explain xkcd - User contributions [en]

1608: Hoverboard

2015-11-30T22:53:45Z

173.245.54.9: /* Rebel Blockade Runner */ Fixed typo

--[[Special:Contributions/141.101.75.18|141.101.75.18]] 13:31, 30 November 2015 (UTC){{comic
| number = 1608
| date = November 24, 2015
| title = Hoverboard
| image = hoverboard.png

}}
*To experience the interactivity, visit the [http://xkcd.com/1608/ original comic].
*For a really good zoom-able map see this:
**[http://1101b.com/xkcd1608/ fully zoomable map w/ toggleable coins and passages] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/lanzaa lanzaa] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]

{{TOC}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Layout of this explanation needs revision. Expanation of all items of interest with pictures like in [[1110]].}}
The "comic" is actually a {{w|browser game}} made to celebrate the release of [[Randall|Randall's]] new book, ''[[Thing Explainer]]'', which was released on the same day as this comic (November 24th 2015). The comic appeared on a Tuesday, replacing that week's normal Wednesday release.

The game features [[Cueball]] riding on a {{w|hoverboard}}. The only controls are the arrow keys (or, on mobile, tilting to move left and right and tapping to jump). The player can jump repeatedly mid-jump to reach increasing heights. The player begins in a line-drawing maze with 17 gold coins located throughout and a "deposit" station. The ostensible goal of the game is to collect as many coins as possible and return them to the deposit in the fastest possible time, which returns a text message describing the result. Players consumed with obtaining the best possible time result for collecting the coins may not realize there is anything more to the game.

Beyond the maze on either side (just far enough that players who remain within the maze will not see) are tall walls seemingly designed to contain the player. However, the walls have a finite height and, combined with the ability to multi-jump, the player can leave the purported "play area" either to the sides or above the initial maze. This returns a flashing red error message "return to play area".

Outside the play area is an entire world to explore including numerous points of interest and {{w|Easter egg (media)|Easter eggs}} similar in style to comic [[1110: Click and Drag]]. There are even more coins to collect. The larger game world is physically bounded in the left, right, and up directions, with invisible walls on all three sides. The upwards invisible wall is tough to pinpoint; although [[Cueball]] appears to continue upwards, once the jump button is released, he will continue to look upwards as if continuously jumping; in addition, the longer the up arrow is pressed repeatedly, the longer it will take for [[Cueball]] to fall down again once the button is depressed. In principle it may also be unbounded in the downwards direction, but there are only a few places you can "sink" into the ground/water/lava, and here you cannot go down indefinitely. It could be possible that there could be some unexplored parts of the map, but given the map is already made this seems unlikely. There are 152 more coins outside the initial "play area" for a total of 169 in the entire game.

===Messages in the starting area===
*Different amounts of coins collected in the play area, will give different messages in yellow on the black part at the bottom of the screen when delivered to the coin collector.
*Below is a table with examples of what may be written depending on the number of coins. The time (and the amount when there is a range with similar rating) is just chosen at random (although in a realistic range). To get above 17 you of course have to leave the play area and come back again...
:{| class="wikitable"
!# coins
!Text when depositing this number of coins
|-
|0 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 0 coins in 1 second''' You successfully avoided all the coins.
|-
|1 coin
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got a single coin in 1 second''' It's a start.
|-
|2-4 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 3 coins in 3 seconds''' Not bad!
|-
|5-9 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 8 coins in 12 seconds''' Terrific!
|-
|10-16 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 12 coins in 10 seconds''' Undefined
|-
|17 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 17 coins in 15 seconds''' You found all the coins! Great job!
|-
|18-41 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 39 coins in 430 seconds''' Undefined
|-
|42 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 42 coins in 460 seconds''' No answers here.
|-
|43-168 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 45 coins in 460 seconds''' Undefined
|-
|169 coins
|style="background-color:black;"| '''You got 169 coins in 15000 seconds''' Are you Gandalf?
|}
*Once you leave the area you get a flashing warning message in red letters at the bottom of the screen:
:{| class="wikitable"
|style="background-color:black;"| '''Return to the play area'''
|}
*This message flashes three times over 1.2 seconds (the message only disappears for about 150 ms each time)
*Then there is a pause for about 1.3 seconds and then this repeats for a total of 5 repetitions, a total of 15 flashes in just about 11.3 second seconds.
*The message will stop immediately if you re-enter the play area during this period.
*If you re-enter later it will flash once you leave again.
*For the program the play area is anything within and below the walls just outside the maze you start in.
**More precisely you first leave the play area if you pass over the middle part at the top of the walls
**Or if you make one jump from standing on top of the walls.

