Author Bio
Chase BecotteHome Town: Nomads don't have home towns
Sports: A bunch
Games: Too many to list
Teams: Sixers, Flyers, Pirates
OS Username: ChaseB
Tags: PS3: Slizeezyc / 360: Slizeezyc
Saturday, June 6, 2015
02:36 PM - June 6, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
One of the best things I read this week came from Kotaku. Rowan Kaiser wrote a feature about his ongoing time with NBA 2K13 on PC. (And on a personal level, I'm a big fan of Kaiser's work, so it was a double dose of goodness for me.)
The feature is about how he's modded NBA 2K13 and turned it into an alternate reality where he mixes today's stars with the stars of old -- and even those that never were like Len Bias -- and creates a new NBA concoction all his own.
And I believe this article really speaks to a lot of what many within the Operation Sports community are all about. It's about realism with a twist. It's about controlling your environment but allowing for the organic to happen. It's about fighting against the negatives because you want to love the positives so much.
In his case, the biggest negative is a shaky simulation engine, which again, is really high up there on the list of things that continually come up with all sports games here. And the simulation engine bothers him because he's trying to create a believable world within the unbelievable. A 30-team controlled franchise where he tries to setup some interesting parameters -- interjecting himself into the story at points -- and seeing how everything comes together, which is hopefully in a "believable" manner.
My favorite part of the article comes near the end as he describes why he keeps playing this game:
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And I think that in so many words explains why many people love sports games and get attached to certain versions. Games like College Hoops 2K8, or NCAA Football 2014 or NFL 2K5 are remembered and continue to be played because they're the last of their kind on top of being really good games. And old versions of an ongoing series like NBA 2K can still be remembered and played for similar reasons.
So many are quick to move on to the next year's version because we're fiends like that, but this type of interaction with an "older" sports game makes it understandable why there is such outrage when old games get turned off, and why people fear "always-online" in many situations, and why many believe editing tools should be more and more prominent: You create a world, you want to live in that world, and you want to fix that world so you can live in it for as long as you believe it to be worthwhile
In a way, that can all sound very much like something out of Star Wars where you just want to bring balance to your game and peace to your virtual world. Or it can sound very scary and more like a dictatorship where you demand that things must run this way, or they are otherwise invalid and unacceptable.
Regardless, it's why we play the game, and it's why many keep coming back.
Source - My Crazy, Russian-Modded, Alternate Reality NBA (Kotaku, Rowan Kaiser)
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
01:20 PM - June 3, 2015. Posted by Steve_OS. Written by Chase Becotte
While Konami mentioned last month their main platform would be mobile, the thought of PES being left out was something that bothered many soccer fans.
Well, rest assured PES is not going anywhere, according to a blog posted on Gamasutra by Christian Nutt.
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Of course, that still comes with a bit of a caveat in some respects as Konami Digital Entertainment president Hideki Hayakawa also hinted at microtransactions being part of the appeal.
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None of this should come as a big shock to the system. Konami is making lots of money on gambling-type games and mobile games. The microtransactions found in sports games can be highly lucrative as we've seen with EA's Ultimate Team modes. And sequel-driven elements of sports games fit right in with Konami's business narrative at this point as well.
So what it comes down to is being relieved that a very good soccer game is not going anywhere, but also being aware of how microtransactions and myClub might influence the rest of the game moving forward.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
08:24 PM - June 2, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
The NHL 16 development team once again answered more questions tonight over at their home base. You can find the responses below:
Will a full featured practice mode be back?
A full featured practice mode is high on our priority list but currently not planned for NHL 16.
Are the menus changed and more streamlined then 2015? Have you improved menu performance?
The menus have been worked on and we have made improvements to usability and performance.
Will the AHL affiliate teams be playable in Be a GM mode just like in the previous NHL?
All the AHL teams are back in GM Mode and your AHL affiliate is fully playable. So you can try and win the Stanley Cup and the Calder Cup.
In Be A Pro, are there different ways to start your career or do you always start in the CHL?
