Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming
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Project presentation
Problematic
With the development of mobile devices such as mobile phones, a new set of interfaces has to be thought to develop applications adapted to mobile devices. Unfortunately, interfaces of mobile applications still rely on the standards of desktop interfaces: visual interfaces. But for a user to be mobile, he needs his sight to be free to navigate. Most current mobile applications fail to give the user the freedom to be mobile while interacting with them.
The use of interfaces based on ambient audio may allow the user to interact with the applications while being mobile. Indeed, ambient audio communicates information to the user at a peripheral level, using speechless sounds. The use of sound instead of visual display frees the sight of the user who can use it to navigate. Moreover, the information provided by the ambient sound can be processed aside by the user, while his attention is required by another task, such as crossing a road or talking to somebody.
The use of ambient audio for mobile applications is a new field of study at the EQUIS Lab, Queen's University, Kingston Canada. The laboratory focuses on games for mobile devices that would require the user to be mobile, and study the advantages of interfaces based on ambient audio over visual interfaces.
This project takes place in this field of research. In order to collect data on mobile games using ambient audio, the laboratory needs to develop games that respond to several criteria, so they can be used for future experiments.
Objectives
The goal of this project is to develop an outdoor game in which the interface relies on ambient audio. This game will be used for further research on the use of ambient audio in mobile games, particularly the comparison between visual interfaces and ambient audio interfaces.
In order for the game to be used in such experiments, there will be two interfaces: an interface based on ambient audio, and a visual interface. Both of these interfaces provide the same information so a comparison between them is possible. The game requires the player to be mobile, and it's position and direction are tracked using a GPS-Compass system developed in the laboratory.
The experiments in which the game will be used will focus on the interfaces, therefore the player's results on this subject must not be influenced by difficulties to play the game or by negative feedback on the game-play. The game is a simple game that requires no or few learning to be played, but is enjoyable to play.
Users
There are two types of users: the researchers who will use the game in experiments, and the players who will play the game.
The researchers want to use this game in experiments to collect data on ambient audio. Therefore, they have specific needs concerning the interfaces of the game, that I have to take in account when creating and developing the game.
One need the researchers expressed concerns the game-play of the game: the game has to be simple to play and enjoyable, so that it doesn't interfere with the results of the experiments. Therefore, I will take in account a second type of users: the players of the game. The players participate to the elaboration and improvement of the game-play during the project, so that the game fulfill the expectations cited above. The players are people who will potentially be participating to the researchers experiments, over 18 and from the Queen's Community.
Preliminary analysis
Design methods used
Prototypes
Work in progress.
- Paper prototype:
- advantages: quick to produce => give early feedback on the overall game-play
- defaults: the game has to be modified to be played on paper (no sound, world represented as a board, time management)
- Software prototype:
- a necessity for a game based on audio
- a reusable prototype
- the game is developed part by part, each adding can be tested
- development made by iterations on the prototype
Agile method
The agile method is an iterative and incremental approach to software development. Small parts of the software are developed at a time, and what is implemented of the software is working in regular intervals, called sprints. A sprint can go from 2 weeks to 2 months. During the sprints, the code is broken to modify or add parts, but at the end of the sprint, the code is working. This method allows to test regularly the application, or part of it. Moreover, it allows a better response to changes in the specifications of the software, with the tests of the application that bring new issues or the needs of the user changing. There is a general plan, a goal to reach, but the details of the path is malleable and is likely to evolve during the development, in response to the test results or to modifications in the goal.
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The EQUIS Lab uses the agile method to develop its games because it is particularly well-suited for this kind of development. Indeed, the games in the laboratory are usually developed as experiments for research programs. Therefore, a game can be modified along with the direction the research is taking. The agile method allows these changes to happen smoothly in the game development. Moreover, the researcher can develop small parts of the game at a time and test them at a regular pace so he can analyse the data all along the research and make quick modifications in the game if needed.
This project is conducted following the agile method. Indeed, the game developed in this project gives a big importance to audio, so prototypes must be software prototypes in order to be efficiently evaluated. With the agile method, the game can be developed and evaluated progressively which allow improvements to be done all along the project based on the feedback of the users.
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Domain analysis
Work in progress.
The domain analysis is available on the page Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Domain analysis.
