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Table of Contents
4
Meet the Editors
Timeline of Computers
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Vintage Computers
Have You Been Affected By Technology?
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6 12
Educational Technology
Final Destination
20
A Segway into the Future
Chasing the Light
28
24
Which PC Build is Best for You?
The Hunt for the Hidden Spirits
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18
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What Video Games Should You Play? 3 - PLUGGED IN
Meet the Editors My name is Ethan Kwan and I am a Freshman at LASA. My life is pretty boring, but I enjoy playing sports and sleeping. I have lived in Austin, Texas all my life and hope to attend UT in the future.
My name is Otter Kokinda and I’m 14 years old. My favorite pastime is playing video games like Fallout 4 and CS:GO. I also enjoy to read and I have a strong liking for birds. I hope to get a career as a programmer or game designer in the future. PLUGGED IN - 4
I’m Sami Dalu, 14 years old. I share the Dalu name and my claim to fame is being exceptionally good at video games. Hehehehehe. But in all seriousness, thank you for reading this magazine. My hobbies include playing games, sleeping, making memes, looking at memes and talking with friends.
I’m Garrison Fox, and I’m 15 years old. My hobbies are marching band and pursuing knowledge, but I always enjoy hanging out with friends. Thanks for reading our magazine!
I am Valdemar Vahe, 15 years old. I like flying planes and playing sports. I often fly planes to faraway places. 5 - PLUGGED IN
timelineofcomputers By valdemar vahe A brief summary of the history of computers. *not to scale
1936
1822 World’s First Computer
Charles Babbage Not really a “computer” by today’s terms, but it was the world’s first computing
machine.
Turing Machine
Z1
first programmable computer buit by Konrad Zuse in his mother’s living room
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Z
Z4
First commercially sold computer
Alan Turing printed symbols on paper
1936
1950
built by Konrad Zuse
ABC
first electronic computer
officially ruled as the world’s first computer
ABC
1946
1971 First microprocessor
First Personal Computer (PC) cost $750
1971
First Apple Computer Apple 1
contained a 6502 8-bit processor and 4 kb of memory
Intel 4004
KENBACK-1
1976
IBM 5100 First Laptop
The computer weighed 55-pounds and had a five inch CRT display, tape drive, 1.9 MHz PALM processor, and 64 KB of RAM
1975
First Dell Computer
called Turbo PC
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COMPUTINGTHE PAST Looking into the history of computers By: Valdemar Vahe After 37 years of not being used, the room-sized mega machine boots up. The Apollo Guidance Computer was one of many computers in the 1960s that was used for important work in the field of science. Computers have evolved a lot from the 1960s to today. Another example of this would be the Control Data Corporation or CDC 6600, which was used for atmospheric research while today everyday computers can run complicated programs and store endless amounts of information. Just recently, few people owned computers, and these computers were very basic and store very little. Over the last 50 years computers went from large room sized machines only owned by major corporations, to being everyday machines used by billions of people everyday. Computers have evolved in many ways PLUGGED IN - 8
and the computers of the 50s and 60s look nothing like a computer you could buy today.
Alan Cline worked at the National Center for Atmospheric Research from the late 1960s to the mid 70s. His work mainly involved mapping the atmosphere, and thus helping understand it. This then helped pilots fly their planes, and also helped with a
Two CDC 6600s hard at work. The CDC 6600 was an important workhorse for several different fields of research in the 1960s and 70s. Photo by Computer History Museum
better understanding of ocean currents. Cline said.
“The biggest purpose for those was modeling the atmosphere.�
A promotional photo for the Apple Lisa. The Apple Lisa was the first PC sold with a graphical user interface, it was released in 1983. Photo by Computer History Museum.
Owning computers is really a modern phenomenon and was thought of as unthinkable before the 80s. “A person did not own a computer in those days,” Cline said. “All of my work [on computers] was dealt with scientific computation. So it was assisting people solving hard science or engineering problems.”
“I told these people that I had a computer in my lunch bag, and that in 10 years, they would be selling these at Radio Shack and everybody would have one.”
Professor Gordon Novak is a computer science professor at the Univerity of Texas at Austin, and has been since the late 60s. The world’s first laptops were Novak said. being produced in the 70s
and these were revolutionary at the time. They dropped the size of a PC from massive room sized boxes to smaller boxes that fit into a briefcase. These computers were still only used for work purposes. People at the time thought that computers would always be these large machines used at work for several different kinds of scientific computing. No one imagined that just 35 years later millions of people, and 45 years later billions of people would own these little machines. “And this more or less blew them away in the early70s,” 9 - PLUGGED IN
Alan Cline conducting an interview. Mr.Cline was a professor of computer science at the University of Texas at Austin for over 30 years. Photo by University of Texas at Austin
Novak said “This was a wild and were still quite expensive at the radical projection.” time. This is also the time the first video games started to be Nathan Lankford and James created. Games such as counter Wood are middle school strike were made, as recalls teachers at Murchison Middle James Wood. School. They were both raised in the time of computers “My parents bought me a brand becoming more common for new computer” said Wood. “[I’d the everyday person. only] play Counter Strike on it.” Lankford said. In the 1990s computers became more This really was the beginning widely available especially for of everyday people owning some richer people, as they computers.
