Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
17.3
HOW THE NEW TECHNOLOGIES ARE INTERTWINING
In the process of writing this topic, several technologies intertwined. The initial concepts and project plans
were developed on the 3D modeling system of SketchUp, meetings about the design and content were held
weekly in a virtual world created by OpenSim and Second Life code, and most of the igures that illustrate it
were created by taking screen shots of virtual content with the FRAPs and Screen Hunter Pro software. This
topic would not have been possible a decade earlier. Every year, designers have more options for combining
their methodologies for design and presentation of design with new tools and software.
In the process of utilizing these technologies, it will be smart to remember the concepts of “Build It Once.”
A wise designer would constantly look for new technologies that support a streamlined design process, aug-
ment the communication within the team, and support a client's needs. Like the car designers, you will be
accessing the knowledge and techniques from the last 40,000 years and choosing the critical path method
that works best for you and your company.
17.4
WHEN DO WE GET THE HOLODECK?
As you may recall from the virtual worlds timeline in Chapter 1, the television show
Star Trek, the Next
Generation
introduced the concept of the “holodeck” to audiences worldwide in 1987. Now, more than
25 years later, converging streams of technology make this more reality than fantasy. Gartner's hype cycle
for emerging technologies looks at technologies that have a great deal of promise for the future, lots of hype,
or both. In 2012, the folks at Gartner's decided to focus their hype cycle chart on the concept of “tipping
points,” or technologies that are poised to make a signiicant impact in our lives and how we use technology.
“We are at an interesting moment, a time when many of the scenarios we've been talking about for a long
time are almost becoming reality,” said Hung LeHong, research vice president at Gartner.
The smarter smartphone is a case in point. It's now possible to look at a smartphone and unlock it via facial
recognition, and then talk to it to ask it to ind the nearest bank ATM. However, at the same time, we see that
the technology is not quite there yet. We might have to remove our glasses for the facial recognition to work, our
smartphones don't always understand us when we speak, and the location-sensing technology sometimes has
trouble inding us. [8]
In the 2012 report, Gartner's identiied several technologies that they felt were at the tipping point. Among
them were “Internet of things,” big data, 3D scanners, and HTML5-Web GL. These are all interesting tech-
nologies to be sure, but how can you prepare for what is coming? Are we getting closer to having a holodeck?
In the near future, will you be designing for one? Let's look at the convergent timeline in Figure 17.1. As
you can see, a very broad base of interrelated technologies are pushing into the future and establishing the
foundation of a working holodeck. We still have some hurdles to clear, our computers need to understand
our vocal commands better, and we need develop advanced 3D projection systems in order to realize the
complete illusion of the holodeck. It is dificult to actually pin down a date when the holodeck might appear,
but we humans tend to actualize a future that we have taken time to think about and plan for [9]. Perhaps
if we could create a worldwide linked database, the process of actualizing our dreams would become more
robust and predictable.
One thing is for certain: The holodeck will need designers. Even with procedural creation of environ-
ments and landscaping, a designer will still be needed to decide how the whole environment goes together.
What an exciting project that will be.
