Search the Community

Good evening fellow forumites!! It's been quite some time since I had something to share with the forum. I decided to start back off with a bit of news that I am pretty sure will effect a large portion of our community, and perhaps a large portion of people that our forum dwellers may know and love. Enjoy! Beginning on January 1st 2020, Microsoft will no longer offer Security Patches and Hotfixes for Windows 7 OS's. This is common knowledge for many of us, who were warned of the imposing EOL (end of life) cycle for Windows 7 years ago. But this time, the EOL has taken a slight turn for the worst. In a recent publication this week, Microsoft has confirmed that it will be charging a "monthly" subscription fee for Windows 7 beginning in January, to supply ongoing users of Windows 7 with monthly updates and critical fixes. While this may not be that big of an issue, as pricing has not yet been released, it does beg a few questions. 1. How many vulnerabilities and exploits are there currently, that Microsoft has yet to fix? 2. How many bugs and exploits does Microsoft plan to fix before their "payday" kicks off? 3. Given this type of instance, how can we the consumer be guaranteed that ANY fix we obtain before 2020, isn't a way to increase or generate the need for the subscription? Many users of Windows 7 have refused to make the switch to Windows 10 (OS as a Service) due to it's limited compatibility with older software, issues with various Direct X elements of older games, and it's overall UI and service type features. While Windows 10 is a great way to breathe new life into aging technology, for those who rely on a stable solid OS to run various older editing softwares, video captures and general work within older archtypes of applications, Windows 10 is a crawl and in most cases, the things you wat to do cannot be done without constant crashes. On top of that, Windows 10 is an ongoing operating system that completely changes the way it handles almost everything, everytime an update or feature is released. Some even have rendered the OS unusable at times. Generally speaking, Microsoft has always had a good relationship with consumers regarding it's OS's and fixes for issues. However, the main issue SHOULD be, is that Microsoft is expecting to get paid for fixing shotty software issues for a product YOU ALREADY PAID FOR! To put that into perspective, a car manufacturer would NEVER expect the consumer to turn their car into a dealership for a malfunctioning part and expect you to pay for it. Even if the car is 25 years old, the manufacturer guarantees that any original equipment that is found to be malfunctioning due to manufacturing, is covered and you pay nothing. They pay for it, cause it's their critical error. Since when has it become the fault and burden of the consumer to pay for a fix to something that was broken or incomplete? I understand that all vulnerabilities and exploits are not readily identified. Most take years or decades to uncover and find only once a system has been compromised. But why should I pay Microsoft to fix a security or code issue that I had nothing to do with? And if I am a small business owner (some forum peeps might be) what am i supposed to do about the software i already bought? Should I allow MS to strongarm me into upgrading to an OS that most likely won't support my older POS applications or busniness configurations? And at what point can I sue or seek damages if there is a breach in my system, and that Microsoft failed to issue a fix, because they were greedy and wanted to get paid for it ahead of time? It makes no logical sense. Microsoft had initially tried spitballing this idea with Windows 10. initially trying to sell upgrades and updates for the service ats a charge. That idea was quickly snuffed. Again, I understand that january 2020 is the hard deadline for fixes and patches, I really do get that. And at that point, it becomes our problem if we choose to continue using a product that they no longer support. But my concern is that Microsoft has a backlog of fixes and exploits that they have not yet properly fixed and obviously have no team currently working on uncovering as many as possible before the deadline. 40% of the market still uses Windows 7 for christ sake! Anyway if you want to learn more about the service that is coming, follow the link below. I would love to hear your comments and feedback on this! https://www.forbes.com/sites/gordonkelly/2018/09/08/microsoft-windows-7-monthly-charge-windows-10-free-upgrade-cost/

