Minecraft is one of the most popular games of the past years, despite its simple graphics. However, the game is not free, so many people would like to download a Minecraft full version without having to pay for an official download. Well, many wonder if Minecraft APK full version is indeed available on Aptoide.

In fact, you can download the Minecraft: Pocket Edition version for your Android device, and Aptoide, the renowned third-party app stores collection, could be the right place to do that.

Basically, Aptoide is the perfect app to use when you want to grab apps and games that are not officially available on Google Play Store, but you might also get some apps that are not any longer supported by their devs. Therefore, it is your responsibility if bumping into some apps that damage your device.

But, don’t worry much, because there are millions of people who play an unofficial Minecraft version they downloaded from Aptoide or other APK store.

As I’ve mentioned, even though it’s not boasting excellent or at least modern graphics, Minecraft is one of the most addictive and popular games on the market, at this moment.

However, to grab your Minecraft APK full version from Aptoide, you have to download the Aptoide app first. Afterward, you have to open the app and search for the Minecraft: Pocket Edition using the Aptoide built-in search engine.

You can download Aptoide third-party apps store from APKMirror.

Also, don’t forget to allow installations from unknown sources on your Android device, usually found under the Setting -> Security section. Once you do it, you’ll be able to install the Aptoide APK.

When this third-party apps store is up and running on your Android device, access it and download the Minecraft APK full version from Aptoide and enjoy one of the most appreciated games ever.

More information online: https://billionaire365.com/2018/07/31/is-minecraft-apk-full-version-indeed-available-on-aptoide/

Minecraft is a unique game that manages to combine fun and creativity. The fact that Minecraft allows players to use their creativity to create buildings, weapons and armor is what makes it so popular. However, there are multiple editions of Minecraft and this helped the game’s player base grow and Minecraft: Pocket Edition is a great example of that.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition

The original version of Minecraft was released for PC, but not everyone has a high-spec PC to play the game and the developers decided to release a mobile version of Minecraft as well. The game is available on both iOS and Android, and it comes with the same unique features as the original game. Another amazing thing about Minecraft: Pocket Edition is that the game is constantly being updated, thus giving players a reason to keep coming back.

The Latest 1.5.0.7 Update

Talking about Minecraft: Pocket Edition updates, fans of the game should be glad to know that the developers have just released a brand-new one. The new update changes Minecraft: Pocket Edition’s version number to “1.5.0.7” and it introduces lots of cool features. With that being said, let’s see what this latest update contains.

Invincible Mode

The new update is focused on one thing and one thing only, introducing the invincible mode. As the mode’s title implies, players who decide to enable it will not be able to die. Things get even better than this since the mode can also be enabled in survival mode which means that players will be able to fight off against all types of monsters such as the infamous Creeper and never lose.

The main reason why this mode is being introduced is because the developers want to make it easier for creative players who are simply looking to create cool looking buildings and don’t want to worry about enemies.

More online: https://billionaire365.com/2018/06/04/minecraft-pocket-edition-1-5-0-7-update-download-available-with-invincible-mode/

We’ve all seen how Minecraft is that one amazing game that allows people to be creative by creating buildings, houses and even castles with their own pool. But that’s not all – in survival mode, Minecraft allows players to be creative so they can escape the night and be safe from all the monsters, and all they have to do it build weapons, armors and houses.

The best thing about this game is that it’s a cross-platform one, which means that Minecraft cannot only be played on one platform – like PC as most of the people do, but on more than one. Minecraft has multiple versions, and the Pocket Edition just got its fresh-out-of-the-box APK update – it might be the best one so far, as some people have said.

What’s this update about?
This new update comes with a new version number: 1.80.0.14, and it comes in the form of APK. This can only mean that the update can be installed only on Android devices. For those who don’t know, APK stands for “Android Package Kit.”

This is one of the biggest updates since it has about 88.54 MB. It’s available for download now. Before getting it, there are two things you need to do: make sure you have enough space for it and then check to see if you have a smartphone that runs on Android 4.2. X Jelly Bean or something higher.

What’s so great about this update?
This update comes with a big, pleasant surprise: a bunch of software tweaks that improves the performance of the game. So hurry up to get it. It’s the best thing you could do if you want to play the game at its finest, without having to worry about the low-performance levels.

More online: https://billionaire365.com/2018/11/22/minecraft-pocket-edition-to-be-available-with-performance-improvements/

Microsoft Canada is going big for Black Friday by offering the Xbox One S 1TB Minecraft Creators Bundle for $229.99 CAD — $150 off its regular price. In addition to a 1TB white Xbox One S console, the Creators Bundle includes the base Minecraft game with its Starter Pack and Creators Pack expansions. Further, the Creators Bundles comes with 1,000 Minecoins that can be used in Minecraft‘s digital marketplace, as well as a 14-day Xbox Live Gold trial and one-month Xbox Game Pass trial.

