Security Analysis of Valve's Steam Platform
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Empirical Investigation on Measurement of Game Immersion Using Real World Dissociation Factor
Thesis no: MSCS-2016-13 Empirical Investigation on Measurement of Game Immersion using Real World Dissociation Factor Gadila Swarajya Haritha Reddy Faculty of Computing Blekinge Institute of Technology SE–371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden This thesis is submitted to the Faculty of Computing at Blekinge Institute of Technology in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science. The thesis is equivalent to 20 weeks of full time studies. Contact Information: Author(s): Gadila Swarajya Haritha Reddy E-mail: [email protected] University advisor: Prof. Sara Eriksén Department of Creative Technologies Faculty of Computing Internet : www.bth.se Blekinge Institute of Technology Phone : +46 455 38 50 00 SE–371 79 Karlskrona, Sweden Fax : +46 455 38 50 57 Abstract Context. Games involve people to a large extent where they relate them- selves with the game characters; this is commonly known as game immer- sion. Generally, some players play games for enjoyment, some for stress relaxation and so on.Game immersion is usually used to describe the degree of involvement with a game. When people play games, they don’t necessar- ily realize that they have been dissociated with the surrounding world. Real world dissociation (RWD) can be defined as the situation where a player is less aware of the surroundings outside the game than about what is happen- ing in the game itself. The RWD factor has been expected to measure the losing track of time, lack of awareness of surroundings and mental trans- portation. Objectives. In this thesis, we measure and compare the difference in game immersion between experienced and inexperienced players using RWD fac- tor. -
Now We Are All Sons of Bitches
Now We Are All Sons of Bitches MICHAEL BONTATIBUS “Wake up, Mr. Freeman. Wake up and smell the ashes,” the enigmat- ic G-Man murmurs as he leers into the camera, finishing an eerie opening monologue—and so begins Half-Life 2, Valve Corporation’s flagship game. The last time we saw Gordon Freeman, the protagonist, the same rigid and mysterious (though more poorly animated, since the prequel was released six years earlier) G-Man was handing him a job offer after witnessing the former scientist transform into a warrior, bent on escaping from the besieged Black Mesa Research Facility alive. Now, suddenly, Freeman finds himself on a train. No context.1 Is it a prison train? The three other individuals on it wear uniforms like those the inmates wore in Cool Hand Luke. The train soon stops at its destination, and we realize that it is a prison train, in a way—Freeman has arrived at the Orwellian “City 17,” where the ironically named Civil Protection abuses and oppresses, where antagonist Dr. Breen preaches poet- ic propaganda from large monitors hung high above the town. In the years since scientists at the facility accidentally opened a gateway between dimen- sions and allowed a bevy of grotesque creatures to spill into our universe, Earth has been taken over by the Combine, an alien multiplanetary empire. Breen is merely Earth’s administrator—and we realize that the ashes the G- Man spoke of were the ashes of the prelapsarian world. It’s classic dystopia, complete with a Resistance, of which Freeman soon finds himself the “mes- sianic” leader (HL2). -
Hardcore Gamer Profiling: Results from an Unsupervised Learning
Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Available onlineScienceDirect at www.sciencedirect.com Available online at www.sciencedirect.com Procedia Computer Science 00 (2018) 000–000 ScienceDirect ScienceDirect www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia Procedia Computer Science 126 (2018) 1289–1297 Procedia Computer Science 00 (2018) 000–000 www.elsevier.com/locate/procedia International Conference on Knowledge Based and Intelligent Information and Engineering Systems, KES2018, 3-5 September 2018, Belgrade, Serbia International Conference on Knowledge Based and Intelligent Information and Engineering Hardcore GamerSystems, Profiling: KES2018, 3 Results-5 September from 2018, a Belgrade,n unsupervised Serbia learning approach to playing