Hello Bryan. Be A Pro will allow you to play in three different ways. You can start on any NHL team but you would still have to earn your way to the roster. You can start in the CHL and work your way to being the number 1 pick or you can start at the entry draft where you play in the Memorial Cup and then go to the draft to see where you are drafted.
Will there be more kinds of penalties in NHL 16?
We haven't added new penalties to the game that we haven't had in the past but we have put focus on ensuring our current penalty logic is more solid such as calling boarding, charging, checking from behind and both regular and goalie interference more reliably.
Will you be able to take Timeout and changing Goalies without pausing the game?
Not for this year. We have added the Timeout sequences back into the game though, respecting all the unique bench locations of each of the stadiums and also added in Goalie Swaps so that the broadcast team can focus on the new goalie before the start of the next face-off.
Will Doc yell "score!" like he does in real life when someone scores a goal?
Yes, our audio team has done a great job of capturing the energy Doc has around goal calls. You will even hear some unique calls for some of the stars of the game to make the experience even more authentic.
I saw on the create a player video that there was the ability to select different sticks. Will selecting one stick over the other have an effect on game play or is this purely cosmetic? Thank you!
The effect of a shot comes purely from the ratings of the player taking the shot and the context in which the shot is taken. We have revisited the shot model to ensure players are accountable for how in control they are, the angle of the shot to their target and the direction they are travelling compared to their target. All of these factors can have an affect on both accuracy and power.
In the EASHL mode, will you be able to create your own player from scratch again? I got confused with the OTP where it says you play as nhl players.
You will play as your created pro character in EASHL. You will be able to use authentic players from each of the leagues/teams in OTP.
Will there be some sort of progression on the individual and team level in terms of attributes for EASHL?
Hi Scott, thanks for your question. When we set out to develop the new EASHL, our goal was to create a balanced, competitive experience. One of the first things on our list of things to tackle was whether or not to allow progression that boosted attributes. While we get progression was a rewarding design in the previous EASHL, it didn't necessarily create an even playing field for users who started playing later or didn't boost their stats, etc.
05:51 PM - June 2, 2015. Posted by jpdavis82. Written by Chase Becotte
EA Tiburon is looking for people to come playtest Madden NFL 16 on June 9 from either 1-3 p.m. or 4-6 p.m. You must sign-up and fill out the form as spots are obviously limited.
If you are selected, you will not only get to play Madden, but you will also get a free EA game.
Monday, June 1, 2015
02:13 PM - June 1, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Players On The Rise
The Giants were the big winners this week as their hitting spree in real life carried over to Brandon Belt, Nori Aoki and Joe Panik all getting upgrades. The Cardinals did not do too badly either as Kolten Wong and Michael Wacha both went Gold this week.
Alex Rodriguez going Gold this week is rather wild, but Prince Fielder getting the same treatment was more expected. Justin Upton was the highest-rated player to be boosted this week as he became a 90 overall -- Carlos Gomez dipped to a 90 this week as well but that's in the next section. Jacob deGrom is the final player on the list that went Gold for the week.
The biggest individual winner this week was Delino DeShields Jr. who received a plus-10 in Overall rating.
Tier Changes
(All thanks go to Daddy Leagues for these numbers! They've been so on the ball the last couple weeks I no longer have to sync up before and after roster update video clips to do all the changes myself.)
