Hot Koehl

I typically hate the random flash games that go around the web, but I stumbled on one today that’s actually pretty fun, if only because of the mechanic at work. It’s called Invisible Cursor.

The game randomly spawns targets for you to click, but you can’t see the mouse cursor, forcing you to “feel” your way to each target. You do get a quick highlight of the cursor location each time you click, but it’s really brief and is accompanied by a screen flash and the target shattering. Oh and you only have a few seconds to shoot your next target.

It’s got all the depth of most web games (i.e. none), but the effect of trying to hit targets without seeing your cursor is very similar to playing a first person shooter. Lots of motion on the screen and you need to be accurate, thus demanding fast response times and a lot of eye-hand coordination. If you suck a sniping, I suggest you play this for a while to improve your aiming skills.

My top score right now is 164 408. Feel free to brag in the comments if you beat me.

Share

I wanted to post another post in the “for fun” category on Friday, but couldn’t come up with anything decent. Late-night stumbles to the rescue! Better late than never, right?

Anyway, what kind of a beat would you throw down using the gun sound effects from Call of Duty 4? Serpento has one idea…

Share

The best part of playing Valve’s Portal was listening to GLaDOS “encourage” you throughout the game. The lines she delivers are just fantastic. Recently I found a site plugin containing all her memorable gems, which I have plugged into this post. Enjoy.

Share

With the untimely and unfortunate death of beloved Logitech G5, I was forced to quickly find a replacement. While I know I could simply get a replacement, I figured it might be time to look for newer gear. So after a thorough Google consultation and some in-store browsing, I purchased a Logitech G9 through Amazon.

Let’s just say this is the first and last time I will ever purchase a mouse without getting my hands on it.

At first glance, the mouse seems to be a perfect fit for any hardcore PC gamer, or anyone who spends extended time working on a computer.

First the physical stuff. The eye is a laser instead of infrared. Some people complained that early laser models had a “floaty” feel to them; that effect is gone in newer ones, and provides very good movement accuracy and responsiveness. The bottom of the mouse has broad contact pads, making for very smooth movement across any decent mousing surface (I use a Funcpad F-series F10.s). The gripping surface of the mouse is made to endure extended usage, with a coating that prevents getting sticky or slippery with sweaty hands. Plus the body itself is customizable; you can swap covers to allow for different grips and hand sizes (the unit comes with two sizes). Finally, the scroll wheel can move in a smooth, fluid fashion, or use a “precision mode” with the familiar slight drag.

Under the hood is even more impressive. Like the G5, you can customize the the Report Rate — how often the system reads the mouse for movement. There are 5 possible values, as low as 125 reports/second (about equal to your typical cheapo mouse) or as high as 1000. The higher settings makes the mouse movement extremely responsive and precise.

Also like the G5, you can modify the DPI setting on the fly. Changing the DPI will increase or decrease how far the cursor moves in relation to the mouse. A higher DPI and the mouse cursor moves very fast, a low DPI and the motion becomes more precise. Gamers love this because you can use a high setting in high velocity situations, and a low DPI for things like sniping.

However unlike the G5, the G9 sports an extensive profile system, which allows you to set various DPI sensitivity layouts, in addition to completely custom button mappings, scroll settings, movement speed (which is not DPI), and acceleration. These profiles can be activated based on program — one for games, another for photo editing, etc. — or can be manually switched using a button on the bottom of the mouse. As if that weren’t enough you can store up to 5 of these custom profiles right on the mouse, allowing you to unplug it and take those settings with you. You can store as many profiles as you like on your computer.

All of this sounds impressive. But no matter how nice the bells and whistles, the number one concern when picking a mouse is hand comfort, and the G9 fails miserably in that category for me. The G9 completely lacks the extended length and high arching curve typical of Logitech mice, opting instead for a shorter length and thinner, flatter profile. So instead of supporting your whole hand down to the butt of your palm, it drops off just past your knuckles, severely limiting your ability to firmly grip the mouse.

