Stone Marshall's Blog, page 101
April 22, 2018
Nearly 50,000 ‘Minecraft’ Accounts Infected With Malware Thanks to Modified ‘Skins’
Thousands of “Minecraft” accounts were recently infected with malware that can potentially reformat hard drives and delete backup data and system programs, according to cybersecurity company Avast.
The malicious software is apparently distributed via “Minecraft” character skins created in the PNG file format and uploaded to the game’s official website by fans. Skins modify a player’s avatar and they’re quite popular. Avast estimates nearly 50,000 “Minecraft” accounts have been infected.
“The malicious code is largely unimpressive and can be found on sites that provide step-by-step instructions on how to create viruses with Notepad,” Avast said. “While it is fair to assume that those responsible are not professional cybercriminals, the bigger concern is why the infected skins could be legitimately uploaded to the ‘Minecraft’ website. With the malware hosted on the official ‘Minecraft’ domain, any detection triggered could be misinterpreted by users as a false positive.”
“Minecraft” is one of the biggest games in the world. It’s sold more than 144 million copies since its launch in 2009. Microsoft bought both the game and its developer, Mojang, for an estimated $2.5 billion in 2014. In a recent interview with PopSugar, Helen Chiang, the new head of “Minecraft” at Microsoft, said the sandbox game now has 74 million active players worldwide. This makes it a ripe target for hackers, but Avast said only a small percentage of the player base actively uploads modified skins, which has kept infection numbers low.
Avast said anyone who downloaded modified skins should run an antivirus scan. Some might need to reinstall the game or, in extreme cases, restore data on their hard drives. Infected users might also receive unusual messages in their inboxes with subjects like “You Are Nailed, Buy A New Computer This Is A Piece Of Sh*t,” “You have maxed your internet usage for a lifetime,” or “Your a** got glued.”
Avast said it contacted Mojang and they are working on fixing the vulnerability.
Nearly 50,000 ‘Minecraft’ Accounts Infected With Malware Thanks to Modified ‘Skins’
April 21, 2018
‘Pacific Rim’ Box Office Disaster Shows Why ‘Tron 3’ Is A Bad Idea
Pacific Rim: Uprising has earned just $55 million. At this juncture, it should top out a bit over $60m domestic, which is well short of the $102m domestic gross of the first Pacific Rim back in 2013. And while itâs doing a little better overseas, Legendaryâs $150m-budgeted sci-fi sequel isnât making up for lost ground, not even in China. While the sequel arguably only exists because Pacific Rim earned $113m in China five years ago, this time out Uprising scored a $66m debut, terrible word of mouth and a swift decline to under-$100m. With $267m worldwide, itâll be lucky to top $280m. Itâs a big miss.
This shouldnât be a surprise since Legendary (and distributor Universal/Comcast Corp.) violated the most obvious rule of all: Donât make a sequel if folks didnât flock to or love the original. As a general rule, sequels happen when a movie earns a lot of money or grosses a figure that is A) noticeably higher than the production budget and B) has a somewhat leggy, buzzy run which in-turn leads to a vibrant post-theatrical lifespan. Sequels are supposed to be a reward for a movie that is a big hit and (theoretically) has another story worth telling. If the first film bombs, you shouldnât get a sequel.
Thatâs what made a second Pacific Rim so intriguing. Guillermo del Toroâs monsters versus robots flick earned mixed reviews and didnât really break out beyond the hardcore nerd crowd, earning $101 million domestic from a $38m debut and $411m worldwide on a $190m budget. Yes, $411m+ worldwide is pretty solid, especially for an original live-action feature, but that was still barely over double its budget. And with marketing costs being what they are, 2.5x-the budget is usually the magic spot for eventual profitability once VOD, DVD and other post-theatrical revenue streams are tabulated. So, Pacific Rim: Uprising was a big-budget sequel to a big-budget flop.
Thanks to the 24-hour news cycle and the clickbait-driven media, we get all kinds of buzz about continuations to every franchise under the sun. Chris Pine joshingly responds in a positive way to the notion of a third Princess Diaries movie and it gets reported as if itâs a greenlit picture. Folks are asked about Fantastic Four and they act like itâs something thatâs actively being considered. But no matter how much Karl Urban talks about playing Judge Dredd again on the big screen, we are no closer to getting a sequel to Dredd than we are of getting MacGruber 2, Terminator Genisys 2 or John Carter 2.
