Team17 and Infinigon Games have announced that the quirky narrative-driven cooking adventure Epic Chef will be making its way onto Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and Nintendo Switch alongside the PC launch later this year. Fresh off the boat, new to the city of Ambrosia, and playing as Zest, players will find themselves in a quest to become the best chef in the kingdom, taking down master chefs in outlan-dish culinary combat along the way.
Before digging into the main course here’s an appetising new video
A histrionic story-driven adventure, Epic Chef blends together several different genres in order to serve up a unique recipe for players; with farming, foraging, and food fights being a small slice of the action, Ambrosia offers plenty of activities to keep Zest busy from sunrise to sunset. Dynamic recipe creation means nothing is off the menu; players can craft and experiment with thousands of ingredient combinations, creating the very best – and worst – dishes imaginable, all in an attempt to take down the competition.
Key features
Story Time: A wonderfully crafted narrative unfolds as players journey to become the very best chef in Ambrosia
Delicious Dishes: Dynamic recipe creation means that you can experiment with thousands of different ingredient combinations to create a unique menu of delicious delights
Food Fights: Engage in battles across Ambrosia with master chefs; dishes are scored on a variety of things and no two judges have the same taste, meaning every battle is different
Home Sweet Home: Customise and repair your dilapidated (and slightly haunted) villa to its former glory
Discover Ambrosia: When the kitchen gets a little too hot players can go on spa trips, try fishing, or meet the friendly locals.
Epic Chef will be available digitally on PC and consoles, and available physically on Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.
Something a little different and for those who have greenfingers and like gardening, Curve Digital and Skyhook Games have announced Lawn Mowing Simulator, a stunning mowing simulator and detailed business management game set in the British countryside, coming to Xbox Series S|X and PC summer 2021.
Lawn Mowing Simulator explores the Great British countryside and invites players to ride an authentic and expansive roster of licensed lawn mowers from prestigious manufacturers; Toro, SCAG and STIGA as they manage their mowing business.
Before Lawn Mowing Simulator releases later this year, Skyhook Games and Curve Digital are giving players access to the game for a limited time period via the Xbox Insider program. Pre-registration starts now, with the flight taking place from April 2nd until April 16th.
“We’re incredibly excited to show the world our first in-house developed game,” said David Harper, co-founder of Skyhook Games. “We can’t wait for players to experience the satisfaction of manicuring a lawn to perfection within Lawn Mower Simulator’s idyllic setting.”
“It feels great to be able to reveal Lawn Mowing Simulator alongside Skyhook Games. The team have done an amazing job recreating the experience of lawn mowing across the gorgeous British countryside“ added Simon Byron, Publishing Director at Curve Digital. “We’re excited for players to get hands-on with Lawn Mowing Simulator as early as next week through the Xbox Insider Program and to hear everyone’s thoughts.”
Lawn Mowing Simulator will feature:
PHYSICALLY AUTHENTIC LAWN MOWING EXPERIENCE
Execute ground checks, set your blade height, and measure your engine load as you complete a variety of contracts across Career Mode, Free Mode or Challenge Mode. Take your mowing to further heights with several attachments from stripe rollers, mulching kits, grass collectors, recyclers, flail decks and more.
BEAUTIFUL RURAL BRITISH COUNTRYSIDE
Lawn Mowing Simulator is set in a beautiful British countryside town. Busy residential streets, vast castle grounds, quaint cottage greens, and large equestrian fields are just some of the locations that await your mowing blades.
REAL WORLD LICENSED MOWER MANUFACTURERS
Toro, SCAG and STIGA front line Lawn Mowing Simulator with their real-world machines painstakingly re-created visually and physically. 12 Mowers are available in the base game, each with their own challenges, attachments and upgrades to pursue.
ACCURATE AND ATTENTIVE BUSINESS MANAGEMENT
Build your own lawncare business from the ground up. Purchase and upgrade your headquarters, hire employees, purchase advertising and balance the books as you grow and expand your business.
ARTICLE 19, an international organisation that works to defend and promote freedom of expression and access to information throughout the world, concluded its #KeepItReal campaign with a virtual event exploring the impact of online disinformation on freedom of expression in Ireland.
The campaign started a conversation with young people in Ireland to ensure their voices are heard in debates around “fake news” and how decisions are made about what is allowed on social media.
