Electronic Arts Reports Q2 FY18 Financial Results. "It was a strong second quarter for Electronic Arts, with players around the world captivated by our new EA SPORTS titles, top-performing mobile games, and expanding esports competitions," says Chief Executive Officer Andrew Wilson. "The digital transformation is accelerating across our industry, and we are well-positioned for continued growth with more stunning new titles, thriving event-driven live services including competitive gaming, and continuing innovation for our players on all platforms." Here are some points they highlight:

Selected Operating Highlights and Metrics

• Digital net bookings* for the trailing twelve months was $3.240 billion, up 26% year-over-year, and now represents 63% of total net bookings for the same period.
• More than 50% of Madden NFL 18 players engaged in the “Longshot” story mode through Q2 and Madden Ultimate Team™ players are up 25% year-over-year.
• FIFA Mobile unique player base grew to more than 113 million.
• The BattlefieldTM 1 community grew to more than 23.5 million players worldwide.
• Monthly active players for The SimsTM 4 on PC increased more than 40% year-over-year.

* Net bookings, previously referred to as net sales, is defined as the net amount of products and services sold digitally or sold-in physically in the period. Net bookings is calculated by adding total net revenue to the change in deferred net revenue for online-enabled games.

Selected Financial Highlights and Metrics

All financial measures are presented on a GAAP basis.

• Net cash provided by operating activities was $52 million.
• Net cash provided by operating activities for the trailing twelve months was $1.802 billion, a record measured at the end of the second quarter.
• In Q2, EA repurchased 1.3 million shares for $153 million.

EA announces changes to the loot crate and progression systems in Star Wars Battlefront II, saying "we've listened to your feedback" in addressing complaints the game will be play-to-win. Here's the post:

We went into Star Wars™ Battlefront™ II with a goal to make the deepest, biggest Star Wars™ game you've ever played. That meant transporting you to all three eras and handing you a huge assortment of heroes, classes, and vehicles – as well as bringing tons of free post-launch content to all Star Wars Battlefront II players.

The Beta gave us a welcome chance to test all of our systems in action and tune things up for better balance. A few weeks back, we mentioned we were going to take another look at how the progression system works. After incorporating feedback from the Beta, we’re happy to share our plans for launch:

• Epic Star Cards, the highest tier of Star Cards available at launch, have been removed from Crates. To help keep everyone on a level playing field, these Star Cards will primarily be available through crafting, with the exception of special Epic Star Cards available through pre-order, deluxe, and starter packs.
• You'll need to reach a certain rank to craft upgraded Star Cards. You won't be able to buy a bunch of Crates, grind everything up into crafting materials, and immediately use them to get super powerful Star Cards. You can only upgrade the ability to craft higher tier Star Cards by ranking up through playing the game.
• Weapons are locked behind specific milestones. While a select few will be found in Crates, the rest can only be attained by play. Want to unlock a new weapon for your Heavy? Play as a Heavy and you’ll gain access to the class’s new weapons.
• Class-specific gear and items can be unlocked by playing as them. As you progress through your favorite class, you’ll hit milestones granting you class-specific Crates. These will include a mix of Star Cards and Crafting Parts to benefit your class’s development.

This system, as well as all of the others, will be continually iterated on and improved. As we first announced at EA Play in June, we’re committed to keeping the community together. All upcoming weapons, maps, heroes, and vehicles introduced in Star Wars Battlefront II’s post-release content will be free so that players can play alongside friends as the world of Star Wars Battlefront II continues to grow. We know that the magic is in the balance, and we're going to make sure that we continue to make a game that is fun for everyone.

• LawBreakers PC Patch Notes 2.0.1.
• Path of Exile version 3.0.2c Patch Notes. Thanks MP1ST.
• RollerCoaster Tycoon World – Post-Release Update #8- Horror Pack.

• Humble Jumbo Bundle 10 (pay what you want and help charity).
• Save 40% on Portal Knights on Steam.
• Save 40% on Osiris: New Dawn on Steam.

