Tracking Gaming Stats With Video Capture Devices 96
galtish writes "M. Schrag has put together an amazing PC stat tracking system called 'Soul Calimeter' for use with the GameCube version of fighting game Soul Calibur II. The software is as yet unreleased, but uses a cheap video capture card to analyze the video feed from the console and create a stat database. It's not just stats, there's also a web browser-based front-end for analyzing the stats and starting circuit matches, and voice synthesis using AT&T Natural Voices for in-game commentaries on the action. His website includes pics of the stats screens, and samples of the synthesized audio commentary. Pretty sweet - I'd love something like this for the weekly Halo LAN matches..."
Mirror (Score:5, Informative)
Re:Mirror (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Mirror (Score:1)
Lot of work (Score:1)
Nothing like making a developer's life hell by making them interface it like this.
Re:Lot of work (Score:5, Interesting)
IMHO this is one of the most clever and thorough hackings I've read about on
And I'm afraid I must disagree with your notion that somehow it is a shame that it was so difficult to do. Necessity is the mother of invention, and here it shows (and pays off) in spades. What, are we supposed to rally against Nintendo (and all console makers, for that matter) for failing to provide a port with some open API to scan internal game variables? Frankly, I'd be way less impressed were they to in fact do that by either hacking onto the motherboard electrically, or worse running the game on an emulator (MAME or such) and peeking at RAM.
Nothing like making a developer's life hell by making them interface it like this.
Eh? These are not "developers" and no console maker expects antyone to want (much less implement) anything like this! They are hackers!
Again, I just want to say that I think this is one of the most underrated and under-commented yet excellent stories I've read here in a long time, and I plan to revisit the site later to learn more. This may be applicable to many other things from security cameras and home automation to MythTV-type device commercial skipping.
Then again, maybe I just don't realize how easy it is to do real-time image processing with object recognition in a reliable way using cheap under $50 capture cards on a 1GHz Athlon these days. Were that the case, though, I'd expect to read more about such efforts. This is a first for me.
Thanks for reading. And no, I do not know the authors(s) and I've never heard of this until now.
I know the issue (Score:2)
I just could not understand what the hell they were talking about in the article text. I mean,
"analyze the video feed from the console and create a stat database"
huh? I don't know what sort of stats you're talking about, and what do you mean by analysing the video feed? Huh?
But now, after admitedly RTFA and your post, I have a greater understanding of what this is all about after reading your post than I do fr
I'm starting to think this is a hoax (Score:3)
When I first saw this earlier today I was completely amazed and excited. I happen to have a GameCube, and I love Soul Calibur II. I noticed that you couldn't download this thing, but didn't make much of it. I had contemplated emailing them to see if I could get a copy, or whatever, but then decided against it.
But the more I've been thinking about this, I'm really starting to think this is a hoax. Think about it: how many times have you seen something home-grown like this and not been able to download
re: I'm starting to think this is a hoax (Score:1, Informative)
Re: re: I'm starting to think this is a hoax (Score:2)
Then two questions:
I don't believe he has some obligation to release the software, I just seems curious that he hasn't. I could have made those screenshots and voice samples (you can do so at AT&T's Natural Voice website for free). I, for one, would love to see this software because it would be quite cool. I definately applaud the authors of it if they have, in deed, really developed this software. I don't want to take away from t
Re: re: I'm starting to think this is a hoax (Score:2, Informative)
Re: re: I'm starting to think this is a hoax (Score:2)
Wow, I really appreciate the response. You are absolutely correct that I have never released an open source application. Your explanation helps me to understand your situation. Would you consider just releasing the executable software so other GameCube/SCII freaks like myself could enjoy your system? Should I perhaps instead send an email to the address listed to let you guys know that there is some interest out there?
Re: re: I'm starting to think this is a hoax (Score:1)
Re: re: I'm starting to think this is a hoax (Score:2)
That's great! I look forward to seeing it. Maybe it will be the first OSS project I get involved in (if you go that route).
Re:Lot of work (Score:2, Funny)
Re:Lot of work (Score:2)
Re:UT2K4 (Score:1)
If a console game manages to do this, its newsworthy. You know why? Because it hasn't been done before.
Re:UT2K4 (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:UT2K4 (Score:1)
That should say, "If an offline console game," because XBox Live games have been tracking stats since day one (and more recently, the stats have been available on xbox.com). The hack value in this is that it was done for a game with no network interface at all (not even a LAN interface like Mario Kart: Double Dash or Halo, which can be co-opted to be a real network interface).
Since Soul Calibur II
Re:UT2K4 (Score:2)
It's kind of like the people who analysed the data stream for Everquest in order to make a map of the area around the character. (Although it's quite a lot harder to successfully analyse a video stream than a network stream.)
Re:UT2K4 (Score:2)
The exact same thing happened with UT2K3, buit in that instance the stat tracking went down for 6 months!!!!
They also had it in the first unreal Tournament, and that worked very well. It was very useful for analysing clan games after completion.
