Walkthrough to Life - Items Page 67

Gadgets

'Gadgets' are higher-level items only useful to players who have reached level 16 and can acquire jobs and sub-jobs. The main function of a gadget is for the player to appear that s/he has purchased something that increases his attributes and makes certain functions easier. For instance, the Mobile Phone of Communication +4. A player in possession of the smallest version of this can explain to allied players how it allows him to discretely communicate to his friends and family, and how it is so small he hardly notices he has it.
In actual fact, he means to say that it makes loud noises in the least appropriate locations and then is so pointlessly shaped that he is unable to reach it in his pocket.
Gadgets, therefore, are especially useful for raising Charisma, but be wary of potential side effects. Some are outlined below.

The Laptop Of Productivity +7
Pros = Explain to your friends how it "Removes the need for a cluttered desk" and allows you to "work anywhere".
Cons = You now have no excuse to have an untidy desk, and everyone now has an excuse to pressure you into working anywhere.

Widescreen Television of Entertainment
Pros = "Look how big it is!"
Cons = "Look how big it is!"

AppleMacs
Pros = Makes you seem a bit 'hip'.
Cons = Makes you seem a bit 'funny'.

Next Section - Exercise Machines and how they improve your salary.

Men Of Honour

There's a lot to be said for valiance. The captain who goes down with his ship. The officer who covers his men's evacuation. The firefighter who dashes into the towering inferno. We don't like that nowadays of course, because we like scorning things we couldn't and wouldn't do ourselves, but valiance and honour are great things, and Nintendo knows it.
I'm a Sony kind of guy. I always have been, since the first console that was all my own. I've been raised in a world of cobalt blue and cool chrome. I was taught to jeer at Nintendo's followers, and they were taught likewise. And when the Green Monster arrived, I was taught to jeer them too. But now the time has come for me to look at the gaming industry for what it is - and when you do that things start to sharpen up a bit more.
I'm a number to Sony and Microsoft. I'm the 896,582nd person to buy a Playstation 2 in the UK and I own the 651,900th copy of Age of Mythology. Like my dentist, they appreciate my disposable income but they'd rather not have the drawn out conversations that often go with it. But I don't mind. They sell games I want to play. They sell experiences I want to have. So I part with my money, and their advertising smiles false smiles onto me and I fill in equally false answers to their irritating postal questionnaires. It's a mutual dislike born out of necessity - I want their games, they want my money. And that's it.
Recently, someone I know bought a Gamecube. Inevitably, I began flicking through magazines, playing the occasional game (Mario Kart in particular is a polished affair) and indulging myself in a new kind of culture. I felt a bit heretic, but the hyperbolic days of yore where Sony were within 600 miles of me were long gone, and my money/games relationship seemed to allow a bit of polygamy. And it was whilst I was reading NGC that this feeling began to wash over me - Nintendo cares. And you know what? It made me want to care back.
Whilst my games at home fire Big Brother-esque mottos at me, or show me blank logos and faceless PR events, the Nintendo community felt like - well - a community. It felt close-knit, understanding, loving and above all (a little pointer for Electronic Arts and Sony) it felt loyal.
And yes, folks, Nintendo probably is in decline. Yes, it probably will stagger through the next round of the console war. And how many of its followers are jumping ship? None. No man gets left behind, death before surrender and so on - that's what its all about.
And who knows? Maybe it'll be enough to save Nintendo from the pit inhabited by Sega and Atari. The People have the power. Nintendo want to hear what their consumers think. They want to talk back. And they do. Challenge Everything? Not many of us really do that any more. Perhaps the Nintendites aren't as childish and geeky as others would have you believe. Like I said, there's a lot to be said for valiance.

Lead The Way

They grow up so fast. One moment, they're a tiny bunch of pixels bleeping and twinkling in the corner and then before you know it they've moved in and got themselves per-pixel shading.
Though legions of us game and consider ourselves 'gamers' (http://forum.pcgamer.co.uk/viewtopic.php?t=47989), there is a particular generation that experienced the defining moments that the rest of us can merely read about. They have been the upper echelon of the gaming world for so long and, like the wise masters that they are, have set the trend for the new generation of games, and culture they are bathed in.
When they searched for entertainment, the games appeared.
When they sat in their bedrooms, coding and hacking their games, the fledgling industry shied away with them. In the xenophobic era of videogaming, gamers contented themselves with their own creations, and were sufficiently pleased by the introvert world around them. They were at the forefront of something new and even though it was being ignored now, that much they could feel.
When the flamboyant Japanese home console market collided with the West in the mid-eighties, our new wave of gamers were hit by the comfort food gaming of bright lights and strong protagonists. Characters like Sonic and Mario, now iconic today, were brought jumping and spinning into the world. This continued to grow until the birth of 3D gaming. The leading generation was beginning to grow up, as well as grow out.
True 3D, aside from PC Gaming, was what changed home consoles into the powerhouses they are today. From the Nintendo 64 through to the XBox2, the leading generation voted with their wallets and decided the rise and fall of both Sega and now, potentially, Nintendo.
And now, to today. That generation is now realising that games are ceasing to be entertainment - they now realise that the more of their lives games take up, the more they expect the games to reply. They demand them to reply. And reply they will, or bad things tend to happen.
Gaming has always seemed bland. It's just been a source of entertainment, but those who use it know it is so much more. Now, with the unpredictable world of MMOs, developers such as EA and NCSoft are beginning to realise that gaming is not the gullible cash-cow it always seemed. Gamers are people, and people are dangerous in large groups.
So where will it stop? After all, damaged economies such as that of Star Wars: Galaxies can be solved with some careful switch flicking, but what about when the whole community turns against you? Political corruption? Why not, indeed. Stuntmen and Filming? Anything real life can do, virtual reality can do with a lower injury count.
The gaming industry just graduated from high-school, and its still looking for leaders. Time to step forward?

