Category: recent

konzept
Making the Game, recent

Making The Game – Teil 10: Spiele-Konzeption

Many different factors must be applied in the development of a multimedia, natural learning application. So I decided not to use a typical software-development model. Instead i used the agile process model in the development.   This approach was chosen because compared to the waterfall model, where at the beginning of the development all specifications must be set, it is much more dynamic to changing requirements and add new ideas can during the development process. In addition, the costs and project progress at the beginning of the development is difficult to predict, so the use of an agile and iterative approach that adapts to the current situation has many benefits. […]

Making the Game, recent

Making The Game – Teil 9: Vorteile natürlicher Eingabemöglichkeiten anhand von Praxisbeispielen

As mentioned before applications, designed for natural interaction with the user, differ in many aspects from traditional GUI applications. The advantages, resulting from the intuitive use of NUI-Apps, are not restricted only to the domestic or functional use in offices and conference rooms.   Thus, multi-touch applications are predestined to be used in self-service area. Simple GUI terminal, as they are often used at railway stations, airports, libraries, museums, exhibitions or fairs, could be replaced by multi-touch and multi-user interfaces. Even customers without computer knowledge would quickly learn to operate with the hands and fingers, because it hardly requires any skills to change the objects on the screen. The easy […]

gtts
Lab, recent

Die inoffizielle Google Text-To-Speech API

The fact that Googles Translation-Application translate.google.com offers the possibility to readout an inserted text (TTS text to speech), is nothing new. The specialty, however, are the possibilities that arise through this feature.   The data for the audio output is in fact called by a simple HTTP GET (REST) ​​request:   http://translate.google.com/translate_tts?tl=de&q=text     By this request, which provides an MP3 file, can easily realize TTS-applications and works, thanks to the multilingualism of Google’s service, also for many other languages​​. The only drawback to this method is a limitation which allows only a maximum of 100 characters per request.   The main URL parameters in this case, the two for […]

vergleich
Making the Game, recent

Making The Game – Teil 8: Vergleich von NUI GUI

In the comments of some articles on natural user interfaces you can read that NUIs are just graphical user interfaces without any differences. For a some simple definitions of a GUI, like the one from Wikipedia: “A graphical user interface is a software component that allows the users of a computer to interact with the machine via graphical icons.” this might apply, because visual interfaces are graphic in nature.     As a graphical interface, however, constitutes more than pictorial symbols, a more IT-specific definition is needed: “A Graphical User Interface (GUI) refers to the graphical user interface, which make the use of computer easier …. Graphical User Interfaces are […]

mtgp7
Making the Game, recent

Making The Game – Teil 7: Interessante Forschungen im Bereich der Multi-Touch-Spiele

Computer games are immersive learning environments. The player has to understand the game the strategies to succeed in it. Although in computer games learning is rather hidden, but the learning effects in conventional games are not to ignore. Computer games promote, depending on the genre, skills like as hand-eye coordination when they require a high degree of skill in controlling the character. Strategy games on the other hand promote the combination of skill and tactical thinking of the player, if he must for example build cities. In addition, other skills, such as lateral thinking, concentration, patience and ambition, trained in many games.   In addition to standard computer games, which […]

titleimage-teaser
Making the Game, recent

Making The Game – Teil 6: Multi-Touch-Geräte und ihre Leistungsgrenzen

Programs and games nowadays have to run not only on a particular platform. So I have chosen some multi-touch devices on which the application in this project should be playable. However, since not all devices have the same capabilities and limitations we have to take a look at the differences in the performance of the devices, so that the application can run smoothly and error-free in the end. In addition to the performance we mainly take a look in to the multi-touch capabilities as well as other natural ways of interacting with the devices.     MSI Wind Top AE2060 – All in One PC The MSI Wind Top All-in-one […]

gmusic
Lab, recent

Google Music – Erfahrungsbericht

Today I finally got to test Google Music. After 6 months of beta testing the service now opened to all users. Though you have to be in the U.S. to register an account, but thanks to proxies and VPN connections it easy to “be” in the U.S. at least with the internet-connection. If you have no idea how Proxies work, you can find a good guide at engadget.com. (Note: you only need the American IP during registration!)   Typical cloud application, you can listen to your uploaded music collection (max 20,000 files) from any computer, tablet, mobile phones and other Internet-enabled device. But an Internet connection is required for this […]

Making the Game, recent

Making The Game – Teil 5: Multi-Touch Frameworks (für Adobe Flash/Air) – Part 2

Zu Teil 1   Touchlib / Bubblebird TUIO-AS3 Framework Neben den Frameworks für native Touch-Ereignisse existieren Frameworks, die hauptsächlich auf die Verarbeitung von TUIO-Touch-Events ausgelegt sind, welche meistens von Multi-Touch-Tischen oder Multi-Touch-Wänden verwendet werden.   Touchlib ist eins der Frameworks, welches schon seit Langem für diese Zwecke entwickelt wird. Bereits vor der Einführung von nativen Touch-Events in Flashplayer 10.1 war es mittels einem Tracker (wie in Teil 3 bereits erklärt) und dem von der NUI-Group bereitgestellten Touchlib-Framework möglich Multi-Touch fähige Geräte und Anwendungen zu erstellen. Touchlib ist darüber hinaus, neben dem Flash Framework, auch ein Tracking Programm für Windows. Jedoch wird meistens das Plattformunabhängige Community Core Vision (CCV) eingesetzt um […]

Making the Game, recent

Making The Game – Teil 5: Multi-Touch Frameworks (für Adobe Flash/Air) – Part 1

Sobald man anfängt Multi-Touch Anwendungen in ActionScript zu schreiben fällt einem sehr schnell, auf dass sich Touch-fähige Applikationen doch in einigen Punkten von herkömmlichen mit Maus und Tastatur bedienbaren Programmen unterscheiden.   Wie man sich bereits denken kann ist es nicht üblich auf Maus-Klicks zu warten um eine Aktion zu starten, da die Maus üblicherweise nicht verwendet wird. Seitdem Adobe ende 2009 den Flash Player 10.1 veröffentlicht hat besitzt er die Fähigkeit sogenannte Touch Events zu erkennen.   Diese Touch Events verhalten sich ähnlich wie die üblichen Ereignisse die man mit der Maus auslösen kann. So gibt es als Beispiel, äquivalent zum Drücken der Maustaste, dem MOUSE_DOWN Ereignis, das TOUCH_BEGIN […]