behavior on the Steam platform Hardcore Gamer Profiling: Results from an unsupervised learning Florianapproach Baumann *to, Dominik playing Emmert, behavior Hermann on the Baumgartl, Steam Ricardo platform Buettner Aalen University, Germany Florian Baumann*, Dominik Emmert, Hermann Baumgartl, Ricardo Buettner Aalen University, Germany Abstract Based on a very large dataset of over 100 million Steam platform users we present the first comprehensive analysis of hardcore Abstractgamer profiles by over 700,000 hardcore players (users playing more than 20 hours per week) covering more than 3,300 games. Using an unsupervised machine learning approach we reveal the specific behavioral categories of hardcore players, i.e. First PersonBased on Shooter, a very largeTeam datasetFortress of 2over player, 100 millionAction gameSteam player, platform Dota users 2 player,we present Strategy the first and comprehensive action combiner, analysis Genre of- switchinghardcore player.gamer profilesSubsequ byently over we 700,000 derive hardcoreindividual players patterns (users of hardcore playing moregamers than in 20the hours categories per week) found, covering such as more strategy than- action3,300 games.games combinerUsing an orunsupervised game switching machine players. -
Shading in Valve's Source Engine
Advanced Real-Time Rendering in 3D Graphics and Games Course – SIGGRAPH 2006 Chapter 8 Shading in Valve’s Source Engine Jason Mitchell9, Gary McTaggart10 and Chris Green11 8.1 Introduction Starting with the release of Half-Life 2 in November 2004, Valve has been shipping games based upon its Source game engine. Other Valve titles using this engine include Counter-Strike: Source, Lost Coast, Day of Defeat: Source and the recent Half-Life 2: Episode 1. At the time that Half-Life 2 shipped, the key innovation of the Source engine’s rendering system was a novel world lighting system called Radiosity Normal Mapping. This technique uses a novel basis to economically combine the soft realistic 9 [email protected] 10 [email protected] 11 [email protected] 8 - 1 © 2007 Valve Corporation. All Rights Reserved Chapter 8: Shading in Valve’s Source Engine lighting of radiosity with the reusable high frequency detail provided by normal mapping. In order for our characters to integrate naturally with our radiosity normal mapped scenes, we used an irradiance volume to provide directional ambient illumination in addition to a small number of local lights for our characters. With Valve’s recent shift to episodic content development, we have focused on incremental technology updates to the Source engine. For example, in the fall of 2005, we shipped an additional free Half- Life 2 game level called Lost Coast and the multiplayer game Day of Defeat: Source. Both of these titles featured real-time High Dynamic Range (HDR) rendering and the latter also showcased the addition of real-time color correction to the engine. -
Chell Game: Representation, Identification, and Racial Ambiguity in PORTAL and PORTAL 2 2015
Repositorium für die Medienwissenschaft Jennifer deWinter; Carly A. Kocurek Chell Game: Representation, Identification, and Racial Ambiguity in PORTAL and PORTAL 2 2015 https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/14996 Veröffentlichungsversion / published version Sammelbandbeitrag / collection article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: deWinter, Jennifer; Kocurek, Carly A.: Chell Game: Representation, Identification, and Racial Ambiguity in PORTAL and PORTAL 2. In: Thomas Hensel, Britta Neitzel, Rolf F. Nohr (Hg.): »The cake is a lie!« Polyperspektivische Betrachtungen des Computerspiels am Beispiel von PORTAL. Münster: LIT 2015, S. 31– 48. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/14996. Erstmalig hier erschienen / Initial publication here: http://nuetzliche-bilder.de/bilder/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Hensel_Neitzel_Nohr_Portal_Onlienausgabe.pdf Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Creative Commons - This document is made available under a creative commons - Namensnennung - Nicht kommerziell - Weitergabe unter Attribution - Non Commercial - Share Alike 3.0/ License. For more gleichen Bedingungen 3.0/ Lizenz zur Verfügung gestellt. Nähere information see: Auskünfte zu dieser Lizenz finden Sie hier: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/ Jennifer deWinter / Carly A. Kocurek Chell Game: Representation, Identification, and Racial Ambiguity in ›Portal‹ and ›Portal 2‹ Chell stands in a corner facing a portal, then takes aim at the adjacent wall with the Aperture Science Handheld Portal Device. Between the two portals, one ringed in blue, one ringed in orange, Chell is revealed, reflected in both. And, so, we, the player, see Chell. She is a young woman with a ponytail, wearing an orange jumpsuit pulled down to her waist and an Aperture Science-branded white tank top. -