But Pacific Rim 2 actually got made. Sure, this all started in 2014, when Universal had recently joined forces with Legendary (the first Pacific Rim went out as a Warner Bros./Time Warner Inc. release) and when Universal was lower on stockholder-friendly franchises. But as Universalâs 2014 slate of record profit margins (in a year sans tentpoles) led to a market share-winning 2015, Pacific Rim: Uprising became less an essential IP and more of⦠something from a bygone era. Pacific Rim 2 was a lot less necessary in 2018 than it was in 2014. In retrospect, Pacific Rim could have been treated as a âdodged a bulletâ one-and-done.
Universal was planning to toss Kristen Stewart out of her own franchise before Snow White and the Huntsman even opened in June of 2012. Taking a female-led hit, and it did earn $156 million domestic and $394m worldwide on a $170m budget, and creating a male-driven spin-off was both a bad idea in terms of why the first film did well and oddly cruel. But the appeal of saying âHey, weâve got a new franchise!â was too much to resist after Battleship bombed and The Bourne Legacy slightly underperformed. Yet, by early 2016, Universal needed The Huntsman: Winterâs War as much as Disney needs Tron 3.
Disney has threatened to make a third Tron movie in one form or another over the years. Tron: Legacywas more successful than the other ânext Pirates of the Caribbeanâ or âDisneyâs Avatarâ titles (The Sorcererâs Apprentice, John Carter, The Lone Ranger, Prince of Persia, etc). The Joseph Kosinski-directed sci-fi sequel has its cult following (itâs still terrible but Oblivion is good and Only the Brave is a new classic). But once Disney started kicking butt with Marvel, Lucasfilm, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation, plus those live-action fairy tales doing their thing, there was zero need to take a risk on a third Tron movie.
A Pacific Rim sequel became riskier and riskier with every year that went by, as the new installment now presented itself not as a sequel to a recent hit but as a long-gestating sequel to a film that wasnât all that fondly remembered or (depending on viewer awareness) an outright original. And once Guillermo del Toro jumped ship, you somewhat lost the fan loyalty that almost justified the project in the first place. Unless Steven S. DeKnight had created a new classic on par with, I dunno, Edge of Tomorrow or Fury Road, this was always a huge risk, even with a winning John Boyega in the lead role.
Pacific Rim: Uprising was a sequel to a box office miss, borne of a notion that having IP was in itself valuable to the overall portfolio no matter if that IP had any worth. You donât get and shouldnât expect sequels to truly underperforming originals. You can get sequels to surprise blowout hits like Ted or leggy cult favorites like Pitch Perfect or John Wick. Yes, you can have breakout sequels, but those have to originate from films that earned good reviews, profitable global box office (preferably with a leggy run) and post-theatrical interest. Pacific Rim was 0-3, and you canât will a franchise into being.
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery was a hit ($68 million worldwide on a $17m budget), so the production of The Spy Who Shagged Me shouldnât have been a surprise. Unbreakable was a minor disappointment, earning $96m domestic and $256m worldwide on an $80m budget, so itâs no surprise that a sequel didnât come until M. Night Shyamalan released Split and then made Glass into a 2-for-1 sequel Unbreakable/Split sequel 18.25 years after the first superhero drama. And even if you argue that Tron: Legacy was a minor hit, nostalgia magic didnât strike twice for Blade Runner 2049. A movie isnât more appealing because itâs a sequel.
Unless youâre Batman Begins and you earn $371 million on a $150m budget but with rave reviews, superb legs, great word-of-mouth and strong post-theatrical, your next chapter isnât going to be The Dark Knight. Pacific Rim: Uprising was a big budget sequel to a big-budget predecessor that wasnât remotely an outright hit. So if youâre wondering why we donât have Tron 3 or why Universal is gun-shy about a third stand-alone Hulk movie, well, look at Pacific Rim. They didnât need Pacific Rim: Uprisingany more than they needed The Huntsman or Disney needed Tron 3. Having no franchise is better than having a poor franchise.
