The Nemesis System is huge in ‘Middle-earth: Shadow of War’

The standout feature of Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor was the Nemesis System. It added a layer of strategy to an otherwise standard action game, allowing players to see the strengths and weaknesses of specific Uruk soldiers before striding into battle. The Nemesis System was like a game of chess superimposed on top of a rich fantasy world, innovating on the genre and tapping into players’ desire to command an army, rather than simply run around Mordor as a doomed man possessed by the spirit of a vengeful Elf.

In Monolith’s Middle-earth: Shadow of War, the Nemesis System is bigger, badder and more robust. Not only will players be able to gather information on the enemy armies — staffed not only by Uruk anymore, but also by mountain trolls and other beasts true to JRR Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings universe — but they’ll also be able to view the strengths, weaknesses and personal history of their own armies.

Players once again follow the story of Talion, a Boromir-inspired character who teams up with Celebrimbor, one of the Elves who helped forge the rings of power. Talion and Celebrimbor share one body, infusing human flesh with supernatural powers like teleportation, quick sword strikes and other(worldly) bonuses.

In Lord of the Rings lore, the guardian of the Golden Woods, Galadriel, says that if she had the One Ring, its power would consume her — and instead of a Dark Lord, she would become a bright and powerful queen. This is how Celebrimbor approaches the war and the new ring of power that he wears in Talion’s body. Meanwhile, Talion is less interested in power, but still believes in the righteousness of his own cause.

In Shadow of War, the unlikely pair roam Mordor, collecting Uruks, trolls, mounts, dragons and other beasts for their army — some come willingly, while others are forced into service. The creatures are separated into tribes, each of which comes with its own benefits and cons. The Feral Tribe, for instance, is stocked with skilled hunters and trackers.

The Uruk and trolls may be on Talion’s side for the moment, but they’re still beasts of darkness, and this tension between good and evil is a constant thread running through Shadow of War.

“Even though they are followers, they’re all former enemies and you are kind of coercing them into it, so it’s a strange sort of relationship there,” Monolith VP Michael de Plater says. “You sort of love to hate your enemies and hate to love your followers. They all sort of blur into each other a bit.”

Shadow of War is an epic game that pushes at the limited boundaries laid out by Shadow of Mordor. De Plater worked on the first installment as well, and he says the team learned a lot from that development experience.

“Our ending was a bit abrupt last time because we kind of ran out of time,” he says. “That wasn’t quite what we wanted it to be. So this time we want to overcompensate in terms of having this absolutely epic finale and showdown with the Dark Lord, with the Witch King, with your army building up. Kind of over-correcting in the other direction.”

For example, in Shadow of War, players focus on defeating armies at a series of fortresses strewn around Mordor. A living 3D map of the world shows a handful of locations to take down, including the all-seeing eye of Sauron.

De Plater shows off one battle in the demo that has Talion strategize via the Nemesis System and then invade the fortress with his army. He has a spy in the enemy ranks and a few loyal followers to do his bidding, while one of the War Chiefs is Stormbringer, a former solider for the Bright Lord. Stormbringer is a jilted ex-ally who was left to die on the battlefield, so his fight with Talion (and Celebrimbor) is laced with personal strife.

And then Talion mounts a dragon and I forget about the rest of the demo. De Plater wasn’t kidding when he said this game is more epic.

Shadow of War works within the existing Lord of the Rings universe, paying homage to one of the most celebrated fantasy landscapes of our time while simultaneously expanding its reach.

“Going from the end of this story and kind of segueing from here into watching The Lord of the Rings, it’ll be really seamless and cool that we can simultaneously have these big, gigantic stakes in our story but kind of shed some new light on Lord of the Rings and make people look at things in sort of a new way,” de Plater says.

Shadow of War is due to hit PlayStation 4, Xbox One and PC on August 22nd, with a Scorpio version already confirmed.

ICYMI: Roving robots measure health vitals

Today on In Case You Missed It: Belgian company BeWell has created an automated roving kiosk that assists doctors and nurses in admitting and testing patients. The robot kiosk, called the Wellpoint system, can measure a patients weight, pulse and pulse oximetry four minutes faster than a human can — and it will automatically update digital medical records once the tests have been performed. It can also guide patients through standard intake questions via a touchscreen interface, to help make admissions go faster. BeWell is looking into the possibilities of also connecting blood sugar monitors to the kiosk, to allow diabetic patients to share their testing data to the records.

