jostle
======
A hi-tech playground game / ice-breaker inspired by Die Gute Fabrik's 
unpublished "Johann Sebastian Joust" (http://gutefabrik.com/joust.html)

Originally hacked together by Matthew Bloch <[email protected]>
July-August 2012

    This program is free software: you can redistribute it and/or modify
    it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by
    the Free Software Foundation, either version 3 of the License, or
    (at your option) any later version.

    This program is distributed in the hope that it will be useful,
    but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
    MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.  See the
    GNU General Public License for more details.

    You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License
    along with this program.  If not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>.

    (NB the above does not necessarily apply to the samples)

For fun you will need:
* 1 Bluetooth-enabled Linux laptop or Raspberry Pi
* 2-7 Playstation Move controllers
* 2-7 players

This is a hack that could use a little smoothing.  git repository put 
together for the Manchester Raspberry Pi Jam 5 which I couldn't quite 
make it to - good luck guys!  

http://madlab.org.uk/content/manchester-raspberry-jam-5/

Instructions
------------
For now, assuming you are going to build and run in the same place, on a
Debian-based system:

* Run "apt-get install gcc libusb-dev libsdl-mixer1.2-dev libbluetooth-dev"
  which is all the build pre-requisites.
* Run "./build" to build the game

Before you run it you need to nobble your system's Bluetooth slightly:

* Open /etc/bluetooth/main.conf on your system
* Find the [General] section of the file  
* Ensure there is a line there that reads:
    DisablePlugins = network,input
* Restart your bluetooth service (/etc/init.d/bluetooth restart on Debian)
* This disables your Bluetooth input devices' normal operation!  (mouse, 
  keyboard). But if you want them back later you can simply undo the edit 
  and restart again.

All of the above works just fine on the Raspberry Pi (see below).

Pairing up
----------
You need to program each controller with the address of the laptop or 
Raspberry Pi device that you want to play with.  You only need to do this 
once per controller.

* Make sure your computer's sound output is working and turned up.
* Run "./jostle", as root or Bluetooth-enabled user.  It will just hang there
    if it's working.
* Plug in your first PS Move controller.  If everything is working you should
    hear a short beep and a message like this:

      USB: PS MOVE
      Changing master from 00:05:16:63:6f:aa to cc:af:78:ec:60:cd
      Now press the PS button.
* Great!  For now just disconnect it and plug the next controller in, so each
    one is programmed with your laptop or Linux device's Bluetooth address as
    its master.  You only have to do this once (unless you re-pair your 
    controller with a Playstation, but why would you want to do that).
* When that's done for all your controllers, you can start.  Oh, make sure
    your sound is working.

Connecting the controllers
--------------------------
Once all your controllers are paired, you can leave the program running for
as long as you want to play.

Press the "PS" button on each controller to connect it up.  For each 
controller you should see:
* the red light blink for a few seconds;
* the console say "Incoming connection...";
* the bulb on the controller will light up, you will hear a "pow" noise, and 
    the controller will vibrate.
If that doesn't happen, your controller won't work, and you will need to pair
it (see above).

If the red light on the PS Move controller turns out, it means the controller 
needs reconnecting (it might have run out of batteries, or you moved it out of 
range of the Bluetooth master).

If all the red lights go out at once, it means the game has crashed, will need
restarting, and all the controllers reconnecting.

Playing!
--------
So assuming all your controllers are paired up and laid out on the floor, or 
hung  on pegs, each one will glow gently with a different colour - this is the 
"attract" mode.

Decide who's playing, pick up a controller and get ready!  As you pick up each 
controller it will probably make a "pow" noise and its light will go out.  
Hold it steady!  When everyone is ready to start, hold the "T" button (the
trigger underneath) while holding the controller very still.  The game will 
only start when everyone holds still for about 8 seconds.

A beat will fade in, and all the bulbs will jump up to full brightness.  
Now you're playing!  Hold your controller steady, and jostle your opponents'.
The winner is  the last person with their light on.  You can turn an 
opponent's  light out by  jostling their controller.  Their light will turn
out and you'll  hear the "pow" noise when it's been jostled enough.

