HIT ME!

June 17, 2005

RULE SET:

Two players, one Red, the other Blue, start the game back to back with arms outstretched in the center of the 10ft diameter playing circle. Once "Hit Me!" is heard, the game has started.

The object of the game is to hit the opponent's button on top of the box. Once a hit is made, the hitter's camera takes a snapshot of the victim. The hitter receives a point for the hit, and up to 2 additional points can be added by the judge based on the quality of the snapshot.

The quality of the snapshot is based on the following criteria:
1. If the opponent's face can be seen in the snapshot then the hitter is awarded 2 points.

2. If the opponent's face is not visible, however a body part of the opponent is, then the hitter is awarded 1 point.

3. If no sign of the opponent exists in the snapshot, then the hitter is not awarded any additional points.

Players will immediately be disqualified if the referee deems any play as dangerous play. Dangerous play can be defined by, but not limited to, one or more of the following actions:
No striking with fists
No hair pulling
No eye gouging
No choking
No kicking
The opponent automatically wins the game if a player commits any of the offenses in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force. The Referee has ultimate say on the matter of dangerous play, and the player will not be able to contest.

The clock will be stopped and a player will also be awarded a point if the opponent steps out of the circle.

Each game lasts for 30 seconds and the judge will hit a bell to signify when the 30 seconds are over. The clock is stopped every time a hit is made and then continued after the points are given. When the clock continues, the players must start again in the starting position.

The winner is the player with the most points at the end of the game. If the score is tied at the end of a game, then the game goes into sudden death. In sudden death, the winner's hit and snapshot score will be calculated into the final score of the game.

Posted by kaho at 09:48 AM | Comments (0)

April 12, 2005

Foul Play: Soccer Terms

When is foul/dangerous play called in soccer.
This is important when thinking about what is dangerous play in Hit Me! These sort of rules can define what dangerous play is. The interesting thing about soccer is that it's up to the ref who decides what is reckless and what is not. The other thing to be noted is that in soccer foul play happens all the time. Players fake injury to get a PK. This thing cannot happen often in Hit Me! then people would get hurt.

A direct free kick is awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following six offences in a manner considered by the referee to be careless, reckless or using excessive force:
kicks or attempts to kick an opponent;
trips or attempts to trip an opponent;
jumps at an opponent;
charges an opponent;
strikes or attempts to strike an opponent;
pushes an opponent.

A direct free kick is also awarded to the opposing team if a player commits any of the following four offences:
tackles an opponent to gain possession of the ball, making contact with the opponent before touching the ball;
holds an opponent;
spits at an opponent;
handles the ball deliberately (except for the goalkeeper within his own penalty area).

Posted by kaho at 12:58 PM | Comments (0)

March 25, 2005

Snapshots

Giving the Snapshot value in the point system would:
-- Strengthen the relationship between the action and the projected image for the spectator
-- Encourage the player to come up with more strategy beyond flailing arms
-- Give more justification for having the camera that takes photos of the player being hit

Panel of Judges:
In boxing there is a panel of 2 (?) judges constantly taking points for moves besides the knockouts so that if there is a tie, the points are tallied. In Hit Me! there could also be judges who evaluate the photos. So in addition to the point attained from getting a hit, there are more points for good photos.

The problem with this is that it would be sort of a pain to make sure there are non-bias judges at all games. There is already a ref who has enough responsibilities -- wouldn't it be sort of overkill to add more ref-like people to the mix when it is supposed to be a simple spectator sport?

Referee:
The ref could be the judge for the photos. The problem here is that the ref has enough responsibilities already. The ref starts and stops the game, and if the whole boundary thing becomes a rule then, that's a lot of stuff to keep track of, a lot of responsibilities.

Audience Participation:
This I think would be the ideal situation -- if the audience could vote for the better photo. However, this would perhaps be too time consuming to have people wait in line or too technically difficult making numerous buttons. I thought about putting it online if it were some sort of tie-breaker, but then people would have to come back to see the results or they would end up seeing results at home -- which is no fun. Well, this is something to consider in the future, but not this time around.

Set Criteria:
The rules could be the judges! If there is a simple enough, straightforward enough point system for the photos, then the rules themselves could essentially allocate the points. In other words, say each hit is worth 1 point. The snapshot quality is then worth a possible maximum of 2 more points. Here's the breakdown:

you get 0 points if there is no sign of the victim
you get 1 point if there is some sort of body part of the victim
you get 2 points if you can see the face of the victim

All the fuzzy stuff in between can be taken care of by the ref. How about that?

Posted by kaho at 11:12 AM | Comments (0)

February 27, 2005

scoring issues

i have been thinking about the scoring system in preparation for today's play testing session... This brings up a few different structures to think about. First of all, originally Hit Me has a 1 minute timer. And the timer is stopped whenever a hit is made. Whoever has the highest score at the end of the 1 minute is the winner. In case of a tie, the game goes into overtime, and whoever hits first is the winner of the match.

