Final Blog

The United States has not had a military draft since the Vietnam War era. For merely 50 years, it had not been peaceful either. From the heat of desert combat comes Operation Desert Shield, Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom to the humid jungles of foreign territories serving Operation Western Accord and Operation African Lion, just to name a few. Battles had not always been overseas, as safeguarding our freedom is the duty of the United States military. Missions stateside span all over the United States as well, such as Operation Arrow, Operation Summit, and Operation Javalin's Thrust. 

Freedom like many things in the world, is not free. The challenge I propose here is to answer an extremely hard to answer question. How might game-styles mechanics improve or alter the way that future soldiers, units, and entire forces function? In short, did gaming put forth some type of help in recruiting, sustainability in military forces and advancement in today's world? Could that be the reason why we lack drafts?

Per recruiter say, Enlistment is at a all time high this past decade, of which I had sworn in on my oaths during the past decade as well.

I remember when I was a kid, there were video games like SWAT4, Call of Duty, Counter Strike, America's Army, Battlefield. All of which takes a different approach in intellectually stimulating the brain, creating a certain kind of interest in combat and adrenaline. But none of these games could even vaguely relate to what real experiences are. In part, maybe Battlefield 3 in the recent year could vaguely relate. I could make a list and point out the wrong in the different games. Call of Duty: Warfare is not run and gun, ranks are wrong, some weapons are not in service or even real in modern warfare (no pun intended). Counter Strike: Weapons animated and accuracy are wrong. America's Army: Soldiers simply don't do what they do in the game. The list can go on, but what's the point.

I do however want to cover the M4A1 service rifle, since I am a weapon enthusiast. We all remember Counter Strike right? Well the latest Counter Strike is built in Source engine coding. Renders a little more beautifully. (pic 1)


This is a photo shows the weapon M4A1 which is one of the service rifles of the United States Marine Corps, along with its sister rifle M16A4. Both are very similar, only difference really is the butt stock. Which the M4A1 is six stock collapsable while the sister rifle is a fixed butt stock affixed onto the lower receiver part of the weapon. When you first play this game, it's fun, it's exciting, it's intense, and it's realistic. But that realism quickly takes a turn after you play with any of the Colt series rifles.


Of course, besides the awesome $1800 price tag of an optics, if handled correctly, capable of ranging up to 800 yards point target. Well besides that, could you see a very big difference? (pic 2)

I was betting money that you couldn't find the difference, how about with this added photo. It should be more clear. This is a survivability difference. (pic 3)

The difference is in the ejection port and forward assist. The ejection port is the "hole" in which the spent round, the brass gets pulled out by the ejector in the bolt. While you load a new magazine regardless of size, the forward assist sits the round correctly into the chamber preventing a failure to fire when the trigger is squeezed. In short, it is built on the wrong side in the game, hence, the the reason why you have died, each and every round. Well what about left handed shooters, the weapon is built the same way. Colt Defense manufactures all of the M4A1. M16A2, and M16A4 that are still in operation in the United States Marine Corps. The reason for the ejection port to be on the right side is simply logical as the brass fly away versus across your face or worst, into your face.

Counter Strike Global Offense (CS:GO) is schedule to launch in the next few days. Consider the image, the problems had been fixed, and a fold up tactical sight is on this model of the M4. However, with a shorter barrel, and still inaccurate information regarding the weapon itself (along with all the other weapons). 

"If you make a game so realistic, you should finish the damn job."

Ejection port on the right side of the weapon for the reason that it won't hit yourself. I couldn't help but laugh at this guy for various reasons. His shooting posture is wrong, and being so fearful of being hit by brass and flinching. (video)

Assuming your combat buddies are not afraid of brass, the M4A1 is highly marketed in video games, and other recruiting usage, even recreational use. You would hardly find a gun range that won't rent you a M4A1.

If a video game is to be made with realistic intentions, perhaps it should follow through, especially in games that are all time classics like Counter Strike.

