Destiny 3 may never exist—to that end, the series will wipe older campaign content - Ars Technica | Canada News Media
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Destiny 3 may never exist—to that end, the series will wipe older campaign content – Ars Technica

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Enlarge / Expansions will continue apace for Destiny 2, since the studio has no plans to make a Destiny 3 at this time.

After revealing the next regularly scheduled Destiny 2 expansion pack, launching on September 22, the game’s creators at Bungie used the Tuesday opportunity to describe a three-year plan for the series. On the eve of a new console generation, fans might have expected teases for a brand-new, next-gen sequel. Bungie put such questions to rest conclusively: “We don’t believe a sequel is the right direction for the game.”

Instead, Destiny 2 will persist for the foreseeable future as a cross-console product, upgraded to run at higher resolutions (up to 4K) and higher frame rates (60 fps) on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X and designed to transfer all purchases and progress from older systems to newer ones. As of press time, Bungie has only confirmed that purchases on PlayStation 4 will transfer to PS5, while purchases made for the Xbox family of consoles will support “smart delivery” to automatically transfer to XSX. And if you jump to a newer console and still have friends on the older one, you can continue matchmaking together (as in, XB1 and XSX, or PS4 and PS5; Destiny 2 still does not support cross-platform play, but Bungie has finally hinted that this may change as soon as 2021.)

However, Bungie has not yet clarified whether cross-save progress, entitlements, and purchases will all cleanly move to next-gen consoles. Want to take your purchases and content from PS4 to Xbox Series X? Or did you pay for content on PC or Stadia and want to continue with the Beyond Light expansion content on PlayStation 5? Cross-save has worked this way in the past, but Bungie has yet to clarify whether a new generation of consoles will work this way.

Into the vault

Bungie was more forthcoming about a staggering plan to revamp the game as we know it, which it’s calling the Destiny Content Vault (DCV). From here on out, every major Destiny 2 content update will cycle old content (including Destiny 1 locations and raids) back into Destiny 2… and it will delete existing content, including campaign missions.

<a href="https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/destiny-new-map.jpg" class="enlarge" data-height="1080" data-width="1920" alt="Driving today's point home, Bungie released this preview of the future Destiny 2 map, complete with older destinations being deleted entirely.”><img alt="Driving today's point home, Bungie released this preview of the future Destiny 2 map, complete with older destinations being deleted entirely.” src=”https://cdn.arstechnica.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/destiny-new-map-980×551.jpg” width=”980″ height=”551″>
Enlarge / Driving today’s point home, Bungie released this preview of the future Destiny 2 map, complete with older destinations being deleted entirely.

The first DCV turnover will wipe a whopping four destinations, and their campaign content, from the Destiny 2 client, both in solo and co-op modes: Io, Titan, Mercury, and Mars. This move will effectively destroy the existing campaign progression track for the base game and its Curse of Osiris and Warmind expansions—coincidentally, this is the very content used to tease new players to try the game in last year’s free-to-play transition. (Bungie has hinted to any removed content returning in future updates, as well.) Since the game works as a live product, their original forms will not exist in any “offline” mode for new players to access and catch up with the series’ plot. Destiny 2‘s September wipe will also remove the Leviathan raid.

Bungie’s consolation to fans of older content is a return of Destiny 1‘s Cosmodrome starting this September, though it will launch at that time in a limited fashion; its strikes and other content or zones won’t show up in Destiny 2 until later in the game’s 13th “season.” In September, Cosmodrome will include a campaign path “to expand the new Guardian origin story to the world of Destiny.”

Bungie’s explanation for this shift is player metrics. As one example, only 0.3 percent of all recent connected players accessed Warmind’s campaign content, even though that content accounts for 5 percent of the game’s installable size, Bungie’s announcement claims. The announcement goes on to say that Destiny 2‘s sprawling game client, currently above 100GB, takes too long for Bungie to reliably patch, test, and update. As the game grows, the number of moving pieces involved to push an update takes days, not hours, the studio says. (Bungie has made such points in the past, and those statments made us wonder whether something else was to blame.)

