Make: Online: Gaming Archives

Gaming Archive: Gaming

June 26, 2009

Make: Projects - Shrinky-dink gaming minis

Even as we approach the cultural apocalypse of ubiquitous, fully immersive, photo-real multiplayer video game environments, there are still those of us who like to play board or tabletop games. The communal wargaming experience, for instance, is very different from playing a networked MMORPG or turn-based strategy game. Whereas WarCraft or Xbox Live is kind of like hanging out with your buds watching TV, actually getting together and playing a board game is more like a real party. There's usually music and snacks and beverages and lots of gregarious BS-ing of a type that just isn't as practical over a network line. Manipulating the physical game pieces is also satisfying in a way that virtual objects have yet to achieve, and probably won't for some time to come.

A lot of folks who are into tabletop gaming eventually end up making their own pieces, for one reason or another. They may be making a custom army to compete in a wargame with established rules, or they may be making up their own game for which no commercial pieces are available. For these folks there's an array of techniques available. The simplest, as in wargaming days of yore, is to use illustrated paper or cardboard "chits" that lay flat on the gaming surface. A step up from that involves buying or making bases so your cardboard heroes can stand upright, which not only makes them look better but makes them much easier to manipulate. If the cardboard approach is too wimpy for you, you can always purchase commercial 3D miniature figures and paint and/or customize them to suit your taste.

Polyolefin shrink film presents an intermediate approach to original miniature design, midway between cheap paper or cardboard cutouts and fully dimensional figurines. Shrinky-dinks are much more durable than card stock, and unlike store-bought figurines, they are completely customizable. Best of all, you can make all your artistic mistakes at the software level, where they're easy to fix.

Materials:

Inkjet ink
Inkjet friendly shrink film
Small binder clips, one for each mini you intend to make

Tools:

Computer with color inkjet printer and appropriate software (if you're designing your own art)
Oven
Cookie sheet with cardboard insert to fit
Paint pen
Scissors/pen knife/paper cutter to cut out dinks

Step 1: Design your dinks

The best way to determine the expected shrinkage of your film is by experiment. Print a square of known dimension, cut it out, shrink it, and measure the new size. The ratio of the "after" dimensions to the "before" dimensions gives the expected shrink percentage. Every film I've ever seen also includes an approximate shrink ratio in the directions, and if you're not an accuracy freak it's probably safe to assume it's correct. The clear film I used shrinks by about 50%, meaning that the designs as printed need to be about twice as big, in each dimension, as the desired miniature size. Note that if you intend to use bases you need to be sure to leave an empty "tab" at the bottom of each image so the base can be attached without obscuring the art. If you're using binder-clip bases (see below), I recommend the small (3/4") size. These have a real "footprint" of 3/4" x 1/2", so scaling up for 50% shrink film gives a 1.5" x 1" pre-shrink area to allow for during the design of each piece.

If you don't want to design your own minis, or you just want to experiment with the technique, I've put together a set of markers for the deluxe edition of Steve Jackson's famously awesome future war-game, OGRE. You can download a .PDF of my OGRE marker designs here, ready to print onto five 8.5" x 11" sheets of 50% shrink film.

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June 22, 2009

Nintendo NES emulation on Palm WebOS

It's now possible to run Nintendo emulation without 'classic' emulator on Palm WebOS. In just ten easy steps, provided by the kind folks at pre web wiki, you, too, could be shooting up the baddies in the Central American jungles of Contra.

NES emulator on WebOS [via CruchGear]

June 16, 2009

Super Mario Theremin control

This vid's been making the rounds, featuring an unusual method for controlling old school games - theremin. Yup, theremin. From the video's desciption -

The sound from the theremin is split into its frequency and amplitude components in real time, which are then mapped to values in a linear scale representing the X and Y axis. Pitch becomes horizontal control, and Volume becomes vertical control.
The X and Y scales are then cut up into different zones. In this case, Left; Right and dead zones for the horizontal, and a single trigger and dead zone for the vertical.

The trigger zones are then mapped onto a virtual joystick hooked into an emulator.

The end result is a fairly usable input control for playing games like mario. The bars give the much needed visual feedback as to how "in tune" you are, so you have a better feel of where the trigger points are.

Very strange to see such a nicey-nice theremin perform dead-simple functionality, but fun is fun, right? If it were me, I'd get that thing hooked up to a PS2 dual-shock asap!

June 9, 2009

Mega-Minty Boost?

Think of it as a Minty Big-Boost. Micah and a buddy are leaving on a cross-country trip and they don't want their handheld gaming systems to run out of juice along the way, so he put together this battery powerpack using 12 Volt 7 AH Lead-calcium battery. They're hoping to get some 30 hours of juice out of the thing.

"Luggable" power pack [via lady ada]

June 6, 2009

Make your own games with PlayCrafter

Playcrafter is a site where you can create your own game. Accounts on the system are free, and allow you to make and save your own games. There is also a paid level of account that will let you make games with more than 10 levels and some other features.

