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detectiveconnor · 4 years

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Cyberlife the Game: VR Verse

The Lead-up

The release of the new VR game, “Cyberlife”, was highly anticipated. It was the first game which could lay claim to a real, completely immersive experience - several top gaming athletes pledged to be there for the release on November 5th, 2038, being some of the lucky few who received personal copies of the game for its beta testing, a week before the commercial launch of the game. The remaining players, totaling 10,000 across the United States of America (for the beta program, a local release), were selected at random from a raffle for spaces which many fans claimed to have been rigged when one player was selected twice in a row, and it probably was - but Elijah Kamski (eccentric, Elon-Musk-type figure, and the founder and owner of the Cyberlife Co.) didn’t mind if you entered one time or a thousand. Getting into the game was a matter of ‘wanting it enough’, and boy, did people want it. With all 10,000 initial players selected, the Cyberlife company delivered immersive virtual reality sets to each lucky raffle winner, in what many people called the most ambitious publicity stunt for a new gaming company ever seen within the US. Elijah Kamski called it a ‘commitment to accessibility’.

The Reckoning

November 5th, 4:00pm. The day of the release, Cyberlife’s network finally comes online - everybody’s copies of the game now can connect to the golden gates that shimmer in the empty space of the Virtual World hosted by Cyberlife Co, waiting to be populated with various other immersive reality games once developers could work out how to make their work compatible with Cyberlife VR gear. Players spill into this Virtual World by the thousands, and many are there to witness the unchaining of these heavenly gates as they open onto the starter town within the First Level. This area is called Alther City; it’s a bustling little cyber town modeled after Detroit, fashioned of smooth concrete and metal. Paths and homely but low-level shops lining the streets, including two competing breweries called Hog’s East and Hog’s West (where many of the first low-level ‘mission’s from NPCs are delivered). Alther City makes up the vast majority of the First Level - it’s just this town, crawling with low-level creatures for leveling purposes, and sprawling suburbia: empty houses waiting to be filled. Some people venture out into the empty houses and wonder why there are so many vacant places. A ghost event, maybe? Sites that will be filled with NPCs the further you progress in the story? Mr Kamski promised a formal announcement at 5:00pm, so people stick around until then, some trickling in closer to the time and others eager to find as much as they can in the time that they have. Some of the elite gamers have logged in using their gaming handles. Others have used pseudonyms, so they can enjoy the game as they please for the beta test period, without the excitement of the crowds. 5:00pm arrives. They’re all gathered in the central square of Alther. Ten thousand people, in a crowd, watch as the sky splits into a shining white screen, and Kamski steps into view.

Thank you all for joining Cyberlife this evening. We are delighted to have you. My name is Elijah Kamski, founder of the Cyberlife Co. I know you’ve all been as excited as I have to make this immersive experience a reality. You are currently on the First Level - this is a safe space for all players. PvP is not enabled here, and you may store your items safely with any of the friendly NPCs without fear that they may be stolen. Now, I’m sure your aware that Cyberlife Co is always striving for the best, most immersive gaming experience. I would like to announce a revolutionary new experiment which you have all helpfully volunteered to be a part of: I call it ‘Cyberlife’. I have always wondered, what would people do, when forced to live one? A cyber life, that is. Well, we’re all going to find out, today. Many of you will have found there is no ‘logout’ button within your user menus.This is not a glitch, and it will not be remedied. The only way to leave this cyber life you’re living is through death - which will happen, also, in the real world; I don’t suggest you experiment - or by someone in the ten thousand of you defeating Cyberlife’s final boss; no spoilers as to who or what that might be. The final boss is located on the Fifth Level. Happy gaming.

Ten thousand people in the square erupt, at once, first into panicked murmurings - and then something closer to a riot.

Game Mechanics

Take and leave these as you please, they’re suggestions! Adjust as necessary for plot/etc.

If you die in the game you die in real life. No exceptions. If you lose internet connection in real life, you have a 72 hour grace period where you may be comatose. Any longer than that, automatic game over.

Those empty houses are meant to be for purchase or rent. Having a house has a lot of benefits - including the fact you won’t freeze to death, and access to a synthesis room, which you can use to make higher-level medpacks, weapons, armour, etc out of foraged or won items. You’d have to purchase these, otherwise.

There are five Levels. You may travel between levels freely once you have gained access to them - to gain access, you will need to defeat each Level’s local boss. Exploration and preparation is vital, as well as information sharing: a Level might have some clues scattered around with NPCs, but you very well could accidentally walk into a boss fight while exploring. Be prepared, be cautious, but if you don’t explore you’ll never find the boss.

Parties of up to ten players.

Guilds of up to 1,000 players. Guilds can have their own chat rooms. They have names to refer to themselves. The most well-known and biggest guild is Jericho. If someone dies in your guild it is announced to the entire guild. Very Hunger Games cannon-esque. It’s got its own chime. Ringadingding, xyz is dead.

Probably one of the guilds is a self-declared policing body. Let’s hope they’re good at it.

You still gotta eat. If your hunger stat is too low, NPCs at bars will offer to let you work for a meal; nobody will starve, unless they refuse to work.

Weaponries and armorists do exist. Cost is in-game currency (earned through drops or trades with other players). They sell daggers/knucklebusters for low-level melee, guns (sniper rifles! Pistols, shotguns - different stats), ammo, low-level medpacks (anything higher you will need to synthesise yourself), one grenade at a time (these are usually consumable pick-up from decently-leveled monsters), and the more common synthesis materials if you just need a quick top-up of the last 5 leathers, etc. Armorists sell different levels of armor - bullet proof vests, chain mail, damage-returning xyzs... all at the cost of stealth and mobility. Some people choose not to wear any armor at all. Others, panicked, wear everything they can get their hands on.

Killing is not the only option. Besides bosses, you can stun creatures and make them drop whatever they’re carrying, and they will still scurry off. You gotta kill the bosses. Sneaking past would-be combats because your stealth is high enough? Strategic AND useful.

You can kill NPCs. Everybody suffers the loss of that NPC for a week. ‘WEAPONRY CLOSED DUE TO MURDER’ until a ‘new’ NPC comes to replace them. People get upset. And annoyed. You don’t kill the NPCs.

Classes: there are no formal classes. People aren’t divided into types of people irl and they aren’t in the game, either. You can cross and mix and create your own playstyle - yes people will tend to have things they lean towards and roles within their parties, but hey. You don’t get any stat boost for pre-determining what you want to play as.

You can share information or choose not to. If you have mapped something it’s usually better to share this information with everyone - there is a communal open-source live map for access, but not everyone contributes everything they know, because people are like that.