Meanwhile, Brazilian doctors have found an unlikely aquatic ally in a common fish species, the tilapia, whose skin has been repurposed to treat burn victims. While animal skin is often used to treat burns, this marks the first time that a fish skin has been utilized for the purpose — and the trials have been quite successful so far. The skin is turned into an odorless bandage via a sterilization process, then applied directly to second and third-degree burns where it can remain throughout the healing period. Because the bandage doesn’t need to be changed as frequently, it reduces the risk of infection and cuts down on the healing time by preventing a loss of moisture and proteins from the wound. As the fish farms generally throw the skins out, it’s a sustainable, green solution as well.

As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for @mskerryd.

Apple Pay Rolls Out Support for Charity Donations in the United Kingdom

Twenty-two United Kingdom-based charities now support donations through Apple Pay in apps and on the web, making it easier for interested patrons to give money to their favorite nonprofit organizations through Apple’s mobile wallet (via Civil Society).

The collection of UK charities have begun accepting Apple Pay beginning today, so users can begin donating with an Apple device, including on Touch ID-supported iPhones, iPads, and now the late 2016 MacBook Pro. More charities are expected to support Apple Pay down the line.

The full list of charities launching Apple Pay support in the UK includes: ActionAid UK, Alzheimer’s Society, Barnardo’s, British Heart Foundation, Cancer Research UK, Comic Relief, Concern Worldwide (UK), DEC, Marie Curie, Oxfam, (RED), The Royal British Legion, RNIB, RNLI, RSPB, RSPCA, Scope, Sightsavers, Unicef UK, VSO, WaterAid, and WWF-UK.

Catherine Cottrell, deputy director, fundraising, Unicef UK, said: “At Unicef UK we want to make giving as easy as possible. People are increasingly using mobiles and other digital devices to make payments so offering choice about how to donate is all the more important. Integrating Apple Pay makes donating both instant and effortless and secure for our supporters, and we hope that it will encourage more people to join us and share our mission to do whatever it takes, until every child is safe.”

Today’s announcement comes after Apple Pay was first accepted for charity donations within the United States last November, for organizations like UNICEF, charity:water, American Red Cross, World Wildlife Fund, and more. Before the introduction of Apple Pay in the donation process for charities, Apple’s rules prevented iOS apps from collecting funds through Apple Pay, preventing charities from installing donation buttons inside their apps.

Related Roundup: Apple Pay
Tag: United Kingdom
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Intel teams up with India’s Micromax to pre-install McAfee’s security app

McAfee Mobile Assistant is coming to tens of millions of Micromax phones.

At an event in New Delhi, India’s largest handset maker Micromax announced that it would pre-install the Intel-owned McAfee Mobile Assistant on all of its future phones. All handsets sold after April 2017 will have the security app pre-installed, and Micromax will deliver an OTA update to bring the app to older devices. Intel has already partnered with Lenovo in India to offer its security app, and today’s deal brings McAfee’s security suite to tens of millions of new phones.

Intel Security Group’s SVP Christopher Young was at the event to talk about the significance of the deal:

With smartphones becoming an integral part of our connected lives, it is important consumers realize threats that exist in the digital world and understand how to safeguard their valued data. Intel Security is focused on championing cybersecurity and we believe in protecting every device. Globally we have secured over 220 million users. The partnership with Micromax is another step forward in realizing our vision of being the #1 security partner of choice.

The partnership could turn out to be beneficial to Micromax customers. Indian users are generally unwilling to pay for content, opting instead to pirate apps and games. It isn’t hard to see then that the country often leads the global malware charts. But with digital wallets and fintech services gaining momentum, the malware situation is only going to get worse, leaving millions of devices vulnerable to attack. At least with McAfee’s security suite installed, there’s an added line of defense.

The Morning After: Wednesday, March 8th 2017

Good morning!

Wikileaks is at it again, this time going after the CIA. Flickr has learned a new trick, offering a Google Photos-like “similarity search” and we know the name of Star Trek’s next captain. But first things first — make sure you’ve entered our contest to win a Marantz SR7011 9.2 channel receiver, courtesy of Auro Technologies. We’ll wait.

Here we go againWikileaks ‘Vault 7’ claims to reveal the CIA’s hacking toolkit

Wikileaks has posted a cache of information that it says unmasks the Central Intelligence Agency’s “entire hacking capacity.” While there’s room for skepticism and many have noted what isn’t in there (like any confirmation the government has cracked the encryption on WhatsApp or Signal), there’s still a lot to digest. The documents claim the CIA instead is focused on compromising a target’s device to nab information before its encrypted by an app, and even has USB-delivered malware capable of turning a Samsung smart TV into a listening device.