Games made with Playcrafter can be embedded into web pages, and can also be run on devices that are Flash 9+ friendly.

If you try this out with your students or kids, let us know about it in the comments.

June 3, 2009

Dice-O-Matic rolls randomness the old-fashioned way

Generating dice-rolls over at the GamesByEmail HQ is a surprisingly efficient (and analog) matter. The conveyer belt based Dice-O-Matic can toss up to 1.3 million rolls per day, recording the results via die-recognition software.

The Dice-O-Matic is 7 feet tall, 18 inches wide and 18 inches deep. It has an aluminum frame covered with Plexiglas panels. A 6x4 inch square Plexiglas tube runs vertically up the middle almost the entire height. Inside this tube a bucket elevator carries dice from a hopper at the bottom, past a camera, and tosses them onto a ramp at the top. The ramp spirals down between the tube and the outer walls. The camera and synchronizing disk are near the top, the computer, relay board, elevator motor and power supplies are at the bottom.

Wow - a mighty fine alternative to generating pseudo-random sequences in software! [via Gizmodo]

In case you missed it, this is quite a leap forward from the earlier lego-based version we highlighted here many moons ago -

Dice rolling machine made from LEGOs

May 26, 2009

Power Glove controls new video games

Matt Mechtley is gearing up for Maker Faire, where he'll be showing his updated Nintendo Power Glove (with Arduino and Bluetooth, or course). He writes:

Over the past few weeks I’ve been working on some improvements and extensions to my Power Glove 20th Anniversary Edition. On the tech side of things, I replaced the ugly 9V battery I was using with a low-profile, rechargeable Lithium-Polymer battery. I’ve updated the steps in the Instructable with new pictures and instructions.

As a bonus for Maker Faire attendees, I’ve finished adding Power Glove support to our most popular Blurst game, Off-Road Velociraptor Safari! I recorded a demo video to show it off.

More:

Updated Power Glove with Bluetooth and Arduino

May 25, 2009

Antique military headset for gaming

Joe Bower got a Vietnam-era US Army Radio Headset in an antiques/surplus store, sealed in the box, for $15. Using a dissected Molex cable and a cheap 2.5mm headset jack, he was able to get the set working with Xbox Live. Now Call of Duty has that extra note of authenticity (especially 'cause there's extra static on the mic - he has plans to replace that).

US Army Headset - XBox Live mod

Life-size Katamari controller

Kellbot of NYCResistor built this sweet Katamari Damacy controller from a mouse, Arduino, and PSX controller -

A long time ago, in a galaxy identical to this one, I wanted to make a life-sized Katamari, and use it to play Katamary Damacy on PS2. My friend Eric Skiff shot a video, and while it's not quite a polished project, I decided it's time to share it with the world.

Very cool - thanks for sharing! Schematic and further details are available on the project's blog entry. [via NYCResistor]

May 22, 2009

DIY videotape pinball

Some time last year, there was a bunch of news about how VCR tapes would no longer be manufactured. Around the same time I noticed that none of the VCRs showing up at the dump had digital tuners. Wouldn't it have been nice if those manufacturers could have dropped in a little extra circuit board to extend the life of their hardware? Even the ones with tape and DVD don't have digital tuners. Go figure. So it serves them right that now all this hardware ends up being excellent project fodder!

This looks like it would be a great school project to examine the design process. Anybody up for trying it in their classroom?

In a very short time, this video lays out the concept, shows how to get started, explains that you should save certain things, details a little of the construction, and leaves the specific details to the creative minds of the people doing the project. There are a lot of ways that we could go at this project, lights, sound, counters, programming. Do your stuff and show it off in the MAKE Flickr pool!

[Thanks, Norm!]

May 21, 2009

Rock Band axe in a box

From the MAKE Flickr pool

Flickr member TheCase converted a busted RB guitar to an unusually compact version -

This is an initially unintended side effect of working on a Rock Band automatic guitar playing robot. The minimal set of electronics from a previously malfunctioning 360 wireless guitar (thanks Mig!) - also contains the relays needed for switching via a logic controller. All jammed inside a 6" x 3" x 2" enclosure.

As I was building it, I decided to allow the controller to be used in a standalone fashion, independent of the sensors and logic controller (they can be conntected later via the 9pin D-Sub connector).

The buttons are just cheap old basic junk buttons, so moving around the "fret board" is a bit of a challenge. It is fun to play - has the feel of playing a tiny accordion...

Hmm, with one in each hand you might be able to handle both guitar and bass roles at once. More info on Flickr.

May 19, 2009

Interactive Punch-Out arcade dummy

This guy modified his Slam Man Boxing Dummy, adding arcade buttons, so he can throw punches in NES Mike Tyson's Punch-Out by punching buttons of the dummy. His Instructable shows you how he did it.