There is friendly fire, be careful out there

Certain (expensive) tech artefacts with particular powers. You can make these up as needed for plot devices, but some useful things to think about:

Teleportation watch - allows you to insta-teleport yourself and your party with you to your house. Should a boss ever escape/rampage into the main city of a Level you’re on (or you just come face to face with one by mistake), this will be extremely advantageous.

Healing nanobots - restores a small amount of health at a time, but continuously. Good for cases of chronic damage. If you lose 3HP a minute to a chronic issue but gain 10HP every 3 minutes, you should still be able to sleep soundly.

Contact Cards. There are three Contact Cards in the entire game. They are awarded to players of significance - e.g. the first to locate the First Level’s boss, the first to uncover important game lore, the first to reach the Third Level, etc. Contact Cards are non-transferable (though you can use them on someone else’s behalf) items which allow the user a fifteen-minute phonecall home (to the real world). Fifteen minutes only. This includes ringtime. No more no less, but you can call any phone number in the world, for any reason, and you can use 5 minutes on one phonecall and 10 on another, if you like. If your character would never earn a CC - consider whether they might be able to win a raffle for one. I’m sure they’d be good to raffle off the use of, at a profit.

First party to beat a boss gets good items. Everyone thereafter gets recipes to synthesise those items. You will need a copy of the recipe and all items on it to synthesize - if you want to make two, you will need two copies.

You can PVP and stake items on the outcome. Be careful to define what a ‘defeat’ is, but this is a good way for people to identify those elite players/prove themselves to each other AS elite players/just to be able to get some sparring practice in, and gambling.

Once the game is over/someone has beaten the final boss, everyone is put back to their normal lives. I don’t believe in muscle wastage because being true to life at expense of plot convenience doesn’t appeal to me, but hey, each their own. Consider the reunion threads!!! the finding each other threads!!!

#feel free to use this! i am not even sure what i want to do with it but i wrote it out #so if y'all want to write your own things in this verse don't let me stop you. you don't need to credit me #v; living the cyber life (virtual reality)#verse information

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mhsn033 · 4 years

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Champions League quarter-finals: Pick your favourite last-eight tie

It is going to moreover fair be August and not April but relish an glorious time and be thankful – the Champions League has reached the quarter-last stage.

The competitors incessantly produces excellent match-the United States this stage, and this year’s mini knockout match in Portugal formulation it could perhaps presumably be remarkable more special.

However what are your favourite last-eight ties of the past 20 years or so? We relish looked encourage and picked out a high 10 for you – and likewise you more than seemingly can vote for the suitable at the bottom. Like!

2003 – Staunch Madrid 6-5 Manchester United

Important person gamers: Ronaldo, Zinedine Zidane, Luis Figo, Raul, Ruud van Nistelrooy, David Beckham, Roy Keane, Ole Gunnar Solskjaer

Gorgeous a few months sooner than Cristiano Ronaldo moved in and made Mature Trafford dwelling, Brazilian celeb Ronaldo did appropriate the same with a devastating example of his genius.

Holders Staunch won the main leg 3-1 with a Raul double and a Figo fluke. However a 2-0 care for within the 2d leg would relish despatched Sir Alex Ferguson’s males by and hopes were high of reaching a last on their dwelling ground.

Ronaldo’s first aim noticed him leave Rio Ferdinand in his wake to speed on to a by ball and then smash a shot past Fabian Barthez sooner than the keeper could perhaps react. His 2d turned into as soon as a supreme team aim – Zidane lowering United beginning, Roberto Carlos rolling it across aim for a tap-in.

His hat-trick aim on the hour mark turned into as soon as the opt, as he peaceful the ball deep, sooner than evading Mikael Silvestre and flashing a 25-yarder past Barthez and in. Trademark smile time.

He turned into as soon as given a standing ovation by the total ground when he came off later. And there turned into as soon as composed time for Madrid-sure Beckham to near on and ranking twice…

2004 – AC Milan 4-5 Deportivo la Coruna

Important person gamers: Kaka, Andriy Shevchenko, Andrea Pirlo, Paolo Maldini, Cafu, Walter Pandiani, Juan Carlos Valeron, Albert Luque

Prolonged sooner than Liverpool made overturning a broad first-leg defeat a ingredient, Deportivo la Coruna noticed off the mighty Milan with an nice 2d-leg effort.

The Spanish facet in fact took the lead within the main leg at the San Siro, but Kaka, Shevchenko and Pirlo handed out a 4-1 whipping that looked build to send holders the Rossoneri into the last four over again.

However as a substitute Milan noticed their lead worn out by three targets contained within the main 43 minutes.

Future Birmingham loanee Pandiani fired the main after five minutes, sooner than Valeron headed a 2d and Newcastle flop Luque set Deportivo ahead on aggregate.

Substitute Gonzalez Fran added a fourth to scheme Milan’s field as they joined Staunch Madrid and Arsenal in suffering shock defeats that season.

2007 – Roma 3-8 Manchester United

Important person gamers: Francesco Totti, Daniele de Rossi, Christian Panucci, Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand

Some ties are memorable for being shut and going on to the wire. Some care for within the brain for being something but shut.

Manchester United misplaced the main leg of their quarter-last in Rome in 2007 but answered in magisterial vogue. Three targets in eight minutes from Michael Carrick, Alan Smith and Rooney turned the tie on its head at Mature Trafford and to boot they didn’t use their collective foot off the accelerator all night.

Carrick acquired one more, Patrice Evra scored and Ronaldo scored twice – his first Champions League targets – in a 7-1 rout.

2008 – Arsenal 3-5 Liverpool

Important person gamers: Emmanuel Adebayor, Cesc Fabregas, Robin van Persie, Steven Gerrard, Fernando Torres, Peter Crouch, Xabi Alonso

One more graceful 2d leg, with Anfield seeing presumably the suitable of Theo Walcott as his wonderful hump build up Arsenal’s 2d away aim on the night to construct them ahead on away targets with appropriate six minutes left.

Liverpool needed an fast response and acquired it – from Ryan Babel of all of us. First, he won a penalty which Gerrard converted and then the Dutchman scored himself in added time to seal a third semi-last in opposition to Chelsea in four years.

2009 – Liverpool 5-7 Chelsea

Important person gamers: Gerrard, Torres, Alonso, Dider Drogba, Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack, Branislav Ivanovic

This last-eight classic turned into as soon as within the balance shapely till the last minute of an nice 2d leg.

Ivanovic turned into as soon as the (then) not going hero for the Blues at Anfield, heading in his first two Chelsea targets to assist real a 3-1 care for which looked to relish banked the away targets needed to growth.

That left a Gerrard-less Liverpool wanting to ranking three instances at the Bridge. Which they did – they were 2-0 up interior half of an hour – but they moreover shipped four targets on the night in a remarkable 4-4 plan.

Lampard’s slack double in the end settled the tie.

