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Description: A student team presents their final game, Cat’s Cradle. In it, the user controls two hedgehogs carrying a cat through a maze without falling over.
Speakers: MIT students
Long Project 1: Cats Cradle
GUEST SPEAKER 1: My name is My name is Abraham, this is Jason. Jason, Kevin, [INAUDIBLE] And our team was called Speed Racers, and that now it's called the "Cat's Cradle." That's the name of the game. The change of the name was like a learning experience, at least the way I see it. And I'm sure my teammates will expand on this.
So last week, when we did the little two-day project, one of the, I guess, the pitch we took was to make a racing game. And we had this plan that we were going to use the roll ball physics simulation mechanic to make it two simple wheels for an object. And in trying to solve... it ended up being a little harder than that. And next week we decided which is going to expand on that same project and try to finish the racing [INAUDIBLE] And the components that we tried to figure out and that we came up with making a game is something like a fail state, things that change speed, ramps, and [INAUDIBLE]
But of the big debate and the reason why it's called "Cat's Cradle" now rather than "Speed Racers" is because we actually figured out how to make, well Jason figured out a way to make a car, like a functioning you go forward, you go left, you go right. And there was this conversation what like two days ago, where it having the more basic two balls [INAUDIBLE] moving something forward was awkward. It didn't feel as good as the car. And we had to make a choice whether we're going to do the car, which was a little more-- it was softer and nicer to play with, but also not that interesting, or change our premise and abandon the racing game and instead keep pushing for the notion of we have two balls and these move awkwardly. And so now we have this awkwardly moving game. How can we make that you know, funny or fun or interesting? And so that's why we have "Cat's Cradle."
STUDENT: [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: You want to show the Kinect?
STUDENT: Yeah, [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: So now instead of having a racing car that is very cool and on fire, you have this fun cat [INAUDIBLE] and the awkwardness of the mechanic became a funny thing as [INAUDIBLE]. And so it was a lesson on [INAUDIBLE] awkward because we could make the most amazing [INAUDIBLE] mechanics [INAUDIBLE].
Jason did it. Jason made a beautiful functioning car. We decided it was better to have this physics-based, roll a ball. Two things [INAUDIBLE] and to just make it [INAUDIBLE]. Two [INAUDIBLE] physics and the programming aspect of it all. So that was the big design [INAUDIBLE] have something awkward so we design for the alternative [INAUDIBLE].
GUEST SPEAKER 2: So yeah, this looks hard than it is because [INAUDIBLE] if you click on the [INAUDIBLE] So in a way, it [INAUDIBLE]. So it's a [INAUDIBLE] So if I move the right one, he will turn left. And if I move the left, you'll move to the right.
So I can move them both in unison so that it will go straight. Yeah, so [INAUDIBLE] and kind of wiggle it around just moving forward. So excited [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: And actually we have a version of it that works with Kinect. Right now, this is working [INAUDIBLE]. And it's a very different experience but not necessarily one that makes it better or worse.
This is that if we embrace the awkward, you know, [INAUDIBLE] moving [INAUDIBLE] awkwardly and moving [INAUDIBLE] actually, the fact that it's a little harder makes it funnier looking at your pushing and pulling as trying to test. So we can try the the Kinect version to see how that [INAUDIBLE].
GUEST SPEAKER 1: [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: But yeah, that was the-- I think that was the big realization-- like, work with what you have and see [INAUDIBLE] doesn't deliver what you think was reported at the beginning actually can become a new thing that has its own mistakes. We tried, like, a very nice car like thing with the cat [INAUDIBLE].
It's just-- it felt like we've seen that game before. Like, a very nice car moving around-- it's like, we've seen that. A cat [INAUDIBLE] where two, like, awkward [INAUDIBLE] are carrying around a thing with big cat almost like the discovery of more [INAUDIBLE] So here's the cat. The cat's [INAUDIBLE].
GUEST SPEAKER 2: Using the Kinect--
GUEST SPEAKER 3: Yeah, so because we decide to have not seen on the player, so this is actually a simpler track, not like the one that is so challenging. [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: Can we do an amazing work with the camera? Those of you who saw the prototype, the guy was standing around like a crazy. And now he's falling [INAUDIBLE].
GUEST SPEAKER 2: And the Kinect is just plugged in.
GUEST SPEAKER 3: It is.
STUDENT: Is it on?
