Okay so it's an electronic toy in two parts.
One part is the software - the game that the user plays. The other part is the hardware - a robot that responds to the game the user plays.
I have a big idea for a four robot game but it doesn't scale to mass-manufacture. The toy in two parts is a more realistic re-imagining of the following toy concept:
The Concept
This project came into my head when I was messing about with google sketchup and I wanted to build a robot that was in an environment where it became progressively more difficult to walk because he had specially designed difficult to walk in boots, wobbly boots I called it sensible shoes. Then in trying to build a robot in sketchup I found different ways of designing from the same starting point. And I wanted to explore the idea of 1 starting point with a number of possible choices of types of play. Then came this idea for a robotic analogue version of tetris. And a mario game that uses a puppet and a holographic environment. The premise is an idea for three modes of one game that can be played with robots – to be simulated in a playable CG 3D animation and then to build the robots. The game will be successful because it makes sense. Because it is designed. But is it even possible to build robots that do what I want them to do? I don't know. So the game is a test run for the big one - building the robots which might fail, but bring down the house in the process. It may be a huge failure because it's impossible, but if so I want it recorded and playable, I want the failure to be part of the game. So that it's fun, so that the experiment is an experience for the people who see it and play it.
The controller must be safe first, immersive second, easy to use third.
Intro
Brick Dropp and Stabb simulates four robots – Coffin, Samson, Jebediah and Trisha. Samson is a robot with incredibly wobbly boots, so you have trouble walking. And the environment gets progressively more difficult to walk through. Jebediah is a puppet who responds to a holographic environment – the environment is similar to a platform game like Super Mario Brothers or Sonic: the Hedgehog. The third robot, Trisha, takes the mechanics of a tetris game and makes it physical.
Trisha Mode:
We see from the point of view of the controller (the person, Jensen who controls the robot, Trisha.) The controller wears a glove with one circular button on the top of the wrist and four square buttons underneath. Trisha is a mechanical puppet (like Yoda) she has a robot arm on her back. Behind the puppet are a number of magnetic cubes. The cubes come apart when stabbed with the needle from the robot arm. The glove gyro controls the robot arm and its two grip hands. Extending one finger in the glove extends the needle from the robot arm. But the robot arm will not stab a brick unless it has been marked by the AI.
When Trisha is the robot that the player is operating, then her game mode is active. Trisha’s game mode is split-screen. The left window contains the controller and the cage with the robot, Trisha. The right window contains a 2D arcade side-scrolling simple platform game. In the last phase of this project I will hire someone to build the 2D arcade game, for our purposes you only need to build a prototype that can show how the character interacts with its environment and how the player controls the character in the 2D game at the same time as the robot in the 3d cage - in the opposite window.
Each cube communicates to the player a puzzle – create some simple puzzle prototypes, in the last phase of this game design project I will hire someone to design puzzles for this part of the game. Each successfully solved puzzle, using the cube, tells the AI to mark that cube with a laser. Then the controller can use the grip hands to remove that cube. Two cubes of the same colour removed enables 1 item of ammo for the player controlled character in the 2D arcade side scrolling platform game. The four square buttons control the character in the 2D game. 1 = walk, 2= turn, 3 = jump, 4 = fire.
Holding down the circular button switches control to the secondary gripper on the robot arm. Releasing the button returns control to the main gripper. The player uses the two grippers to take apart a stabbed set of cubes. When all cubes are removed, the player levels up and the cubes are automatically reset and magnetised, and a bonus is unlocked for the player (a video of someone playing with the robot, after it has been built) – the cubes are then ready to place back into play area.
Samson Mode:
Samson’s boots are ridiculously designed, they are built to be wobbly and difficult to walk in, like walking on stilts. When the controller Jensen, is controlling Samson in the cage. The mode is full screen. Samson walks on a rotating platform, And the environment gets progressively more difficult to walk through.
Jebediah Mode:
The controller, Jensen steps onto the balance board and the laser emits the backdrop. The puppet stands up. In order for the puppet to stay standing the player must balance correctly on the board. When the puppet is standing correctly he will begin to walk. The laser backdrop will change to reflect scenery that the puppet is passing by. The more the puppet walks, the more difficult the scenery becomes and the more difficult it becomes for the player to keep the puppet from falling. If the puppet falls the play is over, the puppet returns to sitting position and the toy turns off.
One part is the software - the game that the user plays. The other part is the hardware - a robot that responds to the game the user plays.
