Stacks delivered via the web?

Scott Rossi scott at tactilemedia.com
Wed Sep 18 14:58:01 EDT 2002


> I have used stacks delivered via the web to various students for more
> than a year, and I must admit that each time I'm looking at the
> downloading I still feel lucky to how discovered this genial solution
> and think you should go for it.

I echo this sentiment strongly.  Last year, I ran an online game for about
2-1/2 months which was centered around a "mysterious" piece of software that
players had to figure out how to use.  The software consisted of Mac/Windows
player engines that retrieved game "levels" (stacks) from a central location
on the Web and allowed users to play locally.  Once a level was completed,
the results were sent to an online database, and the address of the next
level was downloaded into the user's player.  Player registration was also
handled via online stacks as well, where users entered their registration
information into a stack that sent their data to the database.  If you're
interested in seeing a demo of the game, links are included below.

The coolest thing about online delivery of stacks is the ability to
maintain/update.  Instead of forcing all users of your software to download
a new standalone engine every time you make a change to your content, you
store your content in stacks on the Web.  To update, simply make changes to
your content stack and upload it to the Web; then all users have access the
latest and greatest content via their players.

Truth be told, there can be some disadvantages to delivering content via
custom software, versus a browser.  You will undoubtedly have some support
issues to contend with (there's always some user out there with a wacky
system that refuses to run your app), but IMO, the possibilities for a
customized user experience outweigh the support issues you may face.

-----

DEMO INFO
Plexata was a series of visual puzzles whose solutions required users to do
research on the Web, find a key word or phrase, and translate that key into
series of digits which were entered into the player to access the next
level.  In this demo, the codes have been simplified to allow access to 7
levels. NOTE: the solution of each puzzle will be meaningless for anyone who
is unfamiliar with the game; this demo is provided purely to demonstrate the
gameplay.

A demo of the Plexata game is available at the addresses below.  Note this
was built over a year ago using MC2.3 and as such: 1) you may experience
some minor display problems on XP; 2) you may experience sound/performance
problems under Classic on OSX (no OSX native version is available).

[WIN] http://www.plexata.com/samples/plexata_demo.zip
[MAC] http://www.plexata.com/samples/plexata_demo.hqx
(OS 9 and earlier only)

- Access Codes
Level 1 - 101
Level 2 - 102
Level 3 - 103
Level 4 - 201
Level 5 - 202
Level 6 - 203
Level 7 - 301

- Player Operation
Launch the app.  Wait for the player to situate itself at the bottom of your
screen.  Click the center to open the data entry panel.  Enter a code from
the above list and click the play (arrow) button.  Once a level has
downloaded, click play again to run the level.  When you are finished with a
level, click the play button to close the level.

- Your Are Being Monitored
This version of the demo features a hidden surveillance camera which may
appear randomly on your desktop to take your picture.  Don't worry -- the
pictures will not be released to the public.

If you run into any problems, feel free to contact me directly offlist.

Regards,

Scott Rossi
Creative Director
Tactile Media, Multimedia & Design
-----
E: scott at tactilemedia.com
W: http://www.tactilemedia.com




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