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Up until the late 80s most computers you’d see were IBMs. There were also other smaller companies such as the aforementioned CDC as well
as Apple, and Hewlett Packard. Aside from Apple these companies have now died down to either fully gone or just very small companies. “IBM had almost 90%, perhaps more than more than 90% of the scientific computing,” Cline said. These computers had very small amounts of memory. “The key consideration was simply how to deal with such a, small memory,” Cline said “We were talking about, on the order of kilobytes, instead of gigabytes in those days.”
Today some hard drives for can hold terabytes of data as opposed to the kilobytes from the 60s and 70s. And it was big companies scrummaging over just a few kilobytes of memory, while today normal everyday people own hard drives that have up to 20 or even more terabytes of memory. Now as a side note, computers weren’t really built for storing information back then, they were built more for doing computations much quicker and much more effectively than any human could, thus memory wasn’t the first priority in improving computers until the 90s. “The CBC 7600 cost about $5 million in 1973 dollars,” Novak said. This amounts to around $23 million in today’s money, for context you could buy a small airliner for that kind of money. It would be unimaginable for a computer to cost this much today. Much like today you’d have to pay extra for the actual software for the computer. “You would load up and you’re buying a few hundred dollars for the software” Wood said. “It was always like you’d go to Best Buy and buy like a $200 package,” adds Lankford. This is similar to today, where you have to pay for Windows, and any kinds of add-on programs you’d want for your computer.
Novak said.
“In the 60s [a computer] cost millions of dollars and took up a large room and took special power and lots of air conditioning. And that has shrunk to the point that you now can buy a more powerful computer for $20 or much less if you just buy the chip,”
Nathan Lankford attending SXSW 2018. Mr.Lankford owns a record label and is an avid fan of music. Photo courtesy of RocketReach
Computers have gotten cheaper, to the point where you can find several kinds of computers for under $100, but just 20 years ago this would have been unthinkable. The future seems bright for computers. “It’s hard to predict what will happen in 50 years, but you’re going to see a continuing process that computers get smaller and faster and cheaper.” Novak remarks. “And as they do so, they’re going to be everywhere. And so lots of devices will have computers in them and you’ll have stuff
like self driving cars and drones delivering packages and stuff like that.” With the rapid progress computers made from the 60s to today, who knows what they will look like in just a few more years. At our current rate of progress we can easiliy see drones and flying cars in our lifetime. After several minutes of booting up the Apollo Guidance Machine finally boots up and displays mathematical calculations for launch, orbit, landing and all kinds of space related calculations used for the Apollo program. Even though it hasn’t been used for decades the blinking cursor is ready for the next input, and mathematical calculation for it to run. Just because the machine is old, doesn’t mean it’s not gold.
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Does echnology oes Ttechnology H elp Cchildren hildren? ? help
Technology is becoming ever more accessable by children — what are the pros and cons?
Pros: Many children nowadays have access to mobile phones — this gives them the ability to contact friends and family wherever they happen to be.
Modern technology greatly increases the productivity of children — enabling them to work harder and do more.
Modern internet technology gives learning children access to a great wealth of knowledge — kids are getting smarter faster.
ASF by Garrison Fox, Graphics by Garrison Fox and Valdemar Vahe PLUGGED IN - 12
Cons:
Increased exposure to screens can lead to mental health problems — including sleep deprivation, depression, and addiction.
Technology can be damaging to mental health — like inserting a controller into the cranium
There are some things that we can do to prevent this catastrophe: Making sure that children use technology responsibly and monitoring their usage, while encouraging productive use, can make every one, even children, feel safe.
Many of today's modern technology has access to the internet, and while the internet can be very useful, it can be very harmful to young children. Many children have been killed or been made very ill from access to the internet.
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Educational Technology
How teachers are using modern technology to teach students better
By Garrison Fox
the e available in Computers ar ed ne ents that library to stud Garrison Fox. by to ho them. P
Patty Hill, an awardee of the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching, and a math teacher here in Austin, believes that the old-school method of teaching is too lecture focused.
in class. Hence, the method of teaching is flipped.
“You don’t learn mathematics by listening to someone talk Students have been learning about math,” Hill says. “You can from teachers for thousands pick up on some things but you of years, but today’s really can’t dive deep into it; advancements in technology you really can’t understand it allow for it more than ever. As until you try it on your own.” the tools get better and cheaper, both students and instructors About five years ago, Hill started around the world have started to create flipped lesson videos. to change the traditional model Instead of giving lectures in of teaching. Here in Austin, class, students would learn by many teachers have been using watching pre-recorded videos modern technology to teach about math for homework, then even better. complete practice problems
“The power of a teacher is their ability to work with kids,” Hill said, “not their ability to explain their concepts in a whole group but to work one-on-one.”