===Areas===
{{incomplete|Help needed migrating the info into a table}}

{| class="wikitable"
! Coordinates || Description
|-
| x: 483735, y: -551990 || "What news of the world above? Please tell me - what's hot and viral? What's trending on twitter?"
|-
| x: 509587, y: -554621 || Washington Monument
|-
| x: 509587, y: -554621 || Captain's log
|}

===Technical aspects===
As previously noted, the comic bears considerable resemblance to [[1110: Click and Drag]]. The comic is made in much the same way, with 'drawn' images "glued" together to form a large "map", with the illusion of infinite bounds made possible through space saving techniques where blank tiles are not stored and are instead painted white. The boundary between blank squares and 'drawn' squares is made clear as any white space in the normal images has a very slight grey tint. Thus, seams between images and blank spaces can be discerned.

The tiles for the map are stored as simple PNG files in the naming scheme: X:Y+s.png. An example can be seen here: http://xkcd.com/1608/1013:-1096+s.png Each file is 513x513 pixels in size, one pixel is reserved as overlap to ensure seamless joining of images. So far, through experimentation, tiles in the range 928 to 1108 X and -1112 to -928 Y have been discovered, internally, the position of the player is divided by 512 and rounded down to give the position of the tile.

The collision map is encoded in the darkness of the black. Using an image manipulation program, one can easily find the secret pathways even in the zoomed out maps provided below by enhancing the contrast of the dark areas. On a slow connection, it's possible to move into an 'open' area and then the black image loads in and (probably permanently, without tricks) traps you immobile.

The game was made by [http://chromakode.com Max Goodman] who has previously worked on [[1416: Pixels]]. The source code for the game can be found [https://xkcd.com/1608/tigl.js here].

===Areas===
Starting area - (x: 512187, y: -549668)

====West / Left====
*{{w|Washington Monument}} - (x: 509864, y: -549746)
**Invisible entrance through the Monument, indicated by arrow sign
**Secret entrance into the inside of the Monument, right side, about halfway up - (x: 509815, y: -552614)
***From there you can fall down to the fault line shown in about the middle of the monument. You cannot see Cueball while he is in the monument in either entrance.
*Girl in a hamster ball - (x: 505790, y: -549905)
*Yet [[1504|another dig]] at the Lion King and the lands touched by shadow - (x: 504998, y: -550676)
*An {{w|X-Wing}} at a gas station, with coin accessible from the left - (x: 503253, y: -551129)
**Go straight up from the cockpit for a coin, carried by african swallows (non-migratory)
*A well with a girl at the bottom of it (and one of the yellow game coins), claiming to not be a ghost. A possible reference to {{w|Sadako Yamamura|Sadako}}/{{w|Sadako Yamamura#Samara Morgan|Samara}} from Ring ({{w|Ring (Suzuki novel)|novel}},{{w|Ring (film)|film}},{{w|The Ring (2002 film)|remake}}) - (x: 501998, y: -551030)
*Landing re-entry capsule with parachutes - (x: 500040, y: -552369)
*Local Mom discovering This One Weird Bug - (x: 497994, y: -551334)
*Someone flying a kite, with a coin beside the kite.
*Volcano -
*Ponytail riding a cycle (a reference to [http://canvasrider.com/ canvas rider]?)? (x: 490610 y: -554364)
*LOTR Eagles - (x: 489661 y: -556811)
*A periscope peeking out of a shallow lava pool near two people playing "the lava is a floor". Reference to a common child's imagine game where the floor is lava - (x: 488573 y: -556337)
*Lava pools -
*A dark grey ocean that isn't noticeable until you fall in
**With suicidal quadcopters taking footage of it over a coin - (x: 486640, y: -554838)
*{{w|Elon Musk}}'s Volcano Lair - (x: 484167, y: -549462)
**entrance hidden under volcano lava, before reaching Artex - (x: 483791, y: -551292)
*The ground, that presumably all grounded electronics are connected to - (x: 485125, y: -549062)
*Artex (a reference to Artax) + Gandalf - (x: 483715, y: -554354)
*Basketball hoop, with coin - (x: 479523, y: -554877)
*Giant floating rock island in the sky (x: 507163, y: -567537)
*Hat underground
*A hole which traps(?) the player unless noclip mode is used
*A person sitting down and singing about gold (reference to the 1982 video game {{w|The_Hobbit_(1982_video_game)}})

