Good Bye 2011 - Happy New Year 2012

Happy new year, world! Hope 2012 is a more peaceful and less destructive one.

D.I.Y. Muscle Control Sensors

"Advancer Technologies' USB Biofeedback Game Controller harnesses the power of electromyography to allow players to directly control video games with their muscles."


"At the core of this plug-in-play controller is the powerful yet low-cost Arduino UNO microcontroller, a favorite among hobbyist and students, acting as a HID keyboard interface. Integrated with the Arduino UNO are four of Advancer Technologies' new Platinum Series Muscle Sensors, allowing four muscles to act independently or in combination with each other to control over four buttons. In their setup, Advancer Technologies elected to use a six button setup with the left forearm controlling the B button (RUN/ATTACK), the right forearm controlling the A button (JUMP), the left bicep controlling the LEFT button, the right bicep controlling the RIGHT button, and combinations for UP and DOWN.

During gameplay, the Arduino UNO program constantly senses the muscle activity of each muscle via the muscle sensors. When the player flexes a muscle, the Arduino registers a spike in muscle activity, triggering a button press, and sends this information to the computer via USB connection, all in real-time.

You can learn how to build your own controller by reading Advancer Technologies' easy to follow tutorial posted on Instructables.com  and their website. These illustrated instructions go through each step in detail to reproduce and program this remarkable controller."

Cribbed directly from Advancer Technologies' YouTube channel, discovered with thanks to Thomas Westin of the IGDA GASIG. Other muscle control in games can be found at Control Bionics and the OneSwitch Blog.

Drivey

Drivey is a proof of concept demo, but it is gorgeous and a pleasure. It reflects a stylised version of driving, and aims to replicate the ease of driving when you get into a comfortable head-space and environment.

It achieves this with auto-steering and cruise-control, which I think is a unique and brilliant accessibility design feature. If you let go of your controls, the car will drive itself. You can choose when to overtake, speed up or slow down or go off-road. You can switch off the traffic if you wish and even the colision detection. You can drive using two switches alone for LEFT and RIGHT.

The most recent demo (0.15) has no sound, but 0.13 has. For more accessible design ideas for the ultimate in accessible driving see the IGDA GASIG Top 3 and the SpecialEffect Wish List for Accessible Game Design.

 

Hollis Brown Thornton artwork top found thanks to Rob Fearon.

102 Switch Swearing Machine (18)

Above is the Clay Interactive built "Periodic Table of Swearing" made for Modern Toss. It's been a bad month for good taste on the OneSwitch blog. My apologies. But who wouldn't love giving that a go at the Science Museum? A one-switch version would be a doddle with Switch Mixer Lite and bundles of recording patience. I won't be doing that though.

Never Be Normal

Good advice via adski-kafeteri.

Christmas at Specialbites

I don't know quite what to make of Specialbites's collection of eight switch accessible Christmas activities. They're a little bit odd. One is of Rudolph the red nosed reindeer getting scared by a possessed Christmas tree, then poo-ing in a toilet. Another is of a magic tree firing cannon balls at a cloud of brussel sprouts. Another is Rudolph starting a fire, melting a snowman whilst staring and grinning. Often there's a mad echoing laugh, or funeral march version of Away in a Manger.



Some older kids will certainly find these amusing, but personally I had flash backs to seeing Frosty the Snowman melting down to a puddle when he popped into a green-house to get warm, and crying my eyes out. I was five I might add. This wasn't recently.

Aside from this(!) Specialbites have an excellent range of switch accessible activities aimed at developing an understanding of cause and effect and beyond. I highly recommend giving them a good look through as there are some gems inside. 

Away from Specialbites, you can find more traditional Christmas fare at Help Kidz Learn's advent calendar. Is it sad that I miss the teletext advent calendar? (yes it is).

When the Wind Blows

New Wave Virtual Reality

Apparently all filmed in one take using various projectors, object mapping tech and a PS3 move controller linked to camera movement. I've seen this kind of thing before on a much smaller scale from Johnny Chung Lee. This though looks like the second coming of Virtual Reality. Can't wait! Hope it doesn't make me motion sick.
 

Badlands

After playing it for the first time at Replay Expo 2011 I decided to have another go at getting Konami's one-switch laser-disk game Badlands working on my laptop. Using the latest version of the Daphne emulator (v1.0), it worked!

It turns out that Daphne now helps you download everything you need to play without too much hassle at all. So, what's the game like?

Well, beyond needing a separate start button, the entire game is designed to be played with a single button to shoot. That includes entering your initials on the high-score table. Playing in a real cartoon is amazing for a while, but this game requires lightening fast reactions. It also requires a fair bit of patience in learning at what often obscure point you should actually fire.

If you do stick at it, and you have the reaction speed, it's an enjoyable and unique one-switch game. I definitely recommend setting your lives to the maximum level and using this help guide.

Run! You [Rude Word]!

I'm getting prudish. RYF! is an exceptionally sweary one-switch side-scrolling game for PCs. Definitely one for parental guidance, and the guidance should be "no, you're not playing it. It's too rude."