Read more at MobileSyrup.com: Microsoft Canada offering $150 off Minecraft Xbox One S bundle

The Creators Bundle will remain on sale until November 26th and can be purchased at Amazon, Best Buy, EB Games, the Microsoft Store, The Source and Walmart. In other Xbox One Black Friday news, Microsoft is also offering savings of up to $100 on the 4K-capable Xbox One X console at retailers like Best Buy or Walmart.

Read more at MobileSyrup.com: Microsoft Canada offering $150 off Minecraft Xbox One S bundle

More online: https://mobilesyrup.com/2018/11/20/microsoft-xbox-one-s-minecraft-black-friday/

Ten and 11-year-olds in Havering have been using their gaming skills to road-test and improve the design of one of London’s largest regeneration projects
Fifteen pupils from Rainham Village Primary School spent a morning using the computer game Minecraft to explore and redesign the Napier House and New Plymouth House sites, which are being redeveloped as part of the borough’s plans to create thousands more homes for local people.

Led by BlockBuilders, which imports map details into Minecraft so models of real-world places can be created, the children used avatars to walk and ‘fly’ around the site’s proposed designs, which have been developed by architects and masterplanners JTP.

They were then given the chance to think about what they treasure most about the site, what they would trash and if they had any big ideas for improving the area.

The final part of the session gave the pupils the opportunity to demolish and rebuild parts of the site through the Minecraft model.

The three-hour workshop saw pupils come up with ideas including a garden bridge, trampoline park, rooftop swimming pool, shopping mall and a water park, complete with showers and a ticket office.

During the workshop, one of the pupils, Hetty Brown, said: “It’s a really fun way of designing buildings that you might use when they’re built and you can see what it might be like to design things for a career when you’re older.”

The best ideas will now be considered for inclusion in the final scheme by joint venture partners Wates Residential and Havering Council.

The interactive workshop is part of the joint venture’s wider pledge to unlock meaningful opportunities for local residents and school children through the scheme.

The long-term partnership aims to help tackle the construction skills shortage through increased investment in education, training and skills.

The joint venture will see an overhaul of Havering’s existing Council accommodation, with the council’s current stock of 856 homes replaced with around 3,000 homes of mixed tenure over the next 12 to 15 years.

Delivering improved provision, the regeneration will increase council rented accommodation by 70% and will include 400 low-cost home ownership properties.

The design team for Phase One includes BDP for landscaping, and architects JTP and Conran and Partners.

Kate Ives, Development Director for Wates Residential, said: “Computer games like Minecraft provide a great opportunity for young people to experience some of the most exciting elements of construction and planning.

“Using innovative and engaging ways to encourage interest in career opportunities in the sector is vital for the success of the industry and a great way of inspiring young people to think about their own futures.

“We are really excited to review the best ideas with Havering Council and look at how we can use them on the scheme, which will deliver thousands of new homes for local people as well as a borough-wide lasting legacy.”

Councillor Damian White, Leader of Havering Council, said: “This is a great opportunity to engage our young people with the Council’s ambitious regeneration plans which are set to benefit the next generation with affordable homes, unique skills and training, and greater local career prospects.

“This is one of many social programmes ensuring our partnership with Wates Residential delivers much more than just housing. The project will create life chances for our young people and significant opportunities for local businesses.

“I look forward to seeing what innovative ideas our young people come up with and how it might shape future developments in the project – and might even give the architects a run for their money!”

Rebecca Taylor, Partner at JTP, added: “The use of Minecraft in our collaborative planning process has been an eye-opening learning experience.

“JTP understands the need to adapt and evolve our practices alongside our audiences. In effectively utilising Minecraft as a collaborative planning tool we can engage more young people in the process of designing responsive, inclusive and socially sustainable new neighbourhoods with a unique identity.”

More information online: https://www.pbctoday.co.uk/news/planning-construction-news/minecraft-gaming-skills-design-project/49370/

Microsoft is overhauling its 500-acre campus in Redmond, Washington for 2022. The new campus will include 18 additional buildings (Microsoft already has more than 100), alongside cricket and soccer fields and retail shops. While work is set to start on the buildings this fall, Microsoft has commissioned Blockworks to create a Minecraft version of its new headquarters for employees to explore.

CNBC reports that Blockworks, a company that specializes in building Minecraft versions of real-world projects, created the version for Microsoft’s annual hackathon in July. Blockworks has also created virtual Minecraft versions of Disney, Museum of London, and Warner Bros. buildings. Anyone with the Minecraft: Education Edition can now explore Microsoft’s new campus, and the company plans to update it over time.

