#so much delay. so much lag. so many disconnects | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

r6shippingdelivery · 5 years

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This had been collecting dust in my Google docs for a week, and I finally decided to just post it and stop podering what I should do with it. Some silliness coming right up (Gen, humour hopefully, 2.2k) ! No ships, no smut, just random shenanigans 😂

With an ever expanding roster of operators, training had become harder and harder to coordinate. No amount of planning and rotation was enough to keep all operators on top of their game, or knowing how to work with any possible team. That was the reason Harry turned to less conventional methods of training. Nothing would be able to totally supplant conventional training, which honed both teamwork and reflexes, but virtual reality seemed perfect to try new strategies before applying them in real life.

The reactions to the new training method had ranged from Dokkaebi and Mute’s interest, to Thatcher’s expected scorn and suspicion. Most seemed to be vaguely curious about what it would entail, and for the sake of fairness, the teams and order of participation would be randomly selected. Harry was sure this would be the perfect tool to keep Rainbow on top of its game, he couldn’t wait to see how the test run went.

Sitting next to the IT specialist who would handle the connection, Harry greeted the first operators with a relaxed smile. He regarded the attackers; overall it wasn’t a bad group despite having been picked at random. However, there was one crucial matter he needed to ask.

“Where is the fifth member of the team?”

“It was Thatcher,” Glaz answered.

That was explanation enough, but Hibana felt the need to add something. “He said he would not be a lab rat for this ‘fookin Matrix shit’, sir.”

Hibana’s impression of the older operator was spot on, and Harry saw the rest of the team trying to not laugh. Oh well, expecting any different would have been a folly. A team of four wasn’t the end of the world, not when the selected training program was such that they could probably do it even if they were going one by one, alone.

It was time for the first run of the virtual reality program, to test how well the attacking and defending simulations worked.

ATTACKING TEAM

At first there was only darkness, and a strange and dizzying feeling like someone had dipped his brain in molasses. Fuze wondered if this was a hangover simulator or if it was possible to puke when your reality wasn’t even, well, real.

The world became clearer around him with startling celerity, and he found himself in front of a building, the smell of water clinging to the air while thunder cracked ominously over their heads. He had to admit the simulation was quite convincing.

“Hostage located, attackers prepared for extraction,” a disembodied voice told them.

They all nodded at each other, ready to go. Except for Maverick. The American seemed to be rooted on the spot, unresponsive. Being the one closest to him, Fuze waved a hand in front of his face. No reaction. It was creepy, like staring at a mannequin.

“Movin’ out,” Maverick said, turning around to face the docks behind them. He proceeded to stand in place as if he was imitating a statue.

“Something is wrong with him,” Glaz helpfully stated. Hibana snorted and Fuze rolled his eyes behind his helmet. He could see that by himself, thank you very much.

“I’m giving standby a new meaning,” Maverick turned around once more and chuckled apologetically at the end.

He was clearly aware he was acting with delay, almost as if he was lagging. Could that be the answer? Perhaps the program needed to be calibrated better, and after all this was the first time tying it, so Fuze would say yes, Maverick was lagging.

“Stay together and follow my lead.” Right after saying so, Hibana dashed away towards the building.

Fuze looked at their still unmoving teammate and then to Glaz, who shrugged at him, and sprinted after Hibana before Fuze could say anything. Damn them, he didn’t want to act as a babysitter! Maybe leaving Maverick out here wasn’t so bad? This wasn’t real, death was not permanent here. However, the decision was taken for him when Maverick suddenly moved.

Following the American seemed his best choice, and if things went south, he could use Maverick as an unmoving shield of sorts. Not the most noble notion, but if he froze again, Fuze at least would find a way to use it in his favour. They reached a barricaded entrance, and he saw how Maverick insisted on breaking it. Hit by agonizingly slow hit. It was a miracle nobody shot him in the long pauses between his movements. Then, instead of entering the building, Maverick remained planted there, in front of the entrance and without cover. Damn it, not again!

A well known sound startled him, a heavy breathing that all operators hated. It made sense that the White Mask bombers had been included in the simulation, but Fuze wasn’t happy about it. Seeing the blue light get closer and closer to the still frozen Maverick, he acted by instinct and swept in to kill the bomber. It was a close call; the suit beeping menacingly before it dropped dead right in front of Maverick. And just as Fuze thought they were on the clear, a second bomber came rushing down the hall. He killed it too, taking a bullet in the process, and Maverick better appreciate his sacrifice or Fuze would personally kill him next time.

After that, the American unfroze, shooting at thin air and moving choppily forward. Everything went well for about a minute, Fuze killing the two hostiles they encountered while Maverick shot at them once they were already dead, and thus hitting nothing at all. Then he stopped again. Knowing it might take him a while to get unstuck, Fuze went to put one of his cluster charges in a nearby barricaded door. He could see the surrounding walls were reinforced, so it was safe to say there was someone inside that room. Just as the cluster charged was primed and ready to go, Maverick appeared behind him and hit him in a delayed attempt to break the barricade. The bastard hit so hard that it knocked Fuze down. The ruckus alerted the hostiles in the other side of the barricade who then shot through it, destroying his precious cluster charge and hitting Fuze as well. Everything went dark, and he was pretty sure he just died.

When he opened his eyes again, he was back on the real world, Harry praising him for his cooperative spirit as the technician disconnected him from the simulation. Fuze glared both at Harry and at the seemingly unconscious Maverick next to him. If looks could kill, they all would drop dead. Next time something like this happened he would do like Glaz and run like hell, let someone else be stuck babysitting the team’s glitchy member. Worst of all was that he had died but Maverick was still alive apparently, talk about unfair. He would make the American’s life hell next time they met at the gym.

DEFENDING TEAM

Having heard from Glaz and Fuze about their experience, the simulated environment didn’t surprise Kapkan that much. Although it was quite the whiplash to go from being on a room at the base, and next second everything was dark and a completely different room just appeared around you.

“Secure the room, protect the hostage,” the disembodied voice instructed.

Of all his teammates, only Doc was taking measure to secure the room, reinforcing a wall. Smoke was gleefully shooting holes into another wall with his shotgun, Caveira was nowhere to be seen, and Bandit was staring around the room.

“I wonder how realistic this is,” the German pondered aloud. “Any volunteers to see how friendly fire works?”

“Sure, catch this!”

A cloud of yellow gas followed Smoke’s cheerful warning, engulfing them and making them cough despite their lack of actual lungs. The simulation was apparently that realistic. Doc was screaming something between coughing fits, then everything went black.

“Mission failed, the hostage was lost.”

It was as if someone rewinded time, and they found themselves in the same situation from before, just as the announcer stated they needed to protect the hostage. Kapkan frowned, unsure about how he felt about this whole virtual reality thing and dying. It was disorienting.

“Ooh, that was fun” Smoke laughed, but he was the only one amused by their situation. “I’m pretty sure there’s more havoc to wreak.”

Shooting the hostage with the shotgun didn’t instantly kill him, but only because Doc used one of his stims on the hostage. Then he shot Smoke, but with his normal revolver. It was surprising to see Doc kill a teammate, but in this case it was not undeserved to be honest.

“Nobody else has to end up hurt if you all do your jobs,” Doc announced, earning a surprised look from both Caveira and Bandit. Kapkan on his part couldn’t care less, and he started to lay down his traps.

“You realize that’s just a bunch of pixels, right?” Bandit pointed at the hostage, “Just as we are right now.”

Kapkan was too busy fixing one of his EDDs to the door’s frame to pay attention to what Doc replied, the sound of his drill drowning everything else. Whatever he said, it was enough to get Bandit reinforcing the walls of the room. Once again Caveira had disappeared, and Kapkan decided that while not as stealthy as she was, he would also roam and see where the hostiles were coming from.

The corridor outside the room was longer than Kapkan imagined, and soon he realized they were supposed to be in some sort of plane, even if it was nothing like any other plane he’d been in. Going around the corner, he came face to face with a group of White Masks. Kapkan took a second to admire how real they looked, before opening fire on them. In the narrow corridor, there weren’t many places to take cover, and he got hit a couple of times before he killed them all. Fortunately, all he felt was a light tingling sensation at the supposed loss of health. It was reassuring to know whoever coded this simulation wasn’t sadistic enough to implement the pain associated to bullet wounds in real life.

A second wave would come soon, and Kapkan barricaded a possible entrance, setting one of his traps on another. This way he would know if they came in from any of these points. He went back to the objective room, to check how his teammates were doing, and hopefully to receive a stim shot from Doc. No such luck, Doc said Kapkan was well enough to keep fighting and that he was saving the stims for emergencies. It made sense, Kapkan supposed, but he wasn’t happy with it.

Deciding to take a more proactive role, he stepped out of the plane to see if he could spot the hostiles. The disembodied voice cautioned him to get back inside before he would die, accompanied by a fucking annoying effect that tinged everything red. What kind of bullshit was this? However, before he could turn around and get back in, someone barricaded the entrance, wooden planks sealing the door and his fate, most probably. Cursing up a storm, he broke the barricade and got inside the plane just as the red effect got stronger. He had just narrowly dodged death, he was sure. And of course, Bandit was the culprit, laughing like a hyena until Kapkan smacked the back of his head for it. It wasn’t as satisfying as it should have been, since he knew Bandit wouldn’t feel the true force of his hit.

Now that revenge was taken care of, Kapkan hid behind the nearest corner and lay in wait. When the hostiles came through the main entrance, he caught them unaware. So easy it was almost disappointing. He reloaded his weapon while waiting for the next wave of enemies, not wanting to move from this spot yet. Although he used the last of his traps on the main door. Just as he imagined, the first enemy blew himself with the trap. However, he hadn’t expected someone to drop from a hatch right above him. Fuck, he didn’t even know that thing was there!

They caught him in the crossfire and he promptly went down, unable to move and with his vision getting darker. Now would be the perfect moment for Doc to use his stim shots, Kapkan hoped the Frenchman could reach him soon, before he died from a very preventable mistake that would destroy his reputation as a hunter. He heard gunshots near him and then Bandit and Doc came into his field of vision.

Doc’s voice floated down to him, “I’ve got you, you’ll be alright.”

Any relief he might have felt was replaced by confusion when he heard a loud gunshot, then darkness. Kapkan woke up in real life and was greeted by Smoke.

“Doc is out of control, mate, I tell you.” The British defender said while looking at a screen. Kapkan got closer and saw Bandit in the simulation asking Doc why he had put Kapkan out of his misery instead of helping him. Doc claimed it had been a mistake, but Kapkan wasn’t sure if he believed him. “I hope they end soon, watching gets boring. Except when you died, that was entertaining!”

He wondered if he could get away with whacking Smoke upside the head, but Harry was observing them, no doubt taking notes on their behaviour as he always did. What a buzzkill. Kapkan instead gave Smoke a smile full of teeth, and started to plot his revenge for the next round. If the game was now team killing, he would excel at it.

#rainbow 6 siege #r6s #rainbow six siege #fanfiction #bot of these are based on things that happened to me when playing #not pictured: the time I was playing rescue hostage and there was no fucking hostage anywhere on the map 😂

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oneweekoneband · 5 years

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cehryl, “disconnected”

The buildings of Los Angeles were blurring past me on the freeway when I first heard this track, Spotify’s shuffle algorithm finally doing something right by introducing me to cehryl. My flight from LAX was supposedly in two hours at the time (chronic delays would turn that into three by the time I fell asleep in the terminal), but I feel like I could’ve driven to the sun that day under the pink fluff of dawn, those bird chirps near the end a reminder of an imminent sunrise.

Looking back on the experience, I realize I couldn’t truly appreciate what “Disconnect(Ed)” meant, and as I tried searching for words to distill the song into at 1:34AM last night, I still can’t. I mean, the atmosphere is actually meant for a sunset, the bittersweet end of a chapter, but the real reason why my appreciation doesn’t run deep enough is because broken hearts don’t bleed the same way for the unrequited as for the loved-and-lost. After all, their hearts were never ours to begin with.

I’ll try my best to discuss what almost drove me to tears on “Disconnect(Ed)” (something even Frank Ocean can’t do *gasp*), but as someone who’s only ever known the unrequited, who’s never had to go through the melancholia of a break-up, just know that what’s about to be written here can never do the song justice.