Universal will be fine (go see Blockers), but what could have been a box office game changer instead becomes an all-too-apparent cautionary tale. In the end, the lesson of Pacific Rim: Uprising, a movie that I actually enjoyed on its own pulpy merits, is pretty simple: Donât make a sequel to a box office bomb.
‘Pacific Rim’ Box Office Disaster Shows Why ‘Tron 3’ Is A Bad Idea
Watch this AI figure out how to place blocks in Minecraft
Artificial intelligence doesnât compare favorably to humans when it comes to problem solving. Ask any eight year old child to place a few blocks on a grid in Minecraft and theyâll almost certainly be bored by the task. A computer, on the other hand, doesnât grasp such difficult concepts so easily.
Stephan Alaniz, a researcher with the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Technische Universitat Berlin, yesterday published a white papertitled âDeep Reinforcement Learning with Model Learning and Monte Carlo Tree Search in Minecraft.â In his paper the scientist explains his efforts to create a superior method for training an AI to perform simple tasks based on visual input.
If weâre ever going to have robots that can live and work among humans seamlessly without damaging us or our property theyâre going to have to understand how to interact with the environment using visual context. One of the most popular ways to train AI for this task is using video games with simple controls.
We can judge an AIâs effectiveness at completing specific tasks in a structured environment, like Minecraft, by comparing it to human efforts.
Watching the above video, itâs apparent that AI â even one thatâs shown to be more effective than other agents trained to perform similar tasks â isnât very good at doing simple things yet. But developing cutting-edge technology takes time â though advances in machine learning techniques are happening at a terrifying pace.
Future research will drive training times down, effectiveness up, and generate new ideas for algorithms that further blur the lines between artificial and human intelligence.
But for now, itâs interesting enough to watch an AI process hundreds of different moves as it tries to figure out a simple block placing challenge in Minecraft. It might be worth remembering, in the future, how simple these things were when they began learning.
April 20, 2018
Rabbids Peach Dances To Beyonce In Just Dance Trailer
The release of Just Dance 2018 for the Nintendo Switch opened up a lot of possibilities for the console, including crossover content from some of Ubisoft’s other games. More specifically, there’s a video showcasing a crossover of the Rabbids version of Princess Peach from Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle dancing to Beyonce’s “Naughty Girl”.
The video of the Rabbids Peach was posted up over on the official Nintendo YouTube channel. It’s only a minute long and starts off with Rabbids Peach doing a similar kind of dance routine to what you would expect from Beyonce.
The background is littered with other Rabbid backup dancers, shuffling and moving their hands and feet to the beat of the music, while Princess Peach’s castle stands erect in the background, and the washing machine-looking portals are nestled on the other side of the screen.
The gameplay is still typical Just Dance, requiring players to stay in sync with the rhythm of the music, and manage the beats of the dance routine to the song. The dance icons scroll through at the bottom of the screen, with the character silhouettes being represented by outlines of the Rabbids.
Players are required to pull of the motions depicted in the images. Those who manage to perform the moves in rhythm to the beat of the music will acquire higher scores.
Beyonce’s “Naughty Girl” is just one of 300 songs featured in Just Dance 2018, which came out last fall in 2017 for home consoles. The Ubisoft dance title is just the latest in a long line of games that have come out within the franchise.
The comment section on the video isn’t entirely happy about the inclusion of the Rabbid dance trainer, mainly because Rabbid Peach doing rather exotic dances to Beyonce’s “Naughty Girl” has already mentally scarred some people who just weren’t prepared for the kind of imagery present in the video above.
Nintendo allowed Ubisoft to use the Super Mario characters and themes in Mario + Rabbids: Kingdom Battle. The game sold well enough for what it is and I suppose Nintendo allowed Ubisoft to go a step further by using the Mario-themed characters from the turn-based RPG in Ubisoft’s other title, Just Dance 2018.
