Happy

Part of blame for this mayhem has been levelled at a new biometric technology solution -the IRIS recognition immigration system. The system has been bedevilled by technical problems, however this is not entirely to blame. In many cases it has been found that staff did not in fact know how to use the system. Training was either not given, or when given, was not effective.

Lucy Moreton of the Immigration Service Union, told the Bureau that staff training in the scanner manual control had ‘fallen foul of the cuts’.

An immersive training application would have helped in this situation. Providing realistic scenarios in which recruits could practice routines, make mistakes and receive diagnostic feedback. In fact, just like an application Caspian Learning developed for the European Border Control agency. They had exactly the same problem – a complex technology implementation and a big training requirement. Immersive training scenarios enabled recruits to train when and where they liked, as many times as they needed. There is no limit to the variation of scenarios that they can be trained on.

Check out a short slice of the application here. Happy travelling!

Thinking Worlds is a powerful, rapid game creation tool. But do you know how to use it?

Last month we contacted some of our more experienced users to find out what problems they had encountered whilst creating sims or games with Thinking Worlds.

What do you think was one of the most common problems?

I can tell you.

It was that there was NO instruction manual.

This was a source of frustration for many of our users and since then, I’ve been working on a way we can try and reduce this frustrating experience and turn it into a positive one.

Although I was unable to write a manual, I have managed to find a huge collection of training material that will help you start creating your first real game.

I’ve wrapped it all up nicely in an easy to follow guide for you.

Click the link below to see for yourself.

Follow the Lessons Here to Create Your Own Quality Simulation or Game

In the meantime, we’ve put together this Thinking Worlds getting started guide which will help you find your feet.

• Introduction – What is Thinking Worlds?
• Video Tutorials
• Written Tutorials
• Support Forum

Introduction – What is Thinking Worlds?

This short video will give you an overview of how the software works and what you can do with it without needing to know a programming language.

Video Tutorials

• Introduction to Thinking Worlds
• Downloading & Importing Example Journeys
• Step-by-Step Educational Game Tutorial
• Additional Training Modules

Written Tutorials

• A Selection of Getting Started Tutorials

Follow these step-by-step instructions to create your very own game.

• Lesson One
• Lesson Two
• Lesson Three
• Lesson Four
• Lesson Five
• Lesson Six

Play the Finished Game

This is a question constantly asked by companies, designers and educators that are interested in building a 3D immersive simulation. At Caspian Learning, we have developed and deployed over 80 simulation applications for military, corporate and education clients across the world. We have gained a lot of insight into this question through this experience.

When we begin to answer this question, we must first ask what type of simulation experience is being developed:

• Performance Simulation
• Constructive Simulation
• Branching Story
• Vignette – mini sim
• Communication Challenge

Within each of these different types of simulation experience, the exact development time will vary according to complexity of requirement: the level of 2d & 3D bespoke artwork to develop; detailed performance diagnostics; custom database work to capture performance; and complexity of the scenario design (number of ‘nodes’ in the tree). That withstanding, there are some guidelines for development timeframes within these simulation categories.

Performance Simulation

A 3D simulation of a situation or scenario in which the learner must perform behaviours congruent to their real life application.

The simulation provides the opportunity for:

• Safe failure
• Personal relevance
• Consequences
• Practice
• Real time feedback
• Measured improvement

The player controls the avatar, and performs actions within the 3D world to influence events and to achieve learning goals.

The high level of user control over movement, navigation and interaction, coupled with the personal viewpoint perspective engenders high levels of presence “a feeling of being there” in the situation depicted in the world.

Estimate: 270 – 350 man hours per hour of learning

Branching Story

An unfolding sequence of animated scenes within a story or event. The user is able to influence and even determine the flow of the story by making choices and decisions at different points.

At these points the flow of the story will follow different branches.

Estimate: 280 – 330 man hours per hour of learning

Constructive Simulations

Construction and Management Simulations are games about processes and strategy.
A player must build, expand or manage an entity or project with limited resources. The game provides an interface that enables the player to manipulate and change values and properties within the simulation – for example, to change the level of funding for a public department within an economy simulation.

Estimate: 270 – 350 man hours per hour of learning

Vignettes – Mini Sim

A shortened performance simulation focused on a specific task, behavioural activity or situation. This experience will last between 20 and 30 minutes for the learner and targets very specific behaviour change in the learner – checking for IED‟s in Afghanistan, assembling water filtration units in high risk environments, performing sales closes in an automotive scenario, reacting to over estimating cognitive biases on a trading floor, shift start procedures in a hotel kitchen, etc.

Estimate: 100 – 140 man hours of learning

Communication Challenge

These simulations will typically target attitude change as an objective, be it for business change, marketing messages or entertainment. They range in formats and design, including full mini games. They are typically of short duration – 5 minutes to 25 minutes for the user.

Estimate: 30 – 100 man hours of learning

Immersive Simulation Improves Learning

Using the ipad and iphone game development software, Thinking Worlds, which is free to download and use, Georgij was able to add a fun twist to a worrying tale and turn the current plight of the Eurozone into a fun app that is available to download for free from Apple’s App Store.

In the game, users must decide the fate of Europe by deciding who to throw money at; the ‘Bankers’ or the ‘Citizens’ or, if they can’t decide in time get lost in the process.

Despite having very little cash or extensive programming knowledge, Georgij’s creativity and the tools he used to create the game made the process accessible to him and he was able to create a downloadable game that was fun, original and has already started getting downloads from the App Store.

When asked about the idea behind the game, Georgij said he wanted to “try and create a game that touched on some of the current issues within Europe without bogging people down with too much economics or politics.”

Georgij’s achievement marks another positive outcome facilitated by the Train2Game course and free to use game development software, Thinking Worlds.
Play the Game:

• Play ‘Euro Destruction’ Online in Full Screen
• Visit ‘Euro Destruction’ on the App Store

Play In Your Blog:

]]> http://www.thinkingworlds.com/?feed=rss2&p=1092 1 http://www.thinkingworlds.com/?p=1088 http://www.thinkingworlds.com/?p=1088#comments Tue, 30 Aug 2011 16:16:54 +0000 Lee http://www.thinkingworlds.com/?p=1088 Continue reading →]]> Billboarding is one term used to describe the use of sprites in a 3D environment. In the same way that a billboard is positioned to face drivers on a highway/motorway, the 3D sprite always faces the camera. There is both a performance advantage and an aesthetic advantage to using billboarding. Most 3D rendering engines can process “3D sprites” much faster than other types of 3D objects. They are also easier and faster to create than 3D characters.

More often sprites/billboards now refers to a partially transparent two dimensional animation that is mapped onto a special plane in a 3D scene. The sprite (billboard) plane is always perpendicular to the axis emanating from the camera.