2010 – Bayern Munich 4-4 Manchester United (Bayern care for on away targets)

Important person gamers: Franck Ribery, Arjen Robben, Thomas Muller, Philipp Lahm, Rooney, Nani, Ferdinand, Nemanja Vidic

It turned into as soon as all going so properly for Manchester United. After a 2-1 defeat in Munich, a Darron Gibson strike and two targets by Nani had Ferguson’s facet build for the semi-finals over again.

United had reached the past two finals and Wayne Rooney turned into as soon as within the manufacture of his lifestyles. However Ivica Olic bundled in a scruffy aim appropriate sooner than half of-time and Rafael turned into as soon as despatched off rapidly after the restart.

Bayern needed appropriate one more away aim to growth and located it in spectacular vogue, Robben brilliantly volleying in from the threshold of the space.

2010 – Arsenal 3-6 Barcelona

Important person gamers: Fabregas, Samir Nasri, Nicklas Bendtner, Lionel Messi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Xavi, Dani Alves

In most cases you more than seemingly can play properly within the last eight and then appropriate near up in opposition to genius.

Arsenal performed their section in every legs of this classic, coming from 2-0 down at dwelling to plan 2-2 and then taking the lead within the Nou Camp by Bendtner.

That aim appropriate induced Messi into lifestyles although. The Argentine Einstein would relish his hat-trick sooner than half of-time, and ended the night with all four Barca targets.

His hat-trick aim turned into as soon as the opt of the bunch, a straightforward chip over the pinnacle of Manuel Almunia. Sheer class.

2013 – Malaga 2-3 Borussia Dortmund

Important person gamers: Isco, Joaquin, Martin Demichelis, Robert Lewandowski, Marco Reus, Mario Gotze, Ilkay Gundogan

It turned into as soon as the night when Jurgen Klopp in fact came to the forefront of a range of British soccer followers’ minds.

Eliseu’s 82nd-minute aim set Malaga, of their first Champions League marketing campaign, 2-1 up on the night and leaving Dortmund wanting to ranking twice to procure by.

Going into added time they composed needed two, but incredibly found them in front of the yellow wall. Reus and then Felipe Santana struck for the German facet, although the worthwhile aim – poked dwelling from a subject of inches – looked offside.

“I possess I even must spin to the doctor, but it indubitably turned into as soon as in fact loopy,” stated Klopp.

2018 – Barcelona 4-4 Roma (Roma care for on away targets)

Important person gamers: Messi, Luis Suarez, Andres Iniesta, Gerard Pique, De Rossi, Edin Dzeko, Alisson, Radja Nainggolan

I will quit to BT Sport maestro Peter Drury for this one. Roma misplaced the main leg in Spain 4-1 but by some skill shut out Messi and co and took the three-0 lead they needed when defender Kostas Manolas headed in slack on.

“Roma relish risen from their ruins!” Drury bellowed. “Manolas, the Greek god in Rome! The unthinkable unfolds sooner than our eyes!

“This turned into as soon as not meant to happen. This could perhaps not happen. This IS going on. It is a Greek from Mount Olympus who has shut to the seven hills of Rome and pulled off a miracle!”

Shining.

2019 – Tottenham 4-4 Manchester City (Tottenham care for on away targets)

Important person gamers: Son Heung-min, Christian Eriksen, Lucas Moura, Fernando Llorente, Raheem Sterling, Sergio Aguero, Kevin de Bruyne, Bernardo Silva

Tottenham could perhaps presumably moreover fair relish misplaced the last last year but they had two knockout ties for the ages encourage to encourage. Before the nice care for over Ajax in Amsterdam came the unprecedented job in Manchester as a slack, slack video assistant referee (VAR) name helped send them by.

Spurs were maintaining a 1-0 lead from the main leg but an opening 21 minutes of chaotic brilliance noticed City lead 3-2 on the night as every groups exchanged targets at will.

Son and Sterling scored twice every and Silva moreover acquired in on the act in a loopy beginning up. Aguero set City 4-2 up on the night but Llorente’s clumsy, bundled header – by the usage of his arm – set Spurs encourage on high on away targets.

In a sport of relentless drama, City even thought they had won it in damage time finest for Sterling’s aim to be dominated out for offside by VAR.

6 Levels from Thierry Henry: Can the boys discover down the Arsenal legend?

Execrable Other folks: Conditions that shock, dread and intrigue us

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xavierdominico-blog · 6 years

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My review of League of Legends

We initially reviewed League of Legends at 2009, when it initially introduced. It's changed significantly since that time, so much that we chose to review it .

What can it be?

She understands I am there. She just can not see me entering the shrubbery too --nullifying her array edge and letting me shut in with my Aquaman-esque trident. So rather, the Caitlyn participant requires a potshot to the field having a skill that hurts in a direct line; no targeting demanded.

It is sufficient to kill my diminished winner Fizz in 1 hit. Additionally, it is exactly what I have been awaiting. Fizz can pogo jump on his trident, which makes him immune to these led attacks, and jump forward in a destructive slam. I utilize the momentum to dodge Caitlyn's burst and shut the space she wished to keep. One lunging strike afterwards, the contested is dead in the dirt, and a soul of gold and experience points just prepares me farther for another battle.

Such tense one-on-one, do-or-die struggles happen in each League of Legends game, however the adrenaline in these minutes makes them memorable. League is a lens which amplifies every emotion about the spectrum.

Every game is like a whole multiplayer action-RPG condensed into 20-to-50 moments. Each player begins with only control of one unit and one particular ability. They are divided into two teams of five and let loose from each other within a top battlefield. Smiting enemy components in real time makes experience and gold, which grant access to stronger abilities and a selection of better equipment. The group that wins is the group that best leverages its components' specific strengths.

Your final aim is to destroy the opposing group's headquarters. The combating largely occurs across three streets leading to every"Nexus." Each path is safeguarded by AI sentinels and individual players distressed to warrant their own use of free time.

I really don't blame them. In addition, I need my in-game announcer to yell"success" and warrant the strain and valuable life span I invested demolishing virtual warriors and towers. I would like to feel like becoming flanked and murdered five occasions in the first half hour has been worthwhile to get your own last-minute push into enemy land that cinches the triumph --because I had the foresight to decide on a late-game winner made to return from behind. The psychological investment in these strategic gambles is increased by the period of the games, raising the high of success, while creating every minimal texture that much lesser . It is a recipe for both friends and perfect strangers to flip their frustration on every other, including a private layer to each perplexing loss.

League of Legends' pay-per-character business version pushes against mastering the sport and knowing how its winners play.

