simulation
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Ben Heck tackles Android ADK, whips up car trip-simulating baby seat
We've been wondering what would happen if the infinitely resourceful Ben Heck got his hands on the powerful Android ADK. Thankfully, in the most recent episode of the accomplished modder's show, our curiosity is satiated. The crafty Wisconsinite tackles a reader request -- to recreate the soothing motion of a car ride and help put a three-month-old baby to sleep. Mr. Heck uses the accelerometer in his phone to record the bounce and sway from the backseat as he drives around. He then draws up some code that will feed that data to the Arduino-powered ADK and move a series of servos that will tilt and shake a child's car seat. Sadly, the completion of the project will have to wait till the next exciting episode, but by the end of the installment embedded after the break you do get to see a scale model. What are you waiting for? Click that little read more link for PR and video... you know you want to.
Terrence O'Brien08.22.2011
TUAW's Daily iPhone App: Titus
Titus is a game that calls itself a "political simulator," featuring an agoraphobic watchmaker who decides to run for president in the crazy world of Wealland. If that description and the game's Tim Burton-esque aesthetic haven't won you over already, then you and I have very different tastes in gaming. The actual gameplay is more about how well you do at minigames than actual strategy, but it's a fun affair, providing a tweaked parody of politics and that really interesting art style. Titus' main opponent is a mime, and through minigames that have you catching cash or Doodle Jumping-your way along, it's your goal to win the hearts (or at least the wallets) of your people. Titus has achievements, but unfortunately it isn't directly Game Center enabled. It is a universal app, however, and it's available right now for US$1.99.
Mike Schramm06.15.2011
Battleground Europe celebrates D-Day, adds U.S. forces
June 6th is an historic day in the annals of both U.S. and military history. The Allied landing on the beaches of Normandy was not only the largest amphibious assault ever but also a decisive turning point in the course of the second world war. It's fitting, then, that D-Day also marks the 10th anniversary of Battleground Europe (or World War II Online, as it was known in 2001). To celebrate, Cornered Rat Software has announced the addition of American forces to the long-running WWII sim. The dev team has also been hard at work on behind-the-scenes functionality improvements and a scenario-based gameplay option called Rapid Action. A special Rapid Action D-Day scenario pack will mark the introduction of U.S. troops and equipment to the game, as will a special Battle for Aachen campaign event. Details on all the new deployments present in version 1.34 can be found on the official Battleground Europe website. You can also take a peek at Cornered Rat's 10th anniversary teaser after the cut.
Jef Reahard06.06.2011
Mad Catz launches ThunderHawk Studios, gets into flight sim development
Peripheral maker Mad Catz has announced that it's moving beyond just making flight sticks -- it's actually going to make the flight simulations to use them with. Forming an internal development group called ThunderHawk Studios, the company has set its sights on creating massively multiplayer air combat games that CEO Darren Richardson says will "leverage the market share leadership and global distribution enjoyed by our flight simulation hardware products." "The formation of ThunderHawk Studios is an important milestone as we pursue our longer term goal of expanding our participation in developing, publishing and distributing games," Richardson added. The first title from ThunderHawk is slated to go wheels-up in 2012, and we'd be surprised if we didn't see it in some form at next week's E3 expo.
Randy Nelson05.31.2011
Leaked BlackBerry Bold Touch simulation offers tire-kickers a bumpy joyride
If you ache to get your hands on the BlackBerry Bold Touch and lack any semblance of patience, RIM's recently leaked simulator offers an opportunity to vicariously manhandle its upcoming creation -- all from the comfort of your Windows computer. Although the software isn't without quirks (as evidenced above), the 177MB download includes system v6.1.0.55 -- more commonly known as BlackBerry 7 OS. The functionality is rather robust, and we happily took the web browser for a quick drive around the block. It provided a pleasant rendering of our sister-site Autoblog, but the simulator started sputtering once we approached our own domain. Perhaps you'll have better luck. So, if you're suitably equipped and a wee bit curious, you can start kicking these tires by following the source. [Thanks, Zaoist]
Zachary Lutz05.30.2011
Sims 3: Generations trailer introduces the world's worst teenagers
If hooking up in the hot tub isn't your ultimate end-game in The Sims 3, then you might want to check out Generations, the latest expansion. Now it's your mid-life crisis instead of just another Tuesday! It's all about experiencing life's major moments, like raising lawn-hating teenagers.
