1. 1. THE BATTLE- STANCE 1.0 A Controller Design Solution By Fenom Paradox
2. 2. ABSTRACT The Battle-Stance Controller system brings the intense gameplay experiences of todays gamer into their living room. Motion capture and control scepter: incorporates the real world movement and control of motion capture technology HUD-set goggles: allows for social networking, sharing, HUD display, voice commands, and virtual surround sound. Gesture-gauntlet: tracks motion of the hand for control and manipulation in the game world and a touchscreen on the wrist for seamless viewing and manipulation of game menus such as inventory, mini-map, and quest tracking.
3. 3. INTRODUCTION For the Battle-Stance we had two objectives in mind. First, we wanted to incorporate one element from each of our teams game controller designs from our week two discussion. Not only was this a requirement, but it was an exercise in compromise and using the strongest aspects of equally important ideas. Second, we wanted to bring the adrenaline fueled world of first person action games into the players living room. By putting a weapon in your hand, the game HUD in the your face, and a gauntlet on your wrist, we put you in the game.
4. 4. LITERATURE REVIEW When approaching this design, we drew inspiration from science fiction. In particular, movies like Minority Report, and Iron Man, played a heavy part in the design. Many of todays technological innovations come from the scifi realm, such as the smartphone being inspired by Star Trek, so we found this was a great place to start. The goggles were inspired by the advent of new VR technology on the market, such as the Occulus Rift. The overall function however was scaled back to give more social functionality to the player.
5. 5. DESIGN METHODOLOGY We took a practical approach to designing the controller system. We asked ourselves questions about what problems we would like to solve in a human interface device. Through this directed method it was easier to nail down the scope of our controller system. The problem questions we asked were: How do we make the game experience more immersive for the player? How can we make free-looking cameras controllable with less work? How can we make even the mundane actions in first-person games feel immersive. Instead of learning control schemes, is there a way to make natural gestures the method of control? Is this design only geared towards Hardcore gamers? Is this the best way to capture an immersive experience?
6. 6. DESIGN METHODOLOGY Would this controller be practical for every kind of gamer? How could the user manage menus without cluttering the screen? Should the user be able to customize what is shown on the LCD touchscreen? Would the screen be too bright in a dark room? Do I want to use a familiar controller design that would allow the user to quickly acclimate to the way the controller feels? Would the user want to touch the screen or just use it to display information not shown on the HUD-set? Will the user feel the games are better with or without our controller?
7. 7. DESIGN METHODOLOGY In week 2, we asked ourselves individual questions where we created our own original designs. As a group we discussed what parts of our original designs belonged in the final Battle-Stance system. Upon settling on a design, the team began to place all of the features together to incorporate all of the ideas. Finally, the articulated design was fabricated.
8. 8. SCEPTER SCHEMATICS The Scepter uses relative positional data based on the two accelerometers to give the player a feel of control while wielding handheld weapons in an FPS setting, or to emulate mechanical control devices such as a flight control stick in flight simulators. The scepter can be controlled with either the left or right hand, as the grip is meant to form to either position and the Auxiliary buttons are duplicated on both sides of the Analog Stick.
9. 9. GOGGLE SCHEMATICS The HUD-set is a new take on the informational display in video games. It uses a google glass style lens that allows you to see through the glass, but also offers your HUD information, such as health, ammunition, and Mana right there before your eyes. This frees the actual playing screen up for full environment display. Also included in this component is the microphone, the earphones, and the voice command components for sharing via social network, that you would set up via your gauntlet.
10. 10. GAUNTLET SCHEMATICS (HAND) The glove part of the gauntlet tracks gestures of your hand with sensors in the glove itself. As different parts of the glove are activated by touching them to parts of the glove or a flat surface, the gesture activates an in game control. The gauntlet glove is reversible by pushing the glove through the wrist portion and out of the other side.
11. 11. GAUNTLET SCHEMATICS (WRIST DISPLAY) The gauntlet's more rigid lower portion is the home of the wrist display. This wrist display is mounted circular sleeve, much like a bracer, and can be slid from one side to the other for changing which hand you wear it on. The touchscreen operates much like a Smartphone or iPod. You can touch it, scroll through various menus, activate quick items in combat, set up your share profile, and any other touch screen oriented features.
12. 12. DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS David Hinspeter: I believe this system will create a greater level of immersion by bringing the majority of actions and feedback right out of the game. In the gamenics theory, going beyond the game is its vast design principle. Our Battle-Stance brings everything from the controls, i.e. casting magic, picking up objects, and swinging weapons, to information, i.e. the HUD being displayed for the player but not on screen and the ability to share and connect with your social media with a word, into the real world. Since learning control schemes is often made easier or harder due to mapping, what could be simpler than learning a few gestures that mimic real world actions to make the controller simple to understand the available actions in game.
