Tom Ortega’s Post

"TO2 113,435 pts" When young, that meant I was reigning champ in a #videoGame. I'm bringing that feature back, but in #AR! "Everybody wants to be on top," sang the Purple One in his hit song, "Pop Life". I want to reignite that desire to be the best at a particular level in a particular location of the world. I want everyone to see my name after I put in the sweat to get a high score. I also want to motivate other players to continue going for just a little longer, and celebrate if they take over the top spot. (I say "if", cuz how you gonna beat me?!?! I make the game, for goodness sakes!) So what's the AR angle? Well, we're not 100% sure yet. We have a first stab at it in the video below. I'm envisioning some sort of 3D medallion. We can "digitally hang it" on physical features that Niantic Lightship uses to know where you are in the world. This way, as you check what score to beat, you'll also help the game keep object tracking correct. This feature itself wasn't very hard to implement. It took maybe an afternoon, hence the lack of cool design. (Anthony Tanaka hasn't sprinkled his magic on it yet.) Right now we give you a splash of blue particles then we overwrite the high score with yours. The design will take some time to nail down, for sure. The infrastructure necessary to make its existence even possible was tough. It took a full week to build just the infrastructure piece. In the next post, I spill more details. However, it is the last major tech piece I needed to build out. Therefore, from here on out, it's just pure game features, testing, level tweaking and making sure it's as fun as it can possibly be. As always, thanks to the Niantic, Inc. folks (Chanel P., Joe Gabriel and Ricardo Monterroso) Shout out to Unity (and Antonia Forster) for the wonderful tools. My brothers in arms at Dad Bod Games NYC (Zachary Nelson and Anthony Tanaka). #HighScore #RetroFeature #AugmentedReality #SpaceBattles #BuildingInPublic

Bubble Pop, one of WonderTree's most beloved games, offers endless enjoyment. Beyond its entertaining nature, this game also promotes various skill improvements with prolonged play.   🏋️♂️ Enhance upper body strength as they reach out to pop bubbles. 🧩 Sharpen problem-solving abilities by strategizing to avoid those tricky red bubbles. 🎨 Unleash their creativity through color and shape recognition. ⏱ Boost response time with the progressive increase in bubble-falling speed. 🧘♀️ Develop posture control and core strength as children play. Start WonderTree's free trial and enjoy the benefits of Bubble Pop now! 🚀 #therapytools #educationtechnology #assistivetechnology

🚆 Get ready to ride the rails of adventure with "Colour Cargo" – where the tracks of excitement lead to endless fun and joy! 🌈 Introducing our Mindstorm Studios Rookie Game Jam '23 creation – a vibrant, exciting, and endlessly enjoyable hypercasual tower defense game. Get ready for a gameplay experience like no other, brought to you by our team, Byte Battalion. 🕹️ 🎥 Titled "Colour Cargo", it's all about navigating tracks and matching colourful cargo. Seamlessly glide along tracks, match cargo with stunning hues, and strategize for unexpected twists, including explosive surprises! Our game demands swift action – drag, drop, and swap trains to defend against incoming colour cargos by matching the same hues. It's an experience that's simple, engaging, and perfect for quick gaming sessions. With the dedication and creativity of our team, the game packs a punch, delivering unforgettable levels and endless enjoyment. 🛤️ 🚂 Teamwork Powers "Colour Cargo"! 🎮 Meet the talents: Muhammad Qasim for Programming, Hamid Masood for Design/UI, and Me for Game Art. Our collaboration made it a blast, Byte Battalion style! 😎 Join us in this exhilarating journey as we unveil "Colour Cargo" – a hypercasual tower defense game inspired by the Mindstorm Studios Rookie Game Jam '23 theme. 🚀 Let's spread the joy of gaming and celebrate the creative spirit of indie game development together! 🎉 Check out our detailed gameplay in action here: youtu.be/1M7HfGK_l04! It's where the real fun begins! #ColourCargo #MindstormRookieJam23 #ByteBattalion #IndieGaming #EasyFun #GameOn #AllAboard #GamingAdventure

They called it "best of show" at GDC! The world's first outdoor roleplaying game now has a demo on app stores. Outdoor walking games were defined by Pokémon Go, but Niantic struggled to evolve from "collecting stuff" into other brands. Harry Potter and Marvel heroes don’t spend all their time collecting stuff. Fans want real storytelling and roleplaying adventures. Based on 4 patents, our new demo, Landing Party, could show the way. Instead of placing one creature at a GPS point, Landing Party lays out an entire fantasy world across an open map space, which the player walks through to play. The game has no fixed locations, allowing players to set their next game mission in their back yard, a local park, or any other open space, even a small one. In the global crisis of loneliness, people are craving an excuse to go outdoors. Ours is a good one, an alternative to sports that's more creative and less athletic. Who can connect us to potential partners or investors? Get app store links at https://monsarrat.com/ and see videos at https://lnkd.in/g3BnvPaK.