Microsoft acquired Mojang, the developer of Minecraft , four years ago today for $2.5 billion. While it was originally seen as a boost to Windows Phone and Xbox, Microsoft has gradually been improving the Education Editions of Minecraft and partnering with Nintendo to offer cross-play. The software giant also promoted its Minecraft boss to the head of the company’s games studios earlier this year. Matt Booty’s new role sees him oversee Microsoft Studios, as one of the top game executives reporting to Microsoft’s games chief Phil Spencer.

Read more online: https://www.theverge.com/2018/11/6/18068604/microsoft-minecraft-headquarters-campus-redmond

The decision reaffirms the company’s commitment to innovation, and it shows a level of loyalty that’s becoming rare in the tech world.

Recently, Microsoft has begun drawing up blueprints to expand their new, 500-acre headquarters in Redmond, Washington, which they expect to finish in 2022. However, instead of opting for a more traditional layout for their new campus, the company is looking to one of their most popular games, “Minecraft,” for architectural inspiration.

In “Minecraft,” whether in the single or multiplayer setting, users create various versions of livelihoods in different worlds, building objects such as homes, buildings, museums, farms and fictional structures like sky fortresses.

However, the level of creativity these designs can exhibit has caught the attention of people far removed from the world of video games. In response to its users’ inventiveness, “Minecraft” began creating modifications that gave players the leeway to create a greater variety of universes and lifestyles. These tweaks have given “Minecraft” fans a deeper challenge to be creative and implement new ideas in the their gaming world.

As you might expect, these player-created communities have generated a massive fandom within the “Minecraft” universe. And, in an effort to capitalize on this organic surge of interest, Microsoft saw an opportunity to create something authentic based off their own video game.

According to Jordan Novet, of CNBC, “Riku Pentikainen, who until recently was director of global workplace strategies inside Microsoft’s real estate and facilities group, saw his son playing Minecraft earlier this year and was intrigued by how the game could help the company with its transition. Employees could learn and get excited about the remodeling long before they could check it out on foot, and in a more dynamic way than what was available through typical renderings.”

Mojang, the company that created “Minecraft,” was purchased by Microsoft four years ago for $2.5 billion, and earlier this year, Microsoft promoted “Minecraft” boss Matt Booty. Booty’s prescient decision to sell to Microsoft at the right time has benefitted both parties immensely, as the game remains one of Microsoft’s best investments. In return, the company named Booty head of the company’s games studios.

Still, while the company certainly understood the cultural phenomenon that was “Minecraft,” they likely never expected to use the video game for anything in the real world. Microsoft, however, has long prided itself on its willingness to experiment with new ideas, so their decision to incorporate something new into their campus-creation process wasn’t wholly unexpected.

To channel this “Minecraft” creativity into their new headquarters, the company hired Blockworks, a business that uses “Minecraft” to create realistic projects, to help them formulate possible campus aesthetics. In addition to Microsoft, Blockworks has collaborated with companies such as Disney, Warner Bros. and the Museum of London. Using the game as an architectural compass gives the people of Blockworks the ability to quickly construct and propose ideas, an ability that even non-gamers can see the value in.

More details online: https://studybreaks.com/thoughts/microsoft-uses-of-minecraft-as-a-form-of-creativity/

Xbox fans have a lot of news and announcements to look forward to this weekend — and a free copy of Crackdown to play right now — as Microsoft’s X018 event gets underway in Mexico City. Tomorrow at 4:00 PM EST, X018 will host a special two-hour live edition of its monthly Inside Xbox show.

Microsoft is gearing up for the holiday season by making announcements about some of its biggest games including Crackdown 3, Minecraft, Sea of Thieves, State of Decay 2 and Forza Horizon 4. Several guests will also make appearances, such as head of Xbox Phil Spencer, head of Microsoft Matt Booty and Minecraft studio head Helen Chiang. Also on the docket for tonight’s show is the announcement of over a dozen new games for Xbox Game Pass.

Fans can snag some in-game goodies for Sea of Thieves and Forza Horizon 4 if they watch on the Xbox Mixer channel while logged into their Microsoft account. The broadcast can also be seen on Twitch, Twitter, Facebook and YouTube.

Theatre Replacement’s new production uses the computer game Minecraft to start inter-generational dialogue.

Mine
When: Nov. 14-17, various times

Where: Shadbolt Centre for the Arts, 6450 Deer Lake Ave., Burnaby

Tickets and info: From $15, shadboltcentre.com

Theatre Replacement’s latest work Mine is what happens when a performing arts parent gets actively involved in their child’s play — in this case, creator Maiko B. Yamamoto becoming involved in playing Minecraft with her 11-year-old gamer son, Hokuto MacDuff.

Developed over the narratives the two discovered playing the popular video game, the play involves a group of inter-generational gamers/performers between the ages of 10 to 45 enact different stories built up around the game and also transposed into real world events. Or something like that, in this confused digital realm.

“The show was inspired by a conflict I was experiencing with my son who, at around age eight, was becoming completely obsessed with digital screens and the game Minecraft,” said Yamamoto.

