ProjectProposal-MichaelUdaltsov
From CS160 User Interfaces Fa06
Contents |
Project Idea: Digitally-Assisted Pictionary Game
My idea is to create a version of Pictionary that uses the Anoto pen and paper for drawing and game control, integrated with a program that shows the drawing in progress and runs the actual game.
Existing Implementations
The classic game of Pictionary is a board game typically played by 3 or more people, possibly in teams. One person draws a picture representing a word that other players have to guess. The drawing is done with pencil on a paper pad. There is a 60-second time limit for drawing, during which the word has to be guessed. There are also some rules for moving player pieces on a board and taking cards with the words that have to be drawn.
There are also a few online implementations of games similar to Pictionary: iSketch and InkLink, both use Macromedia Shockwave. Every person usually plays individually, and the game cycles the player that has to draw while others try to guess the word. The drawing is done with a mouse (or tablet) and the drawing information is sent to the other players to be shown on the screen. They attempt to guess the word or phrase, and the winner of each round gains points.
Target User Group
My target users are Pictionary players - people of any age, with some ability to draw, and more importantly those that have fun while playing. My initial plan is to use a single pen with one computer, for in-person games only, but the project could potentially be extended. If possible, multiple pens could be used on the same computer, with a separate pen for each player/team. The game program could also be used as a client of a networked game, with other clients using either the Anoto pen or a mouse for drawing.
Problem Description
The reason I decided on using the Anoto pens for Pictionary is that the current implementations aren't accessible to everyone. For the board game, the standard drawing pads are fairly small (6"x4"), and although larger paper can be used, there is still a problem of other people not being able to see the drawing very well. For example, while the drawing is being made, the artist may be blocking some of the picture with his/her hand, or other players looking across the table may have an upside-down or skewed view of the picture. While online games overcome the paper and related visibility issues, they make the game essentially single player. It's difficult to play with people in the same room, unless they also have a computer. But then there are additional problems with cheating or accidentally viewing the word that someone next to you is drawing. Also, the drawing is done with the mouse, which is not as easy or precise as using a pen, especially for older players.
Problem Context and Forces
For the paper version of the game, the size of the drawing pad is good for drawing on (larger size would just create more empty space), but it's hard to see for other players. A possible improvement would be to show the drawing in progress on a computer display (or TV, projector screen, etc). This creates an unobstructed view of the drawing, and is also larger than the drawing area. The drawing will have correct orientation (not upside-down) and will be easily visible to people sitting farther away from the artist. In fact, players will have a choice between looking at either the paper or the screen, with identical information.
The computer-aided aspect of the game should ideally keep the same structure as the paper-based game. For drawing, a better approach would be to use Anoto pen and paper instead of the mouse, which allows players to draw easier. The computer screen should just show the drawing in progress, remaining time, and any other useful information, but not the current word like the online games. The computer would also control the game flow, such as when the timer runs out, a winner is chosen, or a new drawing is started.
The remaining issue is how to let just a single person view the word they're supposed to draw. It's clear that using the same display as the drawing is impractical, since it's visible to other players. One possibility is to just use the existing Pictionary word cards, just like the original game. This way the computer program is simplified since it doesn't need to control the words, just the game rounds. However, something without the cards would be preferable, since they would add extra materials to the game, and cards could be accidentally lost. Another possibility is to show a number to identify the current word, and let the artist look it up in a printed list that is attached to the drawing pad. This way only the artist can see the current word, and the word list can be changed periodically, or multiple word lists could exist for different difficulty. Other solutions certainly exist and should be evaluated if the project is developed.
Solution Sketch
The large area is for drawing the current word. The four boxes on the right and the 10 number boxes on the bottom act as controls for the game. Here is a typical play procedure:
- Get the word
- Mark the "Start Drawing" area to begin drawing
- Draw in the drawing area within the time limit
- Once another player guesses the word, mark the "Winner" area
- Choose a winner by marking one of the 10 numbers (each number represents a player or a team)
- Mark the "Confirm" area to complete the current round
To skip a word, instead of "Start Drawing" mark "Skip Word" and then "Confirm", then choose another word or pass the drawing pad to the next player
Additiona Notes
Anoto has several patents covering the use of their digital pen and paper technology. Patent 6,878,062 focuses on various games. However, I don't believe there are any current implementations of Pictionary or similar games using the Anoto system.