- Jimmy Paredes went from Bronze to Silver
- Alex Rodriguez went from Silver to Gold
- Munenori Kawasaki went from Common to Bronze
- Prince Fielder went from Silver to Gold
- Josh Hamilton went from Bronze to Silver
- Delino DeShields Jr. went from Common to Bronze
- Pedro Ciriaco went from Common to Bronze
- Jacob deGrom went from Silver to Gold
- Daniel Murphy went from Bronze to Silver
- Michael Wacha went from Silver to Gold
- Kolten Wong went from Silver to Gold
- Andre Ethier went from Bronze to Silver
- Alberto Callaspo went from Common to Bronze
- Brandon Belt went from Bronze to Silver
- Joe Panik went from Bronze to Silver
Jimmy Paredes +3 boost in Overall rating (78 Overall)
Travis Snider +1 (70)
Alex Rodriguez +4 (85) -- +9 Pwr vs. R / +13 Pwr vs. L
Brett Gardner +3 (83) -- +6 Con vs. R
Munenori Kawasaki +1 (69)
Jake Odorizzi +1 (84)
Trevor Plouffe +3 (77) -- +6 Pwr vs. R / +12 Pwr vs. L
Seth Smith +1 (68)
Prince Fielder +3 (87) -- +10 Pwr vs. R / +5 Pwr vs. L
Josh Hamilton +7 (81)
Shawn Tolleson +1 (77)
Delino DeShields Jr. +10 (76) -- +15 Con vs. R / +27 Con vs. L / +12 Stl
Nick Martinez +2 (73)
Stephen Vogt +4 (84) -- +5 Con vs. R / +5 Con vs. L / +5 Pwr vs. R / +10 Pwr vs. L
Angel Castro +3 (67)
George Springer +1 (81)
Cameron Maybin +3 (75)
Pedro Ciraco +6 (71)
Brad Hand +4 (73)
Drew Storen +4 (84)
Tanner Roark +4 (84)
Sammy Solis +4 (68)
Jacob deGrom +4 (86)
Daniel Murphy +4 (80)
Dexter Fowler +2 (81) -- +6 Pwr vs. R / +8 Pwr vs. L
Ryan Braun +1 (86) -- +7 Pwr vs. R
A.J. Burnett +3 (83)
Michael Wacha +3 (86)
Kolten Wong +3 (86) -- +19 Con vs. R / -10 Con vs. L / +10 Pwr vs. R / -8 Pwr vs. L
Nolan Arenado +2 (87) -- +12 Pwr vs. R
D.J. LeMahieu +2 (75) -- +10 Con vs. R / +8 Con vs. L
Yohan Flande +4 (65)
Andre Ethier +4 (79) -- +5 Con vs. R / +9 Con vs. L / +14 Pwr vs. R
Mike Bolsinger +10 (75)
Eric Stults +5 (74)
Alberto Callaspo +2 (70)
Justin Upton +2 (90) -- +6 Pwr vs. R
Nori Aoki +1 (80) -- +9 Con vs. R
Brandon Belt +4 (80) -- +10 Con vs. R / +10 Pwr vs. R
Tim Lincecum +1 (79)
Joe Panik +4 (78) -- +25 Con vs. L
Read More - Robinson Cano Loses Big and More
11:44 AM - June 1, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
The official MLB 15 The Show weekly roster update is available now. The update adds 9 players and includes 141 player movements.
Daddy Leagues have posted the attribute changes for the roster update. Some of the changes include Justin Upton +2 (90), Robinson Cano -5 (88), Nolan Arenado +2 (87), Jose Bautista -2 (87), Prince Fielder +3 (87), Jacob deGrom +4 (86), Michael Wacha +3 (86), Kolten Wong +3 (86), and Alex Rodriguez +4 (85).
Check out all the details below:
Sunday, May 31, 2015
12:52 PM - May 31, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Another week is almost wrapped up in Diamond Dynasty, and with no packs being released over the weekend prices have been soaring almost across the board. So with that in mind, I'll look ahead once again and try to predict who might be getting a ratings boost Monday morning.
I'll be breaking the predictions into tiers based on my own confidence level.
Ratings Boost Probability: High
-Justin Upton - Upton has been ruining the baseball all season, but over the past month he's hitting for average while still hitting bombs.
-Prince Fielder - I predicted Fielder would get a boost last week, and he did get a plus-2 boost. Still, he's not a Gold as of yet. He's hitting .361 on the season (second in MLB behind Dee Gordon) and .381 with 9 home runs over the last 30 days. It seems fair to assume he may go Gold this week.
-Josh Donaldson - Donaldson has put together a great year in Toronto. He's received some boosts already this year, but it's hard to find many players hitting the ball better than him right now.
-Paul Goldschmidt - Goldy is third in WAR, fourth in batting average, third in RBI, second in OPS. In short, he's really good. Even though he's already a Diamond, he should get a boost.
