Maximizing Your Experience at the Grow A Garden 2 Admin Party

When the new Steam Controller goes on sale on May 4th, it will go up against much more established gamepads in the Xbox Wireless Controller and PS5 DualSense vein – though none that share its singular focus on being a PC gaming controller, specifically. Why are there so few PC pads?

It’s a question I put to Valve designer Lawrence Yang and engineer Steve Cardinali, who’ve also worked on the Steam Deck, Steam Deck OLED, and the upcoming Steam Machine and Steam Frame VR hardware. And while theories were offered, the true reasoning for the peripheral industry’s console monogamy was, alas, left a mystery.

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Sundays are for writing your first ever Sunday Papers. Though your excitement, like mine, may slip a little when you realise you’ve been reading almost anything but gaming articles this week. So, I shall be leaning quite heavily into the “(mostly)” in the column’s mission of rounding up “great writing about (mostly) videogames”.

I hope you’ll be able to find as much joy in writing about bacteria, lighthouses, and life after a nuclear war as I have.

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**Title: Quinten’s Journey for Truth: Uncovering Cheating in Roblox Speedrunning**

In a recent development in the gaming scene, Quinten, an enthusiastic Roblox player, captured attention as they maneuvered through the challenging realm of competitive speedrunning—particularly in the obstacle course game, *Ultimate Easy Obby*. Quinten’s adventure not only underscores the excitement of competition but also the significance of honesty in gaming.

Quinten was close to achieving a Guinness World Record with a stunning time of 05:48:96. This record came after a fierce competition with another challenger, demonstrating exceptional skill and commitment. Quinten, an 18-year-old from Belgium, invested countless hours perfecting each jump and fine-tuning movements to reach this milestone, regarding it as their peak gaming accomplishment.

However, the triumph was fleeting. Just days following Quinten’s record being set, several new records popped up from seemingly random Roblox accounts, eclipsing Quinten’s time by an astonishing six seconds. Such a notable enhancement sparked immediate doubts within the speedrunning community, as Quinten remarked, “For context: a 6-second gap on a speedrun this optimized is physically impossible.” Instead of retreating, Quinten made a commitment to investigate these new records and expose what they suspected to be a case of cheat.

Quinten’s inquiry uncovered three main pieces of proof indicating dishonesty. The first involved scrutinizing timestamps on the speedruns. In *Ultimate Easy Obby*, players progress through a simple 50-stage course. However, the timestamps from the rival accounts were inconsistently arranged, implying that players had not finished the course as expected. Additionally, one of the new record holders lacked a “digital receipt” confirming their completion of the race, suggesting that they probably teleported directly to the game’s end using a script, bypassing the standard verification process.

The most persuasive evidence came from Quinten’s own examination of their recorded run. By executing a frame-by-frame analysis and calculating the maximum possible time savings achievable through flawless movements and in-game mechanics, Quinten mathematically proved that the times claimed by the suspected cheaters were unachievable within the game’s physics engine. This thorough assessment highlighted the validity of Quinten’s own record against the implausible assertions from the others.

In an extraordinary twist, Quinten compiled their findings and presented them to Guinness World Records. The organization acknowledged the digital forensics provided by Quinten and re-evaluated the records. Following a comprehensive review, Quinten’s original time was reaffirmed as the authentic world record. The validation marked a pivotal moment not only for Quinten but also for the Roblox community, emphasizing the necessity of fair play.

As Quinten shared, “It felt amazing to successfully lobby a major organization to reverse verified records based on user-submitted digital forensics.” This experience has not only restored Quinten’s status as the champion of *Ultimate Easy Obby* but also shed light on a critical issue in online gaming: the need for credibility and the ongoing struggle against cheating in competitive settings.

In summary, Quinten’s tale stands as a tribute to determination and the quest for truth within the gaming sphere. It highlights that even though competition can be intense, upholding the rules and ensuring integrity can ultimately result in a fair and rightful acknowledgment of skill.