====East / Right====
*People holding anchor lines to the Tantive IV (Star Wars: A New Hope), being attacked by an Imperial Star Destroyer - (the people: x: 518954, y: -549056)
*Desert with dunes - (x: 520000, y: -549114)
*Ocean Yelper (giving only 2.5/5 stars) - x: 522015, y: -549015
*Talking Rogue Wave - (x: 523460, y: -549013)
*Wedding - (x: 531558, y: -549386)
*Graveyard - (x: 534140, y: -549546)
*Remains of {{w|Ozymandias}}' Statue - (x: 535927, y: -549666)
*Huge pyramid - (x: 538167, y: -550906)
*Blackhat's hat on a stick - (x: 549997, y: -549777)
*Whitehat's head in the grass? - (x: 559826, y: -549847)
*Giant bird nest - (x: 567123, y; -550417)
*Beret Guy riding a torpedo ([http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/RidingTheBomb Dr. Strangelove]) - (x: 522754, y: -554342)

====Rebel Blockade Runner====
Up in the air is the CR90 Corvette, Tantive IV aka Rebel Blockade Runner with Princess Leia from the start of the original Star Wars movie.

*Coordinates:
**??
*Cueball is standing at a ledge with a fishing rod with something on the hook somewhere below the spaceship. Two birds are circling the line.

====Imperial Star Destroyer====
High up in the air there's a huge spaceship.

*Coordinates:
**top left at (513072, -560660)
**bottom left at (513080, -559470)
**top at (552154, -569022)
**top right at (556557, -567711)
**bottom right at (558244, -556542)
*Entrances (from bottom left clockwise):
**Tunnel at (513080, -559680)
**Tunnel at (513166, -560434)
**Shaft at (516560, -560912)
**Shaft at (519200, -561108)
**Shaft at (525255, -561527)
**Shaft at (527990, -561844)
**Shaft at (533087, -562298)
**Shaft at (539637, -563233)
**Tunnel at (540958, -563721)
**Shaft at (543789, -564670)
**Stairwell down at (547438, -565058)
**Tunnel at (552319, -566184)
**Tunnel to an isolated small room at (557774, -562042)
**Shaft at (556350, -556720)
**Glitchfloor at (547890, -556779)
**Shaft at (543850, -557500)
**Main ramp at (537260, -557969)
**Tunnel at (531840, -558547)
**Parachutists' ramp at (526624, -558664)
**Ramp at (525300, -558747)
**Shaft at (520440, -559100)
**Shaft at (516825, -559300)
*Interesting objects and places inside:
**Steven Universe and the Crystal Gems - (x: 551664, y: -567383)
**A nearly complete depiction of Level 1 of {{w|Prince of Persia (1989 video game)|Prince of Persia}} - (x: 551532, y: -563512)
**Emperor Palpatine Park and Gazebo - (x: 546819, y: -559584)
**Dancers (possibly [[162|spinning counter-clockwise]]) dancing to piano music - (x: 547536, y: -563301)
**Octopus guarding two coins - (x: 531646, y: -559663)
**A sign saying "Caution GlitchFloor" (falling straight down through it nets you a coin someway down) - (x: 547898, y: -556784)
**A huge light bulb - (x: 555405, y: -557769)
**The Emperor [[1596|birdwatching]] - (x: 554777, y: -567346)
**Ponytail recreating ''{{w|Joust (video game)|Joust}}'' on an ostrich - (x: 552048, y: -568045)
**A party on the ceiling (negative gravity?) - (x: 550350, y: -564354)
**A huge ant - (x: 552309, y: -560208)
**Tube slide - (x: 541813, y: -563721)
**A reservoir (?) with hidden passages - (x: 541300, y: -560330)
**A huge spark gap (?) - (x: 541900, y: -558110)
**Torpedo launcher room - (x: 529627, y: -558481)
**A {{w|Tetris}} block falling - (x: 529414, y: -529220)
**Lightsaber Piñata party - (x: 515353, y: -560329)
**Swimming pool - (x: 517346, y: -559831)
**Children's swimming pool (ball pit?) - (x: 514500, y: -560436)
**A crocodile - (x: 553623, -568091)
**Spiral tunnel - (x: 543320, y: -558314)
**A car - (x: 537750, y: -557937)

