What Goes Around: Comes around. Maybe. See for yourself. You can talk to Claudia in her room on the second floor of the mansion for a bit of dialog, but no mission. Next, go to the south end of town and exit the gate to find a stable of horses just outside. Hop aboard one of the horses and ride it southeast toward the map marker. Time to go to Tuscany.
Arivederci: Or is that Arrivederci? This mission won't take long. As long as your notoriety is at zero (and it has to be), this mission is a piece of cake. You have to escort Ezio's mother and sister across town to the city's exit. The city is temporarily packed with guards, but they'll pay you no mind, even if you run. Just avoid bumping into guards and you'll be a-okay.
Ace Up My Sleeve: It's not a playing card though. Talk to Paola again and she'll give you the hookup with a cool weapon. Problem is, it doesn't work yet. You need to bring it to Leonardo da Vinci, who's just across town. Make your way to him and knock on his door for a lengthy cut scene.
Fitting In: Find your way to the, uh, video arcade and you'll get a cut scene introducing you to the next mission. You'll be introduced to a number of new, basic gameplay mechanics, so nothing's too difficult. At first, you'll learn to blend. Simply walk into the center of a group of women and you should see a white webbing on the ground that lets you know you've blended.
Family Heirloom: Find the precious family peice passed down generation to generation. Go back to Giovanni's room and use eagle vision to locate the hidden door. Okay, it's not really very hidden. Open the door and step into the secret room. Open up the chest inside to get a snazzy new outfit, plus a useful sword.
Nightcap: A good drink is just what the doctor ordered. Walk to the glowing view point at the top of the tower and synchronize to fill out part of your map. Afterward, you're left to take a leap of faith off the top of the tower. Leap into the hay stack below and a quick cut scene briefly interrupts your play. For more info, watch the whole gameplay.
Sibling Rivalry: Brothers are always a pain in the butt, but so are sisters. Immediately, Federico challenges you to a race to the top of the church. You can simply run up the face of the building, moving toward hand holds along the way, and easily get to the top before Federico does. Run to the finish line, marked by a white wisp, and as long as you're there first the brief mission is over. For more info, watch the whole gameplay.
Boys Will Be Boys: This is the very first problem for you to solve in the video game. You're dropped into your first mission, which requires you beat up a lot of dudes. Be sure to lock onto an enemy, which allows you to throw up your guard and block incoming attacks. You've got access to a counter move that's incredibly useful if you can get the timing down. Just hold up your guard and press the attack button as an enemy swings on you to put him down instantly. For more info, watch the whole ...
In Boca Al Lupo: The end is almost here. This is the last mission you will need to complete. Talk to Mario and he'll send you on your final mission, to assassinate Rodrigo Boriga in the Vatican in Rome. The mission is more linear than any other you've done up to this point, and it requires much stealthiness. But at first, it requires you break into the Vatican. Climb the wall to the west and use the beams sticking out from the wall to jump to a hanging platform to the south.
When vanishing point perspective was first discovered in the early Renaissance, artists were astounded by how the draftsman tool was able to transform a flat, 2D space (that until then always looked like a flat, 2D space without perspective) into a believable 3D image. We've been using vanishing point perspective ever since, and architects would die without it.
For all your jousting and costume needs, finally, an instructional video guide to building a chain mail suit of armor. While periodically inaccurate for Renaissance Fairs, Medieval Times employees or reenactment actors might be curious to either learn how to make the suit or at least witness the process. Chain mail was used as a protective armor in Medieval times, and was nearly impervious to arms of the period, but new advances in weaponry caused it to become obsolete. Chain mail is essentia...
Middle Dutch is the forefather of modern Dutch, Flemish, and Afrikaans, dating around the Middle Ages up through part of the Renaissance. Polyglot Alexander Arguelles presents a series of videos to provide introductory overviews of the languages of the world. Working diachronically through various language families in turn, he demonstrates how to identify each language, translates a text sample to show how it works, and discusses its genetic affiliation and cultural context. Watch this video ...
Parry like a Renaissance fencer; learn defense tips for fencing, including riposte, parry, upward and downward binds, reassemblement, and more in this free video on foil fencing defense.
Artists discovered the almighty vanishing point during the early Renaissance and haven't stopped using it since. The genius of the vanishing point is that it gives a three dimensional quality to a two dimensional space, meaning increased depth perception and more believability.
Without perspective, drawings would never look realistic and would instead be flat, remedial depictions of reality. Luckily, the discovery of perspective during the Renaissance lets us simulate reality if we know the mathematical principles behind it.
Step aside, vodka—whiskey will soon be the best-selling hard liquor in the United States. The whiskey renaissance has been largely attributed to the current trend for locally- and artisan-produced goods. Local whiskey distilleries are rapidly increasing in number across the nation while bars in every state are including the old-fashioned cocktail on their menus in an attempt to capitalize on the trend (which we can probably thank Mad Men for).
While the pope himself may not be Steampunk, you might be amazed at what is: the coronation stove. For those who don't know, it's been a tradition for a very long time to signal the election of a new pope (or the lack of a new pope) via colored smoke. More specifically, once the cardinals have all voted for the new pope during the conclave, the ballots are burned in a special stove in the Sistine Chapel, and the smoke is visible in St. Peter's square.
Before the release of the Galaxy S8, Samsung quietly uploaded one of their core TouchWiz apps to the Google Play Store as a beta. Samsung Internet, as it's called, has been a staple on all Galaxy devices for years now, but you can now try the browser on any Android phone.
I'm human, so it goes without saying that I love bacon. You're human too, which means chances are pretty good that you also love bacon. Yet as beloved as bacon has always been, it's just now experiencing a culinary renaissance, which I love. Bacon chocolate? Heck yes. Bacon donuts? Bring it on. Bacon booze? Now we're talking.
