rock-paper-scissors
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The Art of Wushu: Learning the basics of combat
Many readers balked when I said Age of Wushu had the best combat in an MMO ever back when I did my first impressions piece. I admit, it was a bold claim. However, even after playing Guild Wars 2, TERA, and numerous other games with "deep MMO combat," I stand by what I said back then. Age of Wushu's PvP combat is the best in any MMO. If you're coming from a mostly MMO background, combat in Age of Wushu is a bit daunting at first. It's really nothing like combat in any other MMO. It has a bit slower pace than a typical action-MMO, but it is the first to really employ tempo control. Attacking recklessly is a patch to a quick defeat, forcing players to make tough tactical decisions. If you're like me and came to MMOs from a fighting game background, things readily click into place. Baiting common reactions and punishing them, punishing actions on reaction, and getting in the head of your opponent is better-rewarded than in any other MMO combat system. I don't want to badmouth games like GW2 that have great combat, so don't get me wrong; many other games have excellent combat. Age of Wushu's battle system is just even more fantastic. When I win a fight against an even-leveled opponent (or higher level, though that's rare) without taking an unblocked hit, I feel like a total beast.
Revolutionary new minigame datamined in patch 5.3
We've asked for other minigames in WoW, but so far there's been no official word of anything on the horizon. The Plants vs. Zombies minigame is loads of fun, and the battle pet system is by far the most expansive minigame that's ever come to the game. Not everyone has the interest or time to invest in pet battling, so it was very exciting to stumble across the newest WoW minigame, just datamined in patch 5.3. It's a game any player can have fun with. A game many of us have enjoyed ... Say hello to Rock, Paper, Scissors! That's right! Forget about the Singing Sunflower. Whether you're bored or want a new and improved way to decide who get's that Thunderforged weapon, this is it. OK, so this may not really be a new minigame -- datamining is a fickle thing -- but the spells are there for one purpose or another. We can dream, right?
Camelot Unchained: Balanced classes out, rock-paper-scissors in
In his latest lecture series on Camelot Unchained game design, Mark Jacobs discusses his team's approach to class design for the title and how it won't go with the flow of most MMOs. In fact, he says that the effort to carefully balance classes has proved a detriment to the industry, and as such, Camelot Unchained will pursue a rock-paper-scissors structure. Why is Jacobs going down this route? In short, it just doesn't fit an RvR-focused game. "[Rock-paper-scissors] lends an element of unpredictability and it gives us so much more freedom to explore different classes/abilities without worrying about having everything equally balanced 100% all the time," he wrote. Jacobs finishes his lecture by saying that the studio is adapting CCP's development model: "Start small, iterate and then build, baby, build."
Japanese robot trolls humans at rock-paper-scissors, sadly wasn't named the UMADBRO 9000 (video)
Japan got itself in the good graces of many a Futurama fan after creating Bender's ancestor. Then again, another Japanese robotic creation -- one that specializes in rock, paper, scissors -- may actually have more in common with the morally questionable, beer-guzzling bot. That's because this sneaky little future overlord wins 100 percent of its matches by using an oh-so human trait known as cheating. See, the researchers at the University of Tokyo's 4chan, er, Ishikawa Oku Laboratory programmed the "Janken" robot to recognize its human opponent's hand shape and counter it within a millisecond. Adding to the troll factor is the fact that it was unwittingly named the "Human-Machine Cooperation System" because, well, it needs the cooperation of some poor human sap to work its magic. The achievement joins other man-versus-machine milestones, including losses by humans in chess and shogi. Of course, the question now is, what happens if you pit two "Janken" machines against each other?
Daily iPhone App: Age of Monsters - Rock Paper Scissors
Jeff Matsuda is the award-winning creator of the cartoon series The Batman, and while his style doesn't appeal to me personally, it is quite distinctive, and can make for some really cool looks. Matsuda has put his skills to work in Age of Monsters - Rock Paper Scissors, in which monsters battle it out rock/paper/scissors style. The gameplay is simple, yet provides a nice framework to carry out some epic, real-world RPS battles. Whether you're wagering a free lunch, who's going to take out the trash or just the honor of the participants, Age of Monsters is a good way to go. You can even play with friends asynchronously online, which is a nice bonus which works well. There's a solo training mode to get you ready for battle plus Game Center integration. Two extra monsters are offered up via in-app purchase, and I presume we'll see more in the future. As a freebie, Age of Monsters is worth a download, as the art and style really push this simple game further than it would otherwise go.
