Time Crisis 4 Arcade Cabinet
Originally uploaded by roblonolean.

Brief Three - U.C.I.

'Analyse an Arcade Machine.'

Having visited the UCI down Cardiff Bay, I have decided to write about an arcade machine I found there called 'Time Crisis 4.' Unfortunately when I went to the UCI there was not many visitors, so I ended up spending all my money to ensure I understood the HCI/Usability of the machine.

Observations & Interpretations

Time Crisis 4 is an interactive, one to two-player cooperative gun game. Specifically it is a first person Rail Shooter and is presented in a upright, twin cabinet (two screens). Players have the option to select either dual-player cooperative game play or dual single play in the same cabinet. I make this point because this use of multi-screens is highly innovative and original in an arcade machine.

As for the game itself, players are navigated through three stages & each stage consists of a prologue and three areas. The user is provided with a plastic light gun to interact with what is happening on the screen & has an in-game arsenal which includes a standard handgun, machine gun, shot gun and grenade. Players change weapons in the game by pulling the trigger while they hide (you hide by taking your feet off the foot pedal).

Forms of interaction

The main form of interaction the user has with this device is by shooting the enemies as they appear on the screen. The user is navigated automatically from scene to scene by the game. To assist players, they are guided through the three stages with the support of Voice Navigation, which comes from a speaker mounted on both players gun racks. The Voice Navigation provides players with instructions on selecting the appropriate weapons and timing their next move.
There is a also a foot pedal which players use to hide behind boxes and walls when the action becomes too intense. Players are also required to reload their weapons, like a real gun. This is achieved by aiming off screen and pulling the trigger button. In additional, players have the option to adjust the gun sight and select the blowback to on or off.

One other form of interaction Time Crisis 4 offers is the ability for players to control their fate, by offering multiple scenarios. Players are able to choose the direction they proceed at various points in the game; they can choose either right or left by pointing the gun at arrows located on the sides of the screen.

Is the interface design metaphorical?

The interface of this device is indeed metaphorical. The user is presented with a plastic imitation light gun and is placed in realistic gun fights, where they have to shoot and reload weapons and kill enemies in order to progress. The enemies are not passive and they fire back at the player, symbolised by red flashing holes when hit.

How do the exhibits in the UCI differ from those in Techniquest?

The exhibits in the UCI are all entertainment based, while the devices in Techniquest have an emphasis on education. The arcade machines in the UCI are intended to make money, so it is reasonable to assume they are aimed at young people with disposable income. These machines earn money every play, so the longer they keep the user entertained, the more money they make. This differs from Techniquest, where you pay upon entering to use all the machines as many times as you like.

Please click link for additional photos http://www.flickr.com/photos/64946738@N00/sets/72157594333222322/show/

Design for Interaction

Brief Two - 'Nintendo D.S. Lite.'

(fig 1) Nintendo DS Lite console.

Initially I was going to discuss the Nintendo Advance gaming console, but fortunately I have been lucky enough to get hold of a new Nintendo D.S. Lite (fig 1). The reasons why I want to discuss this product are because of its unique design qualities, as well as being an appropriate product for the set brief. The device itself is lightweight & portable, with dual screens and has a multimedia interface. This console is relatively new to me, so before writing this I had little prior knowledge of the devices interface, functionality & button layout.


Description of Product and its Functionality.

The Nintendo DS Lite is a dual-screen handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. It is a slimmer, more lightweight, aesthetically sleeker redesign of the earlier Nintendo DS model. It was commercialy released in Europe during June, 2006 and has sold over 4.15 Million units worldwide (Total DS sales for all models is 22 Million units worldwide). According to Nintendo, the famous Game Boy line of products are aimed at gamers on the move and is intended for use throughtout every day life in multiple environments. Furthermore, this product is meant to symbolise Nintendo’s flare for innovation. Indeed, the letters "DS" in the name are meant to stand for Developers' System, which refers to the features of the handheld, designed to encourage innovative gameplay ideas among developers. It can also stand for Dual Screen(Nintendo DS Frequently Asked Questions).