===Maps===
*[http://codepen.io/KyleDavidE/full/605dc87b614ff6b2bd716f4c6f640203/ Quickly hacked overview] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/kyledavide kyledavide] on [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 reddit].
*[http://1101b.com/xkcd1608/ fully zoomable map w/ toggleable coins and passages] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/lanzaa lanzaa] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]
*[https://i.imgur.com/uYryxss.png png-map] - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/luke_in_the_sky luke_in_the_sky] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]
*[http://paste.click/DsPuSL png-full-size-map] - might take a few minutes to download -> do not open directly in the browser! - courtesy of [https://www.reddit.com/user/0x90-0x90 0x90-0x90] on the same reddit [https://www.reddit.com/r/xkcd/comments/3u4sy1/xkcd_1608_hoverboard/cxbyn86 thread]
*An [http://www.explainxkcd.com/wiki/images/9/92/thumb_1608.jpg incomplete compilation] of the entire game area (note the missing pinnacle of the Washington Monument. It also missed the floating island above the monument).

===Controls===
The keyboard controls are as follows:

*'''Go Left''' - Left arrow key, a or h
*'''Go Right''' - Right arrow key, d or l
*'''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Up arrow key, w, or k
*'''Go Down (if gravity disabled)''' - Down arrow key, s, or j

This control scheme covers the three commonly used directional key sets: WASD a set of keys commonly used by modern games; HJKL a set of movement keys used by vi and applications which attempt to mimic vi key controls (vim); and the arrow keys, the most generic set of keys which is usually accepted by most applications which take movement as input, these were commonly used in older games.

On devices which have a touch screen and tilt sensor (portable devices like mobile phones and tablets) the controls are as follows:
*'''Go Left''' - Roll the device anticlockwise
*'''Go Right''' - Roll the device clockwise
*'''Go Up (jump or hover)''' - Tap the screen

After inspecting the source code, there appears to be no way to move down on a portable device, this is only relevant if gravity is disabled.

===Cheats and Exploits===
Aside from the obvious ability to move out of bounds in the game, there are some more obscure hidden features which can't be enabled through normal gameplay, the ones found so far are as follows:

'''Modes''' are activated by opening the Javascript Console (F12 [Or Command-Alt-I in most browsers under Mac OS X] to open Developer Tools, then Console tab) and writing corresponding commands:

*'''Gandalf Mode:''' ''i.am.gandalf = true'' - jumps and runs further. displays a white gandalf hat that works well in places where the avatar can't be seen.
*'''Speedhack:''' ''explorer.opts.speed= *Value*'' - Speed hacking, with 1 = normal speed
*'''Jump Hack:''' '' explorer.opts.jumpForce= -*Value*'' - Jump hacking, with -1 = normal jump (positive values cause the hoverboard guy to move down when jumping)
*'''Mewtwo mode:''' ''mewtwo = true'' - disables gravity
*'''Noclip mode:''' ''noclip = true'' - player is able to move around the map without collision. Combine with Gandalf and Mewtwo modes for free easy map traversal.
*'''Goggles mode:''' ''ze.goggles()'' - displays a small window showing area around the player in a pixelated manner. The goggles indicate collision boundaries (where the player touches the world) in cyan lines. Black pixels that are passable (such as other characters or text) will be highlighted red (allowing secret passages to be discovered).
*'''Position Tracking:''' ''explorer.pos'' - Returns the player location to the console. Can be used to track position and test to ensure you are still moving. Must be re-entered to compare positioning.
*'''Position Setting:''' ''explorer.pos.x = *Value* or explorer.pos.y = *Value*'' - Can be used to manually set a position within the world. The start is at x: 512106, y: -549612. The left terrain bound is at x: 475210, y: -553711. The right terrain bound is at x: 567281, y: -549712. Mewtwo and Noclip modes are a must for exploring in this way.
* '''All the above:''' ''explorer.opts'' - Contains all the game's parameters. You can directly mess with ''gravity'', collision (''disableCollision''), jump force (''jumpForce'') and speed (''maxSpeed''), among others. Run ''Object.keys(explorer.opts)'' to list all available parameters you can tweak.
* '''List all coins:''' ''explorer.objects'' - Array containing the position of the 169 coins of the game.
* '''Disable tilt input:''' ''getEventListeners(window)['deviceorientation'][0].remove()'' - on Macs with motion sensor, disables tilt input which causes problems controlling the avatar