The modern classroom is a lot different from the classes of decades ago. Students often do much of their work and study online, as do teachers. Technology has made learning more efficient, but also more vulnerable.
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Because she doesn’t have to spend class time giving lectures, Hill can focus on teaching kids individually.
Hill can now track the progress of her students much better by working directly with the kids and having them do the work in class. “When you have a traditional homework assignment, it goes home but I really don’t know
who did it,” Hill says. “If they’re doing the work in front of me and with me, then I know who’s struggling; I know who really gets it; I know it’s them doing the work.” Hill is able to give feedback to students as they work; she can catch mistakes as the students make them and correct them. “I can catch those mistakes while they’re making them, not after they’ve made it 30 times,” Hill said. “If you’ve made a sign mistake, and you repeatedly make that same sign mistake on 30 problems, then that is what gets stuck in your memory.” Preventing students from making these mistakes is crucial to their learning. The teacher can explain what you did wrong and how to do it right.
advocate for themselves to ask for help when they need it.” Hill also found that students taking flipped lessons are much better at speaking mathematically. These students can communicate in the language of math far more efficiently than those that learned in the traditional, lecture-based style of teaching. “The communication levels: the ability to communicate mathematically to explain yourself,” Hill said. “The kids that have gone through the flipped lessons are so much better at that than the kids that learned traditionally.” Technology has also found its way into the curricula as well. Kate McGuire teaches a yearbook class and Ezine, a CTE class focused on the many aspects of electronic magazine production such as journalism, graphic design and photography.
When you make mistakes, “you find out later, and you have to undo all that learning,” Hill said. “If you can catch those misunderstandings before they become habit or ingrained in “I didn’t know I’d also be teaching the brain, then that’s a very Ezine,” McGuire said, “but it powerful thing.” worked out perfectly because I know a lot about magazine Students in flipped classrooms publishing and design.” also are much more likely to advocate for themselves. They Her classes are very dependent are no longer afraid of asking on the technology that they use. teachers or friends for help. Students require the internet and classroom computers to do “In the beginning people don’t work, and McGuire requires the ask questions, they don’t ask same technology to grade and their friends because they’re plan lessons. trying to figure it out on their own,” Hill said. “At the end “I’ll lose connection to the of algebra, I get a group of internet out here,” McGuire kids who are far more able to said. “We’re supposed to be
Patty Hill is a math teacher here in Austin, and has taught math for many years. The technology she uses for her classes are much more advanced than in years past. Photo courtesy of Patty Hill.
The power of a teacher is their ability to work with kids—Patty Hill, teacher.
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teaching with the internet working properly, with all of our programs running properly.” Part of the Ezine’s curriculum is students learning industry software. Many lessons are crafted around students working with these programs that can only be accessed on the inconsistent and often malfunctioning school computers. “We use the adobe suite for almost everything that we do in this class,” McGuire said. “Literally just publishing the magazine.” When the technology isn’t working properly, students often turn to their teachers for help. But oftentimes, teachers are unable to resolve the issue.
Scotty Casto, an English teacher at LASA, checks his email and grades students on his laptop. Castro can bring his work with him wherever he is at, and he can communicate with pupils and parents far more efficiently. Photo by Garrison Fox.
“I usually can’t do a whole lot Ethan Kwan and AJ Yenamandra work on a feature story for their Ezine to help them, it kind of just it class. The school owns Macs that is what it is,” McGuire said. “If allow students to create magazines a computer will not operate much more effiecently than in years past. Photo by Garrison Fox. a certain way, there’s only so much I can do on my end. I’m not an IT person. I didn’t go to that’s all reliant on technology school to learn that.” but if the technology doesn’t work that day, there goes the entire lesson plan.” Unfortunately, technology breaks down quite often. Kathryn Digioia, a geography As technology has this potential teacher, relies heavily on to fail, Digioia has considered modern classroom technology. what she would do should the Currently she uses a mapping technology fail completely. software called ArcGIS to help students analyse geography. “If someone was really struggling with Arcgis or if we “Sometimes technology fails didn’t have it,” Digioia said, “we us unfortunately,” Digioia said. could probably research some “You can have the perfect lesson of the things and then draw out PLUGGED IN - 16
William Yang, a freshman at LASA, checks his assignments using blend, a service that the whole district uses. Blend allows teachers to post assignments to a website that the students can access and submit work from. Photo by Garrison Fox.
the maps and do some of the hand drawing.”
technology has on students.
