Dual Coincidence is likely the most complex electromechanical game
newatlas.com
newatlas.com
I am upset that this excites me.
https://vimeo.com/784903495/2bcad6725d?embedded=true&source=...
That is most likely why there's not a good gameplay video.
If something with chips counts as electromechanical, then e.g. a flight simulator or racing game with force feedback joystick and seat is a way more complex electromechanical game
I said nothing about whether the game was or was not truly "electro-mechanical".
That said, I do think it's unfortunate that HN discussions tend so often to focus on these sorts of disagreements rather than focusing on the achievement or creations being shown. This is not a court room, where exacting definitions and adherence to them is so important.
Indeed you did not.
Likewise no one “accused” you of that grievous transgression.
As a this is not a courtroom, perhaps it was more an observation than a charge to be defended.
Chips you say? Reminds me, chips aren’t technically electromechanical are they? No no friend, they are not! In fact, it contains 17 computers . 17 computers, but only 12k lines of source? Yes feels low,…
And so on, like a conversation? Where the contradictions are not accusation but invitation.
Force feedback in a joystick doesn't strike me as "mechanical" enough to count as "electromechanical" though.
This is likely key reason for no gameplay footage.
Surely Andy (the designer) can find a reasonable video guy that can do a great job without breaking the bank ?
EM machines use much older tech - look at Gottlieb machines from the 40s-70s. Even they switched to SS by the end of the 70s
I’m super impressed though Andy, did you use MPF or something else to program it? I’m only just dipping my toes into building my own pin, it’s quite intimidating realizing the breadth of skills required.
EDIT: another post clarified that it is on MPF - nice!
Call me odd, but I think such game would be tremendously popular!! Obviously before you play you will have to sign waiver but hey I guess YOLO!
On the art side, I can emphasize some of what was probably too subtle in the article: A major part of this project was the sound. Andy is after all, largely a sound artist/sculptor! Look at this current piece "Whale" in the MIT Museum, his instruments, etc. https://andycavatorta.com/
He went through a lot of thought to come up with the frequencies/scale, and the playing pattern of the chimes.
He also went through great trouble and expense to make this pinball game have no speakers/digital sounds. The sound all comes from the clacking of the pinball relays (which yes, are driven by RPi's running Mission Pinball Framework) and most important, the 25 giant metal chimes in the center! One of his other people in his studio did the crazy work of grinding them all to just the right lengths and tuned them with a stroboscopic tuner. It took days and though she wore a full freezer suit (because it was February in Brooklyn and the heat was being repaired in the building after the building owner died and his brother inherited it and had to take over), she would finish the day with aluminum dust embedded in all of her clothing.
Also, the tangible nature of the piece was a stark reaction to the other pieces in the show, and in general, his experience as an installation artist in the Boston Museum of Science. Nowadays, so many installations are just tablets. Or maybe a PC with a mouse, etc. He wanted something more tactile than that, that moves, and makes its own side.
Several people have commented on the acrylic displays and Andy's general overengineering. Yes, his style is almost always overengineered, love or it hate it, that's part of the work. He likes big, heavy, arduous things. personally theorize it has something to do with his gigantic muscle growth genetics, though he does not work out!
The Acrylic displays were scaled up from some person's random Arduino project.... and it turns out the upscaling was full of surprises! We needed a ton of extra light to make them glow. There weren't many LED strips available that were narrow enough, and a bunch of them broke in transit to Mexico. This was due to the sharp edges of the acrylic vibrating and sawing through them! And receiving a package of replacements from DigiKey was not simple. He had to do a lot of paperwork and travel for hours in an Uber to get the package of replacements. Also, just keep those pieces of acrylic clean, dust-free and hand-grease free was a pain! Also here's another secret: Andy almost never uses CAD for his projects. This was his first, or one of his first big projects with CAD and he made the classic mistake of designing the container for the acrylic displays with no space for fasteners! Fortunately, he managed to make it work. Behind the rear of those displays are dozens and dozens of mini boards with FET drivers and constant current drivers... all driven from cascaded shift registers!
If anyone is interested, I searched up this video that explains the insides of an electromechanical pinball machine. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YBI1taVj3tI
Pinball mixed with Agricola sounds like a niche product, so something I would expect from the MIT Media Lab.
The game starts and scores like normal pinball. Each playfield also produces a resource [corn|carpentry|medicine|shoes|water] by playing. The carousel at the head of the game represents resources from others as balls. You need one of each in your carousel to be healthy and capable. These resources expire as you play, and you cannot get a new playfield ball until you replenish them by trading with other players for them. So you are playing and then having to stop and negotiate with other players.It's got an unpredictable social component.
There is a second round in which everybody is using money and the transactions happen without social complications.
This is mostly explained by just-in-time illuminated signage inside the playfield.
It's fun to play. But it's missing a lot of things the pinball purists care about. It's not designed to be a superior pinball game. It's about getting inside of two different dynamics of production and trade.
Also, the game is in a simplified state at the moment because I ran out of time dealing with the endless challenges. But this are the rules as designed.