UNIVERSE: Markov Space [DONE]

[mcc]

Markov Space

Mac version
Windows version
Linux version
Source code






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Markov Space
Day 1 prototype
Controls: Arrow keys



Mac version
Windows version
Source code

[mcc]

Day 2 prototype
Controls: Arrow keys; ctrl to move forward; touch letters to pick them up

Mac version
Windows version
Source code

[mcc]

Day 3 prototype:

Source code

This is actually exactly the same as yesterday's prototype only more efficient so I'm not going to bother uploading anything.

[Stephen L (inactive)]

Not sure what's going on yet.

Ctrl+arrow keys = switch workspaces for me. When I got back, I had to hold down ctrl to *not* move. :P

one thing I noticed, which interested me, though it's obvious, was that when I was looking for a particular letter to move towards, I would only pay attention to the smallest letters (those being the furthers away and therefore easiest to get to. Unless the frustrum compensates. IDK :( ).

[mcc]

Not sure what's going on yet.

It isn't going on yet :D

Ctrl+arrow keys = switch workspaces for me. When I got back, I had to hold down ctrl to *not* move. :P

Hah!

I'm wondering if the thing where Key down -> keydown event received -> exit app -> key up -> reenter app -> no keyup event ever received should be considered a bug in Polycode. I don't remember what SDL would have done in this situation.

one thing I noticed, which interested me, though it's obvious, was that when I was looking for a particular letter to move towards, I would only pay attention to the smallest letters (those being the furthers away and therefore easiest to get to. Unless the frustrum compensates. IDK :( ).

This is interesting, I'm curious if it will still be the case after I change some stuff.

One thing, this really ought to have some fog but it I'm having trouble getting that to work.

[mcc]

Day 5 prototype (day 4 was spent on Polycode patching that went nowhere)
Controls: Arrow keys; ctrl to move forward; touch letters to pick them up

Mac version
Windows version
Source code



Where this is actually going:

Eventually, the "ctrl to move forward" thing will be pulled and you'll just be flying forward all the time. The field will be full of glittering letters. Some of them will be dull-colored and "look" uninteresting; some of them will be shiny and flickering and attention-grabbing. When you pick up a letter, the letter is added to a "sentence" being constructed in the upper left corner, and all the letters that are already on screen change; some of the ones that looked flickery and interesting now look dull, some of the dark ones have now lit up. The idea is that the game has a letter-granularity markov model of text and the probability that each letter in the alphabet is "next", given the letters you've already picked up, will be visually represented as "how interesting" that letter looks at any one moment. In theory if you pick up only the most interesting looking letters on the screen at any one moment, an English sentence will form.

What I have: Letters can be picked up, and "interestingness" does change every time you pick up a letter, but interestingness is effectively random. "Interestingness" is just represented by the star pattern superimposed on the letter, which (1) is not centered right, (2) doesn't look good and (3) partially obscures the letter if it's bright enough, tragically meaning the "less interesting" letters actually stand out more.

Problems I will need to solve:

- Actually visually represent "interestingness" in a good way
- I'm only about 40% sure I can write a good markov chain engine
- Play control could be better? You only pick up a letter every second or so, maybe it could go quicker
- Speed (framerate) isn't fantastic
- In what way is this actually a "game"? Is there a way to make this into an actual game and not an odd tech demo?

[moonmagic]

To make it a game, you just need to make it possible to "succeed" and "fail". Character targets and time limits (to hit target number of characters? between characters?) would introduce both. You could introduce different length universes, then.

[mcc]

To make it a game, you just need to make it possible to "succeed" and "fail". Character targets and time limits (to hit target number of characters? between characters?) would introduce both. You could introduce different length universes, then.

So I think it's easy for me to institute a "score"-- I can run the same markov chain I use to and give a % to which the sentence "fits" the markov model. I can actually label this "probability this is English".

I'm doubting "fly forward and grab the brightest star" constitutes engaging gameplay however.

[mcc]

Wrote a little markov engine to give probability-of-next-letter and hooked it up to the star intensity. It works horrible

[mcc]

Day 7
Controls: Arrow keys; touch letters to pick them up

Mac version
Windows version
Source code



Okay I did some cleanup and this works actually a bit better than I had hoped after last night!

- Stars now light up based on "recommended" next letter.
- Following lit stars actually forms coherent sentences.
- The process of floating toward stars and picking things up, wondering exactly where it is the lights are guiding you, is actually pretty interesting!
- However, things move just a little bit too slowly for this to be engaging for more than 30 seconds or so.
- The big problem right now: Low probabilities are basically invisible. So if all letters are sort of equally likely-- this happens almost any time you pick up a space-- all the lights simultaneously go so dim that nothing appears to be lit up at all. And if one or two letters are far more probable than the others, those wind up appearing to be the only ones with any light. I need to put the probability visualization on a curve or something.
- Another problem: when spaces are unlikely, they are totally invisible. (This makes for an interesting, but unfair, hazard.)

[mcc]

I now have something I could call finished, but I'm going to try to add music...

[mcc]

Day 8 / Final
Controls: Arrow keys; touch letters to pick them up

Mac version
Windows version
Linux version
Source code




Differences from day 7: Fixed problem with all the "starshine" sometimes disappearing at once; title and ending screen; music.

EDIT: Added Linux version.

[Ian Snyder]

This is pretty neat. I only played for about one word, but I mean to return to it when I have time.

A few things:
-the sound came only out of my headphone's left side.
-wish there was a way to restart... or if there is can it be more apparent?
-exiting left me with a black screen, had to hit ctrl-alt-delete to get out. (windows build btw)

[mcc]

This is pretty neat. I only played for about one word, but I mean to return to it when I have time.

A few things:
-the sound came only out of my headphone's left side.
-wish there was a way to restart... or if there is can it be more apparent?
-exiting left me with a black screen, had to hit ctrl-alt-delete to get out. (windows build btw)

Uh oh! This is where I admit I didn't (can't?) test on Windows myself D: Stupid question, did you exit using alt-f4 or esc? Is quitting via esc quicker?

[Ian Snyder]

Whatever the key prompt was that told me to exit, I don't remember beyond it being a single key.