There is going to be more and more speculation on the Big N's new toy as E3.
I, for one, can't wait to see what comes of this, whether Nintendo succeeds or not. Something new is needed whether it consists of new hardware or not isn't really important. What we need is for someone to push the boundaries of conventional game development.
I think that the biggest reason I enjoy playing ARGs is for the social problem solving.
I played both "The Beast" and the "I Love Bees" ARGs and have played some of the grassroot games(the smaller "indie" games). I find that the better the story and puzzles that have to be solved the better the game. This is probably blatantly obvious but I think these things are much more important than the voice acting, script writing and what not. While having a bigger budget definitely helps, having good ideas and decent puzzles can make or break a game.
Unfortunately, as has been mentioned before, bigger budgets usually define how successful a game is. Not all ARGs are used as advertising as most grassroots are just games with no corporate backing. What really draws me to the genre are the storys that unfold and the people involved with the project. Good ARGs should unfold based on how the players play the game. Having a rigid story line may work but allowing players to alter the course of the story definitely increases the enjoyability of the game.
Not all people may find ARGs enjoyable. ARGs usually play slower than some people like and take a while to truly enjoy. The more involved the players becomes with the story the more enjoyable the game becomes. Taking this into consideration, if you are willing to give it a chance and dedicate some time and effort into the game, ARGs can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience.
I intended my prior statement to be a somewhat witty and funny comment, and apparently failed miserably. (I tend to do that a lot...) I understand centrifugal force is still widely applied in calculations and that many consider it a "normal" force. (normal as in it isn't imaginary, not as in it being a "normal force")
Since you insist on making this a serious discussion. I'll humor you by using your own source.
From the Centrifugal force article on Wikipedia:
This force term is a "fictitious" force because it only appears due to a coordinate transformation. The true non-rotating reference frame can always be discerned by an observer as the one in which there is no centrifugal force.
Somehow I knew someone would try to cite the "Almighty Wiki," so I checked up on it before I made my first comment. Of course, you could go and edit the article if you truly believe it to be incorrect.
(Once again: this isn't a flame. It is merely a rebuttal to defend myself and declare that my first post was intended to be comical in nature... you shisno.) ^^
I already thought physics was cool...
I mean... come on, you can't get much cooler than being able to calculate the proportions of kelvin degrees as you approach zero!
It has been my experience during my high school career that the level of commitment and interest varies from place to place. The school I intended in the 9th grade, just shy of 3000 people, was a math/tech magnet school, thus we got more funding for projects. It was one of 6 schools in Garland, a suburb of Dallas, TX. Programs like this were organized and carried out well.
Though I never had first hand experience.
My present school, which I have attended since my sophomore year, is a large 4A. Around 1600 people. There is very little chance, if funding somehow magically appeared, that projects as ambitious as a robotics fair would thrive. So remember: audience should effect the decision.
To answer the original Q:
I can only answer as a 16 year old student. I love math/tech/robotics, and the like. I'm the proverbial geek as it were. A chance to participate in a FIRST like program would greatly interest me. But then again, so would programming/hacking competition, although my programming skills are next to nil.
If you want generic interests: Cars, Video Games, Music are pretty big... robotics, as it has already been proven on TV, can appeal to the masses.
But remember: joining a preexisting organization, such as FIRST, let alone making your own, will need immense dedication and patience invested into the students. But give them time, they'll come around.
(Geeze... turned into a rant... almost... sorry...it's late) -_-
Slashdot Mirror
There is going to be more and more speculation on the Big N's new toy as E3. I, for one, can't wait to see what comes of this, whether Nintendo succeeds or not. Something new is needed whether it consists of new hardware or not isn't really important. What we need is for someone to push the boundaries of conventional game development.
I think that the biggest reason I enjoy playing ARGs is for the social problem solving.
I played both "The Beast" and the "I Love Bees" ARGs and have played some of the grassroot games(the smaller "indie" games). I find that the better the story and puzzles that have to be solved the better the game. This is probably blatantly obvious but I think these things are much more important than the voice acting, script writing and what not. While having a bigger budget definitely helps, having good ideas and decent puzzles can make or break a game.
Unfortunately, as has been mentioned before, bigger budgets usually define how successful a game is. Not all ARGs are used as advertising as most grassroots are just games with no corporate backing. What really draws me to the genre are the storys that unfold and the people involved with the project. Good ARGs should unfold based on how the players play the game. Having a rigid story line may work but allowing players to alter the course of the story definitely increases the enjoyability of the game.
Not all people may find ARGs enjoyable. ARGs usually play slower than some people like and take a while to truly enjoy. The more involved the players becomes with the story the more enjoyable the game becomes. Taking this into consideration, if you are willing to give it a chance and dedicate some time and effort into the game, ARGs can be a very rewarding and enjoyable experience.
when the driver fails to touch the steering wheel after the 10 second warning?
(My guess would be that the car slows down and pulls to the side of the road but I couldn't find anywhere in the articles that stated this.)
Alright... before I get flamed any more...
I intended my prior statement to be a somewhat witty and funny comment, and apparently failed miserably. (I tend to do that a lot...) I understand centrifugal force is still widely applied in calculations and that many consider it a "normal" force. (normal as in it isn't imaginary, not as in it being a "normal force")
Since you insist on making this a serious discussion. I'll humor you by using your own source.
From the Centrifugal force article on Wikipedia:
This force term is a "fictitious" force because it only appears due to a coordinate transformation. The true non-rotating reference frame can always be discerned by an observer as the one in which there is no centrifugal force.
Somehow I knew someone would try to cite the "Almighty Wiki," so I checked up on it before I made my first comment. Of course, you could go and edit the article if you truly believe it to be incorrect.
(Once again: this isn't a flame. It is merely a rebuttal to defend myself and declare that my first post was intended to be comical in nature... you shisno.) ^^
Sweet! A perfect mirror you say? This sounds like just the thing I need for my brand new 20 incher I'm making this summer!
Oh, wait... I have to use centrifugal force?
Dang it! And I was so close too! Too bad I don't believe in imaginary forces...
I already thought physics was cool... I mean... come on, you can't get much cooler than being able to calculate the proportions of kelvin degrees as you approach zero!
W00t! Newb alert!
Or lurker rather...
First...a thought:
It has been my experience during my high school career that the level of commitment and interest varies from place to place. The school I intended in the 9th grade, just shy of 3000 people, was a math/tech magnet school, thus we got more funding for projects. It was one of 6 schools in Garland, a suburb of Dallas, TX. Programs like this were organized and carried out well.
Though I never had first hand experience.
My present school, which I have attended since my sophomore year, is a large 4A. Around 1600 people. There is very little chance, if funding somehow magically appeared, that projects as ambitious as a robotics fair would thrive. So remember: audience should effect the decision.
To answer the original Q:
I can only answer as a 16 year old student. I love math/tech/robotics, and the like. I'm the proverbial geek as it were. A chance to participate in a FIRST like program would greatly interest me. But then again, so would programming/hacking competition, although my programming skills are next to nil.
If you want generic interests: Cars, Video Games, Music are pretty big... robotics, as it has already been proven on TV, can appeal to the masses.
But remember: joining a preexisting organization, such as FIRST, let alone making your own, will need immense dedication and patience invested into the students. But give them time, they'll come around.
(Geeze... turned into a rant... almost... sorry...it's late) -_-