An interesting innovation Nintendo have made with the DS is that they have incorporated Wi-Fi technology. If you have access to a Wi-Fi Connection, you can connect wirelessly, chat and play with other Nintendo DS owners across the globe. Furthermore you can also connect to local wireless networks, with a wireless range of 30 to 100 feet. This means you can connect with a local wireless network and play up to sixteen players.

As for game compatibility, the Nintendo DS is compatible with Game Boy Advance cartridges (the smaller Nintendo DS cartridges fit into Slot 1 on the top of the system, while Game Boy Advance games fit into Slot 2 on the bottom of the system). The DS is not compatible with games for the Game Boy Color and the original Game Boy, which should be of little concern to most users as these games are now obsolite and are becoming increasingly more difficult to obtain.

Interface Design

The DS Lite weighs in less than the original DS at 218g. It's smaller than the original too at 13.3 x 7.4 x 2.2cm. The device has two screens, the Top Screen boasts a backlit, 3-inch, transmissive TFT colour LCD with 256 x 192 pixel resolution, capable of displaying 260,000 colours. Each three inch screen can reproduce a true 3D view, with impressive 3D renderings. The lower display has the same specs as the top, but is overlaid with a pressure-sensitive touch screen, designed to accept input from the included stylus, the user's fingers, or the "thumb stylus": a curved plastic rectangle attached to the optional wrist strap. The touch screen allows players to interact with in-game elements more directly. This means that you no longer rely on just buttons to move your character or shift perspectives in games. In addition, you can also navigate menus or access inventory items by using the touch screen.

Traditional controls are located on either side of the touch screen. To the left is a D-pad and to the right are the A, B, X, and Y buttons, with small Select and Start buttons below them. Shoulder buttons L and R are located on the upper corners of the lower half of the system. Also on the lower half of the system can be found a clearly defined ‘power’ button, as well as a ‘volume’ button and a headphone slot.

The Nintendo DS also features stereo speakers providing virtual surround sound, located on either side of the upper display screen. This is a first for a Nintendo handheld, as the Game Boy line of systems has only supported stereo sound through the use of headphones or external speakers. There is also a built-in microphone, located below the left side of the bottom screen. It has been used for a variety of purposes, including speech recognition, chatting during gameplay and minigames that require the player to blow or shout into the microphone .

Task Analysis

As this product is predominately used for playing games on the move, I have decided to analyse how the user would perform the task of loading & playing a game like Super Mario Brothers. Below in bullet points are the steps and actions required to perform this task and information on how I knew what to do.

* Firstly I had to insert the Super Mario Brothers cartridge into Slot 1 on the top of the system. I knew to do this because I have played many games consoles in the past & they have all required me to load a game first. Furthermore, I knew to incert the game into Slot 1 because it is a smaller DS cartridge, that would not fit into Splot 2 (for Gameboy Advance games).

* Next I had to press the ‘Power’ button on the left of the console. The button is cleraly labled and again I knew to do this action from past experience. You are made aware that the device is now on because a Green LED display appears (Red appears when there is a low battery).

* When you open the device there are two screens. On the top screen is a clock displaying the time and a calendar displaying the date. On the bottom screen there are several option files, including the Super Mario Bros game file. To select the option file I simply pressed the ‘A’ button, although I could have used my thumb or the provided stylus on the touch screen. This was not initially obvious; I tried pressing the ‘start’ button first, but worked out the appropriate button through a process of elimination.

* At this point the game is now loaded. To start playing and to navigate my character I know to use the traditional D-Pad and the four A,B,Y & X from my previous experience with such consoles.

Please click link for additional pictures- http://www.flickr.com/photos/64946738@N00/sets/72157594333225201/show/

Techniquest - Reaction Timer
Originally uploaded by roblonolean.

