Featured

Best Tekken 7 DLC Characters

Published

4 years ago

August 18, 2021

It’s the late nineties, you and your friends gather at one of your mate’s, get all the snacks and soda you can, and play Tekken 3 till the late night. Everyone had that one friend that spammed 3 and 4 as Hwoarang, another one that went for high damage unblockables with Paul or Yoshimitsu, or picked that one character hated by everyone – Gon. Many people don’t know, but he’s the series’ first guest character. The little dinosaur comes from the eponymous manga by Masashi Tanaka. While there wasn’t any concept of DLC back in the fifth generation of video game consoles, Gon fits that niche and most likely would have been one of the downloadable fighters nowadays – he was weird, annoying, didn’t fit in particularly well, and was a third-party property.

Many years passed, and we have seen a massive boom in the so-called “game as a service” model that emphasizes the constantly updated game state with free or paid content. Free content usually includes the balance changes and quality of life improvements, while new story missions, characters, gameplay mechanics are more often than not require to be purchased.

Previously, many fighting games went through a set cadence: release, maybe an updated stand-alone re-release a couple of years later, and end of any support. This made overpowered characters overpowered forever, and weak ones got no love at all. The ease of Internet access, even on consoles, changed this. The developers became more willing to update the games’ balance state for a continued time, and the glaring issues like the fighters being too strong or weak for extended amounts of time became less prevalent. But this in itself created another problem: this upkeep isn’t cheap. You need a dedicated development team to constantly work on the game and spend their time on it. The time that could have been spent on the development of some other projects. With most of the fighting games casual competition being online nowadays, this also incurs additional costs of the server upkeep.

The Tekken 7 development team embraced the “game as a service” model to combat this. It wasn’t done maliciously or with any ill intent: it’s just that the first few planned DLCs were so popular that the creators decided to give the players more. And thus, we have four full seasons of downloadable content that include characters, stages, cosmetics, and more.

If we look at the list of Tekken characters, some of those DLC fighters are known, beloved, and iconic for the franchise, the others are guests from other IPs, and others still are complete newcomers.

Let’s take a look at the best DLC characters for Tekken 7. And no, we won’t be judging them based on how strong they are. Instead, we’ll take into account how nice they feel to play as, how good their overall character design is, and some other factors as well.

Julia Chang

Julia chang
Image Source: tekken.fandom.com

Julia is a longstanding cast member of the Tekken series. Previously, her design incorporated many Native American elements, but in the previous entry, she reinvented herself as a leotard-wearing luchador Jaycee. This time around, Julia reinvents herself again. Now she is a streamer and an eco-activist that’s battling the deforestation issue. She changed her Lucha Libre attire for a comfortable t-shirt, a vest, and a flannel jacket, picked her hair up into two pigtails, and donned glasses that fit her look so well.

In terms of fighting style, she retained her moves from the previous games to feel intuitive to pick up, while adding some of Jaycee’s spice to feel fresh and exciting.

Leroy Smith

Leroy smith

Image Source: tekken.fandom.com

Leroy Smith may look old, but don’t let this deceive you. Yes, he’s likely over 50 at this point, but he looks incredibly fit and also has this old man strength that makes every hit sting that much more. He’s been battle-ready since a very early age, as Mishima Zaibatsu stroke the fires of violence within his city – he lost his entire family and needed to learn how to fend for himself.

Leroy looks incredibly stylish: his long white jacket is decorated with golden dragons, his shoes have leopard print, and he wears a heavy golden medallion. Just from the description, it may sound tasteless and over the top, but he wears it all oh so well. And on top of that, he has a dog named Sugar.

Leroy is a practitioner of the Chinese self-defense martial art Wing Chun. But from the heavy punches and flurries he’s dishing out, you won’t be able to tell. Where you can tell is when he starts parrying and evading the opponent’s moves and returns the “favors” tenfold.