Rock-paper-scissors glove will learn to beat its wearer
It's far from the first rock-paper-scissors-playing device we've seen, but this glove made by Steve Hoefer (of Secret Knock door lock fame) may well be the most ingenious. You see, not only will it let you play a game of rock-paper-scissors by yourself (and who hasn't wanted to do that?), but it will actually learn to identify the weaknesses in your game and eventually become an unstoppable rock-paper-scissors-playing machine (or at least as unstoppable as you can be at rock-paper-scissors). Head on past the break to check out the glove in action, and hit up the link below for the complete details for making your own.
Own a patent application for a rock-paper-scissors video game for just $90,000
A visionary named Ivan Allen has broken ground in two ways: first, he has applied for a patent on an online multiplayer rock-paper-scissors game for Xbox Live Arcade and PlayStation Network, and second, he has put the application on eBay. He's set up the eBay account "videogamepatentseller," so it seems likely he's planning to do this again.Now, before you get too excited about spending $90,000 (or more, if there's a bidding war) on the rights to an online rock-paper-scissors game, notice that the auction is for a provisional patent application, and not an awarded patent. If you want to own that patent, you'll still have to file a non-provisional patent application before February of 2010 (one year after the filing of the first application). So, really, you're buying the possibility of getting a patent on the idea, maybe. The perfect Christmas gift![Thanks, Luis B.]
Kill Southern zombies with four new characters in Left 4 Dead 2
The Left 4 Dead 2 announcement at the Microsoft press conference gobsmacked us this morning (didn't they just release Left 4 Dead like last November? What is this, Madden?), but apparently the sneaky folks at Rock Paper Shotgun weren't surprised: they've already seen the game in action. We're hoping to see it this week ourselves, but until then, here's a few juicy zombie tidbits to hold you over: the game takes place in the Southern United States, and the five campaigns will take you on a Southern odyssey from Savannah to New Orleans. There are four new characters also: a rough high school coach who's used to taking charge, a female cable news reporter, a rustic Southern mechanic type, and a Sawyer-style con man. The characters keep the snappy dialogue, and the campaigns will tell an overarching story as you move through them.
Hello Kitty Online to feature character creation and ... farms
I have to apologize in advance to any stalwart fans of the Hello Kitty franchise who are anxiously anticipating Hello Kitty Online with baited breath. Perhaps it is a sad commentary on the inherent cynicism and snarkiness of your modern blogger, but I have serious doubts about whether or not you will ever see a post about HKO here on Massively without some at least a touch of sarcasm or irony. Fault us for our taste if you will, but never doubt or honesty!Having said that, this official trailer for Hello Kitty Online demonstrates such innovative new features as character creation, personalized avatars (which is different than character creation, in some way that eludes me), virtual community, farms, in-game items, houses, and mini-games including fan favorites like Rock-Paper-Scissor! In this respect, the game appears less interested in re-inventing the wheel, than in ensuring it is super cute and perhaps slightly creepy. As the game moves into beta in the near future, look for more impressions and news to surface.[Via ZergWatch]
DIY'er build electronic rock-paper-scissors game, kills hours upon hours
Granted, you could go out and drop ten bones to grab a pre-fabricated electronic rock-paper-scissors game, but seriously, where's the fun in that? The real elation comes when you actually build the thing yourself, or at least that's the idea followed by one particular DIY'er. Needless to say, the actual functionality here is self-explanatory, but if you're interested in concocting one of these for personal use (you know, for times when none of your buds are tired / inebriated enough to participate), head on over to the read link.[Via MAKE]
Electronic rock-paper-scissors game reduces roshambo injuries
You know you've got a problem when you're openly advertising your product as "the lamest electronic game ever developed," but that isn't stopping the makers of this goofy rock-paper-scissors keychain. The unit features a little LCD that randomly blinks out one of three pre-programmed RPS patterns, and is sold in packs of two so you and a friend can roshambo for shotgun without all that unnecessary physical movement (and groin kicking). If you can work up the effort to click a few buttons, this wonder of the modern age can be yours for just $8.89.[Via Pocket-lint]
Soft Skin English School Little Sexy Girl
It's late at night, so the more risque Fanboy stuff starts getting posted. This amazing video shows you footage from Soft Skin English School Little Sexy Girl, a program that teaches you English. Or tries to. By showing you near-naked girls. There's a hilarious mini-game, where you play rock paper scissors, and every time you win, the girl takes an article of clothing off. You won't see naughty bits, but this is absolutely not safe for work. So, the video is after the cut.*Picture completely unrelated. Well, it shows you yet another inappropriate English program for a portable device.