If you listen closely at the beginning, a dissonant (synth?) chord wavers before cehryl’s lush voice emerges in accompanied by guitar. Easy to dismiss, of course, but the opening sound is — at least in this case — the single most important detail sonically. The instrument recurs in each chorus, and although soft, its delayed resolution from F#/A to E speaks volumes to the changing feelings encapsulated in the lyrics, the gradual way you cradle yourself with mourning’s tears before regaining composure to smile through the pain.

“Disconnect(Ed)” isn’t your archetypal “New Rules” anthem or “Too Good at Goodbyes” mope-fest though; it’s not so much about the (process of getting through the) break-up as it is about the ebb and flow between letting go of and holding onto the past. The first verse is a step forward, cehryl pushing herself to be unapologetic with her goodbye (“Please be careful not to leave things at my place”), before the chorus comes in, a soft cloud you could float away in with angelic harps and flutes.

A whomping bass shatters the ambience before long as cehryl’s lyric-production synergy emerge again with the lines “You’re moving up onto the second floor/ And your music’s louder than it was before.” You almost feel in the room with cehryl herself, the ceiling vibrating with constant reminders of her ex like a knife that seems to twist deeper with each thump. And maybe you even cry with her as she asks herself, “Were we not what you were looking for?” and reminisces (“Running miles and miles through the grocery store”), the harmonies braiding in an echo chamber of yearning.

The word “disconnect” also becomes tangible through the phasing/lagging of cehryl’s voice, following a bridge that could’ve been played by the same guitar from Frank Ocean’s “Ivy” if it went to heaven, but what captivates me is how the song ends with a third verse:

I’m sick of cleaning up the aftertaste And I’m always listening to “Rose Parade” I hope I see you at the corner store When I’m back to traveling the world by train

Because at the end of the day, the grandiose gestures and excruciating pain of your past relationship(s) don’t matter, no matter how many times you play Adele. Before the night falls and it’s too late, you have to take that second and last step forward, “stand in the sun,” as Olivia Pope said, and move on to see the world in that tinge of hope you had when you first fell in love.

#cehryl

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droneseco · 3 years

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Looking to Stream Your Nintendo Switch Gameplay? Llano Microdock 3-in-1 Offers Charge, HDMI Out, and Capture

Llano MicroDock for Nintendo Switch

9.00 / 10

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The Llano MicroDock is a minuscule adaptor to replace the oversized plastic brick Dock, and let you record and stream your gameplay.

Specifications

Brand: Llano

Connection: USB-C

Ports: HDMI Out, USB-A capture interface, Audio Input/Output, USB-C Power

Pros

Plug'n'play, no drivers needed

Captures at full 1080p60

Direct audio input results in no lag when streaming

Cons

Only works with Switch, it's not a replacement for generic HDMI capture card

Buy This Product

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// Bottom var galleryThumbs1 = new Swiper('.gallery-thumbs-1', { spaceBetween: 10, slidesPerView: 10, freeMode: true, watchSlidesVisibility: true, watchSlidesProgress: true, centerInsufficientSlides: true, allowTouchMove: false, preventClicks: false, breakpoints: { 1024: { slidesPerView: 6, } }, }); // Top var galleryTop1 = new Swiper('.gallery-top-1', { spaceBetween: 10, allowTouchMove: false, loop: true, preventClicks: false, breakpoints: { 1024: { allowTouchMove: true, } }, navigation: { nextEl: '.swiper-button-next', prevEl: '.swiper-button-prev', }, thumbs: { swiper: galleryThumbs1 } });

The Llano MicroDock for Nintendo Switch is a pocket-sized replacement for your original Switch Dock—but with one fantastic additional feature: the ability to capture your gameplay, for recording and streaming. No drivers are needed, no additional cabling mess, and no costly separate capture cards. It's simple to use and does exactly what it says on the box with no fuss.

You can pre-order the Lanno MicrDock now for $99, but be quick, as the RRP rises to $150 when the campaign ends.

Is the Llano MicroDock the Switch streaming solution you've been looking for? Quite possibly, but read on to find out more about this minuscule Switch dock replacement.

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Llano MicroDock Design and Ports

Aesthetically, the MicroDock is nothing special. In fact, it looks like every other USB-C hub out there. Not entirely surprising given that's Llano's specialty. But open closer inspection, the selection of ports tells a different story–and the real magic is hidden away inside anyway.

On one end is a short USB-C cable. This plugs directly into your Nintendo Switch USB-C port on the bottom edge. At this point, it's worth noting that this is only compatible with the Switch, not the Switch Lite. The Switch Lite cannot be output to a TV, regardless of what adaptor you use—it simply doesn't have the hardware capable of doing that.

On the opposite end is a full-size HDMI port. No cable is supplied, but any cable should be sufficient since the Switch is only capable of outputting a maximum 1080pHD.

Before you can output anything though, you'll also need to plug your original Switch charger into the USB-C port on the side of the MicroDock. It's the only USB-C port on there, but also labeled on the underside with a lightning bolt. The MicroDock passes this through to the Switch, and presents itself as an original charger, so there should be no issues with under/overvoltage. Using third party adaptors with a Switch has always been a bit of a concern, with stories of devices being bricked thanks to unofficial chargers. Use the official Switch charger alongside the MicroDock and you'll be safe.

Lanno MicroDock TV Output

With the HDMI and USB-C charger plugged in, the MicroDock will act just as the original Dock does, allowing you to play on the big screen at the full HD 60FPS resolution.

In my experience, there was no discernible lag when using the Llano MicroDock for big screen play. I found plugging in the HDMI and charger to the MicroDock first, then plugging the USB-C cable into the Switch, worked most reliably, requiring only a few seconds for the TV input to activate.

It's worth noting that any limitations the Switch introduces with docked play are also present when using the MicroDock. Despite the fact that you could feasibly use the Switch handheld as is with the MicroDock attached, the Switch disables any attached joy-cons. So they will need to disconnected and slotted onto an external controller shell (or each used handheld).

Switch Game Streaming

The real magic comes from the additional USB-A port you'll find next to the USB-C charging port. A USB-A to USB-A cable was supplied in our package, along with a USB-C adaptor, though it's not clear if this will be in the final retail release. Regardless, it's a generic cable that's easy to source or replace.

Just plug this cable into your PC or Mac, and open up your favorite game capture and streaming software. Since the MicroDock presents as a standard USB video capture device, and doesn't require any additional drivers, it should work with any software. We tested with OBS, and there was nothing to configure–everything just worked after adding a new video and audio interface. Video is captured at the full HD resolution, at 60 frames-per-second. There's no loss in quality from what the Switch is capable of.

Of course, there is a lag of a second or so for the recorded footage. This is not unusual with any video capture device. The on-screen action on the TV remained perfectly in sync. You can then record or stream your gameplay to your favorite services. You can view samples of recorded gameplay in our review video.

Direct Audio Capture and Output

One issue streamers face with any capture solution is the inherent lag between the game actions and your voice input on the PC software side. A second or two might not sound like much but can really sound awkward at critical moments.

The MicroDock avoids the audio input lag problem by shifting the microphone input onto the hardware side of things. On the side opposite to the USB ports, you'll find two 3.5mm stereo ports: one for your microphone, and one for headphones, so any analog gaming headset can be plugged directly into it. You don't need to configure additional audio inputs within your streaming system—it's automatically mixed into the game audio.

This approach might also be seen as a negative, though: you can't configure the audio level even if you wanted to. There are no additional drivers and no settings to adjust, so unless you have a very fancy gaming headset with inline mic level controls, you can't change it. But if you do find it's too loud, or too quiet in comparison to the game audio, you should plug the microphone into your PC instead to adjust there.

Thankfully, the microphone seemed acceptable in our testing–check out the recorded sample in the full review video.

In terms of audio quality, this will of course depend on the microphone you have plugged in. We used the EPOS | Sennheiser GSP601 gaming headset.

Be The Next Famous Switch Streamer with The Llano MicroDock

The Llano MicroDock is not a revolutionary device that contains never before seen electronics. It's a simple combination of existing technology in a neat package that does what it claims to do, and does it well.

For anyone looking to replace their original dock with a more portable solution, as well as record or stream gameplay, in one compact and convenient package: I can highly recommend the MicroDock. In my experience the connection was reliable, the recorded footage was at full quality, and it all just worked as intended without the need for complex drivers and configuration. The ability to plug your gaming headset directly into the adaptor is an added bonus that eliminates any awkward lag in your recordings.

The only downside to the Llano MicroDock is that it's very niche. It literally only works with the Switch (and curiously a few Samsung smartphones that can do DeX). Not the Switch Lite, not the Xbox, nor any other HDMI device. If you're an avid streamer, you might want a more future-proofed device or something that will work with the rest of your consoles. The MicroDock isn't for you. You'll need to invest in a more generic HDMI capture device, which alone will set you back upwards of $150, and can then be used in conjunction with your original Switch dock.

The MicroDock isn't worth it if you don't care about streaming or recording their gameplay at all, and just want a smaller dock adaptor to replace the plastic brick that Nintendo provides. You'll find cheaper devices in much the same form-factor as the MicroDock, for around half the cost, that don't have the ability to capture your gameplay.

Disclaimer: It's a Kickstarter

Kickstarters can fail, or suffer delays. There is no legal obligation on a company to actually deliver a product. I know this because I've personally lost thousands of dollars on undelivered products, as have our loyal readers who have lost money on projects we've featured in the past. For that reason, we've tightened the rules around which crowdfunding products we'll accept for review.

In this case, Llano is not a new company and has been making similar USB hub devices for many years. The product is as functional as it can be and appears to be ready for mass production. Delivery is slated for March 2021, and this seems reasonable. In this case, we don't think there's an undue risk in backing the MicroDock and are confident of the company's credentials. For transparency, our review sample was arranged through EarlyTechFinder, a PR agency that we've worked with before.

However, as with any crowdfunding campaign, never spend money you couldn't afford to lose if something were to go wrong; and never assume a product will be delivered on time.

Looking to Stream Your Nintendo Switch Gameplay? Llano Microdock 3-in-1 Offers Charge, HDMI Out, and Capture published first on http://droneseco.tumblr.com/

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owensrhodes · 4 years

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How to Reduce Bad Ping While Gaming Online

Gaming these days is wildly popular. In fact, there are around 2.5 billion gamers in the world, utilizing games on smartphones, tablets, consoles, and PCs. This number shows that gaming is no longer about the Nintendo and Sega consoles of days gone by. Gaming now largely takes place online, thanks to advanced broadband capabilities.

However, super-fast connections are not always needed to be an online gamer, as today’s internet can be surprisingly advanced across the world. This allows gamers to participate in multiplayer games with other gamers located in almost any country. Popular gaming consoles, such as PlayStation 4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, connect to servers for game play like this.

Any gamer will tell you that, in order to have a successful gaming experience, you need strong bandwidth, network availability, high data storage levels, and a comfortable gaming setup. But one important aspect of a good gaming experience — one not usually known to the average internet user — is ping.

What Is Ping?

Ping measures the length of time it takes your computer or gaming device to gather megabits of data from internet servers located anywhere in the world. Ping is the actual signal sent out to collect and transfer data from servers. This is usually a rapid process that doesn’t matter much to the average web surfer, but slow ping is a nemesis of gamers.

So why does ping matter? Put simply, it determines whether your gaming experience is fun or frustrating. The other gamers you’re playing with depend on your ping, since it determines how fast you make your move in the game, and, in turn, how fast they make theirs. If you have good ping and your opponent doesn’t, you’re more likely to walk away with the win.

Some popular video games that rely on fast internet connection include Fortnite, Overwatch, Rocket League, and League of Legends.

For instance, if you’re playing a battle royale game like Fortnite, your survival depends on your ability to attack other players and defend your own character. Slow ping could prevent you from seeing an opponent with enough time to take cover in a split second, meaning you lag a few frames behind and lose a life. And if your opponent’s ping is quicker than yours, it can be near-impossible to defend yourself against attacks.

The term “ping” was coined during World War II, when submarines sent sonar signals to other submarines as a measurement of their distance from each other. This signal made an actual “ping” noise.

