OLEKSANDR TKACHOV

Call of Duty, electronic game that brought new advances to the first-person shooter genre, winning numerous game of the year awards in 2003 and 2004 following its 2003 debut. Designed by the American company Infinity Ward and produced by Activision, Call of Duty used World War II as a setting, allowing players to see the war through the eyes of American, Soviet, and British soldiers. Call of Duty combined challenging single-player missions with a multiplayer engine that breathed new life into a genre spawned by such gaming greats as Doom and Quake.

Call of Duty allowed players to advance through World War II in a series of campaigns or to battle it out against human opponents in its multiplayer mode. Solo play featured a cast of computer-controlled allies to better simulate actual war, during which a soldier would have been part of a large group rather than always fighting alone. The ability to pull up and aim firearms, to relive the last few seconds of a fallen comrade’s life, and to realistically be stunned by nearby explosions were notable features that helped distance the game from its competitors.

The popularity of Call of Duty spawned multiple sequels and expansions, such as Call of Duty II, Call of Duty: Finest Hour, and Call of Duty III. The series explored new ground in 2007 when Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare was released, giving players the chance to immerse themselves in a future conflict between the United States, the United Kingdom, and Russia. A hit with players and critics alike, Modern Warfare was the best-selling game of 2007 and helped the series maintain its place at the top of the war game genre. Its sequel, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, set entertainment industry records during its first five days of release in November 2009, grossing more than $550 million in worldwide sales. The game’s single-player mode featured a deeply engaging counterterrorism story line, and its robust multiplayer mode drew more than two million users to Xbox Live, marking a one-day record for the online gaming service. The franchise’s next release, Call of Duty: Black Ops, topped $360 million in sales on its first day of release in November 2010, easily becoming the largest entertainment opening of the year. The game featured a single-player story rooted in the events of the Cold War, and it offered an evenly balanced, heavily customizable multiplayer mode. The Modern Warfare series came to a close in November 2011 with Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, a game that broke global records with $775 million in sales in its first five days of release.

ISO 9001 is defined as the international standard that specifies requirements for a quality management system (QMS). Organizations use the standard to demonstrate the ability to consistently provide products and services that meet customer and regulatory requirements.

ISO 9001 was first published in 1987 by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), an international agency composed of the national standards bodies of more than 160 countries. The current version of ISO 9001 was released in September 2015.

ISO 9001 is based on the plan-do-check-act methodology and provides a process-oriented approach to documenting and reviewing the structure, responsibilities, and procedures required to achieve effective quality management in an organization. Specific sections of the standard contain information on many topics, such as:

Requirements for a QMS, including documented information, planning and determining process interactions

Responsibilities of management

Management of resources, including human resources and an organization’s work environment

Product realization, including the steps from design to delivery

Measurement, analysis, and improvement of the QMS through activities like internal audits and corrective and preventive action

Changes introduced in the 2015 ISO 9001 revision are intended to ensure that ISO 9001 continues to adapt to the changing environments in which organizations operate. Some of the key updates in ISO 9001:2015 include:

-The introduction of new terminology

-Restructuring some of the information

-An emphasis on risk-based thinking to enhance the application of the process approach

-Improved applicability for services

-Increased leadership requirements

Bitumen membranes (Bituminous waterproofing systems) are designed to protect residential and commercial buildings. Bitumen (asphalt or coal-tar pitch) is a mixed substance made up of organic liquids that are highly sticky, viscous, and waterproof.These systems are sometimes used to construct roofs, in the form of roofing felt or roll roofing products.

Roofing felt

Roofing felt (similar to tar paper) is the base material used to make roof shingles and roll roofing. Used for decades as waterproof coverings in residential and commercial roofs, these bitumen compositional membranes incorporate two layers. The first underside polymer membrane is used as a solid background, often reinforced with glass fibers. Mineral granules make up the self-protective top layer, with a final bituminous mixture encapsulating them both.Typical uses of felt paper are as an underlay(ment) (sarking) beneath other building materials, particularly roofing and siding materials, and is one type of membrane used in asphalt built up roofing (BUR) systems. The rapid application of roofing underlay protects the roof deck during construction until the roofing material is applied and is required for roofs required to meet Underwriters Laboratory (UL) fire ratings. The separation of the roof covering from the roof deck protects the roof covering from resins in some sheathing materials and cushions unevenness and old nails and splinters in re-roofing applications. The underlayment also sheds water, which penetrates the roof covering from an ordinary leak, a leak from wind-driven rain or snow, wind damage to the roof covering, or ice dams. However, the application of underlays may increase the roof temperature, which is the leading cause of ageing of asphalt shingles; and felt paper wrinkles when it gets wet, which may (rarely) show through asphalt shingles. Not installing an underlay may void the roof covering warranty.