Issa tubeHyperloop One offers a glimpse at its Nevada test site

So how do you test the future of transportation? If you’re Hyperloop One, you build a 1,640ft-long “DevLoop” in the Nevada desert. While its window to start testing is now just the first half of this year, even a picture of an empty tube is better than yet another pie-in-the-sky concept image.

Meet New GlennBlue Origin previews its next reusable rocket

Jeff Bezos’ rocket company has a new vehicle on the way. While Blue Origin showed off New Glenn’s capabilities with a slick animation, it also announced a deal with Eutelsat to launch a satellite in the 2021-2022 timeframe.

Does this count as snitching?Amazon hands over Alexa data for use in murder investigation

Recently, police asked Amazon for data from an Echo speaker, looking for evidence to use in a murder investigation. The company initially refused, citing protections including the First Amendment, but now it’s going to cooperate. That’s because the device’s owner, James Bates has given the OK, claiming he is innocent of all charges in the death of a man found in his hot tub.

But wait, there’s more…

• Nintendo wins a key case against a 3DS modchip seller
• Now Flickr has a neural network-powered ‘similarity search’ option
• Tech companies and game devs are gearing up for AR
• ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ will have Jason Isaacs as its captain

The Morning After is a new daily newsletter from Engadget designed to help you fight off FOMO. Who knows what you’ll miss if you don’t subscribe.

Apple says it’s already patched ‘many’ Wikileaks iOS exploits

Less than 24 hours ago, Wikileaks published a large cache of documents detailing top secret CIA operations conducted by its Center for Cyber Intelligence. Included in the 8,761 documents and files, referred to was Vault 7, are references to zero-day exploits that were reportedly being used to track and control iPhones but also Android phones and Samsung smart TVs.

While the authenticity of some of Wikileaks’ claims are still in question, Apple has confirmed that some of the threats towards its mobile operating system are very real. In a move to reassure customers, the company issued a statement noting that it has already taken steps to patch “many” of the 14 iOS vulnerabilities listed and is working to “rapidly address” the rest.

An Apple spokesperson told TechCrunch: “Apple is deeply committed to safeguarding our customers’ privacy and security. The technology built into today’s iPhone represents the best data security available to consumers, and we’re constantly working to keep it that way. Our products and software are designed to quickly get security updates into the hands of our customers, with nearly 80 percent of users running the latest version of our operating system. While our initial analysis indicates that many of the issues leaked today were already patched in the latest iOS, we will continue work to rapidly address any identified vulnerabilities. We always urge customers to download the latest iOS to make sure they have the most recent security updates.”

Apple hasn’t specified which exploits it has patched or when it expects the remainder to be fixed, but the statement does stress the importance of keeping your devices updated. Apple has reiterated time and again that it values the privacy of its customers, so it’s likely that upcoming software updates could be expedited to ensure iPhone and iPad users are protected.

Source: TechCrunch

There’s a secret, celebrity-only version of Tinder

Celebrities have the same needs that the rest of us, they’re just wealthier, better-looking and demand more privacy. It’s why Tinder quietly set up a special members-only version of its app, called Tinder Select, to keep elite bloodlines in the elite. As the name implies, it’s a secret dating world where only the beautiful and the wealthy can connect. Unfortunately, the great unwashed don’t have a chance of getting in unless you’re invited by a core group of members.

An anonymous source told TechCrunch that the platform was designed for “celebrities and people who do really well on Tinder.” We can only assume that those folks who get an excessive number of right-swipes are considered to join the rich and famous in the backstage area. That same report explains that while certain users have the power to nominate friends for inclusion, numbers are kept strictly limited in order to preserve Tinder Select’s cachet.

It’s believed that the service has existed for around six months, with the company apparently happy to keep its existence a secret. Given that the point of the service is to keep the elite from mixing with the rest of us, that’s not much of a surprise. It’s also not the first time that Tinder has tried to accommodate the more famous echelon of its clientele having previously instituted Twitter-style verification. But rest assured, we here at Engadget will now dedicate our lives to becoming famous enough to get onto Tinder Select to share its secrets.

