whoa… dint see this coming!!

today`s one of those hot `n humid evening`s when you can think of  nothing to while away your time; its one of those days when the idea of watching a flick gets you headaches, and even your favorite song sounds like a blaring horn.

i generally get tired of things a bit too quickly; however, i finally decide play CounterStrike over the internet. however, the game keeps on crashing for some reason when i try to connect to online servers. i finally give up and switch back to ubuntu(i feel internet browsing`s faster on ubuntu) and read up stuff on the internet for similar-crash-cases.

the only crash cases i`d encountered before this were the packet-errors we used to have(and still occasionally have) while playing CS over a WLAN at our hostel. could a slower(on comparison with ubuntu) internet connection be the reason i`m having these errors? would these errors still persist if i could  game in ubuntu?

games in ubuntu bought into my mind the recent discussion i had with Abhishek….

if  i could only play CS on ubuntu.. `n then it hit me. could`nt believe it took me so long!!! i ran the game using the wine on ubuntu and whoallah!! it finds online servers, connects seamlessly and there is`nt even a hint of a lag while gaming!!

gotta go!!! lemme go and give `em a few headshots(and get a lot in return, i bet!)….

something i`ve never quite understood

I`ve been to various FOSS conferences and i find few aspects of open source software interesting. However, what i fail to understand is why 90% of linux users i`ve met, seem to hate windows even while :-

1. Theming their linux distro to look like windows.
2. Sub-consciously admitting to the fact that Gates HAS done a good job.
3. Realizing that the linux environment is HOPELESS for gaming(comparison with windows).

Common conversations(sometimes heated discussions) regarding the matter, which take place every now and then(some i`ve been a part of, others i`ve quietly watched), can be summarized into a small conversation as follows…

me:- why do you hate windows so much?
them:- windows is closed. they need money for what they`ve done.

me:- well, have`nt they done a pretty neat job?
them:- no, they haven`t. linux is more user-friendly.

me:- WHAT?
them:- yes, i do find linux VERY user friendly.

me:- oh, fine. And is this “user-friendliness” the reason why you love linux so much…?
them:- no. i love it because it`s open source.

me:- oh, and have you ever considered contributing\contributed in any manner?
them:- not really… i mean, not yet.

It`s almost as if claiming to use linux(AND hate windows), makes you seem like a geek with “over-developed” brains. This is a open remark against all those who support open source without actually understanding the underlying ideology or contributing to it in any manner. If your belief in FOSS is strong enough to blame windows of a bad ideology, then i wonder how the ratio (contributing to FOSS : blaming windows) gets to be so small.

my views…

I love linux.
FOSS… ? i find it interesting; just don`t think its “interesting” enough to accept as an ideology.

what do i believe in?

Making money on what you`r good at is no crime. Smart people have been doing it over the ages, and will continue to do so. Wasting your breath criticizing them is just not gonna help. Linux is a good effort which improves with every new release. But, it`s different from windows in almost ALL respects. Kindly, stop the damn comparison and for the love of God, stop trying to make one look like the other!!! Appreciate the differences.

Think about it. `n if you think its the truth, live with it.

CT or T?

what is it that gets you truly hooked onto a game?

is it the gameplay, or it the money you make, or the graphics or maybe it`s the thrill of playing it over a network.

i`ve played different kinds of racing games over LAN. maybe i sound primitive when i say this, but i started playing CounterStrike over LAN pretty recently. i did`nt like the game when i played it at first; it seemed like just another “running-`n-gunning” game. it took me about 3 months to actually figure out that i was wrong. in fact, i don`t think i`ve been “off-the-mark” by such a large margin my whole life. CS is a game based on not just your aim, but on strategies, team work and above all – practice.

and there are loads of great videos on the internet which show players at their best competing against each other; the most inspiring of them showing a 15 year old(15 yrs old when the video was taken i.e.) named J. Gilbert winning entire rounds all by himself… the video release`s named “n0thing but headhshots”. i don`t know if its put up on youtube though…

i`ve tried playing the original Counterstrike, the one that came after it(Condition Zero; my favorite), aand the one that came after it(Source; dint like it much). Sad thing is, almost all of the tech fest`s host the gaming contests with the original Counterstrike; so practicing on the second version of the game is pretty much useless.

Q. why i dislike the original counterstrike…?
A. the guns look like toys; those who use ‘maverick’ seem to have a HUGE advantage(hardly any recoil).

Q. why i hate CS source…?
A. gotta admit; the game`s more realistic(u get dizzy if you get flashed by a flashbang PLUS the bots present more of a challenge) but it has a LOT of awful features too. the guns sound bad and the sniper zoom is horrible!

well, if you have`nt played CS over LAN till now, then do it ASAP!!! its one game you just can`t afford to miss in a lifetime.

i won`t pretend to be an expert in the game, but a word of advice to newbies. if you wanna be the best around, work on more than just your “aim”. have a favorite weapon(better being an ace on one weapon than a jack in using all of `em), and a favorite pistol. working on knife rounds can help you find an appropriate mouse sensitivity.

ENJOY!!!

And oh, almost forgot. a few troubleshooting tips for those connecting to other computers via a wireless ad-hoc connection. make sure you have your firewall disabled PLUS if you have VMware installed, you have to disable the networks created by it(there should be two of `em).