How to win at PING (For Fellow Dummies)

Do you suck at the PING mini game like I do?
Let's change that.

Undestanding PING

The game is simple.
But I'm an idiot.
Here's how I used the last 2 working cells in my half-eaten brain to understand and beat this mini-game.

• You control a paddle on the left side of the screen and the the CPU controls the other one.
  
• Your paddle moves up and down - controlled by either the W and S keys or the UP ARROW and DOWN ARROW
  
• Whenever a player misses the ball, the opponent gets a point.
  
• The ball will bounce off of the top and bottom walls without any penalty to either players.
  
• First player to reach 3 points wins.

These are the basics.

Now here are some things I noticed:

• The ball picks up speed every time it touches a paddle.
  
  
• It doesn't matter what direction your paddle is moving (up or down), the ball will always bounce off your paddle in a certain way based on where it hits. Confused? Here's the explanation with some GIFs (No, you're pronouncing it wrong: It's GIF not GIF)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • If the ball hits the center of the paddle, it will bounce straight to the opponent.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • If the ball hits the top half of the paddle, it will bounce upwards.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  • if the ball hits the bottom half of the paddle, it will bounce downwards.
    
    I lost a point trying to record this Y_Y

Understanding The CPU Player

The CPU Player is actually a nice person.
They don't want to win.
They just want to play with you.
If you want to, they'll just keep hitting the ball back to you for as long as you want.

That's pretty much it.
Not a very fleshed out character, I know.

Oh and the CPU Player can go through the top and bottom walls... Unlike you. You are a hooman, not a ghost...

Wait a minute... Is the CPU Player a ghost? O_o!

I guess there's a bit more depth to the character than I thought, huh?

How to Win?

To win, you need to be best friends with the CPU and then betray them when they least expect it.
Cruel, I know.
But that is the price of victory.

Step 1 - THE SET UP / Act Friendly with the CPU

• Try to hit the ball with the center of your paddle or slightly above/below the center of your paddle as best as you can.
  
• Try and bring the play to either the top or bottom wall.
  
• CPU Player, being the sweetie pie they are, will try always hit the ball oh-so-very slightly above or below the middle of the paddle so that there is some randomness to the game.

Step 2 - THE DECOY / Make Them Trust You

• As explained, the ball picks up speed with every bounce. You need to count to at least 10 to 12 bounces to ensure enough speed for the killing blow.
  
• Remember that you need to keep the ball flying to and fro in either the top or bottom half of the screen.
  
• Try to keep up with the CPU player and wait for right opportunity.

Step 3 - THE EXECUTION / You Are A Horrible Person

• Make sure you are comfortable with the speed and we move to the last step.
  
• If you are at the bottom half of the screen, when it's your turn, hit the ball with the topmost end (as much as possible) of your paddle so that it flies off to the other side and the CPU Player can't catch up.
  
• ... and Vice versa.

(Oh and that's Chocolate Sauce, not blood. Yum!)

Here, let me show you how it's done.
If you are at the top half of the screen, hit the ball with the bottom most part of your paddle.
Try to do this before the 20th bounce as the ball will be too fast to control or catch up with.

Victory

There are 3 PING related achievements - Unlocked when you win 1, 5 and 10 games respectively.
I hope this guide helped you.




Enjoy your sweet sweet cruel victory.
Did you feel good about doing all this for some internet points?
... you filthy monster!


PS: If the Developer decides to change the CPU player's algorithm, then this guide is as good as a... something that... is... not good... Like, at all...

Sorry, brain no work.

You're on your own.

Good luck!

See yaaaaaa!!!

[threeperman]

best guide i ever seen

[Kozhi]

Yay! People find my useless guide to be actually useful!
More yay!

[ᔕᗰG]

savage (I got all 3 achievements)

[Kozhi]

Thank you, my good sir

[Skelatard]

this guide is peak