Source: TechCrunch

Firefox Browser 52 Announced With ‘Game Changing’ Support For Complex Web Apps

Mozilla has heralded the release of a new version of Firefox that it says enables resource-intensive web content like games, apps, and image-editors to run in a browser window at previously unachievable native speeds.

To accomplish the feat, Firefox 52 supports Web Assembly, a new standard developed by Mozilla, which it calls “a game changer for the web”.

WebAssembly allows complex apps, like games, to run faster than ever before in a web browser. We expect that WebAssembly will enable applications that have historically been too complex to run fast in browsers – like immersive 3D video games, computer-aided design, video and image editing, and scientific visualization. We also expect that developers will use WebAssembly to speed up many existing web apps.

Mozilla has posted a video, embedded below, that shows the WebAssembly standard and WebGL 2 in action, with the help of a 3D environment demo rendered in real-time using the Unreal 4 Engine.

In addition to Web Assembly, the update adds automatic detection of “captive portals” often used by hotel wifi networks that require the user to log in before they can access the web.

Mozilla has also built contextual alerts into input fields to warn users when they’re prompted to enter username and password information on a page that isn’t encrypted with HTTPS.

Other additions to this version of Firefox include CSS Grid, a Grid Inspector developer tool, and automatic disabling of plugins that use the Netscape Plugin API (NPAPI) besides Flash.

Firefox 52 is a free download for the Mac.

Tags: Mozilla, Firefox
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Apple UK Online Store Promoting Limited Time 0% Interest Offer, Minimum Spend £399

Apple is promoting a limited time financing offer on its UK online store that allows customers to buy an Apple product and pay it back over 12 months without being charged any interest.

A minimum spend of £399 is required to qualify for the deal, which covers most products including MacBooks, iPads, and iPhones, although some Apple Watch 2 models are not eligible.

As an example, customers can pick up a new 13-inch MacBook Pro sans Touch Bar and pay back the cost at £120.75 per month, while a 32GB iPhone 7 Plus can be had for £59.92 per month.

Customers must choose “Financing” at the online checkout, where finance options include PayPal Credit and Barclays, although the offer is subject to status and is not guaranteed to be accepted. The offer ends on March 14, 2017.

Apple’s Australian online store is offering a similar 0% finance deal on purchases between AU$150 and AU$299 (paid over 6 months) or over AU$300 (12 months), made before March 31.

Tag: deals
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Nest Reportedly Working on Cheaper ‘Learning Thermostat’ to Sell for Under $200

Nest is in the process of making a cheaper edition of its Nest Learning Thermostat as well as a new line of home security products, according to someone familiar with the company’s plans speaking with Bloomberg. Nest is said to be “seeking a bigger share of the connected home market” in its move to make a cheaper version of its flagship thermostat device.

The cheaper Nest Learning Thermostat would sell for under $200, while the current edition of the device is priced at $249 on the Nest Store. The cheaper model is believed to keep the same temperature learning functionality of the thermostat, but be manufactured with less expensive components and potentially do away with the current version’s metal edges.

Nest is also said to be developing sensors that will act as expansions to existing thermostat systems, and allow users to control the temperature of specific rooms instead of just the entire home. The cheaper thermostat is predicted to launch by next year.

The company is working on a version of its “learning thermostat,” which adjusts the temperature based on usage patterns, that would sell for under $200, the person said. The current version sells for $249. The cheaper model would include less expensive components and at least one internal prototype lacks the flagship model’s metal edges, the person said.

A home-security alarm system, a digital doorbell and an updated indoor security camera are also in the works, representing potential good news for a company that has struggled to release many new products.

An all-new home security alarm system, digital doorbell, and updated indoor camera “are also in the works.” The home security system will have a central hub with a keypad that connects to a collection of alarm sensors that users place on windows and doors.

After being set up, it will act like a normal security system and ring when the home is entered until the right code is entered on the keypad hub. A keyring fob accessory can also be used to initiate and disable the alarm in lieu of typing in a code. Like all of Nest’s products, a connected iOS app will allow home owners to disengage the alarm to let specific people into a home when they are away.

An update to the Nest Indoor Cam could see a way for the camera to identify specific people within its range, according to the person familiar with Nest’s plans, who also detailed the company’s intention to launch a digital doorbell system with a video camera and face-to-face communication via the mobile app. The home security system is believed to arrive this year, the updated Nest Indoor Cam could launch as soon as this fall, and the digital doorbell is estimated to see a debut sometime in 2018.

Tags: Nest, bloomberg.com
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