It makes me feel to this day I have yet to find a game that resembles truth in shooting a weapon. I know the day will come that a game will resemble so much reality that it would literally scare the #$@% out of me. Of course, I could say more about planting explosives in Counter Strike as well ;)

Entering Bomb Site A in DE_DUST using a M4A1. Counter Strike: Source, 2008. Source

Bottom: Colt M4 with Reflex Scope (22LR Caliber)Top: Colt M4 with Trijicon TA31-RCO ACOG Optics (5.56 NATO Caliber & 22LR Bolt Carrier Group Conversion)
2012 Personal Collection

Split second after firing a M4A1 with Trijicon TA31-RCO ACOG Optics (5.56 NATO Caliber)
2012 Personal Collection

Exiting CT Spawn Site in DE_DUST using a M4A1, Counter Strike Global Offense, 2012. Source

Project 3 Post

Group:
Micah
James
Thyrza
Cameron

Base Location:
Outside Paccar Hall, South entrance.

Concept:

The design of our project ushered an anonymous user into taking action (moving our object) by creating a familiar scenario of partaking in a "Quest"!

By this time, most everyone knows what it means to "go on a quest" or "go off on an adventure". The designated object would be the weapon carried by our player who uses it along the way to destroy enemies along his/her path.

Here is our written story seen by our possible participants:

"Come hither brave warrior, we seek your assistance against the forces of evil! We have been silenced by a magical wizard who has also captured our princess, lady Thyrza. Take arm of the holy weapon and follow us!"

The Hero's Weapon

 We have decided to set up targets along the path towards the other base in which our participant can either shoot the weapon or throw a water balloon. Drawn on each target is a commonly-encountered game creature in RPG or Adventure style games. Each target was hung within eyesight of each other so that the pathway was clear.

A fireball-casting Wizard that our warrior must defeat!

With our bread-crumb design and straightforward item all we needed was the ability to communicate to people what needed to be done. For risk assessment we also needed to think about what happens if a person leaves midway through the quest? What happens if we run out of water? How will the signs be placed in response to different surfaces (trees, walls, posts, etc.)?

To make sure we can continue to roll the project forward if our participant leaves in the middle, we decided to propose ourselves using a sign containing our story, which we can relocate at any given moment.

We carried an extra bottle of water for worst-case-scenario purposes of running out of ammunition (multiple squirt guns were even bought if one broke).

In order counteract the problem of putting paper targets all around campus, we used a combination of string, wood, and tape to mount each creature securely and noticeably.

To add extra effect, some of us decided to dress up in medieval-fantasy clothing to evoke the experience of a quest - as well as cement our concept into the minds of our spectators.

Thyrza, the to-be-rescued princess in our story. Bottles of water (Mana) for extra ammunition.

Micah and James getting ready at our starting location.

 On the day of execution we have encountered a number of obstacles in our design. It became very difficult to draw people into our endeavor for it didn't have public shock value except for the costumes (basically it didn't demand attention, it just simply asked for it). Our ability to attract people solely rested on the shoulders of our large whiteboard and the story (above) that was written on it. Our item was also very small and indistinct to being picked up, other than being referred to as the object our hero must wield in our adventure, it was your run-of-the-mill squirt gun.

Despite these setbacks and the very hot day, we were encountered by a person who read our entire story and motioned to complete his objectives! With his trusty crossbow in one hand and a supply of holy hand grenades being put in the other we ran through our destined quest in the matter of 10 minutes from start-to-finish. Destroying each target along the way, we finally reached the fountain (last area), rescued our princess and placed the weapon in the ending zone.

Princess Thyrza and the Hero of our story.

This concludes our third project, below are extra pictures.

Our sign. Correction: name typo.

An enemy our hero must defeat!

Another target closer to our final destination.

A defeated-looking flame creature after being water ballooned to death.

- Cam

The memories project

Here is the Memories project website

http://memoriesproject.blogspot.com/

This is a lame post but lets face it, the website says it all and I have a memorial to go to tomorrow.

Tic Tac Toe

Tic Tac Toe post

I really wanted to keep the spirit of the game in tact. I set out rules at the beginning of the assignment; I needed to keep it a pen and paper game and the rules needed to be easy to learn.

That was actually harder than I thought and for a while the game I was designing became very extravagant. I love games where the players work together and so it became a bridge building game, then a railway building game down a long gridded board where the game would randomly throw roadblocks at you.