• Blizzard 2017 Pumpkin Contest Winners.
• Top Hearthstone Arena Players – October 2017.
• The Stage is Set for the Heroes of the Storm Community Gauntlet.

• PlayStation 4 Hits Shipments Of 67.5 Million.
• PUBG Coming To Xbox One On December 12, 2017.
• Pre-order Dead Rising 4: Frank’s Big Package on PlayStation 4 and receive the original Dead Rising.
• Big FIFA 18 patch nerfs passing.
• Shadow of the Colossus for PS4 Launches February 6, Watch the Opening.
• Disneyland Adventures Is Now Available For Xbox One And Windows 10 (Xbox Play Anywhere).
• Zoo Tycoon: Ultimate Animal Collection Is Now Available For Xbox One And Windows 10 (Xbox Play Anywhere).
• Rush- A Disney Pixar Adventure Is Now Available For Xbox One And Windows 10 (Xbox Play Anywhere).
• Amazon Prime Video To Launch On Xbox One X And Is Available Globally On Xbox One Today.
• Monopoly for Nintendo Switch Out Now.
• God of War: Inside the Paris Games Week Trailer – PlayStation.Blog.
• Roundup: The Biggest Updates & Announcements from Paris Games Week 2017 – PlayStation.Blog.

• Google ditched autopilot driving feature after test user napped behind wheel. Thanks [H]ardOCP.
• iOS 11.1 brings new emojis and important security updates.
• Apple watchOS 4.1 delivers phone-free music streaming.

• Cable Labs Publishes Full Duplex 10 Gbps DOCSIS 3.1 Cable Spec.
• Vietnam's Central Bank Announces Ban on Bitcoin Payments. Thanks [H]ardOCP.
• Netflix suspends 'House of Cards' production amid Spacey allegations.

• NVIDIA Announces New AI Partners, Courses, Initiatives to Deliver Deep Learning Training Worldwide. Thanks Hypothermia.
• Is the optical cable dying? Thanks [H]ardOCP.

• Facebook, Google, Twitter tell Congress their platforms spread Russian-backed propaganda.
• The iPhone X's Face ID can be fooled by identical twins. Soap opera actors beware! Thanks Hypothermia.

• Verizon has a new strategy to undermine online privacy and net neutrality.
• Vlad the blockader: Russia's anti-VPN law comes into effect.
• A draft US law to secure election computers that isn't braindead. Well, I'm stunned! I gotta lie down.

Link of the Day: Headline fail: Kansas students get 'first hand job experience'.

Spintires: MudRunner is now officially available for Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4, offering an updated edition of the off-road driving in the original Spintires. The Windows edition is available on Steam, where they offer a 50% discount for owners of the original Spintires. Here's the launch trailer and here are some details:

Spintires is an incredible off-road vehicle simulator, taking players on hostile roads and harsh environments. Acclaimed for its immersive and accurate driving and physics models, the first edition has captured over a million players on PC.

Watch the Launch Trailer of Spintires: MudRunner, the ultimate edition of Spintires. Available today on PC, and for the first time on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One consoles, this version of Spintires offers new content and unique experiences for a video game - It's a genre of its own, reinventing the rules and offering new challenges for players looking for emergent encounters and true-to-life off-roading situations.

With near-photorealistic graphics and incredible physics simulation, Spintires: MudRunner puts you in the driver’s seat of powerful off-road vehicles, and challenges you to face extreme sandbox environments, with only a map, a compass and your driving talents to survive!

Through numerous missions and challenges, off-road vehicle fans will enjoy crossing mud, rivers with strong currents, and climb perilous peaks aboard their 4x4s, trucks and sturdy logistic vehicles designed to withstand the most extreme conditions. Dedicated players and driving enthusiasts will appreciate the hyper-realistic driving sensations thanks to an advanced physics engine, including fuel simulation, a differential transmission system, soft-tire simulation, as well as realistic interactions between vegetation, mud, water, and your vehicle. Lastly, players looking for adventure and open environments will love the freedom offered by the sandbox maps of the game – choose what path to take, through difficult terrain, rivers, forests, swamps, mountains... nature and its dangers will always put you to the test.

