![]() ![]() God designed us like this for a reason- He wants us to lean on Him and His power. That is how the world we live in functions.īut as Christ-followers we are leave a calling card of courage, love and joy.īecause Jesus Christ has authority, we can have audacity in our faith and lives.Īs we all search, whether consciously or not, for our calling- Beth points out that our calling is outside of our ability to fulfill it. There will always be fear and that fear drives anger, rage and insecurity. And at virtually any price.īut it is in knowing our birthright that we are freed from slavery as in Romans 8:15. In the video above, I walk through the following notes taken from the day-long event.īeth opens up the message with the story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis 25:19.įor what do you forfeit your birthright as an heir with Christ? Like Esau, when we are exhausted, we get distracted by wanting our “stew” now. (Thanks Jeri!) Me, along with 16 other Christian women were blessed with the opportunity to watch Beth Moore’s simulcast, based on her book, Audacious. Last week, I jumped at the chance to hear this Mighty Woman of God via simulcast at a friends’ house. And I certainly didn’t want to be convicted of how I was not living up to my birthright as a child of the King of Kings. It’s funny how life works… Years ago, my mother tried to turn me on to Beth Moore and I was having none of it.
0 Comments
Type XIII is the knightly sword typical of the later 13th century. Subtype XIIa comprises the longer and more massive "great-swords" which developed in the mid-13th century, probably designed to counter improvements in mail armour these are the predecessors of the late medieval longsword (see also Cawood sword). Type XII is a further development, typical throughout the Crusades period, showing a tapering blade with a shortened fuller. Type XI shows the development towards a more tapering point seen during the 12th century. Type X is the Norman sword as it developed out of the early medieval Viking sword by the 11th century. The common "knightly swords" of the high medieval period (11th to early 12th centuries) fall under types X to XII. ![]() It has a heavy type XII blade, presumably intended for use from horseback, with a type A " Brazil-nut" pommel. Blade Replica of the Sword of Saint Maurice, one of the best-preserved 13th-century swords, now kept in Turin. While there are some general trends in the development of fashion, many of the most popular styles of pommels, hilts and blades remain in use throughout the duration of the High Middle Ages. However, Oakeshott (1991) is emphatic on the point that a medieval sword cannot conclusively be dated based on its morphology. Pommels were most commonly of the 'Brazil-nut' type from around 1000–1200 AD, with the 'wheel' pommel appearing in the 11th and predominating from the 13th to 15th centuries. Geibig's typology focuses on swords from continental the transitional period from the early to the high medieval period (early 8th to late 12th centuries) and does not extend to the late medieval period.īlade length was usually from 69 to 81 centimetres (27 to 32 in) however, examples exist from 58 to 100 centimetres (23 to 39 in). Oakeshott (1964) introduced an additional typology for pommel shapes.Ī more recent typology is due to Geibig (1991). The most widespread typology for the medieval sword was developed by Ewart Oakeshott in 1960, mostly based on blade morphology. The term "romanesque sword" does not see significant use in English, but it is more current in French ( epée romane), German ( romanisches Schwert), and especially in Slavic languages (such as Czech románský meč), identifying the swords as being contemporary with the corresponding Romanesque period in art history (roughly 1000 to 1300). Oakeshott (1964) notes that this changes in the late medieval period, beginning towards the end of the 13th century, when the "bastard sword" appeared as an early type of what developed into the 15th-century longsword. Mostly, the common type of sword in any given period would simply be referred to as "sword" (English swerde, French espée, Latin gladius etc.).