Physics in games

[D_Order]

Okay.   I'll throw it over there.  I got confused as to where I'm posting.

[Mor]

Part of the problem is that right now the Epoch and the PA stuff is heavily entertwined.  I'm working to correct that but it's going to take a while.

M.

[Edward]

http://www.mode7games.com/content/game.html

That is an MP sword fighting game.  It uses inverse kinematics and procedural animation.  Oh and it runs on Torque!  The maker has an old thread on the Garage Games forum, where he discusses releasing the cloth code.  I think I want to talk to him about how he did the procedural swordfighting.  There is a demo available for download.  Unfortunately, the game has only been compiled for windows.  (with TGE you can theoretically do linux, win, mac, but you need to build for each target platform).

Imagine mating this thing to a wiimote!

This article is interesting.  It talks about an affordable motion-capture system that could be used for game input (as well as more traditional motion-capture applications).

Well, it would be affordable if it were mass produced, anyway.

[Cayle]

Three thousand bucks?  Comparable to Vicon?  Let me say this...



HOLY COW!

Yeah, this mated to RML would simply rock!

[Edward]

And in a somewhat similar vein, but with Legos.  Sort of.

[Edward]

OCZ's Neural Impulse Actuator is available for preorder.  It's a headband that allows game control through a combination of brain waves, eye movements, and facial muscle movements.  Here's an interesting review.

[Edward]

A new PS3 game called Hero is scheduled to be released by Christmas.  You use a green foam sword as the sole controller.  The game is supposed to support actual swordfighting, though I doubt it will be especially realistic.  Still, I wonder if it could be used for virtual fencing with another human.

Unfortunately, the current generation of the EyeToy is 2-dimensional and can't detect subtle movements.

[Edward]

The Sixense TrueMotion controller looks like a considerably improved version.  It claims six degrees of freedom, accuracy to 1 mm or 1 degree, and a 10 ms refresh rate.

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2008/08/sixense_3d_input_device.html

http://www.trustedreviews.com/peripherals/news/2008/08/27/nVision-08--Sixense-3D-Interface---Coolest-Thing-Ever-/p1

Currently it's just a demo, though.

[Edward]

MIT has developed a motion-capture system called Second Skin which consists of sensors embedded in clothes.  Movies are the primary intended use, but they also mention physical training (using software to compare actual motions with ideal motions) and video games.  According to the article, the whole system can cost less than $1,000.

[Edward]

I've been surprised we haven't seen gaming on tabletop computers sooner, but it looks like it's getting started.  I expect we'll see a lot more of this.  I doubt the miniatures will last, though; they're pointless when you can use virtual avatars instead.