David Hinkle05.18.2011
Audio battlefield would prepare troops for combat or a typical Slayer concert
Ever wondered how well playing Call of Duty at maximum volume mimics a real combat experience? Researchers at the Missouri University of Science and Technology must have asked a similar question, because they've built a 64-speaker surround-sound audio battlefield designed to train new troops. The system reproduces screaming fighter jets, rumbling tanks, and persistent gunfire -- all the better to acclimate recruits to the overwhelming, disorienting cacophony of warfare. Veterans say even with the four large 20-hertz subwoofers, it's nowhere near the real thing: combat volume is 25 percent louder than the average rock concert, at levels that can cause permanent hearing loss. Still, the creators say every bit of training helps; having near-combat experience is certainly better than none at all. So tell that to your neighbors next time they bang on your wall. [Image via The Associated Press]
Jesse Hicks05.09.2011
NASA animation depicts Curiosity's soft landing on Mars, courtesy of a 'sky crane' (video)
Sending a rover to a distant planet is no small feat, so we might as well make the landing even more spectacular, right? That's exactly what NASA has in mind for its Curiosity Mars rover, albeit for more practical reasons. Launching in late 2011 and expected to land on Mars in August 2012, this mobile laboratory will see a unique descent after entering the Martian atmosphere: there'll be the usual separation from the heatshield and backshell, but at about 380 seconds into the entry, the rover will be gently lowered down by wire from a "sky crane," as opposed to taking a leap of faith. Once the landing is complete, the hovering sky crane will then detach from the rover and fly off for a dramatic disposal -- let's just hope it won't hit the now-dormant Spirit. See for yourself in the video above.
Richard Lai04.13.2011
Download DARPA's sub-hunting sim, help train its ACTUV automaton
DARPA dabbles in all matter of defense drones, and it's no stranger to leveraging the wisdom of the masses to help develop tomorrow's military machinery. The agency's latest program to go the crowdsourcing route is its Anti-submarine Warfare Continuous Trail Unmanned Vessel (ACTUV), and it wants you to help develop the software that'll control the thing. DARPA's borrowed a bit of the Sonalysts Combat Simulations Dangerous Waters game to create the ACTUV Tactics Simulator, where players complete missions tracking a target sub while navigating through and around commercial ocean traffic. Would-be captains can then choose to submit their strategies and game data to DARPA for use in shoring up the autonomous seabot's strategic submarine pursuit software. Hit the source link for a free download and dive into the sub-hunting action.
Michael Gorman04.08.2011
NASA's Global Hawk completes unmanned airborne refueling simulation, will do it for real next year (video)
While some bot makers are busying themselves designing AI to simulate humans' natural and distinct lack of intelligence, it's nice to see there are still old-fashioned researchers out there keeping the Skynet dream alive. Northrop Grumman's aeronautics gurus have paired together a Global Hawk unmanned aircraft with a manned Proteus ship way up in the skies -- 45,000 feet, to be precise -- with the vessels of ingenuity managing to fly in tandem at a distance as short as 40 feet. Unsurprisingly, this is the first time such intimacy has been reached between UAVs (the Proteus had a monitoring crew on board to ensure the insurance bill wasn't through the roof) in high altitude, and the ultimate goal of having two Global Hawks doing the deed without any human intervention is said to be within reach by next year. That's when these light and agile air drones will be able to refuel themselves and go on for a mighty 120 hours in the air... plenty of time to complete a well planned extermination down below, if one were so inclined.
