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Games to play in class

BrymBrym Registered User regular
edited April 2008 in Games and Technology
I'm a grad student at a school that recently turned off the wifi in classrooms, and it's killing me to not be able to surf the web in class. I need some games in order to help keep me awake. Ideal games should

1)not require any net access
2)be turn based, so that I can switch between paying attention and playing at will
3)available for OS X, since I use a Macbook in class
4)not run full screen, so I can switch between my notes and the game easily.

Any suggestions?

Brym on
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Posts

  • Rigor MortisRigor Mortis Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    A Roguelike, maybe? Free, low system usage, turn based.... everything you need

    My favorite is Angband.
    http://www.thangorodrim.net/angband.html

    Also Tales of Middle Earth
    http://t-o-m-e.net/main.php?tome_current=0

    and Ancient Domains of Mystery
    http://www.adom.de/

    Rigor Mortis on
  • reVersereVerse Attack and Dethrone God Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?

    reVerse on
  • DixonDixon Screwed...possibly doomed CanadaRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    reVerse wrote: »
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?

    No...just no!
    Shit MoO2 would of been great...can you get that to work in mac?
    realmz is pretty sick and it was made for the mac...you should try it, you will love it

    Dixon on
  • EggyToastEggyToast Jersey CityRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    reVerse wrote: »
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?

    Yeah, I'm going to go with the Pay Attention MMO.

    EggyToast on
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  • taliosfalcontaliosfalcon Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    reVerse wrote: »
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?
    what? pay attention in college? that's crazy talk.
    Also, battle for wesnoth

    and it's free!

    taliosfalcon on
    steam xbox - adeptpenguin
  • BrymBrym Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    reVerse wrote: »
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?

    Clearly, you've never been a second-year law student. Our grades are entirely determined by an exam at the end of the semester, the material for which is better learned by studying on your own time than by paying attention in class.

    Brym on
  • QuintileQuintile Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    I'm going to go ahead and suggest Civilization 4! Turn based, available for OSX and awesome, all in one.

    Quintile on
  • Raiden333Raiden333 Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Didn't Dwarf Fortress just get ported to mac?

    Might not be the best choice, since you'll look up from the screen and find that your class has been over for an hour.

    Raiden333 on
    There was a steam sig here. It's gone now.
  • ZombiemamboZombiemambo Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    It's kind of snobbish to suggest he pay attention to class. Clearly he doesn't want to, and you aren't going to change that.

    Free is always good, so check out Battle for Wesnoth. It's a turn-based strategy game with a few minor RPG elements thrown in (like leveling up and character-driven scenarios) and it can run on OS X.

    http://www.wesnoth.org/

    Zombiemambo on
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  • Captain KCaptain K Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Listening to the Professor 2: The Reckoning



    Seriously though, I agree that you should investigate Civ 4. Not sure about how well it runs windowed, but shit son, that's as good as it gets for TBS.

    Captain K on
  • LorkLork Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Brym wrote: »
    reVerse wrote: »
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?

    Clearly, you've never been a second-year law student. Our grades are entirely determined by an exam at the end of the semester, the material for which is better learned by studying on your own time than by paying attention in class.
    Then why do you bother coming in to class in the first place?

    Lork on
    Steam Profile: Lork
  • MahnmutMahnmut Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    EggyToast wrote: »
    reVerse wrote: »
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?

    Yeah, I'm going to go with the Pay Attention MMO.

    Seriously.

    Still: Powder, Wesnoth.

    The Civ4 demo ran poorly on my MacBook (un-pro). I don't think windowed would work well at all -- maybe if you've got a Mac with a real graphics card, though.

    Mahnmut on
    Steam/LoL: Jericho89
  • Feels Good ManFeels Good Man Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Lork wrote: »
    Brym wrote: »
    reVerse wrote: »
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?

    Clearly, you've never been a second-year law student. Our grades are entirely determined by an exam at the end of the semester, the material for which is better learned by studying on your own time than by paying attention in class.
    Then why do you bother coming in to class in the first place?

    Many colleges these days have mandatory attendance, but thats neither here nor there.