'''Getting All Coins: ''' To instantly get all coins, input the below into the console window. Does not use standard formatting of [i] to avoid conflicts with i.am.gandalf

for (var T = 0; T < explorer.objects.length; T++) {
explorer.objects[T].got = true;
}

To teleport to the next coin every time you press the left or right arrow:

var T = 0;
document.onkeydown = function(event){
if (event.keyCode == 37) { T = T-1 }
else if (event.keyCode == 39) { T = T+1 }
else { return }
T = T % explorer.objects.length;
var coin = explorer.objects[T];
explorer.pos.x = coin.x1; explorer.pos.y = coin.y1;
}

For a quick tour of all the coins:

var delayInMilliseconds = 1000; // 1 second delay between each teleport. feel free to change this.
var index = 0;
explorer.objects.forEach(function(x){
setTimeout(function(){
explorer.pos.x = x.x1;
explorer.pos.y = x.y1;
x.got = true;
explorer.frame(); // forces a redraw
},
(index + 1) * delayInMilliseconds);
index++;
});

To see a list of coin coordinates you have not yet collected:

var L = 0;
for (var S = 0; S < explorer.objects.length; S++) {
var I = explorer.objects[S];
if (I.got) {
L++;
} else {
console.log(I.x1.toString() + ", " + I.y1.toString());
}
}
console.log("You've found " + L.toString() + " of 169 coins");

To display the distance and direction to the closest coin (with inverted colors once you have all the coins):

function distance(x1, y1, x2, y2) {
var dx = x2 - x1;
var dy = y2 - y1;
return Math.sqrt(dx * dx + dy * dy);
}

function angle(x1, y1, x2, y2) {
var dx = x2 - x1;
var dy = y2 - y1;
return Math.atan2(dy, dx) * 180 / Math.PI;
}

function renderRadar() {
var mindist = 10000000000;
var closest = {
x1:512278.0, y1:-549613.0
};
var linecolor = "red";
for (var S = 0; S < explorer.objects.length; S++) {
var I = explorer.objects[S];
if (!I.got) {
var dist = distance(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, I.x1, I.y1);
if (dist < mindist) {
mindist = dist;
closest = I;
}
}
}
if (mindist == 10000000000) {
mindist = distance(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, closest.x1, closest.y1);
if (document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor != "red") {
document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor = "red";
}
linecolor = "green";
} else {
if (document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor != "green") {
document.getElementById("radar").style.backgroundColor = "green";
}
}
var ang = angle(explorer.pos.x, explorer.pos.y, closest.x1, closest.y1);
var indicator = "";
if (ang > 112.5 || ang < -112.5) {
indicator += "left";
}
if (ang < 67.5 && ang > -67.5) {
indicator += "right";
}
if (ang > -157.5 && ang < -22.5) {
indicator += " up";
}
if (ang > 22.5 && ang < 157.5) {
indicator += " down";
}
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML = "Distance: " + mindist.toFixed(1).toString() + " ";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += indicator + " (" + -ang.toFixed(1).toString() + "°)";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += "<div id='circle' style='border: 1px solid black; border-radius: 50px; width: 100px; height: 100px; position:absolute; top:50px; left:25px'/>";
document.getElementById("radar").innerHTML += "<div id='line' style='width: 50px; height: 1px; background-color: " + linecolor + "; position:absolute; top:100px; left:75px; transform:rotate(" + ang + "deg); transform-origin:0% 0%'/>";
}

var d = document.createElement("div");
d.id = "radar";
d.style.position = "fixed";
d.style.left = "0px";
d.style.top = "0px";
d.style.width = "150px";
d.style.height = "160px";
d.style.border = "1px solid red";
d.style.zIndex = "2";
d.style.backgroundColor = "green";
d.style.color = "#8f8";
document.body.appendChild(d);

setInterval(renderRadar, 100);

To display your current coordinates:

function renderRadar2() {
document.getElementById("radar2").innerHTML = "x: " + explorer.pos.x.toFixed(1).toString() + " y: " + explorer.pos.y.toFixed(1).toString()
}

var d = document.createElement("div")
d.id = "radar2"
d.style.position = "fixed"
d.style.left = "150px"
d.style.top = "0px"
d.style.width = "150px"
d.style.height = "35px"
d.style.border = "1px solid red"
d.style.zIndex = "2"
d.style.backgroundColor = "green"
d.style.color = "#8f8"
document.body.appendChild(d)

setInterval(renderRadar2, 1000)

===Functionality===
By observing page code while playing, the game grabs and displays images based on location, and subsequently clears all non-visible images. The game uses what seems to be a position syntax to retrieve the intended images live, and returns an error if such an image does not exist, such as a blank area. This technically means things could be added to the world and updated live. If the player is moving sufficiently fast or if the internet connection is slow, this means that the player can get stuck in a black area that does not load in time.

