Thesis Paper
Here is the final paper for my thesis entitled Communio: PDF link
12:24 AM May 11, 2006 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
Communio v.15 (Web App)
Here's a link to the applet as it stands now: Communio_v.15
Here's a flickr set showing the installation setup and gameplay for my thesis entitled Communio. The objective is to move your paddles around to defend the blue balls from the white balls, and put your paddles (hands) together to trigger blue balls to fire into the center and destroy the target.
As is illustrated in the flickr set, this shows collisions with the white balls, colored paddles, the spinning barrier, and target rings. You can bat the white balls at the center rings to destroy them in this version, however, this is not how the final game will operate. The white balls will be ejected from the center and destroy blue balls that reside in the outer ring. The white balls are meant to be blocked with the paddles from reaching the outer ring, while the blue balls are triggered to shoot towards the center target rings to destroy them.
9:06 PM April 15, 2006 Comments 1 TrackBack 0
Screen Experiment Results
Giant plastic screen, not so solid as it seems.
So, it worked, and then it didn't. I coated the inside with 6 layers of polyester resin and let it sit a day. Came back, and it seemed solid, so I flipped it and coated the outside. However, instead of supporting the screen by the outside ring, I set it on a cardboard box. I put on two outside coats in one night, and when I came back in the morning the screen had warped and molded partially to the corners of the box. On top of this, it's still fairly brittle.
So, I'm springing for a dome skylight which may take a few weeks to manufacture. However, I didn't scrap this experiment, and plan to use it for playtesting in the interim.
10:51 PM February 12, 2006 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
Paraboloid of Revolution
In talking with Jess around the screen Tuesday night, we heard our voices intensified. They were being reflected off the screen (or Paraboloid of Revolution) to its focal point, just like a satellite dish or parabolic mirror.
This dovetails nicely with the themes of communion (named my thesis, finally: Communio. Latin root for communion) and an intimate, coincident experience between participants. Perhaps my subconscious was thinking about it all along...
Should be a fun effect to play with when it's done. Reminded us of the science center installations where a pair of large dishes are positioned opposite one another, but several feet apart, where you can position your head at the focus and whisper to the other person's head in the opposite focus. I created the diagram above to illustrate the concept. Works either way, rays emitting from a point at the focus are reflect out as parallel rays, and vice versa.
2:16 AM February 8, 2006 Comments 1 TrackBack 0
synchronicity #2
Immediately after meeting with Tracy about my prototype, I listened to this NPR report on the Cambodian game of Sey. (basically Hackey Sack).
1:40 AM November 10, 2005 Comments 2 TrackBack 0
prototype 01 - basic mechanic
Here's a diagram illustratiing a basic mechanic that I'm planning to build as my first real protoype for my thesis. The red, orange, and green dots represent the 3 players hands as they pass the blue balls around. The blue balls are always attracted by gravity from the center to the perimeter.
Some inspiration from New Games:
1:01 AM Comments 2 TrackBack 0
Flash Bracelet - 7 Colors!
Ironically, they're one of the few LED items on the net that doesn't flash. And though the colored twists inside the plastic are different colors, the LED's are all the same color, and when turned on they all glow the same color.
I purchased a dozen.
2:33 AM October 18, 2005 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
INSTRUCTION:
Hilariously poor translation. My favorite is the Warining box.
2:31 AM Comments 0 TrackBack 0
LED Bracelet (unmodified)
Here's what they look like out of the box. They're solid plastic, with a detachable light/battery section. I'm not going to use this outright, but rather will use the light/battery section to build one that uses multiple lights, diffuses the light evenly, and is flexible to adjust to different size wrists and will stay in place.
2:30 AM Comments 0 TrackBack 0
LED / Battery Section, with cover removed
Next up is to replace the LED's to make a pair of red and a pair of yellow.
Can't help but feel a bit of unease from its resemblance to the tracker removed from Keanu's bellybutton in the Matrix.
2:27 AM Comments 0 TrackBack 0
LED Batteries
And the best part: replaceble, small batteries.
2:27 AM Comments 0 TrackBack 0
paper maquette
showing the entries to the structure.
3:27 AM September 26, 2005 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
screen solution
yay for the end of iterative development. this is a scaled down version of a solution for a rear projection screen for my thesis. in this, each sector is 3' long, while the final version is 5' 5" long and will be sewn along the edges instead of duct taped together.
3:25 AM Comments 0 TrackBack 0
yet another tunnel
this is too elaborate, but I believe things are becoming clearer. something where you're traveling upwards through interesting spaces separated by puzzle gates.
Mostly an action puzzler, with some adventure and rhythm in there...on some level.
Mmmmm, linearity.
