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Here in Britain, where Sanitarium Towers are based, wet weather is a fact of life; and during these more colder months as we approach the end of the year, not one day goes by each week where anyone going outside is liable to get soaked. However, if one goes out with an umbrella this time of the year as would be a sensible solution, one also often has to contend with heavy winds, which can blow an umbrella out of the holder’s hands; or turn cheaper umbrellas inside out, perhaps even breaking them.
An innovative new Kickstarter project is offering an interesting solution to these wet weather woes. Called the Air Umbrella, this unusual device aims to use air as a forcefield to push air away from the user, replacing the need for a canopy altogether. The device also portends to be safer than a traditional umbrella, due to not requiring any sort of metal spokes which always present a risk to the eyes of taller individuals.
Image courtesy Air Umbrella’s Kickstarter page
The Air Umbrella consists of a handle, at the top of which houses not a canopy, but a controller and motor to suck in air and blow it out again at high speed. When lifted above the user’s head – the device’s handle is extendable, so can be adjusted to a comfortable length – the blast of air creates an invisible dome that pushes the rain away. The effectiveness of this technology is yet to be seen as the device has not yet reached the hans of consumers or independent technology – but should it work effectively enough, it should hopefully counteract the silly feeling some people, particularly those obsessed with fashion, may feel holding an umbrella that’s just a handle. The device receives its power through a rechargeable lithium-ion battery held within the handle part of the device.
Sadly for those planning to stay outside for long periods, current specs list the Air Umbrella as lasting just 30 minutes on a single charge, which may well just be a dealbreaker. If you’ve already decided that this sounds like the device for you, however, you can still get your hands on one by pledging $118 (£74) plus $15 (£9) for international shipping. With an expected December shipping date, the Air Umbrella is also releasing just early enough to be an ideal Christmas gift as well – and hey, it’s only going to get colder and wetter by then, so there’s no reason for it not to be appreciated.
Coming up in October, Xbox Live Gold members can look forward to three new free games on Xbox One and Xbox 360. Chariot, the newest ID@Xbox game from Canadian developers Frima, will debut on Xbox One as a free download, replacing September Xbox One Games with Gold title Super Time Force (if you haven’t already downloaded it, now would be a good time).
On Xbox 360, starting Wednesday, October 1st, Battlefield: Bad Company 2 (normally US $19.99) will be free for Xbox Live Gold members through October 15th.
Then on October 16th, Xbox Live Gold Members can download Darksiders II (normally US $49.99) for free through October 31st.
*Titles are available as free downloads for qualifying Xbox Live Gold members in all markets where Xbox Live is available. Some regions may offer different titles depending on market availability.
One of Sundays highlights from EGX 2014 (Apart from LEGO Batman 3 of course) was HellBlade, from Ninja Theory, the studio behind DMC (Devil May Cry), Enslaved and Heavenly Sword.
Hellblade, from the look of it, is quickly shaping up as a good looking RPG in the vein of Skyrim or Dragon Age, but from a team of only a handful of dedicated, and fun people at Ninja Theory.
However the Dev session today was more about the MAKING of the game and almost Ninja Theory’s new manifesto for better games development and the future of games development going forward.
Dominic Mathews () took us through a really easy to follow, but informative chat about what they are calling, “Independent AA” Development”, basically producing triple A games but with the ethos and love of an Indie dev studio.
Not only that, but also starting apprenticeships and even training new games devs, whether those people then stay with Ninja Theory or move on to other houses, or even start their own. A very interesting call to arms for the video game industry going forward (and one desperately needed in these times of big companies buying up Indie stars like Mojang)
In their own words:
What is the Independent AAA game? It is about creating, funding and owning IP of AAA quality but with the more focused game design, lower price point and open development process that defines indie games. It’s about taking creative risks and making spectacular, exciting and unique game experiences that can compete with AAA and engages fans directly.
They did show the same teaser they showed at E3, but as the game only started development in march this year, we saw no gameplay this time. You can see the teaser here:
What we DID find out though, is that although HellBlade will start as a Playstation exclusive, we may see the game on XBox and PC later on, which I very much hope is the case.
The game, AND the idea for Independent AAA sound great and I’m looking forward to following HellBlade as it grows, so keep checking back for more news as and when we get it!
You can see the Developer session from EGX2014 below:
Omega Mode is free DLC for Street Fighter IV takes all 44 characters and gives them different (I’m hard-pressed to say new) abilities making them feel bigger, better, or in some cases, like the old versions of themselves. Capcom had a little something to say about it on its blog:
“As the primary goal for this mode was fun, we placed more emphasis on making the characters feel new, than on their balance.”
The video above gives far more detail and pretty moving pictures, so watch it and let us know what you think in the comments. Then look for the Omega Mode DLC later this year.
Great news everyone! We now have the power to undelete a character in the upcoming Pre-patch for World of Warcraft: Warlords of Draenor (better known as Patch 6.0.2). There will be limitations, so before you get too excited, look what the recent blog post by Blizzard has to say:
>Characters under level 10 and Death Knights at level 55 are not eligible to be undeleted.
>Characters between level 10 and level 29 will no longer recoverable after 90 days.
>Characters between level 30 and 49 will no longer recoverable after 120 days.
>All other characters level 50 and above are eligible to be undeleted at any time.
>Please keep in mind you will only be able to use the undelete option once every 30 days.
Undeleting a character restores all of its enchantments, gems, and items fully intact.
Blizzard also included their policy on what happens with a deleted characters name:
We’ll be holding deleted character names for a limited time, and the original creator can reclaim it for use on a new character during that time. If you create a new character with the same name as one of your deleted characters (let’s say Flugur), the new character must be renamed, transferred, or deleted to complete the restoration of the original Flugur.
