Mike Brinker

More Final 3D

Not too shabby for my first shot at it. The glass doesn't look quite right, but passable for now. Haven't done any lighting yet either, thats just the default light setup. The metal rim looks fantastic because of the little rounded edges I put on it when I modeled it. A good trick from the pros. Take a look.

A little 3D

For my final...a little 3D for the in game HUD. A murder mystery is never complete without the magnifying lens...

and now on to texturing...eeeeekkk...

Midterm Update #2

Automation of space is always interesting. The mac video we watched during our forum was rather fun, as well as the others that we saw in the past. My midterm has evolved into somthing of this kind. The system in the immersive lab is great, but I want more automation. My design is as follows.

As I have researched RFID for a while, I have found that the pricepoint is rather high for the devices that are passive and rather small. The advantage to this is powerless and individually marked tags (very cool). Just recently, after having class with Perry and working on our basic stamps, I realized that parallax.com should have something to offer, and they do. I quickly picked up a 413 mHz keyfob tag (you know the ones for your car...heres a picture) and a transciever unit. 75 foot line of sight and I am going to try and turn on the lights and open the door before I even get near the zemeckis lab! Basically, think of it as rigging the immersive lab with a car alarm.

Revised Final

The Online Who-dunnit Collaborative Murder Mystery!

This is turning into something of a board game realized in Myst type fashion, so bear(sp?) with me as I start working out the details. Ever play the old board game 221 B Baker Street? Mix that into a computer environment with Myst like gameplay(slideshow+animatics), throw in multiplayer, add a twist of lemon (tba) and serve up hot in director. Yes I know director is lame, but I need to start simple.

PLOT:

You have all been assembled at Scotland Yard by the chief of police for one reason. Lady Ann Grimswelder, Dutchess, has been MURDERED! Ba daaaa bummm....and one of you is the KILLER!!! (Insert cheezy lighting clash here). To prove your innoncence, collect as much evidence as you can against another person, disproving your own guilt. Watch out! Collaboration is key to proving yourself innocent. Conspire with fellow detectives and possibly save your own skin. Too much yacking and you might just incriminate yourself! 6 to 8 players, no more, no less. You have until midnight...good luck!

GAMEPLAY:

All detectives/suspects start at Scotland yard and move their way through the town (via a Myst like Slideshow, clicking on pictures to navigate) collecting evidence and visiting the various locations, talking to townsfolk and finding out what took place. Some evidence will point to you, as other pieces will point to others. You have the ability to cover up 2 pieces of evidence against you and trump up 2 pieces of evidence against someone else. All cases will point to every individual, it's up to those in the field to conspire/collaborate with one another. The players all have until midnight that night to find as many clues as possible (about :15 to :30 minutes of gameplay, haven't figure that out yet) and return to Scotland Yard. Each player that joins is given a specific personality or avatar (think Clue here, Miss Scarlet, Colonel Mustard, etc) that is easily identifiable in the game world. Any number of characters can inhabit one place on the gameboard/environment at a time. By clicking on an individual (thats in sight or in that space on the "board") will establish a collaboritive dialogue allowing for deceit/truthfulness/evidence to be exchanged.

Instant Messanger fashion? Maybe this entire game should be based on IM....hmmm....and build a murder mystery around that? Interesting idea....some webpage could be devised to show avatars, and the Instant Messaging client could act as a collaborative tool. Two people who are talking to each other would be blinking. I will have to think more on that.

THE LOOK:

I would enjoy having a bit of video in it, but I think I would rather see a hand drawn world that involves animation, much to the style of "Panopticon" by Todd Furmanksi, but with more of an old paprus, worn look...very yellowed and old. Each player would have a HUD so to speak, with the current time, a Magnifying lens and a clue book. The clue book automatically keeps track of clues found, and notes how many Trumps and Cover Ups you have used. Cover ups could be in the form of a bribe etc. Clues could easily be misplaced and people can easily be hushed with cash.

THE NUTS AND BOLTS:

Director would easily suffice as a test bed, allowing me to actually work on most of it myself, as well as find much needed help on the networking side of things. Many people are fairly fluent in director. Hopefully someone will have some ideas about networked gameplay. Time to do some reading up.

LOCATIONS IN GAME:

The township/city should be built around the following places:

Scotland Yard
The Apothacary (sp?)
The Pawn Shop
The Carriage House
The Pub
The Docks/Harbor/Port
The Rail Yard
The Park
more to come

Each place should be enterable, have one or two pathways and a person to talk to. A simple point/click list/menu structure for asking questions and getting answers would suffice, allowing for the use of bribes and trumps through the cluebook in the HUD. Maybe Drag and Drop, but very simple. Elder Scrolls III encorporates the same list type dialogue patches. This would be no different.

