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2011年12月25日星期日

Erfolgreiche Rollenspiele

Millionen Spieler k?mpfen sich gleichzeitig durch animierte Online-Welten - allein oder im Verbund mit anderen Teilnehmern

Aion Die Spieler k?mpfen im Rollenspiel "Aion" gegen einen feindlichen Drachen, um die Welt zu retten. Sie k?nnen sich dazu der Spezies der Elyos oder der Asmodier anschlie?en. Die Auseinandersetzungen mit der Drachengestalt und anderen Figuren finden als direkte Zweik?mpfe oder in gro?en Legion?rsschlachten statt. Eine Besonderheit des Spiels ist die M?glichkeit, sich die Welten in einem virtuellen Flug aus der Vogelperspektive anzusehen.

Runescape In der mittelalterlich anmutenden Fantasywelt Gielinors k?nnen die Spieler von "Runescape" St?dte und Verliese erkunden sowie Clans und V?lker kennenlernen. Für die kostenlose Version des Spiels haben sich mehr als zehn Millionen Spieler angemeldet, dazu kommen etwa eine Million zahlende Abonnenten.

Final Fantasy Mittlerweile sind 14 Titel der Reihe "Final Fantasy" erschienen. Inhaltlich h?ngen die Versionen nur zum Teil zusammen. Sowohl die Geschichte hinter der Action als auch das Spielsystem unterscheiden sich von Version zu Version. Zur Marke geh?ren au?erdem Handy- und Taktikspiele sowie Animationsfilme.

Lineage Knapp eine Million aktive Spieler sind bei der zweiten Version von "Lineage" angemeldet. Teilnehmer k?nnen aus fünf Charakterklassen w?hlen, deren Helden unterschiedliche F?higkeiten und Eigenschaften besitzen. Auch die Bildung von Clans ist m?glich. Es gibt kein klares, von den Machern festgelegtes Ziel des Online-Rollenspiels. Jeder Teilnehmer kann selbst entscheiden, ob und wie er seine Figur im Laufe des Geschehens entwickeln will.

2011年12月11日星期日

West gegen Ost – Das Beispiel Lineage 2

Wie jeden Sonntag erwartet dich auch heute eine neue Ausgabe unserer Kolumne “Ausgespielt”, die sich um alles dreht, was mit Spielen zu tun hat. Diese Woche Thema ist West gegen Ost oder auch: Der Fall Lineage 2.

Lineage 2 erschien 2003 in Korea und Anfang 2004 im Westen. In Korea schlug der zweite Teil ein wie eine Bombe, im Westen avancierte es bestenfalls zum Geheimtipp unter den PvP-Fans. Als NCSoft Ost dann bei West nachfragte, warum denn das Spiel nicht bei den Leuten ankme, kam die Antwort: Es ist ein Hardcore-PvP-Game, das sei nichts fr den Westen.

Die Wahrheit sah in Wirklichkeit ganz anders aus. Werbung wurde fr das Spiel in Westen so gut wie nicht gemacht, Support geschweige denn GMs suchte man vergebens. Auch die Updates fr das Spiel brauchten lnger, um in den Westen zu kommen, als man es gewohnt war. Vermutlich drfte es auch eine Rolle gespielt haben, dass ein Jahr spter schon das hauseigene Kind von NCSoft West erscheinen sollte, Guild Wars. Das hatte zwar keine Burgenbelagerungen wie bei LA 2 aber dennoch war es auf PvP ausgerichtet. Vielleicht wollte man einfach keinen Konkurrenten im Westen haben.

Was auch immer es war, es sorgte dafr, dass LA 2 zumindest in Europa in die Bedeutungslosigkeit abrutschte und gerade als man glaubte, schlimmer geht es gar nicht mehr, wurde es genau das. ber Nacht zogen die China-Farmer ins Spiel ein und berrannten frmlich die Server. Da es keinen GM-Support im Westen gab, wurde auch nicht gegengesteuert. Die meisten Spieler hatten dann so die Nase voll, dass sie auf Privatserver flchteten. Weitere Jahre vergingen und LA 2 wurde beinahe vergessen, bis das Spiel vor Kurzem nun auf Free2Play umgestellt wurde.

Und was durch diese Umstellung mit dem Spiel im Westen passierte, drfte bei NCsoft West mehr als nur Magenschmerzen ausgelst haben. Am Tag der Umstellung auf Free2Play wurden die Server berrannt. NCsoft West kam kaum hinterher, neue Server hochzuschalten. Nicht nur alte Spieler kamen wieder, auch neue Spieler, die von dem Spiel nur gehrt hatten, kamen und blieben dort.

