The Chiz

Nov 24

Gesture-Based Control and Tactile Feedback

Design, Gadgets, Games, Hardware, Previews, Toys, Uncategorized, Video Games 5 Comments »

Last week, the Montreal International Game Summit came and went in an incredible flurry of keynotes, roundtables, exhibitions, and (of course) bar nights in downtown Montreal. Being a game development student in a city only two hours away from Montreal, myself and a bunch of my classmates had the opportunity to check it out, and for many of us for the second or third time. Over the next couple of weeks I will be discussing the incredible keynotes and conferences, as well as posting some photos of the event. Right now though, I’d like to go over some of the more interesting booths in the exhibition hall.

Compared to bigger gatherings like the Penny Arcade Expo or GenCon, MIGS had a relatively small collection of “booths.” However, since this is an industry summit and not a convention, the booths had a lot more to offer by way of development and business opportunity. One of the booths that really caught my eye was set up by Mgestyk, a Kanata, Ontario based company that focuses on engineering hardware and software for their gesture-based “Mgestyk” digital input system.

Think of the Sony Playstation’s EyeToy. Anyone familiar with this piece of hardware knows how much fun optical input can be, but also knows about it’s relative lack of precision, especially in sub-prime lighting conditions. On the other hand, the Mgestyk system seemed pretty accurate in the variable lighting conditions of the MIGS exhibition hall (the lighting changed depending on what else was happening in the main hall.)

I got to try out the camera system at two seperate times, and with two seperate games. The first was a driving simulator, with the player perspective seated inside of the car. To operate the vehicle, I had to hold my hand out to the camera, gripping an invisible steering wheel. The software then recognized the specific configuration of my posture and hands, and took that as a signal to accelerate. As long as I held my hands in this position, I was able to steer the car by mimicking the hand movements that one would use on a steering wheel. To stop or reverse, I simply had to raise my thumbs while keeping my hands in the same location. The software noticed the difference, and the game reacted accordingly.

The other game was a light-saber battle with little ball and socket marionette characters on-screen. Taking the first-person perspective, I was able to duke it out Jedi-style with my friend, who was playing on the station next to me. The saber was represented by a WiiMote in my hand, but in concert with the Mgestyk setup I found that I had a far greater degree of control over my motions on all axis, including range, pitch, and yaw. It also ignored all other movement behind me, which is critical in a crowded exhibition hall.

Set to retail at about the price of a high-end webcam, the Mgestyk could be a neat addition to a hardcore gamer’s arsenal. Check out the following YouTube videos. When I spoke to the guys representing the company at MIGS, they were really enthusiastic about the popularity of the videos online, and given how much fun I had with their setup I can see why. Oh, apparently it will also work in total darkness (though one would hope you would at least be playing with your TV on.)

I also got to check out the booth that Microsoft had set up, with a pretty interesting gaming rig. Featuring the acclaimed Far Cry 2, the setup added a pretty impressive tactile feedback system using gear they already have on the market.

First of all, they used a neat triple monitor setup that gave the sudden advantage of peripheral vision. While very helpful in multiplayer, there were some drawbacks. I had a lot of initial trouble getting used to the huge amount of new visual real-estate, and the game itself seemed to have issues figuring out where to draw 2D HUD elements like player names and menu options.

The other elements added were a set of desk fans that (were supposed to) give the player the impression of wind while running or moving quickly, and ambient lights that reacted to on-screen events. My favourite, however, was the 3rdSpace Gaming Vest, an impact generating piece of apparel by TN Games.

Using “Pneumatic Impact Cells”, the vest reacts to in-game events such as bullet impact and explosions, though only within it’s fairly limited scope of supported software. Trying out the vest was interesting. The feeling of bullet impact on my chest made me a little more aware of the gaming environment, as well as a little less risky when assaulting enemy fortifications. I’m not sure if this piece of hardware is necessarily worth the price just yet, but the addition of a soft of primal fear instilled by physical stimuli is hard to get elsewhere within gaming, and at the very least worth a try.

Jul 24

Slightly More Human Than Acceptable.

Design, Games, Previews, Tests, Uncategorized, Video Games No Comments »

Previous to playing the demo, Too Human hadn’t really struck me as a “need to play title.” Nothing I saw online really interested me, and the idea of another “Diablo-like” really didn’t sit well after I lost interest in Titan Quest so quickly. Nonetheless, I downloaded the demo and played with the starter class presented to me. An hour later the demo complete, I really found myself wanting more. The potential for more loot and interesting enemies to slaughter seemed great, and my techno blood lust was tangible. Alas, the demo was over and I wasn’t really interested in playing through the same level again so soon - with the same class, anyways*.

Too Human allows the user to play as the Norse warrior “Baldur”.

Something that immediately frustrated me was the control scheme, and I’m sure that more people had the same issue. I was so set in my ways, that using the right analog stick to do anything but control the camera seemed like an instinctual raping. This may seem like a poetic exaggeration, but as seasoned video game veteran it was downright embarrassing to be fumbling over my game pad like a club-fisted idiot. However, I persevered. The Robot Goblin battles needed a hero, and the game’s theme had captured my interest enough for me to press on. After a while I found that I wasn’t noticing the irritating controls scheme as much, and then not at all. By the time I had finished the demo I was comfortable enough with the control scheme to realize how elegant the setup actually is. By mapping all melee attacks to the right analog stick, the player has an incredible amount of directional control over his attack - a feature ever important to a third-person hack n’ slash adventure.

Suddenly, hitting a button for every attack seems like child’s play. Being able to choose the precise location of your attack as you would plot out a point using a protractor is the new hotness. It really demonstrates how you can create a game in a familiar style, yet emerge with a better control scheme (at the expense of some slight gamer frustration). Combined with immediately interchangeable melee and ranged attacks, and suddenly the gamer is given an immense amount of control over his avatar, able to weave intricate and stylish attack combinations at will. I experience great glee every time I use an over sized hammer to knock a goblin into the air, and then shoot him out of the sky with a burst of plasma fire.

The game uses a somewhat familiar inventory system. There are several melee and ranged weapon “types”, and the player can equip one melee and one ranged weapon at a time. The weapons and armour come in varying levels of colour-coded rarity, with power scaling up based on how unique the item is. It’s all essentially a loot-whore game wrapped in a unique and exciting theme. Really though, who wouldn’t find cyber vikings exciting? Cyborg Valkyries!

Too Human also uses a nifty puzzle mechanic involving environment manipulation. The techno-Norse version of the internet is a lush mountain region known as “cyberspace”, accessible only by a sort of super advanced well. When the well is used, the player is transported in body to cyberspace, where new items can be collected and where environmental puzzles can be solved to gain access to new areas in “real life.” This whole sub-game adds a sense of mystery to the already interesting theme. It also provides a break from the action and allows the player to cool down and mentally refocus on the tasks ahead. The soft transition from action to puzzles is pleasant and doesn’t feel forced.

All in all, I found the Too Human demo to be an exciting and interesting gameplay experience. It’s not short enough to be disappointing, but not long enough to be too revealing. This will most likely end up being an end of summer purchase.

———

*I replayed the demo 4 times - once with each of the “locked” classes. Two of the classes may be accessed by setting your system date to 2009, and the other two are accessed by rapidly pressing “A” while moving the selection *off* of them with the left stick.

Gesture-Based Control and Tactile Feedback

Slightly More Human Than Acceptable.

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