[games_access] Harmonix needs our help!
Thomas Westin
thomas at pininteractive.com
Mon Dec 17 04:29:30 EST 2007
how about using a Cyberlink to control the pedal input; simply mapping
it to raising eyebrows for instance
/Thomas
16 dec 2007 kl. 09.31 skrev <hinn at uiuc.edu> <hinn at uiuc.edu>:
> Hey --
>
> The main issue is that they cannot use the foot pedal but they can
> use the drum pad (the other four inputs) using the drum sticks --
> they are paraplegic and not quadriplegic...although Harmonix would
> like to know solution ideas for quadriplegic gamers as well!
>
> I have asked to see if we could get into the source code if we sign
> away our lives -- worst case he just says "no way." And that's cool.
> I can understand keeping the code close to the vest. Doesn't hurt to
> propose it though.
>
> At the party I was at last night, it took 2-3 people without
> mobility disabilities to play the drum on "easy" mode. So add in any
> mobility disability and it's even tougher!
>
> Another thing to think about is solo practice -- you can go through
> the game just playing the drum with AI players. So there is a loss
> of independence for paraplegic gamers who would have to get a friend
> to "drum" with them. So they get used to each other's cues and
> styles...what happens at a party when the friend might not be there
> and a "substitute" second person is needed. It's not absolutely
> critical but it can get annoying to get used to someone else who is
> essentially a part of your "skills" package -- after all, a lot of
> (most?) people practice on their own so that they can keep up with
> and/or beat the crap out of their fellow game players.
> Yeah...rockband IS about collaboration...but...when the scores came
> up, there was always clearly "the winner." :)
>
> Did I mention that I think this discussion is really cool? ;)
>
> Michelle
>
> ---- Original message ----
>> Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2007 00:10:01 -0800
>> From: "Eelke Folmer" <eelke.folmer at gmail.com>
>> Subject: Re: [games_access] Harmonix needs our help!
>> To: "IGDA Games Accessibility SIG Mailing List" <games_access at igda.org
>> >
>>
>> Hey,
>>
>> Interesting problem, maybe a viable strategy would be to find the
>> gross or lowest denominator of the amount of interaction that a
>> paraplegic could provide; e.g. if this is a one switch you obviously
>> have a hard time providing five different inputs. Some amount of
>> interaction has to go or be automated.
>>
>> I assume we will not be able to modify the existing source code and
>> hence a solution must be found in the hardware. If you want to
>> automate particular drum beats there is no way to get this
>> information
>> through a controller unless you would be using a videocamera that
>> would monitor the screen to see which buttons need to be pressed.
>>
>> I propose a simple solution:
>>
>> just splitting up the drums (physically) into a part (1-5) drums that
>> can be played by a paraplegic and the other part (1-5) shall be
>> played
>> by another human. You need 4 people anyway so finding a 5th should
>> not
>> be a problem. If the paraplegic is unable to drum but can only use
>> sip
>> and puff i would suggest splitting up the controller for the drums in
>> a sipp and puff part and the remaining drum parts.
>>
>> Cheers Eelke
>>
>> On 15/12/2007, d. michelle hinn <hinn at uiuc.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> Hey Mike --
>>>
>>>
>>> The automation of inputs sounds like an excellent idea. I think
>>> you'd
>>> want it generic and per-input though and be clear that it's not
>>> *just*
>>> the foot pedal that could be problematic. e.g. Def Leopard's Rick
>>> Allen could easily handle the bass pedal (and a few more), but one
>>> of
>>> the pads might be a pain to hit simultaneously with another one.
>>>
>>>
>>> Yep, I was thinking about Rick Allen -- I'll have to do some
>>> surfing to give
>>> them some links on how drummers with mobility disabilities and
>>> amputees
>>> trick out their drum kits for their own personal situation. That
>>> might give
>>> Rock Band another source for information (actually...I'm wondering
>>> if we
>>> could get Rick Allen in on the accessible drum kit? I know that
>>> the Harmonix
>>> guys know some of the band contacts. I'm serious! How cool would
>>> that be to
>>> be able to buy a special edition Rick Allen controller that could be
>>> reconfigured to work with switches and so forth? For info on his
>>> custom kit:
>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rick_Allen_%28drummer%29
>>>
>>>
>>> I've only played the original GH briefly - do these games identify
>>> the
>>> different players at the start of the game? Tying such settings to
>>> individual users/names would be nice, so that if you're taking turns
>>> it'd automatically reconfigure itself for each person once those
>>> configurations are set and keep the accounts/configurations around
>>> as
>>> options for future gaming sessions.