Hello there, thanks for visiting this thread. Are you interested in writing News for the community, but don't have such a grip on certain guidelines for Front Page worthy articles? Fear not, for I have developed for you a small set of guidelines for you to follow if you want to create amazing content level with our own News Group! The article should feature an appropriate image to coincide with the topic of the article. The image should be hosted on the forum's own Gallery as off-site material copied and pasted can be tamped with or removed, doing this prevents inappropriate or missing content on the article. The easiest format to do this is to save the image unto your own computer or device, and upload it using the "Attach Files" mechanism below. Article should be sourced in a Site Name/[direct link] format, basically meaning if you found your article on IGN, you would source it as 'IGN.com' rather then just IGN or another title. The link must go to wherever you found the article though, so it should link to the actual piece rather than just IGN's front page. Primary Sources are usually the best to use, as they are more direct and have more authenticity. Let's say you post a 343i Job Listing, you must link to the actual listing, instead of Polygon reporting on the listing. This helps News Group members authenticate the article to make sure it isn't a hoax before promoting it. An opening sentence should hook the reader in and have them gripped to continue. It doesn't need to be long, but it should have the reader invested for the whole article, like a sort of teaser. It assists in the flow of the article as well, and looks generally neater and cleaner. Rhetorical questions aren't the best method, so try to avoid these. Personal opinions can never filter into a full fledged News piece. Doing an article on Halo 5 getting a 10/10 from IGN is fine, saying that Halo 5 is perfect or the complete opposite isn't. This is a news piece after all, it's just to inform, not to debate. Copy/Pasting a whole article, some of an article, or even a sentence of an article isn't allowed, and could result in serious punishments if done. The piece MUST be original, your own work. The usual word level is 300-500, however, if the article can perform fine with less or more, then this shouldn't matter, just don't make it tremendously short or long, and try to aim for the word limit set above. Font sizes and fonts should usually stay default, however, using colours like cyan, orange, and sometimes yellow is perfectly fine. Articles should have your own distinct style and taste to them, don't attempt to be like BeckoningZebra1, or Adam91, or Edward Kenway. You are you, if you use a certain vocabulary, or style, then use it, it's fine to be distinct and unique when it comes to writing. It isn't that the three mentioned above are not good writers, they are, but that is because they have their own way of writing. It doesn't matter how you consider your style, it's yours, it's special, you need to utilize it. Try to end on a question, and encourage liking and commenting on the article, as well as discussing it below, usually a question does the trick to promote (civil) debate and discussion in the comments area. That should cover it, any suggestions or questions, ask away below, thanks for reading ladies and gentlemen, and I hope this assists some fresh writers out there in starting up!

Halo 5: Guardians is seeing the return of fan-favourite mode Warzone Turbo this weekend, along with a few extras to sweeten the deal! Around two months ago, Halo fans were treated to their first encounter with a new playlist titled "Warzone Turbo", an add-on to the existing 24-player mode that allowed for unlimited chaos and access to player REQ items like vehicles and weapons early on. The mode was treated to critical success, and has naturally come back into rotation a few times since as a weekend buffer. This week, fans will be happy to know it has returned, playable on the new maps and with items from the latest update. Along with the mode, 343 has released two new REQ packs available in the store, for the purpose of beefing up your collection. One of these is a "Mythic Warzone Pack" which will grant players 10 single-use weapons of the highest tier and one new certification to get more of a weapon, if available. The other is a "Mechanized Vehicle Pack" which will grant players a ton of vehicular items to slaughter the competition. Both can be purchased with $10 USD or 80,000 REQ points, and are available for as long as "Warzone Turbo" is here. With E3 on the horizon, 343 Industries is preparing to put on a show with their highly anticipated Halo Wars 2, as well as some hidden surprises. We're excited and can't wait to share the news with you! Are you purchasing either of the above packs? Let us know! Source: twitter.com/Halo (Sourced directly from the HTA blog @ https://officialhaloteamassemble.blogspot.com/?view=classic ) You can follow us on Twitter @HaloTeam343CF or contact us on 343industries.org or Reddit.com This post has been promoted to an article