I have a big idea for a four robot game but it doesn't scale to mass-manufacture. The toy in two parts is a more realistic re-imagining of the following toy concept:
The Concept
This project came into my head when I was messing about with google sketchup and I wanted to build a robot that was in an environment where it became progressively more difficult to walk because he had specially designed difficult to walk in boots, wobbly boots I called it sensible shoes. Then in trying to build a robot in sketchup I found different ways of designing from the same starting point. And I wanted to explore the idea of 1 starting point with a number of possible choices of types of play. Then came this idea for a robotic analogue version of tetris. And a mario game that uses a puppet and a holographic environment. The premise is an idea for three modes of one game that can be played with robots – to be simulated in a playable CG 3D animation and then to build the robots. The game will be successful because it makes sense. Because it is designed. But is it even possible to build robots that do what I want them to do? I don't know. So the game is a test run for the big one - building the robots which might fail, but bring down the house in the process. It may be a huge failure because it's impossible, but if so I want it recorded and playable, I want the failure to be part of the game. So that it's fun, so that the experiment is an experience for the people who see it and play it.
The controller must be safe first, immersive second, easy to use third.
Intro
Brick Dropp and Stabb simulates four robots – Coffin, Samson, Jebediah and Trisha. Samson is a robot with incredibly wobbly boots, so you have trouble walking. And the environment gets progressively more difficult to walk through. Jebediah is a puppet who responds to a holographic environment – the environment is similar to a platform game like Super Mario Brothers or Sonic: the Hedgehog. The third robot, Trisha, takes the mechanics of a tetris game and makes it physical.
Trisha Mode:
We see from the point of view of the controller (the person, Jensen who controls the robot, Trisha.) The controller wears a glove with one circular button on the top of the wrist and four square buttons underneath. Trisha is a mechanical puppet (like Yoda) she has a robot arm on her back. Behind the puppet are a number of magnetic cubes. The cubes come apart when stabbed with the needle from the robot arm. The glove gyro controls the robot arm and its two grip hands. Extending one finger in the glove extends the needle from the robot arm. But the robot arm will not stab a brick unless it has been marked by the AI.
When Trisha is the robot that the player is operating, then her game mode is active. Trisha’s game mode is split-screen. The left window contains the controller and the cage with the robot, Trisha. The right window contains a 2D arcade side-scrolling simple platform game. In the last phase of this project I will hire someone to build the 2D arcade game, for our purposes you only need to build a prototype that can show how the character interacts with its environment and how the player controls the character in the 2D game at the same time as the robot in the 3d cage - in the opposite window.
Each cube communicates to the player a puzzle – create some simple puzzle prototypes, in the last phase of this game design project I will hire someone to design puzzles for this part of the game. Each successfully solved puzzle, using the cube, tells the AI to mark that cube with a laser. Then the controller can use the grip hands to remove that cube. Two cubes of the same colour removed enables 1 item of ammo for the player controlled character in the 2D arcade side scrolling platform game. The four square buttons control the character in the 2D game. 1 = walk, 2= turn, 3 = jump, 4 = fire.
Holding down the circular button switches control to the secondary gripper on the robot arm. Releasing the button returns control to the main gripper. The player uses the two grippers to take apart a stabbed set of cubes. When all cubes are removed, the player levels up and the cubes are automatically reset and magnetised, and a bonus is unlocked for the player (a video of someone playing with the robot, after it has been built) – the cubes are then ready to place back into play area.
Samson Mode:
Samson’s boots are ridiculously designed, they are built to be wobbly and difficult to walk in, like walking on stilts. When the controller Jensen, is controlling Samson in the cage. The mode is full screen. Samson walks on a rotating platform, And the environment gets progressively more difficult to walk through.
Jebediah Mode:
The controller, Jensen steps onto the balance board and the laser emits the backdrop. The puppet stands up. In order for the puppet to stay standing the player must balance correctly on the board. When the puppet is standing correctly he will begin to walk. The laser backdrop will change to reflect scenery that the puppet is passing by. The more the puppet walks, the more difficult the scenery becomes and the more difficult it becomes for the player to keep the puppet from falling. If the puppet falls the play is over, the puppet returns to sitting position and the toy turns off.
- The puppet must have a lot of character, (while it doesn't jump, it can make as if to jump and the backdrop reacts as if it had jumped.) Its movements are quirky and lifelike.
- Instead of traditional animatronics where the strings are on the inside, tiny motors are attached to cables that work the puppet from above, externally.
- The puppet itself is bonded to the floor of the system which, for this game, shoots the laser environment.