The thin profile means that you have to tuck your ring and pinky fingers to get them out of the way when moving the mouse, as opposed to the big arch in most Logitech mice that suitably supported your unused digits. If you’ve ever used one of those impossibly tiny travel mice and gotten cramps after using them for a while, you know exactly what I’m talking about here.

There are consequences for the other side of your hand; thick thumbs will have a hard time staying away from the back and forward button on account of the limited space between the top and bottom of the thumb area.

Keep in mind that I did all my testing with the “Wide Load Grip,” a name I decry as a misnomer. The thinner “Precision Grip” was even worse. Perhaps a better custom grip would solve these issues, but as far as I can tell Logitech is not selling any additional grip designs.

The left and right mouse buttons are concave instead of convex, with the left mouse button sporting a deeper well than the right. Due to the curvature of the rest of the mouse body, this layout creates a noticeable gap under your index finger (not as pronounced on the right mouse button). This only exacerbates problems with the DPI button arrangement (more on that later), creating a strong likelihood of accidental clicks.

The scroll wheel itself feels sturdy, but the motion is terrible. I personally don’t like a smooth scrolling wheel, and prefer a crisp click vibration when I move the wheel. Since this mouse does both, the click mode feels like a sloppy half-measure. Tilting the wheel left and right (those are “buttons” too) feels very good, but pushing the wheel down for the middle click is abysmal. It has a ton of resistance, doesn’t go deep enough when you push it, and lacks an audible “click” noise. The net result: you’re often unsure if you’ve actually activated the mouse wheel click, deliberately or accidentally, and you must check the screen for a result; way more effort than necessary.

They also moved the buttons and indicators for the DPI setting from their earlier location. On the G5, they had two ‘up’ and ‘down’ buttons that sat below the scroll wheel, with an indicator that sat on the edge of the mouse to the left of your thumb. It was easy to quickly read and change the settings without moving your hand too much.

On the G9, the buttons are turned horizontal and placed directly below the clicking area of the left mouse button, and the indicator is above the button. There’s no comfortable way to look at or change the DPI setting without removing your hand from the mouse completely, and its very easy to accidentally hit the button with the bottom of your index finger. I honestly have no idea what they were thinking. Obviously the intention was to allow quick setting changes with the bottom of your knuckle, but (a) I never need to change the DPI setting that fast or frequently, and (b) it’s a little straining to keep my finger in a restful position with this arrangement.

Ultimately, the design lends itself to people with small hands, and those who like to “blanket” or “float” their hand over the mouse (aka palm grip) will probably be satisfied (not enthusiastic) with the G9. However people who prefer to maintain a tight grip around the mouse (aka claw grip), or any decent-sized hand will find the form of the Logitech G9 completely unappealing.

Logitech G9 ~$50
Pros

• Excellent surface material
• Great supporting software
• Very customizable

Cons

• Terrible shape for most hands, lacks “grip-ability”
• Lots of accidental clicks to back/forward buttons, DPI switches
• DPI switches & indicators less visible, accessible
• Crappy scroll wheel

Decision: Fail
Returning it to Amazon and purchasing another G5.

Share

Factoid about me: PlanetSide ranks in the top 5 for my all-time favorite gaming experiences. A persistent MMO world that was essentially a massive FPS match, there was nothing like it. You’d be part of an army of literally hundreds, all working together to attack an outpost tower, a large base, a continent. Grounds troops rushing in, with actual artillery, tanks, and air support, and all human players. Mind-blowingly awesome.

Recently, a gaming buddy of mine from my PlanetSide days pointed me to an upcoming title called Global Agenda. On the surface it looks like a very similar attempt to blend an MMO environment with FPS gameplay and RPG “stat” elements. In my opinion PlanetSide was a game ahead of its time, as massive worlds (WoW), deep tactics (WoW, WAR), and strong community elements (WoW, Steam, CoD, XBL, etc etc) have only really taken hold in the past 5 years or so. A game setting out to do something similar today could be positively outstanding.

