Mixed Reality (MR) combines the real world with a virtual counterpart and creates an immersive and interactive real-time environment.The possible applications are limitless. In the gaming area, MR offers unique opportunities. Unlike traditional video games, these games are not imprisoned onto the screen but interact with the real world. They incorporate real locations and objects into the game and thus create a potentially much richer gaming world and experience.
Despite their mobile nature, authoring for such games so far has been mainly done in desktop-based development environments. To create truly location-aware mobile games that combine digital with real content, however, we see a strong necessity for mobile authoring tools that can be used whenever and wherever a game designer desire. Only this way a true unity between the two worlds can be achieved that deeply immerse the players in the game.
The mobile tools are combined with a web-based auhtoring environment that helps structuring all game data, managing media, specifying game logic and publishing the game.
The TOTEM auhtoring tools support a variety of different games, from slow-paced location based games to action-packed multiplayer augmented reality games. Examples for such games are two of our showcases, Tidy City and Portal Hunt.
TOTEM develops new innovative authoring tools, enabling users to create media-rich content for location-aware Mixed Reality games by:
Mobile Mixed Reality Games have a huge potential and can be easily adapted to satisfy the demands of different application areas and target groups.
Potential use-cases that are supported by TOTEM tools:
Typical end-users might include:
Commercial licenses for TOTEM tools and games are available. Non-commercial use is free of charge.
Furthermore, we offer theoretical and practical workshops about the creation of Mobile Mixed Reality Games, special gaming sessions as well as tailor-made games and authoring solutions.
Institut TELECOM / Carnot is specialized in multimedia contents, communication middleware and context acquisition systems whereas Fraunhofer FIT has broad experience concerning game design, evaluations, scripting languages and Augmented Reality frameworks.
The TOTEM project is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and by the French National Research Agency in the frame of the Program Inter Carnot Fraunhofer.