GUEST SPEAKER 3: It is. [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: Put up. reset. Hopefully it runs [INAUDIBLE] happening [INAUDIBLE] come on, come on. And it feels like you're pushing the bin.
GUEST SPEAKER 3: And the reason we have here two separate projects is because we tried combining both projects into one, but we had a lot of conflicts. [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: I think the next iteration will have [INAUDIBLE] he's testing the mechanics to make it a little smoother, you know, add some animations so there is more feedback. Right now, the feedback is a little limited. I think that the [INAUDIBLE] like their suffering a lot more than what they look like right now. And--
GUEST SPEAKER 2: [INAUDIBLE] [INAUDIBLE].
GUEST SPEAKER 3: Sorry?
GUEST SPEAKER 2: [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 3: [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: While that is going through, do you guys have any questions? What do you guys think?
GUEST SPEAKER 2: So yeah, it's [INAUDIBLE] there it goes.
STUDENT: It's the hand charge are not on a flat surface that they can't get friction to move forward.
GUEST SPEAKER 1: Right now, the [INAUDIBLE] are just-- it's just a mesh that is replacing [INAUDIBLE] object that is acute that has been pushed around [INAUDIBLE] body.
STUDENT: So if it [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: It can move longer, anything. And it does [INAUDIBLE] a new version of it, I would like to-- would have had time to animate the hedgehogs and try the steps and can do something a little more advanced like that.
STUDENT: You said, like-- spread your arms out a little more.
GUEST SPEAKER 1: Ah, good, [INAUDIBLE].
STUDENT: Because they're in front of the shoulders.
STUDENT: I don't know, it's-- I think it's because the tables here. But it's having trouble tracking. [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 2: [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: OK, we'll try again.
STUDENT: [INAUDIBLE]
GUEST SPEAKER 1: Here you Are. Oh no! We also [INAUDIBLE] that, like, following this [INAUDIBLE], it will be interesting to see [INAUDIBLE] like a big cat with two [INAUDIBLE] these two [INAUDIBLE] are carrying around a big cake-- something like that. And you have, like, anything-- and you're having to control these two characters [INAUDIBLE].
A new version would probably have also a cat that is deattached and has some sort of physics. And you can drop him and [INAUDIBLE] very angry-- you know, something like that. Keep exploring that notion. [INAUDIBLE]
STUDENT: What's the white stuff?
GUEST SPEAKER 1: He is just very salty. It's just like, they're angry, and like, you know, stuff comes out [INAUDIBLE] replaces with, like, swear word [INAUDIBLE]. He is, I can't believe you're doing this [INAUDIBLE] you know. But right now, it's just like [INAUDIBLE] particle because [INAUDIBLE].
GUEST SPEAKER 2: Initially, we also wanted so that-- such that if the cat tumbles down and then the cat will be susceptible to beat the gravity and just like rolls down [INAUDIBLE] of these. But when we did that, like, everything just broke. Like, when you press play, that cat just flew to outer space. So we had to remove that feature.
GUEST SPEAKER 1: This is amazing to see a cat [INAUDIBLE].
GUEST SPEAKER 2: It is actually not tracking that well.
STUDENT: I was watching this work way better when you guys were--
GUEST SPEAKER 1: It was kind of fun yesterday making it. It feels like you're a big head.
GUEST SPEAKER 2: Because it was started one zero position where you position yourself. So the next thing you need to do is to move forward in the z direction closer to the Kinect such that it increase exact value. And then the thing should actually propel you forward.
And if you go backward to that zero [INAUDIBLE] position, it should actually go behind. So it's like two differential wheel. If you want to steer yourself, you just move your leg backward and your right forward or some [INAUDIBLE].
GUEST SPEAKER 3: I wanted to just show you the cat because it's funny looking.
GUEST SPEAKER 2: Yeah, you can actually take a look at the artwork here. [INAUDIBLE] actually making-- put in a lot of effort making this--
GUEST SPEAKER 3: He's just like this angry cat. Ugh! He's so angry. He's so angry. And--
STUDENT: So this is not a standard asset.
GUEST SPEAKER 3: No.
GUEST SPEAKER 2: [INAUDIBLE] scratching [INAUDIBLE]. And he spent like two days.
GUEST SPEAKER 3: I should probably should have spent more time doing something to help the game actually work a little smoother. But I figure, like, if we have something awkward, we can just make something awkward to move with it. And so those two [INAUDIBLE] of that angry cat, they became the "Cat's Cradle" game.