dimensions Archives

AppWizard

August 7, 2026

Get Ready to Dimension Clash

In Minecraft's "Dimension Clash," players engage in team-based combat across floating islands, with matches lasting 10 to 20 minutes. There are three teams representing different dimensions: Overworld, Nether, and End. The goal is to fill a base shrine with five ESSENCEs, which can be obtained from opposing teams' shrines or neutral islands. Each match features a player-voted Twist that alters gameplay, and players gain levels that enhance their abilities.

AppWizard

August 3, 2026

This week in PC games: Beast of Reincarnation, Big Walk, and Marvel Tōkon, plus a round table RPG, some flammable robots, and a flock of lovestruck pigeons

This week features a variety of new PC game releases: 1. Flow of War: A real-time strategy game with an automated economic system focused on defense. 2. Beast of Reincarnation: A post-apocalyptic action RPG where players embody a samurai version of Poison Ivy with a canine companion. 3. Anomaly President: A 2D roguelite combining political strategy with chaotic adventure. 4. Cielle is Not Happy: A turn-based RPG set across dimensions, balancing order and intuition in a magical world. 5. Big Walk: A multiplayer puzzle adventure from the creators of Untitled Goose Game, set in an Australian park. 6. My Fav Chill Streamer Dies a Million Times: A time-rewinding mystery involving a beloved streamer and chatbox comments. 7. Montabi: A creature-collecting roguelike deckbuilder that questions the use of the term "synergy." 8. Pigeon: A Love Story: A game where players can pursue love or engage in pigeon-related humor. 9. Echobreaker: A cyborg speedrunner with a retro aesthetic. 10. MARVEL Tōkon: Fighting Souls: A dynamic tag-team fighting game from Arc Systems. 11. Sovereign Tower: An Arthurian management RPG focused on recruiting knights and kingdom prosperity. 12. Iron Nest: Heavy Turret Simulator: A tactics game featuring a walking gun for strategic warfare. 13. Grim Axiom: A top-down adventure-horror game exploring eerie environments. 14. Rogue Eclipse: A visually stunning dogfighter inspired by Arabesque Futurism. 15. Grain Rot: An apocalyptic game where players navigate dungeons filled with robots and flammable companions. In the RPS Treehouse, Mark is interviewing modders and discussing the EA acquisition, James is editing features, and the team is contemplating the potential of Beast of Reincarnation. Julian is on holiday, and there are personal musings about gaming possibilities.

AppWizard

August 1, 2026

I was excited for this Quake port of Half-Life until I discovered the creator’s wild AI conspiracy theories

The technology behind Half-Life, known as GoldSrc, is a modified version of the Quake engine, and remnants of Quake code are present in Valve's Source 2. A modder named KleskBY is developing a project called Libre-life, which aims to port elements from Half-Life into Quake source ports, particularly focusing on the Zircon Engine. KleskBY believes that older engines like GoldSrc have limitations that hinder creativity and prefers using Quake source ports over Xash3D, arguing that they offer capabilities that Xash does not. Libre-life is in early development, with progress including the reimplementation of all weapons from Half-Life 1. KleskBY uses AI extensively in the project, despite expressing strong negative opinions about AI's broader implications.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Gamers compress 80TB map of Minecraft’s oldest anarchy server down to a 15TB download — custom .zvcr compression format and 28 bots map 1 million blocks on infamous 2b2t server

A group of Minecraft enthusiasts has mapped the entire 2b2t server, resulting in a 15TB download that unpacks to an 80TB archive. The project, known as the 2b2tplace preservation project, began in 2024 and concluded in April 2026 after 22 months of work using 28 bot accounts to document over one million blocks across the Overworld, Nether, and End dimensions. The team developed a custom compression format called .zvcr to manage the large dataset, differing from the traditional .mca format.

AppWizard

July 31, 2026

Gamers compress 80TB map of Minecraft’s oldest anarchy server down to a 15TB download

A team of Minecraft enthusiasts has mapped the entire 2b2t server, resulting in a 15TB compressed download that can expand to an 80TB archive. The project, known as the 2b2tplace preservation initiative, began in 2024 and concluded in April 2026 after 22 months of work using 28 bot accounts to map over one million blocks across the Overworld, Nether, and End dimensions. The team developed a custom compression format (.zvcr) to achieve an 81.25% space savings, allowing the data to be stored more efficiently. The 2b2t server, which has been operational since 2010, is known for its lack of rules and moderation, fostering a unique anarchic environment. Despite preservation efforts, concerns exist among players about the server drifting from its original spirit.

