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A Skyrim dev broke the game before launch when they made thousands of tiny ants cast individual shadows: 'Why is the game running so slow?'
AppWizard
February 22, 2025

A Skyrim dev broke the game before launch when they made thousands of tiny ants cast individual shadows: ‘Why is the game running so slow?’

Jeff Gardiner, a former producer at Bethesda, highlights the immersive experience in Bethesda's role-playing games, emphasizing the living world around players. After 15 years at Bethesda, he founded Something Wicked Games, the studio behind Wyrdsong. Gardiner recalls the creative freedom at Bethesda, which allowed developers to explore innovative ideas, enriching games like Fallout and The Elder Scrolls. However, this freedom sometimes led to challenges, such as performance issues caused by the addition of butterflies in Skyrim that followed flowers in the player's inventory and ants that inadvertently cast shadows, straining processing power. Gardiner appreciates these challenges as part of the creative journey, noting that Zenimax allowed Bethesda to set its own goals, fostering an environment of trust and autonomy essential for creativity.
Antivirus Software: Annoying but Necessary
Tech Optimizer
February 3, 2025

Antivirus Software: Annoying but Necessary

Computer viruses and antivirus software have been connected since the early days of the Internet, with McAfee antivirus emerging in 1987. Nearly every computer today uses some form of antivirus software. Paul A. Gagniuc, a professor at the University Politehnica of Bucharest, published a book titled "Antivirus Engines: From Methods to Innovations, Design, and Applications" in October, focusing on malware and antivirus development. Gagniuc began exploring coding and antivirus development in his childhood, creating Scut Antivirus between 2006 and 2008, which was designed to be fast and resource-efficient. The detection process for antivirus software involves cataloging snippets of virus code, with the Aho-Corasick algorithm allowing rapid checks against suspected files. The introduction of Bitcoin in 2009 significantly changed the malware landscape, enabling anonymous operations for hackers. Gagniuc expresses concerns about a decline in technical knowledge among young engineers since 2008, as many focus on high-level programming languages, potentially leading to a de-professionalization in technology. His book aims to address this knowledge gap and contribute to a broader understanding of the field.
Locomoto is worth checking out if you're all about trains, but I'm more excited about character customisation
AppWizard
December 11, 2024

Locomoto is worth checking out if you’re all about trains, but I’m more excited about character customisation

Locomoto is a unique gaming title that allows players to embrace their inner conductor while focusing on vehicle personalization rather than traditional train operation mechanics. Players can create customizable animal avatars, fine-tuning details like ear shape and overall appearance. The game encourages interactions with other cute animal characters, fostering a sense of community. Players can also redecorate their trains, choosing from various aesthetic styles. The game emphasizes simplicity, avoiding complex manuals typical of train simulations, which allows for a more relaxed gameplay experience. Locomoto is set to be released in 2025, and anticipation is growing for details on character and carriage customizations.
Create an Android App Without Coding - Best No Code Builder
AppWizard
December 3, 2024

Create an Android App Without Coding – Best No Code Builder

Platforms like Yourmodule allow users to create apps without coding skills. Yourmodule offers a user-friendly interface, customization options, and useful features such as push notifications. Users can select from various templates and utilize drag-and-drop tools for app development. The platform provides scalability and support resources, making it accessible for entrepreneurs and small business owners. The app creation process is streamlined for ease of use, allowing users to preview their app before publishing it on the Google Play Store.
Neon Authorize: Granular access controls at the database layer
Tech Optimizer
November 5, 2024

Neon Authorize: Granular access controls at the database layer

Neon has launched Neon Authorize, a feature that enhances permission and access control management for developers using its serverless Postgres database. This feature incorporates Postgres Row-Level Security (RLS) to protect data from unauthorized access, allowing for the establishment of authorization policies at the database level. Recent findings from OWASP indicate that broken access control is a significant risk in web application security, with 94% of applications tested showing vulnerabilities. RLS enables database administrators to control user access at a granular level, making it particularly useful for multi-tenant applications. Neon Authorize simplifies the integration of authentication providers, allowing developers to authenticate database calls using JSON Web Tokens (JWT). Andy Young from Lockdown Ventures noted that adopting Neon Authorize improved security, simplified application code, and enhanced performance, with the migration process taking less than a day.
Timescale Brings PostgreSQL into the GenAI Era with pgai Vectorizer
Tech Optimizer
October 29, 2024

Timescale Brings PostgreSQL into the GenAI Era with pgai Vectorizer

Timescale has enhanced its PostgreSQL database platform by introducing the pgai Vectorizer, an open-source tool that integrates advanced AI capabilities. This tool is part of a suite of PostgreSQL extensions aimed at reducing infrastructure costs by 75%. PostgreSQL is widely used by 49% of developers, and the pgai Vectorizer simplifies AI development workflows by allowing developers to create, store, and manage vector embeddings alongside relational data within a single system. Key features of the pgai Vectorizer include unified management of AI data, real-time synchronization of vector embeddings, seamless experimentation with embedding models, and version tracking for model compatibility. This integration positions PostgreSQL as a comprehensive platform for building AI applications, enabling faster development while reducing infrastructure concerns. Timescale continues to focus on enhancing PostgreSQL's capabilities for demanding workloads, supported by investors like Benchmark and NEA.
5 tweaks I always make to Windows for PC gaming
Winsage
October 29, 2024

5 tweaks I always make to Windows for PC gaming

Many PC gamers prefer Windows as their operating system due to its gaming performance, which can be optimized through various adjustments. 1. Close background programs to free up system resources by disabling or uninstalling non-essential applications. 2. Enable Game Mode in Windows 10 and 11 to prioritize resources for gaming by suspending background tasks. 3. Disable mouse acceleration for more precise control during gameplay by adjusting settings in the Mouse options. 4. Adjust power settings to the Ultimate Performance plan to minimize throttling and maximize performance, particularly for high-end hardware. 5. Keep GPU drivers up to date to ensure optimal performance and benefit from bug fixes and optimizations for new games.
Minecraft Nintendo Switch Edition Receives New Update
AppWizard
August 17, 2024

Minecraft Nintendo Switch Edition Receives New Update

Minecraft version 1.21.20 has been released, focusing on bug fixes, stability improvements, and enhancements to user interface and artificial intelligence. The update addresses issues such as content downloads freezing and save corruption, particularly benefiting Nintendo Switch players with a more stable experience. AI improvements have made non-player characters (NPCs) more responsive, with hostile entities showing greater awareness and passive creatures better at self-preservation. The user interface has been streamlined for easier navigation, and new content includes the sculk sensor for detecting vibrations and bundle items for resource management. Changes to the Deep Dark biome include a reduction in Trial Chamber frequency and tailored loot. Movement mechanics have been refined for smoother navigation, and bed interactions have been corrected. The aquatic creature Bogged no longer applies a Slowness effect, and parrots can now imitate it. Updates have also improved mount and vehicle interactions.
Here's 3 reasons I'm actually pretty optimistic about Dragon Age: The Veilguard despite being an old school RPG sicko
AppWizard
July 15, 2024

Here’s 3 reasons I’m actually pretty optimistic about Dragon Age: The Veilguard despite being an old school RPG sicko

RPGs don't translate well into short, action-packed trailers. The Veilguard's development has been troubled, but despite the negative response to the first trailer, there is optimism that the game could be better than anything BioWare has made since Dragon Age 2. BioWare is known for action RPGs rather than traditional CRPGs, and their games have always had excellent core ability design and feel.
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