Navigating the Videogame
From above, from below: navigating the videogame A thesis presented by Daniel Golding 228306 to The School of Culture and Communication in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in the field of Cultural Studies in the School of Culture and Communication The University of Melbourne Supervisor: Dr. Fran Martin October 2008 ABSTRACT The study of videogames is still evolving. While many theorists have accurately described aspects of the medium, this thesis seeks to move the study of videogames away from previously formal approaches and towards a holistic method of engagement with the experience of playing videogames. Therefore, I propose that videogames are best conceptualised as navigable, spatial texts. This approach, based on Michel de Certeau’s concept of strategies and tactics, illuminates both the textual structure of videogames and the immediate experience of playing them. I also regard videogame space as paramount. My close analysis of Portal (Valve Corporation, 2007) demonstrates that a designer can choose to communicate rules and fiction, and attempt to influence the behaviour of players through strategies of space. Therefore, I aim to plot the relationship between designer and player through the power structures of the videogame, as conceived through this new lens. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS iv CHAPTER ONE: Introduction 1 AN EVOLVING FIELD 2 LUDOLOGY AND NARRATOLOGY 3 DEFINITIONS, AND THE NAVIGABLE TEXT 6 PLAYER EXPERIENCE AND VIDEOGAME SPACE 11 MARGINS OF DISCUSSION 13 CHAPTER TWO: The videogame from above: the designer as strategist 18 PSYCHOGEOGRAPHY 18 PORTAL AND THE STRATEGIES OF DESIGN 20 STRUCTURES OF POWER 27 RAILS 29 CHAPTER THREE: The videogame from below: the player as tactician 34 THE PLAYER AS NAVIGATOR 36 THE PLAYER AS SUBJECT 38 THE PLAYER AS BRICOLEUR 40 THE PLAYER AS GUERRILLA 43 CHAPTER FOUR: Conclusion 48 BIBLIOGRAPHY 50 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Dr. -
How to Play Minecraft with Friends for Free
How To Play Minecraft With Friends For Free How To Play Minecraft With Friends For Free CLICK HERE TO ACCESS MINECRAFT GENERATOR After you’ve done some tasks, you will have some points to redeem for Minecraft gift codes. Then you can head over to Kiwipoints.com/gifts/Minecraft and click on the claim button. You can select the number of points you want to redeem by using the drag down menu as well. This wikiHow teaches you how to play Minecraft for free. Minecraft is a popular indie sandbox and survival game developed by Mojang AB. Minecraft allows players to build, demolish, fight, and explore in an open-world. There are a few ways to play Minecraft for free. You can use an unauthorized Minecraft launcher, which is not exactly legal. Minecraft Account Generator (Minecraft Account Premium Free) – Minecraft has unique gameplay and graphic that attracts millions users around the world.It was released in 2011 with several updates for new version. In order to access and play it, you need the registration to get free account, and update it to the premium one for more features. If you have used Valve Corporation’s games Portal and Portal 2, it is very pity if you ignore Portal Gun Mod 1.12.2/1.10.2. As mentioned above, Portal Gun Mod adds several elements such as turrets, beams, portal guns and much more. This mod also includes some different items from the Portal game. It might surprise you to find out that Minecraft isn't a free-to-play title. -
PORTAL 2: PLAYER IMPACT GUIDE Ages 8+ | 1-2 Hours
