The Farting Pig: farm animals gone wild (review)
Do you remember Mario? The awesome hero plumber that burst onto the game scene and took it by storm? Ever since the success of The Super Mario franchise there have been copycats after copycats trying to replicate Marios recipe for success. Hundreds of platform games have tried to emulate Mario although they have always been disappointing.
Well, The Farting Pig may have broken that chain of disappointment. In the slide scrolling 2d platform adventure, The Farting Pig tasks you to play as a cute pink pig and save him from an angry mob of crazy farm animals. Run piggy run! The unnamed pig runs, jumps and farts his way through 3 different locations: Barnyard, Grand Canyon, and Cornfield.
As the piggy runs through each location, he has to head-butt haystacks to collect coins to unlock or buy new special items. Some of the haystacks once hit, give you a pink pig nose that gives you an extra life, which you will need since you are basically a defenseless pig throughout the entirety of the game.
Some foes that you will encounter as you run for you little piggy life are: Boxing Rooster, an evil rooster who throws some mean combinations anytime you get to close that kill you instantly. Suie-the-Racoon, a suicidal bomber who tries to blow herself up anytime you get within 4 or 5 feet. You also have Porcupine, and the Seed-Shooting duck, who we will let you figure out what they are capable of doing… With so many foes, you are going to have to try to run and jump your way through their clever traps, avoid the electric zappy fence and not get horned by the mad bull!
The Farting Pig immerses itself with colorful visuals and interesting characters. In many modern mobile games, you are able to fly effortlessly through levels, well in this game that is not the case.
This game starts off difficult with the awkward controls, the placement is way too close for having you to press them at a moment’s reflex. Many times I observed myself pressing the wrong direction or just my devices screen instead of pressing that needed button to complete my killer combination of moves. Also, the pig is huge and is expected to jump and double jump to grab coins avoiding chickens, flying seeds, and bombs.
If the pig is punched, a seed hits him, or a bomb explodes on him, he dies instantly, which slows down the flow of the game. The frustrating part is the pig dies often due to the fact that the game makes it way to easy for him to die. While we all love difficult games, (I am talking about you Dark Souls), after a while you begin to lose your will to play.
After dying a couple of times, I closed out the game and came back to it the following morning. I felt the same nonfulfillment as I had the day before, thinking, this pig is outnumbered, out manned and it is not worth continuing. I understand making a game difficult but making it so difficult your audience is unfulfilled and unengaged is senseless.
With all that being said, as I was about to close the game out again, I decided no, let me keep playing a little longer. The longer I played, the longer I died, the more coins I accrued. Eventually, I was able to stack up some coins and get some cool weapons. The arsenal consisted of weapons such as Shrink Gun, Hoverboard, and Flower-Power to calm down the farm. Want to get all of those cool gadgets from the beginning, good luck. It took me countless times of dying before I was able to accrue enough coins to get them all.
One thing that I noticed when playing the game was that The Farting Pig fails to inform you why this cute little pig is being attacked by a mob of angry farm animals in the first place. While a storyline is not needed to play this platformer, it still would have been nice to know the backstory behind all of this chaos.
The difficult gameplay is not for the casual gamer looking to pass time and to achieve rewards quickly. More hardcore gamers or those looking to laugh at a pig farting and flying through the air might be interested in giving The Farting Pig a farting chance.
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Have you played The Farting Pig? Tell us what you thought in the comments below!
The post The Farting Pig: farm animals gone wild (review) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Google will pay up to $8000 to researchers disclosing Android vulnerabilities
Google is extending its bug bounty program to cover vulnerabilities found on Android devices sold through its store.
The new Android Security Rewards program covers vulnerabilities found on current Nexus phones and tablets that are available in the Google Store (formerly, the hardware section of Play Store). Currently that means the Nexus 6 and the Nexus 9. The program supplements Google’s other bug bounty schemes, such as the Patch Rewards program, which launched in 2013 and includes AOSP and many other projects.
“Eligible bugs include those in AOSP code, OEM code (libraries and drivers), the kernel, and the TrustZone OS and modules. Vulnerabilities in other non-Android code, such as the code that runs in chipset firmware, may be eligible if they impact the security of the Android OS.”
Google will only reward the first reporter of a specific bug, with bounties varying based on the severity of the issue, and whether or not the reporter offered a test case and/or a fix for the vulnerability.
For verified exploits that can lead to the kernel or boot being compromised, Google is willing to raise the bounty by up to an extra $30,000. The company will match any bounty that reporters opt to donate to a charity of their choosing.
