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California Senate Bill 347 Could Crush Drone Combat as Sports Entertainment

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Drone combat is gaining popularity in the sports entertainment business. As currently written, California Senate Bill 347, the State Remote Piloted Aircraft Act, will hinder the development of this growing industry. This bill further defines regulation for the operation and use of drones within California. The potential to impede development of drone combat as sports entertainment is Section 21754. This section states that “A person shall not weaponize a remote piloted aircraft or operate a weaponized remote piloted aircraft.”

The problem is that the word “weaponize” is extremely vague.

The Aerial Sports League (ASL) is at the forefront of the drone sports entertainment industry. ASL events include drone racing and drone combat. Also, the company’s headquarters are in San Francisco, so SB 347 will directly affect its continued operation. Understandably, the ASL is encouraging the California senate to provide a clear definition of what counts as weaponization.

Sticks and Ropes and Nets – Weaponized?

The ASL does not allow drones to use fire or electricity, chemicals, or projectiles that can fit through the protective netting surrounding the combat zone. These prohibitions are positive for three reasons. First, they provide protection to both the spectators and the drone operators. Second, matches are lengthened as a result. Third, they require drone creators to use ingenuity in the creation of drones’ offensive options.

There are some effective weapons common among the drones. Net launchers do exactly what the name implies, they launch nets. Some drones have bundles of ropes dangling from the undercarriage. If the drone is able to fly over another drone, then the dangling ropes interfere with flight capabilities, often causing crashes. Also, sticks or rods are used to whack-attack or to interfere with propellers.

Under the vague wording of Section 21754, these drones are weaponized and are illegal if the bill passes into law. Furthermore, a strict reading of the vague wording could mean that anything not vital to the functioning of a drone classifies it as weaponized. Take a camera. Sure, it seems silly to count it as a weapon, but a camera is a metal box. If it is moving fast enough it will cause serious harm if it connects with flesh.

Drone vs. Drone = Fun!

This focus on a clear definition is not solely for the benefit of ASL as an existing company, but for the future of any company involved in drone combat as sports entertainment. Beyond any company’s existence, it’s also important so a couple kids in a backyard aren’t prosecuted for having fun.

The California Senate has not voted on the bill. The sponsor, Senator Hannah-Beth Jackson, cancelled the most recent hearing on it for unknown reasons. Let’s hope the senator realized that the bill still needs some fine-tuning. I hope so because I really want to continue enjoying drone combat.

Archaeology, technology, science, movies and TV shows, video games, government and politics, reading sci-fi and fantasy, '60s/70s classic rock. These are the areas in which I spend my days (somewhere in there are food and travel...).

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On May 23, Miasma Chronicles oozes onto the PS5

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We have been keeping an eye on the game Miasma Chronicles from the creators of Mutant Year Zero for a while now. We now know when it will be released, and it will be on May 23, 2023, on the PS5.

Being outnumbered all the time, mastering the art of the ambush will be crucial to surviving, and whatever advantage you can get will be needed. You can view a different, more condensed glimpse of gaming above and below.

How do you feel about the Miasma Chronicles? You played Mutant Year Zero, right?

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Fans of Final Fantasy 16 disagree as new debate over the squeeze gap begins

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Fans of Final Fantasy have been disputing for decades over a variety of topics, such as whether game VIII is the finest or which one contains the best minigames. But something fresh has the community in a tizzy, and this time it’s a 19-second trailer for the upcoming Final Fantasy XVI that’s energizing fans along with the reappearance of certain well-worn and recognizable talking points.

If it weren’t for the fissure that protagonist Clive skillfully navigates in the video, this narrative might have been about Torgal, a great canine companion. That’s right, we have returned to the discussion of the Squeeze Gap, the most heinous error in game design (in the eyes of some fans).

Others pointed out that you can see through the gap that this is an intentional design choice and does not, in fact, hide a loading screen. In the colorful comments section of the aforementioned Tweet, some people complained about the inclusion of yet another Squeeze Gap on current-gen PCs.If you have nothing better to do, follow us down the rabbit hole of quote-retweets.

Sincerity be damned, we don’t really care either way, but it is odd for Square Enix to release an official promo for a highly anticipated game that shows half of a character squirming through a small space.As always, the music is spot on; praise where praise is due. On June 22, Final Fantasy XVI will debut for PlayStation 5.

What do you think of the squeeze gaps generally and the squeezegate incident specifically?

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Sony was named the top video game publisher of 2022 by Metacritic

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In order to decide which publisher published the best games, Metacritic calculates ratings for all the games that were released in the previous calendar year. The website that collects review ratings for all popular media has done the math, and Sony Interactive Entertainment came out on top for 2022.

Yes, Sony’s first-party initiatives from the previous year allowed it to “no issue” claim the top spot on Metacritic’s list.  The 2022 release schedule for the platform holder averaged 85.6 points overall, with all of its PC ports scoring in the website’s “green score” range.

The business did indeed have a successful year in 2017. We had a fantastic trio of original games: God of War Ragnarok, Gran Turismo 7, and Horizon Forbidden West, all of which were of very high caliber. But in addition to that, the firm also launched The Last of Us: Part I and a number of PC ports, including God of War, Marvel’s Spider-Man, and Uncharted: The Legacy of Thieves Collection, all of which received positive reviews from critics. MLB The Show 22 had the lowest metascore of any Sony game last year, according to Metacritic, but it still earned a respectable 77.

According to Metacritic, these are the top 10 publishers for 2022:

  1. Sony Interactive Entertainment
  2. Paradox Interactive
  3. Activision Blizzard
  4. Focus Entertainment
  5. Take-Two Interactive
  6. Capcom
  7. SEGA
  8. Annapurna Interactive
  9. Humble Games
  10. Devolver Digital

If you’re interested, you can view the complete summary at this link. How do you feel?

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