    Feels Good Man on
  • JJJJ DailyStormer Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    here nor there? far fucking out then what the fuck is it!?

    anyway, how about some stone soup?

    http://crawl-ref.sourceforge.net/

    JJ on
  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2008
    Could you idiots maybe answer the guys question instead of criticizing his decision to not give his full attention to a class which, for all you know, doesn't require or deserve it?

    Monoxide on
  • UnbreakableVowUnbreakableVow Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Worms: Armageddon

    UnbreakableVow on
  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2008
    Worms: Armageddon

    Yeah, you're not going to get a better suggestion than this.

    Now I need to install that on my laptop.

    Monoxide on
  • LorkLork Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    If you're going to do Roguelikes, you might as well play the best one.

    Nethack. Or if you absolutely must have graphics, Vulture's Eye.

    Lork on
    Steam Profile: Lork
  • slash000slash000 Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Lork wrote: »
    Brym wrote: »
    reVerse wrote: »
    Here's a crazy thought: instead of playing games in the class, how about you pay attention to what is being taught?

    Clearly, you've never been a second-year law student. Our grades are entirely determined by an exam at the end of the semester, the material for which is better learned by studying on your own time than by paying attention in class.
    Then why do you bother coming in to class in the first place?

    Many colleges these days have mandatory attendance, but thats neither here nor there.


    I'm finishing up my second semester at law school. There is a mandatory attendance policy - requiring the students to attend a certain % of the actual classes is part of the accreditation criteria.



    That said, I love law school. Some classes are boring, sure, but I've had some really engaging professors. I also find the subject material very interesting; yes, even Contracts (which I actually loved) and Property I.


    Do you get anything out of class that you couldn't get on your own? I think that there's a lot to gain from in class discussion. Especially if your professor actually sticks to the Socratic method, or at least calls regularly on students to make sure they are prepared. Some of my professors require printed briefs, some of them require us to stand before the class to recite/answer questions. My Crim Law prof would really grill us on the material, too; which was tough, but I'll never forget some of the things I learned there.

    So I think you learn a lot about how to "think" like a lawyer and how to handle cases and perhaps even how to speak in front of a court when you're in class. Having done Oral Arguments for Legal Research, it actually kind of prepares you for speaking about cases and arguments and being prepared to use reasoning and logic on the spot for questions you could not anticipate. I think it helps you consider different facets of an argument or issue that you cannot gain from just reading an Opinion and Dissent.


    Studying on your own will teach you the rules of law. Using extra materials like others' outlines/briefs/hornbooks helps you apply it some. But I think there's something to be said about class.



    That's my experience. Maybe your school isn't as well off. Don't your professors call on the class randomly? In several of my classes, we risk being deducted as much as a full grade point if we are called upon and we aren't prepared to answer the questions or recite a case.

    As in, are full grades are determined by 1 final; but the professors all have leeway to as much as a full letter grade to deduct if they feel that we were not prepared for class when called upon. And they certainly keep track of it (most of them).

    slash000 on
  • LordOfMeepLordOfMeep Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Monoxide wrote: »
    Worms: Armageddon

    Yeah, you're not going to get a better suggestion than this.

    Now I need to install that on my laptop.

    Just make sure you have turn time set to infinite for your purposes, OP.

    EDIT: It runs fullscreen, though, and I have no idea how anal it is about alt-tabbing. It shouldn't eat up much RAM, though.

    LordOfMeep on
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  • SkutSkutSkutSkut Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    you should try Soltar. I think every computer comes with it.

    Edit: Keep your attention on them book learnins though.

    SkutSkut on
  • HenroidHenroid Mexican kicked from Immigration Thread Centrism is Racism :3Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Monoxide wrote: »
    Could you idiots maybe answer the guys question instead of criticizing his decision to not give his full attention to a class which, for all you know, doesn't require or deserve it?

    I remember the days when we used to promote responsibility.

    Also, go with FreeCiv. Just because it's small and easy to get in and tuck away.

    Henroid on
  • Giga GopherGiga Gopher Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    You need Stair Dismount!

    Hours of fun right there; and it runs in a window!