>>>
>>>
>>> Yes, you pick your own player and name them (and then you can
>>> outfit them
>>> with cooler clothes and instruments when you earn cash from gigs)
>>> and it
>>> saves your progress and such. So I would think saving accessibility
>>> configurations would be pretty easy.
>>>
>>>
>>> As far as hardware - if they provided a way to use a generic
>>> controller instead of the custom ones (e.g. use a standard gamepad
>>> instead of the guitar for instance, where the whammy bar became the
>>> joystick), and in software allowed for remapping of the generic
>>> controller's inputs and to the expected inputs of the custom
>>> controller, then that should allow people to use things like the
>>> QuadControl.com's controller to play, wouldn't it? Anything
>>> excessively hard to do with such a controller could be switched to
>>> "automatic mode" in the software? Making these configurations also
>>> per-user as above would be nice as well.
>>>
>>>
>>> Hmm...yeah there is no way to play without a USB
>>> controller...but...I'm
>>> wondering if one of Barrie's USB controllers might be "tricked" to
>>> work with
>>> Rock Band -- I mean they already need a hub to fit four
>>> instruments so one
>>> of those could be an accessible controller...and then someone with
>>> different
>>> mobility issues might be able to play with a hacked controller
>>> connected to
>>> five switches (four for the drum pad and one for the pedal. I'll
>>> also
>>> introduce them to the Quad Controller for the 360 -- they may have
>>> a "cheat"
>>> or something that would allow someone to override an instrument
>>> (stranger
>>> things have been put in games).
>>>
>>>
>>> Now this discussion is kind of cool and super fun -- maybe we
>>> should start
>>> brainstorming on a game every other week where we know we have a
>>> friendly
>>> person in a high powered position who could make things happen. We
>>> could
>>> advert it on forums and our blogs for more suggestions. Mark and
>>> Barrie
>>> could help us on the blog end of things and I can contact some
>>> other groups.
>>>
>>>
>>> We could then present them with mini-usability reports and if they
>>> are
>>> interested in more info/help then they can help support the GA-SIG
>>> foundation (our soon-to-be-made-real non-profit) where we could
>>> earmark for
>>> travel scholarships for SIG members to conferences like the GDC
>>> where they
>>> are speakers, etc. It's a bird...It's a plane...no...It's "SIG
>>> PROJECT
>>> PRACTICAL!!!!!"
>>>
>>>
>>> I'm trying to set up a meeting with Alex and the Harmonix gang at
>>> GDC so we
>>> can show them the controllers, Eelke's haptic solution for the
>>> blind, how
>>> they are used, and discuss things further. Who doesn't want to
>>> ROCK after
>>> all? Beethoven was deaf -- and yet it was a rockstar back in his
>>> day. ;)
>>>
>>>
>>> Let me see if I can get a couple kits if we sign our lives away
>>> and promise
>>> not to resell them on ebay.
>>>
>>>
>>> Trust me on this one -- we have already benefited from the private
>>> generosity of Harmonix employees who dig our work. I can't say
>>> much more but
>>> trust me -- I know.
>>>
>>>
>>> Michelle
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> games_access mailing list
>>> games_access at igda.org
>>> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> Eelke Folmer Assistant Professor
>> Department of CS&E/171
>> University of Nevada Reno, Nevada 89557
>> Game interaction design www.helpyouplay.com
>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------------
>> _______________________________________________
>> games_access mailing list
>> games_access at igda.org
>> http://seven.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/games_access
> .......................................
> these are mediocre times and people are
> losing hope. it's hard for many people
> to believe that there are extraordinary
> things inside themselves, as well as
> others. i hope you can keep an open
> mind.
> -- "unbreakable"
> .......................................
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