November 15, 2005
ULTRASOUND Workshop/Creative Labs
TileToy
ULTRASOUND Workshop/Creative Labs: TileToy--A Modular Electronic Game Prototype by Tuomo Tammenpää & Daniel Blackburn, Finland/UK. Dates: Mon 21 - Thur 24 November 2005. Venue: University of Huddersfield, Technology Building, Queensgate Campus, Huddersfield, HD1 3DH. Fee: £20
TileToy is a modular, electronic game prototype which brings the flexibility inherent in software to a physical tile that people can touch and interact with. By arranging multiple tiles, players engage in various kinds of game play, from fast paced arcade style games to puzzle or learning games. TileToy employs changing-state strategies, animation and play; individual tiles affect the state of adjoining tiles.
The re-programmable and constantly updated graphical information is displayed on an LED dot matrix system. The screen is an endlessly versatile surface for displaying visual data. Tiles are controlled individually and can be used to transmit information singly or in groups. The assembled tiles wirelessly transmit their individual position in relation to each other and, based on that changing information, a central computer, or a dedicated tile runs the different applications.
The source code and the hardware will be made available via open licenses. The aim of TileToy is to create a platform that anyone can use to create unique content. Making the software open will allow people to create their own
applications and games and feed these back into the community to spark further innovation. The open hardware schematics will allow people to
make their own TileToys cheaply without paying a third party.
The initial PicBasic code used to control the tiles will be released under the GPL or LGPL [see http://www.opensource.org for more details]. The first open hardware version will inlcude a list of components, initial circuit design schematics and instructions for building the tiles. Details of the release will be posted on the TileToy Blog by the end of November 2005.
Tuomo Tammenpää is an active media artist and designer. During the last ten years he has participated in several exhibitions in Scandinavia, Central Europe, Asia and North America presenting video and media installations.
Daniel Blackburn has ten years experience working in the games industry. He is a creative technologist and has worked on a number of new and innovative computer games.
TileToy is supported by the Digital Research Unit, Huddersfield.
www.tiletoy.blogspot.com
www.needweb.org
www.carbonbasedgames.com
Workshop Schedule
+ Visitors are asked to first report to
+ University Reception, Harold Wilson Building,
+ Queensgate.
DAY ONE: Registration and Introduction
Monday 21st November
14:15 - 17:00
DAY TWO: Construction
Tuesday 22nd November
09:15 - 18:00
DAY THREE: Testing and Software
Wednesday 23rd November
09:15 - 18:00
DAY FOUR: Game Development
Thursday 24th November
09:15 - 14:15
Directions
Car Parking: Limited car parking at the University's Wakefield Road car park on the Queensgate Campus is available to registered participants on request.
Directions: http://www.hud.ac.uk/uni/maps.html
For further information or to book please contact Clare Danek
Email: info[at]ultrasound.ws
Tel: +44 [0] 870 990 5007
Posted by jo at November 15, 2005 09:30 AM