More Gametypes On The Way! (343 industries) If you haven't noticed the monthly updates of armors, weapons and even maps, 343industries has been launching new content every month as previously promised, (Lasting till at least June 2016). Last month we saw Infinity's Armory give us Riptide, and Urban and a couple of pretty cool weapons and armor, but something that the community has been long asking for was their cherished custom games and gametypes. Well this month 343i is delivering. The February update will launch with the famous, Grifball gamemode and Assault gamemode, which will be playable via multiplayer and customs. 343 had called on Grifball enthusiast Jeffery "Nokyard" Fischer to help design and test the new Grifball gameplay. "Nok worked with our Weapons Designer, Daniel Wiksten, on trying to get the damage and impulse blast of the hammer to feel right. This collaboration helped us hammer out (pun intended) the delicate balance of Gravity Hammer vs. Sword vs. Ball that Grifball so heavily relies upon. We leveraged Nokyard's wealth of Grifball knowledge to try to make the most exciting Grifball yet, complete with thrusting Grif, Ground Pound kills, and ball throwing. Playing Grifball during playtests over the last few months has been some of the most fun we have had in the new building." - Multiplayer Designer Max Grossman A popular gametype, designed by the same people that love playing it, holds promise. Assault, like I mentioned will also be seeing a comeback. It'll be a neutral bomb in multiplayer at launch, although there is always room for additional variants to be added. In addition to that, there will be a plethora of options available for the experienced, and inexperienced forger to create other great gametypes, utilizing the new gameplay style in Halo 5 given the new abilities. Fiesta will also be making a return so now we may be able to finally make a proper Ro Sham Bo map... This update is set to launch towards the end of the month. Source: http://www.cnet.com/news/halo-5-adding-grifball-and-other-new-modes-this-month/#ftag=CAD590a51e What are you most excited about? What are you worried about? How bad was my grammar? DISCUSS BELOW! This post has been promoted to an article

Hello everyone! Melody here! Recently news has sparked up in the internet world about rumors of Game Freak's popular Pokemon Yellow Version. Pokemon has seen it's fair share of remakes/remasters but could a rumor of the classic 1998 video game be true? According to a recent article by "thepokedex" (Google it) says yes. Despite the small amount of information provided this has sparked much controversy among the gaming community. However no such proof exists that proofs for certain that Pokemon Yellow Version will be getting a remaster. What do you guys think about these rumors? Will Yellow get a remaster after all? Thanks for reading!

A Jacksonville couple has been arrested for selling what they claimed to be golden tickets to get into heaven as reports: Tito and Amanda Watts were arrested over the weekend for selling “golden tickets to heaven” to hundreds of people. The couple, who sold the tickets on the street for $99.99 per ticket, told buyers the tickets were made from solid gold and each ticket reserved the buyer a spot in heaven — simply present the ticket at the pearly gates and you’re in. Jacksonville police stated it is not illegal to sell golden tickets to heaven, but what the couple claimed where gold turned out to be pieces of wood spray painted gold. The couple was selling their product under false pretenses, which prompted their arrest. Tito Watts had this to say about the arrest: I don’t care what the police say. The tickets are solid gold… it ain’t cut up two by fours I spray painted gold. And it was Jesus who give them to me behind the KFC and said to sell them so I could get me some money to go to outer space. I met an alien named Stevie who said if I got the cash together he’d take me and my wife on his flying saucer to his planet that’s made entirely of crack cocaine. When the couple was arrested they were found carrying thousands of dollars in cash as well as drug paraphernalia and a baby alligator. Source: Link Date: May 30th, 2015 (Disclaimer: May or may not be real)