ĭuring the high medieval period, references to swords as "great sword" ( grete swerd, grant espée) or "small" or "short sword" ( espée courte, parvus ensis) does not necessarily indicate their morphology, but simply their relative size. Period terminology for swords is somewhat fluid. The terms "knight's sword" or "knightly sword" are modern terms to specify the sword of the high medieval period. ![]() "Arming sword" in late medieval usage specifically refers to the estoc when worn as a side-arm, but as a modern term it may also refer to any single-handed sword in a late medieval context. The term "arming sword" ( espées d'armes) is first used in the 15th century to refer to the single-handed type of sword after it had ceased to serve as the main weapon and was on its way to being used as a side-sword. ![]() After the end of the medieval period, the arming sword developed into several forms of the early modern one-handed straight swords, such as the side-sword, the rapier, the cavalry-focused Reiterschwert and certain types of broadsword. Though the majority of late-medieval arming swords kept their blade properties from previous centuries, there are also surviving specimens from the 15th century that took the form of a late-medieval estoc, specialised for use against more heavily armoured opponents. In the Late Medieval period (14th and 15th centuries), late forms of these swords continued to be used, but often as a sidearm, at that point called "arming swords" and contrasting with the two-handed, heavier longswords. The high medieval sword of the Romanesque period (10th to 13th centuries) developed gradually from the Viking sword of the 9th century. This type is frequently depicted in period artwork, and numerous examples have been preserved archaeologically. In the European High Middle Ages, the typical sword (sometimes academically categorized as the knightly sword, arming sword, or in full, knightly arming sword) was a straight, double-edged weapon with a single-handed, cruciform (i.e., cross-shaped) hilt and a blade length of about 70 to 80 centimetres (28 to 31 in). ![]() ![]() This is why the emitter current is equal to the sum of the base and collector currents. A very small base current also flows through the device as a result of this movement. The electrons begin to move towards the collector as recombined holes and electrons become separated from one another. As a result, these electrons are now collected at the transistor’s collector terminal. Because of the strong electrostatic field, electrons begin to drift at the collector region due to the very thin base region and the reverse voltage at the collector-base junction. As a result, only a few electrons combine with the holes once they reach their destination. The following diagram depicts the biased condition of an NPN transistor:Ĭharger Carrier Movement in an NPN Transistorīecause the base region is very thin and doped lightly. These two depletion regions serve as a potential stumbling block to any further majority carrier flow. This is why the depletion width at the collector-base junction is wider than at the emitter-base junction. To put it another way, in the case of a lightly doped region, the width of the depletion region will be greater than in the case of a highly doped region. It’s worth noting that the thickness or thinness of the depletion region is determined by the material’s doping concentration. Similarly, a depletion region forms at the transistor’s base-collector junction after a period of time. Only about 5% of electrons combine with holes in this region after reaching the base region, while the rest drift across the collector region. However, a depletion region forms at the transistor’s emitter-base junction after a certain amount of time has passed. A transistor is made up of two PN junctions, as we already know.Īs a result, under no biased conditions, electrons in the emitter region begin to move towards the base region due to temperature variations. We’ve already talked about how a PN junction diode works in the absence of bias. It is then referred to as the transistor’s unbiased state. When there is no applied bias to the transistor or when there is no battery connected between its terminals. The reason for this is that the collector region’s thickness is slightly greater than the emitter region. It’s worth noting that the emitter and collector regions cannot be switched around. Its inverse is the PNP transistor, which has a P-region sandwiched between two N-Type regions. And the collector region’s doping level is moderate, falling somewhere between the emitter and the base region. ![]() The emitter region has a lot of doping, while the base region also has a lot of doping. The levels of doping in each of the three regions are different. It functions as two PN junction diodes due to the presence of two junctions in between three regions. The collector-base junction, on the other hand, is the point where the base and collector regions meet. The emitter-base junction is the region that connects the emitter and the base region. It is divided into three sections: emitter, base, and collector. The NPN transistor is made up of a number of different components. ![]() You can chat with her by speaking (STT) or writing, she replies with a text message but you can enable her voice (TTS).