FCC 'Bill Shock' Rules Require Text, Voice Alerts About Overages
The Federal Communications Commission on Thursday officially unveiled its "bill shock" plan, which would require wireless providers to alert users when they have exceeded or are about to go over voice, text, or data usage.
Read more on PC Magazine via Yahoo! News
Showing posts with label Text. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Text. Show all posts
Thursday, October 14, 2010
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Text Games - Five Tips for Writing Character Backgrounds
A character used for role-playing is only as good as his background. Is he a dastardly assassin who realized there is a greater evil to fight? Perhaps a simple farmer who is called to greatness after his village is taken captive by rogue bandits? Maybe he is a simple healer who quests for the power needed to heal a god. Background: It says everything about your character. For those who might be good writers but are coming up short when a background comes into play, here are a few simple tips to keep in mind while composing your background.
1. Know the WorldIf you are going to craft an appropriate background for your character, make sure it fits within the genre you are to playing. For instance, don't create a gunsmith for a game which takes place entirely in something like ancient Greece. Also, it helps to know a bit of history for the world in which you play. You don't need to go so far as to become a historian for the game world, but know enough to answer simple questions (like when someone asks you where the kangaroo is from, most will know Australia). It will help you enrich your own character background, as well as giving you a bit more of a foothold into role-playing with others.
2. Have a Good Idea What You WantChoosing what your character does for a living is as important as anything else. Now, it's not required to have a background that fits perfectly into what your character does know, but be able to explain how he got from where he was in the beginning to where he is now. If your farmer has become a world-renown magician, how did he get there? Was it natural talent that arose at a certain time? Did he come across a magic scroll which empowered him with his gifts? Also, be willing to accept that you can't be good at everything. Make goals for your character. Even something as simple as 'reach level X' or 'use my skills to do Y' can help guide you to getting what you want.
3. Your Character is YoursNo matter what anyone else says, you are the one who crafts your characters background. You made him from a peasant laborer to a god-like swordsman of epic speed and stamina. If you desire input from others while crafting your background, make sure in the end it is something you are happy with. You will be the one playing the character for days, weeks, months or years. Sure, you may choose skills or a profession that not everyone understands or likes, but YOU are the one who plays that character. Be willing to work with others for everyone's enjoyment, but remember that you ultimately control your character.
4. Don't Be Afraid of FlawsPlaying a god-like character gets really boring after a while. Don't be scared to spice up your character background and personality with something as simple as a bad habit, like always snapping fingers or chewing on his nails. It could even be something life affecting, like having a bad temper that at one point, your character killed someone and hid the evidence. Flaws, no matter how major or minor, odious or tragic, can add a vast amount of flavor and life to your character's background.
5. Use Your Background to Give Your Character LifePlay your character with your background in mind and play to your heart's content. Use accents if you feel your character should have one, or give it voice inflections (even if they annoy others). Don't be afraid to really steep yourself into your character, because that is the point of a role-playing game: to be someone else, even if only for a short while. And, above all else, allow yourself to be entertained. Your character might die, but if so, make it glorious, heroic, or epic. Remember that the most basic part of your character is where he comes from, so remember that you
Fun is the point of a game. Remember that your character isn't real, but you should treat him as though he were your favorite fiction character from a good book: he could be real, somewhere.
Saturday, October 9, 2010
Text Online Games - Common Newbie Mistakes
Text based games and how to make a good first impression.
You have to face it. Everyone was a newbie once when the foray into text online games began and no doubt there will be hundreds more to come, but I have written these fine words in the hope that you, dear newbie, can get a quick grasp of how not to seem so band spanking new in a MUD (Multi-User Dungeon).
Leet and TXT speak.
This is put at the top as I think almost everyone can agree that any kind of leet or txt speak (coming from the term 'texting' on a mobile phone) is a horrible habit and should not show its ugly, word breaking face in any text adventure game. Words like 'lol', 'U', 'ur', 'Y?', 'rofl', 'h8', 'l8er' and any kind of combination of taking letters out and replacing them with any other letter (or number!) to make a phonetically spelt word, or in fact adding the letter 'z' to the end, should never be used when you are in a MUD.
Think of an online text game like a book. Albeit a very good book, written by hundreds of authors as they weave their characters into the story. You do not have to be perfect with the English language to be able to play MUDs, but a basic understand of correct grammar and punctuation helps an awful lot. Think about what you are typing. If you are unsure on how a word is spelt then try to have a word checker open, as it only takes a few moments to check if a word is spelt correctly, and you will be seen in a much better light if it is!
You are not a God.
I am sorry; someone has to break the bad news to you. You, my dear newbie, are not a God. Your character is not a God nor do they have amazing divine powers that will enable you to crush a human body just by giving them a stern look! It is sad, I know. But mourn not! You COULD be given divine powers, if you work for them.
