© 2002 jukal at cyberian dot org

Real racers - the new era of online gaming

Do you think we have reached the climax of reality in gaming? Well, you were wrong so read on. // 11-Nov-2004, it seems some guy has already implemented this, check this out: at Linux Toys.   This article contains cooking intructions for games that mix physical reality, virtual world and interaction using techniques and devices available of-the-shelf.

Have you ever felt like that something is missing from your favorite racing game? Did the computer player just go through your car, did your F1 car just survive a head-to-head collision without a scratch, did you just feel like you are controlling a bunch of pixels? I did. Let's try a new approach.   We begin by picking a few ingredients Pick your vehicle. Are we making a F1 grandprix or a street racing tournament?   These Radio controlled beasts from Kyosho are packed with incredible detail and come with Kyosho PerfexTM Digital Proportional 2-Channel Radio (27 MHz AM narrow band). They are powered by the good performing AH-130 electric motor by Mabushi Motor.   Homebrewn 27MHz Am Transmitter and a 6-channel encoder. If you are like me, and don't know anything about that stuff, then pay more and pick one up from your local dealer. As said, I did not know anything about this HAMs, transmitters and receivers. :) This document provided a good quick tutorial: How It Works - The PPM Radio Control System, parts [1, 2 and 3]. We do need to familiarize the subject a bit more [The DXZone] because we need to be able to be able to speak to that Porsche...   Once we understand the protocol used to control the car. We connect the transmitter to our Linux box. We need to program a driver for the radio. Once this is done we need to fine tune the controls for our car. We can now totally control the car from the command line. Ehh? Congratulations?? Hold your horses, the project just started.:)   Let's buy a good camera. The Axis 2120 Network Camera is one. 25 frames/sec at 322 x 240 or 10 frames/sec at 704x480 - running Linux with built-in webserver, RJ45 twisted pair cable, 10baseT Ethernet and 100baseTX Fast\Ethernet.   At this point you are probably asking - why? Well, now that we have got real physical concerete cars, we have to put them behind a virtual curtain. Let's program the Real Racers game.   The idea: anyone using internet can join the Real Race - the race in which you remotely take control of one real R/C car - on the other side of the planet. You play against other people and your game client provides realtime live game video at 25 frames per sec. Say no to the tortuting unrealistic racing games, this one is real.   Now that we made the perfect racing game...wait a minute..., we forgot to handle the situation in which one of the cars drops into trashbin, falls around or runs out of batteries. I quess that's where have to start writing the story on autonomous robots.   << Back to Amazon discoveries.   Copyright © 6/Sep/2001 Jussi Kallioniemi [ jukal at cyberian.org ] The oddities presented here (that are not copyrighted or patented by someone else, ofcourse) are released under the GNU Free Documentation License.

Cyborg in ear: "nice orgy bar". "Bingo!", Ear cry.