Maps, directions, and video games: A model for how we perceive them : Cognitive Daily
[Originally posted January, 2007] Nearly all video games that offer a first-person perspective — where the view on-screen simulates what a real person would see as she navigates through the virtual environment — also include a virtual map to help in navigation. Even my favorite golf game has one. Such maps can be indispensable, but they also invite a question — should the map rotate to align with the player’s viewing angle, or should they remain at a constant orientation? Aligning the map with the viewer’s perspective makes it easier to find items, but constantly rotating the map might make it difficult for gamers to remember where those items are located when they move out of view — when the object is needed, the map might be upside-down compared to when the object was first encountered. Research on map orientation has found that mapreaders take locate items they see in a scene on the corresponding map at different rates. As you can see, the chart shows an “M” pattern.
The Dark Side of the Moon Ain’t So Dark
In other countries, paper currency is a work of national treasure, and topographical maps are often so beautiful they could hang in a museum. In the good ol’ USA, though, it took more than two centuries before we put more than a smidge of color on the money and even then it was so desaturated Pantone would barely recognize it. USGS topo maps have all the lyricism of something you’d find on the bottom of your shoe. What wonderful surprise, then, to come across the U.S. Here’s a small gallery from the atlas.
Understanding by Design
Showcase Of Modern Navigation Design Trends - Smashing Magazine
Advertisement The navigation menu is perhaps a website’s single most important component. Navigation gives you a window onto the website designer’s creative ability to produce a functional yet visually impressive element that’s fundamental to most websites. The design of a navigation menu has to be outstanding in order to sustain the user’s interest. You should also read the following related posts: 3-D Navigation Lately, we’ve seen a trend towards design elements that sit on a higher z-plane; that is, they appear closer than other elements on the page. DelibarThe content area on the Delibar website looks like a pile of two pieces of paper, with the navigation items holding them together. Blue Door BabyThe Blue Door Baby navigation bar is styled like a ribbon that is laid over top of the feature area. Mystery TinThe Mystery Tin navigation menu is arranged vertically. psdtowpThe navigation menu bar on this website is designed to look like it’s on a higher plane. Speech Balloons
Video Game Maps: An Ode to Overworld Cartography
I've always known that in another life I'm meant to be a cartographer. I did a project on cartography in the 4th grade and since then I've known that about myself. But here I am in this life, with no parchment and no funding or blessing from the Queen to speak of. Also, in an unfortunate turn of events, some other asshole discovered all of the continents already. "In an unfortunate turn of events, some other asshole discovered all of the continents already." There's such an intoxicating charm to the unknown. Modern life is such a bummer. Some games give us unique laws of physics (see: Braid, Bayonetta), most give us original opportunities. "This is my absolute favorite part: the moment you peek out of your starting area or opening level, you are struck by just how vast the undiscovered game world may be." Games handle maps in different ways, and I'll highlight a few of my favorites. Zelda. I just started Final Fantasy I on my iPhone and it's pretty awesome. Speak of the devil!
Top 10 Beautiful Maps and Projects |
I’ve always been inspired by beautiful topographic and world maps. I’ve been collecting some of these images for some time, so I thought I should go ahead and put them all together into one mega inspirational post. This is all relative to my tastes, so these are my top 10 picks for beautiful maps and projects. Enjoy! Classic From left to right: Map of Amsterdam // Map of Scotland from Ministry of Type Unique Map in The Icicle and the Sun Book // Taiwan map from shui wooden map card Modern metro map // hexagrid map Projects Bird from vintage map // Map screen // Butterfly cards // map hearts [ via style me pretty ]
ARISTOTLE" (THE KNOWLEDGE WEB) By W. Daniel Hillis
Bush's imagined solution to this problem was something he called Memex. Memex was envisioned as a system for manipulating and annotating microfilm (computers were just then being invented). The system would contain a vast library of scholarly text that could be indexed by associations and personalized to the user Although Memex was never built, the World Wide Web, which burst onto the scene half a century later, is a rough approximation of it. As useful as the Web is, it still falls far short of Alexander's tutor or even Bush's Memex. A New Tool for Learning Let's put aside the World Wide Web for a moment to consider what kind of automated tutor could be created using today's best technology. For example, one topic in the knowledge web might be Kepler's third law (that the square of a planet's orbital period is proportional to the cube of its distance from the sun). Learning with Aristotle Now let's assume that you have access to the automatic tutor. Table of Affordances
Beautiful Motion Graphics Created With Programming: Showcase, Tools and Tutorials - Smashing Magazine
Advertisement When you hear the word “creative”, what type of profession comes to mind? Maybe a graphic designer, painter, sculptor, illustrator, or writer? We often turn to programmers to solve mathematical-related problems, but the concept of mathematics in programming is what powers programmers to innovate. Beautiful Motion Graphics Created with Programming First we’ll look at some examples of beautiful and inspiring motion graphics created by programmers. Metamorphosis by Glenn Marshall Swan Lake – Zeno Music Visualiser by Glenn Marshall Black Hole by 360angles Flightpattern by Gwen Vanhee These beautiful motion graphics were created using ActionScript. Disco Maths 1 by Stefan Goodchild Magnetic Sphere by flight404 Air Doom by Rui Madeira Audio Reactive Bubbles by Matthias Dörfelt. Visualization in 7/4 by Eamae Mirkin Music Is Math by Glenn Marshall Audio-generated landscape by flight404 okdeluxe XMAS card 2008 by okdeluxe Solar, with lyrics. by flight404 Bubbletrouble_2 by Leander Herzog NodeBox
The Top 7... Amazing video game maps that do
The two purposes of a game map are to show you which direction you should be heading towards and more importantly, to indicate which area you’re yet to loot for power-ups and collectibles. But some maps are made with so much love and serve up so many with original ideas that they deserve to be listed alongside the game’s bullet-points on the back of the box. Or at least detailed in a special online journalistic list-article comprising an arbitrary number of entries. 7. Amazing because of it makes us feel like Vangelis-listening children Not only is Mass Effect 2’s galaxy map an absolute visual treat, it’s also delivered in such a way that it feels like an integral part of the whole game and fits in seamlessly. You access the galaxy map aboard the Normandy and then pilot the tiny replica spacecraft over a superb intergalactic backdrop of stars and planets. It’s the attention to detail that’s piled into the map that makes it so special and ultimately secures its place on this list. 6.
