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Showing posts with the label games

Eurogames for iOS / mobile devices

For the past several years I've started playing Eurogames . Eurogames are board games that are much more strategic in nature than the games we grew up with. Basically they require significantly more skill than luck. It's a great alternative to sitting in front of a computer by yourself playing a game. More recently there have been apps created that work just like the board games, and making setup and cleanup much easier. Most of these games have options to play against online opponents, pass-around mode, and a built-in AI. (Yes it puts you back on an electronic device, but you can do it in the living room or other public place.) I've enjoyed a few of these apps as they offer multiple benefits: Ability to practice strategies Usually faster than waiting on each person to take their turn You don't have to wait for a convenient time to gather enough players You can stop in the middle and resume later These have been my favorites Le Havre : Played on iPad 2 and

So you think your a good Engineer?

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A 2007 Independent Games Festival finalist, Armadillo Run is a fun, unique game that tests your creativity, knowledge of physics, and engineering skills to win. Armadillo Run presents you with a series of more and more complex puzzles to solve -- using a selection of building materials with various characteristics, build a way for the Armadillo to escape. Building materials? Armadillo? It's not as crazy as it may sound. First, the Armadillo is just a round ball. And, your materials include the following: Metal bars Rope Cloth Sheet metal Elastic Rubber Rockets Oh, and you are given a budget too; you don't get those materials for free. Finally, you have the ability to set tension and a timer that will break a connection free. Combine this with increasingly difficult, 50 levels of play, plus 10 bonus rounds, and we're talking many hours of brain struggling fun. Think this might be for you? You can try the demo for free, and buy for only $19 USD. Oh, and it's less than 2

RPG Game of the Year for $10

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I have always waited for prices to drop on computer games before I buy them -- not only is it easier on the pocketbook, but I can be sure my system will run them (see requirements below). I typically look at what Target and Fry's has to offer, and I recently found a great RPG, Sacred. Not only was it just $10, but PC Gamer named it RPG of the Year in 2004. Sacred is a Diablo style RPG with three ways to play: Hack and Slash (1 player) Cooperative multi-player (up to 4 players) LAN & Internet play (up to 16 players) Now I have just played the Hack and Slash, but then again I want a game that has an ending. Sacred is divided into 4 Acts (see the Sacred website for descriptions of each Act), with about 15 hours of game play each. That number can go up or down depending on how much time you spend on the 200+ side-quests. I am now in the middle of my second time playing, with my second character. Sacred offers a total of six different characters to choose from: Dark Elf: Using e

Solving 6-piece Burr Puzzle

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Not really computer related, but rather solved with a computer... I have one of those 6-piece block puzzles that has been apart for some time. I decided to look online to see if I could find a solution. First I learned that it is called a 6-piece Burr puzzle; then I discovered that there are too many different combinations that I would be luck to find a solution. Then I ran across an IBM Research site on Burr puzzles . After looking through many of their solutions, and not finding a match, I discovered their applet to solve any Burr . I just entered the cuts of each of my 6 pieces, and within seconds it had the solution for me. And if that wasn't enough, it showed me piece-by-piece how to reassemble it. Truly I am impressed.

Get smarter, have fun, and feed the world

From the Poverty.com folks, you can now improve your vocabulary while and feed the world at the same time. FreeRice.com has been able to sell advertisement on their site in exchange for your eye balls while you improve your vocabulary. After starting just a few weeks back (October 7), FreeRice.com has already donated 537,163,380 grains of rice. Now I don't know how many grains of rice are in a cup, but it sounds impressive. For every correctly identified definition, 10 grains are donated -- perhaps with some traffic growth, FreeRice.com could charge advertisers more, so 15 grains of rice could be donated for every correct answer. It's time you do your part -- work on your vocabulary and help feed the world.

Use Excel to solve Soduko puzzles

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I found a clever Excel template on the Microsoft site . With this template, it can help you solve Soduko puzzles. You enter the numbers you have, and have it calculate possible answers for the remaining open spots. If it cannot completely solve it, try 1 of the possible numbers and recalculate. Eventually, you will solve the puzzle. Microsoft has other game templates as well.

Use VM to Play Old DOS Games

Do you have some old DOS games that no longer play on your system? I found a way to resurrect these old classics and play them again. As you may recall a while back, I introduced the VM Player as a way to run Firefox in an effort to provide total protection on the Internet. You can use this same idea to run DOS. I have found three solutions: Download Microsoft's Virtual PC and load FreeDOS or another DOS. (Virtual PCs only provide the hardware visualization , you still need to provide the OS.) Use the VM Player and run the Nostalgia appliance . This appliance comes pre -installed with OpenDOS and 8 old DOS games. Use the VM Player and run the FreeDOS appliance (beta). On a related note, apparently there are some hacks you can make to the VM Player environment to create new environments without purchasing the client.

The Power of Excel

Many of us have used Excel for things where a better tool is available, such as using it for a database. We have also not done a good job in learning about all its powerful functions, nor how to leverage its powerful programming language. Well, I have found a site that has used Excel in a non-traditional way, but surely in this effort, learned how to use the powerful programming language. Of course I am talking about using Excel to play Pacman . I cannot read Japanese, so I cannot give you any more details, but this is truly a novel approach. Have fun!

Nintendo Wii: The Other Game Console

Nintendo announced this week that their U.S. launch for the Wii (we) is scheduled for November 19th, selling for $250. This is $50 more than expected by industry analysts, but makes sense with the price of the Xbox 360 and PS3 being so high. If you have not seen the Wii, it offers an innovative controller worth checking out. Take a video tour of their event from September 14th on TechEBlog and then go over to IGN and get a first-hand look at Zelda. You wont want to miss the Zelda videos, they are truly awesome.