Every game you re-dedicate to playing an important role on a staff, such as support or tank, attempting to accrue experience, cash and rewarding player kills quicker than another group. Nevertheless, the actual investment in League of Legends goes far beyond this. You can find 140 playable characters and climbing. That is not even such as passives from mix-and-match runes, or charms which may be outfitted in front of a game begins.Between the absolute scale of factors at play, and League's well-documented toxicity (even the match's own programmers are not resistant to it), it is among the most daunting matches ever.

League does little to alleviate any of the strain. Allowing countless gamers to become civil is a demanding, probably Sisyphean endeavor, but easing players to League's sophistication needs to be more viable eight years following launch. This is the way you pick a winner. This is the way you buy them a wonderful pair of sneakers. This type of thing. Where it's flounders, or barely even attempts to help in any way, is in describing when and why you need to apply those principles to some given situation.

League of Legends' pay-per-character business version pushes contrary to mastering the sport and knowing how its winners play. It is going to take you a few decades of grinding, the greater part of a million bucks, or a mixture of both to unlock the entire roster indefinitely. There is a weekly rotation of free personalities, also, but not one of those choices compare to on-the-job instruction. When I get crushed by Ryze, for example, I could spit over his kit beyond the match, but nothing is a true stand-in for understanding the way he manages under my index finger.

This free-to-play version remains a significant impediment into LoL's availability --and of course its'innocence' as an esports occurrence --and a few strange UI options do not help, either. You can not analyze a winner's skills from the select display, as an example. Likewise, you can not peruse an opposing player's abilities mid-match.

But if you work beyond the competitive team conversation and devote an whole lobe of your mind to memorizing movement rate and cooldown timers, League's high highs return quite lots of lost ground. I have developed the patience to just start Brand's fiery, bouncing death-ball if it is certain to ricochet off each enemy winner.

At its finest, League of Legends is aggressive, high-energy mathematics. Maintaining your attack damage take, the staff tasked with pumping out constant damage in large staff struggles, in one of 3 lanes to soak up gold and experience points may only provide you the increased amount. Then again, possibly moving them about to land the profitable killing blow squishy, defenseless affirms is your thing to do.

At its finest, League of Legends is aggressive, high-energy mathematics.

Success is not only a prefabricated strategy coming together. The understanding that reside human beings are supporting the track, inventing their own approaches to prevent me, means that I have well and truly outplayed individuals of apparently similar ability.

And thanks to League's relatively speedy action--only marginally twitchier than Dota two's yawning chess games and a hair more than Heroes of the Storm's blatantly accessible skirmishes--there is an awareness of physical domination, also. Among the most powerful jelqing in Dota, as an instance, continues for a maximum of five minutes. A very similar ability at League of Legends shirts out at roughly two-thirds of this. When I am overly fussy to step from the manner of Ashe's knockout strike in League (each time), I am back to ditching magic missiles that far quicker. If I reside.

As games advancement, things purchased with hard-won gold create player-versus-player struggles more prevalent and ferocious. The Dark Cleaver, a key in-game thing for Illaoi, among my favourite winners, supplies a wonderful cushion of wellness and a few attack power. Maybe more incredibly, the chopper also slows down its wielder's skills significantly quicker. So do a number of different products.

The consequent shorter period between spell casting raises the speed of struggle without taking away the attention from specified character abilities. I understand Illaoi summons ghostly tentacles together with her passive capability. Things like the Dark Cleaver simply call the tendrils to my help faster, and allow Illaoi reach harder in between. They seldom ask me to recall over her fundamental spells.

So while getting into League takes a lot of memorization, mastering it's much more about finesse. Every player begins every game with limited tools. The wiggle room for outdoing competitions is largely found in response time and accuracy. Or you may be playing just and your competitors, but losing anyhow.

The solution is that it does not. It is simply not necessarily the same clique of favorite children month .

That altering assortment of S-tier selections, bans, and personality builds is known as the meta, and I have always known League's to become only slightly narrow. When a specified strategy functions, it has a tendency to work really well, and the top echelons of aggressive play cling to it for dear life.

In 2017, it had been the insufferable tank . Immortal abominations such as Dr. Mundo and Maokai spent this age whomping each other with the seriousness of a Nerf war whilst dragging out every game to double its normal span.

Twice monthly spots make small but significant changes to the mathematics behind the mayhem. Each such alteration nudges optimal champion options in 1 direction or another, but there is essentially never a totally level playing field.

There is always a possibility the numbers will tell you to decide on a specific tank or support which simply does not strike your fancy. That is a simple fact of life in almost any aggressive game. However, League's often slender circle of top-tier winners restricts those choices even further. And because you do not have access to each given champ in any particular time, you might be stuck using the lemons of this meta until grinding enough humorous cash to rejoin the contest.

That should not matter much in casual sport buffoonery. Teamwork and ability are the higher factors . There is an all-random winners manner for people who would rather have silly fun with charm slinging. But if I am currently dedicating myself into League's learning curve, then I need the guaranteed payoff of a correctly tactical brawl. Along with also the'principles' of this meta that begin at professional drama finally trickle down to my degree. It is absolute candy for each armchair analyst seeking to blame for their loss on anybody but themselves.

I have been advised to not play my favourite wizards for this very reason. I have been told my triumph did not count since I was being"cheap" I have seen new players leave games since a noxious teammate always blamed their inexperience to get a ruined turret. Nevermind that everyone started someplace. As frequently, it is another crack for this notorious rust to float in.

A certain type of variety Luckily, League of Legends includes a great range of fantastical weirdos to select from. Illaoi is my existing go-to: a brawny, squid-worshipping priestess that siphons enemy spirits with a large, iron skull.

Not all the character style is that trendy.

There is nothing inherently wrong with hot personalities, but League's devotion to girls with a slender and busty body kind feels on par with these pop-up advertisements for sexy Clash of all Clans clones. It is a disappointing position quo for winners that typically play with in interesting ways. The musically inclined Sona, for example, sports a superbly challenging mixture of service abilities that vary based on the sequence she uses .

Every smart shortcut involving lanes, or tap of the key that a nanosecond quicker than your competitor feels like a triumph.

It is that variety of drama which produces LoL so intriguing. Sure, maybe not every winner or spell functions in addition to others on paper. But there is a seemingly endless flow of these to attempt . Say Fizz had neglected me contrary to Caitlyn. Maybe I could teleport from the way as Ezreal, or halt the attack from happening by magnificent Caitlyn with New (Correction: a previous version of the review misstated among Jinx's skills ). League's strong roster is among the greatest strategic toyboxes readily available now. Odds are you will never cease being amazed by the amazing ways that your human foes utilize them to slide past and creep upon you. You will surprise yourself, also.

Maybe League of Legends is becoming only a little complacent in the decades since it established. The sexed-up costumes and obstacles to entry feel as the goods of a rather major game which has not had to increase its viewers in some moment. But breaking beyond those issues finally rewards new gamers with grand, amazing complexity. Every smart shortcut involving lanes, or tap of the key that a nanosecond quicker than your competitor feels like a triumph. League makes these minutes downright ordinary, but barely less special for this. And its always changing roster means there is another suggestion simply waiting to slip up your sleeve.