ģ5 Free Open-source Data and Files Recovery and Forensic Apps, and Scriptsĭata recovery is the process of retrieving lost, corrupted, or deleted data from a storage device such as a hard drive, USB drive, or memory card. Its goal is to provide a free and open-source alternative to big services like DialogFlow. Olivia is an open-source chatbot built in Golang using Machine Learning technologies. Olivia Is a Self-hosted Open-source AI-Based Chatbot with TTS and STT support If you're an enthusiastic hobbyist or an experienced professional, you're sure to find a freeware Would you like to enhance the beauty of your photos, but are unsure of which software to choose to do so? In this article, we will explore a detailed comparison of photo editors for Mac. You can also use Github to keepĭetailed Comparison of Photo Editors for Mac: Download Freeware Image and Photo Programs for Free Using Brewup, you can create a backup of a config file that contains all installed Taps, Formulas, Casks and App Store Apps on your macOS. The Brewup script is a Bash script that builds on Homebrew - The Missing Package Manager for macOS. WhetherīrewUp: macOS Auto Update Homebrew (Free Open-source App) With Replibyte, you can quickly and easily replicate your entire database, ensuring that you have accurate and up-to-date information at all times. Replibyte is an exceptional tool that enables you to seed large databases with your production data in a lightning-fast manner, without compromising the safety of sensitive data. Replibyte: Seed your Development Database with Real Data ⚡️ Whether you're a professional who deals with large files daily or a casual user looking to save disk space, finding the best archiver for your In the digital age, where information is at our fingertips and data storage is crucial, having the best archiver for Mac can be a game-changer. System auditing is important because it provides visibility into what is happening on This information can be used to detect and prevent security breaches, troubleshoot problems, and ensure compliance with regulations and policies. System auditing is the process of collecting and analyzing information about a computer's use, events, and security. This is done to protect against data loss in case the original data becomes corrupted, damaged, or lost.īacking up data is significant to ensure thatġ7 Open-source Free System Auditing Tools for macOS, Windows, Linux, and the Cloud With these tools, users can easily transfer files between a local computer and a remote server, ensuring that the files are kept up-to-date andĢ4 Open-source and Free Disk, Data, and Docker Backup Solutionsĭata backup is the process of creating a copy of important data and storing it in a safe location, separate from the original data. Adium 1.5 and up require an Intel based computer.Ĭhat,messaging,messenger,communication,xmpp,jabber,irc,web,internet,productivity ResourcesĢ0 Open-source FTP File Sync and FTP Back ToolsįTP file Sync and FTP Back Tools are software tools that enable users to synchronize and back up files using the FTP (File Transfer Protocol) protocol. Translations: Adium speaks 27 different languagesĪdium 1.5 or later: Mac OS X 10.6.8 or newer, an Apple-branded Macintosh computerĪdium X 0.89.1: Mac OS X 10.2.x and olderĪdium X 0.88 up to Adium 1.4.5 are Universal applications which run natively on both PowerPC- and Intel-based Macintosh computers. Xtras and many, many other customization options WebKit Message View: Theme your chat windowsĬombined Contacts: Merge your contacts so that each one represents a person, not an accountĪ sophisticated events system (including Growl notifications) Support for a wide range of different Instant Messaging services (see the full list) Open Source, so everyone can see how Adium works and help improve it. Based on the libpurple protocol library, Adium can connect you to any number of messaging accounts on any combination of supported messaging services and then chat with other people using those services. Adium is a free and open source instant messaging application for OS X, written using OS X's Cocoa API, released