft

    Let’s start with a review of the coordinate system that Minecraft uses to know where to place blocks. If you are already familiar with this, you can skip to the next section. Otherwise, read on.

    Minecraft Raspberry Pi Edition

    Plan view of our house design

    Minecraft shows us a three-dimensional (3D) view of the world. Imagine that the room you are in is the Minecraft world and you want to describe your location within that room. You can do so with three numbers, as follows:

    • How far across the room are you? As you move from side to side, you change this number. We can consider this value to be our X coordinate.
    • How high off the ground are you? If you are upstairs, or if you jump, this value increases. We can consider this value to be our Y coordinate.
    • How far into the room are you? As you walk forwards or backwards, you change this number. We can consider this value to be our Z coordinate.

    You might have done graphs in school with X going across the page and Y going up the page. Coordinates in Minecraft are very similar, except that we have an extra value, Z, for our third dimension. Don’t worry if this still seems a little confusing: once we start to build our house, you will see how these three dimensions work in Minecraft.

    Designing our house

    It is a good idea to start with a rough design for our house. This will help us to work out the values for the coordinates when we are adding doors and windows to our house. You don’t have to plan every detail of your house right away. It is always fun to enhance it once you have got the basic design written. The image above shows the plan view of the house design that we will be creating in this tutorial. Note that because this is a plan view, it only shows the X and Z co-ordinates; we can’t see how high anything is. Hopefully, you can imagine the house extending up from the screen.

    We will build our house close to where the Minecraft player is standing. This a good idea when creating something in Minecraft with Python, as it saves us from having to walk around the Minecraft world to try to find our creation.

    Starting our program

    Type in the code as you work through this tutorial. You can use any editor you like; we would suggest either Python 3 (IDLE) or Thonny Python IDE, both of which you can find on the Raspberry Pi menu under Programming. Start by selecting the File menu and creating a new file. Save the file with a name of your choice; it must end with .py so that the Raspberry Pi knows that it is a Python program.

    It is important to enter the code exactly as it is shown in the listing. Pay particular attention to both the spelling and capitalisation (upper- or lower-case letters) used. You may find that when you run your program the first time, it doesn’t work. This is very common and just means there’s a small error somewhere. The error message will give you a clue about where the error is.

    It is good practice to start all of your Python programs with the first line shown in our listing. All other lines that start with a # are comments. These are ignored by Python, but they are a good way to remind us what the program is doing.

    The two lines starting with from tell Python about the Minecraft API; this is a code library that our program will be using to talk to Minecraft. The line starting mc = creates a connection between our Python program and the game. Then we get the player’s location broken down into three variables: x, y, and z.

    Building the shell of our house

    To help us build our house, we define three variables that specify its width, height, and depth. Defining these variables makes it easy for us to change the size of our house later; it also makes the code easier to understand when we are setting the co-ordinates of the Minecraft bricks. For now, we suggest that you use the same values that we have; you can go back and change them once the house is complete and you want to alter its design.

    It’s now time to start placing some bricks. We create the shell of our house with just two lines of code! These lines of code each use the setBlocks command to create a complete block of bricks. This function takes the following arguments:

    setBlocks(x1, y1, z1, x2, y2, z2, block-id, data)

    x1, y1, and z1 are the coordinates of one corner of the block of bricks that we want to create; x1, y1, and z1 are the coordinates of the other corner. The block-id is the type of block that we want to use. Some blocks require another value called data; we will see this being used later, but you can ignore it for now.

    We have to work out the values that we need to use in place of x1, y1, z1, x1, y1, z1 for our walls. Note that what we want is a larger outer block made of bricks and that is filled with a slightly smaller block of air blocks. Yes, in Minecraft even air is actually just another type of block.

    Once you have typed in the two lines that create the shell of your house, you almost ready to run your program. Before doing so, you must have Minecraft running and displaying the contents of your world. Do not have a world loaded with things that you have created, as they may get destroyed by the house that we are building. Go to a clear area in the Minecraft world before running the program. When you run your program, check for any errors in the ‘console’ window and fix them, repeatedly running the code again until you’ve corrected all the errors.

    You should see a block of bricks now, as shown above. You may have to turn the player around in the Minecraft world before you can see your house.

    Adding the floor and door

    Now, let’s make our house a bit more interesting! Add the lines for the floor and door. Note that the floor extends beyond the boundary of the wall of the house; can you see how we achieve this?

    Hint: look closely at how we calculate the x and z attributes as compared to when we created the house shell above. Also note that we use a value of y-1 to create the floor below our feet.

    Minecraft doors are two blocks high, so we have to create them in two parts. This is where we have to use the data argument. A value of 0 is used for the lower half of the door, and a value of 8 is used for the upper half (the part with the windows in it). These values will create an open door. If we add 4 to each of these values, a closed door will be created.