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currentbdnews · 6 years

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http://ifttt.com/images/no_image_card.png‘Madden’ shooter killed gamers seeking money for college, familyhttps://ift.tt/eA8V8J ‘Madden’ shooter killed gamers seeking money for college, family For update news visit All Bd Newspaper

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A California man who played video games to earn money for college and a West Virginian whose e-sports winnings helped support his young family were slain at a Florida tournament where a gunman specifically targeted fellow gamers, authorities said Monday.

David Katz, 24, of Baltimore fatally shot himself after killing the two men and wounding 10 others Sunday inside a pizzeria and bar that were hosting a Madden NFL 19 tournament. Katz was among about 130 gamers attending the competition at a mall in Jacksonville.

What we know about video game tournament shooting suspect David Katz https://t.co/SnTdCh8i8i pic.twitter.com/gZSuJYg7fq

— WISN 12 NEWS (@WISN12News) August 28, 2018

Court records in Maryland reviewed by The Associated Press show Katz had previously been hospitalized for mental illness. Divorce filings from his parents say that as an adolescent he was twice hospitalized in psychiatric facilities and was prescribed antipsychotic and antidepressant medications.

Katz carried two handguns, including one equipped with a laser sight, into the tournament venue but only fired one of them, Jacksonville Sheriff Mike Williams told a news conference Monday. He said surveillance video revealed Katz was the only shooter, but his motive remains unknown.

“The suspect clearly targeted other gamers who were in the back room” of the pizzeria, Williams said. “The suspect walked past patrons who were in other parts of the business and focused his attention on the gamers.”

Suspect in shooting at 'Madden NFL 19' tourney had history of mental illness

'No one deserves to die over playing a video game': Competitor after Jacksonville shooting

Gunman kills 2, himself at Jacksonville video game tournament

Investigators determined Katz bought both guns in Baltimore within the past month. But Williams said there’s no indication he planned the shooting before Sunday.

In a statement Monday evening EA CEO Andrew Wilson said he is cancelling the remaining qualifier events to focus on safety.

“We have made a decision to cancel our three remaining Madden Classic qualifier events while we run a comprehensive review of safety protocols for competitors and spectators.”

The sheriff had previously said nine people were wounded by gunfire, but told reporters Monday the total was 10. All of them, he said, were expected to recover.

The sheriff’s office identified the dead as 22-year-old Elijah Clayton of Woodland Hills, California, and 28-year-old Taylor Robertson of Giles, West Virginia.

Clayton’s parents and other relatives gathered outside police headquarters Monday in Jacksonville to give a brief statement. A cousin, Brandi Pettijohn, said the family was “devastated by yet another senseless act of gun violence.” She said Clayton was a good, peaceful man who never had a fistfight.

“He loved football, and out of all the videogames he could play, he settled on and mastered ’Madden,”’ Pettijohn said. “He made a good living gaming, and he saved his earnings so he could afford to go to college to continue his education.”

Robertson, who used the gamer tag “Spotmeplzzz,” won the Madden Classic tournament in 2016. In a YouTube interview published by EA Sports, Robertson said he had played Madden NFL since he was 10 and started playing competitively a few years ago.

“It’s certainly possible for any player to do this,” Robertson said in the video. “You’ve just got to put in the time. You’ve got to grind. You’ve got to play a lot of games and just working on getting better.”

Fellow gamers described Robertson as a family man dedicated to his wife and children.

Gamer Derek Jones, who lost to Robertson in the 2016 tournament, said his onetime rival was “one of the nicest people I ever met.”

“There’s no way that guy did anything to deserve to get shot,” said Jones, who travelled to the Florida tournament from Santa Fe, New Mexico. “He’s got a family at home, and he just came out here to try to win some money for this family.”

Gamer Shay Kivlen of Seattle said he met Clayton, whose gamer tag was Trueboy, about five years ago. They bonded because both of them played games on a PlayStation 4 — which put them at odds with many gamers who prefer Microsoft’s Xbox.

The two friends would chat daily online and see each other about six times a year at gaming tournaments. About a week before the Florida shootings, Kivlen said, he was visiting San Diego and Clayton drove 2 1/2 hours in rush hour traffic to meet him.

“He was one of the kindest people, most genuine guys I’ve ever met,” said Kivlen, 21. “He was super real, and that’s what I loved about him. If he was happy, you knew he was happy. He wore his emotions on his sleeve.”

Kivlen and Jones said they barely knew Katz, who seemed to avoid conversation with fellow players during tournaments. Katz’s gameplay was often erratic, Kivlen said.

“He would do kind of weird stuff online that other people wouldn’t do. He would catch a ball and just start jumping out of bounds and stuff when he could have gotten more yards, just hurting himself,” Kivlen said. “I don’t know what he was doing.”

Kivlen, who said he had once beaten Katz for a coveted spot in a tournament, heard secondhand from a friend that Katz was asking for his whereabouts shortly before the shooting.

After losing his single-elimination game Sunday, Kivlen said, he left to take a nap at his hotel about 20 minutes before the attack. He was watching a live stream of the tournament online when the gunfire erupted.

A friend hiding in a bathroom at the venue answered his phone. When he said Kivlen may have been a target, Kivlen called police and an officer was sent to his hotel room for about 90 minutes until they received word that the gunman was dead.

“It just doesn’t make sense why he would do it,” Kivlen said. “In ’Madden,’ you never get so mad at a loss that you would want to do that.”

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investmart007 · 6 years

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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. | Shooting killed gamers seeking money for college, family

New Post has been published on https://is.gd/kzRFMZ

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. | Shooting killed gamers seeking money for college, family

David Katz, 24, of Baltimore fatally shot himself after killing the two men and wounding 10 others Sunday inside a pizzeria and bar that were hosting a “Madden NFL 19” tournament. Katz was among about 130 gamers attending the competition at a mall in Jacksonville.

Investigators determined Katz bought both guns in Baltimore within the past month. But Williams said there’s no indication he planned the shooting before Sunday.

In a statement Monday evening EA CEO Andrew Wilson said he is canceling the remaining qualifier events to focus on safety.

“We have made a decision to cancel our three remaining Madden Classic qualifier events while we run a comprehensive review of safety protocols for competitors and spectators.”

The sheriff had previously said nine people were wounded by gunfire, but told reporters Monday the total was 10. All of them, he said, were expected to recover.

The sheriff’s office identified the dead as 22-year-old Elijah Clayton of Woodland Hills, California, and 28-year-old Taylor Robertson of Giles, West Virginia.