Google launched its first bug bounty program in 2010, and since then, it paid $4 million to researchers, with $1.5 million in 2014 alone.
Installed on four out of every five smartphones in the world, Android has become the primary target of mobile malware developers, though the security measures implemented by Google ensure that only a very small number of malware-ridden apps compromise user devices. But it’s not just malware that Google worries about – a recent report revealed that the NSA was very interested in using the Play Store to surreptitiously deliver spyware on target devices, though it’s not clear what came of that program.
Unfortunately, Google’s efforts alone are not enough to ensure that bugs are exterminated in a timely fashion. Carriers and OEMs have the power – and responsibility – to deliver security patches for most devices, but time and again, they proved uninterested in doing the right thing for the customer.
South Korea’s KT launches 1.17Gbps GiGA LTE
South Korea’s largest telecommunications company, KT, has announced the world’s fastest commercialized mobile data service, based on its GiGA LTE technology. By combining traditional LTE coverage with localized WiFi networks, the service is able to provide consumers with data speeds up to an incredible 1.17Gbps.
KT has 200,000 LTE base stations and 140,000 Wi-Fi hotspots installed across the country and hopes to have the majority of the population covered with GiGA LTE. Current high-speed multi-band LTE-A implementations tend to top out in the region of 300Mbps, making GiGA LTE up to four times faster than existing networks. Although real world traffic usage and handset speed restrains will lower the achievable results, speeds will certainly be noticeably faster than before.
As well as offering consumers higher data speeds, KT is looking to GiGA LTE to help accommodate future demands on network bandwidth, which is expected to increase up to 1,000 times by 2020. KT suggests that this will be as a result of 8K video content and UHD hologram services.
Rival South Korean mobile carriers SK Telecom and LG Uplus have also announced that they will be launching their own network technologies that make use of simultaneous Wi-Fi and LTE data connections later this month.
“Around five to six more high-end and mid-end Samsung handsets, compatible with the GiGA LTE, will be released in the latter half of this year along with some LG Electronics handsets,” – KT
Of course, consumers are going to need compatible smartphones to make use of the technology. The first supported handsets will be the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge, which will begin receiving an update from today to make them compatible with KT’s GiGA LTE network. Other compatible handsets will be launched later in the year.
What is GiGA LTE?
GiGA LTE is part of the drive towards the still not fully defined 5G standard, which aims to increase available network bandwidth once again. Multi-antenna LTE-A technology was the first step down this road and combining long range wireless data transmission with high-speed local hotspot network access is what some envision for 5G.
KT has teamed up with Samsung Electronics for the past nine months to develop the GiGA LTE technology. Although we don’t have the exact details on how GiGA LTE works, you may recall that Samsung has been working on a similar type of aggregation technology for quite a while.
Samsung’s Download Booster technology showed us the possibilities available with aggregated LTE and Wi-Fi networks a while back.
The “Download Booster” feature found in flagship handsets like the Galaxy S5, Note 3 and Note 5 looks like the starting point for GiGA LTE. Last year US carriers chose to block network access to Samsung’s Download Booster, but they hadn’t invested in the infrastructure to offer consumers this type of network experience anyway.
The implementation of dedicated small node Wi-Fi signals is enabling KT to offer 1Gbps speeds to consumers over such a vast area. Samsung is most likely supplying the know-how on the mobile hardware and software side, to ensure compatibility with KT’s network and hotspots.
Qualcomm has also been talking a lot about this type of small node, big network concept for a while now and recently unveiled details on its own LTE-Unlicensed initiative. This aims to supplement LTE data with LTE-U small cell networks operating in the unlicensed 5GHz spectrum usually used by WiFi networks. Although hardware support across a range of carriers and network services is really needed to make LTE + Wi-Fi technology ubiquitous and suitable for a 5G standard.
Qualcomm has unveiled plans for its own LTE-U 5GHz based aggregation technology.
As usual, South Korea is leading the way with commercialized advanced mobile technologies, but GiGA LTE is a sign of things to come for all of us further down the line.
Apple Watch Shipments Arriving to Apple Stores, In-Store Availability Appears Imminent
Apple Stores in the United States have begun to receive shipments of the Apple Watch to fulfill in-store reservations through Personal Pickup, according to BGR. The report claims the Apple Watch will be available for in-store pickup starting today or tomorrow, but the exact product mix remains unclear at this point.