Needless to say, I am registered for the Beta, waiting with bated breath. I recommend you do the same.

Share

I purchased Mario Kart Wii and decided to register it at Club Nintendo. It’s an interesting service and I’m playing along to see where they go with it. If you want to register your own Nintendo games, you can find it on the back of a bifold pamphlet included in the game case. Some older games refer to the service as “My Nintendo” — if you had an account there, the system will automatically send you through a transfer process when you log in.

Anyway, after entering the registration code, the system prompted to fill out a quick survey about my purchase. The final question read as follows:

Please share with us your thoughts/comments about Mario Kart Wii. (255 character max)

I didn’t have anything, so I skipped it. Nintendo didn’t like that, and kicked me back to the survey. There was no error message at the top, I had to scroll through the survey to find this message above the comments question:

Please enter your comment

I replied thoughtfully:

Don’t require comments. And if you are going to require them, don’t say “please.”

What have we learned here:

• Don’t require users to fill in a comment block on a survey
• Place some form of error message at the top of a submitted page
• Frank plays Mario Kart Wii (it’s really good)

Share

I just hopped onto Steam, gearing up for some TF2, and I was presented with a fantastic news update. Some bootstrapping directors made a short film called Escape From City 17. If you’ve played Half-Life 2, the story covers some of the citizens trying to get out of the city after Dr. Gordon Freeman and Alyx Vance set the Citadel to blow. According to Valve, they made the film with very limited cash, donated equipment and props, and lots of effects borrowed from the Source Engine. It’s mind-blowing how well it came out.

I was getting a very jittery display, so I recommend you download the video in hi-res to really appreciate it. What, never heard of pwnYouTube? Well now I’ve given you two great recommendations today!

After watching it, I immediately went to check out their site (www.purchasebrothers.com), but it looks like their host has shut them down due to billing issues. If anyone with contacts to Purchase Brothers reads this, get them in touch with me. I’d be happy to cover their next month’s hosting if I get to see more kick-ass video like that.

Update: Looks like they’re back up. And it didn’t cost me anything.

Update 2: Site’s been offline for quite some time, looks like they’ve shut down for good. That’s a shame. Guess my enjoyment will start and end with this one incredible piece.

Share

http://www.cakespy.com/2009/01/taking-it-to-sweet-cupcake-street-art.html

Sure they’re handing out cupcakes instead of backstabs, but it’s still pretty hilarious. And awesome.

If that doesn’t make any sense, play Team Fortress 2 and look for this spray in-game.

Share

When I’m not coding, I’m gaming. Pretty standard formula. My latest gaming indulgence is Valve’s Left 4 Dead, offering the most original take on the first person shooter formula that I’ve ever seen (and I play a LOT of FPS).

Okay, 30-second summary. L4D sets itself apart through its 4-man survivor team mechanic. Whether you play cooperatively or versus, you and 3 buddies have to navigate a level chock full of zombies. How many zombies? Your pistol has unlimited ammo, if that helps put things in perspective. While you’ll enjoy a surplus of zombies to shoot, you’ll simultaneously suffer from a strong lack of health. Maps will usually have 4-8 health packs, but each person can only carry one at a time. When — not if — you run out of health, you don’t die right away, but become incapacitated, lying on the ground with only your pistol. Your health slowly ticks down until it runs out, or a teammate picks you back up. Fall three times and your done. Finally the big kicker: friendly fire is not a selectable option, it is always on. The fastest way to failure is through the back of your teammates, so you must watch where you run and shoot.

Suffice it to say, it’s new, different, and I love it. With a little practice I quickly learned to check my fire, leave no man behind, and keep an eye behind for flanking hordes or player-controlled zombies when playing versus.

