OLPC Physics Game Jam For an XO 61
Brian Jordan writes "For 48 hours during the weekend of August 29-31 at the OLPC Physics Game Jam Boston, game developers will compete in teams of 2-4 to design and implement a physics-based game for the One Laptop per Child XO laptop. There are prize categories for indie, professional, and remote developers (Ludum Dare style). In addition to OLPC/Jam-related swag for all participants, one team will win an XO laptop. Participants should have some game development experience, but we'll be going over the development process during the event — read below for details. If you'll be in the Boston area this weekend, or want to participate remotely, sign up before August 22. If you're a graphic artist, sound designer, musician in the Boston area, or want to be a volunteer, get in touch." Click the magic link for details of the crash course in game programming being offered.
Eric Jordan of the Box2D project will be giving a talk on developing physics games with pyBox2D for the OLPC XO. Nirav Patel, the Google Summer of Code student working on vision processing for the XO, will describe combining physics and vision processing for interactive games. And Alex Levenson, OLPC summer intern and creator of the x2o physics game, will give a remote introduction to level design for his game.
Developed for the XO? (Score:5, Interesting)
Is this a Windows or Linux game designed for Sugar's GUI, or can one develop specifically for Sugar and run it wherever the Sugar interface is (regardless of whether it is running on Linux or Windows)?
ELITE engine now public domain? (Score:1, Interesting)
I don't remember but I do believe the ELITE engine, the 3D space game from the apple// days, is now free to use...
Re:Developed for the XO? (Score:1, Interesting)
sugar ONLY runs on linux. ALL of OLPC's development is focused on linux, so this is a sugar-oriented, linux based game jam. That said, the physics game uses general python libraries like pygame, which should be relatively easy to port to non-sugar linux desktops, and probably windows. -bobby
Re:Armadillo Run (Score:1, Interesting)
Armadillo Run requires a PC running Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP.
I know it can run windows, but I would rather give them a good impression of western civilization. If anyone knows of a linux port, i would love to play it.
Fantastic Contraption (Score:4, Interesting)
I just blew my free time this weekend finishing Fantastic Contraption [fantasticcontraption.com]
So it's a Flash game, and you need the internet to post your design and see other people's designs. But it was pure joy.
FWIW, on the forums they're having a design contest for the official level 21. Deadline is this Friday 8/26, though, and you need to be a $10 registered user to create your own levels.
Re:Fantastic Contraption (Score:2, Interesting)
Unfortunately alot of the solutions were similar... just attach as many wheels to the box as you can and hope you have the power to move it over the obstacle. Some of the later levels were really good though. Great example of a physics flash game IMO.
My 12-year-old unbricked his XO! (Score:2, Interesting)
I gave the kids OLPC XOs last December, and my 11 year old bricked his in less than a week... he tried to replace sugar with a full gnome desktop, (even though I told him it was a bad idea) and things just sort of devolved from there... he ended up with a horribly corrupted filesystem and couldn't boot.
Day before yesterday he finally managed to completely wipe and reload it with the latest XO build.
I didn't help, he fixed it himself. Probably spent about 20 hours on it all told.