This also means that the game does not have coded top or bottom limits, so any attempt to find the ''ceiling'' of the game will be futile unless the game is tweaked. The game does however have side limits.

Opening the console will display the text: what? hoverboard not enough for you!? in the log. Activating goggles mode will cause the text 'B-)' to appear in the log.

==Transcript==
:[This transcript only covers the starting page as shown on xkcd: {{xkcd|1608}}. A full transcript of the entire comic will be listed on a [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript|separate page]].]

:[Cueball is shown on a hoverboard in the centre of the comic. Around him is a simple maze with 12 yellow coins. Another Cueball without howerboard is shown standing on one of the platforms to the right. The bottom half of the window is black. Right of where Cueball stands is a ramp. Behind the ramp is a computer. There is lots of space left of the maze, outside the maze. Text is only written in white below in the black area. The first part of the text is written below Cueball on hoverboard. Then there is an arrow pointing to the computer and a label. Finally there is a line of text at the bottom of the black area.]

:[Under Cueball:]
:My new book,
:''Thing Explainer,''
:comes out today!
:To celebrate, here's
:a small game.

:[Under the arrow below the computer.]
:Deposit coins here

:[At the bottom:]
:Use the arrow keys to move

:['''For the full transcript of the entire comic see [[1608: Hoverboard/Transcript]].''']

==Trivia==
*There is as usual [[:Category:No title text|no title text]] for these interactive comics. But there is actually one listed in the [http://xkcd.com/1608/info.0.json info page] on xkcd. But this text: "Return to the play area", is never shown as a normal title text. But it will erroneously be shown in the unofficial mobile versions of the site.
**This is actually the text that is shown blinking red at the buttom of the screen when leaving the starting area.
*If the focus switches from the game to the page, the cueball can freeze in midair. The same thing can happen if the window border overlaps the play area.
*The Washington monument has an invisible floor next to the visible bricks which you can enter from further up the monument.
**You can also just walk through the monument at its base as shown by the sign.

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:No title text]]
[[Category:Comics with color]]
[[Category:Large drawings]]
[[Category:Comics with animation]]
[[Category:Dynamic comics]]
[[Category:Interactive comics]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring White Hat]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hair Bun Girl]]
[[Category:Multiple Cueballs]]
[[Category:Philosophy]]
[[Category:Video games]]
[[Category:Star Wars]]
[[Category:LOTR]]
[[Category:Animals]]
[[Category:Hamster Ball]]
[[Category:Playpen balls]]

1176: Those Not Present

2015-11-20T09:58:28Z

173.245.54.9: /* Explanation */

{{comic
| number = 1176
| date = February 20, 2013
| title = Those Not Present
| image = those not present.png
| titletext = 'Yeah, that squid's a total asshole.' [scoot scoot]
}}

==Explanation==
Cueball doesn't want to hang out with people who badmouth others who aren't present. He leaves this conversation and gets into one about [http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/28/giant-squid-monster-squid-video_n_2564757.html giant squids] (a topic peculiar enough for [[Megan]] and [[Beret Guy]]). Although this topic may even be considered childish or socially awkward{{Citation needed}}, this is still better than the social group that he was in.

The title text hints that the second conversational group isn't any nicer, by badmouthing the giant squid, who obviously, is not present.

==Trivia==
In the first panel originally the word "friends" was misspelled as "frends".

==Transcript==
:Every time someone says something negative about a person who's not in the room, I scoot my chair back a few inches.
:[Cueball, Ponytail and two other people are sitting at a table drinking.]
:Person: ''He's'' not so bad, but his ''friends''...
:[Cueball scoots away from table.]
:''Scoot scoot''

:Ponytail: His band is never gonna take off if...
:[Cueball scoots further away.]
:''Scoot scoot''

:[Megan, Beret Guy, and Harry come into view.]
:Off-screen: Yeah, his sister is even ''weirder''.
:Off-screen: Did you see she had...
:''Scoot scoot''
:Beret Guy: ...and there's a video, but it's blurry...