Das drfte dem Vorstand von NCsoft West Schwei?perlen auf die Stirn treiben, denn wie erklrt man der Mutterfirma diesen pltzlichen Erfolg? Aber das Vertrauen zum westlichen Zweig drfte so oder so ziemlich gelitten haben. Besonders wenn man sich die zum Teil sehr mangelhafte Arbeit bei Aion anschaut wird einem klar, warum sich um LA 2 in Europa jetzt ein neuer Publisher kmmert. Dieser Publisher hei?t Innova und kommt aus Russland. Innova kmmerte sich sowieso schon um die NCsoft-Produkte und hat nun die Chance bekommen, das in Europa ebenfalls zu tun.

Bis jetzt sieht das, was die Russen mit LA2 machen, ziemlich gut aus. Sie werden das ganze Spiel nach 8 Jahren nicht nur auf Deutsch herausbringen, sondern kmmern sich jetzt schon liebevoller um das Spiel als es NCsoft West je getan hat. So hat Innova z.B. damit begonnen, GMs auf den europischen Server zu stellen, die nicht nur mit Rat und Tat bei Problemen zur Seite stehen, sondern auch mal bei akuten Mobmangel neue Mobs erscheinen lassen. Genauso wird wenig Mitleid mit den Goldsellern und Bottern gezeigt, die momentan schneller aus dem Spiel fliegen als man gucken kann. Zu NCsoft-Zeiten undenkbar.

Innova kann auf jeden Fall gelassen in die Zukunft blicken, denn besser gemacht als NCsoft West haben sie es jetzt schon. Fr NCsoft West wiederum drften das ziemlich unschne Wochen werden, besonders wenn man bedenkt, dass sie dieses Mal wohl keine Ausrede mehr parat haben drften, um die Mutterfirma zu beschwichtigen. Bei LineAge 2 bleibt natrlich abzuwarten, ob sich die Spielerzahl auch nach dem ersten Ansturm halten und weiter entwickeln kann.

2011年10月31日星期一

Family Health Fair fun for kids

Well over 1,000 people attended the Family Health Fair at Loma Linda University's Drayson Center on Sunday.

The event mixed serious medical issues, like high blood pressure, diabetes prevention and mental health with fun things like face painting and origami.

"It's lots of fun," said Melody Luikham, who brought her 4-year-old son, Jared, to the fair.

"It's good to have some health habits reinforced by others, like the importance of brushing your teeth regularly.

"It's also lots of fun for the kids," Luikham said.

Andrew Hirinouchi, 26, was among those teaching origami techniques to young fair attendees.

Hirinouchi went to elementary school in Japan, where he learned the art.

People at the fair especially liked the origami "frog," which can hop surprisingly far with the proper finger pressure, said Hirinouchi, who is a biostatistics major in Loma Linda's School of Public Health.

Kids also seemed to like an educational booth called the Teddy Bear Clinic, where LLU student nurses did head-to-toe assessments of teddy bears selected by each child.

After an explanation of the physical exam, children would then administer a flu "shot" to their stuffed animal.

They use a real hypodermic plunger and barrel, but there's no needle, said Clyde Dieto, 21, a School of Nursing junior, who is also the school's community-service vice president.

The child then placed a very small version of a bandage on the teddy bear, which they got to take home.

Veronica Flores, 7, of Loma Linda said she liked giving her bear, named Kelly, a flu shot "because it made him healthy."

As part of the health fair, LLU nursing students administered real flu shots without charge.

Tiffany Mambo, 21, a junior in the school of nursing, rotated between several stations, each with a different task.

She liked the booth that gave flu shots the best "because you are doing things that feel like real nursing."

But she also enjoyed the blood-pressure booth, where she manually inflated the cuff to get a reading.

As part of their coursework, student nurses do blood-

pressure readings for patients at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

But those are automated devices, so she doesn't get the experience of doing things the old-fashioned way, which sill done in many health care settings, such as convalescent homes, she said.

2011年9月26日星期一

Dover man arrested twice in one day

A town man was arrested on a shoplifting charge in the afternoon and then on drug charges in the evening after he tried to flee in his wheelchair, police said,

Officers Michael Pier and Jose Matos on Sept. 21 responded to The Home Depot at 4:46 p.m. and learned Roberto Colon, 27, was sitting in his wheelchair on top of a Mikita power drill valued at $79 and tried leaving the store without paying for it, Detective Sgt. Richard Gonzalez said.

Police arrested Colon and found a hypodermic needle on him during a search, Gonzalez said.

Colon was taken to headquarters and charged with shoplifting and possession of the needle, police said. He was released on a complaint summons.

Then, at 8:05 p.m. the same day, Officer Timothy Thiel spotted Colon and another man on First Street.

Thiel approached the two and began speaking with them when he spotted Colon attempting to hide a hypodermic needle in his coat pocket, Gonzalez said.

Thiel retrieved the needle and advised Colon that he was under arrest, police said.

Officer Anthony Scinto arrived to assist, and that’s when Colon began to leave the area in his wheelchair, ignoring multiple orders to stop.