A spot check of the Apple Online Store reveals that the Personal Pickup option remains unavailable for the Apple Watch at brick-and-mortar Apple Store locations in New York and elsewhere in the United States. A dedicated Reserve and Pickup page for the Apple Watch that was live in early April also continues to redirect to the main Apple Watch product page on the company’s website.
Apple Watch orders have been taken exclusively online since pre-orders began on April 10, although Apple is now catching up on the backlog of shipments and is better positioned to sell the wrist-worn device in stores soon. Apple executive Jeff Williams confirmed earlier this month that it would soon begin selling some Apple Watch models in Apple Stores, but he did not provide a specific date.
“The response to Apple Watch has surpassed our expectations in every way, and we are thrilled to bring it to more customers around the world,” said Jeff Williams, Apple’s senior vice president of Operations. “We’re also making great progress with the backlog of Apple Watch orders, and we thank our customers for their patience. All orders placed through May, with the sole exception of Apple Watch 42 mm Space Black Stainless Steel with Space Black Link Bracelet, will ship to customers within two weeks. At that time, we’ll also begin selling some models in our Apple Retail Stores.”
Apple Watch launches in seven additional countries on June 26: Italy, Mexico, Singapore, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland and Taiwan. The wrist-worn device will be sold through the Apple Store, Apple Online Store and select authorized resellers in the countries, including 10 Corso Como in Milan, BOONTHESHOP Cheongdam in Seoul and Malmaison by The Hour Glass in Singapore.
‘Metal Gear Online’ evolves its stealthy multiplayer in ‘The Phantom Pain’
At the same two-day preview event where we got to spend hours at the helm of Hideo Kojima’s next (and possibly last) Metal Gear Solid game, publisher Konami confirmed a handful of details about its online component. Metal Gear Online in The Phantom Pain will feature online player-vs.-player competitive modes for teams of up to 16 players on PC, Xbox One and PS4 and a max of 12 players on the previous-generation consoles.
One standout is the return of Team Sneak, a mode where one team must infiltrate another team’s base and subdue adversaries using camouflage and non-lethal weaponry. The defending team counters invaders with a wide array of deadly weapons. Team Sneak first appeared in Metal Gear Solid 4‘s Metal Gear Online mode on PS3. Online maps will be unique for the mode, but inspired by locations found in Afghanistan and Africa from The Phantom Pain‘s single-player campaign. When discussing the maps, Konami Productions Los Angeles Online Community Manager Robert Peeler used language that original maps may be added to the game later, but DLC content was not confirmed.
In the single-player game, Big Boss worked tirelessly to develop a base of operations, a giant oil tanker where soldiers train and equipment is developed called the Mother Base. One aspect of The Phantom Pain’s online component ties directly to a player’s headquarters, a system Peeler referred to as Forward Operating Bases. With the online version, you get an attack-and-defend system. “You set up some Forward Operating Bases [FOB] in your Mother Base where different players also playing the game can come and attack it and you can attack theirs,” Peeler says. “There are different objectives including taking out the enemy, rescuing hostages” and more.
With the FOB system, if a friend has quality resources you’re craving that you haven’t unlocked, such as specific vehicles or highly trained soldiers, it’s possible to steal those valuable assets for use in your own army. Players can spend in-game currency to research and develop new technologies, but may want to set aside a fund to fortify their bases from online invaders.
The online modes for Metal Gear Solid V: The Phantom Pain are in development at Konami Productions Los Angeles. Konami promises it will reveal additional details this week during E3.
Filed under: Gaming
Razer’s VR platform gets Android support and position tracking
Razer recently launched its Open Source VR intiative, complete with a virtual reality headset to get more developers into the VR game. The initial launch notably lacked Android support and positional tracking hardware, but it’s now filed those holes with its latest OSVR Hacker Development Kit (HDK) 1.2. The IR system is included in the kit price, including the 100Mhz IR LED system and a camera that provides 360 degrees of position tracking. Previously, Razer included IR position tracking designs and templates, but didn’t supply the hardware.
On top of Linux and Windows, OSVR now supports Android as well. That’ll enable developers to create mobile content and test it with Unity’s “Palace” demo. The hardware kit will soon include a mobile faceplate too, which will work in conjunction with the Android SDK to “let developers test their OSVR hardware on Android devices.” To use it, developers will just need to swap out the developer headset’s default faceplate and replace it with the mobile version when it arrives.