“We limited his screen time as we’d been advised, but it was still really hard for him to leave and it became this kind of Grand Canyon rift between the two of us. It was really hard because I didn’t want to be the one taking away this thing he was really into, but zoning out and spending all your time in a digital world isn’t taking care of him either.”

The conflict grew and, in seeking solutions to it, the parents found MCKids Academy, which uses Minecraft for learning positive and safe experiences. For many younger people, the building process is more important than the survival aspect of the game and the creativity exercised in making things in the online environment can become a means to positive play. Eventually, Yamamoto accepted her son’s entreaties to play the game.

“And I was such a newb, could barely walk in a straight line and kept breaking things while he was an expert running circles around me asking what he could show me how to do,” she said.

“He was the expert, but I was still the parent, as he would ask me if he could bring home a dog before he “tamed” one or put his bed next to mine. Suddenly, there was a possible work of theatre coming about.”

Collaborating with game-savvy local theatre artists such as Hong Kong Exile’s Remy Siu and Conor Wylie, as well as a quartet of local gamer/performers ranging in age from 10 to 14, Mine was created. Yamamoto said that slowly the parent-child narrative develop between mothers and sons with an online lens of sorts.

“You watch a group of gamers between ages 10 and 45 enact different mother/son relationships through all of their various moments as well as try to navigate this whole new digital world that we are in,” she said.

“Hokuto is on stage with me and we’re navigating and the hardest thing for me is letting go, letting them/him become this confident human in this new world.”

Using stories ranging from Bambi’s opening between the mother and son to the heavy-handed prophecy of Terminator, the play exposes many sides to the parent-child dynamic. There are a lot of conversations about fears.

“The kids onstage are meant to appear like these gods who can do all these things while the parents are barely able to keep up with them,” she said. “And the wonderful thing is we are always playing the game too. If it’s night time, zombies and creatures will suddenly start wandering in and, in daytime, you have pigs and other animals presenting, it starts raining, odd things happen all the time.”

Mine is something of a huge, unstructured improvisation based around the game and it won’t play out the same each time. As to whether the makers of the game were pleased about it being used in the play, Yamamoto says they were.

“Ultimately, it’s a pretty Minecraft-positive show and we talked to lawyers who made it clear that many others are doing this and you really just need to say ‘this is not an official Minecraft product,’ and it isn’t,” she said.

“We’re not changing the game, we’re using it, and we’re a non-profit, so we aren’t making money on it either.”

But the real question to answer is did the research for the play turn the parent into an obsessive gamer like the child?

“Minecraft became a natural part of our conversation and I became able to see why it’s hard for him to leave at times,” she said.

“He’s in the middle of building a hotel and he needs to focus on it and his response is no different than my own when I go ‘not now I’m busy.’ So now I ask him first about what he is doing and how much time he needs, in the same way he does for me.”

Mine will touch different nerves in different age groups. Where younger players might just see vanquishing a zombie as what you do, parents could think that a child alone in a room obsessively killing characters could be a precursor to some American style school shooting outburst. There are multiple levels to the play and they are designed to foster discussion.

“Theatre Replacement is trying to create a show that adults and game age kids can watch together and then discuss,” she said.

“And they may likely have very different reactions to things taking place. We’ve been able to use our imaginations like never before with this, because you can do that with Minecraft.”

Mine is not an official Minecraft product nor is it affiliated with Mojang. It is touring to London and Cambridge in March 2019.

Yesterday, YouTube VR was released for Oculus Go. In his tweet about the release, Oculus CTO John Carmack stated that it was one of the two apps people always ask him about, and that there “is also some progress on the other one” – the other one almost certainly being Minecraft.

No upcoming Oculus Go game is anywhere near as anticipated as Minecraft. Minecraft is the highest selling 3D game ever, with over 150 million copies sold. It is available on almost all gaming platforms, with cross platform multiplayer between most of them.

The game is anticipated for Go not just due to its significance outside VR, but because it has been available on the Samsung Gear VR headset for over 2 years now. Gear VR runs the same Oculus mobile store as Go, so in theory porting should be easy. In fact, some YouTubers have even managed to sideload the game into the Go headset, though reportedly only singleplayer works.

Minecraft’s absence was noted at Go’s launch back in May. No statement was given at the time (by either Oculus or Microsoft) about the reason for the absence, a release date, or even if it was coming at all.

Minecraft Was Carmack’s “Quest”

Oculus CTO John Carmack was heavily involved in porting Minecraft to Gear VR back in 2016. Carmack worked directly with Mojang to provide both code and guidance. Facebook’s lawyers warned him that his work would become Microsoft’s property, but Carmack didn’t care – getting Minecraft on Gear VR had become his “quest”. In fact, Carmack went as far as to say that he “would have cried” if the deal hadn’t worked out.

