BETA 1.3 (OCTOBER 8, 2007): Release Notes

• RUNS ON Build 613
• EIGHT CREATIVE CENTER ACTIVITIES: Flipsticks (NEW), Jigsaw Puzzle, Slider Puzzle, Poll Builder, Cartoon Builder, Story Builder, Learning Center, and MaMaMedia Creative Center
• NEW ACTIVITY: Flipsticks – keyframe animator with Journal integration
• JOURNAL INTEGRATION: Extensive work has been done to integrate Journal functionality (and to remove File system integration) for Flipsticks, Jigsaw Puzzle, Slider Puzzle and Poll Builder. The ability to find specific file types (images, sounds) will enhance these offerings greatly when available.
• SOURCE CODE POSTED IN OLPC GIT. We look forward to many more people testing, reporting bugs in TRAC and communicating back to us!
• MESH INTEGRATION: Jigsaw Puzzle has a mesh-based Puzzle-Solving collaboration mode; Poll Builder has Mesh-based Voting; Slider Puzzle has a mesh-based Contest mode.
• FULL SCREEN INTERFACES: Flipsticks, Jigsaw Puzzle, Creative Center, Learning Center and Poll Builder have full screen interface designs; Slider Puzzle, Cartoon Builder and Story Builder will go full screen in Release 1.4.
• HELP! A couple of OLPCgames bugs have indefinitely stalled production on Story Builder. Lincoln Quirk was working on it, but no one has taken it on since he left. Check out the 'projects/games-misc' git repository in dev.laptop.org. The file you want is olpcgames-src/olpcgames/eventwrap.py.
• LESSON PLANS: Custom Learning Tips and Lesson Plans are already integrated in Cartoon Builder, Slider Puzzle, Jigsaw Puzzle, Poll Builder and Story Builder. Lesson Plans for Flipsticks will be added in Release 1.4.
• TRANSLATIONS: Spanish and Portuguese translations have been started for all MMM activities, but a great deal more help is needed to complete the Lesson Plan translations.
• Additional notes below on each activity.

XO bundles (please download and install on BUILD 613)

Flipsticks

Flipsticks Interface

Flipsticks is a NEW keyframe animation activity that lets you pose and program a stick figure to walk, run, rotate, twist, tumble and dance. You can save your animations to the journal and will soon be able to share them via the mesh. Flipsticks can be used to explore concepts in geometry, computer programming and animation; it helps develop spatial and analytical thinking skills.

New Activity for Beta Release 1.3 features:

• Single stick figure that can be mainpulated to learn about keyframe animation.
• Pose by “Click and Drag”. Sticks can be manipulated by clicking and dragging.
• Pose by Numeric Input. The character’s sticks and joints can be manipulated by selecting a part on a provided text list and changing the angle and/or size numeral.
• Adjustable Body Parts: Head, Neck, Right Shoulder, Upper Right Arm, Lower Right Arm, Right Hand, Left Shoulder, Upper Left Arm, Lower Left Arm, Left Hand, Torso, Right Hip, Upper Right Leg, Lower Right Leg, Right Foot, Left Hip, Upper Left Leg, Lower Left Leg, Left Foot
• Figure positioning. The whole character can moved around on the stage as a unit (dragged up, down, left right and rotated 360 degrees.)
• Keyframes. When the user is happy with a pose, s/he can save it as a keyframe by clicking on one of the round keyframe buttons to select it, then clicking on Camera button to capture the pose. When the animation plays, the application produces intermediate poses between the keyframes so the motion appears fluid.
• Timeline. The Keyframe buttons can be dragged and rearranged on a provided timeline. User can complete change the order of the frames, and can control transition times by making the fames closer together or further apart.
• Play/Pause. After saving at least two keyframe poses, user can click Play button to animate the character between the different positions.
• Play Backwards. Animation can be played forwards and backwards.
• Speed Control. Slider control allows user to adjust animation playback speed.
• Storage of Animations in the Data Store and accessible via the Journal.
• Language Chooser
• Launches through MaMaMedia Activity Center

Coming in Beta 1.4:

• Sugar toolbar will be added
• Mesh sharing of Flipsticks animations will be added; when others join a shared Flipsticks session, your XO will update them with latest animation you have created. They can play it and manipulate it on their XO (with no impact on original shared version.)
• Lesson Plans will be added

Jigsaw Puzzle

Jigsaw Puzzle Interface

Jigsaw Puzzle is based on the classic picture-constructing game, but has the option to add your own pictures. It strengthens visual, spacial and problem solving skills and offers a context to creatively reflect on and explore any subject.