“Sometimes it might be Digioia believes technology detrimental to students eyes or can be really useful in helping ability to process information if students learn, but at a cost. they’re using their screens all New technology and methods day,” Digioia said. “Computers allow her to incorporate a can also be kind of distracting. more student-focused model So the computer: It’s great that isn’t just remembering when it’s used by stuff but if information. you’re distracted by other tools on it or by games, then it might be a problem.” “That’s a new type of teaching style that’s being pushed in the Most teachers seem to United States and pushing away appreciate the benefits of from just fact memory and rote technology, and it is truly very memorization,” Digioia said. beneficial to education. Some “I know my husband always kids get distracted, but that complains about history lessons is common for all students. being boring.” When it works, these new tools are really a great benefit for However, she often worries everyone. about the effects that 17 - PLUGGED IN
Final Destination By Ethan Kwan
Techonology has come a long way from where it was a decade or two ago. In the 1990s , the first hybrid car powered by gas and electricity was created. Ever since then, the interest and production of hybrid and fully electronic cars has skyrocketed. This has created questions for buyers on what they want to buy. ENVIROMENTAL IMPACT: - Produces tailpipe emissions(polution) CAR COST: - Average price of $36,600
Gas Cars:
FUEL COST: - $3.5 per gallon - 12+ cents per mile FUEL ECONOMY: - 300+ miles per tank - 2-3 minutes to refuel
Courtesy of Ford PROS:
CONS:
- Cheaper average price
- Produces harmful greenhouse gases
- Can be health hazards for humans
- Way more model options
- Dwindles the earth’s fossil fuels
- Triple the mile range compared to electric
- Require oil changes every 3-5,000 miles
- Requires lots of maintance and repairs
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- Average oil change costs $45
- More expensive costs per gallon and per mile
Electric Plug
Rechargeable Batteries
Electronic Controller
Electric Motor
Courtesy of Otter Kokinda
Electric Cars: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT: - Zero tailpipe emissions - Runs off electricity CAR COST: - Average price of $55,600 FUEL COST: - 2 cents per mile Courtesy of USA Today
PROS: - Electricity is cheaper than gasoline - More efficient that gasoline vehicles -Less frequent & less expensive maintenance - No oil changes - No gasket replacements - Don’t release harmful greenhouse gases - Can be recharged in your home - Very quiet driving experience
FUEL ECONOMY: -100+ miles per charge - Much longer to charge - 30 minutes to 12 hours
CONS: - More expensive that gasoline powered cars - Has a range limit - Usually 100 miles - Cannot cruise, accelerate, or climb as fast as conventional vehicles - No towing capabilities for trailers or RV’s - Recharging takes much longer than refueling at a gas pump 19 - PLUGGED IN
A segway into the future Looking into the future of transportation
By: Ethan Kwan They’ve taken over streets all across America. It’s faster than a bike. It’s cheaper than a car. It’s an electric scooter. They’ll whiz right past you, effortlessly navigating throughout the city. Since the 2000s, global population has increased at almost a staggering 11 percent. This translates to a whopping 1.5 billion humans in the last two decades. With more people there is more traffic, which directly impacts the economy. The average American spends an average of 97 hours a year sitting on congested roads. As traffic gets worse, people are finding new ways to get around town. Since April of 2018, scooters have been the craze in Austin, Texas. These rentable dockless electric scooters (e-scooters) are finding their way as a function of commuting. Jackson Barton, a writer for the Daily Texan, calls himself a “scooter geek.” Being a student at the University of Texas at Austin, he prefers taking a scooter for certain situations around class. “[If you’re] going a few miles you’d be better off either Plugged In | 22
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driving a car if you have one, riding a bike or finding a bus,” Barton said. “But if you just have that awkward distance where it takes too long to find your car; drive it and park it, or it takes too long to lock up a bike or find a bus, scooters can fill that gap.” Bobby Stone has been the director of the UT Parking and Transportation department for the last 20 years. He finds scooters a popular method for short distance traveling. “They’re extremely successful because they provide an effective device for the last mile of the commute,” Stone said. Scooters aren’t all sunshine and rainbows Jacob Barrett says. Being in charge of public relations for the Austin Department of Transportation, he is on the front end of complaints from the citizens. “There are some challenges we have with scooters,” Barrett said. That is why city council actually passed new micro mobility resolutions this past year. New regulations [state] that
The micromobility company Bird operates over 5000 scooters in Austin. A large amount of scooters have found their place all over Cesar Chavez St. in downtown Austin. Photo by Will Anderson, Austin Busin e s s J o u r n a l e d i t o r.