“He loved football, and out of all the videogames he could play, he settled on and mastered ‘Madden,'” Pettijohn said. “He made a good living gaming, and he saved his earnings so he could afford to go to college to continue his education.”

Gamer Derek Jones, who lost to Robertson in the 2016 tournament, said his onetime rival was “one of the nicest people I ever met.” “There’s no way that guy did anything to deserve to get shot,” said Jones, who traveled to the Florida tournament from Santa Fe, New Mexico. “He’s got a family at home, and he just came out here to try to win some money for this family.”

Kivlen and Jones said they barely knew Katz, who seemed to avoid conversation with fellow players during tournaments. Katz’s gameplay was often erratic, Kivlen said.

Kivlen, who said he had once beaten Katz for a coveted spot in a tournament, heard secondhand from a friend that Katz was asking for his whereabouts shortly before the shooting.

“It just doesn’t make sense why he would do it,” Kivlen said. “In ‘Madden,’ you never get so mad at a loss that you would want to do that.”

By RUSS BYNUM ,Associated Press

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grettamaskell-blog · 6 years

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Tips Going Shopping For Managing Shoes.

The additional on your read, you'll start to understand that everyone needs electricity and also the most ideal source from power is actually coming from carbs. Some folks witnessed that he brought their Ex lover back, some indicated that he brings back womb, cure cancer, as well as other sickness, some proved that he can easily cast an incantation to quit separation and more. i likewise discovered one particular testament, this had to do with a female contacted Sonia, she testified about just how he rejuvenated her Ex-boyfriend aficionado in under 7 days, and by the end of her statement she dropped Prelate ADODO's e-mail address. Start offer me a breather, nobody found this happening till today, these are actually scare tactics, the $700 Billion Bailout plan are going to offer the nation confidence for a while, yet must we really have that, I presume certainly not, why since if it happened once, it can take place twice. Offer Me a. 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The golden state because 1978 with over Thirty Years knowledge in counseling people and also couples and writer of THIRTEEN publications in 17 foreign languages, including It Ends Along with You: Grow Up as well as Out of Disorder; The Unofficial Overview of Dating Once again; Funds, Sex as well as Little ones: Stop Dealing with About the Three Points That Could Spoil Your Marital relationship, The Traveler Relationship, and her most up-to-date, Love Styles: Effective ways to Commemorate Your Distinctions. STOP and recognize that intricate carbs are only a set of 3 or additional straightforward sugars bound with each other. He pitched back in his squeaky seat with his hand on his jaw, Okay, I will certainly provide you the cars and truck, and also you spend me when you can," he stated with a smile as he expanded his palm. And luckily, my stomach did not offer me any type of complications like before whenever I avoided meals. The truth is that males generally break up with a female considering that they display a pattern of behaviour that the partner is certainly not pleased with, and also no longer wants to accept. Setting down security kind of defeats the item of possessing carpets and consequently our experts encourage hot water extraction carpet cleaning to cease the wear and tear and also messing. At that point the anger, looks to center break and also despair as well as you become desperate to get your ex lover back. In addition going on a fast isn't really a brain surgery; for 1000s of years, mostly all societies have actually utilized this that can help remove the physical body from contaminants, give our intestinal organs the option to revitalize and bring back maximum feature. The graph would then suggest which bones seemed to be to become the best and the very least likely to damage. Reviewing these happy quotes is actually just the 1st step on coming to be a real optimist. Staff members are actually qualified to one paid for 10-minute remainder break if their work duration is actually in between two and also four hours; one spent 10-minute rest break and one unpaid 30-minute food breather if their work period is between 4 as well as 6 hrs; 2 paid out 10-minute remainder breathers as well as one overdue 30-minute dish breather if their job duration is between six as well as eight hours. There are no guidelines for producing pop songs- any sort of combination of lyrics and songs (or even no music or no verse) is acceptable so long as completion item is actually snappy or even intriguing good enough for somebody to notice this! The aspect is that of the ping pong gamers has to damage serves with confidence and also the second one did it with trouble, having actually won some activities on rest factors. You got her intrigued, called her unplanned, and also failed to give any sort of sound answers. There are actually a lots of these research study companies trying to find folks like you to offer your point of view, as well as they are going to pay you pay for that. Most significantly, that does not cost a trait to participate in. It is actually unreasonable that you were the only person to put the blame on the break up. Consider also your companion. I never ever make use of to care about spell spreading in my whole entire life since i never ever assumed it is going to function however i attempted to provide this male an opportunity as well as to my best surprise, he performed his work and also it produced a positive outcome and i was able to get my spouse back. Therefore go forward: relax for water, a restroom go to, an easy stroll or extent, examining your phone for notifications ... the sky's the limit. For more information in regards to mountains of mourne sheet music (elsabordlabuena--comida.info) look at the page. This is actually the only reference of Jesus inquiring an individual to give up each one of their wide range. The simple fact is actually that men normally crack up with a female given that they exhibit a design of practices that the companion is actually certainly not happy along with, and not desires to tolerate. Taking down defense kind of defeats the things from possessing rugs and also for that reason our experts recommend hot water extraction carpeting cleansing to stop the wear and tear as well as messing. Then the temper, counts on soul break and also despair and also you end up being hopeless in order to get your ex-boyfriend back.

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kalachand97-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Globeinfrom

New Post has been published on https://globeinform.com/montero-haunts-seattle-world-cup-winners-megastar/

Montero haunts Seattle, World Cup winners megastar

Before Friday, Fredy Montero became a Seattle legend who had, a great deal of the pain of Sounders fans, later signed with neighborhood rival Vancouver. After the Whitecaps’ 2-1 win over Seattle at BC Location on Friday, his fame has in all likelihood been altered similarly. Montero scored twice, lifting his new group to a critical win over his antique one; Vancouver’s 2nd win of 2017 also scored the primary blow on this year’s Cascadia Cup warfare. Montero used his head for both goals, first slipping his mark within the sixty-fifth minute Before redirecting a hard and fast-piece possibility 10 mins from full-time. With 3 goals on the season, he just needs forty-four extra Whitecaps goals to fit his general in Seattle colorings.

NYCFC, in the long run, didn’t need David Villa’s long-range chip of Philadelphia keeper Andre Blake to comfortable they’re first away win of 2017, however it sure turned into a fun to watch and just every other stunning instance of the previous Barcelona man’s capability to drop our jaws, even at 35 years of age. It becomes Villa’s fourth goal of the season and his forty-fifth in 69 MLS video games.

The Chicago Hearth revival nevertheless desires to show itself over a longer stretch, but the early returns have humans smiling in Bridgeview. Bastian Schweinsteiger’s first affect has been not anything quick of wonderful. The club took tremendous grievance for handing massive profits to a participant with a current history of spotty play and injuries, but that appears severely out of place up to now. The world Cup winner contributed a purpose — his second in three games seeing that his arrival — and an incisive passing detail in the 3-zero win over New England.