New in Beta 1.3: Journal integration for finding your own images and turning them into puzzles. You can share the puzzles with friends via the mesh and solve them together.

• Runs well in Build 613
• Uses Journal to keep and resume puzzles
• “My Picture’ button lets user add a photo or drawing made in another program and turn it into a puzzle by finding that creation in the Journal and clicking on it.
• At present, user must search through all journal activity entries to find images. When Journal, allows, user will only be presented with image files in Journal.
• Mesh collaboration mode works for peer-to-peer and server-based connections

Coming in Beta 1.4:

• Sugar toolbar will be added
• More mesh status messages (alerting users to load progress and friend actions) will be added
• Starter image categories will be refined, with no redundancy to Slider Puzzle samples

Other Functionality notes:

• Based on MaMaMedia.com and MyGLife.org “Jigsaw” activities
• Re-written in Python and enhanced to run locally on the XO laptop and leverage XO features like the mesh and journal
• Full game logic and interface integrated within the OLPC framework
• Puzzle-solving functionality includes Picture Selector, Timer, Change Shapes, Board Hint, Solve and 3 difficulty levels
• Board size is set to take 60% of available space on at least one side (the largest one relative to the available space) and keeps the image aspect ratio.
• The larger side will have the number of pieces set to that of the level being played, but the other side may have less pieces. An attempt is always made to make the pieces almost square, so an image with a 4:3 aspect ratio on the highest level will get 8x6 pieces.
• The way pieces are cut is not fixed, so new connector types can be implemented.
• Set of customized Lesson Plans accessible in-app via "Lesson Plans" button
• Multiple translations will be available (user selectable on-the-fly.)

Slider Puzzle

Slider Puzzle

Slider Puzzle is a classic logic game that challenges a player to slide tiles around to form a picture or pattern. This digital version provides a fun context for learners to explore basic functions of the XO, learn problem solving skills, and develop creative projects that reflect understanding of a topic they are studying.

New in Beta 1.3: Journal integration for finding your own images and turning them into puzzles. You can share a puzzle with friends via the Mesh and have a contest to see who can solve it most quickly.

• Runs well in Build 613
• Uses Journal to keep and resume puzzles
• “My Picture’ button lets user add a photo or drawing made in another program and turn it into a puzzle by finding that creation in the Journal and clicking on it.
• At present, user must search through all journal activity entries to find images. When Journal, allows, user will only be presented with image files in Journal.
• Mesh contest mode works for peer-to-peer and server-based connections

Coming in Beta 1.4:

• Sugar toolbar will be added
• The interface will be enlarged so it uses the full screen
• More mesh status messages (alerting users to load progress and friend actions) will be added
• Starter image categories will be refined, with no redundancy to Jigsaw Puzzle samples

Other Functionality notes:

• Includes a category of Sequencing puzzles and corresponding lesson plans
• Set of customized Lesson Plans accessible in-app via "Lesson Plans" button
• Based on MaMaMedia.com activity “Jumbler” -- re-written in Python to run locally on the XO laptop
• Full game logic and interface integrated with the OLPC framework
• Puzzle functionality includes number of pieces (9, 12, 16), timer, solve, jumble
• Fixed set of starter images, organized by subject
• "My Own Pictures" allows user to select an image made with the XO drawing tool or camera and saved locally on the laptop, open it in the Slider activity, and solve it as a puzzle.
• Multiple translations will be available, currently English, Portuguese and Spanish (user selectable on-the-fly.)
• Initial Keyboard shortcuts impemented for all game interface buttons:

 '1' - select 9 pieces
 '2' - select 12 pieces
 '3' - select 16 pieces
 'enter' - jumble selected image
 ',' - show previous image in category
 '.' - show next image in category
 '/' - show/hide Category Selector
 '?' - My Own Picture
 '=' - Solve
 'Escape' or 'q' - end activity

Poll Builder

Choose a Poll

Vote

Build a Poll

A poll is a research tool that helps explain what a group of people think about a topic. Poll Builder allows you to create your own poll, collect votes, examine the results and think about what they mean. Users can write original opinion poll questions and answer choices, then invite friends to vote in their poll via the mesh.