under the GNU GPL and developed by the Adium team. ![]() what other splitters are there for AVCHD m2ts? Music needs to go to stereo, lipsync, and I might want to increase bitrate (now 1.5 mbps) can one store it's own 'format' in XVID4PSP? Now I have to make adjustments for each video as the default AppleTV settinng is not fully okay. ![]() (dual core 2.6 GHz, 2 GB RAM, 8600GTS videocard). I would have expected more from my machine. Now at least I can maintain the HD resolution. This was a big letdown as I wanted to see it on my Plasma. First downgrade it to MPEG-2 with Sony software and then further processing. Taking into account I bought in in the US the price in euro's was decent.Īnyway, I am quite happy that I am now finding my way into AVCHD -> MP4 in one conversion. Most Sigma 863x chipset based media players don't do well on photos. Especially since I like photography I wanted a device that can render photo's quite okay. And I can t say that for other devices I used. But still one of the better Media Players with a remote. It is basically a very scaled down Tiger OS on very limited hardware. I agree that the AppleTV is not the best device. It was complaining it didn t have the YV12 codec. I installed Xvid codec for the interlaced issue. Can you for example store the Nero filters, even after removing the nero software? (I am using it less and less and the software is so big) But I would need to learn more about directshow filters and how to manipulate them with GraphEdit. I might try installing CoreAVC without Haali Media Splitter to see if I can improve AVCHD play back. Playing back in Nero (uses Nero's directshow filters), MPlayer or Sony software itself is okay. I don't know why XVID4PSP thinks it should have 1040 msec elay. When I reduce it to 0 the lipsync is perfect. The default setting is to leave it that way when encoding. XVid4PSP registered an 1040 msec delay in the audio when opening the file. If there were errors/discontinunities in the original stream, and your video/audio have different lengths resulting in a progressive sync issue and this is much more difficult to fix. If it's a constant sync issue, and the audio & video are same lengths, just offset, you can fix it easily by entering a +/- ms delay. grf file, or sort out your directshow filters Most of the time, just using the default directshowsource() is fine, but you sometimes have to do a manual script, or graphedit/graphstudio. The problem with DGAVCIndex and AVCHD clips, is that it uses an older libavcodec version that has issues with decoding interlaced h264 content - you get blocky artifacts. m2ts, or DirectShowSource2 (DSS2), both which are frame accurate. A more consistent method is to use DGAVCIndex and index your. The problem with xvid4psp is that it default to using DirectShowSource() in avisynth for the autogenerated script, which is not frame accurate and sometimes prone to sync issues. If your testing with MPC playback is fine, your directshow subsystem should be OK not using Haali, or Sony software) is causing the problems. test with MPC, NOT mplayer, which uses internal splitters and codecs, and doesn't depend on directshow)? Were there any dropouts or discontinunities during recording? This is often the cause of sync issues the fix would be to cut out the offending sections.ĭid you do any cutting/editing? or was it a straight encode? m2ts files in sync in a directshow player (i.e. I hate it.Īs for the sync issues, are your original. I have the pro version and it is quite limited in functionality and support. When you use QT Player it defaults to "apple movie hander" as the splitter so that might be the problem. While QT is bad, AppleTV is much worse, as it only supports an ever lower subset of settings - you are constrainted to meet this low quality profile of you want compatibility. Writing library : libVorbis 1.1.1/1.1.Both AppleTV and QT are not very good, in that they only support lower quality h.264 profiles (only AVC Main, instead of AVC High and a limited range of settings). Writing library : libebml v1.2.3 + libmatroska v1.3.0įormat profile : High settings, CABAC : YesĬhannel positions : Front: L C R, Side: L R, LFE Writing application : mkvmerge v5.3.0 (‘I could have danced’) built on 10:38:07 Here’s some info attained with MediaInfo: Since I’ve been reading up on probable solutions for this problem I’ve already tried a rollback (form 3.11.10 to 3.05.10) and a demux with mkvmerge 6.2.0. The hub says the file format is not supported. I’m trying to play a x264 MKV file on my Live Hub