Shortly before Minecraft’s release on Gear VR, Carmack called it “the best thing to come out on Oculus”, even going as far as to say all of Oculus, not just Gear VR.

First Hints Of A Go Port
Carmack first hinted that the game could be coming to Go in June, when he stated that it was “a high priority for sure”, but added the disclaimer that few Go owners would have a gamepad paired. This is relevant because the Go’s included controller does not have enough inputs for Minecraft.

The following month, Carmack hinted that progress was being made, and noted that he cared a lot about getting it:

From ‘If’ To ‘When’
When asked to list his favorite Go apps in September, Carmack ended his response with “When we get Minecraft running on Go it will be back in the list.”

This brings us back to yesterday’s tweet, where Carmack suggested “some progress” has been made.

What’s The Delay?
The Minecraft team have had a very busy year. While the Nintendo Switch version of the game was intended to ship last year, delays meant that it didn’t ship until June of this year. Additionally, the team have had to make fundamental changes to the graphics engine in preparation for the ‘Super Duper graphics pack’, a DLC which will add modern graphical features to the game. This too was intended to be released in 2017, but has been pushed back all the way to 2019.

The delays of these projects mean that a lower priority task such porting to Go may have been heavily deprioritised. With the Nintendo Switch version of the game shipped however and the graphics DLC hopefully shipping soon, Minecraft for Go may be next on the agenda, and this may be what Carmack was referring to in his latest Tweet.

We’ll keep you updated on any further news about Minecraft coming to Oculus Go.

Tagged with: john carmack, Minecraft, Oculus Go

Cell phones are slowly being integrated into the schooling system in South Africa.

Educational technologist at Educor, Bilal Kathrada says cellphones should be used as a learning tool instead of banning them out of the classroom as that will only get learners to find clever ways to bend the rules.

The popular game, Minecraft is now being used as an educational tool.

Tracy Heath of Brescia House School in Johannesburg explains how the game Minecraft is being used to improve learning in the classroom.

Read: ‘Don’t ban cellphones in schools, rather teach kids how to use them to learn’

Also Read: ‘Don’t ban cellphones in schools, rather teach kids how to use them to learn’

Most kids play it and they love it. And with this generation, we need to take what they love and turn into an educational experience.

— Tracy Heath, PS Senior Management Team and ICT teacher
So Microsoft bought the game and we run it as part of our educational system… They’ve turned the game into an educational app.

— Tracy Heath, PS Senior Management Team and ICT teacher
Most people will tell you that if you are playing a game and you having fun, there is part of your brain that gets stimulated which is active and not passive. You are not just sitting and getting stuff to you, you are engaging with the material.

— Tracy Heath, PS Senior Management Team and ICT teacher

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) – Kamehameha Schools has partnered with Microsoft on educational opportunities geared toward computer science.

One of the ways they’re doing it is through the popular video game, Minecraft.

The video game is being used as an educational tool for students to learn more about Native Hawaiian Issues.

Copyright 2018 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved.

Sombra is a unique hero in Overwatch, a double agent that has her own agenda and is a total wiz at hacking. With Overwatch continuing to prove it’s a force to be reckoned with in the gaming community, it’s no wonder that there are so many phenomenal cosplays of this particular character. This one, however, has got to be one of our favorites.

This particular cosplayer is from Korea. Pion Kim is no stranger to bringing characters to life in stunning detail, but her take on the sleek hacker is just too good not to share.

SLIDE 1 of 5
“SOMBRA ONLINE”

SLIDE 2 of 5
“EVERYTHING CAN BE HACKED, AND EVERYONE”

SLIDE 3 of 5
“SEE YOU LATER”

SLIDE 4 of 5
“LOOKING FOR ME?”

SLIDE 5 of 5
MORE ON THE CHARACTER:
Sombra is known for taking information and using it against those in power. She came from the ashes of a tortured past, left orphaned following the Omnic Crisis. Though her country was destroyed, she picked herself up and taught herself skills that could help her survive and thrive.

After being taken in by the Los Muertos gang, she aided in rebuilding Mexico – though her means were dubious to some. After her security came into question, Blizzard mentioned “She later reemerged as Sombra, upgraded and determined to find out the truth behind the conspiracy she had uncovered. Sombra launched an even more audacious string of hacks, and her exploits earned her no shortage of admirers, including Talon. She joined the organization’s ranks and is believed to have contributed to its massive cyberattacks against corporations with strong ties to their governments. These efforts incited a popular revolution in Mexico against LumériCo and breached the security of Volskaya Industries, the manufacturing arm of Russia’s anti-omnic defense.”

Overwatch is now available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC.

This past week, we’ve been learning small tid-bits about who won that coveted trophy at the Golden Joystick Awards this year, including how Fortnite beat out Red Dead Redemption 2 for the ‘Ultimate Game of the Year’ award. A huge surprise to be sure, but we still didn’t know the final tally of winners. At least until now.