Lidia Sobieska

Lidia Sobieska
Image Source: tekken.fandom.com

When you hear of an accomplished karateka, who do you picture? Most likely a stocky young man that looks vaguely like Jin Kazama. And you’ll not be wrong. But Tekken 7 team decided to subvert this expectation. They asked a question, “What if an accomplished karateka is a prime minister of a European country, and we show her in a stylish overcoat, coming out of the business-class vehicle on top of a building?” And then they did, and we got Lidia Sobieska.

Her outfits in Tekken 7 are a very clever bit of character design: the conservative, businesswoman attire shows her no-nonsense attitude and shows you that she indeed is a prime minister of Poland, while her karate gi is a reminder that despite this, she’s never afraid to take matters into her own hands.

This also shows in her gameplay. Her Karate style is much more direct than that of Jin Kazama. It’s less flashy, with no abridged moves from other martial arts. Instead, it uses Okinawa-style kata-based moves that make her look tough but refined.

Fahkumram

Fahkumram
Image Source: tekken.fandom.com

Tekken series has had an on and off Muay Thai representation for most of its history. There was Bruce Irvin, a kickboxer who mainly used Muay Thai moves. Bryan Fury also applied some of the techniques. Tekken 7 gave us Josie Rizal, who mixes it up with Eskrima. It’s popular martial art, widely practiced all around the world. Many have seen the movie Ong-Bak: Muay Thai Warrior, where Tony Jaa uses his speed and snappy kicks and punches to dispatch hordes of opponents.

Tekken 7 devs decided that they needed a fighter of this profile again. But instead of bringing back Bruce, who practices a more westernized variation of the art, they created a new character – Fahkumram. His style is pure, no-nonsense, traditional Muay Thai. It’s not so much about speed and snappy moves, but about his raw power in applying the moves.

Fahkumram’s profile is a subversion, too. He’s a giant, brutal-looking Thai man. But below that surface, he’s a humble person who only does the things he does because of the circumstances he found himself in. Don’t judge by appearances!

Tekken 7 has some of the most memorable characters in fighting games, and the DLC fighters are no exception. We hope to see many more exciting fighters in the future, as devs said that they’d love to work on Tekken 7 more.

Featured

Horse Racing Games For iOS

Published

4 weeks ago

March 21, 2025

Olivia

Horse racing is a globally spread sport with billions of fans worldwide. The thrills of the races and the excitement of the betting make horse racing quite popular among adrenaline rush seekers.

However, unlike other sports like football or basketball that you can actually try in your backyard, becoming a racehorse rider is out of reach for most people. But all hope for our fellow race lovers is not lost and the gaming world comes to the rescue.

We are talking about horse racing simulation games where you can pick or breed your own horse, participate in online racing tournaments, earn prestige, take care of your horse, and much more.

Horse racing video games are perfect when it comes to getting the bigger picture of the sport and familiarizing yourself with other aspects apart from racing, like stable management, breeding, and finance management.

On top of that, horse racing video games can help you understand how the sport works, which may help you with the next bet you make on TwinSpires.

Fortunately, there are plenty of horse racing games for iOS, and in today’s article, we will highlight some of the best that you should try.

Rival Stars Horse Racing

This is a game made by a legendary horse race video game developer called PikPok and it is without a doubt one of the best horse racing games available for iOS right now.

The graphics look incredible for a mobile game. They are quite realistic, and the horse movement and the design of the tracks also give you the feel that you are participating in a real-world race.

Rival Stars Horse Racing has quite a fast pace, where you can complete some quests and upgrade your stable, but the focus is on the races, as it should be.

When we talk about the racing part of the game, every racetrack that you unlock offers something new. You get to race at different lengths and surfaces. But let’s focus on the important part, race mechanics.

You can steer the horse, brake, and activate their sprint ability. The horse’s performance is based on multiple factors such as ground consistency, position, race length, previous races, and much more.

Rival Stars Horse Racing also has a quite good breeding, training, and managing system. On top of that, there are many different horse coat colors and breeds. Unlike other games like Zelda where you can get a gold horse, Rival Stars Horse Racing focuses on realism. All of the horses have natural coat colors and traits.