So what is the ideal ping level? Ping is measured in milliseconds (ms), and the closer your ping is to zero, the better. A ping under 20 ms is very good, and just under 100 ms is average. If you experience anything above 150 ms, you will detect delays in your gaming experience, such as lagging or freezing.

How to Measure Ping

If you are experiencing lagging or slow system performance while gaming, bad ping might be the culprit. However, there are other issues that could contribute to your sluggish gaming experience.

Possible causes of bad ping:

Distance from the server

Your internet connection

The number of hops you go through. A hop is the journey a data packet takes from one router to another. The hop count refers to the number of devices a data packet passes through on its way to its destination. Each hop can increase ping.

If you’ve ruled out these causes, you can then find out how much ping you actually have, and whether it’s good or bad. A speed test will tell you all you need to know about your ping. You can find various free speed tests on the internet, including the following:

Speedtest by Ookla

SpeedSmart

Speedof.me

Depending on the speed test you choose, you can find out your ping, latency, upload speed, and download speed for any server you want to use, no matter where in the world it is located. Here are some tips to ensure you get the most out of your speed test:

Reboot your hardware before starting the test.

Connect your device to your router via Ethernet cable. This way, you know what the best possible ping looks like for your system. Ping is generally better when you are directly connected to your internet source.

Perform speed tests at different times of the day to see if this makes a difference.

Disconnect from your router and move to different areas of your home, especially to the location in which you usually game. Perform multiple speed tests in each of these areas to see where ping is the slowest and the fastest.

Ways to Improve Ping

Strengthen Your Existing Signal

If you’re noticing high levels of ping, it might be helpful to strengthen your existing signal by switching to a wired Ethernet connection. Many gamers automatically do this to ensure they’re getting the best internet connection possible. However, this could be challenging if your gaming setup is in a different room than your internet router.

If you can’t directly connect to your router, try to be as close to your router as possible. Ideally, your router should be alongside your gaming setup. You can also try the above speed tests in different areas of your home to see where your signal is strongest, then get as close to that as you can.

Use a Powerline Adapter

A powerline adapter essentially extends Ethernet connectivity in your home without extra cables. Instead of relying on cables, a powerline adapter runs the signal through electrical wires in your home’s walls to a receiver you can connect to via Ethernet cable and, in some cases, Wi-Fi.

This is basically as good as connecting your router directly to your gaming setup and creates a much faster connection with lower ping. Powerline adapters are ideal for gamers who are renting or don’t want to drill holes in their walls in order to run wires, and many gamers swear by them.

A powerline adapter works like this: You plug one powerline adapter in near your router and connect it to your router using an Ethernet cord. Then you plug in a second powerline adapter near your gaming center and connect that to your computer or gaming console using an Ethernet cord. It’s worth noting that powerline adapters work best when plugged directly into a wall outlet instead of used with extension cords, circuit breakers, or surge protectors, as these can interrupt the signal.

So which powerline adapter should you get? Whichever one you choose, make sure it has enough mbps potential to send, receive, and download media and data you regularly use while gaming. Here are some of the best powerline adapters for gaming:

Trendnet Powerline 1200 AV2 Adapter Kit (PC Gamer)

TP-Link AV2000 Powerline Adapter (Lifewire)

Extollo PowerLine LANSocket 1500 (Lifewire)

Upgrade Your Gaming Router

If you’ve ruled out the issues above and your gaming device is still experiencing bad ping, it may be easiest to upgrade your router altogether. But with all the options out there, it’s important to do your research before committing to a purchase.

Here are the best gaming routers, according to TechRadar:

TP-Link Archer C5400 v2

Asus RT-AC86U

TP-Link Archer C5400X

Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500

Asus RT-AC5300

Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600

Asus RT-AC88U

D-link DIR-885L/R

The post How to Reduce Bad Ping While Gaming Online appeared first on Freshome.com.

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cessanderson · 4 years

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How to Reduce Bad Ping While Gaming Online https://ift.tt/2Uik7gK

What Is Ping?

Some popular video games that rely on fast internet connection include Fortnite, Overwatch, Rocket League, and League of Legends.

How to Measure Ping

If you are experiencing lagging or slow system performance while gaming, bad ping might be the culprit. However, there are other issues that could contribute to your sluggish gaming experience.

Possible causes of bad ping:

Distance from the server

Your internet connection

Speedtest by Ookla

SpeedSmart

Speedof.me

Reboot your hardware before starting the test.

Perform speed tests at different times of the day to see if this makes a difference.

Ways to Improve Ping

Strengthen Your Existing Signal

Use a Powerline Adapter

Trendnet Powerline 1200 AV2 Adapter Kit (PC Gamer)

TP-Link AV2000 Powerline Adapter (Lifewire)

Extollo PowerLine LANSocket 1500 (Lifewire)

Upgrade Your Gaming Router

Here are the best gaming routers, according to TechRadar:

TP-Link Archer C5400 v2

Asus RT-AC86U

TP-Link Archer C5400X

Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500

Asus RT-AC5300

Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600

Asus RT-AC88U

D-link DIR-885L/R

The post How to Reduce Bad Ping While Gaming Online appeared first on Freshome.com.

Freshome Team

#Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Magazine

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jovialsoulinfluencer · 4 years

Text

How to Reduce Bad Ping While Gaming Online

What Is Ping?

Some popular video games that rely on fast internet connection include Fortnite, Overwatch, Rocket League, and League of Legends.

How to Measure Ping

If you are experiencing lagging or slow system performance while gaming, bad ping might be the culprit. However, there are other issues that could contribute to your sluggish gaming experience.

Possible causes of bad ping:

Distance from the server

Your internet connection

Speedtest by Ookla

SpeedSmart

Speedof.me

Reboot your hardware before starting the test.

Perform speed tests at different times of the day to see if this makes a difference.

Ways to Improve Ping

Strengthen Your Existing Signal

Use a Powerline Adapter

Trendnet Powerline 1200 AV2 Adapter Kit (PC Gamer)

TP-Link AV2000 Powerline Adapter (Lifewire)

Extollo PowerLine LANSocket 1500 (Lifewire)

Upgrade Your Gaming Router

Here are the best gaming routers, according to TechRadar:

TP-Link Archer C5400 v2

Asus RT-AC86U

TP-Link Archer C5400X

Netgear Nighthawk Pro Gaming XR500

Asus RT-AC5300

Zyxel Armor Z2 AC2600

Asus RT-AC88U

D-link DIR-885L/R

The post How to Reduce Bad Ping While Gaming Online appeared first on Freshome.com.

from https://freshome.com/broadband/reduce-bad-ping-while-gaming-online/ via How to Reduce Bad Ping While Gaming Online

#Freshome.com - Interior Design & Architecture Magazine

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teckview-blog · 4 years

Text

Razer Basilisk Ultimate

I'm a big fan of Razer's Basilisk mouse line. This family of right-handed gaming mice, designed in the first-person-shooter (FPS) style, is known for having a button where the tip of your thumb rests. It's one of the most comfortable fits in PC gaming. When Razer made a cheaper model, the Basilisk Essential, I sung its praises, too, for bringing the form factor to a larger audience. Now, for the power-gamer set, Razer has made a $169.99-MSRP wireless version, the Basilisk Ultimate, that updates the Basilisk design inside and out, cuts its cord, and adds wireless charging through an optional dock. In other words, one of the best gaming mice just got a bunch better.

Don't Mean a Thing If It Ain't Got That Wing

The Basilisk Ultimate's core look and feel remain mostly unchanged from the original. It's technically an 11-button, right-handed model, though it has only nine customizable buttons. On top, you have the usual two main clickers, a scroll wheel that clicks, and two resolution-swapping buttons. On the side, you have two macro/shortcut buttons and a detachable FPS-minded "sniper" paddle that, by default, drops your tracking resolution to low sensitivity for precise clicking.

Last, underneath the mouse is a button that cycles quickly among the Basilisk's five onboard profiles without making you open Synapse, Razer's configuration software. Also, as on the other Basilisks, a dial on the underside lets you tune the scroll wheel's sensitivity, which keeps you out of system settings if you like to tweak that parameter often. So where do the last two "buttons" come from? The scroll wheel on the Basilisk got a little hop-up: In addition to the usual scroll-wheel down-click, you can now tilt the scroll wheel to the left or right. The tilt function feels great in action, both for everyday use and in gaming. While browsing the web and looking at documents, I found myself tilting the wheel to scroll up and down pages instead of rolling it. (The default function is repeat scroll.) In games, it pays to reconfigure these tilt actions to your key commands, as it's faster to tilt the wheel, where you already have a finger resting, than to reach a side button by repositioning your thumb. The Basilisk Ultimate isn't the only mouse adding these inputs here in late '19, but it's the first I've reviewed, and I hope more companies embrace it.

As I suggested up top, my favorite thing about the Basilisk is its shape, which remains mostly unchanged. With a footprint of 5.1 by 2.8 inches (including the thumb wing) and at 1.65 inches tall, the 3.8-ounce Basilisk Ultimate is nearly identical to the original. Your hand still falls perfectly into place and rests naturally on the mouse in a way that you never feel the need to grip or maneuver your hand to get comfortable. Plus, you need to make only small movements to hit any of its essential inputs. Part of the comfort is the thumb wing, which returns and continues to stand apart, despite the fact that so many mice employ some kind of extended thumb support. This one isn't too large or too small, and the curve is just the right shape to let you rest your thumb for long play sessions, or to support it while you grip the side of the mouse. I did note a couple of small differences. The Basilisk Ultimate has a pair of extra lighting elements, comprising a pair of thin accent lines high on the mouse's sides. On the thumb side, the line sits right above the macro buttons. It's subtle, but the added lights, along with the lighting in the palm and scroll wheel, make the lighting a strong element, especially since you can actually see the side lights while you're playing. (They won't be covered by your hand, as mouse RGB bling tends to be.)

The detachable sniper paddle on the Ultimate is slightly shorter than what I remember on the original Basilisk and the Basilisk Essential, so for some players (myself included), you may need to reach a bit to tap it. If you don't use the paddle often, this may be a blessing, as you'll be less likely to tap it by mistake when gripping the mouse in a tense moment. If you use the paddle often, that could be a slight but noticeable quibble. Internally, the Basilisk Ultimate has had a few technical upgrades. First and foremost, the click panels in the Basilisk Ultimate now use Razer's new optical mouse switches, which it introduced earlier this year in the esports-focused Razer Viper. Razer claims the switches cut out microseconds worth of delay on each click, allowing for faster, more accurate clicking. Having used multiple mice with these switches (and many without) the difference was not perceptible to me, but I can attest that the panels deliver a good, quick click.

The Basilisk Ultimate also features Razer's new Focus+ sensor, which is also in Razer's other new high-end mouse, the Viper Ultimate. The new sensor bumps the highest tracking settings up to a whopping 20,000 dots per inch (dpi) and 650 inches per second. In more practical terms, it's more than capable of keeping track of your movements even when you're whipping your cursor across multiple monitors like a player possessed. That accuracy wouldn't mean much if the Basilisk Ultimate didn't also have strong wireless connectivity to maintain the connection. Using Razer's radio-frequency (RF) wireless tech (which the company dubs "Hyperspeed") over a USB dongle, the Basilisk Ultimate achieves a stable connection with 1,000Hz polling, bringing lag down to an imperceptible level. Gaming-mouse makers have figured that dongle-based wireless connections are the way to go, so this isn't quite as grand an achievement as it sounds, but it's noteworthy as many serious gamers still swear they need a wired connection. It may also explain why Razer decided to forgo Bluetooth support.

Like the Viper Ultimate, the Basilisk Ultimate supports wireless charging through its proprietary, USB-connected mouse dock. The dock comes with the $169.99 version of the mouse reviewed here, but it is also sold separately. Having a wireless charging solution really makes using the Basilisk Ultimate feel like a true wireless experience. Plus, the Basilisk gets decent battery life. Razer claims "up to" 100 hours, and I found the mouse needed a recharge every four or five days, but that feels near-inconsequential if you have the charging dock. When you need to charge, you simply park it on the dock, then remove it when you need the mouse again. It requires no cables to connect or disconnect, so charging is not a hassle at all. It helps that the dock is very well-designed. It holds the mouse in place on top of the dock magnetically at a jaunty angle, showing off the mouse. (To my eyes, it looks great.) The dock itself is also quite stylish, with a lighting element around its base that you can customize with Razer's Chroma lighting software and incorporate into your PC's lighting look. (It also shows the battery's power level when you dock it.) The dock, thoughtfully, also has a USB port into which you can plug in the mouse's USB RF dongle, so the dock and dongle together occupy just one USB port on your computer.