Why I Love... Being pwned

Along with PC gaming and alcohol, Winning is generally considered a Good Thing in life. It gives you a buzz, a lift, a boost. And when combined with PC Gaming, it can often be a very uplifting experience. People who play PC Games online are looking to win. It makes sense - you are taught how to win, you are told to win and so you desire to win. Your profile grows ever more magnificent with each victory and your ego in a similar way.
But what I have learnt to love about online gaming is defeat.
You see, when you all play online it's victory or nothing. For some players, literally. Some people are charged enough to actually disconnect their PCs from the internet if they face defeat. But for the average player, they Play To Win. And so do I. I'm not some new breed of gaming masochist who gets pleasure from being rushed, sniped and pwned by anyone available. But when I'm losing I see it in a different way.
The buzz that you all get from winning is from the fact that you know you're better and you know you've outwitted a human being. You are superior, a god amongst your enemies. But if you look at it from the other point of view, defeat can be just as important.
Defeat is humbling. It means you've been outwitted, that the people you're playing against are intelligent and have beaten you. It means that the tactics at work and the weapons in place are something you haven't learnt to counter yet. But it's more than just something that tells you you're not the best - it's majestic. If gaming is an art, then sometimes you have to marvel at the work of other artists. Defeat is so important, so beautiful and so educational. I've learnt to love it, and it's made my games twice as enjoyable.
So don't be alarmed if you're playing Command and Conquer with me and I start applauding the player who just ruptured your front line. Don't start shouting at me if I comment on how artfully the opposing team has surrounded our last base. And please don't hold it against me if, as the nukes begin to rain down, you hear the muffled cry of 'Thankyou, sir, may I have another?'
I just can't help myself.

As the old proverb almost goes, 'It's not how often you win, its the way you lose that counts.'

My Little Baby Machinima

You know those moments when you're being reflective, yes? They're nice moments, the sort of peace and tranquility that lets you build up ideas and think abstractly.
You're also probably familiar with the kind of crazy people who will run up to you in the street and try to convince you they designed Windows, or they are the original programmer for Napster. And you tell yourself its all a load of rubbish, and you walk on.

Well let me tell you, buddy - I created Machinima.

Oh yes, been working at it for years. Ever since I was a gamer, a decade or so ago, I've tampered with games. It started in earnest with Command and Conquer, and since then I've played around with missions, gone against the grain, tried to create my own story. Moving my little sprites into their positions, timing the explosions, watching my work on the screen.
Then, two months ago, I collect a group of people to try and do it properly. Then, just as we near completion - just as we edge towards that glorious moment of accomplishment...
I flick open my new edition of PCGamer and there's a double page spread on how the games-playing world and his wife have already done it.

Cheers.

But now my initial surprise has faded, I can see now that it can be considered a Good Thing. Machinima, ladies and gentlemen, will get bigger and bigger. It won't replace Hollywood, or come close, because it isn't the top end of the spectrum that will be noticed most. The lower end, the amateurs, the beginners - they will be the pillars of this gaming scene. It's going to become so accessible, that soon anyone will be able to express their stories visually.
And yet, as I look at the websites I can't help feel a pang of maternal anguish. So please, investigate Machinima for yourself and take good care of my baby.
It's gonna be big.

Walkthrough To Life - Game Mode #300

Public Transport
Scenario One – Buses

Though this walkthrough suggests avoiding the Public Transport game mode, some situations make it impossible. When faced with having to use a Bus, there are a few prerequisites. The Financial Freedom and Travelling Freedom upgrades allow Bus travel, but you must have sufficient resources before beginning the journey.
If you have the Cellphone of Communication +4 then the game will triple its chance of ringing whilst on a Bus, and will automatically default to the loudest ringtone available. If you choose to answer it you will start off a minigame, which is covered on page 233 in the chapter ‘Communication’. The quickest solution, however, is to answer the first line of chat with the reply “Yeah, I’m on the Bus.” And after giving your location, reply to the second line with “Yeah, I’ll ring you back when I get there.” And then hang up. You may see other NPCs performing similar operations. To win the minigame you must simply talk louder than anyone else, but be aware that everyone will be trying to beat you, and AI gets ferocious on higher difficulty levels, ‘The Underground’ being the hardest generally.
Every time the bus stops moving, you need to be prepared to move. Another minigame that is constantly running requires you to change seats whenever a double seat becomes free. Every time you secure a double free seat, you should place a bag or your legs on the other seat, and thus gain points.
The complexity of multiple minigames, the two outlines above combined with others such as the ‘Deaf Old Woman’ conversation minigame and the ‘Foreign Student’ endurance mode (recommended only for those with high Tolerance stats).
When you decide to exit the minigame, we would encourage you not to be tricked by the ‘stop’ button, as it actually triggers the bus to travel faster. The best method of getting off a Bus is generally accepted to be standing as close to the driver as possible, often with a foreign student nearby. As you can already tell, that requires multiple minigame mastery, which we don’t advise if for no other reason than it’s difficult to pronounce.
Next Section – The Materialism Patch and How It Affects Your Character

