Well, I'm through beating this horse after this post, but you're wrong
... it would still have everything to do with ham radio if you need a
rig, an antenna, a human operator, and knowledge of propagation to make
points. It would just have different rules for what you would do to
make points instead of just exchanging a report, and it would have a
much more interesting visual interface instead of just staring at the
logger.
And yes, it would require an internet connection for the multiplayer
aspect, but it would NOT require the internet to make the RF
connection. I don't understand the scorn for an internet connection if
it doesn't change anything else about what it takes to make the
CONTACT. The only difference would be what it took to earn the POINTS,
and what the visual interface is. The demographic that we'd be trying
to reach (i.e, the ones that aren't dying) wouldn't have that aversion
to a peripheral internet connection that you, Paul, and others do.
Over and out,
Dave AB7E
On 8/11/2025 11:34 AM, Steve Dyer W1SRD via CQ-Contest wrote:
I don't know about making it an actual video game, because it's then
it's just a video game. It's no longer has anything to do with radio.
If I want to game I put my gaming headset on. If I want to interact
with the physical world, I turn the radio on and slide into my
headphones.
There are definitely good ideas from MMO to supplement and enhance
the radio experience but these interactions all require an *internet*
connection.
How about real time adjudication? It's just stupid we wait months for
results. The winner should be declared within minutes if not seconds
after end of contest. Ooops, need an internet connect there too (which
any competitive is 99.999% likely to have). But you get the drift.
If there is no interest in radio well... game over.
73,
Steve
W1SRD
On 8/10/2025 1:34 PM, David Gilbert wrote:
A friend of mine (Bob, K7ZB) just sent me a link to a recent video
interview of Tom, W2SC (aka 8P5A) done by W1DED. In addition to
descriptions of his station and approach to contesting, Tom
speculates on where ham radio and contesting in particular might go
in the future. He pointed out that whatever happens will most likely
be determined by a younger generation that isn't bound by what ham
radio is to those of us who have been at it for a while.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ck-RMIyjSfI
His view of the future is very interesting, and I agree that if ham
radio survives to any significant extent it will have to change ...
and it will likely be changed by a younger generation that comes up
with a way to adapt ham radio to something that is more interesting
to them.
Personally, I've always thought that contesting should figure out how
to become more like an online video game:
1. Integrated computer graphics that display participants on a
playing field ... Earth or maybe even some simulated world. You
could zoom in or zoom out, but the part of the world available to be
seen on your screen could be determined by the real time propagation
at that moment. To make a contact you'd have to zoom in far enough
to see the station you're trying to contact, and the display would
show their current frequency. Real time propagation could be derived
from actual contacts being made if everyone's computer was connected
to a common server ... just like is done with video games. And
before anyone says that real time internet connectivity is an issue,
keep in mind that it isn't at all problem for the demographic we'd be
trying to reach.
2. Multiplayer .... where every participant shows up on the screen
at their actual (or simulated) QTH.
3. ACTUAL COMPETITION! Instead of just trying to make the most
contacts and finding out at the end how you did, make each contact
some sort of competition that gets displayed on the screen ... and
have some way of preventing others from making a contact. How that
happens would depend upon the context of the particular game, just
like there are different video games. But the idea would be to
contest each contact in some manner that requires either an offensive
action or a defensive one.
4. "Contacts" (whatever the game required for a point) would still
purely come via RF ... station to station. The video display and
central server would only provide the environment for making the
contacts, albeit a hopefully more elaborate and richer environment
than whatever we currently picture in our minds while making contacts
now.
Some people might say that this is actually no different than a video
game and that video games have the advantage of a level playing field
since most computers don't hinder your play. And that's precisely
why I think a ham radio version might be more interesting.
Propagation, antennas, choice of times and bands would all make the
game more complex than the typical online video game. The play style
would be enriched by the variables of ham radio and the technical
side of the hobby would be retained.
The biggest problem I see with something like this is getting the
programming done. Successful video games can take years and lots of
money to develop, although there are games like Valheim that didn't
... at least not by comparison. However, I strongly suspect that it
won't be too long before AI could do something like this, or at least
most of it. We wouldn't need the complexity of a top tier video
game, and graphics engines are becoming increasingly accessible for
simple environments. Station wise, I don't think it would be any
different than it is now to use a logger for rig control and score
tracking ... just different software.
I realize that the actual game mechanics are missing here. That's
because I'm not smart enough to come up with the specifics. But I am
convinced that something like this could be done ... it's really just
a simple visual interface with an RF connection for the points
instead of data packets. The number of made contacts would be MUCH
fewer than it is now for a typical contest, but each contact could
potentially require more thought and focus. Think in terms of
catching fish instead of hammering out CQ's.
Thoughts?
Dave
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
_______________________________________________
CQ-Contest mailing list
CQ-Contest@contesting.com
http://lists.contesting.com/mailman/listinfo/cq-contest
|