Snowboard Simulator

[JT27]

Hello all,

I'm very excited about the upcoming Rift. I've primarily played games on a console but I'm excited to get into PC gaming, especially with some tasty VR.

Since I have limited experience I was wondering if there are any good snowboarding games for PC that would work with the rift. What is the feasibility of playing a snowboard game coupled with something like this?:
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m6XKJt66ieQ[/youtube]

I can see a possible problem with the cord getting tangled up, and I assume there would need to be some kind of sensors to track you on turns. But as I said, I have little experience with these things.

I'd appreciate any thoughts on the matter, I have no idea what a slide like that would cost. If its too pricey I might consider trying to make one myself, if there is a good game to play on it.

[cybereality]

That setup looks cool, but probably costs mega-$$$. Not sure how hard (or safe) it would be to DIY.

[bobv5]

Not as impressive, but wii balance board works well for snowboard games.

[WiredEarp]

That vid looks rather dangerous. What happens if the guy fails to maintain his balance? Does he just fall to the ground either side?

For a snowboarding game, one easy way to start off might be to buy one of those old snowboarding arcade games. They had a balance board etc, cage to prevent falling, etc already.

[Fredz]

Yep, old sega arcade systems like Alpine Surfer look more feasible and less dangerous, I had great fun with those at arcade centers when they were popular more than a decade ago :



Video : http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x8gkqm ... videogames

They're probably more affordable too, this one can be found for around $2000, but you could also try to implement something equivalent at a lower cost : http://www.coinopexpress.com/products/m ... 9_547.html

There were also similar games using other kinds of input controllers, like Top Skater or Alpine Racer. Or even Prop Cycle, a Pilotwings-like arcade game where you sit on a bicycle with air flowing through your face.

For an ultimate simulation I guess this system would be perfect, but you'd need quite a big living room and it doesn't look really safe to use with an HMD :
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zzz9dkGSW7o[/youtube]

[FingerFlinger]

Fredz, is that a giant air hockey table?

[cybereality]

What about hacking the Tony Hawk : Ride peripheral to work on the PC (maybe someone has done this already?):

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tfXvazeil70[/youtube]

[2EyeGuy]

I couldn't get Soul Ride to compile, so I gave up on adding support to that. Also it's not a very good game. I haven't looked for other open source snowboarding games yet.

I haven't had a go at adding Tony Hawk Ride support to anything yet due to lack of money to buy one.

[Fredz]

Fredz, is that a giant air hockey table?

Looks more like a giant treadmill I'd say.

What about hacking the Tony Hawk : Ride peripheral to work on the PC (maybe someone has done this already?):

Didn't know this one, nice find. But it looks quite hard to master. Maybe a mix of this device with the concept of the Alpine Surfer device with wheels to support the weight of the player could be a better solution.

I couldn't get Soul Ride to compile, so I gave up on adding support to that. Also it's not a very good game. I haven't looked for other open source snowboarding games yet.

What is your problem when compiling Soul Ride ? I agree that it's not really a good game but unfortunately I don't know any other open source snowboarding game.

[2EyeGuy]

What is your problem when compiling Soul Ride ?

Hundreds of things. Firstly the lack of a project file, but then lots of files that are half written in C and half pseudocode, missing include files, all kinds of different errors, etc.

Here's an example from trail.cpp, this wasn't commented out, but presumably this file wasn't supposed to be in the project:

Code: Select all

void	Render(const ViewSTate& s)
// Draw the trail.
{
	if (playing back) {
		compute delta ticks;
		if (delta ticks < 0) {
			remove trail from the front;
			add trail to the back;
		} else {
			add trail to the front;
			remove trail from the back;
		}
	}

	gl setup stuff;

	for (sections) {
		find beginning of strip;

		fast-forward to end of strip;

		setup client state;
		draw arrays or whatever;
	}

	gl unsetup stuff;
}

[Fredz]

Hundreds of things. Firstly the lack of a project file

There is a makefile, I guess Visual Studio should be able to use that. If it doesn't you may also try a Windows version of gcc like MinGW.

but then lots of files that are half written in C and half pseudocode, missing include files, all kinds of different errors, etc.

It's not uncommon to find stale code in open source or proprietary projects. As long as the files are not referenced in the makefile that shouldn't be a problem.

To successfully compile it on Linux I had to modify 4 files, basically because of const correctness problems, missing <string.h> includes and extra qualification errors.

