Topic: Space Foosball

[kayko2000]

This is kind of interesting, but not likely to replace any foosball tables in pubs anytime soon, me thinks.

http://technabob.com/blog/2009/09/21/space-foosball-virtual-tangible-interface/

[bbtuna]

why don't the try someone who can actually play the game and not hold the end of the rod like it is a grape they just pulled off the vine...put some handles on that thing and add resistance when the player has the ball

[foozkillah]

why don't the try someone who can actually play the game and not hold the end of the rod like it is a grape they just pulled off the vine...put some handles on that thing and add resistance when the player has the ball

BBT,

Didn't you read through, and see the more realistic table they had at the bottom of the web page, where a guy is playing a girl on a glasstop?  I'm sure they'll end up including resistive attachments, perhaps as add-ons, ala WII or PS2/x.  They've prolly only been able to get a relatively reliable prototype with the simple finger rods so far.  They'd have to use virtual sampling to get more realistic action and "feel", which is already quite a production process, usually only available to major game manufacturers (Madden 2010, HALO, etc..) and/or high CGI movie and effects studios (Matrix, the 300, etc..).  Your first reaction seems to be blaming these students and techies for not coming out with the perfect product on the first go. What gives?

If there is enough interest, and enough financial and institutional support, these Koreans and other groups will prolly end up developing a more and more realistic video foosball game, but they're definitely closer to the Atari "Pong" version than the WII ITTF Table Tennis version.  And as they improve this, there will definitely be advantages to a very realistic, perhaps WII-style foosball with the right attachments and live-action.  Especially if they eventually allow a person alone in a den or hotel room to virtually play against generated virtual opponents from beginner to pro-master level and speeds, and then of course graduating to truly interactive online virtual foosball against perhaps 3 other players on 4 continents.

[bbtuna]

FK,

i looked at all of it..sent it to my mid 20's kids and they thought it was stupid and so do i...they could make all the improvements you are talking about and that would help the experience and I would still not like it even though i can apprecite the effort

[kayko2000]

Well, overall, I don't know there's anything subject to debate.  My feeling is that they're not really trying to create necessarily a "realistic" game.  I could only guess that none of the developers are experienced, structured players.  I think this is more for proof of concept, and the creation of a "fun" video game.  Let's not think too much into this.

[bbtuna]

its says something about foosball since they aren't "players" but they choose foosball to duplicate which in itself is encouraging