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transportation at $1 and 15 cents per minute, but it’s very different in other parts of the world. Barton recalls a story his roommate told him about the normality of public transportation in Singapore. “Mass public transportation there is the total norm,” Barton said. “And what he was telling me was that [scooters] should be free to unlock all the time, because the distance you ride doesn’t account for the price you pay for the unlocking fee.” Crowds of people catch a ride from some scooters while on their way to SXSW. The South by Southwest festival has been a hub for tech, music, film, and marketing in Austin since 1987. Photo by Nick Statt, The Verge news editor.
if scooters are parked in a way that blocks ADA ramps, sidewalk ramps, you can actually get fined for parking illegally or for unsafe practices.” On campus, Stone shares similar problems the Austin Department of Transportation faces. Every year the Stone and UTPD must overcome many steep challenges.
made was; if it’s not part of the bike rack or a designated parking zone, we will impound it for $150,” Barton said. And they’re going to charge that company that distributes the scooter $150, not the rider, because you can’t identify who the rider is,” Barton said. “I honestly think that the fine system that’s in place is a very good thing.” It’s especially been beneficial “because parked scooters are sometimes more dangerous than moving ones.”
“Our users change on a regular basis, so the people who graduated leave and new freshman come in,” Bobby said. Scooters are by far one “We’re in a constant state of of the cheapest modes of needing to help educate a new group of people who we want to make sure they understand how to operate so that not only are they safe, but those around them are safe as well.” Barton said it is very difficult to punish certain individuals who violate regulations. “The system the university PLUGGED IN - 22
Barton took these ideas to heart, but he still believes that the price still makes it a very affordable option. Another choice for commuters to take are rentable bicycles. Stone works with many startup companies on a daily basis like Austin Bcycle to provide students a variety of transportation methods. They have been thriving in this up and coming era of travel. “I don’t think you can really compare them to scooters but there’s lots of people who use the system,” Stone said. “It’s a little less flexible than scooters because scooters you can dock
A pair of police officers monitor the street while cruising on their segways. Courtesy of EcoRider.
Austin police officers pile up scooters from all across downtown during set pedestrian-only times during SXSW. Scooters of every brand where getting picked up from areas along Sixth Street, Red River Street and Rainey street.Photo by John Anderson.
in lots of locations, but Bcycle requires you to park at a setup dock. Despite that, lots of people ride the bikes.” Barrett has been keeping his eye on the ridership growth of scooters. In Austin, these high prices haven’t impacted the public’s interest in scooters, especially during local events like Austin City Limits and South by Southwest. “You can see that there is definitely ridership growth month over month, obviously in the festival seasons,” Barrett said. “So October will always be a pretty large month, whereas in the wintertime there’s a little bit less traffic and colder temperatures, so you’ll see those ridership lows in the data. But there is definitely some ridership growth going on in
theinpast on the18 past months.” 18 months.” Even with their current success right now, Barton believes scooters are in an experimental business model as of now.
"It's been riden equivalent to 21 one way trips to the moon." Barrett said. “We’re going to see some big changes in how scooter companies operate just because the lifespan of those vehicles usually doesn’t account for the actual costs they take to produce,” Barton said. “There’s going to be adjustments in the future for sure.” The larger, more established
companies like Bird and Lime are still working things out, but Barrett already begins to appreciate technology in different facets of our lives. “As these new mobility modes come up, I think that is going to improve the lives of folks living in cities, including those of us in Austin. Technology is going to help us provide different ways of getting around and easier ways of getting around for our residents,” Barrett said. “That’s definitely a good thing for everybody.” Large scale scooter companies are deploying thousands and thousands of scooters worldwide. It’s cheap, convenient, and safe when operated correctly. Two wheels and a handlebar might just be the new norm. 23 - PLUGGED IN
CHASING THE LIGHT A look into the bright future of graphics cards by Sami Dalu
A Minecraft scene is visually enhanced using ray tracing. Ray tracing is available on NVIDIA’s RTX series of graphics cards. Photo from NVIDIA GeForce Youtube
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The rays confront the glistening sea. Nourished by light, trees gather to witness the encounter. The entire biome is watching, save for shadows who manage to flee the scene. The rays and water compromise on shedding light upon the water, revealing the depths of the ocean. And while he sits there on his computer playing Minecraft, he wonders how he got to this point. The future of graphics cards is here. At Gamescom on Aug 20, 2018, NVIDIA announced it’s new RTX series of graphics cards. The RTX line succeeded the standard GTX line. This new generation of cards was based on ray tracing for gaming. Until that point in time, ray tracing had only been implemented in high-budget movies and other expensive media. RTX cards had to be integrated with the company’s drivers and applications. Owners of RTX graphics cards are offered unique visual enhancements in real time that no other company in gaming can offer. Arthian Berkan is a developer who worked on drivers for the RTX line of graphics cards. Berkan also responds to issues on the NVIDIA forums. He described what ray tracing can offer to gamers. “Ray tracing is a process of simulating light as it bounces realistically around a scene, allowing for greater graphical detail through lights and
shadows,” Berkan said. “It makes games appear more realistic, nice and pretty.” Sarthak Sarans is a proud owner of a laptop that has an RTX 2060 graphics card. He described the impact of ray tracing processes and other technology in these graphics cards.