Halo: The Master Chief Collection Information Thread (In case you couldn't find the news anywhere else.) Below this text will be all the knowledge we have so far. (We as in the gamers) DISCLAIMER: All of the content below does NOT belong to me, as they are a trade mark of Microsoft and 343 Industries, the owners of the Halo series. The videos don't necessarily need to be viewed, but are there in case anyone has missed them. I. MULTIPLAYER A. MAPS a. All multiplayer maps from Halo: CE, 2 (PC), 3, and 4 are going to be available. B. Remastered Halo 2 Maps 1. Ascension 2. Coagulation 3. Zanzibar 4. Sanctuary 5. Lockout 6. Warlord C. Playable Characters a. Will feature Spartans b. Will feature Elites D. Returning Features a. Dual Wield b. Button combos like BxR in the original H2 multiplayer c. Elites will return as previously stated E. New Features 1. Director's Cut a. Mongoose/Gungoose b. Assault Rifle c. Speed Boost d. Silenced SMG 2. Gametypes a. Ricochet b. Race c. SWAT d. Infection e. And many more!! (Literally what it said at RTX 2014) F. Customization a. Forge will be available in Halo 2: Anniversary, Halo 3, and Halo 4. b. Character customization is confirmed, just no direct news with it. c. Custom games will be making a return. G. Matchmaking a. Will have all four games running on their original engines. b. will have specific playlists for certain games or gametypes. c. Halo 2 Anniversary will run on a completely different engine. II. Graphics A. New to old has been confirmed - Will happen instantly, even during cut scenes. B. Everything will run at 1080p and at 60fps. 1. Campaign won't run at 1080p/60fps so far due to technical forks in the road. III. Single Player A. Will feature skulls + Special Pre-order skulls. Pre-order skulls include: 1. Grunt Funeral skull from BestBuy. 2. Bandana Skull from GameStop 3. Pinata Skull from Amazon 4. Bonded Pair Skull from ShopTo B. The Cutscenes 1. Rumored to have extended cutscenes - Not completely confirmed. - Thanks Self Destruct NOTE: Pre-order skulls will be unlocked to all users sometime after the games release. B. Terminals 1. Halo 2 Anniversary will feature Terminals to learn about the Arbiters past. 2. Halo 4 is also rumored to be using Terminals to connect Halo 4 to Halo 5. NOTE: Terminals must be accessed by having an internet connection. C. Campaign Missions 1. All of the missions will be unlocked at the start, so you can jump from one mission to another. D. Mission Playlists 1. Will feature playlists such as Vehicular Missions, Arbiter Missions, or Chief Missions, etc. IV. User Interface A. Controllers 1. Will feature universal controls. This will give the player the ability to set individual controls for one game or for all of them. B. Player ID - Not covered yet C. Extras 1. Extras will lead you to the menu to watch Halo: Nightfall or play the Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer beta. V. Release Date US - November 11th, 2014. (11/11/14) Europe - November 14th, 2014. (11/14/14) [included in MCC] Halo: Nightfall Release - At launch. [included in MCC] Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta Release - December 27th, 2014. (12/27/14) VI. Extra Details A. Gameplay 1. Original glitches should all still be in the original Halo 2 engine, but will be gone in the Halo 2 Anniversary Edition (Stated by Frank O' Connor at SDCC Dev Panel) This may or may not ship with: a. Text to help achieve these glitches or b. Text to explain why these glitches exist, how they happened (Thanks Self Destruct for the Gameplay section info) c. Frank O' Connor plans on trying to 'educate' players about the glitches in MP, but doesn't mention campaign. They want the experience just as it was ten years ago. - SDCC MCC Panel NOTE: The two possibilities above are rumored as of now, and we have to wait until further notice for more info. 2. Will ship out with 4000 Gamerscore - Confirmed at the E3 Microsoft Press Conference. a. Some achievements are getting quick fixes. b. Expect to see some brand new ones to. (Fact two of Gameplay was also confirmed at the SDCC: MCC Panel.) 3. Skulls (More refined information - Thanks to Self Destruct) a. Will ship with over 30 game modifying skulls b. Original Halo 2 skulls may be counting as part of the 30+. But they are still there because of glitch reinforcement. (Spoken about at the SDCC: MCC Panel) 4. Other information 1. Xbox One exclusive - Sorry Xbox 360/PC gamers. 2. Cutscenes being redone by Blur Studios. (Made Halo: Wars' cutscenes) 3. Will be $60 USD at launch. Good deal if you ask me! 4. Halo 5: Guardians will NOT feature dual wielding although not impossible. SDCC MCC Panel (May be in a future title - Halo 3 Anniversary anyone?) SPECIAL: Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta Weapons Assault Rifle: Battle Rifle: DMR: Rocket Launcher: SMG: Sniper Rifle: VII: Videos Halo 2 Anniversary Cinematics Trailer (Contains mild language) 343 Industries Panel @ RTX 2014 (May contain mild language) Halo 2 Anniversary Terminals Trailer Halo: The Master Chief Collection E3 2014 Trailer Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta Trailer Halo: The Master Chief Collection Dev Panel - SDCC 2014 (Contains Mild Language) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iw6DNHz42ms&list=UUptNOWTizPKjnHYLydzUWbw Lockout Remaster Slayer Match Halo 3: Updated Look Halo 2 Anniversary - Zanzibar/Delta Halo/GUNGOOSE (I hope I fixed the video - It was reuploaded) Members Contributed: Self Destruct - Pinata Skull/Bonded Pair Skull/Halo 2/4 Terminals needing internet access. Cooliest - Halo 5: Guardians Multiplayer Beta is included with the MCC. Did I miss something, or did you find more information? Post it down below and I will add it to the OP. Thanks! - TDW

