6 Gaming hacks to help you level up

Tips to reduce latency, improve accuracy and performance for an overall better gaming experience.

1. If you have strict/moderate NAT configured, you may experience increased lag and may not be able to join or host many games. Check your NAT settings and if needed, configure open NAT, which should be relatively simple and straight forward to do. As configuring NAT is different for every router, tutorials and step-by-step guides are readily available online. The only choice you need to make is between using uPnP (open specific ports), port forwarding (open range of ports) or faux-DMZ (open all ports, your console will sit in front of the firewall). DMZ is the least secure but most convenient option. Because all ports are open, your console will be fully exposed online. However, console attacks are very rare and so many gamers choose DMZ

2. If you find that there is a slight but noticeable delay between your controller and display, and you are using a relatively new tv, then you may have input lag. To reduce input lag, try enabling the game mode setting on your HD TV. Although this may slightly reduce image quality, it will result in better gameplay. If this option is not available on your TV, you should still be able to manually reduce the image quality and disable any advanced image rendering settings.

3. Use a wired connection if you can. If not possible, you can still optimise your Wi-fi connection by

• Placing your router in a wifi sweetspot (Hint: Plenty of iOS and Android apps are available to detect these spots)
• Boost your wifi signal with a beer can.
• Switch off all other wifi connections (e.g. enable airplane mode on all your wifi devices e.g. mobile/laptops).
• Restart the router to get a fresh connection

4. This also applies to controllers. Use wired connections whenever possible.

5. Customize controller settings. Increase the sensitivity settings on your controller for more accurate shots and faster movements e.g. Sens 3-6 is the pro range for Halo players.

6. Use headphones with inbuilt surround sound so you know what is happening around you/ where your enemies are etc.

Zero-Carbon cities: Technology game-changer series (part 3/3)

Masdar City, the world’s first zero-carbon city, won’t actually be zero-carbon, but it will be the greenest city ever built. Designed by British architect “Foster the City”, Masdar is a blend of the ancient and the high-tech. It is a low-carbon, skyscraper-free city built in the middle of a harsh desert, near the historic city of Abu Dhabi. It has a simple mantra “only use energy when you have exhausted design”

The city is powered by the sun. It is 90% solar powered, with the rest made up of wind, geothermal and even hydrogen. Recycling and composting is a high priority for the city. 80% of water will also be recycled and grey water being used for irrigation.

6 Interesting facts about Masdar city.

1. It wasn’t the first project of its kind. Dongtan, a project to build a zero-carbon city in Chongming city was supposed to go ahead in 2006, but has since been put on hold indefinitely.
   
   
2. Inspired by old Arab settlements, including the ancient Aleppo Citadel in Syria, the buildings are built on higher ground, shade each other and designed in such a way to keep the air as cool as possible. This also includes the funneling of the natural sea breezes into the Masdar streets via tall wind towers.
   
3. Cars are banned, as Masdar will be the home of a new form of transportation called Personal Rapid Transportation, otherwise known as driverless cars
   
4. Currently home to 120 Masdar Institute of Science and Technology students, it estimates that eventually it will be home to 50,000 residents & 4,000 businesses. A number of businesses and services have already opened in Masdar. These include restaurants, travel agencies, supermarkets, offices (e.g. Siemens and General Electric), a university and a library.
   
5. Masdar is already available as a travel destination. You can read the reviews on Tripadvisor.
   
6. Narendra Modi, Ban Ki Moon and Hillary Clinton are just some of the world leaders who have visited and been inspired by Masdar City. Narendra Modi has even buzzed around in a driverless car.