Science Shmiance

RFID is such a cool thing. To bad there are so many negative ninnies out there. The following site is devoted to the stopping of RFID technology. Apparently this dude thinks we will end up in some weird neo-futuristic zombie society where we have no choice over the products we buy etc. Suffice to say, his website has a variety of useful links to articles and business people who are pro-RFID. This site is also linked up with C.A.S.P.I.A.N. Read on if you dare.

http://www.spychips.com

and

http://www.nocards.org/

Midterm

Entrances and Exits. The simple stuff. How to cross the gap/bridge/platform. Is it locked? Yes it is. Is it closed? Yes it is. How do I go through/pass?

The ZML door has a keypad lock on it. It also has an imbedded card reader and simple key lock. So let's add a fourth to the mix. I propose to use RFID to open the Zemeckis Immersive lab door for me so that I barely even need to think before crossing the gap. I also want an LCD readout that greets me as I walk in, recognizing me as I go through (hello basic stamp!). The following is a diagram of the setup. Just think about it...transponder: 71 dollars, RFID tag (think mobile speedpass): 5 bucks, LCD readout screen: 30 dollars, transponder antennae: 250 dollars
Being able to open the Zemeckis door without having to punch in a code...priceless.

Transponder module (reader)

keyring tag (like Mobile Speed Pass)

I am still trying to figure out ways of boosting my 13.56 Mhz RFID transponder read range to farther than 4 inches. According to a few sites, you can increase the range farther by adding a larger diameter antennae to your transponder (tag?). 4 inches is with a 2 inch diameter antenna. However expensive that antennae may be is still beyond me at this point. The antennaes I have seen for some tags are made of metal and coiled around the tag quite a few times. Would that hold up for the transponder as well? I don't know. More research is required.

The following is a mathmatical formula for read ranges and antennae, but unfortuneatly, it's too high freq for me (I'm at 13 megahertz, this is like 800)
http://www.maxstream.net/support/white-papers/the-power-of-sensitivity.pdf

More general info on wireless frequency
http://www.emsys.net/sfedg/presentations/Wireless%2017%20April%202001.PDF

Here we go, a desciption

"Influence of the Transmitted Power on the Reading Range:

The antenna's working range is dependent on the antenna itself, the reader, the
transponder and the level of the output power of the reader (adjustable). because the transponder gets its energy from the magnetic field produced by the antenna and that the field intensity decreases at higher distances, the radiated transmitting power has strong influence on the range."

Measured example: Label, 45 x 76 mm, over the center of the antenna,
oriented parallel to the antenna

pulled from here.

Shibby, the transponder that I found from Digi-Key is the TI S4100 model for 71 bucks. Problem is, the transponder is only rated for 200 mW for the HF side of things. I need something with about 4 or 5 watts of power. Back to the drawing board.

Well maybe not, here is another bit of info for actually figuring out the coil dimensions on both the reader and tag, as well as the distance/range. This looks more promising...maybe...

Scientific American

RFID article by Roy Want in the January issue of Scientific American. A tastey little snippet here. I am going to run right out to the library and get it! THANKS SCOTT!!!

Networked Gaming

A good article to start with when thinking about a networked gaming environment. Not a good programming primer, but definitely outlines the issues involved.

http://www.flipcode.com/network/issue01.shtml

Active/Passive RFID

Difference between Passive and Active RFID is

"Passive RFID is not powered by a terminating power supply, rather it is activated by the magnetic field created by the reading device. The field is a radian sphere within the limitations of (enter mathmatical forumla here, somthing to the effect of wavelength divided by 2 pi). Thus it is rendered useless unless a reader activates/powers the unit."

Almost solves my privacy issue!

Mobile Mapping and Location

Finally, someone who has it together! This is what I have wanting for quite some time now, a cell phone with location and mapping software, all built in...

http://www.mlogmag.com/magazine/08/nokia.shtml

http://www.tomtom.com/

resp. to Michael Steffen

It started as a simple response to Michael Steffans post about Myst here, but garnered more attention as it grew.

