Qualcomm Augmented Reality Game Studio

NerdHerder

Yan Xu — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 15:37:12 +0000

NerdHerder is a motion-based puzzle game that leverages handheld Augmented Reality (AR) interfaces. Nerderher was first developed as part of on ongoing exploration of interaction mechanics in AR games, that started with NerdFerno.. The current game’s premise is that you are hired as an IT manager, and your job is to use “management skills” to get the nerd employees back to work in their cubicles. The game description and video can be found on www.MicroNerd.net.

Over the past semester, we have focused on taking the original concept and demonstration, and bringing it to the next level by rethinking the core game mechanics, physical actions, and engaging puzzles and environment design. We have created new game mechanics that fit better with the HAR interface and game theme, and integrating puzzle-solving elements in the HAR game.

Through the process of fast iteration and playtesting, we tried out three major mechanics of using a HAR interface and several variations of these mechanics as well. These game mechanics include push-and-pull (Hands-on Management), remote-control characters (the Art of Delegation), and virtual fishing pole (Carrot-and-Stick). Each of these game mechanics is fun in different ways, and has its own pros and cons. Different kinds of play behaviors and physical actions emerged during playtesting. We hope to continue to refine these interactions and evaluate them more formally over the next year.

Most existing handheld AR games focus on action game genres, especially shooting games. With NerdHerder, we opted instead to experiment with a different genre of gameplay that closely combines the cognitive skills of puzzle solving with dexterity and fine-motor skills. We believe that by exploring the diversity of possible gameplay mechanics and genres we can better understand both AR game design and AR interaction.

In October 2011, we presented a version of NerdHerder during the ISMAR demo sessions, based on the push-pull mechanic. Over 50 people played our game, and we received feedback from researchers and practitioners that we have used to improve the mechanic. We also demoed the same game during the Future Media conference hosted at the Georgia Institute of Technology in November 2011. The feedback that we received from both of these conferences was integrated into a version of the game we submitted to the GDC Independent Game Festival student game competition for in December. We will present a workshop paper about NerdHerder at the Mixed Reality Game workshop at the ACM conference on Computer-Supported Collaborative Work and this February.

We will continue to iterate on the game to polish the mechanics and the levels, with the goal of releasing this game in the Spring of 2012.

Credit:

Team members: Vu Ha(Gatech),Sam Mendenhall (Gatech), Rohan Karnik (Gatech), Yan Xu (Gatech), Paul Tillery (SCAD), Martin Boumendil (Berklee College of Music), and Joshua Cohen (Berklee College of Music)

Supervised by: John Sharp, Maribeth Gandy, Blair MacIntyre, Tony Tseng, and Michael Sweet

Original concept: Richard Shemaka, Paul Tillery, Dan Spaventa and Harrison Leach.

Project supported by: Qualcomm

Click here to view the embedded video.

Human Circuit

csumsky — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 16:05:48 +0000

Human Circuit was designed to be an experiment with AR virtual buttons. In this two-player game one teammate uses the phone to see a grid of electric bulbs on the target. Two of the bulbs are sparking and glowing blue. It is the job of this teammate to direct his partner where to lie so that both blue bulbs are being covered, connecting them together and creating a circuit! The catch is the other six bulbs are red and cannot be touched, or else the circuit shorts out. The teammate on the target must carefully position himself to only cover the blue bulbs. The goal of the game is to create five successful human circuits within a three minute window.

This game was created by Chris Sumsky (Georgia Tech) and EJ Layne (Georgia Tech).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Citadel Omega

leoceballos — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:39:52 +0000

Citadel Omega is a single-player game in which the player must race to find and shoot ten targets of two types… before time runs out! Difficulty arises from searching for the targets; the tall buildings and city canyons hide them, and they appear at random locations. This forces the player to move around the play space to hunt the enemy, emphasizing that aspect of augmented reality gameplay.

Citadel Omega was developed by Leonardo J. Ceballos (SCAD Atlanta) and Abhijeet Dani (Georgia Tech).

Click here to view the embedded video.

NinJanitor

kevinchrisjones — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:32:27 +0000

NinJanitor is a multiplayer augmented reality game which combines mundane housework with martial arts. In this game, the player takes the role of a “ninja janitor,” who must clean the footprints of higher-ranking ninjas with cleaning rags to insure their stealthiness. The player gains control of a cleaning rag by striking it with a kunai, tossed from their Android phone. Once the kunai attaches itself to the rag, the player selects a destination for the cleaning rag, and summons a tiny ninja to drag it to this location. As the rag slides across the ground, it brushes up all the footprints in its path. More footprints spawn throughout the game. The player who cleaned the most footprints when the timer is up wins.