The code has most probably been written for a Windows compiler (Visual Studio I suppose) that is more permissive than gcc and less standards compliant. So using the makefile with Visual Studio you may be able to compile it without having to modify any code.

[JT27]

Thanks for all the feedback on this. I definitely agree the contraption I posted looks crazy dangerous and expensive. I do like how you would be able to feel the G forces from the turns making it more of a realistic experience. I really like the sega arcade style, but unfortunately I think $2,000 might be more than I can spend on this.

The Tony Hawk Ride board looks pretty awesome, and probably has the best ratio of cost effectiveness to fun. Also it wouldn't require a warehouse to house. How difficult would it be to hack one of those to work with a PC?

I've never seen the wii balance board, is that already compatible with the PC?

Is soul ride the only possible snowboarding game to be used with the rift, if it can even be used?

[Fredz]

Is soul ride the only possible snowboarding game to be used with the rift, if it can even be used?

It's only a matter of compiling it under Windows - which should be doable since it was designed for it - and adding 3D stereo rendering and warping for the Rift, which other people have already done for other open source games.

As I said there doesn't seem to exist other open source snowboarding games, so the alternative would be to support a non open source one with a stereo driver implementation for the Rift, like the ones from Cybereality or Emerson. I've had success with adding stereo support for Supreme Snowboarding (my favorite one) on Linux, so I guess it should also be doable on Windows.

The Tony Hawk Ride board looks pretty awesome, and probably has the best ratio of cost effectiveness to fun. Also it wouldn't require a warehouse to house. How difficult would it be to hack one of those to work with a PC?

By having a deeper look at the Slingshot website I found this, I guess that would be the best solution for an affordable cost ($99.95 + shipping) : http://soulride.com/products/catapult.html





But I still think something like the Alpine Surfer controller would be more immersive, I tried that and the Wii balance board and I'd say there is no comparison.

I guess it shouldn't be really costly to build one either. You'd only need a board with a wheel underneath, attach it to a fixed rotating joint, add a wiimote to capture rotation values and something like a walker to put the hands on. I think that could be build for less than $100.

EDIT: looking at the video of the Catapult it seems to be better than what I thought, you can really turn around an axe and not only lean left or right, so it'll be quite close to the Alpine Surfer controller.
EDIT2: seems like Slingshot doesn't like image linking, go figure...

[2EyeGuy]

To successfully compile it on Linux I had to modify 4 files, basically because of const correctness problems, missing <string.h> includes and extra qualification errors.

The code has most probably been written for a Windows compiler (Visual Studio I suppose) that is more permissive than gcc and less standards compliant. So using the makefile with Visual Studio you may be able to compile it without having to modify any code.

No, all those problems are still there on Windows. It was the qualification errors that made me give up. How did you fix them?

[2EyeGuy]

The balance board is usable on the PC.

The Slingshot Catapult snowboard controller, from the makers of Soul Ride, plugs into a Joystick Port (15 pin), which is a port I haven't seen for a long time. It's an analog port designed for 2 two-axis joysticks with 2 buttons each. That also suggests to me that the controller might be quite limited in what it does.

Personally I want skiing games, not snowboarding games. I love skiing.

[Fredz]

No, all those problems are still there on Windows. It was the qualification errors that made me give up. How did you fix them?

You just need to remove the namespace and the :: characters before method calls.

ie. replace :
GG_Rval GG_Resource::getFileName( char *fileName );
by :
GG_Rval getFileName( char *fileName );

[Fredz]

The Slingshot Catapult snowboard controller, from the makers of Soul Ride, plugs into a Joystick Port (15 pin), which is a port I haven't seen for a long time.

I guess a gameport to USB converter should be able to handle this, seems they can be found for around $15.

It's an analog port designed for 2 two-axis joysticks with 2 buttons each. That also suggests to me that the controller might be quite limited in what it does.

What sort of limitations do you fear, shouldn't this be enough to simulate snowboard movements ?

[2EyeGuy]

Snowboarding is for people who like things in mono. I do my snowboarding in stereo, by skiing. Stereopodic snowboarding.

[JT27]

Thanks for the input everyone,

Fredz,
The slingshot is definitely where I will start, it looks responsive enough, and comes with the controller to jump, and buttons for whatever else the game can do. I think down the road I'd like to build something like what you mentioned with an arcade style interface. I have an idea for a deck mounted on one central bearing or maybe smaller perimeter bearings...on...a treadmill?