Why I Love... Stealth, Lies and Videotape

I’m the odd one out when I play Command and Conquer: Generals Zero Hour online. While my two long-suffering teammates spew out tanks and planes, while rush tactics batter my flanks and l33t speak racks my screen, while the enemy team constructs mass weapons of mass destruction I merely sit there and bide my time. Like some kind of mysterious traveller sitting in the corner of a bar in the shadows, I sit still. I wait. I bide my time. It’s an art, as I keep telling people, but they never listen. Not that it matters of course – I make the listen.
From high atop a ridge I wait and I watch. I’ve sat in the enemy base right from the start of the game with a few key units. They never saw me come and I’m cloaked to the human eye. I probe a bit with the chat feature. I begin to get them worked up, taunting them despite the fact that I haven’t entered combat once in the game.
It’s a thing of beauty when I decide to move. Something I can’t describe – saboteurs enter the power of all three adversaries. Hijackers capture and self-destruct the legion of bomb trucks that carelessly sat waiting to attack. All of their superweapons are reset and shut down. With a flick of the wrist I have crippled an entire army. Sun Tzu has nothing on me.
The adrenaline flows feely now, as my rebel ambush uncloaks itself and captures an airfield, churning out attack choppers instantly.
And even now I haven’t built a single offensive unit. I don’t need to – tunnels rupture the earth around the enemies’ HQs and my ally emerges with his endless tide. Auroras circle above, fuel air bombs primed. In ten seconds the tide of the battle has been turned.
Why do I love being Stealthy? Because it’s the way forward – the showy Norwegian l33t g33ks with their over-the-top rush tactics; the twelve year old mastermind who’s calculated my chances of winning exactly; the veteran thirty-five year-old yank who’s been playing games since I was the size of a pinhead – they can all laugh and jest, but I can show them that with thought and planning I can prepare just as elaborate a plan as they might.And that’s the bottom line. At the end of the day, the pro gamer has the last laugh, but the tactical gamer has the last word.

Gaming With Uncle Sin!

Welcome, children. Today's lesson will be 'How To Spot A New Games Playing Person'.
The 'New Games-Playing Person' or 'n00b' as those mischevious 1337 h4x0rs like to call them, is a timid creature who camouflages himself to blend in with his fellow mammals.
There are three tell-tale signs that you've spotted a 'n00b':
1. Everyone else is shouting abuse at him.
2. Everyone else is ganging up on him and overpowering him.
3. Everyone else is taking advantage of his frailty.
Now, if you find a 'n00b' children, here's what you do...

... Enough of that, methinks. Perhaps, when I'm retired, I'll start a sepia-tinted television programme with stuffed toy assistants. But for now, the n00b hate craze amazes me. It seems to me that attacking n00bs, both verbally and in-game is completely worthless.
Most gamers have experiences n00bs. Like children, we all were one one day back in the mists of time. Perhaps some of you reading this now still are. We were all there, asking which button was the 'God Mode' button, or asking everyone where they lived. We all have to be there, because without learning the basic facts of gaming life, we have no hope of rising through the pecking order to become the elite pros that stride tall amongst the mere mortals.
Many people argue that n00bs should learn their lessons like they did - the hard way. It's sort of an excuse for turning every server worldwide into a School of Hard Knocks, and gives them permission to turn their games into n00b killing grounds to garner easy wins and, of course, 'teach them the tricks of the game'.
There is no trick to rushing, or hacking, or camping. People might argue that there is a skill present, perhaps an art in the case of camping, but how will people learn if every attempt to play is met with harsh defeat? We are crucifying the next generation of gamers, but worse than that we are widening the gap. If the n00bs of today don't graduate from their schools of gaming then soon online gaming will decay into a world of ageing, boring veterans.
We need new blood. So here's a suggestion for gamers worldwide, as an opening post to my new blog. Find some n00bs. Be their sensei, take them under your wing and train them to be better. Host a game for n00bs and get another veteran to join the opposing team, and teach them some tricks. Find someone who doesn't know how to do something and show them.
If the average players of today don't become senseis to their students, then there won't be any average players of tomorrow. N00b bashing has to be stopped, or gaming will stagnate. In short - less pwning, more lpving.

Yours,
Uncle Sin