Today, it was confirmed that Crossfire, and Trench from the Halo 5 Beta are INDEED Forge created maps on the same palette (Forge World like maps like Awash, or Impact). Crossfire is pictured above... YEAH THAT'S A FORGE MAP!!! Though I already had my suspicions. Which brings me to my next points on Forge, and Maps in general. Josh Holmes, in an interview with IGN's Ryan McCaffrey, states: Improvements to usability in Forge have been made as well as providing multiple palettes, terrain sheets, and lighting set-ups for Forgers to utilize. He indicates that there are no more plans to make more "classic" map remakes like Truth, which could mean they already have, but just stopped. Map Remixes, like Regret, and Eden, are variants of the original map that have changed geometry, flow, weapon layout, and time of day. On the topic of feedback Josh responded with, “We’re excited to be releasing this beta almost a year before the release of the game. While this is the earliest that we've done a beta and things are in a less polished state than they would be if we were releasing closer to launch, it’s important to us to get the game into the hands of fans while we still have the time to react to feedback. The input that we receive from the community will feed into our remaining development and help us to achieve our goal of making Halo 5: Guardians the best multiplayer shooter on consoles when we launch in 2015.” He continued, "We’ll be carefully considering all sorts of feedback including weapon tuning, balance for the new Spartan abilities, weapon placement on maps, audio mix, and much more. We encourage all participants in the beta to go to halowaypoint.com and sign up for our community feedback program. In addition we’ll also be paying close attention to the various community forums and social media and we appreciate people taking the time to share their impressions.” Lastly, Holmes confirmed that there will not be another Multiplayer Beta, and stated that 343i will discuss the remainder of the multiplayer suite later this year, including larger, more vehicle-focused experiences. On a side note, the Halo 5 Beta will soon be receiving a vote between being able to play on one of the two new Forge created maps (both are in the same palette): Pegasus, or Orion. The respective videos for each map are below: There will be a poll for which map you want to play on this week's Halo Bulletin on the Halo Channel. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Thoughts? Sources: Halo4Nation, IGN http://me.ign.com/en/halo-5-xbox-one/99870/feature/halo-5-pegasus-and-orion-maps-revealed http://halo4nation.com/halo-5-2/halo-5-guardians-pegasus-orion-forged-map-gameplays/

Today is December 9th, 2014, and that means the release of Destiny's first DLC! The Dark Below is now out and for sale on Xbox and Sony consoles. I will be posting more info late, but I wanted to just post a reminder for all of you out there with Destiny! The Dark Below marks the first of what is expected to be multiple expansions for Destiny. It is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, PlayStation 3, and Xbox 360. More details of the expansion, which includes new story missions, can be found below. New weapons, armour, and gear to further customise your Guardian. The ability to increase your Light level to 32, and five additional bounty slots. Three new competitive multiplayer maps: Pantheon, Skyshock, and The Cauldron. New cooperative Strike: The Will of Crota. Purge a twisted horror from the Cosmodrome. An additional resident of the Tower: Eris, a resolute survivor of an ill-fated mission. And a new six-player Raid: Crota’s End. Face him in the deepest dark. Players are just starting to make run-through videos of this DLC and such. And one of the perks of this new DLC include the new Sparrow Below

'The Dark Below' DLC coming to Destiny this December will not only feature more Strikes and gear, but it's level cap may also be increased. We've got some details that were extracted from the game's data files. There is a 'Hard' difficulty setting suited for Level 32s. Now how exactly will this play out? Will we need more light to reach a level higher than 30? This could give us the opportunity to possibly have more than one piece of exotic armour. There will also be new Legendary Armour coming, this could be our way to gaining even more light and reaching higher levels. How high do you think the Level cap will reach? Will you be buying the DLC this December? Sources: http://gamerant.com/destiny-dark-below-legendary-gear-discovered/ http://www.digitaltrends.com/gaming/looks-like-destinys-getting-higher-level-cap-new-gear-harder-strikes-december/