Unfortunately, I seem to be in a very select group of players who have grasped the best tactics for these mechanics. I’ve never seen such extended suckiness in a multiplayer game. We’re well past the window of general introduction, and I’m still finding n00bish behavior to be the norm (I play L4D on PC, jackass console gamers are almost a rule). Co-op campaigns going horribly awry when someone runs way ahead, lags way behind, or empties half a clip into a teammate. Outclassed versus matches where survivors don’t make it 30 feet, or zombies that don’t scratch said survivors. I try to instruct the unenlightened, but alas, he’s been killed by the tank, or wiped out by survivors after running headlong out in the open as a boomer.

It’s so bad that I now start each map with the same phrase: “Stick together, keep moving, focus on the tanks.” Here’s some more detail on what I’m trying to convey. Be sure to pass the information along to any rage-quitting ass-clowns you may encounter…

Stick Together
Can’t over-emphasize this one. All zombie classes have an incapacitation ability: general horde impede your movement, which can get bad when you’re hit by boomer puke; hunters and smokers both eliminate your ability to do anything. The solution is obvious: you count on your teammates to rescue you…which is really tough when you’re halfway across the map!

Your teammates should always be 1 turn away or less. Don’t go off on your own. Ever. Clear enough?

Keep Moving
Running behind is just as bad as running ahead. Aside from slowing everyone down (boring!), you also run the risk of incurring the random horde. If your team lingers for too long without advancing in the map, the game penalizes you with an automatic and unscheduled horde assault. Special zombies also pop randomly from behind when you stall. Campaigns are often slow and steady, but keep emphasis on the “steady.”

Keep Moving FASTER
After applying the previous rule in campaign mode, double triple it in versus. Your team scores points in versus based on how far you make it through an individual area. Even if your team dies, you still gets points for distance. In addition, your zombie opponents can maximize their damage when they have time to set up coordinated ambushes (e.g. hunter-hunter-smoker-boomer). It’s much more difficult to cause damage when they’re chasing a track team.

Don’t scour every room and kill every zombie. Take the shortest, fastest route, and never, ever stop!

“Everyone on the tank!”
I say it every time I encounter one. When a tank shows up, everyone has to unload on it. At once. Until it’s dead. No exceptions. If you are not shooting the tank, you are passively contributing to your team’s imminent demise. All other targets are secondary, including special zombies. The “stick together” rule works fantastically here, because you’ll kill the tank really fast — I’ve seen him go down in versus in less than 30 seconds — and cover each other from special zombies.

Shape up, L4D n00bs. I’m begging you. It feels like an endless suckfest far too often. Win or lose, I just want a good game!

Share

FYI if you run Mirror’s Edge on your PC and the sound effects are all outta whack, check to see if you have a Realtek sound card installed. Their older high definition drivers don’t work properly with the game, and you’ll have to download the latest version.

Now, chances are that your Realtek is built into your motherboard; that’s how they sell most of their gear. In most cases, you should install drivers for onboard devices — aka stuff built into the mother board, network card, sound card, etc — provided directly by your motherboard retailer. However this update is new this month, so chances are they haven’t picked it up. It’s also very likely that your mobo company doesn’t make changes to the sound card at all.

So, if your Realtek soundcard came in a computer provided by Dell, Gateway, HP, etc., check their update sites for an upgrade. If they do not have one, or if you built your own computer — good for you, great money-saver! — you can grab the latest version directly from Realtek (click the “Software” link, pass agree screen, and get the “Executable file” version).

Secondarily, I found reports that the K-Lite Codec Pack can cause the same behavior. I suggest you try the sound card first. If that doesn’t work, then try removing K-Lite.

Thirdly, if you haven’t heard of Mirror’s Edge or haven’t checked it out yet, I highly recommend that you do. Hard core FPS fans will get a refreshingly unique experience — you can beat the entire thing without firing a gun — and everyone else can pretend to be a free runner. Neat.

Share