but it won’t play. I was hoping to find a quite recent answer to my problem that’s by no means unique. I’ve read quite a few threads before posting here. ![]() On the island of Fiji, you'll find the Namale Resort and Spa, an all-inclusive destination encircled by 525 acres of tropical rain forests and a 360-degree view of the Koro Sea-pictures do not do it justice. Valid Travel Dates: January 31, 2023-April 30th, 2023 If you have some flexibility in your schedule, and can set sail within the next 30-45 days, you can book a last-minute cruise and save up to 40%.Martin Valigursky / Island Resort in FijiĬost: Starting at $4,069 per person for 7 nights Last-Minute Cruises – Very few Costco members are aware of the “last-minute cruise” section on the Costco Travel site.Believe me, these will save you a TON of money and make your trip more enjoyable. The “extras” include room upgrades, free breakfast, free transportation to and from the airport, resort credits, and rental car upgrade. You’ll want to book Costco vacation packages and cruises that list many of these (Be aware that not all do). Look for “Included Extras” – Don’t gloss over these.Book with Enterprise Rental Car – By doing so, Costco Travel will score you an additional 10% off your car rental rate.10% Off at Best Western & Hyatt – Book at these 2 partner hotel chains and get 10% off your room rate.This is especially true with Kirkland Signature cruises which will score you free credits, cruise excursions, and even free room upgrades. Look for Kirkland Signature Travel Deals – Just like the Kirkland brands offers great values inside the warehouse, their travel deals will give you the same benefit.Executive Costco Member? – If you are, look for travel deals marked as “Executive Special” and score things like room upgrades, shipboard credits, spa credits, and other cool perks.Here are some tips and tricks to maximize your travel savings with Costco. Time to take this article to the next level. BONUS: Insider Costco Travel Tips and Tricks Exclusive Costco coupons include free car upgrades along with free days when you reserve 5 days or more.Īlso, when booking a hotel, look for partner hotel deals at Best Western and Hyatt. Plus, Costco members also receive one additional driver fee waived. Why? Well, they automatically “shop all coupons, codes and discounts for the lowest prices”. Rental Cars – While Costco limits you to only Avis, Enterprise, Budget, and Alamo, the deals are often better than you’ll find anywhere else.I recently priced a family vacation to Maui for 5 and the trip was $469 less than anywhere else I could find it. Packages include airfare, hotel, and often rental car or free transportation to and from the airport. Vacation Packages – Here is where you can potentially save the most money when planning your family’s vacation.Theme Parks – Use Costco’s buying power to save money at places like Disneyland, Disney World, and Universal Orlando.The best part? The cruise deal includes a free $70 Costco Cash Card. One cruise deal that caught my eye was from Royal Caribbean and was for 7-nights to the southern Caribbean for only $559 per person. Costco passes along terrific deals from lines like Carnival, Disney, Holland America, Norwegian, Princess, and Royal Caribbean to name a few. Cruises – The next time you’re looking into booking a cruise, check out this page at Costco Travel.Here are the best deals that Costco members can currently snag. See Also: Google Flights: 8 Insider Tips and Tricks To Score Cheap Airfare Types of Travel Deals? So instead of negotiating the best deal on a 5 gallon tub of mayo, they’re using their buying power to buy cruises and vacation packages at a bulk rate.īecause of this, Costco members get to shop their travel site for deals that’re often 20-50% less than “normal” travel agents or travel sites. Think of Costco Travel as bulk buying for vacations. The destinations include top vacation spots like Hawaii, Caribbean, Europe, Florida, Vegas, and Mexico to name a few How Does Costco Get the Best Travel Deals? Instead, Costco Travel uses their enormous buying power to buy & build vacation packages, theme park tickets, and cruises to specific destinations and pass the savings along to their members. Meaning you cannot book a single flight or night in a specific hotel. Let’s be clear, it’s NOT like Expedia or Orbitz. It’s an online travel booking website, available exclusively for Costco members. Here’s what you need to know, along with some insider tips to use Costco travel to save really big on your next family vacation. They now have a little-known travel website appropriately called “Costco Travel” and it’s a very promising way to score major deals on cruises, theme park tickets, and vacation packages. Costco is much more than just $1.50 hot dog meals and great bulk buys. ![]() To be honest, I do prefer the keyhole covers you get with OnGuard locks, which seem to lessen disc misalignment. Not everyone needs an angle grinder resistant bike lock! And I urge you again: take my quick 3 question quiz to determine your risk level and help you decide whether you do need one, or not!