THE UK has launched a global flight-tracking system that can locate planes anywhere in the word to prevent another MH370 disappearance mystery. The satellite air traffic surveillance system, which will start by tracking planes over the North Atlantic, has been hailed a “revolution in the skies”. US-based company Aireon developed the GPS system to fill the holes in radar coverage – some 70 per cent of global airspace. It will allow for real-time tracking updates to some of the most remote places on the globe. The system is now live in the UK and Canada to manage air traffic across the North Atlantic. “For the first time in history, we can surveil all ADS-B-equipped aircraft anywhere on earth,” said Don Thoma, chief executive of Aireon. The new technology may be the solution to preventing another mystery like the MH370 disappearance. Some experts believe that rogue pilot, Zaharie Amad Shah, may have deliberately dodged radar for hours to ensure the plane was … [Read more...] about UK launches global flight-tracking system that can find planes anywhere in the word to stop another MH370 mystery
Words to how great thou art
Kaze and the Wild Masks: Designing a great pixel-art character – Unity Blog
Nostalgia can be very powerful, but historical limitations don’t need to curb your creativity. Vox Game Studio shares their experience of designing a 16-bit character that references classic 1990s platformers while also taking advantage of all the tools and options today’s developers have at their disposal. When the studio decided to develop a down-to-earth and straightforward side-scrolling game, they knew they needed an original character that would be more interesting than a standard walking-jumping hero. After some initial research, they settled on a female hare with long and powerful ears that help her glide, attack, throw and more. They named her Kaze. “Of course, we did a lot of exploration before we created the final character, so we want to share our design process to help other game developers with their decision-making,” says Rodrigo Spilimbergo of Vox Game Studio. Determining pixel size and colors While 1990s TVs and computers supported far fewer … [Read more...] about Kaze and the Wild Masks: Designing a great pixel-art character – Unity Blog
Pokemon GO: How to Farm Great and Excellent Throws
Pokemon GO‘s Field Research feature went live yesterday, giving fans of the mobile game new objectives to complete in exchange for rewards. Many of these objectives, in both the Field Research and Special Research categories, revolve around throwing Great and Excellent throws, so some may need a refresher course on how to do these. Throw ratings in Pokemon GO depend on how small the circle is on the Pokemon when the ball hits them, and if the ball lands within that circle. For example, if the circle is as wide as it can be, players will get a “Nice!” rating. If the circle is about half its normal size, players will get a “Great!” throw. And finally, if the circle is almost as small as it can be, players will earn an “Excellent!” throw. Players are able to manipulate the size of the circle by holding their finger on Pokeballs before throwing them (note that this is also a good way to determine if a Pokemon is about to knock a ball away with … [Read more...] about Pokemon GO: How to Farm Great and Excellent Throws
Here’s Why Retro Games Look Awful Compared to How You Remember Them
Do you remember the first time you were blown away by a game's graphics? Was it Resident Evil on the PlayStation? Final Fantasy VII? Super Mario 64? Well, I'm sorry to be the one to break it to you, but they all look like hot, stinkin' garbage now. We've all searched for footage of our old favorites on YouTube, or repurchased them at a later date for one last playthrough. We've then been forced to ask ourselves the following question: "How did I ever think this looked good?" Seeing a video game you once loved looking old and miserable is a little like visiting your grandparents' house; you still love them, but you can't help but feel as though they'd be better off if you put them back in their cupboard. So why, when we think back to these retro games, do we remember them looking much better? Are our rose-tinted glasses really that strong, or is there a more technical explanation? Let's take a look. Explanation #1: New Benchmarks The first and most obvious explanation is that … [Read more...] about Here’s Why Retro Games Look Awful Compared to How You Remember Them
The new Avengers: Infinity War trailer gives us the biggest clue yet as to how Thanos wins
It’s time for the endgame. The new Avengers: Infinity War trailer is pulling no punches over Thanos’ quest to, in his words, wipe out half the universe. In fact, we’ve been given our first big hint as to how the Mad Titan might do just that. Thankfully, it’s not all doom and gloom, as we also get the MCU’s two silver tongues give us a verbal joust, and Spidey putting his (webbed) foot in his mouth. A click of the fingers... This isn’t just hyperbole from Gamora. If you know your comics, you’ll know that Thanos LITERALLY kills half the universe by clicking his fingers. I’ll bet good money that he’s aiming to do the same again. It’d be a killer ending before Avengers 4. A Strange name We've got every crossover under the moons of Titan coming our way, but one looks to best every other in terms of WTF-ness. Doctor Strange and Spidey couldn’t be anymore different - and Peter Parker proves that to be the case with … [Read more...] about The new Avengers: Infinity War trailer gives us the biggest clue yet as to how Thanos wins