13. 13. DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS CONTINUED Russell Broker The design of the controller will be very gimmicky, as the use of it for everyday gaming would be overwhelming to most. Much like the Steel Battalion custom built controller. While not effective for everyday gaming, it was extremely useful for Steel Battalion. It brought the game into the real world for the player and made them feel as if they were in the cockpit of the mech. I wanted our controller to do the same thing, but eliminating the bulky controller. This would allow the user/player to be able to go to their friend house and play the game without lugging around a 3-foot controller around.
14. 14. DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS CONTINUED Charles Wheeler: The inspiration for this controller design for me was trying to make a true VR experience for gaming. Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo have all tried to create an immersive experience. All three consoles have done a decent job but they still fall short. The Battle-Stance is design to remedy the shortcomings of the other peripherals. This controller really excels with flying games. As a pilot I have a passion for any flying game or flight simulator. A player could experience what its like to be a pilot with out having to ever set foot in a cockpit. By bringing the player in to a virtual cockpit it expresses the fourth principle of Gamenics, which is the relationship between games and real life. The player can enjoy the realistic experience of soaring through the great blue skies.
15. 15. DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS CONTINUED Mike Bonafede : With this design, the intent is for the user to feel as though they are suiting up for battle. Thus the name of the control system has been dubbed The Battle Stance. Rather than use a dual glove system, the Motion Control scepter provides the familiar feel of a button mapped controller in the physical world for the player to use. The scepters design is derived from a flight stick, and should provide natural mapping for that type of gameplay. Also, it is easy to correlate it with the handle of a gun or the hilt of a sword, connecting the game world to the real world. The goggles provide hands free social connectivity so that the player can link up with friends without stopping the gameplay, providing the player a level of freedom to multitask. Finally, the gauntlet is perhaps the most ambitious aspect of the design. The gesture based commands will further attempt to establish the link between the game world and the real world. The hope is that the array of functions afforded by the gauntlet will be simple enough to execute so as not to overwhelm the player, but provide ample utility to experiment with to learn the full range of controls.
16. 16. DESIGN ASSUMPTIONS CONTINUED Robert Rutherford: This controller is trying to add that extra immersion that many gamers want. The only problem is how they want to experience it. I hope that this design can spark some other idea, since I feel this controller is very rough. The best part is trying to make a Role-playing game more immersive, and to do that you need the player to feel like they are actually swinging a sword, or casting a magic spell. This design will hopefully allow them to embody there fictional character. If I was playing a magic wielder, I would want my movements to translate to some mystical fireball, then fire it at my enemies. So why wouldnt a normal player want the same thing from time to time.
17. 17. GAME-TYPE SUPERIORITY Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim The elder scrolls games are traditionally first person action adventure games that feature heavy melee, magic and sneaking mechanics. Our Controller is superior due to these features: Scepter allows movement with the analog stick on top, leaving your hand free to grip your weapon. Scepter motion tracking allows you to attack with actual swings of your weapon. The two bumper buttons allows for jumping and activating the use of the bow and the Auxiliary button allows for simple activation of sneaking. Closing the glove into a fist and moving your arms as if you are running activates the sprint mechanic in game. Using the gloves gesture features you can cast magic like a real mage. By reaching forward and closing your hand, you can pick up items.
18. 18. GAME-TYPE SUPERIORITY Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim (cont) All of your menus are available by navigating your touch screen gauntlet. You can easily change equipped item at the touch of a finger. Skyrim already goes through a lot of trouble to keep the screen open for display. With our goggles, all of elements on screen that show up and fade as you play can be present on the goggles instead. The game is primarily single player , but features a special kind of magic based on shouting different syllables. This could be accomplished by actually saying them into the HUD-set. And as always, large games have a large online presence. So the share button allows for instant sharing of funny moments, easy hints, and found bugs.
19. 19. GAME-TYPE SUPERIORITY 2 Battlefield 3 Battlefield is a First Person Shooter with a strong squad based element with objective gameplay The auxillary bumper makes it possible to switch firing options from single, to burst to full auto. Freeing the Screen of all HUD elements would make the screen less of an issue for seeing enemies. The Bumpers can be used for a secondary fire button, or using a scope. The gestures on the left hand can be used for throwing grenades or flash bangs. Sprinting can be achieves through closing your gloved handand moving the scepter as if you are running. The touch screen should make switching kits on the fly easier. The scepter allows for more realistic and interesting vehicle controls.
20. 20. GAMETYPE SUPERIORITY 3 Tom Clancys Hawx Tom Clancys Hawx is a military flight game. This game has the player engaging in various Dogfight missions or taking out ground enemies. The goggles will give the player a realistic cockpit feel. The player can look around the cockpit or out of the canopy that houses the pilot. The goggles HUD display show how much ammunition that the player has and an arrow to show which way the player needs to bank in order to find the enemy plane. The gauntlets mains purpose would be to control the throttle and displaying the mini map. The LCD on the gauntlet also display the next mission objectives.