    Before you run your program again, move to a new location in Minecraft to build the house away from the previous one. Then run it to check that the floor and door are created; you will need to fix any errors again. Even if your program runs without errors, check that the floor and door are positioned correctly. If they aren’t, then you will need to check the arguments so setBlock and setBlocks are exactly as shown in the listing.

    Adding windows

    Hopefully you will agree that your house is beginning to take shape! Now let’s add some windows. Looking at the plan for our house, we can see that there is a window on each side; see if you can follow along. Add the four lines of code, one for each window.

    Now you can move to yet another location and run the program again; you should have a window on each side of the house. Our house is starting to look pretty good!

    Adding a roof

    The final stage is to add a roof to the house. To do this we are going to use wooden stairs. We will do this inside a loop so that if you change the width of your house, more layers are added to the roof. Enter the rest of the code. Be careful with the indentation: I recommend using spaces and avoiding the use of tabs. After the if statement, you need to indent the code even further. Each indentation level needs four spaces, so below the line with if on it, you will need eight spaces.

    Since some of these code lines are lengthy and indented a lot, you may well find that the text wraps around as you reach the right-hand side of your editor window — don’t worry about this. You will have to be careful to get those indents right, however.

    Now move somewhere new in your world and run the complete program. Iron out any last bugs, then admire your house! Does it look how you expect? Can you make it better?

    Customising your house

    Now you can start to customise your house. It is a good idea to use Save As in the menu to save a new version of your program. Then you can keep different designs, or refer back to your previous program if you get to a point where you don’t understand why your new one doesn’t work.

    Consider these changes:

    • Change the size of your house. Are you able also to move the door and windows so they stay in proportion?
    • Change the materials used for the house. An ice house placed in an area of snow would look really cool!
    • Add a back door to your house. Or make the front door a double-width door!

    We hope that you have enjoyed writing this program to build a house. Now you can easily add a house to your Minecraft world whenever you want to by simply running this program.

    Get the complete code for this project here.

    Continue your Minecraft journey

    Minecraft Pi’s programmable interface is an ideal platform for learning Python. If you’d like to try more of our free tutorials, check out:

    You may also enjoy Martin O’Hanlon’s and David Whale’s Adventures in Minecraft, and the Hacking and Making in Minecraft MagPi Essentials guide, which you can download for free or buy in print here.

    Website: LINK

  • MagPi 68: an in-depth look at the new Raspberry Pi 3B+

    MagPi 68: an in-depth look at the new Raspberry Pi 3B+

    Reading Time: 3 minutes

    Hi folks, Rob from The MagPi here! You may remember that a couple of weeks ago, the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ was released, the updated version of the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. It’s better, faster, and stronger than the original and it’s also the main topic in The MagPi issue 68, out now!

    Everything you need to know about the new Raspberry Pi 3B+

    What goes into ‘plussing’ a Raspberry Pi? We talked to Eben Upton and Roger Thornton about the work that went into making the Raspberry Pi 3B+, and we also have all the benchmarks to show you just how much the new Pi 3B+ has been improved.

    Super fighting robots

    Did you know that the next Pi Wars is soon? The 2018 Raspberry Pi robotics competition is taking place later in April, and we’ve got a full feature on what to expect, as well as top tips on how to make your own kick-punching robot for the next round.

    More to read

    Still want more after all that? Well, we have our usual excellent selection of outstanding project showcases, reviews, and tutorials to keep you entertained.

    See pictures from Raspberry Pi’s sixth birthday, celebrated around the world!

    This includes amazing projects like a custom Pi-powered, Switch-esque retro games console, a Minecraft Pi hack that creates a house at the touch of a button, and the Matrix Voice.

    With a Pi and a 3D printer, you can make something as cool as this!

    Get The MagPi 68

    Issue 68 is available today from WHSmith, Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Asda. If you live in the US, head over to your local Barnes & Noble or Micro Center in the next few days for a print copy. You can also get the new issue online from our store, or digitally via our Android and iOS apps. And don’t forget, there’s always the free PDF as well.

    New subscription offer!

    Want to support the Raspberry Pi Foundation and the magazine? We’ve launched a new way to subscribe to the print version of The MagPi: you can now take out a monthly £4 subscription to the magazine, effectively creating a rolling pre-order system that saves you money on each issue.

    You can also take out a twelve-month print subscription and get a Pi Zero W, Pi Zero case, and adapter cables absolutely free! This offer does not currently have an end date.

    That’s it for now. See you next month!

    Website: LINK

  • Minecraft: Better Together Update ab sofort verfügbar!

    Minecraft: Better Together Update ab sofort verfügbar!