From Synapse to Chroma

Like all Razer mice, the Basilisk Ultimate supports the company's suite of configuration software—namely, Razer Synapse for button-mapping, and Razer Chroma for creating custom lighting. These apps haven't changed, which is fine, because I find them visually appealing and easy to use in most respects.

As I mentioned earlier, the Basilisk Ultimate can store up to five profiles in its internal, on-mouse memory, including a default profile. You can also make additional per-game profiles on your PC, which you can tie to specific games and apps or swap in for other onboard profiles. Having the ability to swap among the onboard profiles on the fly without accessing Synapse is a nice touch. While Synapse is easy to use, it's much quicker to press a button than open an app.

Measuring a Mouse's Worth

The Basilisk Ultimate completes the wireless fantasy, looks great, and feels comfortable. It does everything I want a gaming mouse to do. There is, of course, a catch. And that's the price: that whopping $169.99 MSRP.

Even if the mouse sees some modest discounting shortly after release, that's a lot of dough, and I certainly wouldn't begrudge anyone for saying it's simply too much for any mouse. You can find cheaper wireless mice out there, as well as several cheaper Razer Basilisks. At the same time, in light of my other favorite wireless mouse this year, the price may not be completely out of line, when you factor in that many wireless charging mice, including the Logitech G502 Lightspeed, require you to spend extra money on a proprietary charging pad to use wireless charging. If you're looking at the Basilisk Ultimate at or close to its list price, bear in mind that it should include the dock. Dock or no dock, the Ultimate will be a splurge for most gamers, no doubt. But it's worth the cash for any hardcore gamer (especially a Razer-gear loyalist) who prizes quality software and shortcut-making, lots of programmable buttons, smooth wireless operation, and a slick look. Read the full article

#pc pcgaming pcos pcbuilds pcosweightloss

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cloudfirm-blog · 5 years

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Why ERP and CRM Integration is Key to Improving Customer Experience

With customers taking an increasingly digitally-driven path to purchase and demanding more personalized customer experiences, smart companies are making solid use of their customer data.

By doing so, they’re tapping into a profitable opportunity: 86 percent of buyers say they’re willing to pay more for a great customer experience.

But too many companies are still scrambling to turn the data they’re collecting into actionable, bottom-line results. Why? Because the data they are collecting too often goes no farther than the IT department that collects it — and that leads to lost opportunities.

Most companies are collecting data through two software platforms that drive customer experience: enterprise resource management, or ERP, and customer relationship management, or CRM. Both contribute directly to how a customer is prospected, spoken to and serviced — ERP to manage and analyze the customer experience, CRM to interface with the customer.

[Read more: How to Modernize Your ERP for a Multi-Cloud World]

The data these platforms collect should contribute to a company’s marketing, sales and customer service teams — a task made infinitely easier when the two platforms are integrated.

By integrating them and making the information available to the right departments, companies can elevate their customer experience and impact the bottom line. When done properly CRM and ERP integration act as a multiplier, stimulating new growth and conversions.

The benefits of ERP and CRM integration

Full visibility: ERP and CRM integration provides a better customer experience by enabling support, account and sales representatives to have full visibility into the customer. Without it, customer data can get fragmented or separated. With it, front and back office can operate at a higher level with no lags or gaps in information. And that leads to…

Better customer service: integration can then improve inter-departmental collaboration, for more accurate and better service to the customer. Giving employees a 360-degree view of the customer enables successful interactions such as:

· Sales teams closing more deals as a result of being able to view buying history.

· Companies producing invoices and collecting payment more quickly, as existing and new orders are synced without the need for manual data entry.

· Time and labor savings as a result of more automated workflows that produce clean and reliable data.

· Customer service teams can address changes or problems with service and proactively reach out to customers impacted by logistical delays and problems.

Identify signals of poor customer experience: ERP and CRM systems provide alerts in different ways, but each plays a key role in flagging problem areas for business development and customer experience.

· ERP systems can flag issues that prevent a good customer experience as it relates to fulfillment, processing and anything “behind the scenes.”

· CRM platforms can showcase the human interaction, including experiences with sales team members, customer service representatives and other interpersonal exchanges.

The “red flags” that each system is able to spot can help solve and prevent issues that contribute to a negative customer experience across the buyer’s journey. Collectively, they ensure that customers are satisfied in all ways throughout the lead nurture and conversion processes.

Share data, not permissions: ERP data is valuable, which is why departments want access to it. But giving too much access to an intricate system can be an invitation for trouble. By integrating ERP and CRM systems, ERP data can be provided to team members across your company, without sharing closely held permissions — and that benefits everyone.

Reduce overhead: ERP and CRM integration reduces the need for additional or separate employee training per system, while reducing the potential burden for your busy IT team. Though adoption may take time and consistency, the long-term advantage comes in the form of employees who are more adequately equipped to gather and analyze customer data for their own needs. Team members can devote more time to a “singular piece of software” and become well-versed in implementing technology to create a better experience.

The challenges of ERP and CRM integration

While the benefits are undeniable, it can be a challenging process. Keep these issues in mind when undertaking an integration:

Measure twice, cut once: Assessing your needs, challenges and desired business outcomes is crucial to a successful integration. Yet there is often a disconnect between what IT professionals think will work the best for their stakeholders versus what truly works for their end-users. Consider using an outside team with technology integration experience to assess the needs of your stakeholders and end users, the desired outcomes for your business and the capabilities of your internal IT team.

Commit the necessary time and resources: Lean IT teams can struggle, both finding the right expertise and carving out the necessary time to devote to this important project. Buy-in from the top ensures that time and resources are allocated to focus on the integration; an experienced partner means internal IT teams won’t be sidetracked by other responsibilities. A third-party partner will also help develop a realistic timeline for your integration.

Find the right partner

If your organization is ready to integrate your current ERP with a suitable CRM platform, consider partnering with Rackspace. We employ a “Process First. Technology Second.®” strategy that starts by assessing your business goals. Only then do we identify which technologies will deliver on those goals. Because we’re vendor-agnostic, we focus on finding the best technology solutions to help your business thrive. Our teams of ERP and CRM experts can also manage and optimize your systems, ensuring you continue to get the most out of your investment.

#cloud server #cloud server in india #cloud server provider in india #cloud server in ghaziabad #cloud server in delhi

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unixcommerce · 4 years

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Video Conferencing from Home: Tips to Become a Pro

Video conferencing is becoming increasingly prevalent due to more people working remotely. Whether you’re temporarily telecommuting, working from home permanently, or planning video conferences from an office, it’s important to come off as professionally as possible during these video calls. Here are some tips to help you make the most of this communication style.

Conferencing from Home

There are three areas that need to be addressed when you are conferencing from home:

Looking Professional – One of the first things people will notice when you speak with them on video is your appearance. Whether it’s light, sound, or dress, your visuals need to come off as a professional.

Acting Professionally – Video conferencing is a work-related activity. So even if you’re at home, you should prepare like you would if you were in the office. Avoid multitasking or sifting around your desk for materials. If you need to talk to a family member or make any unrelated noise, make sure to use that mute feature!

Avoiding Distractions – Video conferencing with family, pets, and doorbell ringers in the background can be tough. However, it’s important to try to limit these distractions while you’re on calls with colleagues or clients.

Looking Professional on a Video Call

Looking and sounding professional on video calls means taking control of your environment. It’s not just about your individual appearance; it’s also about getting the best look and sound in your surroundings. Here are some of the most important areas to consider.

Lighting

Nobody wants to look like they’re sitting in a cave. Here are some tips on how to optimize the light source for your video calls.

Face Your Light Source: When light is coming from behind you, your background gets illuminated but your face ends up dark. People on a video call want to see you, so position your light in front of you or put your laptop in front of a window or lamp for the best image.

Include Multiple Lights: A single light source can create a ton of shadows, which may be distracting during a meeting. If possible, go to a room with multiple windows or use an overhead light and lamp so you get light from multiple directions.

Use Natural Light When Possible: Sunlight tends to look more even and less harsh than artificial light. So if you’re having a video conference during the day, try to find a space with plenty of windows to take advantage of the best natural light.

Consider a Ring Light: Sometimes, natural light isn’t an option. If you tend to video conference in the evening or if your home office is in a basement, a dedicated light source may be beneficial. A ring light provides the best, even coverage right in front of your computer.

Test Your Lighting: Simply looking at yourself on camera can help you determine if you need more or less light, or if you need to change direction.

Clothing

Dressing up on a video call is just as important as in-person, so make sure to look your best. Here are some tips on how to dress appropriately.

Don’t Wear Checks or Pinstripes: When you wear these patterns on a video call, the movement can create a distracting visual for other participants.

Stick to Moderate Shades: Black and white may be professional when you are at work in an office environment, but they can impact the light settings of your video call. If the camera detects tons of bright white, for example, it may adjust and make the rest of the screen seem darker.

Dress Business Casual: Even if you spend most of your days working in sweats, a video call requires some professionalism. Don’t wear something if you wouldn’t wear it to meet with clients or colleagues in person.

Get Dressed Fully: You may be tempted to only get dressed from the waist up since that’s likely the only part of you people will see. However, you never know if you may have to get up to get presentation materials or something else. Stick to full business casual outfits, to be safe.

Wear Something That Makes You Feel Confident: Though professionalism is important, you still want to feel comfortable and confident. Wear the items that make you feel ready to communicate freely and focus on the content of your meeting.

Camera

Your camera is what enables you to actually connect with other participants visually. Use these tips to ensure a smooth connection.

Put the Camera at Eye Level: Placing the camera below or above you can create a strange angle for video. Additionally, you’ll be more likely to actually look into the camera instead of at yourself on the screen if it’s at eye level.

Find the Right Position: Ideally, your camera should show your head and shoulders, or perhaps the top half of your torso. Experiment with your computer and chair placement to find the right distance.

Use a Neutral Background: Tons of clutter in the background of your office can be distracting and unprofessional. Find a spot that looks tidy and doesn’t include anything potentially sensitive or embarrassing.

Consider a Virtual Background: Some programs like Zoom offer the option to use virtual backgrounds, so you can choose to have your meeting in front of a skyline or another photo of your choice. You’ll need a plain background for this feature to work. And you should only use this option if it’s not going to distract participants or seem unprofessional.

Limit Lag: Your camera can sometimes delay movements or freeze if there’s a lot of strain on your internet connection. As much as possible, close other tabs on your computer and disconnect other devices while you’re on calls.

Sound

Other participants also need to be able to hear you when it’s your turn to share. These tips can help you get the message across clearly.

Watch Out for Sound Delays: Sometimes sound lags during a call, which can cause participants to try and talk at the same time. Make sure to signal that you wish to speak before jumping in and talking over someone.

Consider Purchasing a Microphone: If you have video calls regularly, the built-in sound on your computer may not be up to your quality standards. You can purchase a separate microphone and connect it to your computer so people can hear you more clearly.

Use Headphones: When sound comes from your computer speakers, it can sometimes loop back into your microphone and create an echo. Avoid this by using headphones.

Find a Quiet Spot: Some parts of your house or office are likely quieter than others. If possible, find a place with a door or some insulation to limit extra noise.

Speak Clearly: When it’s your turn to share, enunciate and project so people can hear you clearly, just as you would during an in-person meeting.

Before your meeting, test your camera and sound quality to make sure you have a strong connection. This prevents delays and confusion during the call, which can seem especially unprofessional.

Acting Professionally on a Video Call

Following proper video conferencing etiquette helps meetings run more smoothly and assures you are not rude. Keep these factors in mind on your next call.

Focus

Don’t multi-task during a call. Even if people can’t see you, it’s pretty obvious that you’re not paying attention. Keep in mind some software can show the organizer of the meeting if the call screen is the one in front or if something else like a browser window is taking your attention.

Mute

Aside from being polite, muting your audio helps you avoid saying something that everyone on the call overhears. It also makes it easier for attendees to hear the current speaker without interruptions.