Tequila is a hard liquor that's often been misunderstood. Produced from the agave plant, this aged spirit has complex flavors that bloom the longer it's aged and can rival the finest scotch.
It seems like everything old is new again these days where food is concerned, and that includes the recent renaissance of babka. The name of this rich, rolled yeast bread, with roots in both the Jewish and non-Semitic Eastern European communities, means "little grandmother" in Ukrainian, Russian, and Yiddish.
"I'm Rey." That's what a lot of people will be saying again this Halloween, as Rey costumes are sure to be another favorite of trick-or-treaters and cosplayers. Yes, on Oct. 31 we all have a chance to be the scavenger of Jakku who just so happens to be the "new hope" for a Jedi renaissance.
Apple Pay has been available to use in stores, as well as in select apps and websites, ever since its first appearance in iOS 8.1. Now, with iOS 12, there are currently 13 different iPhone models that support Apple Pay functionality without the use of an Apple Watch, and the list of partnered stores that accept Apple Pay has only grown. Here's our always-up-to-date list to keep you in the know.
Now that Bard — Google's response to the revolutionary ChatGPT generative AI chatbot — is out in the wild, it's beginning to let its freak flag fly.
In these times of social distancing, video calling is becoming the technological substitute for face-to-face connections. For those who carry an iPhone, the art of video calling defaults to FaceTime, the native app on iOS that is exclusive to Apple devices. But what do you do if you or the other party is on Android?
The Library of Congress video archives brings this Renaissance dance lesson demonstration. Follow along with the performers as they show off their traditional moves, dancing a cinq pas de la gaillarde dance. It might take a bit of dance practice, but grab your partner, put on some music, and follow the steps. Watch this video traditional dance tutorial and learn how to do a Renaissance Cinq pas de la gaillarde, or basic galliard step dance.
This video given by the Library of Congress gives you a great demonstration on the galliard step. This classical Renaissance dance was a favorite of Queen Elizabeth I of England. However this video does not give you step by step instructions on how to learn this dance, but a first rate demonstration of the galliard dance.
In this lovely demonstration of the eleven-step galliard variation from the Library of Congress, one can see how to do perform one of the many variations of the galliard. This demonstrational video, unfortunately not a instructional/how-to video, gives a wonderful example of this specific variation. The galliard is global and classical dance from the renaissance period.
Let's face it— most people don't understand Shakespeare's language. If they say they do, they're probably lying. The poetic words of the world's most famous playwright continue to plague school children and college lit. majors alike, but not anymore.
Did you know that you can "write" in polyhedra? I just stumbled across a $24.99 font called Divina Proportione. Created by Brazilian graphic designer Paulo W, the typeface is constructed with beautiful geometric renderings by the famous Renaissance printmaker Albrecht Dürer.
Julia Child and her guest demonstrate how to make a roasted leg of lamb seasoned with a zesty marinade. This dish uses limited garnish and is in the Northern Italian Renaissance manner. Make a roasted leg of lamb.
Now, myself and Minecraft World admin Jon Hook began brainstorming for the texture pack (which I will gladly create for all of you) but then I quickly remembered, this World isn't all about me, it's about all of you guys, too. So, I would like to hear your thoughts on what time period should dominate the texture pack.
I actually didn't do any sewing at all for this costume, just kind of cobbled it together for a fantasy larp I'm in. The green and gold corset was a gift, the lace shirt and brown overskirt I got from a clothing exchange, the white underskirt comes from a thrift store, and the purple wrap was given by a friend. I was going for a somewhat Renaissance Italy style with this costume, and I think it's a great example of what you can put together just by raiding your closet.
Now, I've already had the experience where I go to a Renaissance Faire and can identify the patterns used by various fairegoers to make their costumes. But I had an experience last week that I'm still wondering about.
Papercraft + Transformers = Fanboy nirvana. Papercrafting is enjoying a renaissance thanks to its nerd-love. Popularity of card modeling boomed during World War II when paper was one of the few items whose use and production was not heavily regulated. Micromodels, designed and published in England, were a popular source of military-themed modeling designs.
Grand Theft Auto 4 was a landmark game. It gave yet another reboot to the already rebooted Grand Theft Auto series, arguably the most prestigious video game in the West. It has a 98 on Metacritic, making it by that measure the best game of modern times. Whatever your stance on the gameplay may be—which has received its fair share of flak in the three years since its release—the graphical steps that the team at Rockstar North took to create their fantasy replica of New York were a major step f...
Last week in New York, I saw the new show Otherworldly: Optical Delusions and Small Realities at the Museum of Arts and Design, at Columbus Circle near the edge of Central Park, between Broadway and Eighth. Below is the museum’s description of the show:
Yesterday's installment of a Gamer's Guide to Video Game Software featured Unity 3D; today we'll be covering one of the oldest consumer game making engines, RPG Maker.
Where were you in 1993? Thinking about starting a tech company? Starting elementary school? Awaiting a 1996 Daft Punk party after which you would be conceived? It's been eighteen years, but the game that solidified my dorkdom for good is still coming out with new sets, still fun as hell to play, and deserves some love dammit. To that end, I have started this World: A Magic: The Gathering Spot.
DRUM! Magazine — the leading magazine for drummers and percussionists worldwide — has announced the biggest drumming event ever to take place in Northern California. On Friday, August 13, drummers will descend on the San Jose Repertory Theatre in the heart of Silicon Valley to witness three of the world’s most exciting drummers — extreme drumming sensation Marco Minnemann, Tower Of Power funk master David Garibaldi, and former Mars Volta wunderkind Thomas Pridgen — for an evening of mind-blow...