-Drew Storen - Storen is second in saves, has youth on his side and is striking out over a hitter an inning.
-Kyle Gibson - Gibson is a young starter that has been stuck as a Bronze to this point. But he's having a great year that includes an ERA of 1.36 over the past month.
-Mike Bolsinger - This seems like one of those deals where Bolsinger just needs to be boosted to get out of being a Common.
-Kris Bryant - Bryant has the right amount of hype and stats to get to a Gold sooner than later. He's just really good, and when you show that early on, it seems more likely that a ratings boost will follow.
-Brandon Belt - The last time Belt was changed, he actually was downgraded some weeks back. But he's hitting .330 over the last 30 days and that goes along with 6 home runs.
Read on if you would like to check out more players who might be getting a boost this week.
Read More - Ratings Boost Predictions For 6/1/15
Saturday, May 30, 2015
03:07 PM - May 30, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
All credit goes to YouTube user MkElite for this video
So the Bulls and Tom Thibodeau have had a messy break up, and now everybody wants to focus on the negative.
But we here at Operation Sports want to focus on the positive. Like the time Tom Thibodeau and a group of elite NBA coaches took on NBA all-stars and showed them how the game is really supposed to be played.
YouTube user MkElite re-created this moment in a YouTube video back in December, but it feels relevant all over again.
After the jump, you can appreciate some more of those classic moments in GIF form, or you can just watch the video in all its glory.
Read More - Tom Thibodeau Vs. NBA All-Stars
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
01:24 PM - May 27, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
There's a brief window where NFL football goes off to slumber following the NFL Draft -- it's actually a relief. But EA is all like, "Nah son Madden NFL 16 is coming on August 25 and you need a reason to look forward to that when we are not doling out screenshots and junk."
And what's the one mode that is always being updated -- and just so happens to make EA a lot of money? Well Ultimate Team of course! So in step "loyalty rewards" for Madden Ultimate Team.
Now this is something we've seen in some form or fashion in EA's Ultimate Team modes in the past, so in short you can earn rewards for MUT '16 by doing three things in MUT '15:
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By doing these tasks, you'll earn coins, player items and contracts. You will get some of these rewards in MUT '15 and others once Madden 16 comes out.
EA makes it clear which rewards you will get in Madden 15 and which you will get in Madden 16 as each is tied to one of those three aforementioned tasks. You can check out the full release here for that breakdown.
Monday, May 25, 2015
02:15 PM - May 25, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Players On The Rise
Bryce Harper has become everything everyone projected he would be this season, and with that came Diamond tier status in Diamond Dynasty this week. I am not shocked it happened, but I am a little shocked it happened already. He deserves the rating, but he's been getting ratings boosts almost every week so I was not sure if he would get another big one so soon -- but he did. With his upgrade, Harper's no longer needed for the Nationals Collection anymore.
Other big winners this week come from the Braves as Shelby Miller and Freddie Freeman both went Gold. A couple other players who seemed a bit overdue for ratings boost also got an uptick this week in Todd Frazier, Ryan Braun, Freddy Galvis, Jimmy Paredes, Brandon Crawford and Lucas Duda.
The biggest winner this week was Vidal Nuno who was a plus-seven week over week in Overall rating. And the final note is Dee Gordon going up plus-three means he's no longer needed for the Marlins Collection. Therefore, the Marlins are now one of the easier Collections to finish.