Īnd for those that don’t, the Kryptonite Kryptolok New-U (which is an upgraded version of the famous Kryptolok Series 2), is a great, inexpensive alternative. See my comparison of the Litelok X1 vs Hiplok D1000 for more details.įor me, the practical size, clever frame mount, and competitive price (it's only slightly more expensive than the Abus Granit X Plus 540 and almost half the price of the Hiplok D1000!), means the Litelok X1 will be the sensible choice for most cyclists looking for an angle grinder resistant bike lock.įor more details, read my full Litelok X1 review (which includes a video of an angle grinder attack comparison with the Fahgettaboudit). The Litelok just feels like it has a better balance between security, usability and price. It’s also a lot heaver than the Litelok X1, it doesn’t come with a frame mount for easy transport, and it’s significantly smaller, which means it may not be suitable for many cyclists. And it’s undoubtedly the strongest bike lock on the market at the moment.īut it’s eye-wateringly expensive. So why isn’t the Hiplok D1000 my top pick this year? Well, it’s a great lock. And it’s not as secure as the Hiplok D1000, which took nearly 2.5 times as long to cut once in my tests. My Litelok X1 was initially tricky to lock (although this was quickly fixed with an easy DIY hack). So locks like the Litelok X1 and the Hiplok D1000, which can resist such attacks, are very much needed. Up until now, no bike lock could withstand more than a minute against an angle grinder. ![]() Why? Because the Litelok X1 is one of the only bike locks that offers any kind of protection against thieves wielding cordless angle grinders!Īngle grinder attacks have become depressingly common in recent years, and in some towns and cities it feels like they’re the most common method of stealing the bikes that aren’t secured with flimsy cable locks. The best all round bike lock in 2023 is the Litelok X1. With that in mind, I recommend 6 of the best bike locks below, based on their security level and my user tests.īut if none of them seem quite right for you, don’t worry! After these picks, I’ll show you the three simple steps (including a quick quiz to determine your risk level), that will guarantee you find the perfect bike lock for your needs. And I've been testing bike locks and writing about bicycle security since 2015, so I know what I'm talking about! Usability is something that’s often overlooked when it comes to testing and reviewing bike locks.īut I'd say that this balance between strength and practicality is essential. The secret to success is choosing a lock that’s both secure enough to protect your bike and easy enough to use on a daily basis. And the wrong decision can have disastrous consequences! Finding the best lock for your bicycle can be tricky. ![]() The gel was run at 200V for 50 minutes before being transferred onto a Nitrocellulose membrane at 30V for 70 minutes. This blot was produced using a 4-12% Bis-tris gel under the MOPS buffer system. Lane 4 : PC12 (Rat adrenal gland pheochromocytoma cell line) Whole Cell LysateĪll lanes : Goat Anti-Mouse IgG H&L (Alexa Fluor® 790) ( ab175783) at 1/10000 dilution Lane 3 : NIH 3T3 (Mouse embryo fibroblast cell line) Whole Cell Lysate Lane 2 : HEK293 (Human embryonic kidney cell line) Whole Cell Lysate Lane 1 : A431 (Human epidermoid carcinoma cell line) Whole Cell Lysate Recommended alternatives for this product can be found below, along with publications, customer reviews and Q&AsĪll lanes : Anti-beta Actin antibody - Loading Control (ab8226) at 1/1000 dilution If you have any questions, special requirements or concerns, please send us an inquiry and/or contact our Support team ahead of purchase. Please check that this product meets your needs before purchasing. Abcam is leading the way in addressing this with our range of recombinant monoclonal antibodies and knockout edited cell lines for gold-standard validation. The Life Science