"Myst was definitely a top favorite of mine at one time, however it would never be able to stand on it's own at the moment (and I do mean at this very moment). Myst held my attention for both the imaginatory and visual. AKA "What wasn't there, that was there before, that left a trail is interesting, as well as all the pretty CG things that I can feast my eyes upon at that very moment." Essentially what I am trying to say is this, I had to use my imagination while enjoying the eye candy. However today, the eyecandy falls apart because we are doing that in real time now (aka the reason for the re-release of REAL Myst, check it out sometime). Interaction with the environment was rudimentary, but worked because of the slideshow atmosphere. I think it would take a lot more of the interaction with the environment today and in a much more realtime environment to pick up where myst left off, not to mention a WELL crafted story. Story and interaction fall in the toilet so much these days. I just got done with Max Payne 2. It was pretentious, gratuitous, and un-imaginative. The story was terrible and the action was repetitive ad-naseum (sp?). But it was kinda fun and it looked good, for the first 15 minutes. Then the idea of bullet time and shooting characters with akimbo uzi's got old...very old. Unfortuneatly, I think akimbo Uzi's will never get old to some people, as long as they continually get better looking *sigh*. How about this...wheres a game that makes the player actually bend over, reach out there hand, grasp something like a leaf or a twig with their fingers, and gently lift it to their height to examine it. How about then, I have to reach around to my back, unzip my back pack with my hand, and gently place the object inside. That's interesting to me, as long as it serves a purpose later. Why not construct a game that is simple in scope yet complicated in interaction? At least make the character shut-up for a while too, so I can actually hear myself think!"

Good post Mike S. I will continue writing more later.

More RFID

I think this stuff is going to consume me for a while...yay for thesis work! More specs on the whole RFID thing have led me to believe that I need to construct a passive read/write tag that operates within the 13.56 Mhz range and that it should most likely be constructed using FRAM instead of EEPROM. FRAM is more expensive but uses less power. This is important for any embedded device. I am still not sure if the 125 khz devices are going to be of use, as their read range is generally 6 inches. I need a little more give in that so bumping it up to a higher frequency shouldn't matter too much (hopefully). If you are wondering where I got all this techno mumbo jumbo, you can download the pdf that I got from a very informative company called Microchip. Here is the link to the PDF that explains a lot of the basics in the introduction. I followed along fairly closely, so its pretty straightforward. Some tech expierence might be nice to decipher it though. Also updated some links on the Medical Binge post (terrible name I know).

http://www.microchip.com/download/lit/pline/rfid/guides/21299d.pdf

Basics

A good article to peruse if you are thinking about game design for the first time. I think this will come in handy to most beginners.

http://www.avault.com/developer/getarticle.asp?name=starterkit&page=1

My Medical Binge

I have recently had a dream that is very pertinent to what I am studying, although it is quite personal and relates only to our dream assignment. Click on the link below to get a brief description.

I'm mostly into games, but lately I have been on a medical problem solving kick. Here is the backstory that relates to my project that I want to do for my thesis, at least for right now.

Project Back Story: I actually thought of this idea around the 22nd of December 2003 sometime, possibly earlier. Christmas was a mix of emotions this year. My Aunt Elizabeth wound up in the hospital, my next door neighbor's cancer condition worsened and my roommate is moving out. Anyway, Liz's condition revolved around potassium levels from her current blood pressure medication, which had changed recently, I believe about a week prior to the incident. She began to have dizzy spells and her heart rate dropped significantly. I think my other Aunt phone 9-1-1 first, much to the dismay of my Grandmother. As the paramedics arrived, they immediately began their examination and started to collect information. Much to my surprise, no one could answer many of the questions asked concerning current medication, history and vital stats. My great Aunt (Elizabeth) is 86 and lives on her own. She generally talks to my grandmother on a weekly basis, but thats about it. Most of the questions the paramedics asked were directed towards Liz, but she was in no shape to answer them and my grandmother was farely scatterbrained because of the incident. I immediately thought that there had to be a better way for the paramedics to automatically get some sort of current medicinal status and physical information from her without having to bombard her (conscious or unconscious) with questions.

Dream: I have been worried about my neighbor back home. She is a sweet person, middle aged and a math teacher. One of the best teachers I have ever had, and I don't hand that compliment out very much, if at all. She has cancer, and it's pretty much taken over her entire body. Very not cool. In my dream, I remember walking down the street past my house and theirs. I noticed a long line of people coming out of their front door. Everyone was crying and very sad. Next I remember walking down a long flight of stairs. As I walked down, another person came up toward me. It was her son, and he was upset. I gave him a hug and we both cried. Thats all I remember.