Tier Changes
- Ubaldo Jimenez went from Bronze to Silver
- Miguel Gonzalez went from Bronze to Silver
- Nate Karns went from Common to Bronze
- Brandon Guyer went from Common to Bronze
- Russell Martin went from Silver to Gold
- Jason Kipnis went from Silver to Gold
- J.D. Martinez went from Bronze to Silver
- Kendrys Morales went from Bronze to Silver
- Carson Smith went from Bronze to Silver
- Logan Morrison went from Common to Bronze
- Freddie Freeman went from Silver to Gold
- Shelby Miller went from Silver to Gold
- Bryce Harper went from Gold to Diamond
- Lucas Duda went from Bronze to Silver
- Todd Frazier went from Silver to Gold
- Ryan Braun went from Silver to Gold
- Michael Blazek went from Common to Bronze
- Matt Carpenter went from Silver to Gold
- Kevin Siegrist went from Bronze to Silver
- Jhonny Peralta went from Bronze to Silver
- Vidal Nuno went from Common to Bronze
- Yasmani Grandal went from Bronze to Silver
Full List Of Changes
Ubaldo Jimenez +5 boost in Overall rating (81 Overall)
Miguel Gonzalez +3 (79)
Jimmy Paredes +5 (75) -- +11 Con vs. R / +12 Con vs. L / +7 Pwr vs. R
David DeJesus +3 (73)
Logan Forsythe +4 (73)
Nate Karns +4 (70)
Brandon Guyer +5 (69)
Russell Martin +3 (86) -- +15 Con vs. L / +6 Pwr vs. L
Avisail Garcia +2 (75)
Jason Kipnis +3 (87) -- +6 Con vs. R / +10 Pwr vs. R
Jose Iglesias +4 (82) -- +16 Spd / +29 Stl
J.D. Martinez +4 (79)
Anthony Gose +3 (73)
Kendrys Morales +4 (80) -- +7 Con vs. L / +7 Pwr vs. R
Mike Moustakas +2 (80) -- +8 Con vs. R / +11 Con vs. L
Aaron Brooks +5 (68)
Johnny Giavotella +5 (66)
Nelson Cruz +2 (90) -- +3 Pwr vs. R / +3 Pwr vs. L
Carson Smith +6 (80)
Logan Morrison +3 (70)
Prince Fielder +2 (84) -- +6 Con vs. R / +8 Pwr vs. L
Freddie Freeman +3 (87) -- +6 Con vs. L / +9 Pwr vs. L
Shelby Miller +4 (87) -- +7 Sta / BB/9 +6
Cody Martin +5 (74)
Dee Gordon +3 (89) -- +10 Con vs. R / +10 Con vs. L / +15 Vision
Bryce Harper +4 (94) -- +6 Con vs. L / +12 Power vs. L
Yunel Escobar +2 (77) -- +9 Con vs. R / +6 Con vs. L
Michael A. Taylor +1 (67)
Lucas Duda +3 (79) -- +18 Con vs. L / -5 Pwr vs. R
Wiler Flores +2 (71)
Ryan Howard +2 (77) -- +16 Pwr vs. R / -11 Pwr vs. L
Freddy Galvis +4 (77) -- +10 Con vs. R / +19 Con vs. L
Odubel Herrera +4 (72)
Jason Hammel +4 (82)
Todd Frazier +3 (87) -- -11 Con vs. R / +13 Pwr vs. R / +9 Pwr vs. L
Ryan Braun +1 (85) -- -8 Con vs. L / +15 Pwr vs. R / -10 Pwr vs. L
Michael Blazek +6 (70)
Matt Carpenter +2 (86) -- +8 Pwr vs. R / +7 Pwr vs. L
Kevin Siegrist +4 (80)
Jhonny Peralta +3 (79) -- +12 Pwr vs. R / +14 Pwr vs. L
A.J. Pollock +2 (81) -- +12 Pwr vs. L
Rubby De La Rosa +6 (77)
Brad Ziegler +1 (76)
Chase Anderson +5 (76)
Vidal Nuno +7 (72)
Yasmani Grandal +4 (80) -- +9 Con vs. R / +8 Con vs. L / +6 Pwr vs. R
Brandon Crawford +4 (83) -- +9 Con vs. L / +10 Pwr vs. R / +13 Pwr vs. L
Read More - Players on the Decline and More
Sunday, May 24, 2015
04:23 PM - May 24, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
We may or may not get a roster update tomorrow as it's Memorial Day weekend in the States. But whether the update comes Monday or Tuesday, it's time to predict who may be on the rise in the next roster update.
I'll be breaking the predictions into tiers based on my own confidence level.
Ratings Boost Probability: High
Jason Kipnis - He got a plus-one boost last week, but he's done nothing but continue to hit.