I really wanted to stick to my original rules so I began to talk to Dad about it. He told me he and his brothers had come up with a game where the grid was larger and you only needed five in a row. It was I who came up with the idea that the edges were portals that lead to the opposite grid point on the other side of the board.

Other than the changes we made (8 by 8 grid) the game remained the same, and it became a strategy game where you could have fun but also kill a great deal of time.

Tic Tac Toe - The Resurrection

First thoughts on what to change

      Originally when I started out I thought I wanted to change the game space (aka the 3 x 3 board) because of how it limits strategy to get to the win state.  I also thought I would change from drawing 'x's and 'o's to something else.  I considered keeping being able to play with a mere pen and paper but I ended up going with a deviation from that as well.

Testing first game

This first game I developed deviated from Tic Tac Toe in the following ways:  different board, change from 'x's and 'o's, different win state.

    I ended up testing out a game that started with a board like this

Basically, the board starts out as pictured above and then a player has to either:

put a piece on an open circle

or move a piece on a circle to a circle (within a one circle radius).

Team DR - Post Game Post

DANCING ROBOT!!!                By Team DR (Ross, Jarrett, Kate)

Although we had no "pufflets" to aid our strategy we did have a fancy robot suit that attracted quite a crowd...

The Case of the Missing Case part 2

So have added several more images to the completed list, here are a few, but the rest have spoilers so they will have to be found.

    

The initial page creates a tracking cookie and then redirtects. This page shows nothign to the player,but does let them enter a name on hte first visit only. The idea is to prevent people from trying to complete the game without using the QR scan to find the clues.

This link takes you to the first page:

http://craibwoud.com/Craibwoud/files/phone/files.html

winning photo timestamp from team the other team!

Blog Post 1- What Makes Games Fun

Notes on what makes games fun and comments on first couple rounds of games we played in class...


Little Big Planet-

     In addition to being aesthetically appealing (those characters are so darn cute!) I think a strong feature that makes this game "fun"damentally (ho ho) appealing is the collaborative effort needed between players to complete certain challenges.  I think the fact that there are competitive challenges as well as collaborative ones makes the game more interesting than if there was only one kind of challenge.  Some games that I have played and also found fun that incorporated this aspect well are: Super Smash Brothers and Mario Party IV.
     I think that collaboration-type parts of games make the players get to engage with each other in a different way than strictly competitive/strategy games (maybe in a more social way?).  They also make games continue to be engaging even if you are losing.
    This game was also successful in that it was relatively easy to pick up- the controls are more or less intuitive.  I think games that don't require an excess of explanation or tutorials in the beginning are fun.


Apples to Apples-
 
   I think the fun in this game is based around the social interaction it creates.  Who you play with is a big factor in whether or not you will have fun playing it.  For me, the fun is in making the most absurd combination of adjective and subject possible.  Another thing that is fun about this game is that you get to know the other people playing with you better than you might with another type of game.  Lastly, it is also fun that at the end of the game everyone gets to have some cards that you won (if you won any) that "describe you" and everyone gets to feel special and unique.

Top Secret

Shhhhh!

Bases

The group of James, Cameron, Thyrza and myself would prefer to take the north area as base. I suppose deliberations may now commence.

The case of the missing Mystery...

Idea:
Short and sweet, using QR codes make an interactive mystery scavenger game where the player stables across a calling card that will intrigue the player enough to undergo a search to find out what the point of the cards is and how they play out.


The player scans the first card they find that looks like this...

When they scan it they will get the image of a phone ad a short intro telling them they get a phone call and where to go...

As it goes forward the players will try to apprehend the killer in the crime before the time runs out.

There is some slight issues with the java code implementing across platforms to allow cookies to track and time the player. While php code would work best for this I am too new at it to write such a code. Using a drop down html list to choose the game's direction may have to be the current end result, but it would allow a way to cheat that is far too simple, while making a flash version is out because of lack of app support.
     Plot-wise I am on the edge between serious mystery keeping in a noir fashion and a comical version. A serious version would be easier to create with the images thus far, but a comical version may keep more people interested. The current version is noir.