The Punchout Interactive Interface Improved

May 15, 2009

In the Maker Shed: XGS PIC 16-Bit Development System

The XGS PIC 16-Bit Development System is the ultimate fusion of art and science. Developed to be a very competitive entry/midrange development kit for Microchip's new 16-Bit PIC24 processor with 256K FLASH, 16K SRAM, and running at over 40 MIPs. The kit was designed with the philosophy that you don't want to waste time trying to figure things out. This kit takes you step by step, saving you time, so you can learn quickly and have fun doing it!

In the Maker Shed: XGS PIC 16-Bit Development System

May 14, 2009

In the Maker Shed: XGS AVR 8-Bit Development System

The XGS AVR 8-Bit is the ultimate fusion of art and science. Developed to be a very competitive entry/midrange development kit for the Atmel MEGA AVR 644 processor with 64K FLASH, 4K SRAM, and running at 28+ MIPs. The kit was designed with the philosophy that you don't want to waste time trying to figure things out. This kit takes you step by step, saving you time, so you can learn quickly and have fun doing it!

More about the XGS AVR 8-Bit Development System

May 13, 2009

"See-through" PSP wallpaper

This is cute. It's a wallpaper image of the innards of a PSP to make the PSP look see-through. A great companion to the clear PSP faceplate. Offered by the online repair shop Tech Restore.

See-Through PSP Screen by TechRestore

May 8, 2009

Tupperware Arcade Controls

Tinkerlog posted great instructions on how to create your own arcade controller and set it up with your favorite ROM. For all you emulation lovers who need that extra level of finesse, this will work with USB and MAME. Tinkerlog writes:

HID stands for Human Interface Device class. Common devices of this class are keyboards, mice and joysticks. The great thing, that this interface brings in, is, the devices don't need a specific device driver. If they behave according to the USB HID spec, then they are automatically recognized by all OSs. Every device sends a report, in which it states, which kind of device it is and how it wants to report its data.

May 6, 2009

World of Warcraft pod

Cati Vaucelle, Steve Shada and Marisa Jahn made this: the WoW Pod:

The WOW Pod is an immersive architectural solution for the advanced WOW (World of Warcraft) player that provides and anticipates all life needs. Inside, the gamer finds him/herself comfortable seated in front of the computer screen with easy-to-reach water, pre-packaged food, and a toilet conveniently placed underneath his/her custom-built throne. When hungry, the gamer selects a food item (‘Crunchy Spider Surprise’, ‘Beer Basted Ribs’, etc.) and a seasoning pack. By scanning in the food items, the video game physically adjusts a hot plate to cook the item for the correct amount of time. The virtual character then jubilantly announces the status of the meal to both the gamer and the other individuals playing online: “Vorcon’s meal is about to be done!” “Better eat the ribs while they’re hot!” etc.

It's on view now at the MIT Museum in Cambridge, MA.

May 5, 2009

Xbox Macro Controller

Joe Bowers built this Macro Controller for his Xbox 360. It uses an Arduino receiving inputs from a Wii Classic Controller. The Arduino outputs into a wireless XBox Controller. It functions like a normal controller, but when you press the shoulder buttons and the "+,-" buttons, you get combo moves that would normally require more work.

Xbox Macro Controller - How to

April 30, 2009

Car Wars IRL

I knew it was only a matter of time before Car Wars, Mad Max, and dozens of video games featuring weaponized vehicles, came to television. On May 11th, the producers of Mythbusters will be bringing Weaponizers, a three-part series, to the little screen. Two teams will design, build, and send into remotely-controlled combat, lethally-outfitted vehicles. Sounds like my idea of a good time.

Weaponizers [via Gizmodo, and BotJunkie]

April 29, 2009

Amazing military sci-fi modeling

I did a massive double take when I saw this jaw-dropping model on Dinosaurs and Robots. "Wait, that's a Leman Russ battle tank! From Warhammer 40K!," I squealed to myself. Warhammer 40,000 is the "dark gothic sci-fi" tabletop wargame that almost put me in the poorhouse a few years back. One of the coolest things about the tabletop wargaming hobby is that there are actually so many different hobbies involved (the gaming itself, the miniature painting, the scenery building, the model converting, the writing fiction and scenarios in the gameworld).

One of my favorite aspects of the hobby is seen above at its finest: diorama modeling. Go to a Games Day or other tabletop wargaming conference and you'll see miniatures and displays like this that will blow your mind. The quality of the painting, the level of depicted detail, the ingenuity of the "hacks" (e.g. the kitchen trash that's been turned into realistic-looking model components) is tremendously inspiring.

These images come from an article on IPMS Stockholm, an international plastic modeling webzine. You'll find over 500 articles on plastic modeling there.

Road to Hell: An Old-School Bridge Layer From the Future