    Giga Gopher on
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  • DeusfauxDeusfaux Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    how bout you stay the fuck home if you're not going to pay attention anyways

    and I hope to god when you do go you sit in the last row in the corner so nobody has to be distracted by your BS use of a computer during lecture time

    everyone else has a right for a proper learning environment they paid for, even if you want to flush that right down a toilet

    edit: didnt see mono's post before I posted.

    Deusfaux on
  • MonoxideMonoxide Registered User, ClubPA regular
    edited April 2008
    Henroid wrote: »
    Monoxide wrote: »
    Could you idiots maybe answer the guys question instead of criticizing his decision to not give his full attention to a class which, for all you know, doesn't require or deserve it?

    I remember the days when we used to promote responsibility.

    There's a difference between promoting responsibility and entirely derailing a thread because you don't agree with something that has really no bearing on what he's asking.
    Deusfaux wrote:
    how bout you stay the fuck home if you're not going to pay attention anyways

    and I hope to god when you do go you sit in the last row in the corner so nobody has to be distracted by your BS use of a computer during lecture time

    everyone else has a right for a proper learning environment they paid for, even if you want to flush that right down a toilet

    Look, if you guys want to discuss this in D&D or something, by all means. This is G&T, an on topic forum about games and technology. He asked a question about games, the topic is that question. Whether or not he's throwing away his education has nothing to do with it.

    Just don't hire him as your lawyer.

    edit: And I'm serious, stop posting your criticisms in this thread. This isn't the place for it. Any more posts about how he should be paying attention in class will be dealt with. I don't see how I could possibly be more clear.

    Monoxide on
  • Waka LakaWaka Laka Riding the stuffed Unicorn If ya know what I mean.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    ROM CHECK FAIL may amuse you for a short time.

    Waka Laka on
  • SkutSkutSkutSkut Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Waka Laka wrote: »
    ROM CHECK FAIL may amuse you for a short time.

    I second this.

    SkutSkut on
  • MarlorMarlor Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    As a Comp Sci lecturer, I've been really tempted to fire-up a game mid-lecture... then when the students ask what is going on, I'll reply: "Well you bastards are playing games, so why can't I?".

    Some don't even try to hide it. They just play their DS or fiddle with their laptop while wearing headphones. Others seem to be half-paying attention. The best students sit there and actually listen.

    At first, it didn't worry me. I figured: "Let them do what they want, it doesn't hurt me... at least they are turning up".

    But it's really started to piss me off. Especially when students come up after class and ask me questions about things that I just explained in great detail while they were sitting there with headphones on.

    Marlor on
    Mario Kart Wii: 1332-8060-5236 (Aaron)
  • Waka LakaWaka Laka Riding the stuffed Unicorn If ya know what I mean.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    I hope they don't grade you on your performance as a teacher Marlor, I know some schools expect teachers to get at least a percentage of the students to pass.

    Throw a duster at their head or something.

    Waka Laka on
  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Marlor wrote: »
    As a Comp Sci lecturer, I've been really tempted to fire-up a game mid-lecture... then when the students ask what is going on, I'll reply: "Well you bastards are playing games, so why can't I?".

    Some don't even try to hide it. They just play their DS or fiddle with their laptop while wearing headphones. Others seem to be half-paying attention. The best students sit there and actually listen.

    At first, it didn't worry me. I figured: "Let them do what they want, it doesn't hurt me... at least they are turning up".

    But it's really started to piss me off. Especially when students come up after class and ask me questions about things that I just explained in great detail while they were sitting there with headphones on.

    right on.

    I'm about to write an exam on Operating Systems and my friend who would show up to class and play advance wars on his DS is totally flipping out because he knows he's about to fail.

    anyway I have friends in Law and I know some of their classes can be a total joke. Please, OP for the love of god, sit in the back of the room. People sitting behind you might be drawn to pay more attention to that holy hand grenade underneath Mr.Floppysocks and if your terrible classroom manner begins to affect other students, then you should just go die, or at the very least, fail out before the midterms.

    also, I'm guessing you have access to a terminal, I wonder if you could Hunt the Wumpus. . . hours and hours of retarded unfun.

    acidlacedpenguin on
    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    DEFCON has a Mac port I think, if not, Civ 4 is the best way to go.