Also, it must be noted that in danger of multiple hits at once -- like when one player has the other in a head lock and can hit the opponent over and over again) the code has been set so that the clock stops as soon as a hit is made and can be restarted by the ref. So even though I saw 1 minute, the actual time of the match is much longer when the pauses between a hit and a clock restart are counted.

That's easy enough, but let's think of alternate methods of scoring anyways. Here are some ideas based on some pre-existing games:

Based on my quickly fading memories of volleyball in highschool, I believe the points can only be won by the team that is serving. When the non-serving team wins, then the non-serving team becomes the serving team and only then are they able to earn points. Apparently this is called the "side-out" scoring method in the world of volleyball.

I also start to think about Ping Pong -- well, that is our so-called "basement" ping pong rules. We used to play to a certain number of points, like 10, and it was rally-style scoring, but we took turns serving. Each player would serve 5 times consecutively and then the other player would take their turn and back and forth until 10 was reached by someone.

So then I guess the question is how does the whole "serving" thing work out in Hit Me? The players could be given turns when when they are the hitter and takers. 30 seconds can be given to each player as the hitter, and then the points can be compared at the end of 4 sets -- a 2 minute game. That would aslo bring about some new questions like -- who gets to go first as the hitter? what happens if the score is tied? And finally, what does this structure mean for the game? Is it stimulating for the spectators to know who is the hunter and who is the prey?

Then there is this other method of scoring called "rally" scoring method in volleyball, where points are earned no matter who the server is. I think in both cases, the set is played until one side reaches 25. Apparently recently volleyball on different levels have been changing to this scoring method. It seems that the game becomes much more exciting for viewers as well as players. The tension hieghtens when a point can be made on everyball served.

But the down side is that there is less experimentation allowed by the players. Also, the chances for a big comeback are less. (Another reason why it has gotten more popular than side-out scoring is because it's easier to predict how long the match will take. You know, for television production purposes... )

Rally scoring is is similar to the original idea for Hit Me but there is a scoring limit as opposed to a time limit. How does this change the game? Well, if there is a player who is quick on their feet, but is not a good hitter, then the game can go on for ever if there is no timer until the score limit is reached. People could get really bored by then. But then again, the players have more freedom to create their own styles and and strategies without the time limit. The addition of the timer, makes it a faster, more aggressive game.

I should look at boxing perhaps?

Posted by kaho at 05:11 PM | Comments (0)

February 23, 2005

violence

I am not a big fan of violence, so people maybe surprised to find that I am working on a project like Hit Me. Let's face it, Hit Me has the potential to be a very violent game. I know it too -- that's why I added the Personal Injury Waiver Form to the game. But now that I am finishing the game, I need to seriously think about how physical I want the game to be, what I really want the players to do, and how to incorporate that into the rule set.

First of all, I think I can say for certain that I don't want people to get seriously injured playing Hit Me. I mean, a little scrape or bruise here and there can be expected as in any other sport, but it would be simply wrong for me to encourage violence. So, one thing I could do is add a whole bunch of constraints to where and how you can "hit" the other person.

On the other hand, Hit Me is about being physical -- having that physical contact like in Twister. That's like the underlying idea of the game. What's the use if rules are added and there is no physical contact? It sort of defeats the purpose of the game.

Also, I think it's important to keep some sort of freedom for the players for some good ol' emergent behavior. Certainly players will eventually start to come up with personal strategies and styles of playing. This would be crucial for the game to continue to be fun in the long term.

So the point here is that a balance has to be achieved with the constraints placed on physical stuff but without taking away too much physical contact and the players freedom to come up with stuff.

Sumo is a great example of how to make it so that the actions themselves are not harmful. The players only really get hurt when they fall, not when they are hit or grabbed. So let's say I started to play test with the following physical constraints, based on rules for Sumo:

No striking with fists
No hair pulling
No eye gouging
No choking
No kicking in the stomach or chest
No hitting, kicking or grabbing of the privates

Posted by kaho at 07:17 PM | Comments (0)

February 20, 2005

fencing

While I have been a fan of Sumo for many years, I cannot say the same thing about Fencing. I do not know anything about fencing. I have seen some footage in the past, maybe from the Olympics. Although I think the outfits and the speed of the game are very cool, it has never drawn me in as much as other sports have.

First of all, I did not know that fencing had physical computing elements to it. Sounds like the sword touching the vest creates a circuit and then is read by the scoring machine. I wonder how much responsibility is put on the device itself. I mean surely there are times when the machine is not working properly. Perhaps the game is so fast that the referee is not thought to be accurate enough?