The controllers' sensitivity will vary depending on the beat of the music -  
slow beats mean you need to move very slowly, fast beats mean you can make 
your move, but will have to hit hard.

When the last person is left standing, their controller will flash random 
colours and play the jingly winner sound.  That person is the best!  You should
then all drink your weak lemon drink (or save it until later), and play again.

Changing the sensitivity
------------------------
During the "attract" mode, one player can set the sensitivity by:
* staying very still;
* holding the "triangle" button on the controller;
* moving the controller a short amount;
* letting go of the "triangle" button.

This will set the _most_ sensitive setting, for the slowest possible beat.  
As the beat speeds up, this sensitivity will be multiplied.  You can see the 
sensititivy you're setting as the console as you  hold the triangle button - 
more movement means it's generally less sensitive.  Just tapping the triangle
button without any movement will make it very sensitive, probably unplayable

The console will also show you what multiple of this reference sensitivity is 
currently detected on each controller, so if you think it's wrong, you can 
just try again.

Volume
------
During "attract" mode you can press "circle" to cycle the volume from quiet 
to loud if you don't have any better control.

Troubleshooting
---------------
* I've paired my controller via USB, but when I press the PS button, nothing 
  happens
  (or I get a "pairing request" dialogue box)

This is probably because you've forgotten to nobble your system's Bluetooth 
daemon, as described under "Instructions".  Ahem.

* My PS Move controller won't stay paired for long, it keeps turning off.

Maybe it has run out of batteries!  They take about 2 hours to charge over 
USB, and last for 8-10 hours of play.  Or you've moved out of range.

* I can't get 7 people to stand still to start the game.

You're on your own here, though in a party setting I'd suggest turning the 
volume up and trying to instil some discipline.  It's a game in itself.

* The controllers' lights are slow to react when someone is knocked out.

I know, sorry.  I think I am using the bluetooth protocol inefficiently by 
continually sending updates; I don't know it well enough or the code that 
drives it unfortunately. The accompanying sound should always be on time 
though.

Raspberry Pi notes
------------------
The game builds and runs fine on Raspbian (http://www.raspbian.org/) running
on a Raspberry Pi (http://www.raspberrypi.org/).

I also used a Bluetooth dongle I found in the drawer, and a set of USB-powered
speakers from the supermarket, and a mobile phone charger, e.g. I'm pretty
sure these would do:

* http://www.amazon.co.uk/TINY-WIRELESS-BLUETOOTH-ADAPTER-DONGLE/dp/B0013BFQUE
* http://www.amazon.co.uk/Logitech-OEM-S150-Speaker-System/dp/B000XUQ2LI/
* http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B003H5V8G0/

The batteries lasted 4h15m with the game in in use for about half that time, 
though given the lag on the bluetooth comms, I'd make sure everyone can hear
the beat and sound effects over your party - USB-powered might not be loud
enough.

To do (fun)
-----------
* Replace the unlicensed sound samples, credit the Creative Commons ones,
  or just come up with a more consistent set of beats!
* Invent some new game modes, though all of these make it less obvious how 
  to play:
  * temporary invulnerability by pushing a button;
  * upside down world - where you have to keep waggling the controller, rather
      than keep it still - maybe this a sound signals this mode?
  * the "chosen one" - only one person is vulnerable at a time, shown by their
      brighter light.  They have to fend off attacks from everyone else (who is
      invulnerable) for five  seconds before the light moves on.  Maybe 
      dangerous;
  * (other light-signalled roles ?);
* Research whether it's possible to make lights more responsive, fixing lag;
* A nice front-end to configure game modes, rules, tournaments and so on.
  
To do (boring)
--------------
* Do a nice Debian package to make it easier to rebuild & distribute.
* Rewrite the Bluetooth to play nicely with the system stack.
* Port to OS X & Windows.

Credits
-------
http://gutefabrik.com/joust.html for the inspiration and glowing write-ups that 
made me want to copy it.

http://www.pabr.org/linmctool/ for the clever code that does the Bluetooth comms
and decoding.

My company birthday party http://blog.bytemark.co.uk/2012/08/16/big-hoopla for making
me want to write it.