Not everyone was mentally unprepared for the crossover in the multiplayer dancing game. Some gamers were quite thrilled to see the characters hopping from one game to the next and bringing some levity and hilarity to the dancing game. And besides, if everyone is having a good time being goofy and enjoying themselves dancing, then isn’t that the whole point? I’m sure seeing those swinging hips of Rabbids Peach is well worth the laughs that come with the crossover… right? Right?!
The First Two Shenmue Games Are Being Rereleased
With Shenmue 3 set to launch sometime later this year, it looks like folks hoping to catch up on the series’ story up to this point are in luck. According to Sega, remastered versions of the original two Shenmue games are on the way.
SEGA
@SEGA
You’ve asked, we listened and we’re extremely excited to finally announce that Shenmue I & II are coming to PS4, Xbox One and PC in one package! Both games will feature Japanese and English voice overs, the choice of classic or modern controls and more! #ShenmueSaved
10:00 AM – Apr 14, 2018
The above tweet comes directly from Sega, who have officially revealed a launch of Shenmue and Shenmue II on the PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC. The best news is that these spruced up versions of the games will be launched as a single package, allowing folks to get the full narrative in a single purchase. It’s also noted that players will be able to enjoy both the Japanese and English voiceovers, as well as choose between classic and more modern controls. Other tweaks are mentioned but not detailed.
Of course, this is the internet, so rather than be excited to get playable versions of the first two Shenmue games, many of the comments gripe that folks would also like remade versions of games like Jet Set Radio or Skies of Arcadia. And then there are of course the obligatory “what about Switch?” comments.
We’re excited to see this news, even if we’re not exactly surprised. The original Shenmue and Shenmue II launched on the Dreamcast at the turn of the century, a console most folks in the U.S. didn’t own. Also, another issue was that, if memory serves, Shenmue II came out on the original Xbox here in The States rather than the Dreamcast, which wasn’t exactly an ideal scenario. After that Xbox launch in 2002, things went quiet for the series.
Several years back, director Yu Suzuki announced during the Sony E3 press conference that he would be taking the series’ third chapter to Kickstarter, hitting its $2 million goal almost instantly. The latest launch window has Shenmue IIIarriving later this year and, given all of the attention the series has received in recent years, it makes sense that Sega would want to make the original games available, too. We’re sure there’s a decent recap of the first two games available on Youtube somewhere, but this move means folks can choose to simply play the games and get the story firsthand instead.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t just the result of a third game finally arriving for the series nearly two decades after the plot was left dangling. A while back, Sega held a poll asking players what old-school games they’d like to see remade for modern consoles. At the top of that list was Shenmue, so this can also be seen as Sega offering some nice follow through.
So what do you think, folks? Are you excited to finally have the chance to play the original Shenmue games on modern consoles? Drop your thoughts into the comments below.
April 19, 2018
Classic Sega Titles Are Coming To The Nintendo Switch
A recent Sega event in Japan is turning up all kinds of interesting news for the publisher, including the fact that a collection of Genesis and Master System games are heading to the Nintendo Switch. Get ready to party likes it’s 1985.
It’s been a busy weekend for Sega, what with the announcements of the Shenmue I/II rerelease and another micro-console heading our way. But for folks gaming on the Switch, the biggest news is likely this new collection of retro games being called “Sega Ages.” According to a report from Polygon, the collection will include 15 titles from the Sega Master System and Genesis, though only a trio of titles have been announced so far. Those include the original Sonic the Hedgehog, Phantasy Star and Thunder Force 4. Since M2 is working on these titles, we have a feeling they will be direct ports rather than remasters. However, that does not rule out additional bells and whistles like art galleries, save states, the ability to rewind gameplay, etc. None of that has been confirmed at this point, I’m just listing examples of some of the modern touches a lot of rereleases have been getting these days. The good news is that M2 has already worked on bringing plenty of 8-bit and 16-bit Sega games to more modern platforms, so we’re expecting some solid work out of the Sega Ages lineup.
We also know that the games will arrive sometime this summer, though nothing more specific than that has been listed at this point. We’re kind of curious what 12 games will make up the remainder of the collection. Since there are only 15 total, we figure they probably don’t want to do all three Sonic games when they could give up those two spots to other Sega classics. Then again, all three Sonic games are playable on about every platform known to man at this point, so maybe it makes sense that they all three make their way to the Switch.