Continue here to read the full story.

Following the news that Star Wars: Battlefront II is officially gold, EA now offers the official launch trailer for the Star Wars action game sequel. The game will be released on November 17th for Windows, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. Here's the clip's brief description:

Heroes are born on the battlefront, and in Star Wars Battlefront 2, you're able to experience it for yourself. Play as heroes from all three eras of Star Wars in massive battles across iconic locations, and take part in a thrilling single-player story as Iden Versio fights to avenge the Emperor.

Continue here to read the full story.

Indie developer Redwood Games announces Plutocracy, a political simulator set in the 19th century, though the theme of ethics taking a back-seat to power seems timeless. The Plutocracy website is online, offering details, screenshots, and a teaser trailer from a couple of months ago. Here's a quick overview

Now we are developing the game about wealth, power and corruption. In it you immerse yourself in 19th USA century to start from the bottom and become the shadow ruler of the world. It supports Windows, Linux, Mac OS. Release date - Q1 2018. Beta access - December 2017.

Game features

• Make a fortune – buy companies, build your own monopolies.
• Create barriers against competitors - dig up dirt, make raider attacks.
• Corrupt politicians and lobby laws – use wealth and influence to get power.
• Live in U.S. history – gain extra profit by World Wars, economic crisis.

No one should know who really rules the world!

Continue here to read the full story.

Battle.net offers more details on Season 12 for Diablo III, which kicks off on November 9th in all territories. Here's a bit on the plan:

Season Journey Rewards
If you’ve been playing the past few Seasons diligently and reached Conqueror in the Season Journey each time, you’ve accrued a few extra stash tabs. Players who have not yet earned a total of four stash tabs via the Season Journey can still unlock an additional one by completing the following tasks at the Conqueror tier:

• Complete a Torment XIII Rift in under 5 minutes
• Complete Greater Rift 60 solo
• Kill Greed on Torment XIII
• Kill Spider Queen on Torment XIII in under 15 seconds
• Reforge a Legendary or Set item
• Augment an Ancient item with a Level 50 or greater Legendary Gem
• Level three Legendary Gems to 55
• Complete two Conquests

Seasonal Conquests
Speaking of Conquests, we’re rotating those, too! Love going fast while killing things? Boss Mode and Worlds Apart will be making a return. On A Good Day and I Can’t Stop are also available, if leveling Legendary Gems is more your thing. If you’d rather max out your kill count with Cursed Chests, Curses! and Stars Align will be right up your alley. Those who enjoy seeing how far they can go without Set Items will get a kick out of The Thrill and Super Human. Finally, if you’re keen to show off your mastery of various Class Sets, Years of War and Dynasty will be available for you to attempt once more.

• Age of Redemption 2017 Has Launched! (v1.1 BUILD 6) -- Vampire- The Masquerade - Redemption. Thanks Acleacius.
• Devoid of Shadows Update released. Game is also on sale.
• GWENT: "Saovine" Update is now live.
• Team Fortress 2 update released.

• Fell Seal: Arbiter's Mark Kickstarter. Fully funded.

• Dead Exit Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Spintires: MudRunner Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• RUGBY 18 Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• tinyBuild Bundle Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Maria The Witch Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• NUMANTIA Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• 8-bit Adventure Anthology: Volume I Is Now Available For Xbox One.
• Erica, a Live-Action Interactive Drama, Announced for PS4.
• VR Action Adventure Title Apex Construct Announced at PGW – PlayStation.Blog.
• Smash Hit Plunder for PS VR: Raid a Haunted Castle for Cash With or Against Friends.
• Kingdom Come: Deliverance is an Authentic Open-World RPG – PlayStation.Blog.
• This Week’s Xbox Deals With Gold And Spotlight Sale.
• Partnering with Feeding America for Relief Efforts – PlayStation.Blog.

• Microsoft Officially Unveils The Surface Pro With LTE.
• Razer Phone leaks with monstrous specs including 120Hz display, 4000mAh battery, dual cameras, and more. Thanks [H]ardOCP.
• The Nokia 2 is a very cheap Android phone with a huge battery.
• Apple might build its next iPhone without Qualcomm chips.