The content that Bungie wants to send to the DCV “isn’t relevant anymore—and can’t remain relevant—as we evolve the world and introduce new experiences that will take center stage instead.” The studio continues down this rhetorical track by saying, “Maintaining that much content in perpetuity slows down our ability to update the game with fresh experiences, reduces our ability to innovate, and delays our reaction to community feedback.” Which makes us wonder: why not, uh, just shelve so much older content so fans can continue to access it, then make a start-from-scratch sequel?

Bungie seems to regret doing just that with its jump from D1 to D2, though:

We left behind all of Destiny 1‘s content and many of the features players grew to love. We believe now that it was a mistake to create a situation that fractured the community, reset player progress, and set the player experience back in ways that took us a full year to recover from and repair. It’s a mistake we don’t want to repeat by making a Destiny 3.

Bungie’s update doesn’t mention how D2 skirted around the idea of player progression from D1 by having its plot nuke the original game in its entirety. Why worry about progress if all your favorite guns no longer exist? We’d like to think Bungie could implement a wiser move-to-a-sequel path this many years later, but the studio is clearly not bullish to try that route. When the developer overtook control of the series from Activision in early 2019, reporters like Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier claimed that Bungie wanted to avoid fracturing its playerbase with continued sequel releases.

The developer’s metrics may very well bear out, in terms of keeping D2‘s most interested players seeded with brand-new and higher-level content instead of dealing with the bloat of barely used campaign content of old (and it may mean last year’s F2P transition didn’t entice new players to try the older campaign content, after all). We wonder how long it will take for this MMO-ization of D2‘s world content, complete with older destinations being destroyed (perhaps for the sake of the plot) and ultimately driving fans to demand a vanilla client launch. Such a development would make an alliance with Blizzard-Activision more lucrative, but alas.

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The Internet is Littered in ‘Educated Guesses’ Without the ‘Education’

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Although no one likes a know-it-all, they dominate the Internet.

The Internet began as a vast repository of information. It quickly became a breeding ground for self-proclaimed experts seeking what most people desire: recognition and money.

Today, anyone with an Internet connection and some typing skills can position themselves, regardless of their education or experience, as a subject matter expert (SME). From relationship advice, career coaching, and health and nutrition tips to citizen journalists practicing pseudo-journalism, the Internet is awash with individuals—Internet talking heads—sharing their “insights,” which are, in large part, essentially educated guesses without the education or experience.

The Internet has become a 24/7/365 sitcom where armchair experts think they’re the star.

Not long ago, years, sometimes decades, of dedicated work and acquiring education in one’s field was once required to be recognized as an expert. The knowledge and opinions of doctors, scientists, historians, et al. were respected due to their education and experience. Today, a social media account and a knack for hyperbole are all it takes to present oneself as an “expert” to achieve Internet fame that can be monetized.

On the Internet, nearly every piece of content is self-serving in some way.

The line between actual expertise and self-professed knowledge has become blurry as an out-of-focus selfie. Inadvertently, social media platforms have created an informal degree program where likes and shares are equivalent to degrees. After reading selective articles, they’ve found via and watching some TikTok videos, a person can post a video claiming they’re an herbal medicine expert. Their new “knowledge,” which their followers will absorb, claims that Panda dung tea—one of the most expensive teas in the world and isn’t what its name implies—cures everything from hypertension to existential crisis. Meanwhile, registered dietitians are shaking their heads, wondering how to compete against all the misinformation their clients are exposed to.

More disturbing are individuals obsessed with evangelizing their beliefs or conspiracy theories. These people write in-depth blog posts, such as Elvis Is Alive and the Moon Landings Were Staged, with links to obscure YouTube videos, websites, social media accounts, and blogs. Regardless of your beliefs, someone or a group on the Internet shares them, thus confirming your beliefs.

Misinformation is the Internet’s currency used to get likes, shares, and engagement; thus, it often spreads like a cosmic joke. Consider the prevalence of clickbait headlines:

  • You Won’t Believe What Taylor Swift Says About Climate Change!
  • This Bedtime Drink Melts Belly Fat While You Sleep!
  • In One Week, I Turned $10 Into $1 Million!