I won't be cross-posting this at SpecialEffect, put it that way. But if you must play...

...you can find it here via: Glorious Trainwrecks. Made me grin.

El Duelo

It's been a pleasure learning about Jose A Silva Ruiz's switch accessible work at C1ic.mx and his C1ic.mx blog. Jose is based in Mexico and seems to have a bit of thing for skeletons. Here's a little on his work...

C1ic.mx is hoped to offer a switch accessible web-interface to some of his new games, YouTube and more. It's a laudable project, and one I've seen promised before but not quite realised. Let's hope this one goes all the way.

El Duelo is a high-noon gun-fight set in a haunted Mexico. As soon as your opponent draws, fire using the space bar. All dialogue and text is in Spanish which really adds to the Spaghetti Western feel. Requires fast reactions.

Penales is a penalty shoot out game. This one requires mouse use at the menu stage unfortunately, but game play is fun for those with good or lucky timing. Press the space bar when the spinning indicator is in the green to score. There's also a duck in goal version.

Playstation 2 One-Switch Generation

This post is cribbed from the SpecialEffect Accessible GameBase: Last week we were approached asking if we would recommend a Wii or a Playstation for a young lad with Cerebral Palsy. He uses an Able-Net Big-Red type switch to play some Help Kidz Learn games and has also shown interest in web-cam activities.

That tipped me into thinking a Playstation 2 would likely be the best bet. Ideally one of the old fat ones that will work with the majority of accessible controllers.

Here's a list of the PS2 compatible software we recommend anyone with similar needs takes a look at (listed in degree of accessibility for the player, once a helper has set things up):


1. EyeToy (PS2)



Webcam games for the PS2. The EyeToy Play and EyeToy Play 2 games both have a "Play Room" area which are zero pressure experimental areas. Position the camera to a part of the body that moves and then play freely. Hugely accessible.


2. Destruction Derby (PSone, PS2 and PS3 via PSN).



Banger racing and huge fun. At its easiest in the time-trials on an oval track. "X" is the accelerator and is all you need to get around the track. More advanced players can jam the accelerator on and use a single button to steer in the most useful direction. Use the !DAMAGE! name cheat to become invincible.


3. Fruit Machine Mania (PS2)



Parental guidance advised on gambling games. The "Sea Treasures" machine is a good point to play from, and can be played infinitely depending on how many of your allocated turns you risk. "X" to spin.


4. Pool Paradise International Edition (PS2*)



If you choose "Practice" and then "Trickshot" (or play any choice of table, quit, then select "convert to Trickshot") you can play in a non-pressurised and no-rules/make up your own rules style. Brilliant for games of Killer which is more fun and less violent than it sounds! A helper will need to help with aiming, perhaps by constantly varying left to right by small degrees on a chosen ball. You can buy a laser-aiming guide straight away from the shop, which helps quite a lot. Requires one-switch patched into "X" and Left-Analogue-Stick "UP".


5. KickBoxing KnockOut (PSone and PS2)



In two-player mode you can set a switch up as kick or punch (one of the shape buttons) to play against another opponent of similar ability. Each time you punch/kick you move a bit closer to your opponent to keep the action going.


6. Pinball: Ultimate Pro Pinball (PS2*)



Three modern pinball tables. Great fun for switch users who can tap fairly rapidly. We recommend choosing the "Big Race USA" or "Fantastic Journey" tables as you can adjust the slope and quality of the tables to slow the game down a bit. Ensure the easiest setting is chosen too if helpful. Requires one-switch patched into the flippers "L1" and "L2" and "X" for the plunger.


7. Dancing Stage (PSone and PS2*)



Most Konami Dancing Stage games (avoid DisneyMix) can be played with one-switch if all four shape buttons are patched together. The background graphics can be dimmed on many of these games, and on the easiest settings you are simply playing against your own best score or another player, as they will let you play the entire way through, no matter how many arrows you miss.


8. Everybody's Golf (PS2 and PS3)



Cute Japanese Golf game. Requires two accurately timed taps of the "O" button to play well. Ensure that the "Everybody's" golf club is selected and "Easy Mode" is selected.


9. Super Bust-A-Move 2 (PS2)



Colour matching game which will need a helper to deal with aiming duties, whilst the player uses "X" to launch different coloured bubbles when ready or when their timer runs out.


10. Um Jammer Lammy (PSone and PS2)



Loveable quirky cartoon rhythm based game.  Select the "EASY" level from the options screen. "X" to play your guitar (or any other shape button for team play which may make things easier). Very tough for a single player.


There may be more one-switch playable games out there, but we've yet to discover them for the PSone or PS2. There are a couple of wonderful music making titles, being Fluid and Music 2000 (for its "Music Jam" section) for the PSone/PS2 worth a look too.

We'd recommend local game stores that sell second hand games and eBay to track most of these games down (or we can help). As for the hardware needed to play them, please get in touch and we can give you some up to date advice.

* These games require patching connectors, which are normally supplied separately from a game controller. Only tested on a C-SID in this way for compatibility.