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Das Minecraft: Better Together Update setzt neue Maßstäbe

    Das Better Together Update ist die bislang größte Erweiterung für Minecraft, denn sie vereint Millionen Spieler sowie verschiedene Endgeräte und bringt außerdem 34 neue Features ins Spiel. Minecraft ist der erste Titel der Geschichte, der die Crossplay-Funktion über all diese verschiedenen Plattformen anbietet.

    Neue Funktionen

    Das neue Update strukturiert Minecraft zu einer einzigen großen Cross-Plattform um, die das Spiel über alle Endgeräte hinweg miteinander verbindet. Einige Features in der Übersicht:
    Einfacher Zugang zu riesigen Community-Servern mit einer Vielzahl unterschiedlicher Minispiele.
    Zugang zum Marketplace, auf dem Spieler eigene Kreationen mit Millionen anderer Spieler teilen.
    Updates und Inhalte aus dem Microsoft Store werden über den eigenen Xbox Live Account mit allen Endgeräten verknüpft.
    Über personalisierte Einladungslinks spielt man auf Windows 10 PC und Mobilgeräten unkompliziert gemeinsam mit Freunden auf den jeweiligen Realms. Zu einem späteren Zeitpunkt wird dieses Feature auch für Xbox One angeboten werden.

    Weitere Informationen zu den Neuerungen gibt es auf Minecraft.net.

    So funktioniert’s

    Als Besitzer einer Minecraft-Version mit der Bedrock Engine (Xbox One, Mobilgeräte und Windows 10 PC) lädt man sich das Better Together Update kostenlos herunter.

    Besitzer der digitalen Version: Besitzern der digitalen Version des Spiels steht der Download des Updates ab sofort zur Verfügung.

    Besitzer der Disc-Version auf Xbox One: Besitzer der Disc-Version auf Xbox One müssen fünf Stunden Spielzeit in Minecraft in den letzten 12 Monaten absolviert oder Inhalte erworben haben (gültig bis zum 30. Januar 2018), um das Update herunterzuladen.

  • Die dritte Episode von Minecraft: Story Mode

    Die dritte Episode von Minecraft: Story Mode

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two ist ab sofort erhältlich und verfügt über deutsche Sprachausgabe

    Telltale, einer der führenden Entwickler von preisgekrönter digitaler Unterhaltungssoftware, kündigt zusammen mit Spiele-Entwickler Mojang mehrere Ergänzungen zum Minecraft: Story Mode Franchise an.

    Heute haben Telltale und Mojang die dritte Episode von Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two veröffentlicht. Die Episode mit dem Titel „Jailhouse Block“ wird ab dem 19. September 2017 für Xbox One, PlayStation 4, PC, Mac, iOS und Android-Geräte, als auch in Telltales eigenem Online Store zum Download zur Verfügung stehen. 

    Nachdem Jesse und seine Freunde sich durch die eisigen Hindernisse des Admins gekämpft haben, werden sie nun mit einer Reise ohne Rückfahrschein ins Sunshine Institute belohnt, einem Hochsicherheitsgefängnis am Ende der Welt, wo der Ausbruch so gut wie unmöglich ist und sich jede Menge Schurken herumtreiben.  Damit die Flucht gelingt, muss Jesse wohl oder übel auf ein paar verzweifelte Maßnahmen zurückgreifen.

    Darüber hinaus können Spieler Minecraft: Story Mode – Season Two jetzt auf Deutsch, Französisch und Spanisch erleben.

  • Minecon Earth 2017: Interaktiver Livestream und Gewinnspiel

    Minecon Earth 2017: Interaktiver Livestream und Gewinnspiel

    Reading Time: < 1 minute

    Minecon Earth 2017– Längst ist die Klötzchen-Welt von Minecraft ein globales Phänomen und innovativer Teil in Kunst, Bildung und Popkultur. Mit dieser Begeisterung steigert sich auch die Spannung auf das Minecraft-Event des Jahres Tag für Tag & Block für Block: die Minecon Earth am 18. November 2017!

    Mit einer interaktiven Live-Show ist man dem Minecraft-Event aus Anaheim, Kalifornien in diesem Jahr so nah wie nie. Denn das besondere Programm und die tolle Atmosphäre machen die Minecon zu einem einmaligen Erlebnis.

     

    Um sich im Vorfeld der Veranstaltung bestens einstimmen zu können, gibt es hier das offizielle Merchandise der diesjährigen Minecon. Außerdem: Bei Teilnahme am offiziellen Minecon Earth Kostümwettbewerb kann man mit etwas Glück eine von drei Reisen zur diesjährigen Minecon Earth gewinnen einfach anmelden und bis zum 22. Oktober ein Video von sich im kreativen Minecraft-Kostüm hochladen.

     

    Weitere Informationen und Updates zum Event: Minecraft.net.