AppWizard

July 30, 2026

I finally fixed my 2 biggest annoyances with Google Messages

Samsung Messages offers features like automatic deletion of old messages, which Google Messages lacks. However, Google Messages is preferred for its seamless integration across Android devices and the Messages for Web functionality. Google Messages allows users to customize swipe gestures, with the option to change left and right swipes for archiving, marking as read/unread, or deleting. It also includes Smart Reply suggestions, which can be edited before sending. Users can disable expressive animations and adjust message sounds and text size for a more personalized experience.

AppWizard

July 29, 2026

Pixel Watch 5 shows up again before launch, this time in one of Google’s own apps

The Pixel Watch 5 has appeared in Google's official Google Health app, indicating its imminent launch and suggesting that pairing support has been integrated. The setup screens still show artwork from the Pixel Watch 4, as Google has not updated the visuals for the new model. A user on Telegram shared a screenshot showing the Pixel Watch 5 at the top of the device list while pairing a new wearable, further confirming its readiness for integration. The Pixel Watch 5 is expected to be an iterative upgrade with a slightly higher price than its predecessor.

AppWizard

July 22, 2026

Herschel x ‘Minecraft’ Collaboration Is Now Available, Offers Lineup of Bags, Apparel

Herschel Supply Co. has launched a collaboration with "Minecraft," featuring a collection of bags, accessories, and apparel for the back-to-school season. The collection includes the Classic Backpack in three variations (The End, Overworld, Nether), the Heritage Backpack themed around Creeper, Pink Sheep, and Enderman, and the Cube Backpack with a blocky aesthetic. The Cube Little America Backpack is also available in Black, Grass, and Orange Block designs. The collection is available on Herschel's website, with prices ranging from approximately for smaller accessories to 0 for the Cube Little America Backpack. Herschel offers free ground shipping on orders over a specified amount. Additionally, there is a free Herschel Backpack Trials Add-On for "Bedrock Edition" players in the Minecraft Marketplace, allowing players to upgrade their in-game backpack. The collection includes various items such as different styles of backpacks, lunch boxes, pencil cases, caps, and beanies.

Tech Optimizer

July 22, 2026

Migrating mission-critical payments at Nubank to Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL

Nubank, a digital banking platform with approximately 135 million customers in Brazil, Mexico, and Colombia, faced challenges with its payment infrastructure due to inefficiencies in managing 7.5 TB of self-hosted PostgreSQL databases. Queries took over 13 minutes to execute, and replication lags exceeded four minutes during peak times. To address these issues, Nubank evaluated database solutions based on developer productivity, operational efficiency, performance reliability, and scalability. They selected Amazon Aurora PostgreSQL-Compatible Edition for its compatibility, performance improvements, and automated features. The migration to Aurora was facilitated by AWS Database Migration Service (AWS DMS), which minimized downtime and allowed for efficient transition. Post-migration, query performance improved significantly, with some queries executing up to 1,900 times faster, and overall end-to-end service latency decreased, enhancing customer experience. The migration resulted in a 25 percent cost reduction and ensured compliance with regulatory requirements.

AppWizard

July 17, 2026

Explore a snapshot of a massive million-by-million block Minecraft server

The 1,024,000² 2b2t World Download Project is a significant Minecraft archiving achievement, preserving approximately 13.7 TiB of compressed world data from the 2b2t server, including a million-by-million-block section of the Overworld, and smaller captures of the Nether and End dimensions. It is the largest available Minecraft world download, released via torrent. The project took over a year to develop, involving a team that utilized 28 bot accounts to collect data, resulting in four distinct captures of varying sizes. The project was led by a developer named crayne, with key contributors including Fuch, mahan, and Steve3. The code and documentation are available on GitHub, and the project incurred over ,000 in server rental costs. 2b2t, established in December 2010, is one of the oldest Minecraft servers, known for its unyielding map and challenging environment, having hosted over 1,000,000 players. The creators assert that no AI was used in the project and have licensed their work under CC0 for community accessibility.