You get to collect or breed horses, transform foals to feed, and upgrade facilities to unlock more options to progress.

The only thing that is missing from the game is the audience on the races since the race courses feel a bit empty with nobody around.

Horse Racing Manager 2024

This is a game that has a rather different approach than Rival Stars Horse Racing. It is focused more on the managing part of horse racing rather than on the actual gameplay and racing. You are in control of your business operation and your goal is to succeed in the world of horse racing and earn money.

You don’t have an impact on the races, and you cannot control your horse. The races are simulated, and the outcome depends on your horse’s stats and abilities.

That’s why horse training, and breeding a champion horse play a really important role in the game.

The best thing about Horse Racing Manager 2024 is the ability to race online. There are live PVP races that occur every 5 minutes and everyone can participate in them.

This is the perfect game if you want to learn what’s happening behind the curtains of horse racing as a sport. You are in control of your breeding rights that you can sell, as well as the age and career path of your horse.

It is an interesting game, especially for those who are not afraid of data and analysis.

iHorse Racing

This is a similar game to Rival Stars Horse Racing but with worse graphics, and fewer options. This game has multiple features like horse training, stable management, horse auction, race entries, CLU-jockey hiring system, and world jockey ranking, and you can connect your Facebook profile to invite friends.

To be honest, the graphics and gameplay of the game are fun and engaging, but I’d still go for Rival Stars Horse Racing, especially if you like a more realistic horse racing game.

Pocket Stables

Let’s drop down all the realism and focus on some retro 2D gameplay. For all retro game lovers who have a passion for horse racing, Pocket Stables is just the perfect game. At first glance, this game might look simple, but it actually has many features that make it even more fun.

For starters, you can build training facilities where you can increase your horse’s stats. Additionally, not all horses are the same and your goal should be to find a horse with the right balance of speed, stamina, and intensity.

As you win races, you’ll receive prizes, that can be used to upgrade your stable and give you better ways to breed a faster horse.

It’s fun, casual, and quite cute. Plus, you get to build your horse racing community and hire people that will take care of your stable.

Casual

Creative Ideas for Best Technology Instagram Post 2024

Published

8 months ago

August 8, 2024

Olivia

Creative Ideas for Best Technology Instagram Post 2024

Are you facing difficulty in engaging your audience with tech posts on Instagram? As social media platforms have transformed into virtual marketplaces, brands recognize the need to showcase expertise through engaging content.

Platforms like Instagram empower connecting with worldwide audiences through captivating visual stories. But, it is quite a daunting task to work and many move ahead to buy Instagram followers as well.

Contemporary consumers scarcely have time for promotion lacking substance. Hence, creatives demand integrating education with entertainment for intrinsically motivating connections. This is why in this post, we discuss top ideas for your tech-posts on Instagram. Read on.

Unique Ways To Boost Engagement

With competition so fierce, it becomes difficult to keep your audience engaged with your post. Below we discuss some essential tips that can make things easy for you. Take a look:

● Researching Optimized Hashtags

Analyzing hashtag clusters witnessing frequent usages around niche conversations aids discovering appropriate tags aligning with targeted audiences. Careful hashtagging aids discoverability and spreads messages to receptive crowds naturally.

● Optimizing Images For Social Formats

Adjusting photos to square dimensions suitable for Instagram feeds and story formats preserves visual quality and context. Proper sizing and cropping focuses viewer attention on essential elements.

● Scheduling Around Peak Engagement Timings

Identifying timing patterns of highest follower activities through analytics aids posting when most eyeballs will likely notice new updates. Repurposing top performing content as story highlights retains visibility.

● Reviewing Engagement And Follower Insights

Regularly evaluating metrics like likes, comments, saves and follower growth rates aids comprehending reception and refining strategies. Tracking identified hashtag or location based communities’ interests guides customized content.