I read the general rules and objectives of the game on the US Fencing site (http://www.usfencing.org/Welcome/WhatIsFencing.asp), and the following are some notes regarding Fencing:

"six-feet-by-40-feet strip"

Looks like there is a boundry in Fencing. Although it doesn't say what happens if you step out of the bounds.

"The main object of a fencing bout (what an individual "game" is called) is to effectively score 15 points (in direct elimination play) or five points (in preliminary pool play) on your opponent before he scores that number on you. Each time a fencer scores a touch, she receives a point. Direct elimination matches consist of three three-minute periods."

It's interesting that there is a cap on points as well as time for the direct elimination matches. I am not sure why. Does the game end if one of the players has 15 points or when the time runs out? What happens if the time has run out and no one has 15 points, but it is tied? Is there a tie breaker?

Depending on the type of fencing: Foil, Epee or Sabre, the "valid target area" differs.

"Right-Of-Way: One of the most difficult concepts to visualize in foil and sabre fencing is the rule of right-of-way. This rule was established to eliminate apparently simultaneous attacks by two fencers.In essence, right-of-way is the differentiation of offense and defense, made by the referee. The difference is important only when both the red and green lights go on at the same time in foil and sabre. When this happens, the winner of the point is the one who the referee determined was on offense at the time the lights went on.Épée does not use the right-of-way in keeping with its dueling origin - he who first gains the touch earns the point. Or, if both fencers hit within 1/25th of a second of each other, both earn a point. However, it is equally important to have a sound defense for épée, since the entire body must be protected from a touch."

The Right-Of-Way call is interesting. Sometimes the machines on both players go off at the same time as both being the taker and giver of the hit. The ref has to make the call giving the point to whomever was the offense at the time. So in a situation like this, there referee makes the call over the technology. I can imagine this to be controversial at times. So I wonder if that makes the movements of the attacks important. Do the players have certain strategies to look like they are attacking when they are attacking so that the message is loud and clear to the ref in case of situations such as this?

"The fencer being attacked defends himself by use of a parry, a motion used to deflect the opponent's blade, after which the defender can make a riposte, an answering attack. Thus, the two adversaries keep changing between offense and defense."

Nick said that one of the things to note about fencing is that the players usually defend when the other is attacking. This is also probably true for Hit Me. I guess this is the reason why the Right of Way rule is used. I assume there must be a clear differentiation between offensive and defensive actions.

"Whenever a hit is made, the referee will stop the bout, describe the actions, and decide whether or not to award a touch."

This part reminds me of Hit Me because whenever a hit is made, the game pauses until the ref hits the restart button. In fencing, they must have to reset the machine after a touch is made as well.

Things to think about:
Distinct boundaries, target areas, possible point and time constraints, role of referee, balance of responsibility between ref and technology, possible constraints regarding offensive and defensive actions.

Posted by kaho at 01:30 PM | Comments (0)

February 19, 2005

sumo

I went to the offical Japanese Sumo Federation site and got the rule set. Click the "read more" part to read the rules. It's pretty interesting because the rule set is so simple -- there aren't many rules here. They are based on the space constraint and some physical constraints and that's it! The rest of the game sort of falls into place after that.

"About is won by forcing the opponent out of the inner circle or throwing him in the dohyo. To lose the match it is not necessary to fall in the circle or to be pushed completely out. The rikishi who touches the ground with any part of his body, his knee or even the tip of his finger or his top-knot, loses the match. Or he need only put one toe or his heel over the straw bales marking the circle. Striking with fists, hair pulling, eye gouging, choking and kicking in the stomach or chest are prohibited. It is also against the rules to sieze the part of the band covering the vital organs. As there are no weight limits as in boxing or western wrestling it is possible for a rikishi to find himself pitted against an opponent twice his own weight."
source:
http://sumo.goo.ne.jp/eng/ozumo_joho_kyoku/shiru/kiso_chishiki/beginners_guide/rules.html#rule

I think it's important to have the physical constraints so that the sport does not get unnecessarily violent. Of course sumo wrestlers still sustain injuries, but it's normally from falling and not from being hit by the opponent.

I think it's interesting that there are no size catagorizations. From watching sumo, I can say the size of the player doesn't always correlate to their ability to win the game. In fact, their speed, stamina, and strength also count quite a bit.

Another thing I like about sumo is the extent to which it is a spectator sport -- for example, the ritualistic dance that is performed before the tournament, the marching out of the wrestlers in their fancy aprons and the bow dance performed by the winner after the tournament. These are part of a cultural and folk religious traditions, but they are also for the the audience to enjoy. When there is an unpredicted upset in a game, fans may throw cushions onto the stage to show their disappointment in the wrestler they were cheering for.

Posted by kaho at 07:09 PM | Comments (0)