breaks Archives

AppWizard

November 22, 2025

Cities: Skylines 2’s bicycle update adds a lot more than just bikes, as Colossal Order prepares to hand over development to a new studio

Colossal Order is transitioning the development of Cities: Skylines 2 to Iceflake Studios. Before this handover, a new bike patch has been introduced, adding bicycles and electric scooters to the game, along with infrastructure for a bicycle-friendly environment. Players can now create dedicated bicycle paths and lanes, and various types of bike parks have been added for secure parking. The update also includes a new campfire area, business plazas, and new transportation buildings such as a train depot, railway terminus station, cargo transfer station, and three new tram stations. Additionally, two new types of wind turbines and a small cemetery have been introduced. Colossal Order plans to implement Asset Mods before the official transition at the beginning of next year, after which Iceflake Studios will take over development. The reasons for this transfer remain unclear, but Paradox Interactive has a history of reallocating projects among developers.

AppWizard

November 20, 2025

Like going to the office in Animal Crossing: my most productive work-from-home experience this year was spending all day online in this virtual co-working game

The game On-Together has emerged as a social platform for remote workers, allowing up to 16 players to create avatars and engage in mini-games while working. It incorporates the Pomodoro Technique to encourage productivity through 25-minute work sprints followed by breaks. The game fosters a sense of community by allowing friends to join in, enhancing focus and efficiency compared to traditional task management tools. Co-developer Ilgın Saçan draws inspiration from early 2000s online chatrooms and emphasizes that remote work can be fulfilling without the loneliness often associated with it. On-Together is currently available as a free demo on Steam and will launch its full version on January 19, featuring new customization options and group areas.

AppWizard

November 16, 2025

10 Of The Best Free Android Apps You Haven’t Heard Of

A selection of free Android apps with a minimum rating of 4.0 on the Play Store includes: 1. Solid Explorer File Manager - Rated 4.3 stars from 150,000 reviewers; features a dual-pane layout, cloud storage integration, file management across various storage options, batch renaming, and AES encryption. 2. Cashew - Expense Budget Tracker - Rated 4.8 stars; provides visual representations of spending, tracks subscriptions, and securely backs up data via Google Drive. 3. RunPee - Rated 4.7 stars with over 500,000 downloads; notifies users of optimal restroom break moments during movies and provides summaries of missed scenes. 4. Orbot: Tor for Android - Rated 4.0 stars; connects users to the Tor network for enhanced online privacy and allows for device-wide or app-specific encryption. 5. Libby, the Library App - Rated 4.8 stars; connects users to their local library's digital collection for borrowing eBooks and audiobooks, supports offline reading, and integrates with Kindle devices. 6. Image Toolbox - Edit & Convert - Rated 4.7 stars; offers photo editing capabilities, file format conversions, and an OCR feature for text extraction. 7. MacroDroid - Device Automation - Rated 4.4 stars; allows users to create custom automation workflows with over 80 triggers and 100 actions. 8. Hermit - Lite Apps Browser - Rated 4.6 stars; enables the creation of lightweight web-based applications with features like ad blocking and dark mode. 9. Bitwarden Password Manager - Rated 4.8 stars; provides secure password management with end-to-end encryption and syncing across devices. 10. ReadEra - Book Reader PDF EPUB - Rated 4.8 stars; supports various document formats, offers an ad-free reading experience, and includes features like bookmarks and text-to-speech.

AppWizard

November 16, 2025

4 Essential Android Apps For Fitness Tracking

A suite of essential Android apps can enhance the fitness experience for active individuals or beginners. These apps include: - FitNotes: A digital workout log that allows users to create and edit routines, track performance with a calendar function, manage exercises, and monitor sets, reps, and time. It features a built-in rest timer and allows data export in CSV format. The app is free and ad-free. - Hevy: A gym log workout tracker that helps users plan workouts with tools and metrics. It includes an extensive library of free instructional videos, allows logging of metrics, marking sets, and creating custom exercises. Hevy calculates one-rep maxes and provides muscle group analysis, with Wear OS support for tracking via smartwatches. The app is free, ad-free, but includes in-app purchases. - Calorie Counter by Cronometer: A nutrition tracker that provides detailed calorie tracking and daily reports on macronutrients and micronutrients. It features photo logging for meals, a database of over a million foods, and tracks sleep and water intake. The free version is ad-supported, with subscription options for additional functionality. - Libra Weight Manager: A weight tracking app that allows users to enter their weight daily and receive analyses of body composition and BMI. It features dynamic charts for visualizing metrics and history, and compatibility with Withings scales for data integration. The app is free to download, ad-supported, and includes in-app purchases for some features.