3:32 AM September 12, 2005 Comments 1 TrackBack 0
OpenGL Camera Setup
Here's a basic OpenGL camera setup in Processing (this is in P3D; uncomment to work in OPENGL, or get the source here).
Next task: vectors and matrices for controlling the camera transformations. And once the tracking is controlling the camera, I'll build a new and improved dome screen.
6:26 PM September 6, 2005 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
Collective Vector
Here's a simple first applet that adds the vectors of three different participants to create a collective vector (this will be the vector of the virtual camera). Click and drag the colored dots around (they each represent a different person's hand as tracked by an overhead camera). It might run slow for this web version, and you might loose the colored dot if you move too fast. It's 2D for now, but I'll hopefully get it into 3D soon. Credit to Daniel Shiffman for some of his code.
12:24 AM September 4, 2005 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
Coliberation
Some poetic and very relevant pages of theory for my thesis development by New Games pioneer and faculty member Bernie DeKoven. This chapter covers a few of his coined terms including "Coliberation" and the "ME/WE" relationship.
The excerpt is from "The Well-Played Game: A Playful Path to Wholeness".
1:52 AM August 30, 2005 Comments 1 TrackBack 0
Sketches: navigation, gameplay, etc.
Some thesis brainstorming sketches for navigation and gameplay. Possibly too ambitious for something like processing, but I'm excited to experiment with rings and tunnels to provoke sensations of motion. Click through 18 images in the set starting here.
3:37 AM August 29, 2005 Comments 1 TrackBack 0
Core Mechnanic with Flying Particles
Brainstorming the gameplay possibilities of my core mechanic (tracking bracelets from an overhead camera). The further out one reaches the higher the particles fly around. Clockwise direction of flight around the dome could be controlled with how far to the left or right the hand is of where the person is facing.
1:55 AM August 22, 2005 Comments 4 TrackBack 0
Prototype - LED's and seeking vectors
I've been working on a prototype for a gestural interface between 3 participants. One idea is to use LED bracelets (3 pairs of red, green, blue; tracked from an overhead camera). I thought an interesting interaction would be to play with flocking vectors. Modifying Daniel Shiffman's Seeking code to draw vectors seeking 3 seperate points in Processing, and using the MaxLink library (which was very painless) to communicate with SoftVNS in Max to seperately track three LED's, I was able to put something together pretty quickly. Here's a video to show the setup in action.
I'm interested to see how far the OpenGL processing lib can be pushed while maintaining a decent framerate. I'm still thinking of doing keyframed animation and interface elements in flash, but processing just keeps getting better by the day, and I think it will play a predominent role in the real-time graphics.
Some ideas I'm milling around for this mechanic include using the radius of the inner circular area drawn by the flocking vectors to control things like the blooming of a large projected flower or opening up a wormhole like tunnel.
Areas to go with this include developing the bracelets further to include sensors to detect their proximity to one another. Wires are a concern, as is weight. To my surprise a 9v battery only drives around 3 LED's.
11:25 PM July 3, 2005 Comments 3 TrackBack 0
Prototype - Dome Overhead Screen
Well, despite trig and pre-vis, the sections are off (needed to be a wider curve at each apex), but it seems usable. Durability is more what I'm concered with now. I think with some tweaking of the legs and recutting of a section, it should work pretty well. Hopefully do some test projecting this week in the ZML...hopefully it's possible in wake of the show.
2:34 AM May 16, 2005 Comments 2 TrackBack 0
this is not an umbrella
Starting to prototype an overhead screen for my thesis. I want it to be collapsable and hemispherical, so naturally an umbrella came to mind. Hopefully I'll get some fabric and some sort of extension for the the wires in the next few days.
10:28 PM May 10, 2005 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
thesis proposal
5:58 AM May 7, 2005 Comments 2 TrackBack 0
design (first draft)
At the beginning of the experience, participants will enter from 3 separate and symmetrically spaced entrances into a domed tent roughly 12’ in diameter and 8’ high. 3 cushioned seating areas just inside the edge would clearly be designated. Low ambient music / sounds would be played over surround speakers. A physical structure residing in the center (very vague at this point, something between a tree / fire / bubble) would faintly glow (perhaps via an array of embedded LED’s) and come alive when all three participants took their seats. 3 projectors would be mounted outside the dome and project onto the dome’s translucent surface. Cameras inside the device would act as its eyes to observe the participant’s movements, and tangible tendrils jutting from the device would allow them to physically touch and interact with it. Capacitance sensors would provide non-touch interaction. When participants move in a certain manner or hold hands to form a circular link, the projections and sound would react.
Each person will have unique imagery and sound that is generated based on their movement. The manner with which they need to move their body will also be unique, in the hope that their interactions can form a sort of unified gestalt when they act cooperatively.