I only hope that they can restore the stats to UT2K4 in a timely manner
Yay! A /. story that's interesting (Score:5, Interesting)
Obviously this is just the first step of this project. It looks like they can identify characters and health meters, as well as winners and losers, however the next obvious step is to identify moves on-the-fly so that a running commentary can be played. Also, since they are running video capture HW/SW, they could even have their epic fights saved and played back with computer commentary. Now that would be geeky!
Re:Yay! A /. story that's interesting (Score:3, Interesting)
Wouldn't it be higher in hack-value if their method was to track the game's internal variables directly rather than trying to digitize the video feed and backward-engineer the variables?
Re:Yay! A /. story that's interesting (Score:3, Insightful)
Re:Yay! A /. story that's interesting (Score:2)
Or, creative people can turn this into "game-nanny" kind of stuff. This could be good or bad, as what net-nanny kind of software did... Having "game-nanny" may encourage adult-content games (and probably the game producer also cooperate). Hmm... lots of possibilities....
Just my 2c
Dudes, I want this for my PC! (Score:2, Troll)
"Hey, man, another coffee?"
"Hey, Aztec, you scored good in that meeting. Give ya a kickdrop and a sideswing. Need more stamina though..."
"Hey, Sandy, nice skirt you're wearing there! You already got ten eyeballs."
"Hey... WTF!? You can't unplug m-/$!
Camera (Score:1, Troll)
Simple Awesome (Score:2)
Pretty cool (Score:4, Informative)
It would be really cool if it could grok the movements of the fighters and say things like "Kilik delivers a fierce scissor-kick to an uppercut combo!".. But you cant have everything.
If You Wait Long Enough ... (Score:2)
Actually, you can have everything. But it won't arrive until approximately the heat death of the universe.
-kgj
Shoot! (Score:2, Funny)
Time? (Score:1, Offtopic)
Should do this for online poker (Score:2, Interesting)
"I advise you fold this marginal hand."
"There is a 45% chance that this opponent is bluffing."
etc.
They did it for poker (Score:1)
Halo (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Halo (Score:2)
I really didn't like the early Unreal games at all (preferred the Quake series), but UT2004 (even the demo alone!) is pretty good.
Re:Halo (Score:1)
Re:Halo (Score:2)
So you're the guy who thought that was a good idea in Unreal Tournament.
Trash Talk (Score:2, Interesting)
Mind you, I think I have just been traumatised by my last visit to America where I went t
I am over-fucking-welmed! (Score:2)
And I really don't wanna compete with those guys in Soul Calibur.
Re:I am over-fucking-welmed! (Score:1)
Coooool. (Score:3, Funny)
If these guys don't make any movements towards sharing this with the general public, I very well may have to work on hacking up something like this myself.
Geez . . . (Score:2, Funny)
Oooh really? (Score:2, Funny)
I'm giving it 5 minutes.
Re:Oooh really? (Score:1)
try the natural voices (Score:3, Interesting)
-- paper
Why cheap out? (Score:2)
No point "saving" $35 to buy a piece of junk that has virtually no uses except for one application.
Ben
Gaming sluts? (Score:2, Funny)
But then again, I guess that title works too, huh?
Re:Gaming sluts? (Score:2, Funny)
But then again, I guess that title works too, huh?"
You're thinking of the version for Dead or Alive: Extreme Beach Volleyball
Just What I Needed (Score:4, Funny)
I'm sorely disappointed (Score:4, Funny)
Re:I'm sorely disappointed (Score:1)
This is incredible (Score:2)
It's too bad it doesn't look like it can detect Guard Impacts, which can turn a fight around. (A Guard Impact is when you press toward or away from the opponent and press the block button the instant a hit would strike, causing you to parry or sidestep the attack and basically giving you a free hit on your opponent -- unless *he* Guard Impacts, that is.)
Re:This is incredible (Score:1)
Re:This is incredible (Score:2)
Re:This is incredible (Score:1)
Re:This is incredible (Score:2)
If you could find any non-vague visual element, something that's part of the basic interface and not the 3D engine, that corresponds to performing a GI, then it could be attributed to the performing player. Otherwise, it gets much harder to do anythi
Re:This is incredible (Score:1)
Re:This is incredible (Score:2)
The thing about the GI sound is that it's distinctive -- nothing else in the game sounds remotely like it -- and its really loud. Since all the sounds are mixed with the music and other soun
Re:This is incredible (Score:1)
Re:This is incredible (Score:1)
That may still not be quite sufficient. I haven't played SC2 quite that much... Yet.
Re:This is incredible (Score:2)
Also... the hack doesn't seem as cool if you need to jury-rig special hardware to do it. One of the great things about this is that you *only* need a capture card to do it. That's swell.
Go and play around with the voice synth (Score:1)
Re:Go and play around with the voice synth (Score:1)
Jeez, you sound like an asian hooker
Lameness filter encountered. Post aborted! Reason: Don't use so many caps. It's like YELLING.
So close....yet so far (Score:2, Redundant)
Soul [b]Caliper[/b] would have been a much better name.