This whole issue with my Aunt however, warrants a project. Somehow their needs to be an imbedded device for both the paramedics and patient. The one in the patient emits a field of data that contains their most recent medical information and conditions. The device would probably be Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag of somesort. This device would be updateable at the Doctor's office, the hospital, the pharmacy or even at home if the user wished to purchase the home kit. The device would be much more effective if placed inside the human body, preferably in the fleshy part of the skin between the forefinger and the thumb. Some older folks have problems with this idea, so an option to have the device embeded into a ring/necklace/bracelet should be available. This is similar to what a diabetic wheres, minus the chip. The paramedics would have a reading device only, one that is transparent and out of the way of their jobs. Paramedics don't have time to diagnose, they are there to try and move the patient to a safer environment and maintain their stability. In order to do so, I believe they need a device that is embedded into their clothing. A sensor at the edge of the cuff of their sleeve with a wire running up the arm and into the breast pocket to a small lcd screen would be sufficient. Another wire running down from the device to the same cuff with a single LED embedded there would allow for the paramedic to have a warning or flashing warning of the device being updated. This would help twofold. One, it would allow them to know if the patient had the device in the first place, and two, would allow them to ignore the device if need be. Seconds save lives. If the situation is critical and straightforward, a paramedic would not need the device in the first place. If the circumstance warrants, then they could call on the device if need be. The lcd or pda type device in the breast pocket would have current medicinal status, patient conditions and maybe even personal information such as age, marital status and emergency contact info.

Related links to dreams and medical research:
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m0NAH/6_32/89812952/p1/article.jhtml
http://www.findarticles.com/cf_dls/m1200/6_160/77557195/p1/article.jhtml

Related links to the concept in general:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3607047/
http://news.com.com/2010-1069-980325.html
http://www.adsx.com/prodservpart/verichip.html
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3606439/
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/3072638/
http://www.digitalangelcorp.com/medical.asp
http://www.samsys.com/default.php?alpha=rfid
http://www.wired.com/news/technology/0,1282,53028,00.html
http://www.eetimes.com/story/OEG20020104S0044

More Hardware and Tech info

http://www.aitechnology.com/avantetech/lowcost.html

http://www.ti.com/tiris/docs/news/news_releases/2003/rel8-11-03.shtml

http://www.microchip.ru/cdrom/10/design/start/index.htm

http://www.microchip.com/download/lit/pline/rfid/guides/21299d.pdf

3+ ideas

1a. Social Music or what I like to call Musical People. Large scale social situations that involve many people moving about in the same space is rather an intrigueing cacaughany of noise. I would like to investigate further the idea of translateing one group of noises to another group and vice versa. Perhaps the sounds of two very distinct places (the Zoo and Times Sqaure or a Theme/Amusement Park and a Baseball Stadium. Or perhaps on a more extreme level, a church and a football game.)

1b. Taking the above into account, I would also like to take the same types of noises from all said places above, process them in a system similar to David Rokeby's A Very Nervous System and output that modulation back to a different crowd scenario. ex. Take all different types of crowd movement, assign certain rhythms/beats/synth/musical notes/midi instruments to crowd behaviors (more people on the sidewalk than street, more people crossing the street than on the sidewalk, more cars than people, etc) and output that same system to another crowd in a different location. I think some interesting musical patterns would emerge.

2. Eavesdropping on conversations is interesting, but more so in fragments than in their entirety. I would like to explore conversation samplings from different locations and have random sentences pulled out and then linked together to form a sort of dialogue between spaces. The conversation generated would be attuned to something more along the lines of, "what does the space have to say, rather than the people in it." eg. User listens to a sampling from a location and says "All the conversations coming from the second floor Zemeckis lab are always negative". I think this could be done in Max/MSP. To pull the pieces of sentences together, the system could watch for pauses in discussions. The user should also have the ability to "MadLib" the conversations in order to piece together their own dialogue. aka They choose which locations they want pieces pulled from, line them up, and the system generates a string of random sentences together.

3a. I really need to return to my gaming interests. In order to do so, I would like to develop an interactive problem solving atmosphere, much like what Uru: Ages Beyond Myst is trying to do. The emphasis would be on attaining a similar goal through a series of complex moves and operations performed by more than one user or "inhabitant" of a 3D virtual space. Imagine if you will, a 1st person shooter environment that places you in a rat like maze. You soon realize that you can manipulate the environment and that you are not alone! Your quest is to change the structure of your environment with your co-inhabitants in order to crack the code of the "level" without the use of speech. This game summed up in one sentence "Adventures of Lolo meets Tetris with a 1st person co-op deathmatch party game without the heavy artillary twist". Follow that?

3b. Same as above, but put all 3 or 4 players in the same environment, make it immersive and see what happens. They could, of course, talk to each other, so that element would be left in for strategic purposes. The goal would be to solve the puzzle in a certain amount of time, then advance to the next level. I haven't worked out the tech hurdles yet. Projectors anyone?