ER Demo 2
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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by TimHolt on Sun Sep 18th at 8:40am 2005


These pics are from a new Mod I'm working on which uses HL2 as a medical training and simulation platform. The player works along NPC medical personel to help assess and treat patients in a sort of virtual moulage.















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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by MisterBister on Sun Sep 18th at 9:07am 2005


As a leveldesigner i dont think theres much to add, although i think that the textures on the walls look a bit too blank and "skratch free".

The mod sounds like a good initiative but I have hard to understand how its going to help people being better doctors.




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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by Campaignjunkie on Sun Sep 18th at 10:04am 2005


The light fixtures on the ceiling look like they're turned off, but I don't think that's your intention. I agree about the walls needing a little bit more texture, even though the cleanliness befits a hospital setting well. The only real problem I see is the noticeably blocky handles on the drawers. You can probably spare a few polys to model out the handles, surely? <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">

I would also consider changing the floor to some kind of tile. At the moment, it looks too similar to the ceiling texture. I'm not sure why that's a bad thing, but I usually try to avoid that myself.

MisterBister: I think there was a recent study that showed surgeons who played video games actually made fewer mistakes in surgery. Video games are getting quite popular for psychological research, despite all the media sensationalism brewing around the violence stuff.




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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by ReNo on Sun Sep 18th at 1:10pm 2005


What a novel and original idea for a mod, good going <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">

I second CJ's sentiments about the drawers, but not only on the handles. Have you made them and the contents out of brushes? I would really suggest you opt for modelling them if that is the case. Despite this I think the overall appearance of the room is very impressive, and really depicts the setting as well as you could hope to. Good job <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">






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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by Crono on Sun Sep 18th at 1:14pm 2005


If I'm not mistaken, the ceiling lights ... are off. And that was intentional. I believe, depending on the operation they use a specific light-source, so shadows never become an issue ... but I could be wrong.

As for the ceiling and floor textures, both look fine. Something I've noticed about Source is, if there's even the slightest evidence that there's a texture on the floor in the screen-shot ... it will probably be more prominent inside the game.
Because the ceiling and floor look very different, yet similar. Like a hospital.

But, those walls Do need more of a "texture". I think, it would benefit with some sort of cube map settings. Since, usually, there's a gloss on walls from the primer. Then again, if you're simulating a mat type of wall, that probably wont come across well.

I also agree on the handles and other objects. Whether they're world objects or models. They can be upped on the polys and smoothed out.



Blame it on Microsoft, God does.



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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by BlisTer on Sun Sep 18th at 1:51pm 2005


nice concept and well worked out so far. few suggestions already mentioned. are you gonna try to make big money selling this to hospitals ? :P



These words are my diaries screaming out loud



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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by TimHolt on Sun Sep 18th at 4:37pm 2005


Thanks for the feedback.

Re: drawers - yea those are just standin brush ones until I do some model replacements. Got another trip to the ER on Tuesday to take more reference pictures.

Re: Walls - agreed again. That's the problem with making a mod that's got clean stuff - you can't reuse much of HL2's materials! :^)

Re: Lights. Basically I turned off the ceiling lights because I wanted to put emphasis on the spot light on the patient. Though it's probably more correct to have it be well lit at times, it's far more... well dramatic with the spot. Not to mention it draws the players eye to the patient.

Re: Money. Actually, there has been some interest in funding for this. It's got great potential for teaching basic procedures, testing basic knowledge, ec.
If you go to http://www.trauma.org they have a "virutal moulage" exercize at http://www.trauma.org/resus/moulage/moulageone.html Imagine it as a FPH (First Person Healthcare) Mod instead of a "you see this, do you do a, b, c or d?" type system. Oh - be forwarned, that site has some very graphic stuff to educate about trauma, not to gross out. It's not rotten.com, it's for education.

There's actually quite a large and growing interest in using games for non-entertainment things such as training, simulation, etc. It's not the most glorious site in the world, but check out http://www.seriousgames.org which has info on the idea. Two conferences coming up, one in Baltimore next week (where I will be showing a bit of this) and another in Washington DC in late Oct.




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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by TimHolt on Sun Sep 18th at 6:13pm 2005


Couple of updated pictures with a new wall texture...














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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by MisterBister on Sun Sep 18th at 6:22pm 2005


Ah, the wall looks so much better now =).




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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by Addicted to Morphine on Sun Sep 18th at 6:36pm 2005


I agree, and the models look really good (I'm looking at the oxygen (?) tank).




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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by Captain P on Sun Sep 18th at 7:00pm 2005


Heh, a nice idea. Wasn't this on the VERC a while ago as a newspost?

Anyway, is it mainly an operations sim or are you also planning to cover more aspects of healthcare?






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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by TimHolt on Mon Sep 19th at 8:13am 2005


? quote:
Heh, a nice idea. Wasn't this on the VERC a while ago as a newspost?

Anyway, is it mainly an operations sim or are you also planning to cover more aspects of healthcare?


Yea - these are some more up to date shots of the same thing. The old one on the collective was a CSH (Combat Support Hospital) setting, this is more normal ER type setting.

Basically what it gets used for is a little up in the air. A lot of potential ideas. But what ever actions the player has need to be rooted in real medical "truths" as it were. I bought the "ER" game a while back (based on the TV show), and part of it is flirting with nurses, buying them gifts, etc. Ugh. That's not what I'm aiming for. More like "OK your patient has been bleeding from a wound, and a pulse rate of 110 and normal range blood pressure." That's symptomatic of Level 2 shock, and you probably need to treat them accordingly. Doesn't need blood transfusions, but some Ringer's lactate might do wonders.

So if you're curious about what one might do, go to http://www.trauma.org/resus/moulage/moulageone.html and run through that virtual moulage. It lets you treat an injured patient in a kind of "pick your own path" adventure. Now imagine that same thing, but done in a first person "game" environment.

Moulage by the way - cool word - didn't know it until recently. It's where you are doing triage, but in a simulated situation.




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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by Damic on Fri Sep 23rd at 2:37pm 2005


mmmh in this ( http://www.orst.edu/%7Eholtt/tamucc/fph_6.jpg ) picture the doctor is doing some thing to the hand but he's seeing strait forward smiley

Btw nice mod <img src=" SRC="images/smiles/icon_smile.gif">



Thx in advantage



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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by Myrk- on Fri Sep 23rd at 8:28pm 2005


About time more games were used for professions. Americas army is the main big game that comes to mind.


-[Better to be Honest than Kind]-



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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by parakeet on Wed Sep 28th at 12:57am 2005


? quote:
picture the doctor is doing some thing to the hand but he's seeing strait forward smiley


He's so skilled he doesn't HAVE to O_O wow , i think theres a way to get people to look where you want them to. I havent dealt much with hl2 ai though.

Took those virtual thingys , and i did remarkably well O__O considering i'm 16 and the only medical experience i have is from having contests with my brother on who could stand the most blood with those medical shows , AND my dad being a doctor.

on the first one i missed a LOT and the patient would have died like .. 5 times ;p.

Though on the second time i only got 2 wrong , the first was not talking to the fireman crew , and the second was not asking the paramedic what to do.

image you really got me intrigued , i never had been interested by medicine before...

Best of luck , even though you dont need it , because you have good intentions and with good intentions you wont fail with a mod , there's too many helping hands out there on the internet ;p



.else /me ~kill you
www.arclan.net



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Re: ER Demo 2
Posted by gparent on Fri Sep 30th at 9:51pm 2005


The... 'Thing to make AI look where you want to' is info_target I beleive.




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