The biggest highlight was FromSoftware’s Hidetake Miyazaki winning the Lifetime Achievement Award. Miyazaki mentioned in a recent press statement, “To receive such a prestigious award from the Golden Joysticks fills me with great surprise and a sense of great honour. I am tremendously grateful to everyone who has played, enjoyed and appreciated our games. Rather than myself, this award goes to the many people who have built these games with me, and shared their passion with me over the years.”

God of War and Fortnite seemed to be the two biggest contenders, with Overwatch taking home the gold for esports game of the year.

For the full winner list:

Best Storytelling: God of War
Best Competitive Game: Fortnite Battle Royale
Best Cooperative Game: Monster Hunter: World
Best Visual Design: God of War
Best Indie Game: Dead Cells
Best Audio: God of War
Still Playing Award: World of Tanks
Best Performer: Bryan Dechart, Detroit: Become Human
Esports Game of the Year: Overwatch
Best VR Game: The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim VR
Studio of the Year: SIE Santa Monica Studio
Best New Streamer / Broadcaster: Bryan Dechart and Amelia Rose Blaire
Mobile Game of the Year: PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Mobile
PC Game of the Year: Subnautica
PlayStation Game of the Year: God of War
Xbox Game of the Year: Forza Horizon 4
Nintendo Game of the Year: Octopath Traveler
Breakthrough Award: Unknown Worlds
Most Wanted Game: Cyberpunk 2077
Critics Choice Award: Red Dead Redemption 2
Lifetime Achievement Award: Hidetaka Miyazaki
Outstanding Contribution: Xbox Adaptive Controller
Ultimate Game of the Year: Fortnite Battle Royale
What do you think about the winners listed? Do you feel like the right games one, or do you feel like a particular title got the shaft? Join in on the conversation in the comment section below! You can also watch the Golden Joystick Awards 2018 on the Golden Joystick Awards Twitch Channel, broadcast live from London from 3pm GMT / 7am PST / 10 am EST.

The “Fix PUBG” campaign kicked off earlier this year as part of the promise from Bluehole Inc to their fans for complete transparency and dedication to making the game better. For months, the title seemed to be in a glitchy limbo and only really started to emerge as a full title once other games in the genre started to gain traction (Fortnite, now Blackout). After months of data compilation and constant tweaks, the team has their results and what that means for the future of the game.

For those unfamiliar with the campaign, here was the goal: ‘At the start of the campaign, the most important elements we had in mind are as listed below. We have worked on increasing the quality of PUBG based on largely these four topics. We will go over the state of each category as well as what we still plan to improve upon.”

Provide the best gameplay experience possible through client and server performance optimization
Ensure fair gameplay with more efficient anti-cheat solutions using all available means
Smarter and faster matchmaking through improved matchmaking logic
Fix bugs that degrade the experience while applying long-requested QOL improvements
With a focus on optimization, a close eye on pings, lag, and peaks was crucial. Bluehole explains, “To explain a little more in detail, we have optimized level streaming and decreased the burden that comes with level loading while moving. Compared to before, the average time to load 1 level has dropped significantly from 14.4 seconds to 5.6 seconds. Our work on optimizing “Physics Creation” is still ongoing and we plan to apply those fixes after running a final test around the end of December.

“By optimizing game effects, we have reduced the load caused when multiple effects are activated at the same time. We have also begun optimizing frame rate drop issues on specific effects such as smoke. Environmental effects, vehicle destruction effects, hit effects and smoke effects have been improved and we are planning to add improvements on weapon related logic and effects as well.”

Server performance has also seen a huge increase in quality by mitigating desync and making grand changes to how matchmaking works on a basic level. Speaking of which, the team also revealed their plans for this feature as well:

Provide a stable gaming environment by matching players with similar Ping.
Provide a fair gaming environment by matching users with a similar skill level (in relation to MMR, not Rank).
Set-up for players using the same language to be placed on the same team.
Ensure large-scale play with 100 players to maximize the fun of the Battle Royale experience.
Minimize wait times as best as possible while fulfilling the above requirements.
As mentioned earlier in our previous coverage, anti-cheat still remains a priority and that includes going hard on hardware bans. “We are constantly banning unauthorized programs by analyzing and utilizing data from various logs. In addition, we are developing our own anti-cheat solution to prevent the use of unauthorized programs. We expect to have something to share on this in the near future.”

You can read the full amount of changes, tweaks, and goals concerning PC, consoles, and bug fixes right here in their latest developer update: https://steamcommunity.com/games/578080/announcements/detail/2486445930579204546

Though many of us are currently busy with Fallout 76, the team working hard on Fallout 4: New Vegas continue to make impressive headway towards completion. This total conversion mod that brings Fallout: New Vegas into Fallout 4 and the team behind this venture have just provided an update on progress as far scripting, common assets, and more goes.