Beta 1.3 update: Poll Builder was updated to handle changes in Sugar between Trial 2 and Trial 3. Running well in Build 613.

Coming in Beta 1.4:

• Sugar toolbar will be added
• The interface will be enlarged so it always uses the full screen (instead of filling in vertically as content is added.)
• More mesh status messages (alerting users to load progress and friend actions) will be added
• Multiple translations will be available (English, Portuguese and Spanish to start)

Other Functionality notes:

• Polls are stored in the Data Store and accessible via the Journal
• Can share a poll with a buddy (shares application and current data) who can vote on it from their XO
• Polls can be multiple times (e.g. X can share it with Y who can share it with Z).
• Uses Telepathy for interacting with other XOs
• Updates all XOs that are sharing the activity with current data (while Poll is being shared)
• When receiving data, author's activity eliminates duplicates and updates votes with the latest vote from a given XO
• Ability to create multiple polls, each with a title, question, 2-5 answer choices and a "votes to collect" limit
• Display running total with number of votes (numeric tally) and percentage of total votes cast (bar graph) for each answer
• Ability to “Delete” the Poll
• Ability to “See Results’ after the Poll closes
• Set of customized Lesson Plans accessible in-app via "Lesson Plans" button

We recommend testing Poll Builder mesh functionality in a mesh environment backed by the Jabber server. In the current peer-to-peer mesh, vote tallying only works for a new poll – it will not work for the existing "Favorite Color" sample poll.

As of build 542, XOs do not automatically connect to the Collabora server as with previous builds, so the following process must be done to connect to the server:

• Go to the dev console terminal
• vi ~/.sugar/default/config
• Change "server = " to "server = olpc.collabora.co.uk" (leave "registered = False")
• shutdown and switch on again to reboot

Story Builder

Story Builder Interface

Story Builder is a graphical story constructor tool. Drag & drop a variety of characters (stamps) into a background, and create an imaginative scene. Simple word-processing capability is included to encourage and facilitate free-form creative writing and the saving of original stories. When finalized, users will also be able to add their own images (created with Paint, Camera, etc.) and share their stories via the mesh.

Beta 1.3 update: HELP! A few OLPCgames bugs have indefinitely stalled production on Story Builder since August. We cannot complete the project without this fix. Lincoln Quirk was working on it, but no one has taken it on since he left. Check out the 'projects/games-misc' git repository in dev.laptop.org. The file you want is olpcgames-src/olpcgames/eventwrap.py. The priority of the issue was downgraded recently, but we hope you will reconsider and try to address it for FR1. Please let us know if this is possible. Once that is done, we can complete the full functionality (Scroll to see "Full Functionality" list below).

Beta 1.2 update (Aug 24, 2007): Story Builder v1.0b launches in Sugar and has sound, thanks to recent enhancements made to the olpcgames wrapper by Lincoln Quirk. However, the ability to type in your title and story is not working correctly under Sugar yet. While this bug is being addressed, you can test the writing and saving of text by running the application from the Developer's console on your XO. We recommend looking at it both ways.

To test the activity outside of Sugar:

• Alt+0 and select Terminal tab, then type the following:
• su
• mount /dev/sda1 /mnt
• cd /mnt
• cp StoryBuilder-8.xo.zip /home/olpc
• cd /home/olpc
• su olpc
• unzip StoryBuilder-8.xo.zip
• sugar-install-bundle StoryBuilder-8.xo
• cd Activities/StoryBuilder.activity/
• python ./StoryBuilder.py
• Alt 0 to see the activity
• Press Esc to quit Story Builder

Full Functionality List:

DONE:

• Select a background / theme (from fixed set of provided themes and images)
• Place the animated characters freely on the background
• Select placed characters and move them around or remove them
• Selecting a character which overlaps with others brings it to the front
• Clear Picture

PENDING:

