Interactive tabletop playing surface (Space Hulk Hobby Challenge)

Now we’re getting into the meat-and-bones (as my old man used to say) of the project. And something that has given me sleepless nights for days (actually, more like had me gazing into the middle distance during Corrie, trying to work out how it should all work, leading the wife to ask “are you sure you’re alright, love?”)

It’s all well and good creating a two-player game from the perspective of a traditional “video game” developer – but in this instance, things are not necessarily happening in real-time.

While I’m taking my turn, you might be having your pie and chips in front of the telly. It’s only once my turn is complete will you get to know about it. And when it comes to your turn, before you can move a piece, you need to update your board – remember we’re playing remotely, on two separate boards, possibly hundreds of miles apart – so everything ends up as it was at the end of my turn (not how you left your board, at the end of your last turn).

So it’s quite possible that two players “go out of sync” with each other, and we need a system of getting everything up-to-date before each turn is played out.

So here I am, playing turn two of the genestealers.

But before I can move my pieces, I need to get your guys into position (after all, you could have played out your turn while I wasn’t actually watching). Space Hulk is a turn-based strategy game after all….

Also, if your guys do anything important, it’d be nice for me to see it. So if you were to open fire with a flamer and wipe out three of my genestealers, I’d quite like to know why I’m being asked to take them off the board before my turn commences.

Which is why, before either side takes their turn, there’s a delay, as the computer brings everything up-to-date – important actions can be seen on the screen, everything is explained (without a big, long-winded explanation) and the game continues from the point it left off at the end of each turn.

You can see the turn being played out from the previous video (when that video ended recording, I also moved by second Space Marine – any movement performed out of sight of the genestealer player happens automatically; as soon as the character comes into view, however, I’m prompted to pick up and put down the miniatures in the appropriate squares on the board).

In the video, a “pick up” request is indicated by the red arrows (as they point outwards/upwards from the piece on the board) and a “put down” request is indicated by the green arrows. I’m simulating these messages from the hardware by clicking on the screen but when connected to the interactive game board, these messages will be set automatically as you pick up/put down the miniatures on the board.

There are still a few little wrinkles to iron out. But so-far, the game playback system (you can replay a game right from the very start, or simply from the last place you left off) is working really well.

It also means that as well as real-time, online option (which is still possible, even with this system in place) there’s also the possibility of a true turn-based, almost play-by-email option.

And who doesn’t love playing games via email, eh?