Half a croissant, on a plate, with a sign in front of it saying '50c'
h a l f b a k e r y
"My only concern is that it wouldn't work, which I see as a problem."

idea: add, search, annotate, link, view, overview, recent, by name, random

meta: news, help, about, links, report a problem

account: browse anonymously, or get an account and write.

user:
pass:
register,


           

Generic Game Pad

Can't use paper?... don't have a board?... but still bored?
  (+1)
(+1)
  [vote for,
against]

I'm learning Go at the moment, and am shocked at how few shops near me supply this game - while having lots of slightly different chess boards...

My idea is to have a small pad... with a fexible liquid crystal display that outfolds to offer a larger viewing area if required. In it would be placed a tiny computer, almost flat as not to make the pad too thick, even when it is folded... The computer would be simpler than a pocket calculator and only be required to store several-to-a-few-hundread 2 bit values, for each of these values there would be another large value... pressure sensors would be positioned behind the LCD display that would toggle a memory's entry between 1, 2, and 3... it would know which to toggle based on the borders or each memory entry's representative area boundaries... stored in the larger blocks of memory...

The purpose of all of this is to offer a pad, on which can be played any game that requires two sets of counters or less... the different board sizes would be hardwired and could be toggled with a little button on the side. All that would be drawn on the physically sizeable (by outfolding) screen would be a grid of squares, filled with one of three colours... I would recommend colours like white, black, and brown...

A more exprensive version could be produced that would store strings of characters that could be arrtibuted to a square... then "copied and pasted" to another... which would enable people to play games like Chess...

Of course, this wouldn't be used for anything formal... but it would be wonderful for "on the go" gaming... and much more versatile, and stylish than little magnetic sets.. just imagine them.. in silver.. the screen sprining into bold life... Think of it as.. as invaluable as a packet of cards (with with you can play just as many SPECIFIC games.. but with the same cards)

[note for krelnik] Games like backgammon could easily be played if you could reduce the bored to a troolean-state grid... which even I know can be done... and I'm quite terrible at backgammon

Ossalisc, Jan 15 2004

[link]






       Be sure to include Backgammon in the programming, and I'll buy one. This would be a good application for the new flexible screen technologies that are coming around now.
krelnik, Jan 15 2004
  

       okay... er... the only thing it's programmed to do (does my voice sound okay this time?... must have been to quite before).. it to display a grid on a screen... with squares of different colours... and to change that colour when pressure is placed on the screen at that point... also, the more expensive one would alow you to type strings and attribute them to squares... and even have a selection of symbols... which can be copied and pasted from squares quickly... ... but I'll add a note about games like backgammon tho
Ossalisc, Jan 15 2004
  

       Yeah, I think it would be good to include the basic mechanics of games pre-programmed into it. Not so you can play against the pad, but so you can quickly configure it as a chess board or a backgammon board or whatever with just a few finger taps.
krelnik, Jan 15 2004
  

       oh.. I see what you mean... well... could we compromise with a memory card, which would store some kind of profile for that start of a game?... storing grid size... grid starting colours... and labels (like in chess: "Kg", "Qn", "Rk", "Bp", etc.)???... but I'm a bit fearful of developing the pad too far in that direction... what I'm looking for is an interactive piece of paper, really...
Ossalisc, Jan 15 2004
  

       You alluded to this in your description... a version for cell phones with displays (or PDAs) set up for card games. You would pass it back and forth, pressing a key to display your own hand and the draw/discard piles. Basically, it's a blank table that you configure for whatever game you're playing. Touch sensitive screen is another option for the larger pad version - just drag cards/pieces wherever you want.
Elmer Phd, Jun 11 2004
  
      
[annotate]
  


 

back: main index

business  computer  culture  fashion  food  halfbakery  home  other  product  public  science  sport  vehicle