Titles that make outrageous claims are how the content creator gets reads and views, which generates revenue via affiliate marketing, product placement, and pay-per-click (PPC) ads. Clickbait headlines are how you end up watching a TikTok video by a purported nutrition expert adamantly asserting you can lose belly fat while you sleep by drinking, for 14 consecutive days, a concoction of raw eggs, cinnamon, and apple cider vinegar 15 minutes before going to bed.

Our constant search for answers that’ll explain our convoluted world and our desire for shortcuts to success is how Internet talking heads achieve influencer status. Because we tend to seek low-hanging fruits, we listen to those with little experience or knowledge of the topics they discuss yet are astute enough to know what most people want to hear.

There’s a trend, more disturbing than spreading misinformation, that needs to be called out: individuals who’ve never achieved significant wealth or traded stocks giving how-to-make-easy-money advice, the appeal of which is undeniable. Several people I know have lost substantial money by following the “advice” of Internet talking heads.

Anyone on social media claiming to have a foolproof money-making strategy is lying. They wouldn’t be peddling their money-making strategy if they could make easy money.

Successful people tend to be secretive.

Social media companies design their respective algorithms to serve their advertisers—their source of revenue—interest; hence, content from Internet talking heads appears most prominent in your feeds. When a video of a self-professed expert goes viral, likely because it pressed an emotional button, the more people see it, the more engagement it receives, such as likes, shares and comments, creating a cycle akin to a tornado.

Imagine scrolling through your TikTok feed and stumbling upon a “scientist” who claims they can predict the weather using only aluminum foil, copper wire, sea salt and baking soda. You chuckle, but you notice his video got over 7,000 likes, has been shared over 600 times and received over 400 comments. You think to yourself, “Maybe this guy is onto something.” What started as a quest to achieve Internet fame evolved into an Internet-wide belief that weather forecasting can be as easy as DIY crafts.

Since anyone can call themselves “an expert,” you must cultivate critical thinking skills to distinguish genuine expertise from self-professed experts’ self-promoting nonsense. While the absurdity of the Internet can be entertaining, misinformation has serious consequences. The next time you read a headline that sounds too good to be true, it’s probably an Internet talking head making an educated guess; without the education seeking Internet fame, they can monetize.

______________________________________________________________

 

Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s

on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.

 

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Tight deadlines on software projects can put safety at risk: survey

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TORONTO – A new survey says a majority of software engineers and developers feel tight project deadlines can put safety at risk.

Seventy-five per cent of the 1,000 global workers who responded to the survey released Tuesday say pressure to deliver projects on time and on budget could be compromising critical aspects like safety.

The concern is even higher among engineers and developers in North America, with 77 per cent of those surveyed on the continent reporting the urgency of projects could be straining safety.

The study was conducted between July and September by research agency Coleman Parkes and commissioned by BlackBerry Ltd.’s QNX division, which builds connected-car technology.

The results reflect a timeless tug of war engineers and developers grapple with as they balance the need to meet project deadlines with regulations and safety checks that can slow down the process.

Finding that balance is an issue that developers of even the simplest appliances face because of advancements in technology, said John Wall, a senior vice-president at BlackBerry and head of QNX.

“The software is getting more complicated and there is more software whether it’s in a vehicle, robotics, a toaster, you name it… so being able to patch vulnerabilities, to prevent bad actors from doing malicious acts is becoming more and more important,” he said.

The medical, industrial and automotive industries have standardized safety measures and anything they produce undergoes rigorous testing, but that work doesn’t happen overnight. It has to be carried out from the start and then at every step of the development process.

“What makes safety and security difficult is it’s an ongoing thing,” Wall said. “It’s not something where you’ve done it, and you are finished.”

The Waterloo, Ont.-based business found 90 per cent of its survey respondents reported that organizations are prioritizing safety.

However, when asked about why safety may not be a priority for their organization, 46 per cent of those surveyed answered cost pressures and 35 per cent said a lack of resources.