• Lean back and watch YouTube TV with a new app for your big screen. Thanks [H]ardOCP.
• Another Million Subscribers Cut the Pay TV Cord Last Quarter.
• ESPN Preps for More Layoffs as Cordcutting Woes Continue.
• Netflix Considers "House of Cards" Spin-Offs.
• Another broadband merger: CenturyLink gets FCC approval to buy Level 3.
• Microsoft cans Outlook.com Premium as it rolls its features into Office 365.
• Devs can now peruse the talks and data from Twitch's inaugural Dev Day.

• Free Windows 10 Upgrades End This Year. Really. Thanks RedEye9.
• AMD, which lost over $2.8B in 5 years, takes a hit after new report.
• Samsung collects record profits, again.
• ASUS Releases the WS X299 Pro Motherboard.

• A surge of sites and apps are exhausting your CPU to mine cryptocurrency.

• Warner Bros., PewDiePie Not Game to Disclose Influencer Marketing.
• Facebook, YouTube admit to wider-ranging campaigns by Russian “state actors.”
• Appeals court keeps alive the never-ending Linux case, SCO v. IBM.
• GrubHub “gig economy” trial ends with judge calling out plaintiff’s lies.

• Fictorum on PXA Peeks.
• Shiver on Just Adventure.
• Spintires: Mudrunner on One Angry Gamer and PCGamesN.
• Sylvio 2 on Chalgyr's Game Room.

• ADATA SE730H External Solid State Drive on ThinkComputers.org.
• AKiTiO Node Thunderbolt 3 eGPU Enclosure on TweakTown.
• ASRock X299 Taichi Motherboard on AnandTech.
• Drobo 5D3 Thunderbolt 3 Five-Bay DAS on TweakTown.
• Enermax ETS-T50 AXE Cooler on Overclocked Inside.
• Intel Core i5-8400 vs. Overclocked AMD Ryzen 5 1600 CPU on TechSpot.
• Intel i7-2600K vs. i7-8700K CPU on Hardware Canucks. "Is Upgrading Worthwhile?"
• Mionix Wei Keyboard on Vortez.
• Rosewill Meteor XR Mid-Tower Chassis on TweakTown.
• Sapphire RX VEGA 64 Limited Edition Graphics Card on Modders-Inc.
• Tt eSPORTS MEKA PRO Keyboard on TechPowerUp.

• 'Operation Overmatch'- A Video Game That Could Shape the Future of War. Thanks Slashdot via Ant…
• Expo Decay is a Half-life- Episode 3 top-down fan shooter, based on Marc Laidlaw's Epistle 3 story…

Happy Halloween! It's been a little hard to accept the imminence of this occasion since it's been unseasonably warm in these parts, but the past few days have been more autumnal, so it feels pretty right today. As usual, we're greatly looking forward to seeing all the kiddies today, including our friends the twins. And their parents have a fun tradition of their own, as they bring along solo cups for "drink or treat," seeking booze handouts, which I find hilarious (and ingenious). We have a bunch of doggie costumes accumulated over the years, but I'm not sure yet which one the Gunnar-man will wear. I'll provide a photo once this works itself out. And whether you are playing trick-or-treat, drink-or-treat, partying, hosting, or hiding, here's hoping it's all safe and fun for you.

Drinks or Links:	Thanks Ant.
Play:	Mummy Candies.
Story:	Protestant Reformation at 500: How Martin Luther shook the Catholic Church.
Science:	FDA Issues Warning About Black Licorice For Halloween. Scientists can't explain a 'worrying' rise in methane levels. Scientists discover India’s oldest fossil of a Jurassic sea monster.
Media:	Homestar Runner Haunted Photo Booth. JEAN CLAUDE VAN JOHNSON Official Trailer # 2. Thanks Cutter. Watch 221 pieces of candy corn perfectly spiral and fall like dominoes.
Follow-up:	Women rescued on sailboat had emergency beacon but never used it.