A Report on the presentation by W.Industries.

© Chris Hand, 1991

GAME DESCRIPTION

Several games have been introduced by WI for use with their sit-down units in video arcades: these include a flight simulator and a driving game. The unit demonstrated after the presentation – a stand-up system including a "free" joy-stick -- can also be used for games. One of these is described below.

Dactyl Nightmare.

Having donned the visor and pressed both the joy- stick's trigger buttons the game starts with one of its many digital samples: "Time to Die" from Blade Runner. The user "walks" (actually moves using the joy-stick: not actually walking) around the play area, which is a set of grey platforms suspended in outer space – a suitable background of stars is provided. Staircases join lower platforms to higher ones. Looking at the joy-stick through the visor it appears as a gun. Extending one's arm shows a virtual arm rendered in bright pink polygons. To add a competitive element, the platforms are patrolled by a lean gun-slinger (looking like a renegade from the Dire Straits "Money for nothing" video) who walks by and suddenly turns to shoot, spinning and bending his knees as he fires. Fortunately the bullet moves slow enough to be able to avoid it, e.g. by ducking. Standing on one of the yellow triangles found at edge of a platform is equivalent to calling the elevator: a tray hovers over from a nearby platform making a PING sound when it arrives. Walking onto the tray causes it to return to its platform, taking the user with it.

 The idea is to shoot the gun-slingers before they get you. To add further complication to this otherwise undemanding task, a more sinister enemy awaits. After firing 9 shots of the gun a ghoulish voice announces: “Birdy's hungry!” After the 10th shot, a large green pterodactyl ("Birdy") flies overhead -- accompanied by wing- beating sounds -- and tries to grab the player. If Birdy is shot at the last minute at close range you will be successful. Otherwise you can expect to be picked up in Birdy's talons, carried to a virtual height of 200ft above the platform and dropped on your head. When this happens, users see themselves falling from a third person's viewpoint.

An interesting point about all WI games is that due to worries about the psychological effects of "being killed" virtually in the game, the user is taken to an out-of-body viewpoint to remind them that they are not really there. For example when a car crashes in the driving game, the driver flies up in the air, looking down at the wreck. They can then see the car piecing itself back together before finally being flown back down into the driving seat to start again.