ARQuake

File:Example of ARQuake.jpg

An example of what ARQuake looks like

ARQuake is an Augmented Reality version of the popular Quake game by id Software. Created in the Wearable Computer Lab at the University of South Australia in the year 2000, ARQuake provides a first-person shooter that allows the user to run around in the real world whilst playing a game in the computer generated world. The system uses GPS, a hybrid magnetic and inertial orientation sensor, a custom made gun controller, and a standard laptop carried on a backpack. ARQuake was conceived by Bruce H. Thomas, and developed by Benjamin Close, John Donoghue, John Squires, Philip DeBondi, and Wayne Piekarski. The game has never become commercial, existing only as a research prototype, and was the first fully working Augmented Reality game created for outdoor use.

There are sixteen different types of monster in the Quake world. Some have attributes that make them unsuitable for inclusion in this type of level. Because of the limitations on movement imposed by the tracking hardware, the best monsters were those that walked or leaped and those that were relatively easy to destroy and did not inflict extreme damage on the user with their first attack. Seven types of monsters were chosen to be included in this levels. These monsters types are all land-based creatures which use weapons from a distance, and all seem well suited to the system.The monsters' skin colour and texture were changed to make them easier to see and distinguish from the physical world.

References

• Thomas, B., Close, B., Donoghue, J., Squires, J., De Bondi, P., Morris, M., and Piekarski, W. "ARQuake: An Outdoor/Indoor Augmented Reality First Person Application." In 4th International Symposium on Wearable Computers, pp 139–146, Atlanta, Ga, Oct 2000.
• Thomas, B. H., Close, B., Donoghue, J., Squires, J., De Bondi, P., and Piekarski, W. "First Person Indoor/Outdoor Augmented Reality Application: ARQuake." Personal and Ubiquitous Computing, Vol. 6, No. 2, 2002.
• Piekarski, W. and Thomas, B., "ARQuake: the outdoor augmented reality gaming system", Communications of the ACM, 45(1), 2002.
• Thomas, B. H., Krul, N., Close, B., and Piekarski, W. "Usability and Playability Issues for ARQuake." In 1st International Workshop on Entertainment Computing, Tokyo, Japan, May 2002.
• Piekarski, W. and Thomas, B. H., "ARQuake-Modifications and hardware for outdoor augmented reality gaming", In "4th Australian Linux Conference, Perth, Australia", 2003.
• Revell, S., "From Hide and Seek to ARQuake: Considering the Challenges of Location-Based Gaming", Proceedings of GI Days, 2004.
• Thomas, B. H. and Piekarski, W., "ARQuake", Space Time Play, 2007, Springer.
• Thomas, B., "Challenges of making outdoor augmented reality games playable", 2nd CREST Workshop on Advanced Computing and Communicating Techniques for Wearable Information Playing, 2003.
• Revell, Sara. "From Hide and Seek to ARQuake: Considering the Challenges of Location-Based Gaming." Proceedings of GI Days (2004).
• Piekarski, Wayne, and Thomas, B. H., "Outdoor Augmented Reality." Space Time Play (2007): 438-440.
• Piekarski, Wayne. Interactive 3d modelling in outdoor augmented reality worlds. Diss. University of South Australia, 2004.
• Benford, Steve, Carsten Magerkurth, and Peter Ljungstrand. "Bridging the physical and digital in pervasive gaming." Communications of the ACM 48.3 (2005): 54-57.
• Zhou, ZhiYing, et al. "User studies of a multiplayer first person shooting game with tangible and physical interaction." Virtual Reality (2007): 738-747.

External links

• ARQuake Home Page
• Wearable Computer Lab
• University of South Australia
• a_rage: Augmented Reality Gaming Company (Site closed in 2008)