🎉 Big News! 🎉 Thrilled to share that our project, "Best Use of Roto Chair Explorer," just snagged the top spot at 24 hour HackSussex 2024 challenge! 🚀 We dove into this project with a vision of shaking up the gaming world by blending the Roto Chair SDK with Unity. And guess what? We nailed it! 🎮 It's been quite the journey, brainstorming sessions, and troubleshooting marathons with Ritu Mashalkar, Jyoti Ahluwalia, DEVANSHI SHAH, but every bit was worth it. We've crafted an immersive gaming experience that's truly one-of-a-kind. 🙌 Major shoutout to the HackSussex crew for organizing such an awesome event and giving us the chance to shine and Elliott Myers for choosing us as the winner. We're beyond grateful! 🌟 See the whole project here: https://lnkd.in/eKXRB-nf #HackSussex2024 #Winning #GameChanger #RotoChairExplorer #Unity #Teamwork #TechLife #Hackathon #LinkedInPost

[Pomerium Medium Update - 🎢Pome Survival Guide] Introducing Pome Survival, which is RPG-style roguelike game and the second official release from Pomerium. 🎮 Users embark on missions, earning experience and items to strengthen their characters. If Pome Survival has piqued your interest, click to read the post on our official Medium page! 🌟 https://lnkd.in/dWfYRaMa #PomeSurvival #PomeriumGames #RPG

🚀 Excited to share my latest blog post! 🚀 I've combined my love for data science and gaming by automating Pokémon team creation for the fan-made roguelike game PokéRogue using R. 🐾📊 In this post, I walk through the entire process, from loading data and defining helper functions to generating various Pokémon teams based on different criteria like budget, Pokérus, and shiny variants. Whether you're a data enthusiast or a Pokémon fan, this project showcases the versatility of R in game-related applications. Ready to create your ultimate Pokémon team? Check it out here! 👉 https://lnkd.in/dvREFTXQ #DataScience #Rstats #Pokemon #Gaming #PokéRogue #Automation #DataAnalysis #MachineLearning

Fun! 🤯 I'm excited to share my latest project: "Tired of those pesky mosquitoes? Well, now you can finally get your revenge with my new hand-tracking computer vision game!👋 "Swat those pesky mosquitoes with the power of your mind (well, your hands👋, but that's close enough)!" This project combines the power of OpenCV and Mediapipe to create an immersive gaming experience where your hand becomes the joystick. 🎮 Game Basics: Swat pesky mosquitoes to earn points Avoid swatting friendly bees All within a thrilling time limit Technical Highlights: Seamless integration of Pygame and Mediapipe for hand tracking control Utilization of 21 hand landmarks for precise tracking Engaging gameplay with a scoring system and time constraints Get Started: Download the project files and follow the detailed instructions Grab your webcam and let the fun begin! Ready to elevate your gaming experience with computer vision? 🚀 Check out the project details in my GitHub profile : https://lnkd.in/dzf42_KQ and get ready to swat those mosquitoes! 🎯 My Medium Blogs : https://lnkd.in/dBQH3KTg #computerVision #Mediapipe #OpenCV #pygame #handTracking #gaming

Invaders are back! Who here remembers the arcade game SPACE INVADERS? A new immersive SPACE INVADERS: WORLD DEFENSE game has launched, and it is going to evoke so many memories. To celebrate the game's 45th birthday, Google partnered with TAITO, the original game developer, to bring it to a new generation of players. Using your phone, this new mobile game will turn your neighborhood into a real world SPACE INVADERS environment – powered by Google’s AR Core and Geospatial API. Fun facts: SPACE INVADERS has had a history of firsts: - First fixed shooter game ever created - First video game to sell over a million console cartridges - First to award players for earning a “high score.” - First and only game to have an emoji stylized after its iconic alien monster 👾 Download the new game on the Play or App Store. But first, see how things have evolved since our arcade days in this nostalgic video. #SpaceInvaders #WorldDefense