industry has been in the grips of a reproducibility crisis for a number of years. If you require this antibody in a particular buffer formulation or a particular conjugate for your experiments, please contact you can find further information here. This antibody clone is manufactured by Abcam. Contact our Scientific Support team for more information or advice. If milk block is required, we recommend using ab8224 mouse monoclonal to beta actin. Please see the comparison data in the images section. We recommend blocking with 2-5% BSA as we have found that use of 5% milk significantly reduces the band intensity for beta actin. ![]() Those issues are mostly rectified, though you’ll still see scattered claims on Steam of poor performance-and the game can indeed be a bear if you try to run it maxed out. On release, Dishonored 2 was knocked for being poorly optimized, with the game suffering from all manner of stuttering and bugs. One is rather ignominious: It may quite literally punish your PC. There are two reasons Dishonored 2 ($40 on Humble) could make this list. The story isn’t necessarily any better but New Dawn does play around with some new mechanics that bode well for future Far Crys. It’s the weird fever-dream followup to Far Cry 5, reimagining the original swathe of rural Montana as a post-apocalyptic nightmare full of sawblade guns, Mad Max types, and lots and lots of flowers. But damn, it is very impressive to just walk around in this one with all the bells and whistles.įor a more daring break from tradition, there’s also Far Cry: New Dawn ($40 on Steam). Sure, there’s not much reason to visit this world, and like many Ubisoft games Far Cry 5 ($60 on Humble) ends up feeling more like an art showcase than anything else. Even the scattered homes and ranger stations are exceedingly detailed, with a lived-in quality that’s rare in open-world games. Craggy mountain peaks, sprawling wheat fields and abandoned farm equipment, winding rivers hidden by morning fog-wherever you travel there’s some new vista to admire. Far Cry 5 and Far Cry New Dawnįar Cry 5’s recreation of Montana is stunning, in no small part because of its variety. It even has real-time ray traced reflection capabilities for those who bought one of Nvidia’s fancy GeForce RTX graphics cards, albeit not with the same visual oomph as newcomer Control. Buildings crumble, tanks burn, and snow scatters in little poofs when stray bullets hit the ground. Frostbite has proven to be a disastrous engine for some of EA’s other projects, but it’s sure great at turning out phenomenal-looking shooters. Best of all, they finally added the M1 Garand. October saw the addition of the Pacific theater, introducing the Americans and Japanese into the conflict alongside a reimagined Iwo Jima map (with Wake Island to follow in December). ![]() Luckily, DICE continues to build on Battlefield V. And it’s going to be Battlefield V for a while, as EA’s confirmed there won’t be a follow-up until 2021. As we close out 2019 that game is Battlefield V ($60 on Origin), DICE’s first foray into World War II in almost a decade. All positive developments, and good omens for the future.Ī prediction: As long as this list exists, there’ll be a DICE game on it. Destiny 2 moved to Steam, forked off a generous free-to-play version, reworked the Eververse marketplace to reduce the presence of loot boxes and change how cosmetics manifest, and more. The Bungie-Activision divorce has led to big changes, though. I know, I know, Destiny fans have been through this wringer before-and to be fair 2019’s Shadowkeep expansion didn’t reach the same heights as its predecessor, 2018’s Forsaken. Heading into its third year, Destiny 2’s as good as it’s ever been. It’s jaw-dropping to behold for the first time. It doesn’t approach the realism of Battlefield, but I struggle to name another shooter as consistently beautiful as Destiny 2, or with any environment as dynamic as the Forsaken expansion’s Dreaming City. But maybe that makes it more impressive that Destiny 2’s one of the best-looking shooters on PC. Is Destiny 2 (free on Steam) a performance hog? Not to the same degree as some other games on this list, that’s for sure. It’s stunning, and makes Control’s world feel just that little bit more lifelike. Hell, you can even see reflections (albeit blurrier) on the polished concrete floors. The difference is immediate and obvious, in a way that none of the other RTX implementations have been so far. It’s the showstopper, the game that makes people go “Oh, I understand why ray-tracing is important.” The Oldest House is full of glass-office partitions, poster frames, televisions-and real-time reflections turn each and every one into a mirror. Months later I’m still thinking about my journey through the Federal Bureau of Control and its headquarters, the Oldest House.