Spatial Awareness PORTAL 2: PLAYER IMPACT GUIDE Ages 8+ | 1-2 Hours “There’s a lot of challenge in trying to figure out how as the player is moving through this, in terms of a story space, how can you make a gameplay space out of this so they can travel through it in an interesting way.” --Jeep Barnett, designer and engineer In Portal 2, portals are used to navigate obstacle courses filled with deadly hazards inside the mysterious Aperture Science Laboratories. To navigate the game, you must move through the space by following a simple concept: anything that enters one portal—including boxes, lasers, bridges, and you yourself—will exit the other without changing speed. In order to escape Aperture Science and defeat GLaDOS, the lab’s computerized overlord, you must think in three dimensions and use physics to solve puzzles in unusual ways. In this guide we invite you to think about the ways Portal 2 challenges players’ special awareness. As you play, reflect HOW TO on your experience. How is spatial awareness important in Portal 2? How is it important in your life? What kind of USE THIS impact does it leave on your understanding of how the world works? GUIDE Answer the questions below and add up your points when you’re finished! What is a “portal?” How do portals work? [+1] What are some tricks for using portals? What happens when you put a portal directly above you and another one directly under you? [+1] GAME What do the different types of gels do? [+1] How do the Excursion Funnels work? How are they different from Hard Light Bridges? [+2] How does the game indicate the steps you need to take when solving a puzzle? [+3] Many Portal 2 marketing materials use the tagline “Now you’re thinking with portals!” What do you think it means to “think with portals?” Do you find yourself “thinking” in this way as you play the game? [+1] What challenged you when thinking about using “space” in the game (e.g. -
Portal: Impact Guide for Players
Portal: Impact Guide For Players Portal and Portal 2 are games developed by Valve Corporation available for consoles and PCs. The games are first-person puzzle solving games but also provide rich narrative development, interesting characters, and have developed a strong cultural impact including merchandise and a popular series of internet memes. The popularity of the Portal series stems from the quality of the games and from the way the games teach players how to play them so seamlessly. Indeed, Portal is one of the very best games at presenting players with embodied learning and scaffolded instruction – a model for 21st century teaching. How to use this guide: Players – We’ve identified several interesting or important themes in the game. As you play through, reflect on your play. How have you experienced these themes? Are there other important ones present in the game? What kind of impact does your play allow in the larger world? Answer the questions we’ve provided – but feel free to add more at www.gamesandimpact.org. Warning: Questions contain some spoilers about the games. Theme: Problem Solving Portal begins with a player alone in a test chamber; solving puzzles is a key mechanic for both the gameplay and for the story of the game. Puzzles gradually get more difficult as players are given tools sequentially in order to build on top of their previous solutions. Game Why do you think the game doesn’t give you the portal gun immediately? What is the point of limiting you in the early part of the game? Why do you think the test chambers are designed the way they are? What do you think the game’s designers are trying to teach you? At the end of the 19 test chambers, you begin the second part of the game where you get to face GLaDOS directly. -
Download Cracked Steam
Download cracked steam Continue Click here to download Cracked Steam Follow these instructions to get all FREE STEAM GAMES! 1 Good. You have to download the cracked customer steam by clicking on the orange download button below. To open these compressed files I recommend WINZIP or WINRAR (you'll find them online and those are free!). Steam Free Download 2 when you're done with step 1 let's do the second thing. Run Crack Steam 2000 Games and let it install... It will install cracked steam and a console that allows you to update the database. 3. When you're done with installing a cracked steam and enjoy the games. (if it's updated, so let it update.. it may take a long time, but don't worry) 4. PROBLEMS. He'll probably ask for an update to the version. If it will, so click yes and it will put you through a link to download the patch. 