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Still got QuickTime on your Windows computer? Not for much longer, if you value the security of your machine.
After Apple decided it was not going to support the video player anymore, PC security firm TrendMicro sent out a message recommending that any remaining users of the software uninstall it. Why? Because they’ve identified that there are at least two exploits in the code and since QuickTime will not see any updates this leaves your computer open to potential danger.
TrendMicro identified the two zero-day exploits in the code as part of their services, and it makes use of a heap corruption to allow for remote code execution. Sure, it requires the user to visit compromised websites and because a number of web browsers no longer support the QuickTime plugins you’d need to download and play infected video files, but it’s better not to take that chance isn’t it?
Apple itself has urged users to uninstall the software from Windows machines, providing a set of uninstall instructions on their site. If you’re on Mac OSX though, it’s up to you whethere you wish to uninstall or not, as Apple will obviously continue to support their own OS and so any problems can be blocked from the OSX side.
As always though, the best defense against malicious programs online is your own common sense and caution. Knowing when certain programs are acting as doorways is right behind that though in importance.
We’re used to crowdfunding stories of success coming out of Kickstarter, but it seems that it’s not the best place for every game.
Consortium: The Tower previously had a campaign on Kickstarter which wasn’t entirely successful and raised only some of their target goal. So, the game was taken to another site, Fig instead. 24 hours later and the game has raised $260,383 of the game’s $300,000 goal, with 30 more days remaining to finish. Wow.
“We’re thrilled to see such major headway right out of the gates for the next entry in the Consortium trilogy,” said CEO of Interdimensional Games Gregory MacMartin. “Fig backers have shown more support in one day than in a month on Kickstarter.”
The game in question is a sequel to a previous game called Consortium and is one of those games that has a world that can continue onwards very well without you thanks very much. Most games with a ‘urgent’ mission will wait until you get there so you can mess around and get distracted as you wish, but that’s not an option here.
If that sounds like your sort of thing, go check out the Fig campaign here.
After a wait, a trailer for the sequel to Titanfall has finally landed, bringing with it some glimpses of robotic legs and what appears to be a giant sword. It’s also announced June 12th as being the date for more big reveals about the game.
Of course, we don’t know the actual details of the weapon, but it could mean that titans could actually be fighting melee-style this time. If so, let’s hope it’s elegant and functional and not clunky as hell. That’d be a bit of a letdown.
Check out the trailer below and see what you make of it.
After an absence it’s time for an update on things happening in the world of gaming Kickstarters.
Starting off with our updates on previously covered campaigns, a good number have finished by now. The good news is that a lot of them were successful, such as MachiaVillain, Make a Mess, Grifters and A Place for the Unwilling, all finishing their runs with their goals met or exceeded by a sum.
However, as always it’s not all good news and unfortunately significantly more campaigns failed or found themselves cancelled due to lack of funding. These were GameSpawner, Wounded, BEER HEROES, Mythical Might, Null of Hope, Villains & Henchmen and Penalty Box. Also, GAME OVER is stuck at a low total with only 5 days left to make it up. Unless something major happens, it’s safe to say that it too will most likely to fail to reach its goal in time. A number of these campaigns are planned to be relaunched again some time in the future so not all is lost though.
Speaking of relaunching campaigns, the developers of another previously covered game, Ghost Theory are going to be relaunching their Kickstarter sometime this month. When it does launch we’ll cover it obviously.
First up we have a card game in which your entire game it determined by both the luck of the draw and the roll of the dice.
DiceHunter sees you attempting to be the best hunter, bagging more animal cards than your opponents. To do this you need to roll one of the numbers on the dice of the animal card you have drawn. Not getting the number ends your turn, while winning means turning over the card for an outcome. This could see you bagging the animal or facing some other consequence, either minor or hugely negative and game-ending. Once all players have had a game over the results are compared and a winner declared.
DiceHunter has 29 days to go to make $6,000. It has currently raised $269
Next up is a card game about politics, particularly relevant to those living in America right now – as the cards seem to be based off American politics.
The point of the game is to survive two ‘terms’ – which means going around the circle of players once after you have drawn a term card from the draw deck. The other players will try to use their cards to stop the player serving a term from completing it, but at the same time it is possible for the term-serving player to use cards to make it harder for their opponents to screw them over.
Terms and Scandals has made $1,004 of its $10,000 goal and has 27 days to go.
This one is an adventure game, where you fight through the use of potions you craft yourself… if you fight at all that is.
The titular character Luna is a young witch whose talents lie in potion making. The world is inspired by fairy tales, and the creatures that you meet can be dealt with in a number of ways – burn them with fire from a potion bottle or engage them in conversation to peacefully trick them out of resources you need. You’re also able to use other enemies’ attacks to defeat them if need be – it’s up to you!
Potions: A Curious Tale has a $62,000 goal of which it has made $13,451 so far. It has 30 days yet to go.
Lastly, we have an old school roguelike in which you can actually revisit previous floors.
Unlike most roguelikes, the door at the end of the floor is not the last time you’ll see a floor. You might find yourself climbing back up the way you came to unlock a door and head a different route, or to find an item you left behind previously but now have use for. It’s certainly an interesting and different take on it and one that intrigues me.
BirthStone has made £30 of it’s £10,000 goal, and has 28 days to go.
Don’t Starve was a success for Klei Entertainment when it burst onto the scene in 2013, and the co-op version, Don’t Starve Together, allowed for friends to work together on survival. It’s been in Early Access for all that time, but now it’s due to release fully on April 21st.
Don’t Starve Together already has access to not only all the base game content, but also the stuff from two expansions – Reign of Giants and Caves. Shipwrecked is the latest expansion to the game, but as of yet Klei haven’t confirmed it’ll be coming to co-op saying that they don’t ‘have any concrete plans’. They are working on the free content pack Through the Ages though ahead of Together’s launch although it probably won’t be finished for a while yet.
“The focus of TTA is the evolution of your world over a longer period of time, and more variation between worlds,” a Klei developer wrote on the studio forum. “I’d say this is going to take about six months to develop, but uh, I’ve been off before.”
Further support will continue after launch, with Klei aiming to improve modding tools for the game.