“It’s like night and day. You would always know if ray tracing is on or off. Everything looks better; It looks like everything is more natural.” Ethan Mikan is an administrator on the official NVIDIA company Discord and specializes in consumer issues with ray tracing drivers, hardware and GeForce Experience. Mikan highlighted the functions of GeForce Experience and how it can help gamers keep a steady frame rate even as ray tracing uses large amounts of processing power. “GeForce Experience is a companion application NVIDIA
encourages its customers to use,” Mikan said. “Experience allows you to capture and share screenshots and videos, optimize game settings and update drivers. I wouldn’t say it works with the graphics cards; its role is more analytical. For example, Experience analyzes your graphics card to determine what the best settings is best for your setup. It also analyzes your computer to see if your drivers are up to date for your graphics cards.” Berkan also compared drivers to a translator between a computer and a graphics card. Drivers also work with monitors to display the game and the motherboard to connect with the rest of the computer.
A RTX graphics card uses wires and software to connect with its computer. The motherboard of a computer provides a connection between the hardware and components of a computer. Photo by PC Gamer.
NVIDIA’s applications offer an easy way for consumers to get the most out of their graphics card. “NVIDIA uniquely offers accessories to the graphics card that allow the consumer to use their NVIDIA GPU to 25 - PLUGGED IN
“When the RTX line came out, we started dealing with unoptimization, overheating, lag etc,” Berkan said. “As we release and edit new technology, customers begin to have new issues that we have to solve.” Mikan gave insight as to how listening to consumers has influenced development.
A Lenovo Y540 is ready for an application to open. Lenovo Legion Y540s come with an RTX graphic card and offer a stylish look with high-end specs. Photo by Sami Dalu
the fullest,” Mikan said. “There isn’t an AMD Experience for example. It is very easy for consumers to keep up their drivers up to date for maximum performance.”
As a developer, Mikan has seen drivers change over the years as technology has developed. He also recognized the innovations necessary for the RTX line in terms of hardware.
Berkan explained how NVIDIA constantly improves performance for consumers by updating its drivers on a regular basis.
“NVIDIA put fans designed to spin at higher RPMs because the graphics cards are used for heavy loads,” Mikan said. “People who can afford these thousand dollar GPUs can also afford very demanding games.”
“NVIDIA’s been constantly updating its drivers for a while now,” Berkan said. “Along the way we started supporting ray tracing in our drivers. Besides ray tracing, we’ve had to support things like DLSS (deep learning super-sampling) new shading models, mesh shading and other general boosts to performance in our drivers.” PLUGGED IN - 26
Graphics cards must be cooled in order to prevent throttling and other performance issues. NVIDIA uses consumer feedback in the development of drivers and new technology. Berkan observed this as he continued his work.
“When the RTX line first released, people were having issues with the ray tracing and sampling not working on supported games,” Mikan said. “We developed new drivers to fix that. People were having issues with overheating, so we optimized computer fans to have higher RPMs. NVIDIA constantly works from feedback of consumers to offer the best experience possible.” While the upkeep of drivers and innovation of hardware are difficult challenges for NVIDIA, Mikan argued that lack of support presents a daunting reality.
“We’ve made the most powerful GPUs on the market, but most games simply don’t support it.” When reflecting on the games he used ray tracing with, Sarans illustrated this lack of support. “I’ve been playing Control,” Sarans said. “[I’ve been
A dual monitor setup is illuminated by the rays of light from an RGB keyboard. Dual monitors are used by streamers and other professionals to view their chat and game at the same time. Photo by River Creech.
playing] Minecraft because they now support ray tracing graphics and For Honor.” Even gamers with large libraries of games can only use NVIDIA’s technology for a few.
A PC in a blue case computes a heavy load from a demanding game. PC cases serve as a way to cool and contain all of the actual components inside of a computer. Photo by Denys Osmak.
By the start of January 2020, only 22 games will support ray tracing. The PC requirements will increase as these new games release. The beta for ray tracing in
Minecraft is to begin in 2020. As more games start to support ray tracing, NVIDIA will have to work more in order to secure the performance and visuals of their new generation of graphics cards. While the cards can offer amazing visual enhancement and some performance boost, the price and limited number of games supported act against NVIDIA’s favor. When more games start to become supported, it will be the responsibility of gamers and consumers everywhere to decide if this new technology will be embraced under NVIDIA. Until then, consumers wait anxiously and watch as NVIDIA tackles new issues. 27 - PLUGGED IN
WHICH PC BUILD IS BEST FOR YOU? BY SAMI DALU Looking to build a new gaming PC but don’t know which parts to choose? No matter what your budget is, this comprehensive chart will help you find the best build.
NOT DEMANDING
YES
START HERE How graphically demanding are the games you want to play?
Is $500 in your budget?
How much space do you need? <500 GB
NO
SOMEWHAT DEMANDING VERY DEMANDING
($300) CPU: AMD Ryzen 2200G Motherboard: Gigabyte B450M RAM: Corsair Vengeance 8GB GPU: PowerColor RX 570 4GB Storage: PNY 480GB Case: Thermaltake Versa H15 Information provided by Digital Trends
>500 GB Swap Kingston A400 for Seagate BarraCuda 1TB Internal HDD, but otherwise use the build on the left.