• Add the story title and text
• Save (Store the story in the Journal)– a file format will need to be developed which stores the story as compactly as possible so that the graphic components are not duplicated multiple times on the Data Store, if possible.
• Allow students to take drawings created with the XO painting tool and use them as background images.
• Allow students to take photos with the XO camera and use the photo files as background images.
• Friends can share saved stories and read them together over the mesh. A group of students will be able to look at a story together simultaneously.
• Students should also be able to save story asset files (images, sounds) onto their clipboard and use them in new stories.
• Print (if possible in current version of Sugar – otherwise printing may be deferred)

Learning Center (formerly Teacher Center)

Learning Center (formerly Teacher Center) is a space for educators and students filled with starter ideas on how to integrate the XO laptop and the MaMaMedia activities into the their learning experiences. It is a simple text-based framework which offers five tabbed sections:

• Welcome - orientation and explanation of what to expect
• Explore the XO - lesson ideas for exploring the XO as a class
• Activities - List of MaMaMedia activities that describes the game and its learning value.
• Glossary - definitions of key terms from lessons and XO interface
• About - Background on Constructionist educational philosophy

Beta 1.3 update: Journal Integration. User can Keep state of Learning Center activity. When resumed from journal, user will be taken to the last page they were looking at before clicking Keep button.

Coming for Beta 1.4:

• Final additions will include full screen interface design wiht Sugar tool bar, final copy, available translations, and links to an Educators wiki for those with an internet connection.

MaMaMedia Creative Center

Creative Center

MaMaMedia Creative Center (Formerly MaMaMedia Activity Center) is currently a colorful Menu Page and activity launcher for introducing all the MaMaMedia activities. It will soon evolve into "My Creative Center" -- a prototype user-modifiable page for creating collections.

Beta 1.3 update: Creative Center runs in 613. In this version it is still a launcher (mainly because Journal search and sort functions are not all in place yet.) BUT the activity functionality is being expanded to turn it into a model of a user-modifiable page for collections.

We discussed this expansion idea with OLPC staff in September and were excited to learn that they already wanted to provide the technology for this kind of feature. We are eager to help get that work started with our "My Creative Center" prototype.

For Beta 1.4: Early prototype for "My Creative Center" -- a user-modifiable page for collections.

Cartoon Builder

Cartoon Builder Interface

Cartoon Builder allows you to create your own cell-animation sequences, by positioning and manipulating a playful cartoon character inside a filmstrip, and by using provided media assets -- backgrounds, characters in multiple poses, sound effects. You can play the sequence at different speeds, and save it. “Make Your Own” functionality lets you produce original cartoons that incorporate character poses, backgrounds and sounds you made yourself using other XO applications (Paint, Camera, Microphone, etc.)

Beta 1.3 Update: Cartoon Builder runs in 613, but not integrated with the Journal yet – still saves and loads from File system. Saves snapshot in journal when you click Keep. Resumes basic activity from there, but does not load your animation.

Coming for Beta 1.4:

• Full journal integration for Keep and Resume of Cartoon projects
• Full journal integration for selecting images and sounds made in other programs to use as backgrounds and Sound effects in Cartoon Builder.
• Ability to share animations via Mesh
• Full screen interface with Toolbar
• Additional translations as available

Functionality:

• Can place 6 character poses in the filmstrip by selecting the cell/frame and then select the character pose you want to go in it.
• Character, Background and Sound selectors (Scroll through background options using "Back" and "Forward" buttons. The one in view will be used in the cartoon.)
• Three starter characters (Space Blob, Elephant, Turkey), 12+ starter backgrounds, and four starter sounds
• "Add Background"
• "Add Sound"
• Changing the animation speed -- fast and slow range
• Clear All (removes images from all cells of the filmstrip)
• Play/Pause
• Saving/loading animations (locally on the XO)
• Can take drawings created with the XO Paint activity and make them into images in Cartoon Builder.
• Can take photos with the XO camera and use the photo files as images in Cartoon Builder.
• Can take sounds recorded with the XO microphone, TamTam, or other sources and use them in Cartoon Builder.

FEEDBACK

Please send your feedback and ideas about Beta 1.2 to info at WorldWideWorkshop.org

PREVIOUS RELEASES:

Beta Release 1.0 (JUNE 20, 2007)

Beta Release 1.1 (JULY 17, 2007)

Beta Release 1.2 (AUGUST 24, 2007)