Frequently Asked Questions
- What Internet browser should I use?
- How do I submit my answer?
- Can I submit an answer before completing all eight games?
- My answer I submitted was not correct. What should I do?
- How can I tell you about my experience with the game?
- I stopped playing for a half hour and was logged out of the game. How come?
- How can I view the campus Library Map more closely?
- The game is running very slowly. What should I do?
- How robust is the game?
- I am an OSU alumnus. Why can’t I log on as "OSU Affiliated"?
- I am a "Guest." Will I be able to check my final answer?
- Can non-OSU freshman play Head Hunt?
- Who developed this game and why was it created?
What Internet browser should I use?
Head Hunt works best with Safari (Macintosh) and Internet Explorer version 7 or Firefox Windows (PC). Opera and earlier versions of Internet Explorer are not recommended due to problems these browsers have reading Flash and other software in this game.
How do I submit my answer?
After filling in all clue letter boxes at the top of the Library Map screen, click on each letter and drag it into position to spell an OSU library location. When completed, simply click on the green "Check Answer" check mark to the right to the clue letters.
Can I submit an answer before completing all eight games?
Yes. After successfully completing and receiving clue letters for four games, you will see the green “Check Answers” check mark activate. You may click on any empty clue letter box and type a letter until all boxes are filled. Drag the letters to arrange them into the proper order to spell an OSU library location, then click on the "Check Answers" link.
My answer I submitted was not correct. What should I do?
Try rearranging the letters to spell a different OSU library location. If you did not complete all games and just filled in empty boxes with letters you guessed, try other letters or complete more games. You may submit as many guesses as you like until you find the correct OSU library location.
How can I tell you about my experience with the game?
Simply click on the "Comments" link at the top of the Library Map screen to access the short online evaluation form. Other general design and content comments can be sent to roecker.1@osu.edu. For technical questions, contact muir.29@osu.edu
I stopped playing for a half hour and was logged out of the game. How come?
Head Hunt automatically logs out any player who has not interacted with the game for 30 minutes. All complete games and clue letters are saved, but partial work on a game will not be saved.
How can I view the campus Library Map more closely?
Use the tool bar in the upper left corner of the Library Map to move around the Library Map, then zoom in on specific areas and buildings.
The game is running very slowly. What should I do?
When there are many players online interacting with the game, the response time is slower. You can finish the game you are on (in order to save your answer!) and access the game later.
How robust is the game?
A stress test of the game was completed in August 2007 with Libraries’ personnel. Later that month, the OSU Libraries IT staff simulated a second test where over 170 players simultaneously accessed the database behind the game (for recording login information, awarding letters, checking answers, etc.) and found only some slowing of the system. The Fall Quarter 2007 will have over 6,000 new freshman along with their families and other guest trying the game.
I am an OSU alumnus. Why can’t I log on as "OSU Affiliated"?
The database used for logins in Head Hunt requires the player have a current OSU Name.# email account. Most alumni do not have this account. To prevent multiple and/or confusing pathways for logins, it was determined to simplify the process by having all alumni play as "Guests."
I am a "Guest." Will I be able to check my final answer?
Yes. Although "Guests" do not login to the Head Hunt database (where the answers are located), guests can follow onscreen directions at the end to check their final library location answer.
Can non-OSU freshman play Head Hunt?
Of course they can! Players with an OSU affiliation (those with a current Name.# email account) can login on that pathway. Everyone else worldwide is welcome to play as a "Guest." All players are asked to click on the "Comments" link to give their thoughts about their Head Hunt experience.
Who developed this game and why was it created?
Head Hunt was developed by three faculty librarians in the OSU Libraries Office of Library Instruction, along with one part-time graduate student and one part-time undergraduate student programmer. The goal was to offer all incoming OSU freshmen and their families a non-threatening orientation to the University Libraries before they arrived on campus. Working with the OSU offices of First Year Experience as well as Undergraduate Research, the Design Team created a series of eight casual games and five short movies to introduce students to the facilities, resources, and people of the OSU Libraries. The game was first launched on September 5, 2007 to 6,000 incoming students and their families. For more information, see About Head Hunt