Joined by young people from all over the country, expert speakers David Kaye, former UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Freedom of Opinion and Expression, Aoife Grace Moore, Political Correspondent at the Irish Examiner, Siobhan Cummiskey, Director of Public Policy, Campaigns and Programmes EMEA at Facebook, and Pierre François Docquir, Head of Media Freedom at ARTICLE 19 explored topics such as the role of government and social and traditional media’s responsibility to counter harmful disinformation while protecting free speech online.
ARTICLE 19 also spoke on the organisation’s proposal to establish a Social Media Council (SMC) in Ireland.
Inspired by the experience of press councils, this proposed self-regulatory mechanism would be the first initiative of its kind and would fit within the legal framework of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill, currently under consideration. It will be a forum where measures to deal with disinformation and other problematic content can be discussed, fine-tuned, assessed or reviewed.
As the SMC is envisioned to enable broad participation from social media companies, media and civil society among others, it would also be used as a forum to elaborate a common understanding, not only about the types of content that should be moderated but also about the appropriate and realistic technical approaches to moderation. It would provide an appeals mechanism where users would have access to an independent, external body that can make decisions on disputes related to content moderation. The decisions would be based on international human rights law in order to preserve the right to freedom of expression and other fundamental rights.
Speaking on the need to protect freedom of expression, keynote speaker, former UN Special Rapporteur of Expression and ARTICLE 19 board Member David Kaye said: “Disinformation, when amplified at the scale possible on social media, threatens the public’s ability to sort fact from fiction. And yet government action to counter it, particularly but not only in authoritarian environments, threatens freedom of expression itself. We need to develop mechanisms to address this vast problem without undermining fundamental rights, and social media councils provide one innovative way to do so.”
“At the root of the Social Media Council is the idea that we don’t necessarily want government to be telling companies or individuals what is or is not appropriate speech. However, we do want transparency, because social media platforms are incredibly opaque, so we know very little about how they make content moderation decisions about what’s appropriate on their platforms. We want tools that allow for a public grievance… but also most importantly, providing a kind of civil society, human rights orientation to decision making around online content. This is the thrust behind Social Media Councils and the thrust behind public ownership behind these kinds of decisions and these kinds of questions around platforms. These are hard questions. They are in some respects some of the biggest, most important for our democracies in a digital age.”
Pierre François Docquir, Head of Media Freedom at ARTICLE 19, said :“To make informed decisions on any particular case of content moderation, a robust understanding of the local context is absolutely necessary : the language – the languages, even – the culture, the politics, the history… Social Media Councils at the national level provide a space where local voices can be heard in relation to content moderation decisions that impact them. SMCs also provide a space where all local stakeholders can collectively design balanced and flexible approaches to content moderation issues, such as disinformation.”
“Ireland has been the ideal place for this campaign, and we believe a Social Media Council would work very well here. Not only does Ireland host the headquarters of social media companies in Europe and have a successful history of self-regulation with the likes of the ASAI and the Press Council, but it is also in the middle of a vibrant and ground-breaking debate on platform regulation and online safety with the current consideration of the Online Safety and Media Regulation Bill and the formation of the Media and Online Safety Commission. We believe the SMC could work well within the future regulatory framework in Ireland.”
“I was extremely pleased to see the interest of young people throughout the country during the span of this campaign. They have seen the recent, real world effects of disinformation first-hand with the false narratives around the pandemic and the vaccine continuing to threaten public health, so this really is an interesting and fascinating time. At ARTICLE 19, we’re very grateful for their involvement in the campaign, and we believe they deserve the opportunity to have a voice in the debates about content moderation. “
The Oppo Find X3 Neo has just landed and is one of the new devices in their newest line up which is looking pretty sweet and again value for money is to be had here. You can read about all the devices HERE and stay tuned for a full hands on review in the coming weeks with images and video samples and more on the new device, today we unbox the device and have a quick walkthrough of the features on board so you have some idea what you get for your money.
This device is very customisable too which I like a lot and has an excellent build quality, stay tuned for more and if you have any questions feel free to ask in the comments or on our social media accounts and of course our You Tube channel all the links are on the top right hand side of the site..
Punishing action role-playing game, Thymesia, from OverBorder Studio, is to be published under Team17’s independent games label. Today’s partnership announcement will see the studio’s debut title arrive on PC later this year. Set against a world ravaged by a plague, Thymesia will challenge players with fast-paced melee combat while they unravel the mysteries that haunt the harrowingly beautiful world.