Manufacturing process

Roofing felt is manufactured in roll format. Rolls of base felt are pulled on rollers through large tanks of bitumen mixes until they are saturated with the tar-like bitumen mixture, producing rolls of water-resistant but breathable material.

Modified bitumen is mixed with filler components such as limestone, sand, or polymers such as atactic polypropylene (APP) that gives rigidity and tear resistance or styrene-butadiene styrene (SBS), a rubber additive that gives more elastic benefits.

PKN ORLEN is the largest manufacturer and distributor of petroleum products and chemicals in Poland and one of the largest in the region of Central and Eastern Europe. The company deals with the processing of crude oil to unleaded gasoline, diesel, heating oil, jet fuel, plastics and petrochemical products. The Group manages seven refineries in Poland, Czech Republic and Lithuania, it also has the largest gasoline stations network in Central Europe.

PKN Orlen is the largest company in Central and Eastern Europe and is listed in global rankings such as Fortune Global 500, Platts TOP250 and Thompson Reuters TOP100.

Foundation (1999)

The firm was created through the merger of two state-run petrochemical firms: C.P.N. (Centrala Produktów Naftowych), Communist Poland's petroleum retail monopoly and Petrochemia Płock, the state firm in charge of the oil refineries in Płock, the largest complex of its kind in Poland. After the merger of CPN and Petrochemia Płock in 1999, the company was renamed as Polski Koncern Naftowy (PKN), with Orlen added several months later as the consortium's brand name. The new name is derived from Orl- for "orzeł" (Polish: eagle) and its adjective "orli", and -en for "energia" (Polish: energy)

International Expansions (2003-2014)

After losses in 2000 and 2001 the fund returned 25% in 2002. Until July 2003 it grew by nearly one-third since March and in total the fund was up by about 60% since the start in 1994.

In 2003 PKN Orlen had the chance to acquire 500 filling stations in Northern Germany from BP under premise of an anti-competition rule when BP took over Aral. As of 2007 PKN Orlen has 581 filling stations in Germany (484 under the Star brand, 58 under the Orlen brand and 29 under a supermarket brand).

In January 2003 PKN Orlen and MOL signed a Memorandum of Understanding whereby they agreed intention to initiate co-operation in the Central and Eastern European oil sector. They hoped that the collaboration would allow them both to benefit from the synergies and to compete more effectively in the global competition. In July 2003 the Croatian INA refinery was sold for $505 million to PKN Orlen's competitor, the Hungarian oil company MOL. This strengthen MOL's position in the battle for control of Central Europeans and Balkan fuel markets.

Furthermore, PKN Orlen was involved in merger talks with MOL Group in 2005. If merged, the two firms would have created a regional giant, and controlled much of Central Europe's oil industry. However, the planned merger failed due to high politicization. Following the dropped merger plans, PKN Orlen bought a majority stake in Czech Unipetrol. During May 2006, the company announced its largest investment ever when it took over a majority share of 84.3% of Lithuania's Mažeikių Nafta, the largest company in the Baltic states. It was partly bought from Yukos (53.7%) and partly from the Lithuanian government (30.6%) in December. Earlier on 12 October a fire damaged the Mažeikių refinery, which caused a loss about $75 million.With the completion of the takeover, PKN Orlen became Central Europe's largest company.

In May 2007 after Lithuania sold its refinery to PKN Orlen, Russian government approved the construction of a new $2 billion pipeline, that passes Belarus and Lithuania.

In 2007 the unit of Polish oil group PKN Orlen PKNA.WA and Dwory Chemicals bought a synthetic rubber company Kaucuk from Czech oil group Unipetrol UNPEsp.PR. The sale was part of a drive by Unipetrol to divest non-core assets and to focus on petrochemical, oil refinery and fuel retailing business

In 2010 PKN Orlen had a reported revenue of $28.8 billion. Next year it was the largest fuel retailer in Poland with over 2000 locations. The company ran the most advanced and the second largest complex for terephthalic acid production in Europe.