This game was developed by Jack Tang (Georgia Tech), Kevin Jones (Georgia Tech), Charmant Tan (Georgia Tech) and Leo Ceballos (SCAD). During this semester of work in the AR Game Studio, we constructed a large, 71″ by 95″ AR target which sits on the floor. We wanted to experiment with a large augmented reality target to see how it might facilitate social interaction in public spaces such as bus stops, subway stations, and airports. Early on, we experimented with several different interactions using this target. Going into NinJanitor, our goal was to develop one of these interaction prototypes, involving a “click and drag” mechanic, into a fully playable multiplayer experience.

We went through several different revisions of NinJanitor’s mechanics before settling on its final state. At first, we envisioned a fast-paced, chaotic game in which players would try to sweep up a random arrangement of footprints as fast as possible. However, after testing this, we discovered that a slower pace encouraged players to stay aware of the entire AR target and line up their shots carefully. The success of the gameplay depends on a balance between planning ahead and thinking fast.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Dodger Dodger

Blair MacIntyre — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:41:12 +0000

Dodger Dodger is a experimental augmented reality game, exploring how the direct physical control offered by AR interfaces can facilitate a game mechanic for moving between multiple parallel levels in a scrolling shooter game. The player must move left and right with their ship, using traditional controls, while also moving in and out between parallel levels, to avoid collision with the rocks.

The game was developed by Michael Stanley (SCAD), Chris Miller (SCAD), Rohan Karnik (Georgia Tech) and Xo Wang (Georgia Tech).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Magnetitron

Blair MacIntyre — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:38:16 +0000

Magnetitron is an Augmented Reality puzzle game. A virtual ball on the gameboard is attracted (or repelled) by the spot on the gameboard that the player is pointing the reticle of their phone at. The player must use this force to guide the ball through a maze, collecting coins before time runs out.

This game was developed by Greg Gunn, Kyle McCaffrey and Evan Seguin from Georgia Tech.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Guide the Narwhal

Blair MacIntyre — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:36:14 +0000

Guide the Narwhal is a game whose goal is to use a playful theme to teach some basic facts about condom use and safe sex. The player must help the narwhals put jellyfish covers on their horns, before going into the undersea temple to play. While in the temple, the narwhal collects coins and treasures, until the jellyfish is filled and begins to fall off. The player needs to guide the narwhal out of the temple before this happens; if the jellyfish falls off while in the temple, the game is over. The player can put another jellyfish on the narwhal horn, and return to the temple to collect treasures.

The game was developed by Daniel Cazan, an MS CS student at Georgia Tech.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Nerdherder

Blair MacIntyre — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:34:09 +0000

Nerd herder is a single-player puzzle game which follows the day to day awkward interactions of a nerd in his hazardous office environment. The player is tasked with guiding the nerd back to his work station while avoiding obstacles that would repulse, attract or bring harm to the nerd. Through use of an android phone, players must analyze the environment, plan out a path for the nerd and then guide the nerd by zooming in or out with their phone to intimidate the nerd, forcing him in the desired direction.

The game was developed by Richard Shemaka (Georgia Tech), Paul Tillery (SCAD), Dan Spaventa (Georgia Tech) and Harrison Leach (Georgia Tech).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Aloft

Blair MacIntyre — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:32:05 +0000

Aloft is a room-scale augmented reality game, where the player must keep a ballon aloft while navigating it through a dangerous obstacle course of sharp pineapples. The player “virtually” blows on the balloon to move it, and must get the balloon from its starting location to a monkey before it pops.

The game was developed by Edward Layne Jr. (Georgia Tech), Nicholas Poirier (Georgia Tech) and Jeremy Wolff (SCAD).

Click here to view the embedded video.

Music by http://archive.org/details/TribalFiction.

Secret Garden

Blair MacIntyre — Fri, 13 May 2011 18:29:37 +0000

Secret Garden is a handheld augmented reality game where players must guide a girl through a hedge maze while avoiding traps and enemies. Players control the game by placing special markers onto the maze that create plants to change the girl’s movement. For example, a bamboo marker will block off a path and change the girl’s direction. In addition to completing the maze, players may also gather the three loaves of bread scattered throughout each maze to increase their ranking for that level.

The game was developed by Rose Peng, Robert Spessard and Ali Wallick (Georgia Tech).

Click here to view the embedded video.