I think for it to be safe you may need some kind of blockers on the limits of motion. If it was double the size of a normal treadmill I think you could make some decent turns if you had no fear of falling off the edge. I'm still trying to figure out a way to accomplish this that isn't just side to side movement, but would also allow you to tweak the board inside the range of motion simulating stopping or hard turns.

I've been trying to find a good game to use with all of this. I think first person view would be the ultimate, but the limited googling I've done leads me to believe that such a game does not exist.

I didn't look at any Soul Ride gameplay, but the two non-open source games I saw (Other than Supreme, which you mentioned) were, Shaun White, and some Olympic style game:

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3RmCqFdV67Y[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wh1F3PUAwNI[/youtube]

As you said,

I've had success with adding stereo support for Supreme Snowboarding (my favorite one) on Linux, so I guess it should also be doable on Windows.

Do you mean adding support for the rift, or for external control devices?

Would it be possible to run either of the two games above on the rift with the soul ride controller?

2EyeGuy,
I love the term Stereopodic snowboarding, awesome and hilarious! If I could get the primary Monopodic template going; I'd be happy to try and build a skiing sim right alongside it. No Ski/Board animosity here brother! I have high hopes for both of our virtual winter sport experiences.

On an unrelated, and much more boring note... Are there any good ski games for the pc?

You guys are great, thanks for all the discussion on this.

[MrGreen]

Snowboarding is for people who like things in mono. I do my snowboarding in stereo, by skiing. Stereopodic snowboarding.

That's because you're old.

I'm with you, though.

[space123321]

I was a skiier for 20+ years - starting snowboarding 15 years ago and I have never stepped foot on a pair of skiis since...

[Fredz]

I've been trying to find a good game to use with all of this. I think first person view would be the ultimate, but the limited googling I've done leads me to believe that such a game does not exist.

Supreme Snowboarding does have a first person view and from what I've read Vancouver 2010 should support that also. You can find lists of other snowboarding games here :
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snowboarding_video_game
- http://www.gamerankings.com/browse.html ... r=&search=

I didn't look at any Soul Ride gameplay, but the two non-open source games I saw (Other than Supreme, which you mentioned) were, Shaun White, and some Olympic style game:

Soulride is pretty bad as a game, if it was not open source and available on Linux it would never have been on my radar. But that video of Vancouver 2010 looks pretty good, did you find a demo for the snowboarding mode ?

Do you mean adding support for the rift, or for external control devices?

Support for side-by-side stereo rendering but not Rift compatible yet, I'd need to implement warping and modify the FOV to support it correctly. For the Catapult device I guess it should be recognized as a joystick and could perhaps work as-is, or need some input controller injection since the game does support analog joysticks.

Would it be possible to run either of the two games above on the rift with the soul ride controller?

Same than for Supreme Snowboarding I guess, either it'll be supported out-of-the-box as a joystick or need some sort of controller injection. That'll be needed for the head-tracking of the Rift too.

On an unrelated, and much more boring note... Are there any good ski games for the pc?

I haven't found any skiing game that offers me the same nice feeling than in Supreme Snowboarding, but I only tried Alpine Ski Racing 2007 which was decent and Ski Challenge which I didn't like.

Snowboarding is for people who like things in mono. I do my snowboarding in stereo, by skiing. Stereopodic snowboarding.

That's because you're old.

I'm old and I still like snowboarding !

[2EyeGuy]

That's because you're old.

In my defence, I literally started skiing when I was a baby. So I don't have to be all that old.

I am getting old though. When I made Wolfenstein 3D in Portal 2, I was surprised when so many people didn't recognise what game it was based on, because they weren't born when Wolfenstein 3D was out. And when I think of John Carmack, I think of Commander Keen. And I know all about programming for DOS and CGA. And I remember using the internet before it was the World Wide Web.

[TheHolyChicken]

That's because you're old.

In my defence, I literally started skiing when I was a baby. So I don't have to be all that old.

I am getting old though. When I made Wolfenstein 3D in Portal 2, I was surprised when so many people didn't recognise what game it was based on, because they weren't born when Wolfenstein 3D was out. And when I think of John Carmack, I think of Commander Keen. And I know all about programming for DOS and CGA. And I remember using the internet before it was the World Wide Web.

Yep, definitely old