Vlad Savov03.10.2011
Force Dynamics 401cr test drive (video)
If you're old enough to have spent any time in an arcade, surely at some point you splurged an extra couple of quarters to play a game in a seat that moved a bit, shook a bit, made some feeble attempt at making you feel like you're really in the game. Kid's play, that stuff (quite literally), but just like people don't stop gaming as they get older so too such motion simulation tech doesn't have to stay for kiddies. Enter Force Dynamics and enter the 401cr: a full-bore motion simulator that can not only generate over a G of acceleration but can spin you right 'round as many times as you like. We took it for a quite a few spins indeed, plus more than one crash, and we think you'll want to check them out the video below. %Gallery-117507%
Tim Stevens03.01.2011
Move over, Gran Turismo 5 -- Omni Bus is a real driving sim
Gran Turismo 5, Forza 4 and Shift Unleashed 2? Babytime frolics, friends. A series of videos highlighting German-made Omni Bus prove that it's taking driving simulators to the next level. Not since Densha de Go! have we been so intimidated by a game. YouTube user macelqnt has been steadily uploading videos from the game, the latest of which you can see past the break. Omni Bus is available for purchase right now! An English version of the game can be found here and, if you're having trouble getting your bus ta' move, an English manual will be available for download tomorrow.
David Hinkle02.22.2011
Steelers win Madden 11 Super Bowl simulation
Computers can be used to calculate all sorts of truly helpful data ... or they can be used to simulate the Super Bowl. If you're going to use processing power to predict the outcome of a sporting event, then you'd better be pretty darned accurate if you hope to maintain any semblance of a reasonable use of life (it still takes human people to run, recap and even report on -- hi there! -- the simulation). EA Sports' Madden games have at least been that, accurately calling the winner of six of the last seven Super Bowls. This year, Madden 11 sees the Pittsburgh Steelers defeating the Green Bay Packers 24-20 in Super Bowl XLV, which sounds like a good enough guess. But now, do you put money on that? (After the break, delve into the video highlights and box score ... of the simulated game.) Also vying for "reasonability" will be this Thursday's Madden Bowl XVII (wait -- there have already been sixteen of these?). The annual tournament of NFL players gamers whose seasons have been reduced to playing as themselves will be broadcast live on ESPN3 (on your Xbox Dashboard) at 9PM ET, February 3. Hey Niners fans, did you know Alex Smith* has won a record two Madden Bowls? That's the same number of Super Bowl rings that Roethlisberger has -- well, until Sunday's victory, according to Madden. [*Update: Oops! Sorry to get your hopes up San Francisco faithful -- it's Alex Smith the tight end (currently playing for the Cleveland Browns) who holds the Madden Bowl record. Alex Smith the quarterback has never participated in the event.] %Gallery-115477%
James Ransom-Wiley02.01.2011
Students recreate the civil rights movement in Second Life
Americans celebrated Martin Luther King Jr. Day this past week to honor both the man and the civil rights movement that he supported. As part of that celebration, a team of doctoral students from Indiana University of Pennsylvania used Second Life to recreate key moments in the civil rights movement as a teaching tool. Players who went through the simulation encountered critical junctures of the movement, including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, King Jr.'s beginnings at Dexter Avenue Baptist Church, the 1963 March on Washington, and the Mississippi Freedom School Movement. By experiencing it first-hand in a virtual world, players hopefully gained a perspective on the issues surrounding segregation, integration, equality, voting rights and civil disobedience of the era that are in danger of slipping into distant history. As they moved through the simulation, players were able to take quizzes, look at photos and videos, and make personal choices relating to the movement, such as whether to protest or sit in the back of the bus. While it looks as though the simulation is no longer available in the game, you can watch the two-minute overview of the project after the jump.
Justin Olivetti01.19.2011
Gran Turismo 5 moves 560,500 units in December, 1.14 million sold between Nov. and Dec.
Despite not making December's NPD top 10 list, Gran Turismo 5 sold 560,500 units last month in the US and Canada. IndustryGamers got the number straight from the NPD Group -- a number which looks like an apparent dropoff from Sony's late November launch numbers, which heralded 5.5 million units shipped worldwide, 1.25 million of which were in North America alone. And hey, let's not kid ourselves: a good amount of December's "sales" figures are also accounted for in November's "shipped" figures. All of them, in fact -- 1.14 million copies of Gran Turismo 5 have been sold in the US and Canada thus far, a representative from NPD told us this afternoon, leaving approximately 110K copies from the initial shipment still on store shelves. That said, plans for periodic support in GT5 were highlighted by developer Polyphony Digital as recently as last month. Add that to the fact that the 2011 Formula One season is just around the corner, and we'd say it's likely that racing fans will continue to pick up the game as early 2011 progresses.
Ben Gilbert01.14.2011
From the makers of Game Dev Story: 'The Game Dealer' retail sim
There's a good chance that some of you reading this are currently employed by game retailers, so we're going to describe Waiwai! The Game Dealer, a new game from Kairosoft (maker of Game Dev Story), without spinning any heads. In The Game Dealer, you assume the role of a game store boss who must manage employees and please customers, all the while balancing a stock portfolio of game development studios. Unlike real life game retail jobs, you'll apparently be able to offer customers food, Touch Arcade reports -- perhaps a "shoo mallrats away from free food" minigame is on the books? TGD is only available in the Japanese App Store as of right now and no official confirmation has been given of intentions to localize the game. That said, with the success of Game Dev Story and the forthcoming Game Dev Story 2 already planned, we'd be surprised if the game didn't arrive Stateside at some point. And that's when the existential crisis begins: playing a game about managing a retail game store while working at a retail game store.%Gallery-112465%
Ben Gilbert01.04.2011
The Sims Medieval 'special edition' coming, specialness debatable
When we heard that EA would be releasing a "special limited edition" of The Sims Medieval next spring, our minds were filled with images of a replica treasure chest, loaded with fittingly medieval goodies -- perhaps a sword-shaped letter opener? (Okay, so our imaginations are a little unimaginative today.) Instead, we learned that the release would include three exclusive throne rooms, "princess," "barbarian" and "dark magic," in addition to two outfits, some royal clothes and executioner garb. While we're already rocking a dark magic theme in our own throne room, the thought of some pre-made costumes for the next Renaissance Faire season seemed pretty cool. Upon closer inspection of the announcement, however, we discovered that these are outfits for the game's "simulation" people. That kind of ruined it for us, but we suppose if you're a diehard Sims buff, resisting this package would be feudal.
Randy Nelson12.22.2010
Forza 4 announced with live-action trailer
Forza 4 was unveiled with a dramatic live-action trailer during tonight's Spike VGAs. The teaser gave an idea of what the game will include -- namely, simulation driving in really fast, expensive cars. Did you expect any less? See it for yourself after the break. Also, we're guessing that the Kinect functionality that we saw with Forza back at E3 could end up in this forthcoming title. Color us interested, just please, please don't make us pretend there's a steering wheel in our hands. Forza 4 arrives on Xbox 360 in Fall 2011.
Ben Gilbert12.11.2010
GM's new crash test dummies can say 'ouch!' 10,000 times a second
General Motors may have gone through a teeny tiny bankruptcy problem, but that doesn't mean it's behind the times. The American motor maker's just unveiled its latest crash test dummies -- or anthropomorphic testing devices, to give them their highfalutin title -- which are capable of beaming out status reports 10,000 times per second. Equipped with 70 to 80 sensors each, the new family of test devices spans a wide range of potential passengers, from fully grown males to toddlers, though it is slightly disappointing to see they all have washboard abs and perfect posture. Come now, GM, we'd hardly call a race of perfectly sculpted drones that can speak fast enough to converse with a hummingbird representative. Video and the full press release can be found after the break.
Vlad Savov12.02.2010
Thrustmaster shipping HOTAS Warthog flight controller this month for $500
Already got a tween of your own begging and pleading for a decent gaming joystick from Santa? It's a common issue, or so we hear. Thrustmaster's HOTAS Warthog is probably one of the nicest around, and it looks as if it'll be landing on American doormats in plenty of time to procure a sufficient amount of wrapping paper. The ultimate flight sim stick will start shipping out by the end of this month for a wallet-melting $499.99, but thankfully for you, we were able to put together a lengthy list of impressions during a hands-on session back at E3. And hey, if this one ends up out of reach, at least you've always got Solipskier.
Darren Murph10.08.2010