    The_Scarab on
  • MarlorMarlor Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Waka Laka wrote: »
    I hope they don't grade you on your performance as a teacher Marlor, I know some schools expect teachers to get at least a percentage of the students to pass.

    Throw a duster at their head or something.

    The faculty does get annoyed if we have too many people fail. So I go along to tutorials (unpaid) and try to help the struggling students... often the same ones who don't pay attention in class.

    It's really tricky to decide what to do in lectures, though. I could do what some lecturers do, and just tell the students to pay attention or leave... but the risk there is that they will leave, and I'll be lecturing to a mostly-empty lecture theatre. I'm currently doing some work as a lab demonstrator for a lecturer who is a real strict bastard. The students tell me in labs that he has only had four or five students in each lecture lately... out of a class of 40+.

    One thing to remember about lecturers... we're people too, and we've often spent the few hours before the lecture frantically reading through the lecture slides making sure we're prepared. When it's our first time lecturing a new topic, we're probably standing up there shitting our pants, no matter how confident we appear. The least you can do is make our job a bit easier by pretending to pay attention, rather than totally demoralising us by ignoring what we are saying. If there is a problem, tell us... we'll be happier than if you just sit there ignoring us or giggling like schoolgirls at some secret joke.

    Marlor on
    Mario Kart Wii: 1332-8060-5236 (Aaron)
  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    see my attention problems are usually because of giggling school girls. Well actually giggling college girls. but you know what I mean.

    acidlacedpenguin on
    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • The_ScarabThe_Scarab Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    But conversely, I know a guy who was at the time on a history major course who spent nearly all the lectures playing Civ3 who ended up with a first, which he directly blames on playing civ so much.

    let's not generalize things here ok, every case is different, and this is not the topic that the op wanted to talk about.

    The_Scarab on
  • PemulisPemulis Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    I enjoy the heroes of might and magic games and you can stop paying attention to the game at any time.

    Plus the older ones will run on about any PC (don't know about macs though).

    Pemulis on
  • emericanaemericana Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Roller Coaster Tycoon 2

    Fuck you guys, it's a fantastic time waster.

    Or, of course, good old Desktop Tower Defense. It's what gets me through my Avid tutoring shifts.

    emericana on
  • acidlacedpenguinacidlacedpenguin Institutionalized Safe in jail.Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    The_Scarab wrote: »
    But conversely, I know a guy who was at the time on a history major course who spent nearly all the lectures playing Civ3 who ended up with a first, which he directly blames on playing civ so much.

    let's not generalize things here ok, every case is different, and this is not the topic that the op wanted to talk about.

    that's because he was playing a game that is both fun and educational in the topic at hand. With that said

    OP GET PHOENIX WRIGHT series. Based on Scarab's precedent, it will not only entertain you through the class lectures It will net you FIRST IN CLASS!

    acidlacedpenguin on
    GT: Acidboogie PSNid: AcidLacedPenguiN
  • FiggyFiggy Fighter of the night man Champion of the sunRegistered User regular
    edited April 2008
    SkutSkut wrote: »
    you should try Soltar. I think every computer comes with it.

    Edit: Keep your attention on them book learnins though.

    Solitaire? Macs don't come with it.

    Figgy on
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  • SkutSkutSkutSkut Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Figgy wrote: »
    SkutSkut wrote: »
    you should try Soltar. I think every computer comes with it.

    Edit: Keep your attention on them book learnins though.

    Solitaire? Macs don't come with it.

    Oh. :(

    SkutSkut on
  • nlawalkernlawalker Registered User regular
    edited April 2008
    Heh. After graduating from college I decided that if I ever taught a CompSci class for some reason, I would require everyone to turn off their laptops and put them away during lecture. I can't think of a single good use for one in a lecture hall. Don't forget your pen/pencil and paper.

    But to the topic at hand: I've never played Cave Story, but I've heard good things. Isn't it available for Mac?

    Getting a DS would be worth it too.

    nlawalker on
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