Learn to role-play responsibly. Learn the limits of your characters and their skills, as they can become a good basic beginning of how your character can flourish. Let them grow slowly into the powers they will one day wield, as there is no reason to hurry. You don't hurry and skip through a good book now do you? This is your characters life, guide them into living it and becoming the true hero (or villain) they should be known for.
Read the Rules!
One of the most common mistakes is to skip through the rules thinking you know it all. It is possible you could, but in every MUD there are different rules and it is worth taking some time out to read through them to make sure you don't accidentally slip up.
Does the online text game allow you to be more than one character? Are you allowed to swear? Is violence in game frowned upon? Can you item trade between characters? What happens if you get in trouble, and how do you appeal against the decision? All this is important, as most MUD games will have rules that state that if they are broken, your character will be banned.
Be Polite
There is nothing more than can be asked of you other than to be polite. If you don't understand something, be it a command in game or a story line, then simply ask. No doubt there will be people in the online text game that are more than willing to help you learn the ropes. Be polite and send them a message with a 'Hey, sorry. I am new to all this. Can you help me?'. MUD gamers enjoy the worlds they are creating and to have another person join their world and expand with a new personality is a good thing.
Rudeness, as in the 'real world' (That place outside your front door) is seen in a bad light. If you are rude to someone, like your mother, brother or sisters, it would get you into trouble, and it will do so in a MUD as well. No one likes to be around rude people, so make sure you are not one of them by being on your best behavior!
Friday, October 8, 2010
Text Adventure Games - What is a MUD?
Most of us who browse the web use it for social networking, research, for connecting with family and friends, and even games. While many of us play web based graphical games there is a genre of games that has existed since the birth of the World Wide Web. Some have been around for nearly 15 years or more. These games are often known as MUDs (Multiple User Dungeons), or textual RPG games. You may be asking yourself what is a MUD. Simply put, a MUD is a game created in text that relies on reading and your imagination.
Many who are reading this are probably thinking, "Why do I want to waste time playing a game where I have to read?" My answer is, "Why not?" We all spend a lot of time texting, leaving messages on social network sites, and even chatting with one another over chat clients. Some of us even play graphical games where we not only chat, but see the graphic and have to toggle back and forth between the graphics and text. The beauty of the textual RPG game is the fact that it brings all these modes of communication together. The written voice is important to the online text RPG environment. Just like any other chat utility, you meet new people, chat to them, and create your life in language. Just as you do in any other space on the web.
Imagine playing a game where you have the ability to become another character or persona. This person you create has endless possibility. You can enter a realm where you can be evil or good. You can be a serious scholar, or even life a life surrounded by family and friends who you meet in game. Moreover, the textual RPG game allows for you to create back stories of your character. All hobbies that you find in real life, writing, journals, blogging, genealogy, history, (while based in an already created world) are available to you. In the textual RPG you are able to apply real life situations to a game and to contribute. The possibility of being is endless.
As you create a character you will find that many games revolve around city states. When you enter a game you may not be interested in politics or how a city works. As you grow you may find yourself wishing to learn more. These games reflect real world cities and situations. Many characters learn how to rule a city state, or become a city official. What is most amazing is that if you explore the various worlds you come to discover exactly how a city is run and functions. What is reflected in the MUD or RPG game is often found in real life. It does give you an appreciation for the work that so many officials do in cities and towns. Moreover, you learn to work with persons who live in differing city states, which may have a different way of life than your city, and you have to learn to get along with them.
If you are a student in high school or college, you will find that your major field of study will often be found in the textual environment. Rhetoric and Composition majors find that they can express themselves in writing. Those who are interested in Political Science discover that it exists in RPG games too. Business majors and budding entrepreneurs will discover that some games allow for you to own stores and to sell goods and to trade. Those who are interested in design and art will realize that they can create many concepts in writing and design them to share with other players. If you are out of college and beyond high school, you will find that many of your skills that you learned there and that you use in your day to day life can be applied to MUD games too. Some textual games rely on volunteer coders, builders, and such to assist them. If you enjoy that sort of work and have free time to devote to it, typically the administrators or site owners will interview you to see if you can take some time out of the week to work on areas that are being built. As said above, all that is found in the real world is found in the online world. The only thing that holds you back is possibly the fear of reading or feeling lost in text.
Yet, there is never any reason to feel lost. Most MUDs are populated by players who are more than willing to help you adjust to the game interface. Some even provide guides and safe spaces for you at lower levels until you become comfortable with the world that opens before you in text. Many offer houses, guilds, and clans to assist you with growth. Before you decide not dismiss an RPG text games as silly, why not long into one and try it. You may be surprised to find yourself waiting there.
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