($500) CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 1600 Motherboard: MSI B450M Bazooka V2 RAM: Patriot Viper Steel Series 8GB GPU: Sapphire Radeon Pulse RX 570 Storage: Kingston A400 240GB SSD Case: CoolerMaster Q300L Info provided by Digital TrendsPatriot Viper Steel Series DDR4 8GB PLUGGED IN - 28
Will you be streaming?
YES
($900) CPU: Ryzen 5 2600 Motherboard: MSI - B450 AM4 RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2 x 8 GB) GPU: GeForce GTX 1070 Storage: MX500 500 GB Case: NZXT - H500 Mid Tower Information provided by Tom’s Hardware
Is $900 in your budget?
NO
YES ($900) CPU: Ryzen 5 2600 Motherboard: MSI - B450 Aorus M RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2 x 8 GB) GPU: MSI VENTUS OC RTX 2060 Storage: Crucial P1 500 GB SSD Case: MicroATX PC Case Information provided by Windows Central
Will you be streaming?
YES
NO
Looks or performance? LOOKS ($1000) CPU: Ryzen 5 2600 Motherboard: ASRock B450 RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2 x 8 GB) GPU: GeForce GTX 1660 Ti Storage: MX500 500 GB Case: Aerocool Playa Information provided by Gear Seekers
NO ($800) CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 Motherboard: MSI - B450 AM4 RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2 x 8 GB) GPU: GeForce GTX 1660TI Storage: Crucial BX500 480GB SSD Case: Phanteks Eclipse P300 Information provided by WePc ($1100) CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 Motherboard: Asrock B450 Pro RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2 x 8 GB) GPU: GeForce GTX 1660TI Storage: 960GB Adata SSD Case: Cooler Master MB511 Information provided by Tom’s Hardware PERFORMANCE ($900) CPU: Ryzen 5 3600 Motherboard: MSI - B450 AM4 RAM: Corsair Vengeance (2 x 8 GB) GPU: RTX 2070 Storage: Samsung 860 500GB Case: NZXT H510 Information provided by PC Game Heaven 29 - PLUGGED IN
Ghost Hunters search house for Ghosts. There is three different, completely unique maps players can play on. Photo Courtesy of MGH
The Hunt for the Hidden Spirits Vaulted Sky’s newest game puts a fresh spin on an old classic By Otter Kokinda
The time is 11:56 p.m, four
minutes to midnight. The hunters work fast, combing through the derelict asylum, searching for spectral traces. When they find a ghost, they react with precision, first dissolving it into ghostly shards with a few well-placed hits of their Spiral Cannon, then vacuuming up the remains. If the hunters hope to survive, they must eliminate the ghosts before the clock reaches midnight. In 2004, the critically acclaimed game Garry’s Mod came out. PLUGGED IN - 30
“It’s hide and seek at it’s core, but the Hiders can fight back instead of just running away” Since then, it has gained a player base of over 10 million people, with players adding to it every day. Users can create their own game modes, one of them being Prop Hunt,
where players search for other players disguised as “props” (miscellaneous objects). Midnight Ghost Hunt, Vaulted Sky’s flagship game, takes a new look at Prop Hunt. “So it’s like Prop Hunt, but this time, you as a prop can actually fight back and that’s what made it fun,” Discord user Chris, a Midnight Ghost Hunt Alpha tester, said. The game’s lead developer, Samuel Malone, credited Prop Hunt for his inspiration to start Midnight Ghost Hunt. “Garry’s Mod [was] my favorite.
Chaotic funny moments with friends - that’s the recipe for a fun game! Prop Hunt was my favorite game mode, and I saw the potential there for a fresh take on the idea with enough twists to keep it interesting,” Malone said. Even with the similarities to Prop Hunt, the developers of Midnight Ghost Hunt managed to create an original game with unique graphics and features. Instead of just having to hide, the ghosts can retaliate by possessing the objects they’re hiding in and throwing them at the hunters. In 2019, Twitter Q&A, Malone commented on the invention of the game idea. “The twist is that it’s Hide and Seek at its core but the hiders can fight back instead of just running away all the time,” Malone said.
A Hunter searches for ghosts with the Radar. Hunters can choose from a selection of gadgets to help them combat the ghosts more effeciently. Photo Courtesty of MGH
“They’re a lot more powerful than before and they glow a brilliant red”
Furthermore, when the clock strikes midnight, the ghosts become the hunters and the hunters become the hunted. Unless all the ghosts are destroyed, they get resurrected with supernatural abilities (more supernatural than the powers that they already have).