In 2013 PKN Orlen and Klaipedos Nafta oil terminal negotiated the co-operation on a new pipeline supported by the Lithuanian government. In order to establish the company in Canada and to become an oil producer PKN Orlen bought the oil and gas company TriOil Resources Ltd for $169 million in September 2013. After its first foreign expansion the company acquired Birchill Exploration Ltd due to double its production in May 2014.

PKN Orlen, under a joint venture with the Netherlands firm Basell, also owns Poland's largest plastics company.

2015 - present day

In 2019 PKN Orlen sponsored Wiliams Racing and driver Robert Kubica in Formula One with 10 million Euro. After Kubica's move to Alfa Romeo Racing in 2020, the Polish petrol retailer became the co-title sponsor of the team.

In 2019, PKN Orlen opened its first petrol station in Slovakia through its Czech subsidiary Unipetrol under the Benzina brand. At the end of 2020, 20 Orlen stations were operating in Slovakia.

At the end of 2019, Orlen and PZU established the "Sigma Bis" media agency.

Orlen has been implementing a development strategy since 2018, which involves transforming the company into a multi-energy and commercial group. In April 2020, PKN Orlen acquired 80% of Energa shares, and on 14 July 2020 announced that it obtained permission the European Commission's for the takeover of Lotos. In November 2020, Orlen it became the owner of 65% of Ruch SA shares. On 7 December 2020 Orlen signed an agreement to acquire 100% of shares in the media and press company "Polska Press" and the transaction was carried out on 1 March 2021. In December 2020, Orlen bought an agricultural biogas plant Bioenergy Project, which it will transform into a biomethane plant. To secure supplies, the company Biozec, responsible for the sale and distribution of thermal energy supplied by the biogas plant, was also acquired. In 2021, Orlen bought 4 wind farms: in February, the Kanin farm with a capacity of 20 MW, and in March, another three with a total capacity of 89.4 MW.

On 14 July 2020, PKN Orlen announced its intention to take over PGNiG, and on 10 May 2021, it submitted a takeover application to the Office of Competition and Consumer Protection

What does the American Dream mean today? For Niko Bellic, fresh off the boat from Europe, it is the hope he can escape his past. For his cousin, Roman, it is the vision that together they can find fortune in Liberty City, the gateway to the land of opportunity. As they slip into debt and are dragged into a criminal underworld by a series of shysters, thieves, and sociopaths, they discover that the reality is very different from the dream in a city that worships money and status, and is heaven for those who have them and a living nightmare for those who don't.”

— Official Description

Grand Theft Auto IV (also known as GTA IV or GTA 4) is the eleventh title in the Grand Theft Auto series and the first game in the HD Universe of the series.

Development of Grand Theft Auto IV began soon after the release of San Andreas and was shared between many of Rockstar's studios worldwide. The game introduced a shift to a more realistic and detailed style and tone for the series. Unlike previous entries, Grand Theft Auto IV lacked a strong cinematic influence, as the team attempted an original approach to the story. As part of their research for the open world, the development team conducted extensive field research in New York, capturing over 100,000 photographs and several hours of video. The developers considered the world to be the most important element of the game; though not the largest map in the series, they considered it comparable in scope due to its verticality and level of detail. The budget climbed to over US$100 million, making it one of the most expensive video games to develop.

The game was developed by Rockstar North and was published and released by Rockstar Games for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, and PC. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions were released worldwide to widespread hype on April 29, 2008. GTA IV has subsequently been awarded the Gaming World Record of the Most Successful Entertainment Launch of All Time, and has received numerous other awards and accolades. The PC version was released on December 3, 2008. GTA IV and Grand Theft Auto: Episodes from Liberty City were released for Xbox One via backwards compatibility on February 9

Gameplay

Grand Theft Auto IV is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story. It is possible to have several active missions running at one time, as some require players to wait for further instructions or events. Outside of missions, players can freely roam the game's open world and complete optional side missions. Composed of the fictional city of Liberty City, the world is larger in area than most earlier Grand Theft Auto series entries. At the beginning of the game, players can only explore the first island—composed of Dukes and Broker—with all other islands unlocking as the story progresses.