Ryan Braun - He was stripped of Gold status earlier in the year, but not many players have hit the ball better than Braun the past month.
Kris Bryant - Bryant got a plus-two boost last week, but I still feel confident projecting him to get another upgrade.
Prince Fielder - Fielder is back and healthy and he's been annihilating the ball as of late.
Brandon Crawford - This is probably a little overdue as Crawford is hitting .350 the last month.
Dexter Fowler - Fowler just has a good mix of power and speed going this year.
Brandon Belt - Belt is crushing the ball in May, and it seems maybe he's putting it together.
Shelby Miller - Miller had the near no-hitter and has just been really good. Based on his price in the marketplace, most others think he's getting a boost as well.
A.J. Burnett - Burnett is another one people in the marketplace are already expecting to get a ratings boost. It's fair at this point, his numbers are silly.
Jason Hammel - Hammel has just been really good this year, and even better over the past month.
Mike Bolsinger - Bolsinger is rolling. He's 27 and not a hot-shot prospect, but I would still be a little surprised if he doesn't get a boost.
James Paxton - Paxton is having just a solid year. This is maybe the one I feel least confident about in this category, but he still seems like a solid candidate for a boost.
After the jump, I'll post my more speculative ratings boost predictions.
Read More - Diamond Dynasty Ratings Boost Predictions
Saturday, May 23, 2015
05:13 PM - May 23, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
A lot of 2K fans out there were probably just happy to get everybody back and healthy in the end-of-year NBA 2K15 roster update, but Jeremy Lin is not too psyched his ratings dipped from 78 at the start of the season to a 75 overall at the end of the year.
"This game is rigged," said Jeremy Lin in the accompanying YouTube video on his friend AJ Rafael's YouTube channel.
Once he got past looking at the grades and looked at the ratings by the numbers, he softened his stance a bit. Still, Jeremy Lin was left in shock when his Strength rating was revealed to be a 35.
After showing the camera his bicep, he recovered long enough to be in agreement with his high quickness and speed ratings. But at the end of the day, it's another athlete not in love with his video game ratings.
Lin's scoring efficiency did dip a bit this season, but between Byron Scott shying away from three-pointers and the Lakers not having the same type of floor spacing as the Rockets, that's not a real surprise. His defense continued to be underrated, and overall while some will call his season in LA a disappointment, I think Lin showed he will have no problem continuing to be a solid contributor in the NBA.
In the meantime, he's put his fans to work by telling them to tell the NBA 2K development team to boost his ratings.
Friday, May 22, 2015
02:27 PM - May 22, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
The folks at Sony San Diego have released two new Diamond Dynasty card packs for the weekend. They are the Ballers Pack and Prime Time Pack.
Details about what can be found in each pack below:
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As of now, the servers are still a little spotty due to some server maintenance that has run a bit long (originally was supposed to last from 3-5 a.m. PST).
Once the servers have returned to normal, Sony has promised to pass along the change notes. If you can't wait to buy some packs or use the marketplace, The Show Nation website seems to be working just fine.
11:57 AM - May 22, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
Codemasters posted the first gameplay teaser trailer for F1 2015 this morning. You can get a look at the trailer embedded below, and we've also grabbed from screenshots from the trailer, which are also embedded below.
The trailer features some of the venues you will be racing at as well as some close up shots in rain-slicked, day and night environments. It's a quick tease so you will want to watch it a couple times to squeeze out all the details you can.
F1 2015 will release on July 21, 2015 on Xbox One, PS4 and Steam.
UPDATE: Codemasters sent updated info, the release date is now set for July 21, 2015.
11:13 AM - May 22, 2015. Posted by ChaseB. Written by Chase Becotte
NASCAR '15 is out today. So if you are looking to look at Jeff Gordon's beautiful virtual face one last time before he retires, this is your ticket (until he's probably a legend in future versions of the game).
The game is out now on Steam and can be downloaded for $19.99. It is not out yet on the Xbox 360 or PS3 marketplaces, but there were rumors it may be a digital download weeks back so we will update this post if it shows up in those stores.
If you have picked up the game, feel free to post any impressions below.
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