According to the F4NW team’s latest Facebook blog post, “The level design team has carried on full steam ahead with their work on the environs of the greater Mojave Wasteland. As our work spreads outwards, efforts have been continuing on many of the industrial facilities around the world. These areas provide a unique stylistic challenge in their vast difference from the factories and warehouses found in Fallout 4, and as such working on several such locations simultaneously allows us to better pool the talents of our level designers so as to create a more cohesive feel to the environments found in F4NV.”

They added, “[Our] assets team has also continued in their ongoing quest to populate the Mojave’s environments with smaller common assets. With our level design team’s efforts continued to be directed towards more mundane environments currently, this allows the addition of assets to happen alongside work on those locations, ultimately saving us time in the future by avoiding unnecessary second passes on locations to adjust newly added assets in relation to the placeholders that may have been used previously – these placeholders, while infinitely helpful for helping to get environments mapped out and in a semi-finalized state for passes by our quest team, require a secondary pass once the asset they represent is added to the game. Since the placeholders often have dimensions distinct from the asset they’re meant to represent, tweaking their placement or alignment is almost always needed.”

The questing and scripting team is also hard at work, though the biggest is expanding upon what New Vegas had to offer and making it even bigger using the Fallout 4 engine. “Headway has been made in expanding our implementation of Fallout: New Vegas systems in the Fallout 4 Creation Engine, which allows us both to continue to implement legacy assets and gameplay mechanics in a more comprehensive manner, but also allows us to add upon these systems in meaningful ways to give players more gameplay options in F4NV.”

For those that might be new to this project, the team has been working hard on this project for years now working side by side with fans and Bethesda themselves to make sure this project is accurate, legal, and the perfect blend that fans have been hoping for.

Each week the creative team offers unique insights into their progress towards completion, and you can bet that radioactive butt of yours that we’ve got you covered! This is a project that we are very passionate about as well and we absolutely love all of the amazing updates from the team.

The incredibly ambitious fan project Fallout 4: New Vegas blends the best of both worlds into one passionate gaming venture. We’ve been following our friends on this endeavor for awhile now, and their ambitious fan-project continues to impress with each new update. The team has done a fantastic job at keeping those interested in this ambitious project tuned into its progress, and you can learn even more by visiting their official website linked below!

To learn more about the project that has been years in the making, check out their previous updates over on their site right here!

Like Fallout and modding? Did we just become best friends? Feel free to follow the author of this story over on Twitter @DirtyEffinHippy for both and full-on fangirl!

Admit it, you’ve been singing Country Roads since the very first reveal trailer of Fallout 76. Their remake of a classic has been stuck in everyone’s heads, and for good reason! The smooth melody is the perfect companion to the juxtaposition 76 offers, so why not have it in the game itself? Well, now you can thanks to this Fallout 76 mod!

The mod itself is pretty simple. According to its creator, “This mod Replaces the music in the main menu with “Take Me Home, Country Roads” by Bill Danoff as performed live at Georgetown University GEMA Rocks 2010.”

They added for those looking for the John Denver or the commissioned version, “In the optional files you can find the covers by John Denver as well as COPILOT that was commissioned by Bethesda and can be heard in game on the Appalachia radio.”

To check out how to install the mod (pretty easy), check out the listing on Nexus Mods right here. It even has Country Roads memes, which – I mean, bonus!

As for the game itself, Fallout 76 is available now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Though official mods are still not available, that hasn’t stopped players from making their own – as PC players so often do. Interested in learning more about the online Wasteland? We’ve got you covered:

“As of right now, I’m loving the hell out of it. Would I have loved a Fallout 5? Absolutely, but Fallout 76 is charming and it really is a fresh perspective on a franchise that didn’t necessarily need it, but it’s welcome nonetheless,” reads our review in-progress.

“I understand why many might not find it their particular cup of tea, but I’ve noticed a lot of naysayers haven’t given it a chance. The world “online” has become almost scary with all of the talk cheaters, hackers, and griefers. Many see “online” as a series jumping ship, but that’s not the case here. I feel like if you’re a fan of Fallout, this will surprise you by how much it feels familiar. Play by yourself, play solo, just play it your way knowing it’s not a Fallout 5, but something else entirely.”

We like Overwatch, we like hilarious cat videos … put the two together and we just had the happiest heart attack known to man! For those that may not know, Ashe is the latest hero now available in the Blizzard FPS but it was her Ultimate, B.O.B, that stole the show with his glorious robotic mustache. And yes – he still has it in cat form and oh my god, we’re only squealing a little bit, I promise.

Not only is the video too precious for words, but it’s made even better when you know that B.O.B was actually a joke to start with and only made it into the game officially after pushing hard for his presence.