Ghost Hunters attempt to defeat a discused ghost. Ghosts in MGH can posesses any object in the game. Photo Courtesty of MGH
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The Spiral Cannon is one of the three weapons he ghost hunters can choose. Photo Courtesy of MGH
“It will get really dark and scary and all the ghosts that were destroyed actually return as vengeful spirits,” Malone said. “They’re a lot more powerful than before and they glow a brilliant red.” The hunters can avoid this by killing all the ghosts before midnight. To effectively defeat all of the supernatural entities, the ghost hunter has to vacuum up all the “ghost shards” that are dropped when the ghost is eliminated. Otherwise, the ghosts can revive their fellow teammates. The same is true for the hunters. When the ghost knocks out a hunter, they have to consume the hunter’s soul or the hunter’s buddies can revive them. Before each round, the Hunters get to choose their gadget, PLUGGED IN - 32
weapon and ability, all designed it also looks like a lawnmower for different strategies. One which makes it stand out a lot,” of the more eccentric-looking Antony Goris, the Community Manager for Midnight Ghost Hunt, said. “So it’s like Prop The ghosts get to choose a Hunt, but this time, ghost type, a haunt, and an ability so that the player has you as a prop can the best chance at winning. The ends when either all the actually fight back, match ghosts or hunters have been killed. Malone commented on and thats what the intent of this system. made it fun.” “Our goal is to create ways to specialize and pick a build that will complement [a player’s] weapons, the Spiral Cannon, specific playstyle,” Malone said. is a popular choice among Midnight Ghost Hunt first players. came into existence in mid“The Spiral Cannon (our Ghost 2017, when Malone started Hunters primary weapon) is working on it in his free an awesome piece of utility, time while working in visual it has a nice mix between special effects in Hollywood. shotgun and energy cannon, In 2018, he received funding
from Coffee Stain Publishing (Publishers of Goat Simulator)
“Chaotic funny moments with friends - thats the recipe for a fun game!” which allowed for Malone to expand his team. The new(ish) additions include Dennis Filatov (sound designer), Samuel Burton (programmer), Felix Waubert de Puiseau (3D model artist) and Anthony Goris (community manager). Midnight Ghost Hunt is designed in Unreal Engine, which is a coding platform designed for making complex, 3D games. It’s easy to learn, making it an ideal choice for a budding game studio. “In Oct 2017, I started learning Unreal Engine from YouTube and I started prototyping the idea out,” Malone said. “And then, suddenly, here we are!” The in-game sounds and music are designed by Filatov and his company, Ghostwood Empire. Their song, “Where are You?” was featured in the Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) teaser trailer. The 3D models, like the props and the weapons, are created by Waubert de Puiseau. The team has been
working constantly to fix bugs and add new features to prepare the game for release. The game has had multiple alpha tests so far, the first one was in December 2018 and the most recent was in October of 2019. Each test has received positive feedback and constructive criticism, which has allowed the game to become more suited to the players’ needs. As the game is still in early alpha testing phases, users can expect a final
In Oct 2017, I started learning Unreal Engine from YouTube and I started prototyping the idea out, product much later. As for the price, no final number has been decided. “We are hoping in terms of months, not years!” Goris said. “But rushing a game goes bad,
as I’m sure you are aware. According to most users, Midnight Ghost Hunt runs fine on most computers, as long as they have a decent graphics processing unit (GPU). “It runs fairly well across most modern systems (GTX 1070 area), however, we are working hard to make sure it is optimized for everyone!” Goris said. “We have even been testing the game on a lot of integrated [G]PUs as well.” According to the requirement page on Steam, users will need a minimum of four gigabytes of RAM and an i5-2500 Intel CPU to run it. The game is currently only available on PC, but Vaulted Sky plans to expand to other platforms once they complete the game. Even though the developers of Midnight Ghost Hunt still have a little ways to go before their product is completely finished, they have succeeded bringing new meaing to Hide and Seek.
Ghost attacks Hunter in a suit of armor. The ghosts can not only posses objects, but they can control them. Photo Courtesy of MGH
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What video games should you play? Have you ever wondered what video game would fit you? This
START
handy flowchart is here to help!
Do you like to explore? No Do you like your path set out for you, or do you like to have some freedom?
I like some freedom
I like my path laid out for me
Do you like FPS games? (First Person Shooters) Do you like old technology, or do you prefer new? Yes
New
Do you like old technology, or do you prefer new?
Old Shovel Knight $24.99 on Steam
Old
Super Mario Bros. for the NES $9.99 at Gamestop
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Goldeneye 007 for the N64 $24.99 at Gamestop
New
DOOM 2016 $19.99 on Steam
Do you like to add your own content?
Yes
Yes Future or past? No
Past
Future
Are you okay with violence? Skyrim $19.99 on
Fallout 4 $29.99 on Steam
Steam
No Yes
Past or Present?
Present
Minecraft $27.95 at Minecraft..net
Past
Red Dead Redemption 2 $59.99 at Gamestop
GTA V $29.99 on Steam
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