Tag:

integrated

Heavy Locomotives and Integrated Commodity Markets coming to Brass:Pittsburgh

by admin August 21, 2025

The steady trickle of information about Roxley’s follow-up to megahit game Brass: Birmingham continues this week with two mechanics reveals, Heavy Locomotives and Integrated Commodity Markets:

Heavy Locomotives

Unlike traditional Brass games, Heavy Locomotives are a permanent addition to your industrial empire. You start with 2 locomotives and can unlock more on your player board throughout the game. These powerful engines are never removed during the rail era transition, making them a lasting investment. Each Heavy Locomotive provides a special bonus when built, representing the massive advantage that superior rail technology provided during the Gilded Age.

Having a permanent piece on the board that remains even with an era change may be the secret wish of every Brass:Birmingham player. It will be interesting to see how that plays.

Integrated Commodity Markets

One of the most praised innovations by playtesters is the integration of commodity markets directly into the board. Unlike Birmingham and Lancashire, where commodities can move without network connections, all commodities in Brass: Pittsburgh must travel via established rail links. If you want to buy from a market, you must be connected by rail. But you can also pay the exorbitant “Vanderbilt price” to purchase any commodity at any time, even without a rail connection, giving players a usually undesirable but always available backup plan. This represents Cornelius Vanderbilt’s stranglehold on commerce in the region. His rail empire connected markets and enabled commerce on an unprecedented scale, and he held the title of richest man in the world from the 1850s until his death in 1877.

Assuming Pittsburgh retains the debt mechanics of Birmingham, the “Vanderbilt price” seems like it will be everyone’s favorite new way to abuse their credit in the game. Being able to purchase any commodity at any time is just too tempting.

What’s next?

Expect another reveal next week, and every week leading into the crowdfunding launch! In the meantime, sign up on the Gamefound page and join the conversation!

Share this article

The link has been copied!

Affiliate Links

Source link

August 21, 2025 0 comments

Crypto Trends

Is Ripple Integrated with Fedwire Through ECS Fin? Fact Check

by admin June 20, 2025

A social media post recently stirred buzz about Ripple possibly connecting to Fedwire, the real-time payment system run by the U.S. Federal Reserve. The claim came from crypto researcher SMQKE, who shared two images: one from an ECS Fin datasheet and another from the company’s website, implying that Ripple might be set up for Fedwire interoperability through ECS Fin’s platform.

In the first image, ECS Fin showcases its IMS Payments platform, a comprehensive payments solution used by banks. The platform is built to handle a wide range of messaging standards and payment channels, including SWIFT, Fedwire, ACH, CHIPS, and ISO 20022.

Ripple and blockchain also appear in the list of supported technologies, which led some to believe there may be a deeper connection.

The platform promises to streamline the full transaction lifecycle, validation, routing, compliance, settlement, and reporting, using a modular, microservices-based architecture.

The second image, pulled from ECS Fin’s “Partners” page, mentions the company’s role in supporting the Federal Reserve Banks’ migration to the ISO 20022 messaging standard for the Fedwire Funds Service.

ECS Fin states that it works directly with the Fed and provides FedWire, FedACH, and FedNow solutions to banks and financial institutions.

These references sparked talk that Ripple could be tied to Fedwire through ECS Fin. It sounds logical ECS Fin supports Ripple and works with the Fed, but the link doesn’t hold up on closer look.

Nowhere in the ECS Fin datasheet or on its website is Ripple or XRP mentioned in direct connection with Fedwire. Ripple is listed simply as one of many supported payment technologies within ECS Fin’s broader ecosystem. There is no evidence of interoperability between Ripple and the Fed’s core payment rails.

A user on X (formerly Twitter) also responded to SMQKE’s post, pointing out, “This is incorrect. These rails function independently on their own endpoint within the same system… They are parallel capabilities and not going to be interoperable.”

In short, while ECS Fin supports Ripple and works with the Fed, there is no confirmation, technical or otherwise, that Ripple is interoperable with Fedwire.

Also Read: Federal Reserve Using XRP for All Payments: Fact Check

Source link

June 20, 2025 0 comments

Gaming Gear

Years after acquiring Tile, Life360 has integrated the trackers into its app

by admin May 28, 2025

Life360, a family locator app, said today that it has fully integrated the object-tracking features of Tile into its own platform. The Life360 app can now set up and manage Tile trackers, deliver notifications when an item gets left behind and provide real-time location updates for the trackers in addition to its usual features for managing family members’ safety.

Life360 announced its acquisition of Tile for $205 million way back in 2021. At the time of the purchase, Life360 said Tile would continue to operate independently, but it has still been a long time coming for the two businesses to fully integrate with each other’s offerings. In that time, Tile has faced challenges from competitors that have more resources at their back, such as Apple and AirTags. It was also subject to a cyberattack last year where hackers obtained customers’ names, addresses, email addresses and other personal information.

Source link

May 28, 2025 0 comments