Techniquest - Brief One

Reaction Timer

Ones reaction time is very important in many day to day activities, though it is not often measured. That is why I chose to write about a device called the ‘Reaction Timer.’ The machine itself comprises of an upright cabinet, with a colour screen, three interactive buttons (red, yellow & blue) and a green buzzer button. The aim of the device is to obtain a reading of how well the user reacts to a series of predetermined trials; therefore giving an accurate indication of how quickly the users reaction is to these tests. The tests are split into two sections, with eight initial trials concerned with how quickly the user reacts to either a flash of light, on hearing a sound or feeling a vibration on the green pad. Once a flash of light, a sound or the buzzer goes off, the user must press any three of the buttons as quickly as possible. The next series comprises of three more trials under the banner “Thinking timer,” where the user must press a button of the right colour when prompted to. After all the tests are completed, the machine draws a bar graph which gives a visual representation of how well the users reaction to sound, sight, touch and thought is.

Before you start using the machine, the user is asked to either “Choose Red for English or Blue for Welsh.” This means that people who can read either of these two languages can use the device. Specifically the product is aimed at children of primary and early secondary school age, however it is still accessible to older people. It is an appropriate height and has large enough buttons for all such users, although people with disabilities may find it more difficult to use (especially if the user has been unfortunate enough to lose an arm or is hard of hearing).

There are clear educational and entertainment values associated with this device. It is fun to use, with bright colours, making it engaging and entertaining for it’s young intended target audience. It’s educational purpose is to help promote stimulation for young minds and allows the user to engage three of the five senses (sight, touch, hearing). In addition, It’s beneficial to the user because it helps improved concentration and reflexes. However there are a few key flaws with the device, which distort the accuracy of the tests. Firstly the sound it emits is far too quiet to hear & thereafter react too, especially given the noisy surroundings. Furthermore, during the first series of tests the user is asked to “Put one hand on the green pad” to feel for a buzz. When the buzzer goes off, one of the other three buttons must be pressed, which could possibly lengthens ones reaction time. In addition to this, given that the user must have one hand on the green pad at all times, that hand could interfere when reaching for one of the other buttons.

Summer Work

Before the start of the course, we were set two briefs to be completed over the summer months. Firstly we were asked to write a short article, with the question "Are tools and toys or film and television new media's closest living relations?" as the focus for our answer. We were also asked to create three picture postcards insired by the places we visited over the summer. Below is the work i did for these briefs.

"Are tools & toys or Film & Television new media's closest living relations?"

If we are to obtain a meaningful understanding and conclusion to this question, we must first fully understand what we define as ‘New Media.’ 'Media' refers to technologies used to communicate messages and include mass media (newspapers, TV, radio), popular media (film, books) and digital media (computer games, the World Wide Web, virtual reality) and others. New Media itself is a relatively new field of study that has developed around cultural practices with the computer playing a central role as the medium for production, storage and distribution.

The first age of media dawned with the invention of the printing press, around C11th. Information could now be distributed through leaflets, books and eventually newspapers. It could be said that Paintings contain messages to its viewer and are a recognized form of media today, but it was the printed word that allowed information to be passed to a mass audience. The next significant change in face for media would not take place until the C20th, which ushered in the radio age. The radio brought about a change of approach. Instead of viewing information in print, a newsreader or DJ read out the information across commercial broadcasts. The face of media continued to change in this centaury with the invention of film & cinema and later on the television. With both these mediums, the receiver of the information is not only a listener, but now a viewer as well. Television opened up a whole new medium to cast news and with later developments in technology, broadcast to anywhere in the world from anywhere in the world.

It was not until very recently that the computer and subsequently the internet came into existence, dawning the age of new media. The internet is a worldwide, publicly accessible network of interconnected computers, which allows us to transform data openly. Internet access these days is not just confined to computer users; it is available through a mass of different mediums. People can access digital information through their PDA, Mobile Phone, even through their television sets by using an Internet Box to name but a few examples. The information available on the internet (News, Radio, Television programs, games, movies, etc) that can be downloaded or viewed is on a huge scale and is expanding rapidly.