Hey guys! Church here, bringing you a new video. On the night of the Halo MCC launch, a camera crew and I went around to a few GameStops to get some fan interviews, meet people in the community, and generally have a good time. Here's the recap of the evening. View full article

Yesterday, one day after it's release, Destiny became a record breaker by raking in a whopping $632 million! Activision, the game's publisher, announced that they had exceeded 500 million US Dollars and that this "marks another blockbuster success" for their company. They were confident from the start that all the hard work they had put into Destiny would pay off. The game currently sells at $60, and special editions with higher prices are also available for purchase. Although Destiny pulled through with high numbers, there are some in the industry that still credit Halo for being the game to build on the Xbox's success. So what do you think? Will you be buying Destiny any time soon? If you already have, do you think it's as good as it was said to be? Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/digital-life/more-digital-life-stories/story/halo-creators-new-video-game-destiny-makes-632m-debut-2

With a new DLC release coming closer, EA has released the content of the Dragons Teeth DLC for Battlefield 4 Getting bored of playing the same Battlefield 4 maps over and over again? Don't worry! New DLC is coming our way! And to get us ready for it EA has released the contents of this new DLC called Dragons Teeth. As usual players can expect 4 new maps. Which are called Lumphini Garden, Pearl Market, Propaganda and Sunken Dragon. The map called Sunken Dragon already has some details on it. A screenshot can be seen here: And like every Battlefield 4 map it has a levolution effect. Which is be draining the huge river that runs through the map. This effect will give vehicles more room to move around, so once that river drains you better get some explosive ordnance ready! The DLC will also feature 5 new weapons, a shield gadget, a remote controlled vehicle called the R.A.W.R (awesome name), a new gamemode called chain link, and 10 new assignments (Which will probably unlock some of the weapons and gadgets). People with Premium will of course get 2 weeks early acces. What are your thought on this DLC? Let me know down below! Thank you for reading! Source: http://nl.ign.com/news/9788/content-battlefield-4-dragon-s-teeth-onthuld

Payday 2 has been confirmed for the next-gen consoles After many titles being confirmed for the next-gen consoles, Payday 2 is also coming to the Xbox One and the PS4. This conformation has been done by the publisher 505 this week. The new release is also getting a new name. It will be called Payday 2: Crimewave edition and it will feature a couple of new additions and bonus content; only, what this will be has not been stated yet, just like the release date. Payday 2 came out last year on the Xbox 360, PS3 and PC. Are you interested in what the Crimewave edition might bring? Let me know down below! Thank you for reading! Source: http://nl.ign.com/news/9665/payday-2-komt-naar-ps4-en-xbox-one

GTA V's heists have been delayed again. Nearly a year ago Rockstar promised us we could play heists together with our friends. As you might have noticed we still cannot rob banks and earn mad dolla bills. To make matters worse Rockstar has stated that they'll have to delay this feature... yet again. In a post on Rockstar Newswire the developers apologize sincerely. They state that they're working hard on this feature and want to make sure to give us the best content possible. (This excuse it getting real old) Furthermore they thank us for our patience. With Rockstars known history of breaking the game even further with every update they release I'm hoping they take their time and spend it well. Although this is really taking long. What are your thoughts on this? Let me know down below! Thank you for reading! Source: http://nl.ign.com/news/9729/gta-online-heists-opnieuw-uitgesteld

Destiny might still come to the PC. Bungie's project Destiny is still only being developed for the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3 and PS4. But a PC release is not off the table yet, according to CEO Eric Hershberg. "A PC release is a possibility and we're certainly looking in to it. It would be a very logical decision with this type of game. We have no announcement for it as of now, but it is being discussed," he sais in an interview. Hirschberg continues by saying that developing a game for 4 platforms is hard work as it is and adding a 5th platform might be a bit too much to handle. "Developing a PC game is completely different then developing a game for a console. We don't want to rush into things, we want to make sure that we are doing this thing right and make sure it is high quality. But I can see how a PC version can work out." So it appears to be that a Destiny PC version might come somewhere in the future if Bungie has some more time on their hands. If you're not buying the game for the consoles, would you buy it for the PC? Let me know down below! Thank you for reading! Source: http://nl.ign.com/news/9668/activision-destiny-voor-pc-wordt-besproken