As the original post points out, this could also be taken as a bad sign for some Switch fans, as it sure makes it seem like an alternative to the Virtual Console. Then again, maybe Nintendo simply isn’t worried about bringing outside consoles to a Switch Virtual Console. We know that something has to be in the works for first-party titles, as classic games are a part of their premium online plan. But that also doesn’t mean that games other than those offered through the plan will ever be made available. That would seem like Nintendo was leaving an awful lot of money on the table, but we’re basically done trying to figure out how the company thinks.
Still, whether it’s through a Virtual Console or not, it looks like 15 classic Sega games are heading to the Switch. What titles would you like to see included in the lineup? Let us know in the comments below.
Minecraft On The Nintendo Switch Will Award Xbox Live Achievements
The release of Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch has a weird caveat: in order to use the online multiplayer mode for cross-play, you need an Xbox Live account. Well, for that reason, it turns out that playing the game on the Switch can also earn you Xbox Live achievements.
Polygon is reporting that starting later this year, Nintendo Switch owners will be able to unlock Xbox Live achievements. This was spotted by Patrick Maka over on the True Achievements website, where a list of achievements for the Nintendo Switch version of Minecraft were spotted.
The achievements also apply to the PC version of the game and the iOS and Android versions of the game as well. Obviously, the PlayStation version of Minecraft relies on the trophies instead of achievements, so that’s why it doesn’t appear on the achievement list.
The reason for the tie-in between the Nintendo Switch and the Xbox Live is because in order to enable the cross-play functionality between the PC, Xbox One and the Nintendo Switch, gamers on the Switch needed an Xbox Live account. There’s no word yet on if this will still apply when the premium version of the Nintendo Network gets underway later this year.
What we do know is that a spokesperson for Mojang told Polygon that this wasn’t a mistake or a fluke, but that Nintendo Switch owners will be able to legitimately link up their Xbox Live accounts and unlock achievements for their account by playing Minecraft through the Nintendo console…
We can confirm that Minecraft players on Nintendo Switch will soon be able to earn achievements tied to Xbox Live once the Bedrock update is released,
The Bedrock update is scheduled to launch at some point later this year. Last year, the update enabled Xbox, iOS, Android, PC and even owners of VR headsets like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive to play with each other using cross-platform compatibility.
The game has already been out and available for the Nintendo Switch, but this particular update will enable the ability for gamers to unlock achievements on the Switch.
PlayStation gamers have been unable to join in on the fun due to the fact that Sony has denied gamers the ability to engage in cross-platform compatibility. The company cited console security concerns as the reason why there wouldn’t be any support offered for cross-platform compatibility. However, Sony does allow PS4 and PC gamers to play with each other, despite the fact that PC gamers actually can undermine security and utilize cheats in games.
Even still, Switch and PS4 gamers won’t be playing with each other anytime soon. Switch and Xbox gamers will share a much different relationship, though. What’s more is that Switch owners who have Minecraft and their Xbox Live account enabled will be able to earn achievements when the update goes live later this year.
I do wonder if this will also work to lure more Switch gamers over to the Xbox or if it will lure Xbox gamers over to the Switch, maybe to play a portable version of the game?
Minecraft On The Nintendo Switch Will Award Xbox Live Achievements
April 18, 2018
Xbox Live Achievements are Coming to Nintendo Switch Version of Minecraft
In what is perhaps the strangest story of the week, it seems that Minecraft players will soon be able to earn Xbox Live achievements while playing the game on Nintendo Switch.
Patrick Maka was one of the first to notice this odd revelation over on Twitter where he tweeted out a screenshot of the achievement listing. Much like the iOS and Android versions of Minecraft, it seems that the Switch version will boast the same achievements as every other platform that the game has appeared on.
Polygon was able to later confirm what Maka found by reaching out to Microsoft. A representative from the company responded and stated:
“We can confirm that Minecraft players on Nintendo Switch will soon be able to earn achievements tied to Xbox Live once the Bedrock update is released.”
One of the underlying factors that made this situation possible was likely due to the fact that the Switch doesn’t have a native achievement system tied to the console. The PS4, on the other hand, does not boast these achievements due to the use of the console’s trophy system.