21. 21. GAMETYPE SUPERIORITY 3 Tom Clancys Hawx (cont.) The Scepter is the main control of the plane. The analog stick controls the planes movement. The ascent & decent of the plane and the controls the left & right aileron Ailerons: Control the roll of a plane. The player can fire the primary weapon with the index finger trigger button. The middle finger button increases the throttle of the plane and the ring finger button will decrease the throttle of the plane. The right auxiliary button is as sensitive as a mouse click to add to the easy of clicking it to control the yaw of the plane while also being able to use the stick. Yaw: is the side to side motion when controlling an aircraft. The left auxiliary button would be used to switch between primary and secondary weapon.
22. 22. TESTING PROCEDURE Had player sign a ND agreement. Had player look at Battle-Stance and recorded their first impressions Had player put on the controller system and recorded observations and their think-aloud statements Had player playtest controller system for movement and ergonomic design, recorded observations and their think-aloud statements Asked player some follow up questions after playtest was complete
23. 23. PLAYTEST QUESTIONS Demographic Questions: Age: 24 Sex: Female Gaming Experience: Diablo, WOW, Everquest, Dungeons and Dragons, Bioshock Infinite, and Time Crisis. Impression Questions: What is your first impression of this controller? It is overwhelming, I think there are to many pieces and I do not think that they would collaborate well together.
24. 24. PLAYTEST QUESTIONS CONTINUED Observations: Is the user able to navigate the controller well? Not really. I feel like there is too much confusion between all of the controllers. I am not a hardcore gamer and I feel that it is an overload. Did the user put the glove on their dominant hand or off hand? On my dominant hand which is my right hand. Did the player fidget with the glove? Yes, it is too much of an obstruction. Did the player notice they could rotate the LCD screen? Yes, I noticed.
25. 25. PLAYTEST QUESTIONS CONTINUED Probing: (If the user adjusts the glove) Why did you did you adjust the glove? Not really, the feel of the glove felt bulky and was not going to fit. (If the user adjusts the glasses) Why did you adjust the glasses? Was not necessary. (If the user adjusts the Scepter) Why did you adjust the scepter? Do not understand the question. (If the player adjusts the LCD screen) How did you know you could adjust the screen? I did not adjust the LCD screen but I was informed that it was capable of being adjusted.
26. 26. PLAYTEST QUESTIONS CONTINUED Exploratory Question: How does the controller feel to you? Confusing. Can you explain further? Too much going on, I felt like I was getting lost in the bits and pieces of the controller to play the game. I feel like it was disorientating. Was anything uncomfortable to you? Everything, not uncomfortable in the sense that is was physically causing me discomfort. It was all of the supposedly collaborating components. So you say that.? That the controller that the controller is not practical.
27. 27. PLAYTEST QUESTIONS CONTINUED What I am understanding is that. ? If there were two gloves instead of the one glove you would enjoy it more. Yes I would because I think it would be much more manageable. I also feel that the goggles should be more for in game and less about stats. For example the Oculus Rift. My overall opinion is that appreciate the idea behind it and it could make the video game experience more immersive. But the application was to complicated.
28. 28. PLAYTEST QUESTIONS CONTINUED Direct Questions: How easy was it to get used to the controller? I was not able to get use to it. If it were a requirement to play a certain game then I would not play that game. Did anything feel overwhelming? Yes the entire set up was overwhelming. Did you notice that you can use the glove on either hand? Yes, but I didnt switch hands. It felt most comfortable on my dominat hand.
29. 29. POST MORTEM Although the controller design is unique it fails in almost every area we hoped to improve. The player felt that there were too many pieces, and this would make it a hassle for normal play sessions. Since most players only play for a short time, we should make sure that the player can easily pick up and play with our controller. As for the overall feel of the controller it was obvious from the start that it might have a gimmicky feel. Its more like an add-on to playing games, like 3d glasses for a movie. We should have realized that this controller would have very limited, and specific genre limits. The controller should replace, and feel necessary to fully enjoy a game, but ours felt like extra cheese on a pizza, not necessary, but could add to the experience. Lastly the entire play test would require a working controller, the feedback is important to the player and would help us determine it the interaction between the player and the game would work through this controller, since we cant build one we had to settle, and even at this state it looks like it would fail since the player said, I was not able to get use to it. If it were a requirement to play a certain game then I would not play that game. I think that statement shows that we need to make sure that the player can have fun using the controller.
30. 30. WORKS CITED Spielberg, S. (Director) (2002). Minority report [Theater]. Available from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0181689/ Favreau, J. (Director) (2008). Iron man [Theater]. Available from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0371746/?ref_=sr_2 Oculus VR incorporated. (2012, aug 01). Oculus rift. Retrieved from http://www.oculusvr.com Howard, T. (Director) (2011). Elder scrolls v: Skyrim [Video Game]. Available from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1814884/?ref_=sr_1 Burke, C. (2013, Aug 3). Interview by C Wheeler []. Battle-stance playtest. Keegan, T. (Director) (2011). Battlefield 3 [Video Game]. Available from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1954263/?ref_=sr_3 Bridinel, B. (Director) (2010). Tom clanc'ys hawx 2 [Video Game]. Available from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1773787/?ref_=fn_al_tt_1