

iPhone app Gunman lets you have a shootout w/ friends via augmented reality - adamhowell
http://www.geek.com/articles/mobile/review-gunman-for-iphone-lets-you-take-down-your-friends-in-augmented-reality-20091218/

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adamhowell
This idea could go so many places: extra points for headshots, fleshwounds not
counting, additional modes like a Counter-Strike-like Terrorists vs. Counter-
Terrorists team battle of capture the flag.

Also, imagine a massively multiplayer version of this at a web conference.

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prob
I'd thought of doing something like this a while back but there have been
other priorities. I was thinking of naming it along the lines of "Phasers to
Stun". Features would have included the ability to create a force field around
yourself so that phasors/lasers could be deflected or you could launch a logic
bomb at you're opponent who would need to solve a puzzle etc before they could
continue (although this would breakup the game play). I also liked the idea of
having a tracker that would ping, somewhat like the tracker in Aliens (trying
to create tension as opponents got closer). You'd also be able play team games
(e.g. capture the flag) where you could pickup virtual items but if you got
shot, you'd drop your item which other people could then pick up. There were
also different roles within a team, someone could be a medic, or a
countermeasures specialist who could jam opponent systems etc.

The opportunities are endless, where you combine the real with the virtual
geo-located world. Anyone for virtual hide and seek ...

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dkokelley
There was a similar program for the old Palm Pilots, where you used the IR
capabilities to 'shoot' other devices. Unfortunately the other devices had to
be pointed at you for it to work. I'm glad to see how far virtual gun battles
have come in the 21st century.

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figital
My friends probably aren't very good shots and easy to hit.

Can they augment Godzilla in there with some kind of killbot AI?

<http://affiliatemarketingebook.info/images/pink_goggles.jpg>

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andreyf
It seems to use shirt color to identify a kill. That seems trivial to hack
(both ways).

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pgbovine
sure, but supposedly if you were playing with your friends, then everyone
would want to play fair, or else it's no fun :)

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tdoggette
I suspect that this is going to be the Pong of the augmented reality game: the
simplest thing that'll be fun forever in endless variations, and something
upon which amazing things can be built.

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chrischen
Isn't this pretty much laser tag, except using different technology (camera)?

So it's innovative, but only in the aspect of being able to do this on the
iphone with the hardware it has.

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scott_s
It also doesn't require special guns, no one has to wear bulky sensors which
can be covered up, and it can be done on a device that many people carry with
them wherever they go.

So it's innovative, but only in the aspect of being easier and having a low
barrier of entry.

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chrischen
That's essentially what I said.

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scott_s
You missed my point - those are significant innovations.

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chrischen
I think the innovation lies solely in being able to implement this on iPhone's
limited hardware. I didn't mean to de-emphasize that achievement. I just
wanted to point out that being able to shoot your friends without them
actually dying is something already achieved.

I also think that with customized equipment using GPS and image recognition
instead of sensors could improve current laser-tagging offerings. Digital zoom
for scoped snipers, gps for king of the hill/domination type games, etc.

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scott_s
Portable music was achieved with the Sony Walkman. The iPod is still
innovative.

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chrischen
Right, and if you read my previous posts I _never_ said it was not innovative.

I've actually never played laser tag. I just imagined that it might be easy
for someone, like me, who has never played laser tag, to attribute the
perceptions of innovation of laser tag all to this application, when really
the innovation is in reimplementing laser tag using modern mobile technology.

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scott_s
But then you downplayed that innovation because it is only iterative. My point
is that most innovation - even meaningful innovations that change the
technology landscape - are iterative.

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chrischen
I don't really think this is the next iteration of laser tag. It's a different
take on laser tag, and I didn't mean to downplay the innovation at all. I
simply wanted to point out that this ain't laser tag 2.0, but rather a new way
to play the game. I want to emphasize their achievement in porting laser tag
to the iphone platform, and not on their achievements of making shooting your
friends possible.

Plus, all progress is either random, or iterative, so I'm not sure I
understand your point.

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pfarrell
I've been waiting for someone to implement the game from the movie Gotcha!.
Looks like it's been done. Like sabat said, why didn't I have the guts to
pursue it.

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yan
Face detection algorithms are no longer just for digital cameras. Bones points
for shooting someone in the face?

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pgbovine
i'd be afraid of dropping my phone while playing this game ... seems easy to
slip out of your hand while you're running around/ducking/tapping furiously on
your screen. some sort of wrist strap (like those that come on digital
cameras) would help, though

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chrischen
Maybe some of those cheap attachments like they have for the wii remotes, but
instead turns your iPhone into a gun.

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slig
In the video it says that when you hit an enemy, his phones vibrates. How do
they do that?

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wallflower

        iPhone of person whose color was just tagged?
    
        AudioServicesPlaySystemSound(kSystemSoundID_Vibrate);
    

[http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1856538/iphone-sdk-
shake-...](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/1856538/iphone-sdk-shake-and-
vibrate)

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slig
I should've been more specific: How do your iPhone, on which you shot your
enemy, send a message to the target's iPhone so that it can vibrate?

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allenbrunson
the most likely answer would be to use GameKit, which communicates via
bluetooth and can be used to discover other phones that are nearby. no wifi
connection needed.

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zacharypinter
Or perhaps their server keeps track of GPS coordinates to know when two online
players are in target range of each other?

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allenbrunson
having just now read the article, it appears they are using wifi to connect
players. bluetooth isn't usable by third-party programs if you've got an
original 2g iphone, so they've widened their target market a bit that way.

therefore, there's no need for gps. i suspect it wouldn't be accurate enough
to do any good, even if you wanted to use it. there's no reason to determine
whether a player is in range or not; the program knows which players are in
the game from the very beginning.

also, i'm guessing that they don't use an internet server to mediate games.
there's no real need for one, and eliminating that need means the game is less
expensive to maintain.

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frankus
This is getting uncomfortably close to the project I'm working on. I'd better
hurry.

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sabat
The only problem I have with this idea: why didn't _I_ think of it?

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bjelkeman-again
Now there is a game which is very close to one I was thinking of myself. There
is going to be a lot of this stuff coming, people running around on the
streets in their augmented reality world shooting dragons...