Use an Agenda

Just as you would during a normal meeting, having an agenda keeps you on track and ensures there’s a purpose for every meeting. If you’re organizing, create a list of talking points and send it to your team before meetings.

Keep Materials Nearby

If you need any notes or presentation materials for your call, keep them at your desk or within arms’ reach. This helps you avoid delays and seem prepared.

Clear Your Screen

If you plan on sharing your screen during a call, close any tabs that aren’t relevant. You should also use do not disturb features or turn off notifications so nothing pops up while others can see.

Be on Time

Showing up late to a video meeting tells other participants that you don’t value their time. If you wouldn’t do it for an in-person meeting, don’t do it for a video meeting.

Make Eye Contact

It’s tempting to look at yourself or other distractions on your screen. However, try to focus on your camera or other people talking during calls. This helps them feel like you’re actually focused on the content of the call.

Avoiding Distractions on a Video Call

There are tons of potential things that can pop up during a call, especially while so many are unexpectedly working remotely. Here are some potential distractions and tips for dealing with them.

Family

Kids and spouses may walk into your office or make noise outside. Though you can’t help if there’s an emergency, let them know about calls beforehand so they don’t interrupt for less important issues.

Pets

Pets can’t understand that you’re on a call and can’t be bothered. If you have a dog that’s prone to barking at trucks that pass by or a cat that loves to crawl across your desk, find a quiet spot in your house where you can close the door, or ask a family member to take them for a walk.

Outdoors Noises

Loud landscaping equipment or package delivery drivers ringing your doorbell can add tons of extra noise that you don’t have much control over. Aside from using mute when you’re not talking, keep windows closed, or consider a basement or upstairs location for meetings.

Phones

Phone calls or text alerts that pop up during a call can make you seem unprofessional. Turn off ringers and alerts during meetings to prevent interruptions.

Emails

Even alerts that pop up on your screen during calls can be distracting. Close your email tabs and turn off alerts from chat programs so the sounds and pop-ups don’t steal your attention.

Visitors

Currently, you may not be receiving a lot of in-person visitors. But in general, neighbors and family members may stop by unexpectedly if they know you’re home. Let them know you regularly have video meetings as part of your work and ask them to notify you before stopping by.

Irrelevant Conversation

Distractions don’t have to come from your physical surroundings. Chatting with other participants about the weekend or other issues that are unrelated to your agenda can alienate others on the call and waste time. Save those items for a one-on-one chat.

Conclusion

Conferencing from home with video is a great way for small businesses and their employees to stay in touch while working from home. With these tips, you can be your best and appear more professional while getting more accomplished during every session.

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Video Conferencing from Home: Tips to Become a Pro” was first published on Small Business Trends

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businessreviewguidenow · 4 years

Text

Video Conferencing from Home: Tips to Become a Pro

Conferencing from Home

There are three areas that need to be addressed when you are conferencing from home:

Looking Professional on a Video Call

Lighting

Nobody wants to look like they’re sitting in a cave. Here are some tips on how to optimize the light source for your video calls.

Test Your Lighting: Simply looking at yourself on camera can help you determine if you need more or less light, or if you need to change direction.

Clothing

Dressing up on a video call is just as important as in-person, so make sure to look your best. Here are some tips on how to dress appropriately.

Don’t Wear Checks or Pinstripes: When you wear these patterns on a video call, the movement can create a distracting visual for other participants.

Camera

Your camera is what enables you to actually connect with other participants visually. Use these tips to ensure a smooth connection.

Find the Right Position: Ideally, your camera should show your head and shoulders, or perhaps the top half of your torso. Experiment with your computer and chair placement to find the right distance.

Sound

Other participants also need to be able to hear you when it’s your turn to share. These tips can help you get the message across clearly.

Use Headphones: When sound comes from your computer speakers, it can sometimes loop back into your microphone and create an echo. Avoid this by using headphones.

Find a Quiet Spot: Some parts of your house or office are likely quieter than others. If possible, find a place with a door or some insulation to limit extra noise.

Speak Clearly: When it’s your turn to share, enunciate and project so people can hear you clearly, just as you would during an in-person meeting.

Before your meeting, test your camera and sound quality to make sure you have a strong connection. This prevents delays and confusion during the call, which can seem especially unprofessional.

Acting Professionally on a Video Call

Following proper video conferencing etiquette helps meetings run more smoothly and assures you are not rude. Keep these factors in mind on your next call.

Focus

Mute

Use an Agenda

Keep Materials Nearby

If you need any notes or presentation materials for your call, keep them at your desk or within arms’ reach. This helps you avoid delays and seem prepared.

Clear Your Screen

If you plan on sharing your screen during a call, close any tabs that aren’t relevant. You should also use do not disturb features or turn off notifications so nothing pops up while others can see.

Be on Time

Showing up late to a video meeting tells other participants that you don’t value their time. If you wouldn’t do it for an in-person meeting, don’t do it for a video meeting.

Make Eye Contact

Avoiding Distractions on a Video Call

There are tons of potential things that can pop up during a call, especially while so many are unexpectedly working remotely. Here are some potential distractions and tips for dealing with them.

Family

Pets

Outdoors Noises

Phones

Phone calls or text alerts that pop up during a call can make you seem unprofessional. Turn off ringers and alerts during meetings to prevent interruptions.

Emails

Even alerts that pop up on your screen during calls can be distracting. Close your email tabs and turn off alerts from chat programs so the sounds and pop-ups don’t steal your attention.

Visitors

Irrelevant Conversation

Conclusion

Image: Depositphotos.com

This article, “Video Conferencing from Home: Tips to Become a Pro” was first published on Small Business Trends

source https://smallbiztrends.com/2020/05/video-conferencing-from-home.html

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#shoplocal #businessreview

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asfeedin · 4 years

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The unemployment checks still aren’t in the mail for millions of jobless workers

New York and other states are still struggling to process a deluge of new applications for unemployment benefits, leaving millions of Americans frustrated and unable to receive badly needed cash.

A record 30 million people have filed initial jobless claims in the six weeks since the coronavirus caused much of the U.S economy to shut down. Yet only about two-thirds may have gotten approved for benefits, drawing from a separate report known as continuing claims.

Read: Expanded unemployment benefits: Who qualifies, how to apply

From March 14 to April 18 about 26.5 million people applied for benefits, according to seasonally adjusted figures from the U.S Labor Department. Yet during the same span a smaller 18 million people were approved for benefits. Continuing claims are reported with a two-week lag.

“The shortfall means states are struggling more than expected in beefing up systems and getting claims in the mail,” said chief economist Chris Low of FHN Financial.

Read: The soaring U.S. unemployment rate could approach Great Depression-era levels

Also:Pandemic eliminated all the 23 million jobs created after Great Recession

The media is replete with articles about delays, long waits and other snafus facing countless Americans trying to apply for claims online. Getting a live person by phone is impossible for many. State unemployment offices were lightly staffed before the pandemic and unprepared to handle the record surge in claims.

Adding to the confusion are loosened eligibility guidelines approved by Congress as part of a economic-rescue package that allows more people to qualify and gives them extra benefits of $600 a week.

States have had to readjust their computerized approval process to take into account newly eligible workers such as the self-employed. Even then many gig workers such as Uber drivers and freelance writers have been unable to get approved right away.

The Economic Policy Institute estimates that only 37 workers out of every 100 who have applied for benefits have yet to make it through the process. If so, new claims could be as much as 8 million higher.

“We are not sure if the disconnect between initial and continuing claims in recent weeks is due to workers being called back to work after their employers restructure operations to comply with social distancing measures, or if it is due to denials of the initial claims for gig workers or others that only qualify for benefits through expanded programs,” economists Thomas Simons and Aneta Markowska of Jefferies LLC told clients.

“It seems that each state has a different way of handling these types of applications, and all of the unemployment offices are incredibly overwhelmed with volume, so it is impossible to disentangle these factors,” they added.

Read: Why the U.S. economy’s recovery from the coronavirus is likely to be long and painful

It’s likely that continuing claims will soon catch up to new claims, but delayed approvals only make it harder for Americans to pay their rent, mortgages and other bills. The delays could also make it harder for the economy to rebound.

“There’s little doubt this will hurt spending beyond the damage imposed by lockdowns alone,” Low said.

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cdrforea · 4 years

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Fossil Gen 5 Review: The Best Wear OS Can Do Needs To Be Better

New Post has been published on https://bestedevices.com/fossil-gen-5-review-the-best-wear-os-can-do-needs-to-be-better.html

Fossil Gen 5 Review: The Best Wear OS Can Do Needs To Be Better

"Great looks and smooth performance characterize the Fossil Gen 5."

Slim look

Solid construction

Customizable battery modes

Snappy, smooth performance

Day battery

Wear OS needs more app support

Fitness functions must be expanded

Google's Wear OS watches struggle to stand out from others, but some stretch their heads just above the status quo with chic looks and decent performance. This is the case with Fossil Gen 5.

The price of $ 300 is reasonable for a fashionable stainless steel Wear OS watch like this, but as usual, the problems with Wear OS smartwatches revolve around the software experience, which often feels like an afterthought .

Stylish, versatile and well-made stainless steel housing

Most Wear OS watches try to look like traditional watches, and the Fossil Gen 5 is no different. It opts for a more understated, masculine look without looking too brave. It works just as well in a gym as it does with a suit and tie, although you may want to make some adjustments to the dial as the pre-installed options aren't particularly appealing.

We checked out the Carlyle style, the more masculine option. There is also a "Julianna" model that takes a more feminine approach. The differences are purely cosmetic, since both are the same size and have the same properties.

The watch is also 3 ATM waterproof and perfect for swimming but not suitable for diving. The bracelets are interchangeable with 22 mm tapes. However, I'm pretty happy with the standard silicone wristband.

Corey Gaskin / Digital Trends

With Wear OS watches, it is always a guessing game to find out what buttons you have and what they do. The Fossil Gen 5 has three on the right side – the middle one also serves as a rotating crown for scrolling through lists. True to the stylistic roots of Fossil, the standard action for the top button is a shortcut to preset watch faces that you have customized so that you can easily change the look of your watch. Double-clicking this button can also launch Google Pay. The middle button is exactly what you'd expect, a home button that shows your app list when you're already at home.

An app toggle would be perfect here if Wear OS would support it, but I would at least settle for music controls so I don't have to use any of the other buttons. The bottom button is set to Google Fit. However, you can get there just as easily by swiping directly on the screen. Fortunately, both the top and bottom buttons can be configured to launch any app of your choice (although not many are available). However, for inexplicable reasons, you cannot select shortcuts for double printing.

The basics are covered

The basics are covered with regard to initial applications. They have an alarm clock, an agenda, a stopwatch, a weather app, Google Fit and some other required apps. These all work well and perform their functions properly, with the alarm clock being a minor exception.

There was a persistent error that forced you to find the alarm application (or check notifications) to turn off the alarm when it wakes you up. This error occurs when you turn off the display before bed and the alarm does not appear on the screen after the time has elapsed. However, if you leave it on, this error disappears.

Google Fit also does a great job of fitness tracking, which, together with the heart rate sensor and GPS, can log your workout data from every activity with the general exercise option, or specifically with certain activities. You won't get the most comprehensive health suite here, as you won't find the more detailed and varied training tracking options of the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, nor the sleep tracking features. For those who don't care about a watch that allows them to more accurately count their repetitions, track certain exercises, and quantify their sleep at any capacity, the Fossil Gen 5 should do the job well.

Corey Gaskin / Digital Trends

Google Assistant is also on board so you can translate languages, set reminders, or ask questions like you could on another smart device. However, it is a bit slow here.

Overall, Google's Wear operating system performs well. With an atypical 1 GB of RAM and the latest Snapdragon Wear 3100, it's the smoothest Wear OS watch I've ever used. I haven't noticed any delays, freezes, or stuttering when I use it. The Fossil Gen 5 always did what I wanted it to do immediately.

I really like the rotating crown for scrolling through lists, although inexplicably it doesn't work on some specific screens. Similar to navigating the operating system, the rotating crown is satisfactory and responds with the right resistance to keep the scroll tactile and accurate. I actually prefer the feeling of the rotating crown of the Apple Watch, which is a little loose and sensitive to my taste.

