Interactive Project blog

The future of AR?

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 16:24:08 -0400

http:// http//popupcity.net/2012/03/old-places-historical-traces-ghost-hunt-in-augmented-reality/

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:19:40 -0400

http:// http//popupcity.net/2012/03/old-places-historical-traces-ghost-hunt-in-augmented-reality/ :

Am going to reference this ‘Ghost Hunt’ app in my proposal as it has similar gameplay/ mechanics to what I’m planning for my project.

Style

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 17:50:47 -0400

While writing my proposal, I started thinking more about the pulp magazine origions of the story and illustration I’m using as a basis for my Game, and thinking about how cool it might be to have the In-game elements of the game in the style of old comic covers. So the information and menu screens, and the animations that are going to be the ‘rewards’ in the gameplay, are going to be in the style of Pulp magazine covers. Just cuse. Naw, I think it will make it look visually cool, and distinguish it from other Alternate Reality games set in an outdoor environment. I was thinking it might be interesting to make the animation of the creatures more of a 13 paper cut-out style, to allude to the pulpy/ comic book origins of the creatures. And again, to make the game more distinctive/ stand out more.

The opening menu style of the game/ reward animation videos will have a retro comic-book cover style.

XIII gameplay. So in my game the guy in the brown/white would be a monster…and have a real world background imported through the Smartphone’s camera function.

Hilarious Charlie Brooker article XD

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 16:00:14 -0400

Hilarious Charlie Brooker article XD

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2012/jan/10/aurasma-augmented-reality-games

Mon, 16 Apr 2012 15:59:27 -0400

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/gamesblog/2012/jan/10/aurasma-augmented-reality-games

Pitching day- the aftermath XD

Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:22:00 -0400

So today was pitching day…and I actually thought my pitch went down OK!

My project has ended up as an ARG/ augmented reality game for Iphone. What I’m currently titling ‘Inter-dimensional Alley’. It involves being initiated through a mysterious e-mail into a quest to solve a mysterious illness , and then wandering around real-world locations and using Iphone to see portals from another dimension, and the monsters and defeat them.

I think I might have got by mostly cuse everyone thought the monster illustration I used was cool XD But seriously, the panellists were variously receptive to:

the notion of a game played out in the ‘real-world’ whereas you could have silly fun making a fool of yourself.
The orienteering aspect of the game, wandering the streets trying to find the
The offbeat monsters/ portal approach

The panelists told me there was quite a lot of ‘wander Edinburgh and zap to learn about the history’ -type walking tour apps and such by Historic Scotland, etc. But that this sort of thing aimed at a younger audience and more purely entertaining wasn’t too common.There was a suggestion that It could even be paired up with a Historic Scotland walking tour -while the adults do that, the kids/teens fight monsters.

The panelists suggested some things to me to differenciate/ improve my stab at the AR/outdoor play genre-thingy. It was suggested to me by the panelists that I should try and open up the experience as a multi-player experience more, and include a sort of ‘capture the flag’ gamplay, where players could maybe compete against each other, opening and closing portals, and team up with others. And to maybe consider having it open to other cities, not just specifically Edinburgh.

There was a feeling I should expand on the ARG elements of the game, including maybe introducing humans afflicted by the lethargy of the monster’s illness.

James advised me to maybe go back to the short story and pull back some more story elements.

I was also advised to go back to looking at Aurasma maybe instead of Zappar as the host for the game, as this could allow more creative possibilities in the realisation of the portals/ monsters. So I shall now get working on the final proposal, taking these considerations into account where appropriate.

For now, good-bye from snake-monkey-blob-ghost!

Slight direction change

Mon, 19 Mar 2012 19:24:07 -0400

Thought I should update my blog, since I haven’t in a while!!

From the past couple of talk throughs I figured out my idea of having a Iphone app where a whole augmented reality ghostly cemetery spring up over a real park was a little ambitious.

I’m thinking about using a programs like Zapar and a GPS-style program to create a sort of game where you have to navigate around a real part of a city (such as Old Town in edinburgh), and find ‘portals’ (bar codes) on the wall. When you find these portals, monsters will appear to ooze out of them, and it’s up to you to try to shut the portal, using your phone.

I was thinking of loosely basing it on a premise of an old short story I read called ‘The Hunters from beyond’, in which weird oozy monkey-marshmallow monsters are able to climb through into our dimension through portal (illustration below) . Like The Mist as well I guess.

Ghost-hunting App...

Tue, 06 Mar 2012 18:04:16 -0500

Ghost-hunting App...:

Ghost-hunting App…might be able to tie into my game/app idea somehow. I shall ponder this :P

Loved playing this game when I was younger… freaky story...

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 16:04:42 -0500

Loved playing this game when I was younger… freaky story told in an offbeat way with interesting visuals/ gameplay.

http://zappar.com/

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:50:12 -0500

http://zappar.com/:

Also Zappar. Will report later on my thoughts form looking at these sites :P

Aurasma

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 09:48:12 -0500

Aurasma:

Finally taking a look at Aurusma, to see if it can clue me into ways to plan how my project idea can come together… :P

Since this is games-related I thought I’d share this video...

Sun, 12 Feb 2012 13:50:06 -0500

Since this is games-related I thought I’d share this video I found of a crazy russian Silent Hill stage show… it’s half terrifying and half hilarious: the monsters chase the leads for a while then break out into a funky dance XD

Although the pyramid-head scene in the second part is actually quite impressive :P

I’m starting to think that The Graveyard Book by Neil...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 17:42:00 -0500

I’m starting to think that The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman is going to be a key influence in the tone and content of my project.

Games experience

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 16:59:21 -0500

So today was games day, and I had a few different games experiences.

I started off with a zombie game (i forget the title) and found myself in an on-line level with other on-line players (which I didn’t like cuse I found it mortifying that other people could see how bad I was at the game! So I quickly exited that…).

Then I played Portal… I have to admit it’s a really cool game, the endless possibilites for puzzles you could have with that portal gun are pretty mind boggling. And I like the way the only story clues are fed to you through the creepy robot voice, but it’s still totally compelling.

And I got to have a little crack at Limbo, which totally lived up to my expectations.

Above all today’s class has made me more aware of thinking more about the gameplay aspects of the project, and how the project will be interacted with (controls, etc. ).

Ahead of going to play games tomorrow, I thought I’d talk...

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 16:56:00 -0500

Ahead of going to play games tomorrow, I thought I’d talk about some of the kinds of games i’d like to explore. I’d like to play Limbo, as I’ve heard it’s got a creepy and nightmarish atmosphere, and obviously that’s something I’d like to include in my proposed game/app. Also I heard there is a puzzle solving element to it, and I’d like to include some puzzle solving in my game/app… But I’ve never played it, only seen stills and some footage (I remember it from Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe, probably my only source of games news haha), So it will be exciting to play it if I can.

I’ll maybe also look for some other horror /puzzle solving games. Maybe they will have some of the Silent Hill games I’ve missed out on since they moved to PS3. :P

Open Blog!

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:39:00 -0500

So, this is the compulsary blog for my interactive Media module this semester, where I will be commenting on the process of creating an interactive media project. At the moment I still have very little idea of what I’m going to do … Because I’m doing the first episode of a family horror anthology series for my TV project this semester I was thinking along the lines of a tie-in interactive spooky stories webiste. I googled to see if such a thing existed, and found that it did.

http://www.frightbytes.com/

I had a little look at it and it’s very cool, imaginative and clever. I think I’d like to do something similar, although obviously not too similar.

Over and out. ;)