That doesn’t surprise Wall. Delays have become rampant in the development of tech, and in some cases, stand to push back the launch of vehicle lines by two years, he said.

“We have to make sure that people don’t compromise on safety and security to be able to get products out quicker,” he said.

“What we don’t want to see is people cutting corners and creating unsafe situations.”

The survey also took a peek at security breaches, which have hit major companies like London Drugs, Indigo Books & Music, Giant Tiger and Ticketmaster in recent years.

About 40 per cent of the survey’s respondents said they have encountered a security breach in their employer’s operating system. Those breaches resulted in major impacts for 27 per cent of respondents, moderate impacts for 42 per cent and minor impacts for 27 per cent.

“There are vulnerabilities all the time and this is what makes the job very difficult because when you ship the software, presumably the software has no security vulnerabilities, but things get discovered after the fact,” Wall said.

Security issues, he added, have really come to the forefront of the problems developers face, so “really without security, you have no safety.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

Companies in this story: (TSX:BB)

The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.

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Beware of scams during Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days sales event: cybersecurity firm

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As online shoppers hunt for bargains offered by Amazon during its annual fall sale this week, cybersecurity researchers are warning Canadians to beware of an influx of scammers posing as the tech giant.

In the 30 days leading up to Amazon’s Prime Big Deal Days, taking place Tuesday and Wednesday, there were more than 1,000 newly registered Amazon-related web domains, according to Check Point Software Technologies, a company that offers cybersecurity solutions.

The company said it deemed 88 per cent of those domains malicious or suspicious, suggesting they could have been set up by scammers to prey on vulnerable consumers. One in every 54 newly created Amazon-related domain included the phrase “Amazon Prime.”

“They’re almost indiscernible from the real Amazon domain,” said Robert Falzon, head of engineering at Check Point in Canada.

“With all these domains registered that look so similar, it’s tricking a lot of people. And that’s the whole intent here.”

Falzon said Check Point Research sees an uptick in attempted scams around big online shopping days throughout the year, including Prime Days.

Scams often come in the form of phishing emails, which are deceptive messages that appear to be from a reputable source in attempt to steal sensitive information.

In this case, he said scammers posing as Amazon commonly offer “outrageous” deals that appear to be associated with Prime Days, in order to trick recipients into clicking on a malicious link.

The cybersecurity firm said it has identified and blocked 100 unique Amazon Prime-themed scam emails targeting organizations and consumers over the past two weeks.

Scammers also target Prime members with unsolicited calls, claiming urgent account issues and requesting payment information.

“It’s like Christmas for them,” said Falzon.

“People expect there to be significant savings on Prime Day, so they’re not shocked that they see something of significant value. Usually, the old adage applies: If it seems too good to be true, it probably is.”

Amazon’s website lists a number of red flags that it recommends customers watch for to identify a potential impersonation scam.

Those include false urgency, requests for personal information, or indications that the sender prefers to complete the purchase outside of the Amazon website or mobile app.

Scammers may also request that customers exclusively pay with gift cards, a claim code or PIN. Any notifications about an order or delivery for an unexpected item should also raise alarm bells, the company says.

“During busy shopping moments, we tend to see a rise in impersonation scams reported by customers,” said Amazon spokeswoman Octavia Roufogalis in a statement.

“We will continue to invest in protecting consumers and educating the public on scam avoidance. We encourage consumers to report suspected scams to us so that we can protect their accounts and refer bad actors to law enforcement to help keep consumers safe.”

Falzon added that these scams are more successful than people might think.

As of June 30, the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre said there had been $284 million lost to fraud so far this year, affecting 15,941 victims.

But Falzon said many incidents go unreported, as some Canadians who are targeted do not know how or where to flag a scam, or may choose not to out of embarrassment.

Check Point recommends Amazon customers take precautions while shopping on Prime Days, including by checking URLs carefully, creating strong passwords on their accounts, and avoiding personal information being shared such as their birthday or social security number.

The cybersecurity company said consumers should also look for “https” at the beginning of a website URL, which indicates a secure connection, and use credit cards rather than debit cards for online shopping, which offer better protection and less liability if stolen.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 8, 2024.

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