The Fossil Gen 5 is the first Wear OS device to support connected phone calls to iPhones.

Speaking of Apple, the Fossil Gen 5 is the first Wear OS device to support connected phone calls to iPhones thanks to Fossil's own work. When you take calls on Gen 5, the speaker works so well that you don't have to have the watch in your ear, but you should be fine to hear a call with the watch near your mouth.

The only other problem I have with the core experience is a fairly consistent problem with connectivity. On both my iPhone 11 Pro and my Galaxy Note 10, I frequently noticed that my phone had notifications that my watch never received, only to find that it was disconnected from my phone for an unknown time. Every time this happened, I had to go into Settings, turn Bluetooth back on because it was mysteriously turned off, and wait for it to connect to my phone again. I tested this on another device and had no problem. Therefore, there is probably a defect in my device. However, you should contact Fossil support if you have the same problem.

Wear OS lets good hardware manufacturers down

It's unfortunate, but true: Google's Wear OS is the only viable option for Android-compatible smartwatch manufacturers that aren't Samsung. Wear OS doesn't have much to do with polish or functionality, but where it lags behind are the app experiences on offer. While Samsung Tizen also has problems supporting third-party apps, it is still ahead of Google in this regard and also offers a more comprehensive first-party app experience.

As mentioned earlier, with a Samsung Galaxy Watch or Apple Watch you are much better off if you focus on fitness. This is also the case if you want certain third-party app integrations. Wear OS has apps like Strava, Google Maps, Uber and Spotify. However, if you're looking for an app outside of those apps or Google's app suite, you won't have many options.

Corey Gaskin / Digital Trends

The App Store for Wear OS is pretty sparse and lacks the quality and quantity of the Apple Watch. Even Samsung watches are better with third-party support, but not much.

As much as I like Samsung's watches and Tizen OS, there are certain navigation, aesthetic and functional options that I simply prefer with the Fossil 5 and Wear OS. But with poor health features and poor support for third-party apps, it is difficult to win the Fossil Gen 5 over its non-wear OS competition for much more than its looks.

Lasts about a day

Fossil hasn't added a larger battery, but now offers some battery modes that let you squeeze out a little more juice. Each of them takes advantage of the functionality of running the battery, but in a custom mode, you can choose which you can do without to save a few hours of use.

The day mode, in which your watch remains fully functional, lasts all day, but be sure to put it on the charger before going to bed. Without a sleep tracking feature that forces you to do so, this is a pretty small question.

Price, availability and guarantee

The Fossil Gen 5 costs $ 300 and comes with a two-year warranty for defects.

Our opinion

If Wear OS is your jam, the Fossil Gen 5 is the best thing you can do. It combines versatile looks with a solid stainless steel construction.

Are there alternatives?

For Wear OS you have a few options from designers like Michael Kors, Montblanc, Armani Exchange and others. For about $ 50 less, you can also buy a Mobvoi Ticwatch Pro, though it's a little bulkier and less aesthetic than the Fossil watch.

In addition, you can get the Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2 for $ 20 less or at the same price, depending on the size of the case you chose. This watch maintains a minimalist look, but has deeper health and activity features, and slightly better support for third-party apps.

And then there's the Apple Watch. One could say that the Fossil Gen 5 looks better, but can hardly keep up in practically any other aspect. You can also purchase a Series 3 for just $ 200 and use the same features, or spend $ 50 more on Series 4 ECG functionality.

How long it will take?

With a generous two-year warranty, water resistance from 3 ATMs, and a solid stainless steel construction, it's quite possible to have this watch for two to three good years before battery life becomes an issue.

Should you buy one?

Yes. It is one of the better looking and most powerful Wear OS watches.

Editor's recommendations

#Fossil #Gen #Review #wear #Product Reviews

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terryblount · 5 years

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Fallout 76 Review: Semi-Wasted, Semi-Wonderful

By now you’ve likely seen Fallout 76’s overwhelmingly bad reception. Mainstream sites have roasted it, the internet has mocked it, and retailers have slashed the price of it. The oft-heard critical terms are glitchy, soulless, broken, cash-grab, early-access, and junk. All these and more hang over Fallout 76 like a condemning toxic cloud.

So is this game simply trash? Is it unworthy of any attention? Well, it’s certainly true that Fallout 76 is broken, buggy, and sometimes unplayable. If we gave review scores here I’d probably give Fallout 76 a 4 or 5 out of 10. It has potential, but it’s simply a malfunctioning game rife with incompetent programming and faulty systems.

This leaves me in a strange position. After 65+ hours of play, I’m still eager to leisurely explore, build my character, and craft ever-more-powerful gear. I clearly see the numerous and unacceptable issues, and yet I find myself quite captivated by this mostly-dead Appalachia open-world.

In a world full of glitches and server instability, is inner-peace possible? Do we even dare to ask?

How can I enjoy Fallout 76? Am I insane? Just plain stupid? Bought-off by Bethesda? For those who dare to dive in, I humbly ask you to read this lengthy review in which I explain why Fallout 76 is both a technical disaster and a potentially powerful gameplay experience.

First, Let’s Roast: So Much Broken Stuff!

In case you haven’t read and/or watched how embarrassingly broken this game is, let me give you the highlights of the low points.

I’ve had about 14 game crashes, 20-plus server disconnects, 7 or 8 sudden maintenance shutdowns, and probably 30-plus lagging out episodes taking up to two minutes to resolve. The servers are less stable than the results of my last psychiatric evaluation (dual-burn!).

I was playing the game for five minutes to get final screenshots for this review…and then BAM.

In the worst case when the game does disconnect you, you might log back in and find you’ve lost the last five minutes or more of progress. Or maybe you won’t have. It seems to depend on the servers’ moods.

Particularly disturbing is how the quest log will sometimes fail to load. I’ll get in game and all my quests have simply vanished from the game world. Oh joy! Sometimes they’ll load in a few minutes. Other times I have to reconnect over and over and hope the game manages to scrounge up all that pesky quest data stuff.

This trash heap represents Fallout 76’s programming. A big mess of junk, basically.

One particular quest was deleted from my quest log and reinstated about eight times over the course of a week or so, but finally the servers dug deep and registered my completion. As such, finishing a quest is often a momentous occasion not because of stellar writing (it’s not) or amazing rewards (they’re not). Rather, it’s kind of a miracle the game could momentarily function well enough to allow proper quest completion.

To make matters worse, the quest system itself uses a checkpoint system that fails to save your progress for many quests given but not begun. For instance, let’s say a robot at point A gives you a quest to go to point B. Despite the game adding this quest to your journal, if you quit your game without going to point B, the quest will be deleted as if you never began it. Idiocy is what this is.

Ah, the dreaded T-pose in the wild! Stop breaking my immersion! Go away; nobody likes you!

Then there’s the broken artificial intelligence. About half the time enemies will glitch out in numerous mystifying ways. You just never know if they’ll slide around in a “T-pose” or teleport back and forth or glitch out of world or die instantly or be naked or invisible. Who knows, maybe they’ll even behave properly!

And we mustn’t forget about the persistent and unacceptable lag. Remember the 1990s on dial-up internet with all its hitches and delays? Fallout 76 not only remembers but emulates this with very obnoxious momentary pauses between major actions like looting, shooting, and building. At best, it’s a split-second annoyance. At worst, it’s seconds on end of bandwidth befuddlement. Do you even network code, Bethesda bro!?

The servers couldn’t be bothered to load super-mutant clothing. Very embarrassing, really.

The framerate and performance is often quite fine…except when it’s totally dismal. In typical fashion, Fallout 76 can sometimes run very smoothly, but then the programming strangles itself with all those bits and pixels and things grind to a stuttering, halting mess. This is a seriously dysfunctional game engine.

On your end as a player, your attacks often won’t register and animations won’t play. When they do play, you’ll often shoot or swing right through enemies. If you thought previous Bethesda games had bad combat, wonky movement, and glitchy animations, Fallout 76 takes it to a new level. More like 76 times more glitches (ultra-burn!).

A more surface annoyance is how the game refuses to remember my username and password. And why can’t the keyboard/mouse and controller be swapped on the fly? This is 2018, isn’t it?

Oh, and the game can’t even exit properly. I usually get stuck at a frozen game screen when quitting, even when using Alt-F4. I then have to invisibly open the Task Manager, type “fa” to select the “Fallout 76” program and then use Ctrl-E to end the task. If you didn’t know how to do all that…then you’d probably have to restart your computer or something. Fun!

So are you excited to play Fallout 76 yet?! Did I mention not only is the game priced at $60 retail but there’s a micro-transaction shop full of outrageously over-priced stuff that should be in the game to begin with? Yoda voice: Greedy and incompetent, Bethesda is!

$4 for a map, $14 for a rocket decoration, $4 for a door texture. Such blatant greed.

There’s my Fallout 76 roast. Disdainful derision for a flamboyantly flawed Fallout. If you are dead-set on hating Fallout 76, stop reading now and go in peace. Or read on and hopefully see why there may still be something worth salvaging in this massive mess.

What Player Would Enjoy This?!

Ok. That was a lot of broken stuff, wasn’t it? This is why, as a reviewer, I cannot recommend or endorse Fallout 76 in its current state. It’s truly one of the most broken triple-A games ever released. And yet, there is much here to enjoy and for a certain type of player.

This is key: Fallout 76 will only appeal to a more-limited range of players because it’s absolutely not the typical Bethesda RPG experience. I believe there is unique captivating joy buried within Fallout 76, but it requires defiant digging and self-determination.

There’s a vast world out there, full of treasures…if you look closely and carefully.

Let me explain by starting with what types of players won’t enjoy Fallout 76. Firstly, story-driven players won’t be satisfied. There’s only a bare-bones narrative told with holotapes (audio logs). There are no cutscenes or reveals or payoffs. There’s no characters to truly care about.

Action-focused players won’t be pleased. There’s almost no well-designed combat encounters. Most combat is awkward and clunky. There’s no sense of progression like in mission-based shooters, and the combat “Events” are mostly terrible (often broken) wave-based affairs.

Role-players won’t find much of a role to play since there’s not a single character to have a back-and-forth dialogue with. Shakespeare said “all the world’s a stage”, but Fallout 76 is more like an abandoned stage days after the last debauched performance, everyone gone and everything in disarray.

MMO-fans won’t find much to celebrate because Fallout 76 is the anti-social multiplayer game. Instead of advertising how you can get a job and become a hero or villain like many MMO-style games, Fallout 76’s “selling point” is how all those interesting interactions are as dead and gone as all the human NPCs.

This is where all the NPCs went. Thrown in dumpsters, never to give out quests again.

Speaking of everyone being dead, we finally get to the target audience of Fallout 76. The archeologists. The anthropologists. The wanderers. The nomads. The explorers of the unknown. The ones who are energized by solitude and find rest in their own private world.

Fallout 76 calls out to those who dream of having Disneyland all to themselves without the masses getting in their way. Put me in my own world. Let me explore. Let me discover. Let me escape the shackles of someone else’s story. Set me free from the madness of human interaction. This is, ironically, the mantra of Fallout 76.

A whole world to explore at my own pace, in my own way. To me this sounds like heaven!

Now you probably think I’m nuttier than my last peanut butter and jelly sandwich…but stick with me here, I’m going somewhere delicious with all this.

Self-Amusement Park: My True Story

Let me tell you a true story. When I was about 12 I went to an amusement park near my home. The whole park was rented that day by my friend’s mom’s employer, so we had full access to the massive park with only a maybe 200 of us instead of the usual 2,000+.

Just out golfing, enjoying the crisp, newly irradiated greens. And looking snazzy!

It was glorious. There were no lines and no crowded streets. I’d run from ride to ride with my friend. We’d go together a few times, then we’d split up and do what we wanted. It felt like this was my park. This was my world, created just for me to explore and enjoy.

To this day I remember this event as my best theme park visit ever. This experience was much better than all the other fancy super-crowded parks I’d go to in the subsequent years. Those other mega-parks were always chock full of people, reminding me I am but one of thousands, at the mercy of the crowds.

Here is where Fallout 76 resonates with me so much. Contrary to what I’ve said above, I don’t hate all human interaction. However, I want that interaction to be limited and optional and realistic. I don’t want to feel like I’m 1 of the 10,000 “Heroes” going on some quest-checklist to save the day like many online games.

