User Friendly
Online games
When I wrote in February about Star Trek Online, the massive multiplayer online game set somewhere near the time period of the “Next Generation’’ series, one reader groused that it was merely another “themed’’ MMO, with play indistinguishable from other games in the same category.
To some extent, I agree. Gameplay clichés — the mission assignments, the arms dealers, the power-ups — are among the signs that video games, as an art form, have completely stalled.
But another problem with many popular video games, which researchers at places like the Singapore-MIT GAMBIT Lab struggle with, is that storylines and character development rarely go beyond rough sketches.
All of this has left me with low expectations for Battlestar Galactica Online, whose players will hunt Cylon Raiders and Colonial Vipers, and embark on missions to acquire fuel and water, if BSO’s developers are faithful to the original SyFy series.
The game is being published by Hamburg-Eppendorf, Germany-Bigpoint (www.bigpoint.com).
The first trailer for the Web browser-based 3D MMO shows space combat scenes, with too-good-for-gameplay cinematics and a rich musical score.
But I have seen nothing about BSO to suggest players will be able to build a trusting relationship with Laura Roslin, for example, by acquiring the hallucinogenic anticancer drug, chamala, for the dying president of the Colonies.
Like in “Star Trek’’ and other great sci-fi series, the storylines in “Battlestar Galactica’’ are allegories for the headline issues of our day. Its characters grapple mightily with conflicting personal loyalties, religious fanaticism, and terrorism.
But I am beginning to suspect that MMO players are a different breed altogether from fans of the best-written shows in science fiction, and that the former require very little in the way of story to become engaged in a game.
Bluetooth audio
Surround sound for cyclists’ helmets
I realize debate is still raging over whether speakers beat earbuds for safety on the road.However, a new gadget makes intuitive sense, at least, for those of us who prefer to take our music everywhere.
The Tunebug Shake is a triangle-shaped Bluetooth speaker, which you can mount on the top of your bike helmet, or whatever shell you wear to protect your nut while playing outdoors.
The idea is to provide an immersive listening experience, by blanketing your head with music, while eliminating cumbersome earbuds, which might also block-out important sounds (like a honking horn or a car door opening).
You can pair the Shake (about $120 at www.store.tunebug.com) with any Bluetooth media player or mobile phone.
You can also plug the speaker into the player’s headphone jack using the cable that comes with the Tunebug device.
The Shake has touch sensitive controls for Bluetooth pairing and other functions, but I had no problem weaving the Tunebug’s straps through the air vents on my Bell Vita Pro helmet.
If you have a less airy helmet, such as a Bell Faction or a Bern Watts, the Shake comes with a Gecko Mount, which uses adhesive-backed Dual Lock (similar to Velcro) discs to keep the speaker in place.
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