:[Cueball turns around and leans his arm on his chair.]
:Cueball: What're you talking about?
:Hairy: Giant squid!
:Cueball: Mind if I join you?

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Ponytail]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Hairy]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Beret Guy]]

1333: First Date

2014-06-12T21:03:26Z

173.245.54.9: Edited the article to state that Pokemon Heart Gold (randomized) has now also been beaten.

{{comic
| number = 1333
| date = February 21, 2014
| title = First Date
| image = first_date.png
| titletext = I sympathize with the TPP protagonist because I, too, have progressed through a surprising number of stages of life despite spending entire days stuck against simple obstacles.
}}

==Explanation==
TPP, or {{w|Twitch Plays Pokémon}}, was the first of a creative and radical new variant of streaming gameplay videos created in early 2014 — only a few days before this comic was released.

With the increasing popularity of watching video games be played (usually by 'popular' gamers known for entertaining gameplay), streaming sites dedicated to streaming gameplay were created. [http://twitch.tv/ Twitch.tv] was one such site.

Whereas traditional video game streams involved the channel broadcaster or other personality playing the game, the channel "Twitch Plays Pokémon" recorded a {{w|Internet bot|bot}} playing an emulated game of [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Red_and_Blue_Versions Pokémon Red] for {{w|Game Boy}}. The game was given inputs by the bot based on players' messages in the video stream itself. Thus, that for all intents and purposes, the watchers of the stream were playing the game, using chat "commands." The player behaved incredibly erratically, frequently getting "stuck against simple obstacles" (as mentioned in the title-text) and moving about in a strange manner ("Why are you up there?"/"Bye...Okay, coming back now"). Despite this, the player advanced surprisingly far in the game, having earned several [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Badge gym badges]. They have beaten the [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Elite_Four Elite Four] and [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Champion Champion] of generations [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Generation_I I], [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Generation_II II], [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Generation_III III], [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_Platinum_Version Pokémon Platinum], and [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Pok%C3%A9mon_HeartGold_and_SoulSilver_Versions Pokémon HeartGold]. You can see how far they have progressed in [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Twitch_Plays_Pok%C3%A9mon this Bulbapedia article]. TPP surged in popularity rapidly from its inception, reaching 80,000 channel viewers within five days. Derivative channels (such as 'TwitchPlayers') soon arose, turning "Twitch Plays..." into an idea rather than a single channel – the idea of crowdsourcing a task, such as controlling a single person (as in the Pokémon games) for erratic and often hilarious results. The stream has reached [http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/events/twitch-plays-pokemon memetic status], and as of this writing it is still ongoing.

In the above comic, [[Cueball]] and [[Megan]] are on a date, however, Megan is behaving very erratically. Cueball determines that Megan is being "controlled by Twitch," as her behavior matches well with that of the TPP protagonist (whose name, canonically, is [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Red_(game) Red]). Megan loudly declares at one point that she is "SAVING" her 'game progress', referencing the incessant saving in TPP via random button presses. The random ten-letter string she says is reminiscent of the [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Nickname nicknames] that all of TPP's Pokémon end up with as the players move haphazardly across the game's keyboard. Her fascination with the "cool spiral" is an allusion to TPP players' fascination with the [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Dome_and_Helix_Fossils Helix Fossil], an in-game item. As user input often leads to the checking of the in-game backpack, followed by erratic commands to handle the items within, it was common for various [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Valuable_item valuable items] to be haphazardly thrown away; however, players quickly discovered that the Helix Fossil, as a [http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Key_item key item], could not be tossed. The players' realization that the Helix Fossil would stay in the bag almost permanently throughout the game caused TPP players to jokingly regard it with a near-religious reverence for its constant appearance, with many acting as if the protagonist was "looking to the Helix for guidance".

The title text, as explained above, simply is a light-hearted joke from [[Randall]], empathizing with TPP as he has also spent real-life days stuck against simple obstacles, and is surprised by how far he has got in life despite this.

==Transcript==
:[Cueball and Megan sit at an intimate dinner table. They have plates and glasses of wine in front of them.]
:Cueball: So, did you grow up around here?
:Megan: I love you.
:Cueball: ... huh?
:Megan: Waiter! One of everything on the menu.

:[Megan stands up. Standing on her chair, she's holding a plate.]
:Cueball: Why are you up there?
:Megan: I'm stuck. This plate looks delicious. Aaaoogaoag.