Colon then began to remove his clothing and then threw himself onto the ground, police said.

While he was doing this, his father, Roberto Colon Sr., arrived and had a brief conversation in Spanish with his son, and then attempted to take his son’s belongings, police said.

Police warned the elder Colon not to touch the items and to stay back, police said. He disregarded all orders, grabbed his son’s clothes and ran off, police said.

Thiel stopped Colon Sr. and found four bags of heroin and one bag of marijuana in the clothing, and arrested him, Gonzalez said.

Police charged Roberto Colon Sr., 50, of Dover, with possession of a controlled dangerous substance, hindering apprehension of another, and obstruction of the administration of law, Gonzalez said.

Thiel also charged the younger Colon with possession of CDS, possession of a hypodermic needle and obstruction of the administration of law, police said.

Both were released on complaint summonses.

2011年8月22日星期一

Open Season: Local bears better left alone

With fall fishing on the horizon and bear and goose hunting seasons coming up in early September, more outdoorsmen will be taking to the woods and fields, many of which are infested with disease carrying ticks. Lyme disease is one of the most prevalent diseases carried by ticks, along with babesiosis.

It's widely known that Lyme disease is carried by deer ticks, but it's also carried by black legged ticks and western black-legged ticks. The ticks transmit the bacteria through the bite when feeding on warm-blooded hosts like deer, mice, dogs and humans. In most cases, but not all, the first symptom is a rash that occurs at or near the site of a tick bite and has a round, "bulls-eye" appearance. It can be 2-6 inches in diameter and lasts up to five weeks. Other symptoms occur from several days to weeks, months, and even years after a bite. They include "flu-like" symptoms, such as aches and pains in muscles and joints, chills and fever, headache, sore throat, stiff neck, swollen glands, dizziness, and fatigue. Even if these symptoms fade away, untreated Lyme disease may lead to arthritis, nervous system abnormalities, and an irregular heart rhythm.

Babesiosis is another infection transmitted by ticks and is caused by a parasite that destroys red blood cells and results in a malaria-like illness. Symptoms begin anywhere from five days after a bite or longer, and may include fever, chills, headache, muscle pain, nausea, tiredness, and a rash. Babesiosis has been known to be fatal. Therefore diagnosis and treatment should begin as soon as possible after it is contracted.

A single tick bite can transmit more than one tick-borne illness — besides Lyme and Babesiosis — such as anaplasmosis, bartonella and tularemia. These co-infections further complicate diagnosis and treatment. Avoiding contact with ticks and disease prevention are the first and best lines of defense against tickborne infections. Here are some tips to help keep you and your family safe from these tiny threats.

There is a number of plants you can cultivate around your yard that repel ticks, including lavender, garlic, pennyroyal, pyrethrum (a type of chrysanthemum), sage, American beautyberry, and eucalyptus. If your lifestyle permits, raising chickens, ducks and guinea hens will help keep the tick population down as these feathered friends have a voracious appetite for them. Keep in mind that ticks attach easily to bare flesh. When outdoors, protect yourself and your children by wearing long sleeves and long pants, preferably in light colors so you can spot a tick more easily. Wear shoes and socks that you tuck pant legs into or a pair of tall boots.

Pets may pick up ticks so be sure to inspect them after they've been outside as they may deliver a tick to you, and they can also become sick with Lyme disease. After being outdoors, remove clothing and wash and dry at a high temperature as ticks may be lurking inside the folds and creases. Washing alone will not kill ticks — even with bleach — it's the heat of the dryer that does the trick.

Take a shower or bath within two hours of coming back inside, then perform a total body tick check (woo hoo!). In the case of Lyme disease, infection from a tick to a human typically takes 30-40 hours, so spotting and removing them quickly is an important first defense. (It is uncertain how long it takes for Babesiosis to spread).

If you discover a tick attached to you, carefully remove it. Using fine tweezers, grasp it close to the skin and pull straight back without twisting or yanking. There are also devices on the market today, such as the ProTick Remedy that are made for effectively and efficiently removing ticks. Avoid pressing or squeezing the tick's belly as it can push bacteria into your body like a hypodermic needle. Similarly, do not use the heat of a match that you light and blow out, or petroleum jelly. After you've removed the tick, disinfect the bite area. Save the tick for possible identification by a doctor or the local health department if symptoms appear.

If you've been infected there are some new medicines that aid in treatment and relief. "With tick-borne diseases, the body needs to detoxify, especially joint, muscle and nerve tissue," says Lou Paradise, president and chief of research of Topical BioMedics, Inc., in Rhinebeck, N.Y. "Topricin gives the body the support for its basic function of maintaining healthy cells and repairing damaged ones through enhanced healing. Its combination of natural biomedicines in a clean water-based cream base that's free of chemicals and other irritants helps restore vitality to joint, nerve, and muscle tissues while providing safe, effective pain relief."