Players use melee attacks, firearms and explosives to fight enemies, and may run, jump, swim or use vehicles to navigate the game's world. There is a first-person perspective option when using vehicles. In combat, auto-aim and a cover system can be used as assistance against enemies. Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated by eating, using medical kits, or calling for paramedics. If players commit crimes, the game's law enforcement agencies may respond as indicated by a "wanted" meter in the head-up display (HUD). On the meter, the displayed stars indicate the current wanted level (for example, at the maximum six-star level, efforts by law enforcement to incapacitate players become very aggressive). Law enforcement officers will search for players who leave the wanted vicinity. The wanted meter enters a cool-down mode and eventually recedes when players are hidden from the officers' line of sight.

“One of the most influential and successful games ever made.”

— The New York Times

Grand Theft Auto III is a 2001 action-adventure game developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games. It is the third main entry in the Grand Theft Auto series, following 1999's Grand Theft Auto 2, and the fifth instalment overall. Set within the fictional Liberty City (loosely based on New York City), the story follows Claude, a silent protagonist who, after being betrayed and left for dead by his girlfriend during a robbery, embarks on a quest for revenge that leads him to become entangled in a world of crime, drugs, gang warfare, and corruption. The game is played from a third-person perspective and its world is navigated on foot or by vehicle. Its open world design lets players freely roam Liberty City, consisting of three main areas.

Development was shared between DMA Design, based in Edinburgh, and Rockstar, based in New York City. Much of the development involved transforming popular elements from the Grand Theft Auto series into a fully 3D world for the first time.

Grand Theft Auto III is an action-adventure game played from a third-person perspective. Players complete missions—linear scenarios with set objectives—to progress through the story.It is possible to have several missions available at a time, as some missions require players to wait for further instructions or events. Outside of missions, players can freely roam the game's open world, and have the ability to complete optional side missions. Liberty City is composed of three boroughs: Portland, Staunton Island, and Shoreside Vale; the latter two areas become unlocked as the player progresses through the storyline.

Gameplay

Players may run, jump or use vehicles to navigate the game's world.In combat, auto-aim can be used as assistance against enemies. Should players take damage, their health meter can be fully regenerated through the use of health pick-ups. Body armour can be used to absorb gunshots and explosive damage, but is used up in the process. When health is entirely depleted, gameplay stops and players respawn at the nearest hospital, at the expense of losing armour, weapons, and an amount of money.

Grand Theft Auto III was universally acclaimed upon its release in October 2001. Critics praised the game for its presentation, game design, freedom, sound design and ambition, though it was a subject of controversy due to its violent nature. Multiple publications deemed it a revolutionary title for its advancements in game design and open-ended gameplay, and it was awarded a variety of end-year accolades. A commercial success, GTA 3 sold over 14 million copies.

In 2011, the game was re-released on iOS and Android devices for its 10-year anniversary under the title Grand Theft Auto III: 10 Year Anniversary Edition. It was met with positive responses, with gaming publications praising its visuals, though criticism was directed at the port's controls.

On November 11, 2021, the game was re-released on 8th and 9th generation consoles for its 20-year anniversary under the title Grand Theft Auto III - The Definitive Edition, included in the Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy - The Definitive Edition bundle.

Grand Theft Auto 2 is an action-adventure game, developed by DMA Design and published by Rockstar Games, for Microsoft Windows and the PlayStation in October 1999, and the Dreamcast and Game Boy Color in 2000. It is the sequel to 1997's Grand Theft Auto, and the second main instalment of the Grand Theft Auto series. Set within a retrofuturistic metropolis known as "Anywhere City", the game focuses on players taking on the role of a criminal as they roam a fictional futuristic city, conducting jobs for various crime syndicates and having free rein to do whatever they wish to achieve their goal. The game's intro is unique for a title in the series, as it involved live-action scenes filmed by Rockstar Games.

The game received mixed reviews from critics, though the GBC version fared the worst, but was a modest commercial success. Grand Theft Auto 2 was succeeded by Grand Theft Auto III in October 2001, which started a new era for the series, while the game itself was re-released on Steam in January 2008

Like its predecessor Grand Theft Auto, the game focuses on players completing a series of levels, each requiring a set target score being achieved in order to progress to the next stage. Points are awarded from various criminal actions such as destroying cars, selling vehicles, and completing missions for various crime syndicates, with the latter awarding more points than doing simple criminal actions. Creating chaos from their crimes will cause the player to be wanted by the police who will hound the player to arrest or kill them, with higher wanted levels increasing the level of response used. Being arrested or dying loses the player any equipment they found, and impacts their multiplier bonus.