The world is full of little locations such as this, pieces of lore to fit together however you like.

As a result, Fallout 76’s system is actually very enjoyable for me: there’s up to 24 players scattered around the massive world, which means I’m usually on my own. However, I always know other players are out there, released from my same Vault, exploring just like me. This setup gives an added realism and human connection to my exploration in a mostly non-distracting and beneficial way.

To put it another way, I can be alone but not lonely. Fallout 76 isn’t forcing me to team up and be social, and it’s not relegating me to an offline-only world populated by shallow NPCs. Just like my day at the amusement park, I have a big world to explore, but there’s others out there to create a contrast to my isolation. For me, this is a wonderful feeling.

Fallout 76’s Star: The Appalachia World Itself

Let’s get back to some specifics and describe the game world. Fallout 76 features not only the largest but also the most meticulously crafted game-space Bethesda has ever created. The attention to detail, little touches, and overall sense of place makes exploring the huge West Virginia Appalachia landscape a delight to me.

What a breathtaking, compelling, and expansive world, and it’s all mine to discover!

Truly the natural environments are stunning and impressive. This is a huge step up from anything Fallout 4 offered. Sadly, the man-made locations and buildings are mostly recycled assets from Fallout 4, and it’s almost all inferior to the creatively crafted natural artwork.

I cannot overstate how impressed I am with Fallout 76’s natural world full of truly unique biomes and locales. The lush green and bright red forests. The haunting mucky mires. The rocky moon-like crags and mining outposts. The otherworldly irradiated flora. It’s mesmerizing and graphically impressive!

There are some fantastically dangerous locales to explore…better bring a gas mask!

Most importantly, the world’s full of typical Fallout story tidbits. Husband and wife farmers about to lose everything suddenly hit it big only to have the world get nuked the next week. A bank robbery gone wrong made irrelevant by Armageddon. These stories get pieced together as you carefully find corpses and notes and so forth.

Thanks to the superb quality of the world itself, I find myself logging in and relaxing as I settle in to another session of wanderlust, being transported to what feels like a real place I can live and breathe in.

Such a quaint and calming scene. There’s beauty in simplicity. And those rocks are looking nice!

Sometimes I’ll just meander to a few locations and admire the views, takes some photos, and maybe find a note from a dead inhabitant. This leads us to what I’m calling my three pillars of Fallout 76.

My Three Pillars of Fallout 76: Wander, Discover, Examine

So we’ve already made it clear that this isn’t a game about story or characters. So what is it about? I personally view Fallout 76 as my solitary world to get lost in, and I find something very peaceful about walking through this vibrant world full of dead people and abandoned civilizations.

This simple process of journeying has kept me energized for a good 65+ hours, and I believe this is the fundamental gameplay loop of Fallout 76: wander, discover, examine. Let me explain each one.

I really love this photo. The ambience and mood is so gloomy yet soothing in a way.

First, I wander. I argue this game is for the wanderers, the nomads, those who see an inherent value in simply going forward to find what’s there. This feeling of wanderlust has never been truer than in Fallout 76. The game’s very premise is thus: the world is destroyed…go out and study what has happened…there’s nobody to help you…so forge your own path or die trying.

This mostly open-ended story structure is a tough pill to swallow for many fans because we’re used to Bethesda giving us all the major quest paths. This idea that we must blaze our own trail is what sets Fallout 76 apart, in an often misunderstood way.

Going out and seeing the sights for yourself is such a huge part of Fallout 76’s draw.

Moreover, many players will be sorely disappointed at how many “empty” locations there are. Many will ask, “What’s the point of yet another destroyed building to walk away from with only a backpack full of junk?” And yet, for us wanderers and explorers, the process of finding new places is, in itself, a worthwhile endeavor.

Now the second pillar: to discover. To discover is to live. This is the compelling truth that drives many of the world’s researchers, archeologists, and anthropologists. These are the ones that must discover, no matter what it may or may not lead to.

Some will ask what nonsense I’m talking about. It’s a big mental-shift to go from the quest-based discovery of prior games to this more free-form discovery of Fallout 76. Many players will hate it, but that indicates they perhaps haven’t discovered the joy of discovery!

One of countless little scenes set up to make you wonder and laugh and get immersed!

There’s so much to find and learn about in Fallout 76! The world is full of visually interesting locales and buildings and towns and bunkers! Uncovering a cabin hidden in the woods, now silent and empty; this is a joy to us archeologists! Let’s excavate the truth as best we can. We may never know exactly what happened, but we’ll try!

Coming across a scene of decaying bandit corpses, all at each other’s throats. Listening to a holotape stashed nearby that explains the philosophical disagreement that led to these deaths. Fallout 76 is so wonderfully full of this environmental storytelling, with dead bodies in curious positions and hints at how life failed to survive. The anthropologist in my eats all this up!

This is Greg. He fell off a ladder and died. A note warned him to be careful. He paid it no mind.

This brings us to the third pillar: examine. Let me tell you another story. I was in a summer program when I was a youth, going into the hills and digging up dirt to attempt to find old Native American arrowheads and other relics. We’d go there and dig and dig. Often we’d find nothing. Sometimes we’d find a few items that might be part of past civilizations. There was an urge to connect with the past and to find something hidden, which pushed us forward.

As many of us grow up, we lose this sense of wonder. We don’t have the patience for it perhaps. Fallout 76 is a rare game that asks us to slow down and study its world, much like how many of us remember playing and loving the game Myst back in the 1990s (another game that was criticized for being sort of empty, without much plot).

Here’s a mundane computer workstation. I thought this was a really nice setup for a photo. I like the cardboard box, unsure if it should fall or hold strong. That’s how our life can be at times.

This is where many label Fallout 76 as wasted or worthless. The gamer who wants to blow through five quests in 30 minutes and unlock that special weapon and become the hero…they probably won’t understand why people would bother with Fallout 76. And that’s fair for them: this isn’t their type of game.

And yet for me, some of my best times in Fallout 76 has been my own personal journey that started with wanderlust, blossomed into discovery, and finished with contemplative examination of the past. This seemingly basic process has compelled me to continue playing Fallout 76, pushing through all the horrible bugs and issues, akin to pioneers trying to avoid freezing to death or being glitched out of existence by diseased programming.

Helvetia: A Case Study

Still unsure if Fallout 76 is for you? Consider this case study that encapsulates this wander, discover, and examine philosophy that I claim makes Fallout 76 so captivating to a select group of players.

Welcome to Helvetia! It’s a nice place…or was…at some point…probably!

As I attentively stroll through the beautiful Appalachia countryside, I stumble upon a quaint little German/Swiss town, once a tourist destination but now lifeless apart from the roving ghouls. I’m filled with excitement because I know I’m going to discover and learn more about this world I love.

Questions fill my mind. Who lived here? What happened to this place? We’re they happy? What will I find as I go from house to house searching for answers? On the video-game side, I wonder if I’ll find a decent weapon blueprint or some higher level power armor.

As I explore the boundaries of the town and make a first sweep, I find no quest or higher purpose. Instead I find an art exhibit, a voting location gone haywire, and an old plundered inn. I spend maybe 20 minutes carefully sifting through the broken furniture and junk.

A swing-set for children. What manner of fun did kids have here? Where did it all go wrong?

There’s some notes here and there, and I do find a holotape. I hunker down in a safe corner and listen. It gives me a rare glimpse into the actual lives of the now-very-dead townsfolk. I also find a big score of tasty honey from the derelict-but-quaint local honey shop. Great!

All this exploration is done mostly quietly and peacefully with just a little combat to clear out the ghouls. After about an hour I’ve “finished” this location. I leave with the satisfaction of knowing I’ve explored another piece of post-war West Virginia history. Thus ends my time with Helvetia.

Helvetia if this Was Fallout 5: A Thought Experiment

Does my story bore you to death? Does my experience sound dreadfully dull? To some it will. These are the players who will likely curse Fallout 76 for, quite simply, not being Fallout 5. Part of the issue is it’s so easy to reimagine this town the way a fifth Fallout would have done it. For the sake of curiosity, let’s be creative and come up with our own Fallout 5 Helvetia.

This man was a writer…perhaps one of Bethesda’s, which explains the lack of storytelling…

If this were Fallout 5, this location would have been a vibrant town full of NPCs. You’d probably meet the town leader who gives you a grand quest to reinstate the annual town celebration day, requiring you to decorate the town or sabotage the whole event.

There would have been a deranged-ghoul who gives you a quest to kill the local honey shop owner because he believes the honey is a mind-control agent. You’d be able to side with him or turn him in. You’d later run into his family on the other side of the map, telling you of the time he ate some irradiated honey and nearly went feral.

Perhaps there’d be an upbeat German/Swiss companion you could recruit, dressed in a colorful blend of that culture’s traditional clothing and scavenged parts. She’d talk in an accent of course and have a quest to find her lost loved ones.

This photo is meant to calm our hearts and open our minds to the creative space…or whatever.

Did I mention you’d be able to buy a player-home? You’d then decorate it with a bunch of fun German/Swiss trinkets as you complete quests for the townsfolk. By the end, they’d adopt you as their local town hero, possibly building a statue to you unless you choose to role-play a humble character.

The above structure is the well-established (some would say tired) Bethesda role-playing design, and this is what many wanted Fallout 76 to be. They didn’t want a Helvetia that’s empty and dead, and I can’t argue with their feelings. All this stuff would have been pretty fun no doubt, and there’s clearly a huge appetite for standard Bethesda/Fallout quests and role-playing.

The flames are the hopes of Fallout fans as Bethesda burns down our dreams of Fallout 5.

But here’s the bottom-line: Bethesda chose to not make a typical experience, so it’s not reasonable for me, as a reviewer, to expect it of Fallout 76. They made it clear from day one what this game would be. Maybe that was a poor choice, but as a reviewer, I cannot judge the game based on a different game I wish they would have made.

And let me go a step farther, at the risk of upsetting some people. In a way, exploring Helvetia was a fresher experience for me than if it was the usual Bethesda Fallout stuff. Going the dead and desolate route let me express my own inquisitiveness in a bolder way than if all the stories were right there in front of me in living NPC form.

Engaging with and helping NPCs has its joys of course, but in Fallout 76 the joy is in helping yourself to discover and learn about this world. I strongly believe piecing the fragments of this broken world together is enriching in its own way. That drive to know what used to be and how it all was lost is what makes Fallout 76 worthy to me.

A Tangent: We’ve Done this Before: Fallout Tactics

Speaking of people’s desire for Fallout 5, this isn’t the first time us Fallout fans have gotten something radically different than what we wanted. And ironically, this isn’t the first time us old-timers have played Fallout with friends.

Look! It’s Fallout with friends! Well, actually they’re total strangers…but I can pretend!

Way back in 2001, it had been 3 years since Fallout 2 took the CRPG world by storm, and we had all been waiting year after year for Fallout 3. And yet we didn’t get it. What we got was a weird multiplayer Fallout forgoing story and traditional RPG elements. Sound familiar? It would take a full 10 years to give us a proper Fallout 3 (although it was reimagined/mainstreamed by Bethesda).

For many, this Fallout Tactics was written off as a fake Fallout, and it certainly wasn’t what most fans wanted. Still, many of us accepted it for what it was and made the best out of it. I have fond memories of building my Tactics team and facing off against friends on our LAN.

Fast forward to today. We all want a proper Fallout 5, one that returns to form with the intelligence and wit and depth of Fallout 1, Fallout 2, and New Vegas. And yet here we are with a multiplayer Fallout forgoing story and traditional RPG elements. Sigh…

Fallout 76 questing: you sit by skeletons and act like there’s choices and consequences.

To add insult to injury, I fear it will take us another 10 years to once again get a proper Fallout. Bethesda is busy with their new game Starfield. And then there’s Elder Scrolls VI. That probably puts us out roughly 10 years…a distant dream at best.

Therefore, it’s no wonder why Fallout fans are upset. Fallout Tactics was the last PC release for a decade, and it’s possible Fallout 76 will also stand alone for countless years. At least Fallout Tactics was competently made…Fallout 76 is not.

Anyway, I think this comparison is fascinating, and it helps explain how crestfallen so many Fallout fans are. Even if Fallout 76 released perfectly stable and bug-free, nothing can replace a real Fallout 5 in the hearts of many. And that’s understandable.