Cyle Larin isn’t just the league’s brightest young scoring talent; he is were given a penchant for the dramatic. Whether he is “snatch” or his desires just tend to return while his team needs them maximum with the aid of twist of fate, his capability to position the ball inside the internet has Orlando sitting on a perfect 4-zero record in its new stadium. Larin’s cutting-edge decisive strike got here in brought time against the l. A. Galaxy. After Romain Alessandrini leveled the sport at 1-1 with seven minutes left, Larin beat Jermaine Jones to the ball on an overdue corner, slamming home a volley to conquer Clement Diop and hold the right begin. MLS TOTW 20170416 Different Villains

Beforehand of Philadelphia’s game against NYCFC, Union sporting director Earnie Stewart known as pressure on train Jim Curtin “unfair” and said emphatically that any warmness becomes not coming from internal assets. No matter hostility to the concept that his job has to be on the road, even though, fanatics have masses of purpose to question the management in Chester, given Philadelphia is now winless in 14 games. There had been a few vivid moments in Friday’s 2-zero defeat, however, across the breadth of 90 minutes, the house aspect was outplayed, created few probabilities and by no means genuinely regarded able to prevailing. If it really now not causes to doubt Curtin’s effectiveness and marvel Whether it might be time for an exchange, maybe the pressure need to fall on Stewart himself.

Seattle turned into crushed by Montero in Vancouver, but matters might have been very unique if not for an uncooperative purpose frame at BC Vicinity: Clint Dempsey hit the woodwork twice with photographs that beat Whitecaps keeper David Ousted. If even one of these went in, Seattle might have been in a better position to hold on for a point or greater. Chicago is better than it was once and Schweinsteiger has been a hit. however, it allows having a man benefit for extra than an hour way to a pair of silly fouls from an opposing defender. Je-Vaughn Watson placed New England in a massive hole together with his two first-half of yellows and the Revolution become unable to conquer that numerical downside on the road.

In all of 2016, Colorado conceded a grand general of 7 desires at domestic. 12 months on, the Rapids have allowed 4 in only games at Dick’s sporting Items Park. In a 2-1 loss vs. Real Salt Lake, a handball through Jay Watts and an extended-range attempt by way of Brooks Lennon did in Pablo Mastroeni’s team. If the stingiest protection in the league — specifically at domestic — is not that and Colorado’s assault continues to be anemic, 2017 guarantees to be much less a success in Denver. World Cup V UEFA Champions League: That is higher?

With the next Global Cup due to begin in June of this yr the controversy as to Whether or not the UEFA Champions League is better than The arena Cup has livened up.

The Chelsea supervisor Jose Mourinho lately said that the Champions League is now higher than The arena Cup due to the fact the groups in it are at a better degree than the national teams who can not purchase the first-class players. the former Manchester United supervisor, Sir Alex Ferguson agrees with him.

There’s a few bias on this announcement and it’s far self-serving when you consider that Europeans have for a long time attempted to convince The sector that Europe performs the exceptional football.

I disagree with Mourinho due to the fact a comparison among the 2 competitions and a look at the figures refute his argument.

First- Preferred of Play – Ecu clubs have the satisfactory players, however so too does The world Cup. however soccer is a sport and the crew with the first-class games isn’t always always the exceptional crew.

The satisfactory proof we have is the membership World Cup when the winner of the Champions League competes towards the champions from Other confederations and here the Europeans have simplest won five out of 9 tournaments.

The arena Cup and the Champions League each have robust teams and groups with susceptible squads. however the former has a better Popular of football as it has all the quality gamers who play for their respective countries with each united states of America having its very own fashion of playing. The teams play with a deep dedication to the flag knowing that the great accomplishment is to win the trophy and be topped the best in the International.

Alternatively in the Champions League groups are a mixture of players from extraordinary nations with special forms of gambling and the players don’t have any connection to the club that they represent besides for a settlement and you may continually just flow on to a brand new membership in the next season.

For instance, with Brasil Neymar performs a unfastened flowing fashion with freedom to roam all over the area. but while he plays for Barcelona he’s stuck on the wing and relegated to assisting Messi and so is much less powerful.

2d, Popular v City Primarily based – The world Cup encompasses the whole International which include over two hundred countries across Europe, Africa, North and South The us, Asia and Oceana. It showcases the distinct types of football as it’s far played around The sector which provides to its competitiveness and color.

In furtherance of this, FIFA is now planning to extend the match to guarantee underrepresented regions including the Caribbean Football Union’s place and Oceana, a complete birth inside the match.

In evaluation, the Champions League is constrained to just 32 towns in Europe and wherein fan help is essentially confined to the City wherein the membership is Based.

0.33, Reputation – Because of its universality The arena Cup is a whole lot extra popular. So the 2010 Global Cup in South Africa was watched in each nation and territory within the Global, such as Antarctica and the Arctic Circle and became seen with the aid of three.2 billion humans or 46.four% of The sector’s populace. The very last recreation was seen by 909.6 million viewers (or over 1000000000 if the ones looking out of doors their houses in bars and pubs have been covered).

The Champions League does not even come near those figures. An insignificant one hundred fifty million watched remaining season’s final sport (or 360 million if the ones outdoor their houses are protected) (Bleacher Document – Why The world Cup Will always Be Larger Than the Champions League, by Sam Pilger, February 26, 2014).

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jamestaris · 7 years

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Event #11: Crown Casino Flutter

Melbourne Bucket List [Click here to join: https://www.meetup.com/Melbourne-Bucket-List-Group]

