Author Archives: Alenso L.

Resurface Story Functions

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  1. The main character is introduced. The player can decide the name, gender, and personality of the main character.
  2. After Graduating from the academy, the main character meets up with Sabel, a colleague from the academy to save Brittany Goulash an environmentalist to restore the world above ground.
  3. You, your partner Sabel and Brittany go above ground, where there are genetically mutated creatures to find a cure and restore the world to what it once was. The future is at stake.

Psychosis

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There year is 2157 with major terrorist attack on the empire state building in New York City. Thousands were murdered and from it a new Counter Terrorist organization was created. They are known as the paramilitary group ARCS or Assault Recon Counterterrorist Squad. A.R.C.S. has turned New York City into a militaristic police state with mass surveillance. Officers of A.R.C.S. have been known to use aggressive tactics and stomp out any potential threats. In 2167, a rebel group of hackers that have been actively opposing A.R.C.S. known as Dragonflies in hopes of making New York City a free society.

Technology has vastly changed from our current time. A common technology used by A.R.C.S is the use of a headset known as a psycho drive. This headset has a heads-up display that can acquire a person’s name, date of birth, blood type, and monitor their heartrate. It can also read thoughts. This technology was created to prevent terrorist attacks from taking place but many A.R.C.S soldiers have used it for nefarious purposes. Laser cutting swords and piercing laser guns are also used.  There are humans that can get augmented electronics and robotic parts implanted into their bodies. This has become more common especially among the rich. People who have had augmented cyber surgery can be hacked by hackers and all members of the Dragonflies have no augmented parts.

The main character starts off with a high school student by the name T.J. On his last year of high school, he attends a college fair where A.R.C.S soldiers are recruiting students with exceptional hacking skills. T.J. intended on joining A.R.C.S after his parents were killed in the empire terrorist attack in 2157. He undergoes a dilemma when he finds out his girlfriend Athena is affiliated with the Dragonflies.

Albano Video Worksheet

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Worksheet for GDV talk by Heather Albano

 

  1. In your own words, explain the difference between a parser interactive fiction game and a choose your path interactive fiction game.

Parser games are text based games with a cursor and no graphics. The player makes a choice on what to do next, and the game responds by showing them what happens based on the choices made.

 

Choose your path games came in game books that contained a large amount of text with multiple choices. The player/reader would advance to a specific page based on the choice they made.

 

  1. Name an example of a parser game.

An example of a parser based game would be “Zork I” and A dark room.

 

 

  1. Name an example of a choose your own path game.

An example of a choose your own path game would be “Choose your adventure, The Cave of Time.”

 

  1. Why does she say interactive fiction virtually died out in the mid-1990s?

The company Infocom was purchase then later shutdown by the game publisher Activision in 1989. The game form didn’t really die as fans were able to keep the community alive. There was an issue in that with these types of games there were enormous amounts of branching paths. This restricted games from telling short stories.

 

  1. Why does she say poetry is an important element of interactive fiction writing? What example does she use?

She explains that poetry is an essential element in that words are provided in short sentences but are powerful. These words are chosen carefully and encourage the player to fill in the blanks. Albano uses With Those We Love Alive by Porpentine as an example.

 

  1. Why does she say that ambiguity is not only unavoidable but also necessary?

She says that with mainly text and no graphics, it is impossible to cover every detail. This leaves it up to the player’s interpretation and imagination to fill in the blanks. 

 

  1. What’s important about complicity?

Complicity gives the feeling of possession or ownership in the plot. The area in which the fictional story interacts with the player is the primary goal. Actual choices can be presented to the player that would affect the plot.

Build a PC algorithm

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Build a Gaming PC Algorithm

  1. Have a budget planned out.
    • What you are willing to spend will dictate the kind of parts you may acquire and the kind of gaming pc you get. If you want to play games on ultra high settings at high resolution and frame rates, you will need a bigger budget.
  2. Research on the web.
    • There are many resources on the web. One website I would recommend is pcpartpicker.com and there are multiple YouTube channels dedicated to picking out parts. What is great about pcpartpicker.com is that it will show if the parts are compatible with each other or not and will have an estimate of how much it would cost. There are also sample builds to view as guides.
  3. Select a CPU.
    • The brands to choose from are AMD and Intel. Depending on the applications you plan on running with your PC and the type of CPU you want. If you want a CPU with integrated graphics, AMD would be a good choice. If you plan on multitasking such as live streaming while gaming a multi-core dedicated CPU such as Intel is a good choice. For gaming a quad-core processor or high is recommended. CPUs can range from $85 to over $1000. Make sure to select one that is within your budget
  4. Selecting a Motherboard.
    • This primarily depends on the CPU that was selected. Make sure the socket number matches the socket that your CPU has. Also make sure that your motherboard is fully compatible with your CPU. Consider the features the motherboard has such as bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
  5. Selecting Memory.
    • Make sure the clock speed on the RAM supports your CPU. For a gaming pc, 12 GB of RAM is recommended with 8 GB at minimum.
  6. Selecting Storage.
    • Generally you can choose to have a hard disk drive ( hard drive or HDD) or a solid state drive (SSD). With a hard drive you can acquire larger storage capacity for a relatively low price. SSD’s have no moving parts and run faster at higher reading and writing speeds but will be more expensive. SSD prices are coming down and are becoming more affordable. SSD’s will shorten load times for your games. Consider this when selecting your budget.
  7. Selecting a graphics card.
    • The brands to choose from are AMD and Nvidia. For an entry level gaming pc, it doesn’t matter. For multi-monitor configuration AMD’s eyefinity technology and memory capacity makes an AMD a good choice. Nvidia’s physx allows more particle affects in games that support it. For more special effects and features in games, Nvidia is a good choice.  Also consider any special deals when purchasing a graphics card. Sometimes you can get one or more free games with purchasing certain graphics cards.
  8. Selecting a power supply.
    • Make sure your power supply is 80 plus certified and has a good warranty of at least three years. I would recommend a semi modular or fully modular power supply to make cable management easier when installing your parts into a case. To make sure the power supply has enough power, pcpartpicker.com has a wattage calculator and will show you if the power supply you selected will work with all of the other parts you chose.
  9. Selecting a case.
    • All of your parts need a house to stay in. There are many types of cases to choose from depending on your needs. Generally a mid-tower ATX PC case should work just fine. If you are constantly tinkering with your PC and have enough space, consider a full tower. If you plan on traveling a having LAN parties, consider a mini tower. There are also cases that have sound dampening material for those who want their computers to not make a lot of noise when running. Make sure your case has sufficient air flow for your computer to run nice and cool.
  10. Selecting an operating system.
    • For gaming, Microsoft’s Windows is the definitive choice. Although you can play games on macOS and Linux it is widely agreed upon that to play the latest and greatest games, Windows is a must.
  11. Selecting Peripherals.
    • You need peripherals to interact with your computer! A monitor, mouse and keyboard are necessary. For a monitor or high definition television ( HDTV) get one that has a refresh rate of minimum 60 Hz with 120 Hz recommended. A pair of Speakers is essential for sound if you are getting a monitor but if you choose to use a high definition television it is optional. If you plan on gaming primarily on a keyboard and mouse, it wouldn’t hurt getting a gaming keyboard and a gaming mouse. If you want a console-like experience you can acquire a gamepad and a headset. The Xbox brand controllers are fully compatible with Windows operating systems.