Thymesia steps out of the darkness with this announcement trailer:
At the heart of the story is Corvus, a mysterious character capable of seizing enemy diseases and using them as weapons against his adversaries; players will engage in visceral combat, combining ferocious offensive abilities, perfectly timed parries, and dynamic dodges to take down unforgiving enemies. Players will also have the ability to customise Corvus to their own play style, upgrading and improving various stats to aid in their journey to recover Corvus’ memories.
Thymesia Key Features:
Weaponising diseases: As Corvus, players can seize diseases from enemies and wield them as deadly weapons
Engaging combat: Players will need to use their entire arsenal to avoid death; dodging attacks and parrying at precisely the right time will be instrumental to survival
A dark and deadly world: With a sinister and gloomy backdrop, Thymesia oozes character through its environments and setting
Unforgiving enemies: Corrupted by the plague, and mutated into monsters, the enemies are twisted and incredibly hostile, challenging players at every turn
Replayability: The ability to customise Corvus and try different builds, coupled with the multiple different endings available, means no two playthroughs are ever the same.
Moon Lee, Game Director, OverBorder Studio, said:
“The amount of enthusiasm from the community has been incredible and we’re happy to be working with Team17 on Thymesia. Their support has been instrumental in the game’s development, and we can’t wait to share the challenging world we’ve created with players later this year.”
Craig McCarthy, Producer, Team17, said:
“Thymesia is a unique title for Team17, and we’re dead excited to be working with OverBorder Studio on this dark and gloomy title. We’re confident that players are going to enjoy exploring the world and testing their combat skills as Corvus, challenging themselves against the monstrous foes that await.”
Netmore has initiated an extensive venture when the IoT operator starts building a nationwide IoT network based on LoRaWAN technology in Ireland. The investment is part of an international rollout plan for Netmore’s IoT Network business area. The strategic decision to expand the existing network with nationwide coverage in Ireland, is based on local demand for large-scale IoT connectivity.
The network expansion in Ireland means that Netmore is taking the next step in the international expansion of the IoT network. The network is growing in parallel with more and more devices being connected, and is purpose-built to provide for millions of IoT devices worldwide with a robust and reliable connectivity.
Netmore, through subsidiaries, cooperation agreements, customer agreements and contacts, has been active in Ireland since 2010, which is why the increased focus on the Irish market is a natural step.
International IoT recipe for success is introduced in Ireland
In connection with the LoRaWAN establishment in Dublin and the official launch, Netmore introduces three growth concepts with which it has had success in the Swedish market. The concepts have been developed to create the best possible conditions for IoT growth for the company’s existing and prospective IoT partners.
LoRaWAN – Coverage on demand
For IoT service providers, Netmore offers to adapt the network expansion to their application and sensor rollout plan. Netmore builds LoRaWAN to ensure that the distributed devices receive the coverage needed for their IoT solution. This is necessary to create the intended benefit for the end IoT user.
LoRaWAN – Try for free (platform included)
IoT service- and solution providers as well as other IoT players will have the opportunity to test Netmore’s entire LoRaWAN offering free of charge. Five devices can be connected for three months, and Netmore’s complete IoT platform is included. The platform provides the ability to control and monitor the devices, while a full-scale and cyber-secure bidirectional API makes it possible to integrate the IoT solution as is desired.
Integrated IoT connectivity
Netmore’s partners (for example IoT service providers and sensor manufacturers) have the opportunity to create and package commercially viable IoT solutions, where the network connection is fully integrated into the cost of the solution. When the cost of connectivity is integrated at an early stage in IoT projects, the probability increases for a smooth process when the project goes from pilot phase to commercial delivery.
AIRPULSE has released the quintessential modern bookshelf speaker – the A80 – in a stunning electric blue. In addition to the original Walnut Finish, the recently released A80 matches in equal parts its technical superiority and stunning design. Created to be the perfect combination of conventional loudspeaker and digital XMOS system, the A80 offers a superb sound quality from a stylish unit.
The A80 is AIRPULSE’S entry level plug and play speaker that utilizes the brand’s signature horn-loaded aluminium ribbon tweeter and proprietary 4.5-inch magnet ferrite mid woofer to drive the system. The thin aluminium ribbon diaphragm has high sensitivity, superb transient response, extended frequency range and well-defined resolution. This meticulously formulated horn shape produces directional and optimized high frequencies from the ribbon tweeter, so they are aimed at the listeners, minimizing unwanted inflections and producing a superior, three-dimensional sound with excellently defined details.