● Partnering With Key Influencers

Reaching wider audiences through cross-promotional shoutouts with popular domain figures expands networks. Collaborations establishing brand authority through third party endorsements bolster credibility.

Final Thoughts

In summary, effectively leveraging visual creativity fueled by data-driven decisions establishes technology companies, alongside support from a dedicated social media growth agency like Thunderclap.it, as thought leaders amid competition on platforms like Instagram.

Consistency, authenticity, and nurturing communities through meaningful interactions are crucial for driving organic visibility and achieving superior returns on social media. While maintaining technical excellence is essential, emotionally connecting with audiences through social missions and humor helps build a loyal following and fosters trust in this experience-driven world.

Business

Exploring the Steps in the Proposal Automation Process

Published

10 months ago

July 3, 2024

Olivia

Exploring the Steps in the Proposal Automation Process

In a fast-paced business environment, efficiency is key to staying ahead of the competition. Proposal automation offers a strategic advantage by streamlining the creation of documents that are vital to winning new business. By automating routine tasks, companies can focus more on the substance and strategy of their proposals. Understanding how it works and the significant improvements it can bring to your business operations is essential. Below, we delve into this process and discuss everything you need to know about optimizing your proposal automation process.

Understanding the Foundation of Proposal Automation

At its core, proposal automation is about enhancing productivity and consistency within the process of creating proposals. By leveraging technology, it replaces the traditional, manual method of drafting documents with a more streamlined, error-proof approach. This transition includes the use of templates, content libraries, and customized data inputs to ensure each proposal is tailored, yet produced with greater speed and accuracy.

For newcomers, understanding the foundation is crucial before implementation. This involves grasping the basics of how automated systems manage data, apply business logic, and produce finalized documents. It’s essential to ensure that your team is well-versed with the system and that all relevant content is digitized and made accessible to the automation software.

Key Benefits of Implementing Proposal Automation

Proposal automation systems offer a multitude of benefits, the most prominent being the drastic reduction in time spent drafting proposals. Employees are freed from repetitive formatting tasks, allowing them to devote more time to strategic functions such as market analysis and personalized client engagement which can significantly influence the success of a proposal.

Error reduction is another major advantage of automating the proposal process. With standardized templates and centralized content management, inconsistencies are minimized, and the risk of outdated information being included is significantly reduced. This elevates the professionalism and credibility of each proposal generated.

Essential Features to Look for in Proposal Automation Tools

Choosing the right proposal automation tools is essential for achieving the desired efficiency and effectiveness. The most valuable feature to look for in such a tool is a robust content library. This allows for quick access to the most current and relevant pieces of content and data necessary for crafting a compelling proposal.

Integration capability is another crucial feature. The tool should be able to integrate seamlessly into the existing technology ecosystem of your organization, including CRM platforms, to facilitate smooth workflows and information exchange. This ensures that sales and proposal teams work with the latest client information and reduce duplication of efforts.

Step-by-Step Guide to the Proposal Automation Workflow

The journey of automating your proposal process starts with the initial setup of the proposal automation tool. This involves configuring the system with your company’s templates, content, and workflows. A key aspect here is to ensure that the templates accommodate various proposal scenarios and that the content library is organized and tagged for easy retrieval.

Next, the tool is integrated with other enterprise systems such as CRM software, ensuring that data flows continuously and accurately between platforms. This step is crucial for maintaining up-to-date content in the proposals and for personalizing them with client-specific data.

Measuring Success and ROI in Proposal Automation Initiatives

To truly understand the impact of proposal automation, it’s important to measure its success and return on investment (ROI). One of the most straightforward metrics to monitor is the reduction in the time required to generate proposals. Noticing a considerable decrease here is often the first sign that the automation is effective.

Another valuable indicator is the quality and consistency of proposals. With fewer errors and greater adherence to company branding, the professionalism conveyed in each proposal can lead to better client perceptions and a higher win rate. Monitoring feedback and win rates can give concrete evidence of the system’s effectiveness.