Raj Agrawal – Page 14

How To Not Suck At Max Payne 3

June 18, 2012 by Raj Agrawal 3 Comments

Max Payne 3 is not an easy game. At least I did not find it so. Max Payne 2 had a similar difficulty curve, which gave me some problems. Bullet time is there, but it’s not overpowering. It’s made to feel like a helpful tool, and it’s just that; nothing beyond it. At no point in either of the games can you rely on it completely. As such it becomes necessary to be careful at every turn in order to ensure that the “you’re dead” screen does not pop up too often. Hence, I made this article outlining a few steps which should help any player new to the game cope up with the difficulty. So here are a list of things you should consider while playing the game to make it less frustrating.

Accuracy is pivotal to the game. Bullet time or no bullet time, accuracy is a must in this game. It’s easy to wipe out a room only if you’re hitting headshots often. Otherwise, it can be painful and often fatal.
Bullet time is not a gimmick. It’s a limited resource which has to be used very carefully. It drains fast, and while active, it hinders the sensitivity for sometime which takes effort to get used to. So make it count. Aim for the head; always.
Treasure the meds which you get throughout the game. They only recover a sizable portion of your health. But it can mean all the difference between life and death. Also use them wisely. Use enough of the meds to keep your health above 50%. Bullets do tremendous damage in Max Payne 3, like they should; all the more reason to use them effectively.
Time your lunges effectively. Don’t go jumping in the middle of an open room surrounded by enemies. Doing so will result in an instant death. Lunging in Max Payne 3 automatically triggers Bullet time, which should be used properly to have any effect on the outcome of a firefight. Either use lunges to launch a surprise attack out of cover or use them to get into cover. Whenever you lunge, make sure you know all the directions from which enemy fire may hit you. Knowing exactly where the enemy is is critical for this purpose.
Health automatically regenerates in Max Payne 3. Use plenty of cover when you’re wounded. But be wary of the enemy AI. Enemies will often try to flank you and blow your cover. And they can use grenades too. So use cover effectively.

While not a Dark Souls, Max Payne 3 sure isn’t the easiest game in the library. Hence, reckless gameplay will often get you killed. Following the above tips won’t exactly make you a pro at the game, but at least it won’t get you killed every time you try to put down a bunch of goons spreading chaos.

Authentication And Data Transmission Through Your Bones

June 17, 2012 by Raj Agrawal Leave a Comment

Not very long ago, we discussed about a commercial product that allows listening to music with your bones, not eardrums using bone conduction technology. Furthering the scope of bone conduction, now AT&T is working on, and has currently readied a prototype demonstrating a Bio-Acoustic Data Transfer Technology that enables the user to unlock doors and mobiles by transferring digital keys through their bones. The users can also transfer contact information like a tiny business card, merely by shaking hands.

How Bio-Acoustic Data Transfer Technology works (with security perspective)

The user has to touch the piezo-electric transducer (it’s basically a Guitar pick-up) connected to the phone, which pushes out a digital key as vibration. This keyed vibration is transmitted through the user’s body (bones) which identifies the user and unlocks the door. The key is unique for every user and must match with the owner’s key specifications. Since each individual has a unique skeletal structure and bone density, the transmitted key unique for each. If the user is an intruder, the authentication will fail and the door will stay locked.

Via [At&t]

Why Ubisoft Won E3 2012

June 16, 2012 by Raj Agrawal 1 Comment

E3 for gamers is like the ultimate game exhibition. It is the place where we get to know a little bit more about that one game that we’re going crazy about. And it usually lives up to the hype even if developers show but a little bit of a game’s new features. From the developers point of view, it’s a totally different playing field. For them, it’s a chance to show the investors and other members of the company that their interests are well placed. By garnering hype and attention for their games, they can prove to their investors that there is scope for profit in the future of a particular product. On the other hand, for console manufacturers, it’s an opportunity to get more people to buy their products. In such an aggressive environment, you have to really do something special to come out on top. And that is exactly what Ubisoft have managed to achieve this year, which is why for me they’ve won the event, and the hearts of many.

It was just yesterday that Ubisoft were the next EA. Take an old franchise, and grind it beyond death – that was the formula. Well, it still is. Assassins Creed, Splinter Cell, Far Cry are all receiving new additions this year. The difference is, unlike EA, they’re not just there for the heck of meeting the annual sales targets. All of these games look fantastic, and all of them might eventually end up becoming Triple-A-multi-million sellers. But most importantly, all of these seem like they will make great games.

Assassins Creed 3, takes a break from Ezio and Altair, and put us in the shoes of an all new protagonist, who is right in the middle of the events of the American revolution. Everything, from the locales, to the type of enemies, to the weapons and fighting style has been rethought very carefully in order to give that perfect balance between familiarity with the rest of the series, and making something unique.

Far Cry 3, while expected to simply eradicate the shortcomings of its predecessors, does much more, and looks to redefine the way we look at characters in a video-game. Vaas already is a popular name among the E3 attendees, and if the other characters can match the tenacity of the main antagonist, then the experience might be unparalleled.

Splinter Cell Blacklist, although not looking anything out of the ordinary, attempts to incorporate the stealth elements of previous games, and the action elements of its predecessor. Although Chaos theory might always remain to be the best Splinter Cell game of all time, it doesn’t hurt to have a good addition to the series.

Which brings us to quite possibly the most exciting showing at E3; one which motivated me to write this article – Watch Dogs. Nobody expected it. Nobody believed that Ubisoft would be showing anything beyond the normal iterative fare. But they shocked us, and how!! Having powers is one thing, but being able to control an entire city is another, and the trailer on show does perfect justice to what the game might be. The potential is there, in spades, just the execution needs to be good, and we have a classic in the making!

Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo all had decent showings at this years E3. As always, the focus was mainly on them, since they have all the motivation to beat each other by showing off the best of the best. But Ubisoft clearly won this years event. The effort on display is commendable; they’re trying to reinvent themselves, and if companies like EA and Activision can take notice and try and do things differently, then the future of gaming might still be bright.