AppWizard

November 16, 2025

Escape from Tarkov launch times and release date for 1.0

Escape from Tarkov 1.0 is set to launch on November 15 after an eight-year beta phase. It will be available through Battlestate Games' client and on Steam, but players wanting full Valve integrations will need to make a new purchase. The game will launch at different times across various time zones: - 3 am PST (Los Angeles) - 6 am EST (New York) - 8 am BRT (São Paulo) - 11 am GMT (London) - 12 pm CET (Berlin) - 10 pm AEDT (Sydney) - 12 am NZDT (Auckland) A countdown timer and a special Tarkov TV broadcast will start at 12 am PST on November 15, with broadcasts available on Twitch. Preloading for the game is currently available via Steam, with an initial preload size of approximately 33 GB, though additional downloads may be needed once the servers go live.

Winsage

November 11, 2025

Microsoft hits the breaks on Windows 11 File Explorer ‘recommended files’ feature

Microsoft has paused the rollout of a new feature for File Explorer on Windows 11 that showcases "recommended" files at the top of the Home tab. The feature began its initial rollout on October 28 but was halted on November 5. It allows cloud storage providers to display cloud-based placeholder files in File Explorer, similar to OneDrive functionality. The feature was initially rolled out to domain-joined Windows 11 PCs and later expanded to consumer-facing PCs. It displays recently downloaded or opened applications and files with large thumbnails and highlights recent activity from shared documents and cloud files. Users can disable this feature if they choose. Microsoft has not provided a timeline for when the rollout might resume.

AppWizard

November 6, 2025

Dead by Daylight’s 2v8 mode is back, and it’s accompanied by two of my favorite killers

Brian 'Limmy' Limond creates content focused on video games, particularly indie games, and is known for his absurd humor and dry sarcasm. He engages with games like Dead by Daylight (DBD) and The Séance of Blake Manor. The 2v8 mode in Dead by Daylight allows for double the number of killers and survivors in expansive maps and has gained popularity over the past year. The upcoming 'Konami Takeover' event will introduce characters like Dracula and Pyramid Head, as well as new survivor characters Cheryl Mason and Trevor Belmont, available for free during the event. The event will also feature themed outfits for Konami's characters. The Konami takeover event is scheduled to launch on Thursday, November 6, at 11 am PST / 2 pm EST / 7 pm BST / 8 pm CEST.

BetaBeacon

November 6, 2025

AYANEO’s Pocket Vert breaks cover in its first teaser video

AYANEO provided a first look at the Pocket Vert, a Game Boy-styled handheld with a 3.5-inch LCD display and 1600 x 1440 resolution.

AppWizard

November 6, 2025

The peril of PC gaming strikes again as NVIDIA’s latest driver breaks older Forza Horizon and Forza Motorsport games

NVIDIA's latest driver update has disrupted gameplay for several older Microsoft titles, including Forza Horizon 3, Forza Motorsport 6 Apex, and Forza Motorsport 7, due to compatibility issues. Players are encountering the AP204 error, indicating GPU incompatibility with the new driver. A workaround involves using the Display Driver Uninstaller (DDU) to remove the current driver and downloading the older driver version 576.88 from the NVIDIA website to restore functionality for these classic games.

AppWizard

November 6, 2025

World of Warcraft Midnight’s addon confusion strikes again, as game director breaks two-year Reddit silence to address countdown concerns

Recent discussions in the gaming community have focused on the World of Warcraft (WoW) addon landscape, particularly with the upcoming Midnight expansion. Adam 'MysticalOS' Williams shared a video on the official subreddit discussing Blizzard's evolving stance on countdown addons, following a two-year hiatus from game director Ion Hazzikostas. Hazzikostas expressed concerns about players becoming overly reliant on timers during raids, which could diminish engagement with game mechanics. He emphasized the importance of preventing addons from surpassing the base user interface (UI) capabilities, as this could detract from competitive gameplay. Hazzikostas plans to clarify Blizzard's goals regarding addons in an upcoming blog post, aiming to create a level playing field where addons enhance the experience without providing unfair advantages. Specifically regarding audible countdowns, Hazzikostas stated that the concern is not about the countdown itself being automation, but about ensuring all players have access to similar functionalities. He mentioned that if Blizzard's design goals are not met, they might consider integrating an audio countdown feature into the base UI. MysticalOS acknowledged the need for enhancements to be integrated into the stock UI before addon customization. As the Midnight expansion approaches, significant changes to healing mechanics are expected, and experienced modders like WeakAuras' 'Stanzilla' will not update their addons for the new expansion.