Razer also revealed that the new developer kit supports the incoming faceplate with a built-in Leap Motion controller, though that hardware won’t be coming until later, either. Also arriving in a future upgrade will be an ultra-wide, 150 degree eyepiece upgrade module. As for the software, the new kit now includes additional documentation and a simpler Windows installer.
Razer noted that 144 organizations now belong to the OSVR, and if you’re interested in joining them, the new Hacker Development Kit is shipping now for $299. That price includes the IR positional tracking kit, though the hardware won’t ship until July. If you own the original $200 version 1.1 HDK, you’ll be able to get the IR upgrade for $130. There’s no word yet on when the Leap Motion faceplate, mobile faceplate and other new hardware is coming.
Misfit’s Flash fitness tracker will switch on your lights, shame you for being lazy
Misfit’s wearable devices are know for their nice aesthetic, but it’s the company’s ongoing support, that keeps them joining the rank and file fitness trackers. Today, it’s a trio of small, but handy updates to both the Shine and the Flash. Most notably, the introduction of a web interface to view your fitness or sleep data online, so you’re no longer tied to the mobile app. Back in January, Misfit announced Flash would join FitBit in working with IFTTT’s web automation tools, and also be able to control smart home devices via Logitech’s Harmony Home Hub. Both of those features arrive today (though Misfit already had some IFTTT integrations). Last up, one for the iOS users. Misfit already feeds your step-count into Apple’s HealthKit, but starting today, your sleep and weight data will (if you wish) be included too. So, we’re getting mixed messages here? Misfit’s saving you a walk to the light switch, but making it harder to hide from your (now lower) step count. Thanks… we think?
Filed under: Wearables
Source: Misfit
ICYMI: Head-mounted Minecraft, CGI celebrities and more
It’s the very first episode of In Case You Missed It, where we surface the weird and wacky news that may have been buried by yesterday’s big headlines. Today we’re covering some of our favorite stories from Monday: The HoloLens headset at E3, what’s happening with the first solar-powered flight around the world and CGI modeling using paparazzi photos.
And from the cutting room floor, a handful of little gems we just didn’t have time to include: The Sony hack that ushered f-bombs onto British daytime TV and this video story on using emoji for passwords.
Let us know about any cool tech or internet stories that you stumble across by using the #ICYMI hashtag and tweeting @engadget or @mskerryd.
Filed under: Announcements, Misc, Gaming, Transportation, Internet, Sony, Microsoft
Super League Gaming brings competitive ‘Minecraft’ to American movie theaters
Arcades used to be the go-to place for gamers to come together and test their skills in friendly matches. While quarter-fuelled cabinets have fallen in popularity, the online eSports scene has exploded, resulting in huge tournaments and sell-out crowds. Super League Gaming, despite its name, wants to recreate the social, recreational arcade atmosphere for a new generation of games and players. For starters, it’s planning a 28-city tour in the US, where it’ll be hosting Minecraft competitions inside 80 AMC, Cinemark and iPic movie theaters. The game isn’t exactly known for its competitive multiplayer, but organisers hope to stir up some friendly rivalry with PVP matches and casual building sessions.
The “league” will start with an introductory tour from June 15th to August 28th, before a more structured six-week competition kicks off on September 14th. The organisers say their goal is to support other, more traditional eSports games in the future, but feel that for now Minecraft is best-suited for its “minor league” vibe. It’s not an eSports league in the traditional sense, but for casual players it could be a novel way to compete.
Filed under: Gaming
Source: Super League Gaming
Arnold Schwarzenegger is giving voice directions to Waze users
There’s a new Terminator movie coming out, and what the studio saved on spellcheck it was able to pay Arnold Schwarzenegger for extra promotional work. As such, the actor has teamed up with Waze to lend his unique voice to the company’s crowdsourced sat nav service. If you want to be steered around town by the governator, you just have to head into the settings menu and select Terminator Genisys from the options.
In addition to the usual stock phrases and being assured that he’ll “get you to your destination,” users will also get a friendly heads-up every time you’re close to a cinema showing the aforementioned flick. It’s not the first time that Waze has teamed up with a celebrity for some advertising cash driving directions, having recently hired Vlade Divac of the Sacramento Kings and “Colonel Sanders” from KFC. Naturally, these are time-limited offerings, and according to USA Today, the Arnie directions will expire in mid-July. Now, all we need to go is to get to the end of this story without making an “I’ll be back” joke and we’ll be home and dry.
Filed under: GPS, Transportation
Source: Businesswire
AIVAnet 