Developer

Rockstar North

Platform

PC, Sega Dreamcast, GameBoy Color, PSOne

Release Date

October 27, 1999

Technonikol was founded in 1992. In 1993 an office was opened in Moscow. In 1994, the company launched the production of rolled roofing materials at the Vyborg Ruberoid Plant. In 1995, a regional trading office was opened in St. Petersburg. As of the end of 1999, TechnoNIKOL owned 5 production sites and 35 sales offices in different regions of Russia. The company also entered the Ukrainian market by opening a sales office in Kiev.

n the period from 2000 to 2003, TechnoNIKOL acquires the first plant outside of Russia - Gargzdu MIDA (Lithuania) - and launches the production of shingles under the Shinglas brand. Under the Techno brand, a series of thermal insulation materials made of stone wool comes out. The release of mastics has been adjusted. The number of sales outlets amounted to 50 pieces.

In 2004, the TechnoNIKOL Scientific Center was opened. TechnoNIKOL opens a plant for the production of bitumen and bitumen-polymer materials in Dneprodzerzhinsk (Ukraine). In Ryazan, together with the company Chova (Spain), the largest plant for the production of Shinglas tiles in Russia was opened.

In 2006-2008 TechnoNIKOL starts production of extruded polystyrene foam under the Technoplex brand.

In 2013, TechnoNIKOL bought the Italian building materials plant Italiana Membrane

In 2014, TechnoNIKOL acquired 100% of the shares of the Italian building materials manufacturer Imper Italia S.p.A.

In 2016, a plant for the production of thermal insulation materials based on polyisocyanurate foam (PIR) was launched in Ryazan

In 2020, TechnoNIKOL opened 2 enterprises in Khabarovsk - a plant for the production of plastic drainage systems

NFT games use blockchain technology in order to:

-Prove the history of ownership

-Assets secured with blockchain are immutable, they cannot be changed or edited

-Decentralization: it is available to all players to view and use

The first known game to use blockchain technologies was CryptoKitties, launched by Axiom Zen in November 2017 for personal computers, where the player would purchase NFTs with Ethereum cryptocurrency, each NFT consisting of a virtual pet that the player could breed with others to create offspring with combined traits as new NFTs

Blockchain technology, such as cryptocurrencies and NFTs, are seen as additional monetization routes for video games. Many live-service games offer in-game customization options, such as character skins or other in-game items, which the players can earn and trade with other players using in-game currency. Some games also allow for trading of virtual items using real-world currency, but this may be illegal in some countries where video games are seen as akin to gambling, and has led to gray market issues such as skin gambling, and thus publishers typically have shied away from allowing players to earn real-world funds from games.[1] Blockchain games typically allow players to trade these in-game items for cryptocurrency, which can then be exchanged for money, while avoiding problems associated with gray markets due to blockchain's accountability.

Rockstar Games, Inc. is an American video game publisher based in New York City. The company was established in December 1998 as a subsidiary of Take-Two Interactive, using the assets Take-Two had previously acquired from BMG Interactive. Founding members of the company were Sam and Dan Houser, Terry Donovan and Jamie King, who worked for Take-Two at the time, and of which the Houser brothers were previously executives at BMG Interactive. Sam Houser heads the studio as president

Since 1999, several companies acquired by or established under Take-Two have become part of Rockstar Games, such as Rockstar Canada (later renamed Rockstar Toronto) becoming the first one in 1999, and Rockstar Dundee the most recent in 2020. All companies organized under Rockstar Games bear the "Rockstar" name and logo. In this context, Rockstar Games is sometimes also referred to as Rockstar New York, Rockstar NY or Rockstar NYC. Rockstar Games also sports a motion capture studio in Bethpage, New York

Blockchain game is a video game that includes elements that use cryptography-based blockchain technologies. Blockchain elements in these games are most often based on the use of cryptocurrency or non-fungible tokens (NFTs) which players can buy, sell, or trade with other players.

TechnoNIKOL is a Russian company, a manufacturer of roofing, waterproofing and heat-insulating materials. It owns factories in Russia, Belarus, Lithuania, Italy, Poland, Great Britain and Germany, as well as scientific divisions, representative offices and training centers.

The total number of employees is about 6400 people. It is one of the five largest European manufacturers of waterproofing materials. In the Forbes rating of the largest Russian private companies, TechnoNIKOL took 115th place in 2020