onegreenhat - Rumble Ring

Robot Wars - Rumble Ring

The Robogeddon Rumble Ring is an interactive control station which was designed for the creators of Robot Wars who were introducing a new game playing concept in theme parks around the United Kingdom. The game focuses on a battle between two teams of three who each have to control a Cyber Raptor RCVs (Robotic Combat Vehicle) in a hope to try and score in the oponents goal.

With the basic principles of the game in mind i had to design a new gaming control system along with the transportable arena where the game could take place. I approached the brief by focussing on creating a new control system which engages the player and makes the game more of an experience

The majority of game controls are handheld requiring very little physical actions to complete the task. Game play can take hours on some consoles which means that children and teenagers are spending a long time time at home glued to a television screen and twiddling their thumbs for hours. The effects of this routine has proven to have a dramatic effect on children, tests have proven that the result of video game play has led to a dramatic rise in the numbers of child obescity and also the violence amongst the youth culture.

With this in mind i began to make studies into vaious different controllers and also look at the way we interact with everyday objects. Through studying interactive game controls at the Trocadero and the Science Museum in London i was able to generate new means of interactive game play. I based my design for the rumble ring on the hula hoop. I think that the hula hoop is one of the most universal forms of interactive game play which aims to exercise the whole of the body. The Rumble Ring uses this form of movement to control each robot, in a hope to give the player a physical gaming experience and hopefully inspire children and teenagers to become more active.

As the players approach the main arena they split into two teams of three; Red and Blue. Whilst the teams are waiting to enter the main arena they have the opportunity to take part in the game play. On the floor are touch sensitive targets, which can be stamped on to activate the goal barriers preventing the opposing team from scoring.

The players are then allocated their own rumble ring where they are positioned and prepared to play. Each rumble ring requires the players to position their feet on the foot pad whilst the hydraulic ring adjusts to the correct height of the player.

The Rumble Ring is designed to encapsulate the player, shutting you down from the outside world, enhancing your senses and creating a strong interface between the player and the robot. I want the player to actually feel like they are a robot, while the legs remain firmly placed on the foot pad, it is down to the rest of the body to twist and squeeze the controls to make the robot function. I want the players to be physically endured throughout the whole game in a hope to give them a gaming experience; something more than just pressing a few buttons and twiddling a stick.

With the Rumble Ring the player feels exactly what the robot experinces. As the robot comes into contact with other robots by flipping or bumping, the impact is felt by the player as the entire control station rumbles. I think that the rumble aspect of the game adds an extra dimension to arcade gameplay; it makes you actually feel like you are one of the robots doing battle in the arena.

The game is a great experience for the whole family, even remote strangers involved in the gameplay can
bond and feel more at ease.

The Rumble Ring arena has been designed to be transportable, the framework components that make up the construction of the arena are all modular format which means that the game can be transported to different locations around the country in a hope to encourage interactive gameplay amongst the youth culture.