MBLG Event #11: Crown Casino Flutter Thursday, 16 March 2017 Casinos… you either love them, or hate them. Either way, they are definitely intriguing. The Crown Casino, in Melbourne, first opened in 1994 in a temporary location on the north bank of the Yarra while the Crown Casino Complex was being built. The new complex featuring 3 hotels, spas, casino, plus restaurants and bars, opened in 1997. You must be over 18 to enter the casino, which is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year… except for Christmas Day, Good Friday and ANZAC Day, when entrances close from 4am to 12 noon, while allowing gamblers already inside the casino to stay and continue gambling. So, in reality, the casino never never ever ever closes! There are a couple of other restrictions: Dress Code: For the main areas of the casino, dress is neat casual. Definitely no singlets or thongs. And if you're carrying a large bag or briefcase they'll ask to inspect it for security purposes. Photography: Casinos, in general, aren't happy about you taking photos of other people in their facility. However, they don't mind if you just photograph people in your own group, or take selfies!. Parking in the Multi-Level Car park is: Sunday to Thursday: $6 for 5 hours!.. $9 for 5-7 hours!.. $16 for 7-24 hours!!! On Fridays, Saturdays and Public Holidays: $20 flat rate The first time I visited the Melbourne Crown Casino was soon after it opened in its current location in 1997. There was a huge buzz over the building’s features, mainly those outside the gaming rooms. The crowds came in droves, with kids in tow. Outside the complex were the dancing waters. Submerged water pipes arranged in a series of concentric circles that shot water up 2-3 metres into the air at random. At night, these pillars of water were even lit up in different colours. The kids loved them! On hot days, they would dash across the concrete base with the challenge of getting to the other side completely dry. Nine times out of ten they failed, but those were the most fun! Those dancing waters have long since been removed. Another attraction was the Fireball Towers, a series of rectangular concrete pillars lining the Yarra River along the Crown Casino Complex. A story I heard way back then was that, on the first fireball exhibit, a flock of hapless pigeons were incinerated mid-air. The Fireball Towers shot huge balls of fire into the air, every hour, on the hour, from 6pm until Midnight. The online information still promotes this Fire Display Timing. However, when I went there this Thursday, they failed to fire up at 6pm. It’s uncertain whether this feature still exists. Once inside the complex, in the main Atrium near the stairway leading up to one of the Crown Casino Hotels, there were a couple of other public features. The first was a small replica of the dancing waters below a small waterfall and coming up from an elevated circular black marble base. These waters only shot up about a metre in height, and danced to the beat of piped classical music. Alas, when I visited on Thursday, the only thing I saw was a random spit of water here and there. The second feature was the giant crystal disappearing chandeliers. At the beginning of the light show, these 5-metre chandeliers appeared as if from nowhere and were accompanied by multi-coloured dancing lights that extended across the entire crystal Atrium ceiling. These lights also danced to the piped classical music. On this visit, I spent 35 minutes (from 5.15pm to 5.50pm) watching this light show, hoping to see the already descended chandeliers disappear back into the ceiling. However, it never happened. So, again, I’m unsure whether this feature still exists. Anyway, all of these features were designed to bring families to the casino. Maybe this isn’t something the casino wants to promote any more. Maybe their emphasis is now on getting gamers to come into the Crown’s gaming rooms… where the real money is made. So, let’s look at that now. This MBLG meetup had originally been planned for a Friday night, but after I checked their parking rates, I changed it to a Thursday night to take advantage of their $6 for 5 hours parking rate. Obviously, the Crown Casino knows that their biggest profits come from the gaming tables, not from the parking. So it’s unwise to turn the gamblers away at the car park! I knew the dress code was not as strict as it used to be, so as long as you weren’t wearing thongs or a singlet, you were good enough to enter. However, I wasn’t sure about hats and bags, so I left those at home. To satisfy my curiosity, as I entered the casino gaming area, I asked the security guard if hats were allowed. He assured me they were, but that I may be asked to remove my hat if I sat at a gaming table. Inside the casino, I saw many people with handbags and even shoulder bags, so they were obviously allowed in. I had been to the casino several times over the past 20 years, but I’d never noticed some things. Here are a few of those things: The slot machines took credit cards or bank notes, not coins. I sat at the very first slot machine I saw, Quad Shot. It was a 5-cent machine, meaning that each line you bet on costed you 5 cents. Five dollars gave me 100 spins if I played just one line at a time. The most I could bet was on 40 lines at once, but I could also increase my bet by up to 15 times, meaning that the maximum bet I could make on this 5-cent machine was actually $30! (5c x 40 lines x 15 = 3,000 cents = $30). My aim wasn’t to try to make a living from gambling, rather, it was to experience the game and pass a little time. So, I only played one line at a time. After a few spins I had built up a $10 credit. This was a winning margin of $5, or 100% profit! Better to leave as a winner, I thought, so I decided to cash in! The slot machine didn’t spit out any cash. My winnings were printed on a ticket, which I took to the Cashier who exchanged it for a $10 note. The Lucky Big Wheel, about 2.5 metres wide, had 54 sections, about half of them being for the $1 bet. This Big Wheel was played by machine. The minimum investment was $5. So, I thought I’d play the $1 even-money bet. That would give me 5 spins. But after the first spin my total investment disappeared! It was only then that I saw a notice advising me that the minimum bet was $5. I had much more fun with the slot machine! Later, I noticed another Big Wheel being spun by a casino employee! There were no machines here, but the principle was exactly the same. This time, fully aware of the betting limitations, I placed another $5 on the $1 even-money bet. This time I won! So, I recouped my previous loss and was once again $5 ahead in total winnings. I was amongst the card tables now. They were playing Caribbean Stud Poker, Texas Hold Em, Black Jack and Pontoon. These games had very large minimum (ante) bets of $15, $25 and $50… but much more was being bet by the gamblers at these tables. I was definitely out of my league here, so I moved on to something much more familiar: Roulette! Some of the Roulette tables had very high minimum bets, so I asked a casino employee where the Small Limit Tables were. Apparently, the first floor had Small Limit Tables! I was there in a flash! These tables had $2.50 minimum ‘inside’ bets, which meant I could bet $2.50 on any individual number, or combination of up to 6 numbers… but if I placed an ‘outside’ bet (eg. Black) the minimum bet was twice as much ($5). The first thing I noticed was that the Roulette wheel now had a ‘00’ number added to it. The casino had abandoned the European Roulette Table design with only one ‘0’ and adopted the American Roulette Table design with the ‘00’ alongside the ‘0’. All the other numbers on the table were the same and the bets still paid the same: individual numbers paid 35-1. What the ‘00’ did was to increase the casino’s previous winning ratio by 100% over the players that backed 1-1 bets (Black/Red; Odd/Even; 1-18/19-36). As there wasn’t any other option, the Roulette Tables still had an audience. I didn’t want to jump onto the Roulette Table too quickly, so I stopped by the Sports Bar for a Guinness. A 440 ml can cost me $11. In the early days, I fancied myself as a numbers man, so I developed a Roulette gambling system. It was not perfect, but I had won more that I’d lost. To put it in perspective, I was about $200 ahead… so I never played for much money. Today I thought I’d give it another try. After 40 bets on BLACK and 24 bets on ZERO, I was another $200 ahead. So, I quit. Total winnings for the night, $205. Nice! It was nearly 8.30pm. I hadn’t noticed the time had flown by so quickly, but that’s not unusual for a casino visit. It’s common knowledge that you’ll never find a clock or a window in a casino. They don’t want the gamblers distracted by outside stimulants like dusk or dawn. As a final indication of how Crown Casino had made their audiences totally engrossed in their gambling, I passed by the enormous Groove Lounge as a sole guitarist sang to a stark empty hall. Today I was leaving as a winner… but I knew that I was in the minority. James Taris [email protected]

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