OOTS 354 is up... and I feel old now...

[Mycanid]

Not sure, myself. I remember the arcade in Green Bay having a two-player football video game (the "players" in the game were Xs and Os), with trackballs, around 1978 or 1979. I'm pretty sure that'd pre-date Centipede by a couple of years; not sure about Track and Field.

Hmm ... I remember this one and Missile Command of course. But Gotcha? Err ... don't think I ever played that one. Of course, let's see, when it came out I was 4 years old, living on a farm in upstate New York and had never heard of video games (at least that I can remember)!

And who can forget Adventure? Grab that arrow and go get those vicious dragons! According to the list at wikipedia track and field never had a trackball ... and yet I clearly remember.... Oh well.

And then there is marble madness. I absolutely HATED that game. No video game frustrated me more than that one EVER.

Ah well....

 

[WizarDru]

And who can forget Adventure? Grab that arrow and go get those vicious dragons! According to the list at wikipedia track and field never had a trackball ... and yet I clearly remember.... Oh well.

Ahhh, Track and Field. No trackball there, when we played it. I remember watching people develop different techniques to hit the buttons as quickly as possible. At first, it seemed obvious that slapping the buttons as fast as you could would be the way, one per hand...but the actual way to do it was one hand, almost like you were tapping your fingers impatiently, but really, really FAST.

HOWEVER, according to wikipedia, some trackball versions WERE produced. "In the original arcade game, the player uses two "run" buttons (or a trackball in some early units) and one "action" button to control an athlete competing in following six events:"

So you must have come across one of the very first ones.

 

[Mycanid]

Hey there Wizard - for track and field I was the "local champ" and what I did was extend my right hand's thumb and middle finger as wide as possible to hit both keys and then shook them up and down. (Rather as some "cheaters" did using the pencil method!) I was able to go faster this way than any one else with pencil or pressing the buttons or slapping the buttons or what not ... and get way higher scores than the trackball method - which give many a player terrible blisters which is likely the reason the game switched to buttons, eh?

But likely there were people who were faster than I was using the methods you described. I just never came across them!

Anyhooo - back to the thread topic, eh?

 

[Hypersmurf]

I'm waiting to hear how your Grand-dad was Edmund Hillary...

Well, no, and I've never met the man, but bizarrely, my best friend in [rapid mental conversion] 7th grade? was, in fact, Edmund Hillary's grandson.

... who introduced you to Sam Neill and Lucy Lawless at a Bungie Jumping Convention at an early age.

Never met Sam Neill, but I used to get beaten up by Lucy Lawless for money

-Hyp.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Never met Sam Neill, but I used to get beaten up by Lucy Lawless for money

Ah, I remember, Hypersmurfs career as Stuntman.


But back to topic...

Remember that the Half-Elf Wizard (whathisname?) said that he "had" to cast a lot of buffing spells on our Demon/Devil-Chick (whatshername?), so he might be out of his higher level spells. (Though I don't know what spells above level 3 he might have cast at her that wouldn't create an obvious and visible effect)

Maybe he just owns a Ring of Wizardry II, and thinks he can afford to cast a few 2nd level spells before wasting the big guns? (And I think he doesn't actually want to kill Roy's sister - she might be needed, so the spells shoudn't be too powerful and deadly)

 

[Hypersmurf]

Ah, I remember, Hypersmurfs career as Stuntman.

Former career.

I've got one of those Real Job things now

-Hyp.

 

[Vocenoctum]

True enough, heh, but in that case he'll be a brief evil double.

We used to call it the gauntlet (no relation!) to drag low level PC's with higher level PC's. They'd level so much faster with the high level enemies... assuming they survived!


Also, since I was out of town this weekend, it's my first chance to say "ha ha, I was right, it's a bear!", to all that voted weasel.

 

[Vocenoctum]

And while we're on the subject, It's Star Wars, not 'Episode IV'

Episode IV doesn't bug me, but "A New Hope" does. Sure it says it on the scrolling, but the posters were SW, though folks have tried to tell me that even the posters were always A New Hope, and it bugs me more than the whole Han Shoots First philosophical debates.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Ah, I remember, Hypersmurfs career as Stuntman.


But back to topic...

Remember that the Half-Elf Wizard (whathisname?) said that he "had" to cast a lot of buffing spells on our Demon/Devil-Chick (whatshername?), so he might be out of his higher level spells. (Though I don't know what spells above level 3 he might have cast at her that wouldn't create an obvious and visible effect)

Maybe he just owns a Ring of Wizardry II, and thinks he can afford to cast a few 2nd level spells before wasting the big guns? (And I think he doesn't actually want to kill Roy's sister - she might be needed, so the spells shoudn't be too powerful and deadly)

Okay, strike that, the newest topic makes it clear - he is low level

I've got one of those Real Job things now

Don't worry, this won't impact your coolness. You are so cool now that you can afford to do something "average" just like the rest of us - in fact, this even enforces your coolness