In his book ‘The Language of New Media’ Lev Manovich likens the internet to a Russian living in his apartment under the suppression of a Communist dictatorship. Suggesting the internet is not as free as we may think. Some would consider this a radical claim, but this can only be paralleled with those who feel these views incredibly grounded. Manovich also makes several other interesting observations about present day media. Manovich states that modern media tends to try and externalize the “mind life” in an attempt to try and standardize the process so that everything can be controlled. The user follows the instruction on the computer and work in specific steps. This is particularly interesting when concerning video games. Survival in such games then ultimately depends on how well this ‘user’ can learn or assimilate the operations of the computer and then act flawlessly according to its set patterns. Whether you, the ‘user’ operates in Doom or MS Office, the principle remains the same. In that view a video game, which is often celebrated as being very liberating, becomes almost negative, an attempt by the game designer to solicit a certain response.

So according to Manovich, progression lies in breaking beyond linear set pretences. So what does this mean for the future of media? He makes the claim the next generation of digital cinema (broadband or macro cinema) will add multiple windows to its language. One important aspect of visual culture is the status of the screen creating two realities instead of one, two different spaces divided by a frame. According to Manovich, spatiality which was suppressed in the twentieth century will return in the twenty-first.

Television, Radio, newspapers and magazines drove media up until the explosion of the Internet. I believe these instruments of media will stay with us, in one form or another, but none less they are slowly becoming less preferable to the Internet. If you take a news article, the same article can be found, viewed or heard on all of the for-mentioned mediums. The main advantage of the Internet though is that the article can be accessed at anytime. Where as television and radio may only feature it once. The clear positive in this is that information is becoming ever more interactive and easier to manipulate.

It is certainly easy to trace back where modern day media came from. Where it is going though is a little less clear. Media is all around us and will continue to be. Using the transition of paper to radio to television to Internet as a model, it would appear that it is only a matter of time before something new is created, more than likely based on what has come before.

Postcard 1 - Dante Florence

This is the first postcard i produced. It was inspired by the time I spent in Florence, Italy. The scene depicts Dante Alighieri

Postcard 1 - Dante Florence
Originally uploaded by roblonolean.

, who wrote 'The Divine Comedy.' In the background is the various levels of hell that was described in Dante's 'Inferno' & also the cursed souls to the left. A famous piece of Florentine architecture is also visibale called the Doma, or Duomo to the locals. This building is a very impressive structure, particularly because of it's rounded or dome like roof, which was highly origional when the building was created.

Postcard 2 - Port Talbot

This is the second postcard i created. Having spent several months in my home town, I felt it necessary to produce an iconic image of Port Talbot.

Postcard 2 - Port Talbot
Originally uploaded by roblonolean.

Whenever I speak to anyone who ventures down my part of the woods, I am often met with the response "I have never visited Port Talbot, but have passed it on the M4 motoway." Port Talbot is instantly recognisable because of the Corus Steel Works domination of the landscape. Port Talbot is a large Industrial Town and as thus could be considered a concrete jungle, with little to no character. That is why the Steel Works is the focus of this postcard.

Obviously picture postcards are meant to be flattering, so I hope the irony is evident. I was considering the phrase "Sights of Port Toilet," but felt the image works well enough!

Postcard 3 - Dylan Thomas copy

This is the final postcard i produced. As a regular visitor to Swansea, I wanted to produce an image with the Bard Dylan Thomas in mind, who was born in Swansea on October 27th, 1914.

Postcard 3 - Dylan Thomas
Originally uploaded by roblonolean.

Dylan Thomas is widely considered one of the greatest twentieth-century poets writing in English and he remains the leading figure in Anglo-Welsh literature. His vivid and often fantastic imagery was a rejection of the trends in twentieth-century verse: while his contemporaries gradually altered their writing to serious topical verse (political and social concerns were often expressed), Thomas gave himself over to his passionately felt emotions, and his writing is often both intensely personal and fiercely lyrical.

He is particularly remembered for the remarkable voice-play Under Milk Wood and for his poem Do not go gentle into that good night which is generally interpreted as a plea to his dying father to hold onto life.

Introduction

Welcome to my Design for Interactive Multimedia blog space. Here you will find work produced by myself for the D.F.I.M. course at U.W.I.C, Cardiff. Throughout the year I intend to keep a monthly Journal which will contain information on the work I am set, as well as my personal reflections. I will also post seperately to this my completed assignments. Relavent links will be added throughout the year to the 'Right' of this page.