:[Megan has put the plate down and walked off-panel.]
:Megan: Bye.
:Megan: OK. Coming back now.

:[Megan is crouched on her chair, holding a spiral.]
:Cueball: You're being controlled by Twitch, aren't you?
:Megan: Check out this cool spiral!
:Cueball: It's—
:Megan: '''SAVING.'''

{{comic discussion}}
[[Category:Comics featuring Cueball]]
[[Category:Comics featuring Megan]]
[[Category:Internet]]
[[Category:Pokémon]]

Talk:1176: Those Not Present

2014-06-10T02:15:57Z

173.245.54.9: I added a comment.

Seems pretty straight forward. The more a group talks badly of a person who's not present, a bad habit, the less Munroe wants to be associated with it. Therefore, he slowly scoots away, until he eventually reaches an other group, who, hopefully, won't have said bad habit. [[Special:Contributions/95.35.63.88|95.35.63.88]] 05:28, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
:I don't think there's much more to say about this one. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 06:39, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
::There's much more to say about it, actually. The comic is pointing out that it is the nature of groups to talk about those not present. The scooting from one to another (doing the same thing, even when the subject is something like squid), is to show that there's no escape from gossip.[[Special:Contributions/24.70.188.179|24.70.188.179]] 15:56, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
One can make assuptions about the age of those in the first group because of the shape of the beverage vessels. A wine or champagne glass might be used for it's name sake. Suggesting that they are older than the legal drinking age. Though the conversation seems like one expected in high school or college.{{unsigned|74.215.40.250}}
Is this actually this simple or are we missing something? Maybe it's just a bit crappy? [[Special:Contributions/134.226.83.27|134.226.83.27]] 14:03, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
:I was actually expecting it to proceed to some sort of equilibrium situation where the various groups slowly force him into some stationary position at a distance from each group relative to their various levels of behind the back talking.[[User:Schmammel|Schmammel]] ([[User talk:Schmammel|talk]]) 15:22, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
::I was expecting the same thing--[[User:Dangerkeith3000|Dangerkeith3000]] ([[User talk:Dangerkeith3000|talk]]) 16:08, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
:::I was expecting the first group will start talking about him, when he's away. [[Special:Contributions/37.108.11.242|37.108.11.242]] 23:31, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
:::: They will. But that doesn't affect him, because he doesn't want to be associated with them anyway. It might be the reason why he doesn't want to associate with them. As the conventional warning against indulging in gossip goes: "Be wary of people that say things about others behind their backs, because they might do the same about you." Of course, the real reason we ought not to engage in gossip is beyond niceties. Contrary to what most people believe, it isn't about with-holding all criticism. It's about fair representation, and accurate communication. However, given umwelt, it's not like everyone will have the same viewpoint anyway. Still, understanding that and being non-judgmental involves no slagging-people-behind-their-back, or consigning them to inferiority or incapability. Even if you do it to their faces [[Special:Contributions/220.224.246.97|220.224.246.97]] 12:19, 21 February 2013 (UTC)

Is that person ''actually'' called Harry? [[Special:Contributions/117.194.203.214|117.194.203.214]] 16:23, 20 February 2013 (UTC)
:Nope, it was made up in [[1028: Communication]] to describe generic male characters with hair. [[User:Alpha|Alpha]] ([[User talk:Alpha|talk]]) 20:51, 20 February 2013 (UTC)

Technically, by scooting away, they are free to talk badly about him, as he is no longer present. [[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.9|173.245.54.9]] 02:15, 10 June 2014 (UTC)

==What can we learn from this?==
I've learned that talk shows don't work, unless they allow the person they are talking about to represent their point of view. If you see someone doing this on purpose, switch the channel as you are not missing much. - e-inspired [[Special:Contributions/24.51.197.187|24.51.197.187]] 19:11, 27 February 2013 (UTC)

Talk:513: Friends

2014-02-04T00:22:09Z

173.245.54.9:

Tried it, doesn't work. --[[Special:Contributions/173.245.53.154|173.245.53.154]] 21:04, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
:Are you the real Cueball? --[[User:Dgbrt|Dgbrt]] ([[User talk:Dgbrt|talk]]) 22:01, 22 November 2013 (UTC)
::Sometimes we're all the real Cueball.[[Special:Contributions/173.245.54.9|173.245.54.9]] 00:22, 4 February 2014 (UTC)