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Tomorrow’s 5a7 we’ll be playtesting a new sound puzzle game called Jarbles with Ian Arawjo and FX Dupas!

Details for the 5a7 are as follows:
Where: Hexagram Game Lab, EV 11.425, Corner of Guy and St. Catherine O.
When: Wednesday, October 24, 5pm-7pm
Who: Anyone is welcome, please feel free to bring friends or colleagues who might be interested.
What: Playtesting of Jarbles with Ian Arawjo and FX Dupas.

Please note: Playtesting sessions may be recorded.

Jason Camlot, the project supervisor, has provided a description of the project below.

“Following the lessons learned from Ethereal, about the difficulties surrounding audio in the iPad, LudicVoice (presently, Ian Arawjo, Jason Camlot and FX Dupas [with consultation assistance from Michael Fortin and Pierre-Alexandre Fournier]) would like to do a first play test for its new iPad project, a close listening and sound puzzle game called JARBLES.  The simple childhood games of Jacks and Marbles were the inspiration for the tangible interface by which the audio samples are delivered to the players in this two-player game.  In the first phase of the game, eight pointy jacks are repositories of sample fragments.  The two players must collectively listen closely to the samples and figure out which two jacks can combine to magically metamorphose into a marble.  It’s very satisfying when you figures out which sounds go together and the Jacks turn into a marble.  The principles determining which jacks go together can only be discovered by listening for qualities of amplitude, melody, pattern, and other sonic features.  Once the eight jacks have been marbleized (into four marbles), the second phase of the game begins.  Players find themselves on opposite sides of an interface that resembles an air hockey table, a marble shooting gallery.  Each player can shoot (marbles) at the four sonically charged jacks-turned-marbles (Jarbles).  Players compete against each other to shoot at the four Jarbles in the correct order, triggering the complete sample sequence as it is meant to be played.  The first player to hit the marbles in the right order and complete the proper sequence of sounds, solves the sound puzzle and wins the game.

Ian Arawjo has done some amazing work in getting the game mechanics working well enough to play test.  AND, THE SOUND IS WORKING!  FX has developed a couple of preliminary test sound puzzles, one exploring melodic patterns, and another exploring a synthesized ‘documentary’ sound.  So, we are actually at point where feedback on the initial interface and audio play will be very useful as the game gets refined.

Please take the time to play one or more of the sound puzzles we have in place, and give Ian and FX your feedback on where the game is at thus far.

P.S. The game has been designed in simple b/w line art, thus far. The attached icon is just a preliminary sketch (developed by Taylan Ülgar).”