We sat down with Overwatch lead writer Michael Chu during the BlizzCon celebration earlier this month to talk about B.O.B following the immediate fan reaction towards our new mustachio’d friend. Chu mentioned that they had been tinkering with his idea for awhile but it quickly became apparent that he needed to be in the game in a more official capacity the longer the team deliberated about him.

Chu mentioned that B.O.B quickly became “an essential part of the fantasy of the character” and because of that, the creative team went “above and beyond” to make him a doable reality for the FPS experience.

It was important to make him stand on his own though and not just be a random addition, which makes his purpose as Ashe’s Ultimate attack even better. The best part is though he is part of another hero, he easily has his own personality and offers something special to each match.

Now seeing that same style and deliberation in cat form is just … for people that have no words, we’re writing a lot of them. Still, it’s precious, it’s perfect, and now I demand an event where all of the heroes are cats for some reason. Just … one week, give this to me – please, Jeff Kaplan.

As for the game itself in the way it’s supposed to be played, Overwatch is now available on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. Still no Nintendo Switch yet, but we’re keeping hope alive.

Microsoft and Mojang released a new Minecraft trailer on Saturday that showed off new pandas and cats that are coming soon in an update.

The “Cats & Pandas: A Minecraft Fable of Friendship” trailer above shared the background of cats and pandas in Minecraft, two types of animals that have a surprising amount of lore and history with each other. Saying that the two species were competing in a napping contest that went awry, they eventually worked out their differences and were able to meet in Minecraft.
What all this means for Minecraft players is that they’ll soon be able to find cats and pandas in their games after the update is released. Found within the jungle, the pandas are usually laying around eating bamboo, Mojang’s description of the Minecraft trailer said. Players can feed bamboo to these animals and can even build them an enclosure to keep them near camps and houses.

“A nap-off gone wrong leaves cat and panda relations in shambles. After many failed attempts at peace, the two sides find common ground,” the Minecraft trailer explained. “When they’re not sneezing or snacking on bamboo, pandas can be found rolling around the jungle.”

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Cats, not to be confused with the ocelots, will also be added in the upcoming update. These animals will chase around other mobs that are nearby and will also bring players gifts occasionally.

“Cats are curious but kind, chasing other mobs and bringing ‘gifts’ to their masters. And of course, both lounge and laze as they please. Revamped cats and precious pandas are coming to Minecraft soon!”

If the cats and pandas additions sound familiar, it might be because players have already heard about them or experimented with the new content themselves through past betas that previewed the new animals. Back in October, Mojang shared an article on the Minecraft site that previewed the cats and pandas and what all they’d be able to do in Minecraft. It also encouraged players on the Xbox One and PC devices to give the new content a try through the game’s beta program, so some players have already been testing the content for a while.

All the new cats and pandas and their accompanying content will be added in an update seeon, though neither Mojang nor Microsoft revealed a release date for the update.

A mysterious game that seems to be a free trial of Minecraft: Pocket Edition has cropped up in the Play Store, but it does not seem to actually be available as of this writing. The app in question only allows access to survival mode and is time-limited. It also has no multiplayer capabilities. Essentially, this means that people get to try out the core Minecraft experience in any way that they want, but marathon play sessions, saving, and many other methods of reaching endgame content are out of the question. Additionally, you can’t create a world in this trial game and then transfer it to the real deal. The app description on Google Play does not seem to say exactly how long the trial lasts, so once or if it becomes available, it may be an interesting way for people to figure out if they want to pay the entry fee to spend more time in Minecraft’s blocky world.
Background: While a trial version of Minecraft does make a lot of sense in a way, there are a few things about this whole business that one can’t help but wonder about. For starters, this is Minecraft. It’s one of the biggest things in the gaming world, and has been for quite some time. It also has tons of clones in the Play Store. Surely, if somebody wanted to play Minecraft, they would know that they do. Second, the app is listed in the Play Store, but is not available right now, it seems. Android Headlines staff in the United States and Croatia tried to grab the download, and it was unavailable across all attempted devices. The trial may be for an extremely limited market space where Minecraft may be having less of an easy time than others, or it could be that the demo simply isn’t fully ready yet. Whatever the case, if you are on the fence about Minecraft for whatever reason, you may want to keep an eye on the Play Store listing linked below. The $6.99 entry fee for Minecraft: Pocket Edition may seem steep, but if you’re into the sort of thing that Minecraft offers, which is a sandbox of sorts with large worlds and multiplayer support, it may well be worth using this app to check the game out and see if you really want to commit to that purchase.
Impact: There’s pretty much no way that this development could negatively affect Minecraft’s bottom line. It is a bit strange that it’s on the Play Store and seemingly not fully available to all, but there are a number of possible reasons for that. Though the iconic experience has likely already attracted most of its player base for now, growth can come in the form of new gamers aging into Minecraft’s target base, or players who have not had any previous experience with the game getting access to it. Expect to see the number of people playing Minecraft on Android surge if and when this app becomes available.