As of now, we don’t have a timetable for when the Bedrock update will be rolling out for Minecraft on Switch, but it likely won’t be too long considering the update has already released for other platforms. Once it does release though, all you’ll have to do is simply login to your Xbox Live account on the Switch to start earning those achievements for yourself.
View image on Twitter
Patrick Maka@PMaka1991Looks like the Nintendo Switch version of @Minecraft will have achievements!
11:37 AM – Apr 12, 2018
Xbox Live Achievements are Coming to Nintendo Switch Version of Minecraft
Ashland Teacher Using Minecraft To Enhance Learning In Class
ASHLAND, OH –Â An Ashland High School English teacher is using Minecraft to engage students in the literary worlds they are reading about in class.
Minecraft, a sandbox video game that was released in 2011, gives players the freedom to build anything they want in the game’s world. Microsoft bought the intellectual property in 2014. Since then, Microsoft has produced an “Education Edition” in order to implement the game in the classroom.
When Ben Spieldenner, English Teacher at Ashland High School, told his students that they would be playing Minecraft to further their learning, he didn’t have to worry about them being rusty.
“It’s like riding a bike, you know?” Spieldenner said. “They are very familiar about how it works, they are very familiar with how to construct, all those kinds of things.”
Ben got the idea to implement the game into his classroom after playing it with his kids. He recognized that the game did not have a win/lose system, instead it rewards players with the freedom of creation and exploration.
“I’ve been teaching english for a number of years, and so selfishly, I really wanted to plan the worlds that we have been reading about.” Ben Spieldenner said. “I wanted to use Minecraft to create an experience they would not have gotten in the real world.”
When students were able to get hands-on with the game in class, they were structured into teams. One team was tasked with creating, while another was tasked with destruction. Due to limited resources, this brought forward discussions on how to best utilize the resources they have, as well as plan how they wanted to create the worlds that they have been reading about.
Different worlds were built from many english texts from authors such as William Shakespeare, Ayn Rand, Charles Dickens, and more. Students found out quickly that the more they read in the book, the more likely they are to find secrets hidden in the world.
Ben states that having the game help visualize the worlds of the books they have been reading helps them better understand the subject. It’s a tool that not many kids have at their disposal.
“We assume that kids have the tools necessary to be able to understand what they are reading,” Ben explained. “Not all kids have those tools.”
Ben Spieldenner grew up with video games, his parents would often tell him that he would have to read for one hour in order to be able to play video games for an hour. Ben says that this is probably what led him to become an english teacher. This is something that he wants students to experience, the joy of combining two worlds together.
Public perception of using video games in the classroom is mixed, but Ben says that the benefits are endless.
“Sometimes its just a matter of showing that it’s not necessarily about the game itself… it’s about what games can do for your class.” Ben stated. “It’s a different way to look at education, it’s a different way to look at the classroom… I think when they see how excited kids are to be there and to be playing again in class… I think that’s exciting.”
Ashland Teacher Using Minecraft To Enhance Learning In Class
April 17, 2018
Minecon Earth 2018 to kick off on September 29 with Minecraft news, panels and more
If you’re a Minecraft fan, you’ll want to make sure you’re schedule is open in late September. Minecon 2018 will take place on Saturday, September 29 this year and, like last year, you can expect a vivid celebration of all things Minecraft.
Mojang and Microsoft are asking fans to participate this year in a couple of ways. Ahead of the show, you can submit your ideas for panels that you’d like to see. Those that are chosen will be recorded and shown during the stream. If you’re the creative type, you can also create a Minecraft-themed costume and submit a picture of it to Mojang. If you’re among the team’s favorites, you’ll win a prize an be flown out to Minecon to appear on the live stream.
This is the second year that Minecon will be a live-streamed virtual event instead of a physical convention. The team at Mojang is promising there will be plenty of live gameplay, chats with popular members of the community, and details about new stuff coming to Minecraft throughout the 90-minute event. For more, you can check out the official Minecon 2018 website.
Minecon Earth 2018 to kick off on September 29 with Minecraft news, panels and more
