Navigation (red is now Tuesday!)

Have been thinking through the navigation system and use of cameras today, while constructing my room. Very difficult finding 3D objects that would work in Frankensteins Room......

So.......
Have decided that the camera will be mostly just behind the head. Could have certain points where the camera moves, however as this is supposed to be a kind of exploration for the viewer I want to keep the view point quite restricted. When you pick up an object the camera will change to a P.O.V shot ie first person. When you reach the mirror I want the camera to be inside the mirror looking back at the character. Will apply some sort of translucent material infront of the camera to appear like your looking through glass. When the character moves forward it will be once again a P.O.V shot.

Objects needed:-

• Bookshelf
• Desk/chair
• Curtains
• Lamp
• Bed- or wooden bench?
• Couch
• Pictures
• Bottles/jars/things with body parts in
• A spade
• Mirror
• Chair
• Bench for objects
• Books/pens etc

Need to find out which objects are going to be used to transport the viewer into another genre. The idea at the moment is that for example you pick up the spade, a seperate window will appear giving the viewer a choice of four spades each "looking" like they belong to a different genre, you then choose which one. Not sure how I'm going to keep an object with the character it might have to just spin around the character, find this annoying in computer games however the character won't be able to keep hold of it and reach for different objects at the same time. Need to think this through. more tommorow.

PD stuff

Here is Martins introduction to PD

So I can find them again

Just found these, and I'm writing them here so I don't forget.
Charmin' Cleary
Him
Dispossesion
Sand Loves

all these and more can be found here

A link that might not work!

Here

is my final, very badly written php script.
The narrative was the least of my problems.
I will make it look pretty tommorow.
Will post the report here when it is written.....................................

Green is for Thursday

"To create a short interactive program
using PHP and HTML to construct an interactive program that explores the issue
of authorship. The piece therefore should allow users to create or participate
in the creation of an interactive text the content or structure of which PHP
allows users participation. It should also employ PHP to allow users to
comminicate with a central server using the a web browser."

I think this means create a simple interactive text based along a narrative. Giving the users options in which way they go using PHP and HTML??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????

Have decided to base the narrative around various places; a mountine, a wood, a river, and a town. With the user haveing a list of options along the lines of "Continue along the path or take the boat downstream towards the town". Also have to include some sort of object that the user will have to have with them to get into the concluding part of the narrative.

More tommorow.

Php Crib Sheet

Just in a case I lose yet another bit of paper.

Model:-

• User requests a page with a URL
• If that request was sent by a form, variable data may be sent to the server along with the request.
• Web server receives request for object located at the URL
• If that object (e.g. index.php) is a php file, the php code segment gets executed and replaced with the result of the code
• Server sends the new, freshhly available file to the browser

Things to check:-

• Am I accessing the right URL?
• Did I upload the lastest version to the live server?
• Did I type everything correctly? (Everything is case sensitive, spaces are not allowed in URLs or filenames)
• Do I have a code segment starting with
• Does every line of php code end with a semi-colon (;)?
• Do I have an ending bracket for every open bracket? ( "(", "[", "{")
• Did I mistakenly type letter '1' instead of digit '1'?
• Did I mistakenly type letter 'o' instead of digit '0'?
• Did I remember that variable names start with '$'?
• Did I remember that arrays start with index 0, not index 1?
• If I get a message saying "error parsing line 101", did I check that line 100 is correct? Does it end with a semi-colon (;)?
• Did I try debugging by using "echo $variable" in critical places in the php code?

Alice through the looking glass.

Mirrors: The navigation is going to rely on mirrors. Every time the viewer moves from one space to another it will be through a mirror. The viewer will take an object with them which will determine which room they end up in. They can take characteristics with them, so for example they can keep the lighting or music and see how this effects the experience in another Genre.

continued

Mr. Benn for a Modern Day- an Educational Tool
(Work in Progress)

INT. HALL OF MIRRORS. DAY OR NIGHT

The user finds themselves in front of a carnival-type hall of mirrors room. Above each mirror is a MOVIE GENRE. In this instance only HORROR and ??? genres work.

Below Horror are the words ‘FRANKENSTEIN’ and ‘MONSTER’; the user chooses which mirror to walk through. Both MIRRORS lead into the same scene.

As FRANKENSTEIN
The user is teleported into Frankenstein’s Laboratory.
The design is of a typical 1930’s expressionistic film set with an accompanying, relevant, Non Diegetic SOUND TRACK which continues in some way shape of form throughout this episode.
The camera shot is initially of an Establishing Shot type until the user moves the character; when this happens the shot is Over the Shoulder.
The LIGHTING is typical 1930’s HORROR.
On a table directly in front of him is his MONSTER.
On the walls of the laboratory are bottles of body parts in formaldehyde; ONE is lit. Inside is a (human?) heart. By clicking on the bottle the heart pumps, with diegetic sound, and the user may explore the bottle. An explanation of the heart in terms of creating a life form and its relevance to the genre is given by way of a Voice Over by Dr. Frankenstein (in character). The user clicks to return to the laboratory.
Near the Monster’s table is a box with electric current dials on it connected to the monster. By clicking on this the user is given an explanation by Dr. Frankenstein of the importance of the electricity and its magic (in story telling the monster has to be awoken by magic).


Returning to the Point of Entry the user is given the option to either return to the HALL OF MIRRORS or to see the scene with
· Different lighting
· Sound
· Costume
· Make Up
· Camera Work
· Or specific Genre

When the user makes his choice he is teleported back into the environment with the appropriate changes
OR he might choose to see the scene in a particular genre, as a reconstruction of, for example, the laboratory in ‘The Man with Two Brains’ or ‘The Rocky Horror Picture Show’

A link to the full text of Mary Shelleys Frankenstein.

PHP game idea

For this first PHP project we have to think of a simple game in
which to make.................................................
??????????????????????????????????
Am thinking hang-man, snap, chess, ludo, connect-4, these types of games seem to be a easy way to look at this brief. Would like to make a simple interactive text in which the viewer simple uses hyperlinks to reach the next part of the story. However, am not yet sure that this is what they wanted for this brief.