The experience would possibly begin with a fun and joyful activity such as popping or bouncing around images and sounds. A method of sensing touch and linking between participants would be rewarded with interaction that is more fun than when they act separately (e.g. what were separate musical notes or chords might unite into a song.) This would serve as a way of acquainting and training people to interact with the system.
Puzzle solving or simply a more structured game would follow this to engage participants in a more complex and communal goal driven activity (e.g. building some virtual device via stacking or interlinking of pieces). Upon reaching this goal or solution, this virtual device may come alive and integrate with the physical device, and provide an expressive form of interaction (similar to the beginning playful activity, but in this case more complex and refined, like the difference between clapping and a drum set).
2:57 AM April 11, 2005 Comments 0 TrackBack 0
methodology / flow (second draft)
I want to create a cooperative game to increase communication, understanding and expression in groups. Communal goals and play use the power of the magic circle and the lusory attitude to bring people together, now what can we do with this power once they're inside other than repetitive-distinct goal based activity? Where else can that connection be steered while maintaining the magic? What forms of interaction are more intimate than others? How can we seduce participants and lower social barriers with games, environment, and interactive media? How can you create more meaningful play and interactions? Is there a way to provide some individual expression and exploration within the experience? What sort of technology is most appropriate for creating this experience, and what sort of tech could create new content?
I would like to address these questions by creating a series of experiences that get people into a flow of interaction that can build and culminate in a sublime experience. I think that there are certain sequences and cycles that can be designed to build upon one another. For example, having participants engage in a playful and accessible group activity / game at the start of the experience may help to warm people up to one another, lower their guards, and establish a bit of trust. Following this with a simple puzzle can establish more complex intellectual cooperation and interaction. Providing a meaningful payoff and playful reward to solving the puzzle can make people value the amazing things that can be accomplished as a cooperative group, perhaps increasing the participant's value of different people's strengths, as well as increasing trust. Using the energy and state of mind that's been established, it may be easier to persuade participants to become more vulnerable than they normally would by getting them to reveal some personal aspects of themselves in service to the play of the game. The trick would be how to do this while not destroying the lusory attitude and the trust that's established. The payoff may need to be linked to people's level of admission. Psychological and Hypnotic techniques could be employed here.
1:02 AM Comments 0 TrackBack 0
motivation / background (first draft)
This thesis follows from my interest in the power of play to decrease barriers and establish intimate connections between participants, as well as new forms of communication possible via interactive media. In addition, it involves interaction with tangible devices connected to computers that offer a more direct and visceral interaction. And last but not least, the power and uniqueness of immersive experiences to frame and focus interactions.
I am looking at prior art including: Happenings art movement, New Games Movement, Ludology theorists, Media artists using gestural interface such as Golan Levin and Zachary Booth Simpson. Surrealists/Dadaists, location based entertainment / theme parks: e.g. Disney, Universal, Chuck E. Cheese. Fantasy movie set design, Social / group psychology, adolescence and it's connection to creativity, gameplay, sexual / psychological development, hypnotism, ESP, synchronicity, improvisation, hallucinations, dreams, meditation, magic, etc. Bernie DeKoven, Carl Jung, Aleister Crowley, Marcel Duchamp, Allen Kaprow, Katie Salen/ Eric Zimmerman, Will Wright...
1:01 AM Comments 0 TrackBack 0
abstract (second draft)
(untitled) is a communal play experience involving cooperative puzzle solving and improvisational expression among 3 participants in a physical installation. The experience will attempt to use the power of the "magic circle" and intuitive interfaces to achieve creative and intimate interactions between participants. It will take the form of a large room akin to a surreal garden / playground, within which reside interactive tangible devices, along with some form of display of real-time graphics that are meaningfully connected to the interaction with the physical objects. This may take the form of projection, augmented reality displays, or both. Interfaces will be intuitive largely, and at times gestural. Techniques of sensing capacitance without touch (as in Theremins) and computer vision to detect motion would be employed, with OpenGL used to generate the graphics. The audience would be wide to create connections between strangers. 15 yr olds and up would likely be the best audience for the subject matter. Those inclined to being open, honest and creative would excel in the experience and could be a catalyst for others to.
12:45 AM Comments 0 TrackBack 0
thesis prep schedule
Week of April 7th
- Continue meeting with advisors
- Read more and digest DeKoven’s ideas
- Start designing playtests
- Research more into magic, ludological theory, collaborative puzzles, surreal and new games, social psychology, children's museums...
Week of April 14th
- Continue playtest designs
- Begin making as many tech decisions as possible
- Make a stab at a detailed physical layout
- Continue research
Week of April 21st
- Finalize decision about the flow and as many rules of the experience as possible.
- Work on presentation
Presentation on April 28th
May 5th FINAL SUBMISSION OF PROPOSAL
11:38 AM April 7, 2005 Comments 0 TrackBack 0