vector
[vek-ter]
noun
Mathematics.
a quantity possessing both magnitude and direction, represented by an arrow the direction of which indicates the direction of the quantity and the length of which is proportional to the magnitude.
such a quantity with the additional requirement that such quantities obey the parallelogram law of addition.
such a quantity with the additional requirement that such quantities are to transform in a particular way under changes of the coordinate system.
any generalization of the above quantities.
the direction or course followed by an airplane, missile, or the like.
Biology.
an insect or other organism that transmits a pathogenic fungus, virus, bacterium, etc.
any agent that acts as a carrier or transporter, as a virus or plasmid that conveys a genetically engineered DNA segment into a host cell.
Computers., an array of data ordered such that individual items can be located with a single index or subscript.
****************************
Kevin loaded up the game as Sarah sat next to him. He still felt a little odd about her being there, but he was also not going to complain. After all, what self-respecting guy would complain about a pretty woman taking interest in video games?
“Are you sure you want to watch?” He asked. Sure he might not complain about her presence, but he would not want her to force herself. “It won’t be much fun just watching.”
“I know. But I’m sure your color commentary will make up for it. Besides, you’ve started learning about my hobbies. It’s only fare I do the same for yours.
“If that’s how you feel about it, I won’t stop you. Anyway, let’s get started. This game is called Nova Wars. Basic spaceship battle. Each player builds a ship and controls them to fight. It’s a simple enough premise, but with the number of parts available, there’s a lot more depth than you’d think.”
“I’ll take your word for it. So, are you going to play a few rounds?”
“Yup.” Kevin said, even as he queued up an online match. The call to battle was answered fairly quickly.
“So, can you tell what the opponent has?”
“Yes and no. You don’t get any info given to you, but each part has aa unique look. So, a skilled player can tell what they’re up against just by looking.”
“Skilled, or just logging way too many hours?”
Kevin smirked at her joke. “It can be both. Anyway, let’s see. Hmm...”
“What is it? Is this a guy with a strong ship?”
“No, actually. From his loadout, he’s pretty weak. Nothing bad, but nothing great. And he’s actually using a V-Cannon.”
“V-Cannon?”
“It’s short for Vector Cannon. It has a fast-moving projectile that deals a lot of damage. The problem is that it can only travel in a straight line and the fire rate is slow. Because of that, it’s easy to dodge for a skilled player. Which means there are only two kinds of players who use it. Newbies who don’t know any better, and pros who are just messing around.”
“And which is this?”
“No idea. I don’t see anything on their ship that tells me which one it is.”
Sarah’s brow furrowed in thought. “So this match is either going to be an overwhelming victory, or a complete and utter defeat?”
“I mean, that’s how it is for every match, but I get what you’re asking. And the answer is not quite. If it’s a newbie, then yeah, I’m definitely going to win no question. But if it’s a pro things get tricky. With a low spec ship, but an expert player, I’d say I have a 50-50 shot at winning.”
“Well then, let’s hope it’s a new player, right?”
Kevin nodded, but he was not so sure that was what he wanted. The best victories were those that were hard fought. He almost hoped it was a pro in disguise, just so he could have a good match. He would find out soon enough though. The prep for the match ended, and the game began.
No comments:
Post a Comment