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Strinova is a third-person hero shooter coming out this week, and its recent closed beta functioned more like an open beta despite the label. Its anime art style caught my eye, so I decided to register and try it out. While this hero shooter had much in common with others in the genre, I thoroughly enjoyed the new mechanics it introduced. This new third-person shooter from iDreamSky has elements players of Counter-Strike 2, Overwatch and Valorant will find familiar, such as game modes and Agent roles. However, the game sets itself apart by implementing a mechanic called Stringify, allowing Agents to turn from 3D into paper-thin 2D models. Stringify allows Agents to avoid gunfire, climb up walls and even glide through the air, but they cant shoot or use abilities while Stringified. This mechanic allows for possibilities like chambering sniper rifle rounds while minimizing ones hitbox and traversing walls mid-gunfight. It was incredibly entertaining to move around like this, but it isnt so over-the-top like how some Call of Duty games and Titanfall implement movement mechanics. Spamming glides or sprints wont do much good. Each Agent has unique abilities and primary weapons, while secondary weapons and grenades can be swapped out. You have many familiar roles like snipers, designated marksmen with semi-automatic rifles, mid-range assault units and close-quarters-focused brawlers armed with shotguns. The abilities range from defensive supports to lone-wolf offensive kits, though Strinova doesnt encourage engaging groups of enemies alone due to a longer time to kill. My favorite Agent from the open beta is Meredith (image below), a mid-range assault Agent who can glide in mid-air longer due to a time-slowing mechanic. Her gunplay feels almost inspired by Warframes Zephyr, who also has extended airtime. Meredith also has area denial abilities that apply debuffs, most significantly with her Ultimate Skill that drains HP temporarily while limiting vision. Jeremy Gan for Engadget Another standout is Audrey, whose ability turns her into a stationary turret and lets her fire her machine gun without recoil or reloading. However, youll want to watch out for overheating. She has a limited shield that blocks some incoming fire while aiming down the sights but theres a catch. Despite being a bullet hose, shes vulnerable to a single sniper headshot, and a shotgun user can take her out quickly before she enters turret mode, which has a longer startup animation. There were four game modes in the open beta: team deathmatch, team arena, escort, and demolition. Escort is similar to what Overwatch offers, which has an attacking team escorting a payload to the goal. Demolition is basically competitive Counter-Strike. Team deathmatch has five teams of three fighting each other, while team arena has a 7v7 format. In the last two game modes, Ultimate Skills are disabled. Based on my experience, Strinova has a longer time to kill, which forces players to be more tactical, especially when everyone can use Stringify to move around. I was forced to ditch my highly aggressive playstyle and employ proper movement and peeking to ensure I survived gunfights. Since each Agent gets to turn 2D, glide and climb walls, there are plenty of ways to get the drop on opponents. Jeremy Gan for Engadget Strinova ran smoothly on my gaming laptop, reaching 120FPS easily and rarely dropping many frames. However, there was a glaring bug in which my A key was perceived as being held down. The only way to fix was to pause or unplug my keyboard. I usually had to perform the latter, and it was rather annoying to deal with, though hopefully its something that gets worked out by release. I definitely enjoyed playing the Strinova open beta, and the game is set to come out on November 21. There are plenty of other cool things in the game, but the combat absolutely stands out. I dont play that many hero shooters, but this one is like a diamond in the rough to me.This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/gaming/pc/strinovas-2d-stringify-mechanic-breathes-some-new-life-into-hero-shooters-140043155.html?src=rss
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Apple has rolled out updates for its operating systems, which come with security fixes for vulnerabilities that may have already been used to target its customers. The updates are now available for Macs, iPhones, iPads, the Vision Pro and the Safari browser. In its notes, Apple revealed that the security patches will fix bugs affecting WebKit, the rendering engine Safari uses, and JavaScriptCore, which runs JavaScript code on macOS and iOS devices. If JavaScriptCore is fooled into processing "maliciously crafted web content," it could execute arbitrary codes, Apple explained. Meanwhile, WebKit could be exploited for cross site scripting attacks if it gets tricked into running malicious content. The company said it's aware of a report that the vulnerabilities could've been actively exploited on Intel-based Mac systems. According to TechCrunch, the bugs are zero-day vulnerabilities, as Apple had no knowledge of their existence when they were exploited. Researchers from Google's Threat Analysis Group were reportedly the ones who discovered the vulnerabilities. The group is known for detecting and analyzing government-backed hacking and attacks. Apple didn't say how many devices had been attacked using exploits taking advantage of the bugs, and it didn't say if any information was stolen from the targets. Mac, iPad and iPhones users may want to check their devices for the latest updates, though, so they can install the security fixes as soon as possible. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/cybersecurity/apple-patches-vulnerabilities-used-to-target-intel-based-macs-133027514.html?src=rss
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The UK government is expected to launch a parliamentary inquiry into the roll of social media in summer riots, particularly around the use of generative AI, The Guardian reported. As part of that, MPs (members of Parliament) wish to cross-examine X owner Elon Musk, along with senior executives from Meta and TikTok, as part of a Commons science and technology select committee social media inquiry. "[Musk] has very strong views on multiple aspects of this," said Labour chair of the select committee, Chi Onwurah. "I would certainly like the opportunity to cross-examine him to see how he reconciles his promotion of freedom of expression with his promotion of pure disinformation. [The committee will] get to the bottom of the links between social media algorithms, generative AI, and the spread of harmful or false content." The government is looking into the use of fake images created by generative AI, often containing Islamophobic content, which were widely shared in social media posts on Facebook and X. Such posts may have inflamed riots last August that took place after three schoolgirls were murdered. MPs are also looking into big tech business models that "encourage the spread of content that can mislead and harm." Musk, who may soon have a large role in the US government under incoming president Trump, has criticized the UK government and isn't likely to attend. During the riots in August he said: Civil war is inevitable," and on Monday stated that "Britain is going full Stalin." In December, UK regulator Ofcom will publish new rules as part of the Online Safety Act. With the new regulations, it's likely that social media platforms will be forced prevent the spread of illegal materials such as CSAM and survey activities that could stir up violence. Companies like X and Facebook will then be required to remove any illegal material. This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/social-media/uk-government-will-summon-elon-musk-as-part-of-social-media-inquiry-130004409.html?src=rss
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