īut more pertinent to this list, Control is also the reason to own a GeForce RTX graphics card with its real-time ray tracing capabilities. ![]() Drawing inspiration from New Weird literature like The Southern Reach Trilogy, from the SCP Foundation, from David Lynch, Control is Remedy’s best game since Max Payne 2, or at least its best-realized. There are plenty of reasons to play Control ($60 on Epic Games Store). He can make monsters invisible or have them be seen as something else. This ability means he is able to use the Mist to alter mortals memories and perceptions, also he can use it to summon a 'Mistform' and his Imperial Gold sword. ![]() Mist Control: As a son of Hecate, he can control the Mist. He is capable of performing powerful spells and using this ability he inscribes runes of power on his clothes, using them for protection. Mystiokinesis: As a son of Hecate, he can cast and perform powerful magic and spells. Stamina: Claymore noted that Alabaster looked exhausted and was amazed that he could cast spells, use his sword and even move when he fought Lamia. Latin: He shown to speak and understand a little Latin when casting his spells. Swordsmanship: He is skilled in sword fighting, having survived the second Titanomachy. Not wanting this to happen to one of her children, Hecate separated the two, and trusted that Lamia would have the sense not to pursue Alabaster until she had found a way to counteract the spell.ĪDHD: Like most demigods, he possesses inborn supernatural battle reflexes and he senses that he uses to analyze the fighting style of his opponent.ĭyslexia: His brain is 'hardwired' to Ancient Greek. ![]() The spell he found would have bound her to the earth as black sand as opposed to sending her essence to Tartarus, meaning that she would never reform for eternity. Hecate explained to Claymore that Lamia is unlikely to pursue Alabaster for the moment, because of the power of the spell he has in his possession. Before he could do so, Hecate intervened, teleporting Alabaster away before he could use the spell, and returning the soul of Claymore in a Mistform body to be his companion. She then burned the book that contained the spell, but before it could be entirely destroyed, Claymore sacrificed himself so that there would be nothing stopping Alabaster using the spell. Unfortunately, Lamia reformed quicker than they imagined, and held Claymore hostage. Inadvertently, Claymore gave Alabaster an idea during the fight as to how to defeat Lamia permanently, and led him back into the house to find the appropriate spell. When Claymore accidentally led Lamia to his house, Alabaster prepared to fight her and protect him. Talented at magic and being reasonably powerful, Alabaster crafted numerous enchantments for himself, including multiple defensive barriers around his place of residence, and crafting for himself Mistforms of a father and an Imperial Gold sword. Howard Claymore, a renowned doctor known for his work on researching the afterlife. He sought the help of his mother, Hecate, who refused to get involved with her children as she didn't want either of them to die, and then sought out the help of Dr. Despite how many times he killed her, Alabaster found that he could not destroy Lamia as she kept being resurrected by Gaea. Since then, he had been on the run from a monster named Lamia, who, he later learns, is another child of Hecate, and the monster who originally crafted the spell that allows monsters to detect half-bloods, as revenge against Hera for murdering her children. Hecate accepted the offer, not wanting more of her children to die, and Alabaster was exiled so he could not corrupt the other children of Hecate. ![]() Hecate was offered a deal to rejoin the Olympian side as part of the promise to Percy Jackson to offer the forces of Kronos a general amnesty, and intimated that if she did not, they would destroy Alabaster. When Kronos lost, Alabaster urged his mother to keep fighting, which earned him the angry of the victorious Olympians. Nothing is known of Alabaster's childhood, but he revealed that he was the leader of the demigods in Kronos' army in the second Titanomachy, the war between the gods and the Titans. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |