Ollie Tristram

Right I have been looking for ideas and inspirations for my interactive showcase.

Hello blog.

Feeder (the band) have a competition in where they invite fans to make a music video for their new single "Miss You". As my friend is a big Feeder fan he pointed it out to me that we should make something, and as it is helpful towards Multimedia and AV in particular, we have begun.
Using past videos - primarily our Feeder music video from A Level (which can be seen at the start of this blog - we have re-cut them to fit with the new song, Miss You.
The prize for winning the competition is get your video in the bonus features of Feeder's upcoming DVD. Some of the videos already posted on YouTube are somewhat, er.. n00bish! So hopefully we have a good chance. When it's finished it shall be posted on here of course. I will also be using this as the 'work I have done outside of studies' at the review in a couple of weeks.

Another thing I would like to mention is a couple of ideas that I have for my next Identities project. I think I'm going to make it personal and by this I mean everything in it is going to be by me, or at least co-produced by me.
An idea for my layout will be my bedroom in its usual state as it represents who I am. Users will then be able to interact with different parts of the room to reach different aspects of my Multimedia personality. For example, clicking on the TV will bring you to be able to watch videos I have made or clicking the guitars will bring you to all the music I have made. Each of these sub-screens will give users an idea of my tastes and abilities - or even my potential. Somewhere in here my avatar will be included.

See you soon.
x

http://www.thatvideogameblog.com/ -

Researchers at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have created an entirely synthetic “child-like” artificial intelligence and introduced it to the virtual world of Second Life. “Eddie”, as he was named, is the result of a complex model of AI components. Eddie can reason on his own and has a belief system unique to his own experiences. He runs on a supercomputer that is claimed to be the most powerful university-based system of its kind. The system can produce over 100 teraflops (that’s a lot) of computing power, and runs through Blue Gene supercomputers, Linux and AMD Opteron clusters.

Eddie uses what is called “Theory of Mind” that gives him the ability to interact with other avatars within the virtual world in a dynamic way. He can reason independently of direct input and can arrive at conclusions in a way that mimics a child’s own mental processes.

Eddie, of course, is only the beginning and the researches are already looking far into the future for applications that may benefit from an advanced AI such as Eddie’s. “The apps, frankly, are endless,” says Selmer Bringsjord, the head of the institute’s Cognitive Science Department, “Imagine being able to step into a simulation environment in which you interact with synthetic characters as sophisticated as those seen in the Star Trek’s holodeck.”

The implication of this technology to the future of videogames is almost inconceivable. Can you imagine playing a shooter where the virtual enemies can actually adapt to the way you’re playing and learn your weaknesses? It would introduce a whole new level of enemy AI that has been promised for many years but has never really materialized. Currently, most AI is derived from a series of If/Then commands.

IF Player 1 is firing his weapon // THEN Hide behind a wall

IF Player 1 stops firing his weapon // THEN fire at Player 1

An ideal AI would think dynamically and remember the player’s previous habits.

IF Player 1 is firing his weapon // Notice that Player 1 is in an enclosed location and would be vulnerable to a grenade thrown with a short delay. Remember that Player 1 favors the crouching position when shooting with the M16. Remember that Player 1 frequently uses the knife on enemies within close range. Etc…

It sure would add replay value to nearly any game that could be conceived, and it truly would make the gameplay experience unique to each and every person that plays the game. While this kind of AI is probably so far into the future that we’ll all be old and gray by the time it finally shows up, and there’s currently only one computer in the world that can handle a primitive version of it, I’ll certainly be looking forward to it, should it ever become a reality.

My Avatar and it's Environment

Add to My Profile More Videos

Its quite self explanatory, but its just me and my different personalities in an environment which I can relate to.

The music was created by me and can be heard in full at www.myspace.com/pyrodrifter.

Safe!

Yello.

So this is what I have so far for the first project of the Identities module. I am going to use a 2D avatar in a 3D environment.

The avatar is simply me, but in various poses and performing activities that represent who I am and what I enjoy. I may not use all of these pictures in the final piece though and there may be newer ones included in that too. I chose for the photos to be me in normal clothes as it reinforces the idea that I am just the average multimedia student, and this is also the case when describing the editing on the pictures - minimal and simple.

As for the environment, it's supposed to be a nightclub. It is still in progress but this is its current state. There is a disco ball thing, a dancefloor, some capsule seats in the corner and a DJ booth and bar to the right. I may possibly include some more seating on the left. I also intend to use different coloured lighting and depending on how difficult it is, use flashing lights in the final animation. The final scene will include textures on all surfaces to give a more realistic image.

The various avatars of me will be dotted around the club in their different poses and the animation will be of a camera flying through the scene to explore it.

Here are some of my favourites from the thefwa.com and a short description about what they're about.

1) http://scruffs-game.com/ (26th Feb 2008)

This is a highly-flash orientated point and click game about a family known as the Scruffs. The idea of the game is to find out what Grandpa's secret is by searching the family home. A download is required for the full game. The music in particular is one of the stand-out features of this website as it completely sets the mood for the kooky and cartoony atmosphere of the game. Each section of the website has its own music and interactive element - for example on the screenshots page hovering your mouse over a fly on the desk causes it to buzz, then you have the option to splat it!

2) http://imagemoversdigital.com/ (7th Feb 2008)

The website to film creative 3D studio Image Movers Digital - the masters behind films Polar Express, Monster House, Beowulf and the upcoming Christmas Carol, which uses performance capture technology starring Jim Carrey, due for release at Christmas 2009. This site is nice and simple and gives you what the average internet browser needs to know and nothing more. The page simply contains the links "About IMD", "Projects", "News", "Careers" and "Contact" so its the simplicity and cleanliness of this flash site which I like.

3) http://www.coca-cola.com/template1/index.jsp?locale=en_US&site=../happiness_factory/index.html (31st Jan 2008)

Home to the short movie behind the 3D animated Coke adverts which you have seen on TV or at the cinema. The Happiness Factory is where Coke is made, and when you put your monies in lots of wierd and wonderful creatures do whatever it takes to make sure you get the best Coke taste! The animation of this movie is brilliant and the style of it remind me a bit of the music video for 'Starlight' by The Superman Lovers a few years back. You then get the chance to apply to work for the factory and get to interact with the different types of workers to see what they do. Its quite amusing. Who knew burping was a good thing?