AN EXCITING ARCHAEOLOGY GAME FROM LOCOMATRIX
Since our first prototype, the game (or more correctly a simulation) has been played by over 2000 children, and as we have refined the technology it has become even easier to adopt. Furthermore we have dramatically cut the costs of playing and can now be delivered for as little as £1 per child. In addition to the historical and archaeological aspects of Invisible Buildings, children learn about technology, geography and mapping, and (unitentionally on our part) ways of working in teams.
Apart from our Roman game, we have developed similar themes on Victorian Explorers and the hidden buildings of Lewes Priory. There are more games in development. Invisible Building currently runs on Android tablets fitted with GPS (for example, Google Nexus 7, Samsung Galaxy Tab and Tesco HUDL. Other models may work as will some Android Smartphones).
Aim: To set up the playing area. One moves first to the NW corner of the field, and then to the SE. The compass gives you an indication of the direction you have to travel in. Having set the coordinate, the players then mark 8 points (coloured dots) of interest.
Why: Different sites will have different areas and as the game uses GPS navigation, it is important to register where we are. In order to orientate ourselves, we put markers by real world items, e.g trees, paths (or this could be physically marked out with cones). Also doing this will ensure that everything is working on the tablet as it should
Archaeology: One always begins a “dig” with marking out the area that one is working in. More info here.
General: Note the display to the right of the map. It indicate who should be playing, current score, time remaining in this section of the game, scores of all team member, a progress bar of how far through the game we are, and finally a square indicating GPS signal quality (Green: good / Yellow: ok / Red: poor)
(A note about the videos: these are temporary whilst we are updating both the website and the software. Done on a very windy day, hence the noise. Also an element of jerkiness is caused by running the screen capture software at the same time as the game)
Why: Quite often, we want to try and establish that a certain type of find is in the area. E.g. if we find evidence of Roman coins then it may be that there was a Roman settlement here.
Archaeology: Quite often a site is discovered by the use of metal detectors – either as part of a dig or earlier by enthusiasts stumbling across finds. As such it is an important technique and one that can be used by anyone.
Aim: If you have found objects in the metal detector game, then you have to sort them into “interesting” which you take to the finds tent and “junk” which goes to the bit. In order to move objects (it is a bit like drag and drop), run to an object and touch the screen. It will then move as you move and so you can drag it to, e.g. the bin. When you are there, touch the screen again, to deposit. Use the Sorting Assembly, attached to the tablet, to help you do this properly.
Aim: You now have to find a building (or the ruins of one) that may or may not be buried somewhere on the pitch. We have made things a little easier for you, so aim for the first blue spot, and then when you reach it, another will appear. Keep doing this and I think you will be in for a pleasant surprise! In order to do this properly, you will need to attach the tablet to the geophys equipment.
Aim: I bet you would like to start digging up your field now. Unfortunately this is not a good idea, but I think we have something better. Our friend, the Mole is going to dig down into the ground and if there is anything there he will lift it to the surface. Make the mole dig by running round in circles: the faster you move, the quicker he will dig. We have created a special pipe-boring tool and you will need to connect the tablet to this, for the game to work.
Aim: Now that you have excavated some objects, you will need to take them (using the same method as in the Squirrel Sort) to the assembly area. Exactly what you do will depend on which game you are playing. For some games you will make a reconstruction of the building in the designated area. In others you might have to take object to different destinations. We will give you more instructions on the tablet.
“Thank you so much for today and for firing up xxxx’s imagination with the great Roman archaeology dig with geophys. Later we played a game about it online at home as he said he wanted to go ahead and do some further research!” This was a letter received by a teacher after one of our Invisible Buildings games – a very happy teacher as this was the first time a parent had written a letter of praise. A Parent’s View
One of the problems that we had when designing the game was that it was too expensive to provide each child with their own tablet. Hence we created the system of pipes which meant that it required a group of children to work together. A surprising consequence of this was that teachers were telling us that they had never been able to get children to cooperate before in class. We are now working on how our games can be more collaborative.A Teacher
I was rather taken aback the first time we played Invisible Buildings at a school. At the end, a child came up to me and said “that’s the best day I’ve ever had”. I wasn’t sure that I had heard him correctly so I asked him to repeat what he had said, and sure enough, it was what he said. Since then, we have had similar comments every time I have been present. Either children are having very boring lives, or we are doing something right!A Child’s View
A piece of advice we were offered when it was heard we were designing games for children was – know the age range and design accordingly. A game for a seven-year old should be very different from that for a twelve-year old. We noted this, but have been very pleased by how the games have been received by children of all ages, and indeed, by their parents. More surprisingly, an archaeologist, who came to see what we were doing, said with very little modification, they could be used by his university students – as going on field trips tended to be too expensive!An Archaeologist’s View
Archaeologists are detectives: they dig beneath the soil to find items from long ago. At Priory Park they are hoping this will help them find out more about the history of the Priory and what it was like when monks lived here nearly 500 years ago. De Montfort the Dog is leading today’s mission. Are…
Here’s a sneak preview of our latest characters. With the updates to the complete games engine, there are now going to be “helpers” for each of the games. So time to meet Kestrel, Owl, Squirrel, Hedgehog and Badger. Mole you already know – now he has brought his friends. Kestrel Owl Squirrel Hedgehog Badger Mole
(this is a sample of how your game may be added to the Invisible Buildings site) Game details: Played on a pitch 100 meters by 50 meters – 5000 sq meters. It was played by 4 players over 90 minutes starting at 11:36 Players details, points and times: Alli Billy Coli Dino Time Stakeout 5…
Here is a screencast of the first thing that you need to do when running an Invisible Buildings game. It shows how we put the name of the team in, followed by up to 4 players