5. If there are other problems open Tweaker. (it is installed with cracked steam, and it is on the desktop or in the same folder where you installed Cracked -Steam) and follow the instructions: -Click to go further (it is written on request / console) -click 2, then enter button 4, then enter the button 1, then enter it will look for updates, and if there is, it will update the database automatically. Warning! Probably you won't be able to play online! I'M NOT ANSWERING... AND I DON'T TAKE CREDIT FOR THAT! ENJOY Click here to download Steam Crack Click here to download Steam Cracked This software lets you play all Steam games currently released. -
Cloud Gaming: a Qoe Study of Fast-Paced Single-Player and Multiplayer Games Molnspelande: En Qoe Studie Med Fokus På Snabba Single- Player Och Multiplayer Spel
Linköping University | Department of Computer and Information Science Bachelor’s thesis, 16 ECTS | Computer Science 2020 | LIU-IDA/LITH-EX-G--20/062--SE Cloud Gaming: A QoE Study of Fast-paced Single-player and Multiplayer Games Molnspelande: En QoE Studie med Fokus på Snabba Single- player och Multiplayer Spel Sebastian Flinck Lindström Markus Wetterberg Supervisor : Niklas Carlsson Examiner : Marcus Bendtsen Linköpings universitet SE–581 83 Linköping +46 13 28 10 00 , www.liu.se Upphovsrätt Detta dokument hålls tillgängligt på Internet - eller dess framtida ersättare - under 25 år från publicer- ingsdatum under förutsättning att inga extraordinära omständigheter uppstår. Tillgång till dokumentet innebär tillstånd för var och en att läsa, ladda ner, skriva ut enstaka ko- pior för enskilt bruk och att använda det oförändrat för ickekommersiell forskning och för undervis- ning. Överföring av upphovsrätten vid en senare tidpunkt kan inte upphäva detta tillstånd. All annan användning av dokumentet kräver upphovsmannens medgivande. För att garantera äktheten, säker- heten och tillgängligheten finns lösningar av teknisk och administrativ art. Upphovsmannens ideella rätt innefattar rätt att bli nämnd som upphovsman i den omfattning som god sed kräver vid användning av dokumentet på ovan beskrivna sätt samt skydd mot att dokumentet ändras eller presenteras i sådan form eller i sådant sammanhang som är kränkande för upphovsman- nens litterära eller konstnärliga anseende eller egenart. För ytterligare information om Linköping University Electronic Press se förlagets hemsida http://www.ep.liu.se/. Copyright The publishers will keep this document online on the Internet - or its possible replacement - for a period of 25 years starting from the date of publication barring exceptional circumstances. -
THE YEAR of LINUX 2015 the YEAR of LINUX This Year Is Set to Be the Best Ever for Linux – and That’S Not Just Our Opinion
2015: THE YEAR OF LINUX 2015 THE YEAR OF LINUX This year is set to be the best ever for Linux – and that’s not just our opinion. Some of the biggest players in Free Software think so too… here’s a long-running joke in the Linux world, market where Linux dominates thanks to Android – that the next year will be the year of “Linux on and the server space became even bigger thanks to Tthe desktop”. At first it was a serious “cloud” computing, software/platform/infrastructure proposition: back in the early 2000s, it looked like the as a service, and the growth of web apps. operating system was poised to take a significant So Linux is, today, by far the most prevalent and chunk of desktop marketshare. Microsoft was important operating system in the world. It’s a long struggling with major security problems in Windows, way from being on every home desktop PC, but the Apple’s Mac OS X had barely gotten off the ground, next 12 months have plenty in store, and so for our and there was clearly room for something better. first issue of the year we want to look ahead at the So why didn’t Linux dive in and win millions of goodies to come. But we don’t just want to wax users? Well, it did, just in another way. Microsoft lyrical about our favourite projects here; we also want started to take security more seriously, and OS to hear from some of the biggest names in Linux X emerged as a shiny Unix-like OS that appealed and Free Software about what they’re most looking to many geeks.