As I might have mentioned I study Neurosciences (Neuroplasticity (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuroplasticity) to be acurate). Thus when ever it comes game developing I start thinking how to add edicating and therapeutic elements into game. Because you can hide them in so that no one notices but they surely are there.
By adding Brain training/therapeutic/educating elements into Terasology. We get something that only few games in world have and thus it works as huge advertisment. Also this allows to create realy dynamic leveling up system as character doesnt level up much but player does. So you can do almoust anything but are you able to good/precise or... enought to do it Is the question.
Here is list of diferent elements to add and aditional reading to each topic:
Frontal lobe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontal_lobe). This should be main consideration, as frontal lobe is far too often too weak but it is our one of vital parts of brain for humane live. Main mission of frontal lobe is allow ourselfes to control us(whit making decisions) from emotions and lust.
This can be achieved by making sitsuations where player needs to choose, plan before hand, prepare, THINK, and think bit more.
(I will add proper implementations later(lost last version of text))
Vision (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_perception), vision is humans most used sense in modern envoirment. In reality vision is combination of multible functions like regonition of colours, forms, depth regonition, edges, movement.
Each of these can be trained diferent way or compining.
As for furnace we could make gui in which we have blops of diferent colours. each representing diferent elements like iron=red, clay =grey. coal =black...
and those blobs keep apearing as there is material in oven. Player needs to clik colour in oder get bit of that material. more clicks more material, but clicking also could make dot of material go smaler. thus it is only about players skills how much material he gets from one cube. maybe also quality of oven affect that, and one cube give only certain ammount of materials. Please consider idea. It would be cood training for reaction and vision.
Other good training could be remebering comblicated structure or puzle and rebuilding it somewhere else(dungean chalenge) this trains vision memory. Vision is often great part of puzles.
Depth understanding can be trained by creating structures whit chalenging 3d build, and expecting player to move there. allowing gravity center to change in some sitsuation would be also wery good training and mind bender.
Portal gun type moving is definedly a must for us(it is so fun and mind bending).
Hearing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_(sense)), Hearing is second important sense in modern society. And by improving it we can not only understand speech fater but also get help to http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus. Sound processing can be trained in many ways. but basic training is regonizin two notes from each others and regonizing their diferences, like if other is higer than other or if they use diferent wave shape. good training for this is adding meaningfull sound trough game by indicating diferent things. remembering melody is also useful.
I plan to add lock system which uses oscillators and in oder open lock you need to tune oscillators in same frequency(one oscillator is loced to spesific frequeny), by having more oscillators locks get much harder.
other one I was planing is rythm bassed Mining. By having unigue rythm for all
blocks mineable blocks and by hiting mouse or other button in that rythm you get more material from block or brake it faster. Could also be used in fisshing instead mining.
Memory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory), first of all memory isnt just one area but combination of diferent functionalities, we have image memory, sound memory, text memory... memory is combination of sense information emotions and lot more. Thus more sense information and more emotions stronger memory mark will be left. When it comes training we need to train all of those areas , but advantace in even one area allready makes difernce.
One way to train players is teach them use technigues that increase short term memory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunking_(psychology).
examples of this are next sequencys: 210-330-795, abc-eed-dea, my litle pony, (or something harder)
Simson Says is also a must have memory game(example http://edu.kde.org/blinken/)
Reaction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_time), reaction speed can be lessened by training. ps and multitasking games (like dota bassed) are realy good to train this. We can also have some elements to train low reaction. like combact and moving system can be optimized to allow fast actions. also we need to take care that moving has higest priority in prosessing so that character doesn't move diferent speed at server than in client.
Thinking models, by training diferent kind of proplem solving technigues we can train players for real live. example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning_aptitude. I will add more later.
I suggest when ever creating new part of game thinking this side and trying add some educative side into it. Good rule si that it should feel natural.
one realy good link for ideas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle
By adding Brain training/therapeutic/educating elements into Terasology. We get something that only few games in world have and thus it works as huge advertisment. Also this allows to create realy dynamic leveling up system as character doesnt level up much but player does. So you can do almoust anything but are you able to good/precise or... enought to do it Is the question.
Here is list of diferent elements to add and aditional reading to each topic:
Frontal lobe (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frontal_lobe). This should be main consideration, as frontal lobe is far too often too weak but it is our one of vital parts of brain for humane live. Main mission of frontal lobe is allow ourselfes to control us(whit making decisions) from emotions and lust.
This can be achieved by making sitsuations where player needs to choose, plan before hand, prepare, THINK, and think bit more.
(I will add proper implementations later(lost last version of text))
Vision (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_perception), vision is humans most used sense in modern envoirment. In reality vision is combination of multible functions like regonition of colours, forms, depth regonition, edges, movement.
Each of these can be trained diferent way or compining.
As for furnace we could make gui in which we have blops of diferent colours. each representing diferent elements like iron=red, clay =grey. coal =black...
and those blobs keep apearing as there is material in oven. Player needs to clik colour in oder get bit of that material. more clicks more material, but clicking also could make dot of material go smaler. thus it is only about players skills how much material he gets from one cube. maybe also quality of oven affect that, and one cube give only certain ammount of materials. Please consider idea. It would be cood training for reaction and vision.
Other good training could be remebering comblicated structure or puzle and rebuilding it somewhere else(dungean chalenge) this trains vision memory. Vision is often great part of puzles.
Depth understanding can be trained by creating structures whit chalenging 3d build, and expecting player to move there. allowing gravity center to change in some sitsuation would be also wery good training and mind bender.
Hearing (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hearing_(sense)), Hearing is second important sense in modern society. And by improving it we can not only understand speech fater but also get help to http://fi.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tinnitus. Sound processing can be trained in many ways. but basic training is regonizin two notes from each others and regonizing their diferences, like if other is higer than other or if they use diferent wave shape. good training for this is adding meaningfull sound trough game by indicating diferent things. remembering melody is also useful.
I plan to add lock system which uses oscillators and in oder open lock you need to tune oscillators in same frequency(one oscillator is loced to spesific frequeny), by having more oscillators locks get much harder.
other one I was planing is rythm bassed Mining. By having unigue rythm for all
blocks mineable blocks and by hiting mouse or other button in that rythm you get more material from block or brake it faster. Could also be used in fisshing instead mining.
Memory (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memory), first of all memory isnt just one area but combination of diferent functionalities, we have image memory, sound memory, text memory... memory is combination of sense information emotions and lot more. Thus more sense information and more emotions stronger memory mark will be left. When it comes training we need to train all of those areas , but advantace in even one area allready makes difernce.
One way to train players is teach them use technigues that increase short term memory http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chunking_(psychology).
examples of this are next sequencys: 210-330-795, abc-eed-dea, my litle pony, (or something harder)
Simson Says is also a must have memory game(example http://edu.kde.org/blinken/)
Reaction (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reaction_time), reaction speed can be lessened by training. ps and multitasking games (like dota bassed) are realy good to train this. We can also have some elements to train low reaction. like combact and moving system can be optimized to allow fast actions. also we need to take care that moving has higest priority in prosessing so that character doesn't move diferent speed at server than in client.
Thinking models, by training diferent kind of proplem solving technigues we can train players for real live. example http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Inductive_reasoning_aptitude. I will add more later.
I suggest when ever creating new part of game thinking this side and trying add some educative side into it. Good rule si that it should feel natural.
one realy good link for ideas:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puzzle