The game
Current game : Growl Patrol
This is the second version of the game.
Animals are wandering, lost in the city. The player has to catch them and bring them back to their shelter. The game begins with one type of animals wandering (cats), and when he brought enough of these animals back to their shelters, other animals escape (dogs, then birds).
Another type of animals is wandering, tigers. These animals can't be caught but they catch the player and they will eat the animals he has with him.
Previous games
Growl Patrol (first version)
All the cages of a zoo have been opened and the animals are wandering in the city. The player has to bring back the animals to their cages. A player earns money for each animal that he brings back. Some animals can be caught without any tools, some require tools to be caught. A player can buy tools with the money he has earned. The goal is to earn as much as possible.
There are 4 types of animals : three that can be caught and brought back into their cages, and tigers that can’t be caught and can eat the animals.If a player gets too close to a tiger, the tiger will eat the animals he had collected.
The game and its informal evaluation are fully described on the page Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Game2 : Growl Patrol.
Logical circuit
The game contains a logic circuit that players have to solve by powering power sources and discovering the nodes : the parts of the circuit appear along with the activation of the power sources or nodes. A circuit is composed of : power sources, nodes (AND, XOR), wires to link the nodes. The 2 teams use the same power sources but not the same nodes (they don't solve the same circuit). To get the circuit working, a team has to get all the needed power sources in the right state. The first team to get the circuit working wins.
The game is fully described on the page Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Game 1.
Reflexions on the games
- May 26th, 2010: Small brainstorming on some of the sounds in the game (the state of the game, the shelters). Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Brainstorming on some of the sounds
- May 19th, 2010: Brainstorming on the visual interface, which led to interesting ideas on the game play. Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Brainstorming on the visual interface
- April 15th, 2010: Meeting to find a game better suited for ambient audio. Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Meeting April 15th, 2010
- April 1st, 2010: Meeting to find a game using ambient audio. Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Meeting April 1st, 2010
Software development
What is to come
Prepare the game for official field testing: a comparison between the game played with ambient audio interface only, and the game played with visual interface only.
- A few modifications on the game so that the visual interface and ambient audio interface provide the same information.
- Create a log to collect the game data.
What has been done
- The 3D sound is now generated by OpenAL, using an external sound card, which improves the positioning of the sound.
- The game is fully implemented and is being improved along with the evaluations.
- There are 3 types of animals to catch: cats, dogs and birds. Tigers and cages are also present.
- There are 3 different ways to control the player :
- by GPS, gyroscope and compass to get the heading,
- with the arrows
- or using the arrows and the compass combined
- The player can catch the animals, bring them to their shelters. The tigers can eat the animals carried by the player.
A full description of the application is available on the page Growl Patrol - Software Development.
Sound Positioning API
I developed an API to use sound positioning in a game. The details are here: Sound Positioning API.
Evaluation
What is to come
- An official test to compare the visual and ambient audio interfaces. Each participant will play the game twice. Once with no visual interface, the other time with only the visual interface.
What has been done
- Tests of the prototype outside, using the GPS, Compass and Gyroscope.
- An informal evaluation on whether the game would be fun, using only the description of the game.
- Tests on the spacial orientation using the sound. Precisely, 2 ways of differentiating sound coming from the front or from the back
A full description of the evaluations done is available on the page Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Evaluations.
Project development
The details of the sprints are available on the page Ubiquitous Ambient Gaming - Development of the project.
The sixth sprint is currently on :
- Prepare the prototype to be used for the study.
- Do pilots of the experiment.
People
Nicholas Graham
He runs the EQUIS Lab, at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario Canada, and is the one who commissioned this project. He follows regularly the progress of the project, supervises it and participates to the elaboration of its objectives and constraints.
Claire Joly
I am a student in engeneering at the ENAC (Ecole Nationale de l’Aviation Civile) in Toulouse, France, in computer science and air-traffic management. I follow as well in parallel a Professional Master 2 of Human Computer Interaction at the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse, France. This project is the completion of my course.
Jason Kurczak
He is a student in computer science at Queens University in Kingston, Ontario Canada. He also works in the EQUIS Lab on the ambient audio interactions. He is currently working on his master thesis about ambient audio. He participates to the elaboration of the objectives of the project and gives me information on ambient audio.