The mid woofer is a 4.5’ hard anodized aluminium alloy cone suspended in a heavy, ultra-rigid cast magnesium alloy frame. Featuring a 30mm diameter voice coil, it is unusually larger than most loudspeakers of this size. It has been shown that larger voice coils have less power compression because they run at a cooler operating temperature. In terms of this sound produced, this means a more realistic and dynamic representation of the music.
The interior of the A80 is padded with professional pyramid soundproofing foam, reducing unwanted resonance, while the oval vent tube is carefully designed to minimize wind noise while in use. The A80 cabinet is built with an 18-mm thick high-strength MDF in beautiful walnut finish that, while making this a stylish addition to any room, further reduces coloration and audio distortion.
Connect audio sources to the A80 via AUX, RCA, optical, coaxial, USB, professional balanced input, and Bluetooth. The Bluetooth input uses version 5.0 and has support for Qualcomm aptX codec, resulting in minimal interruptions. The well – known American TRANSPARENT cable is used for internal connections to ensure minimum signal loss, producing a reliable sound quality.
Bass, treble and volume controls are located on the back panel. Easily brighten the highs-frequency to your taste and adjust the amount of bass according to the listening environment. Included with the pair of speakers is a wireless remote that allows you to switch between inputs, adjust volume and mute your speakers from a distance.
Pith & Stem, Hertfordshire-based sustainable furniture makers, today launch DropTop.™: the world’s first fully-integrated, plug-and-play, wall-mounted workstation – marking one year since the UK first entered lockdown.
Beautifully designed using sustainable materials, DropTop.™ was created in response to three key ways in which our lives have changed since 23 March 2020:
We are spending more time than ever working from home
We are all relearning what it means to be productive
We are seeking a healthy work-life balance more than ever.
DropTop.™ is an easy-to-install, customisable workstation for productive, efficient and comfortable home-working. Comprising a pair of sleek, smart panels, it folds away easily and discretely at the end of the day. DropTop.™ looks to the future where hybrid working is the norm. It’s there when you need it, and out of sight when you don’t.
The unit is practical (ergonomically designed to promote healthy posture), strong (constructed using the toughest grade hardwood ply, with custom-made hinges), sustainable (made with FSC® certified birch plywood) and stylish (with customisable colours and finishes – you can even add your own favourite photos or artwork to the face).
Built with DisplayLink® technology, DropTop.™ is compatible across all major operating systems. It also features single cable USB charging connectivity and comes plug-and-play ready with energy rated A, flicker-free, LowBlue mode and full-HD monitors.
Sustainability sits at the heart of Pith & Stem. For every DropTop.™ sold, Pith & Stem plants ten trees through its partner Tree Nation – a global non-profit focused on afforestation, agroforestry and reforestation.
“Working from home comes with many environmental, social and economic benefits,” said Stefan Husanu, Pith & Stem CEO and DropTop.™ designer. “Nonetheless, many people have come to dislike it over the past year, even though it was once their dream! Factors behind this include it being uncomfortable, the lack of correct tools or workspace, and the inability to find that work-life balance. We can’t let these be an obstacle to something that has such a positive environmental impact, however. That’s why we created a home-working solution that fits every space and makes productivity fun, comfortable and stylish.”
Our world has fundamentally changed over the last twelve months in ways that are likely to long outlast the coronavirus pandemic, from hybrid working patterns to climate consciousness. DropTop.™ was built to match this changing world, becoming a future-fit, go-to solution for conscious citizens working at home.
Food and drink businesses are being urged to brush-up on their pitching skills to be in with a chance to get their product stocked by leading food services provider Sodexo this Friday.
The Food Exchange Ireland, run by small business network and business support provider Enterprise Nation will see early stage Irish food and drink producers learn new skills including how to market and grow their business.
The day-long online event on Friday March 26 offers founders the opportunity to pick up useful retail industry contacts, learn social media and pitching tips before a live pitching session to a buyer from Sodexo on the main stage.
The event is supported by the Local Enterprise Office’s Food Committee and Enterprise Ireland’s Food High Potential Start-up Programme.
Tickets are here and brands can apply to pitch here.