Back to the Review: World Size and Nuke Farming

Let’s get back to some actual review stuff. First off, how much content is here? To give perspective, I reached level 40 after 45 hours of playtime, and at this point I’d explored most of the left side of the map with maybe 55% of locations remaining. The Challenge tracker put my quest and event completion around 33%. So this is a big game world.

In regard to nukes, the first one I saw was at 25 hours, but it was way far away from me. At 50 hours I was at a location that got nuked, and I engaged in cooperative high-level play with a bunch of level 100+ characters. I got annihilated by the end-game enemies, but it was fun to get a glimpse of what high-level players do in the end-game.

This is the landscape after a nuke. Bask in the beautiful orange haze! So lovely! Warning: real nukes aren’t lovely; they’re terrible and should never be set off, even if you’re very, very angry.

I’m now level 60 or so at 65 hours of playtime, and I’ve engaged in quite a few end-game nuke farming affairs. Too bad the framerate and game performance tanks when you’ve got a nuke going off and 10+ players all crammed in a small zone. Maybe after another 20 patches…

One of the big draws is late-game legendary item farming (and high-end crafting), and I do think it’s pretty fun to try to farm a great new weapon to rework your character build around.

Character Builds and Perk Cards

Speaking of character builds, one of the few design decisions that has been mostly praised is the perk card system. Gone is the static character builds of the past that lock you into one path. Now you slowly collect new perk cards you can freely equip and unequip at your leisure.

The perk card system really is a fun and interesting way to build your character! Strength FTW!

Every player level lets you pick a S.P.E.C.I.A.L. attribute (up to level 50), which allows for more (or upgraded) perk cards to be equipped to the attribute you select. It’s good fun deciding if you want a super-Strong or super-Lucky or very Agile or Perceptive character.

It’s also a real pleasure to slowly open new packs of cards and decide how to build your character. Do you focus on shotguns, survival, or something supremely wacky? There’s some really fun cards and returning favorite features like the Mysterious Stranger.

Even though at first there’s some essential cards (carry weight!), once you reach level 30 or so you have quite a large variety of build options open up to you. And once you reach level 50 and beyond, the depth of the character system fully reveals itself.

Crafting and Base Building

Fallout 76’s crafting is basically the same as Fallout 4. You can disassemble weapons and armor to learn how to craft various parts. It’s fun to slowly accumulate crafting knowledge, letting you make some incredibly powerful guns after dozens of hours of hard work.

The base building system is very limited, only allowing one mobile C.A.M.P. location. When you first start, you’re unable to build any of the cool stuff, and it can take 50+ hours or more to unlock even a fraction of the best building parts.

Here’s the first home I built! Very cozy. Very usable. I’ll upgrade someday, but for now it’s home!

There’s certainly a joy to occasionally taking time to build up your mobile base, saving chunks as Blueprints for easy reassembly as you move throughout the wasteland. Many players will likely miss the permanent Settlements and player houses of past Fallout games, but this mobile, more-limited base building fits well with Fallout 76 lore.

Workshops: A Great Idea Poorly Implemented

One of Fallout 76’s new ideas is the workshop system. All over the map you’ll find sites you can “claim” to make your own, such as junkyards and farms. Then you can build extractor units to harvest various resources over time. Other players can attempt to steal your workshop from you, making them “wanted” (Fallout 76’s penalty system), and you’ll fight it out.

Here I am “claiming” a workshop…I could be attacked by another player…but why bother?

The system is great in theory. The idea of claiming land as your own, harvesting certain resources like crystal or gold or aluminum, and defending it from attackers is fantastic.

The problem is in how unstable and fleeting Fallout 76’s world is. If you get disconnected or quit, all your workshop progress is erased since it’s only stored for that specific game session. So it’s not like you can slowly build up workshops over time. Overall, workshops are a wasted opportunity that end up being an occasional diversion instead of a robust, meaningful game system.

Terrible Non-Collectibles

Let me briefly note that Fallout 76 changes all the permanent-buff collectibles of past Fallout games into short-period buffs usually lasting an hour. This is a huge letdown since it renders Bobbleheads and Magazines mostly inconsequential. Nobody is going to alter their gameplay because they get 30% easier locking for an hour after using a certain Bobblehead.

Normally this would be an awesome find! But Bobbleheads are boring in Fallout 76…sad face!

This change also means none of these are true collectibles anymore. They respawn over and over and you can’t collect or display them like so many fans (myself included) have loved doing in prior Fallout games. Now I find myself vendoring Bobbleheads or using them instantly because who cares…

It’s an unfortunate change that takes something so fun and rewarding and makes it mundane and lame. It would have been great fun tracking these down with friends, sharing where we found them, and showing them off at our bases. Fail. Maybe they’ll patch it.

Holotapes, Notes, and Story Quests

I previously mentioned how Fallout 76 is full of various lore tidbits, fed mostly through holotapes and notes. For the record, I’ve found over 100 holotapes, roughly 150 notes, and about 20 treasure maps.

On the quest side, I’ve completed over 10 main quests, about 12 side quests, and a slew of unsorted quests. So there is questing to be had…it’s just limited…and without much cohesion.

Enemy Diversity and Challenge

It’s unfortunate that Fallout 76 reuses so much of Fallout 4’s enemies and assets. Still, it’s nice to see a wide variety of new and interesting creatures included. There’s some really creative and funny takes on irradiated wildlife in Fallout 76. However, the majority of the time is spent fighting the four or five main enemy types, which gets repetitive very quickly.

Look at that cutesy-wootsy fox! I bet he’s got a nice pelt for crafting! C’mere Mr. Fox!

The game challenge overall is as one would expect from a Bethesda title: easy. Tough enemies do spawn, but I mostly died because of the terrible or broken AI, glitches, or other technical issues. But nobody really plays Fallout for the combat challenge I would imagine.

Sound Design, Music, and Radio Stations

Fallout 76’s sounds are mostly rehashes from Fallout 4. There’s a few nice additions with fantastic environmental sound effects in places. Bubbling, steaming, grinding, and chirping world sounds create a nice ambient backdrop for exploration.

I’m sneaking into this Super Mutant camp! Must be very quiet! Nobody set off a nuke!

The biggest standout is the absolutely phenomenal instrumental soundtrack by Inon Zur. He’s been doing the Fallout music ever since Fallout Tactics interestingly enough, and I think Fallout 76 is his best work yet. It’s truly brilliant, creating such a warm yet despairing mood. So good!

There are only two actual radio stations in Fallout 76: classical and the standard early to mid 1900s tunes. It’s all fine, even if we’ve been hearing some of these songs for years now in prior games.

In case you were wondering, Atom Bomb Baby is just as glorious in the Appalachia as it was in Fallout 4. Truly an epic song!

Online Events: They’re Bad

Fallout 76 includes a couple types of “online” quests, and both are pretty bad. There’s “Events” and “Daily Quests” that repeat on timers. Sadly each of these quest types tend to be very generic, very tedious, and very fetch-questy.

The “Powering Up” Events are quite tedious…running around repairing stuff for a minor reward.

Most players will probably attempt these quests once and realize how unfulfilling they are. Overall Bethesda did a terrible job creating fun and engaging repeatable quests…not surprisingly really.

Photo Mode and Photos as Loading Screens!

Fallout 76 has a fantastic photo mode that’s super-fun to use as a sort of selfie-documentary, visually recounting your personal game journey. There’s so many wonderful and wild places for photo opportunities! And remember how I said this game is for anthropologists and explorers and archeologists and stuff? They love to take photos, trust me on this one!

Photo mode brings much happiness and joy! Here’s me chilling with my raider buddies!

I’ve personally taken over 80 photos during my 65+ hours exploring West Virginia, and it’s a trip down memory lane to go into the Photo Gallery and see the way my character has visually and geographically progressed throughout the game. Good times.

Not only is there a photo mode, but Fallout 76 uses your photos as loading screen artwork. This may sound minor, but it’s pretty much the best feature ever invented. Too much? Ok, but using your own photos as loading screens is the best feature you never knew you needed.

Even if Fallout 76 goes down is history as utterly hated, the one thing it’ll always have is your photos as loading screens! They’ll never be able to take that away from you, Fallout 76! Never!

Couldn’t We Have Had a Few NPCs?

I want to say I agree with all the criticism that says Fallout 76 did NOT need to have every single human/ghoul NPC be dead. Bethesda could definitely have included a handful of NPCs here and there and still delivered the core Fallout 76 experience.

This is as close to a NPC dialogue as you’re going to get: some text on a computer screen.

Some traditional Fallout quests and NPCs and dialogue wouldn’t have ruined the game. Therefore, it’s easy to look at the game and feel like Bethesda was just lazy and didn’t want to do all the hard work of writing dialogue and quests and choices and consequences. That’s logical criticism.

But Bethesda claims this is how they wanted to make the game. No dialogue. No proper NPCs. Fair enough I guess…but there’s still plenty of other ways they could have added more quality quests.

Fake Conclusion: The Fallout Future

The future for Fallout 76 is as bright or dark as Bethesda wants it to be. There’s great potential to fix all the bugs and lag and issues and to deliver quality (free) content for months to come. There’s also the unfortunate possibility Bethesda won’t ever stabilize the game, will add even more egregious cash-grabs (loot boxes), and charge big money for lame expansions in the future.

My faith in Bethesda is in as good of condition as this decimated cathedral.

I honestly have very little faith in Bethesda. I don’t trust them at all. Fallout 76 could get turned around like Final Fantasy XIV or The Division, but will that happen? Final Fantasy XIV took three years with a full relaunch, and The Division took a year and a half of extreme patching to make it into a truly solid, deep, and expansive game.

Does Bethesda have the will, the competency, and the moral compass to do what’s right and needed? Only time will tell.

Proper Conclusion: Semi-Wasted, Semi-Wonderful

As stated at the very start, Fallout 76 often is broken, usually buggy, and sometimes unplayable. And yet it’s also one of the most beautiful and detailed post-apocalyptic open-game-worlds ever created. Appalachia is the star: so exquisitely detailed and captivating. And when the game functions there’s dozens upon dozens of hours of brilliant exploration to be had.

Despite the enthralling exploration, the game definitely lacks quests, a sense of permanence, and a traditional video game plot. The cooperative play can be lots of fun, whether it’s low-level basic exploration or end-game nuke runs with a crew of 10+ other highly-geared Power Armor players. And yet stability issues are the greatest threat to your fun.

What else will emerge from Bethesda’s vaults? Can they unleash Fallout 76’s potential? Maybe.

Ultimately, there’s no way a serious review can overlook all the faults, but sometimes there’s joy to be had even in the most busted of video games. Just be aware that only a certain type of player will enjoy Fallout 76’s bleak, mostly-dead world of self-guided gameplay.

If my review piques your interest, then the safe bet is to buy Fallout 76 for cheap…in a year…if they’ve fixed everything…and over time you may come to appreciate the joy of wandering, discovering, and examining Fallout 76’s strange and creative Appalachia open-world.

At the very least, let’s agree using your photos on loading screens is genius. So Fallout 76 isn’t all bad, right?

Vibrant, huge open-world

Beautiful scenic views

Captivating exploration

Piecing together the lore

Character build diversity

Perk card flexibility

Coop when you want to

Base building and expansion

Crafting and upgrading gear

Atmospheric soundtrack

Fallout vibe when working

Server instability

Serious latency issues

So many bugs and glitches

Quest tracker issues

Lack of NPCs, dialogue

Clunky, awkward combat

Lame events and daily quests

Cumbersome menus

Recycled Fallout 4 assets

Ugly up-close details

Insulting micro-transactions

Playtime: 65 hours total. Nick’s explored about 75% of the map, having almost completed the final quests. He’s engaged in end-game content, built many homes, and crafted hundreds of weapons and armor. He’s eager to finish this review and get back to living the life Appalachia!

Computer Specs: Windows 10 64-bit computer using an Intel i7-3930k CPU, 32GB of memory, and a nVidia GTX 980 Ti graphics card.

Also read the Fallout 76 PC Performance Analysis.

Fallout 76 Review: Semi-Wasted, Semi-Wonderful published first on https://touchgen.tumblr.com/

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