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   1 MicropolisNet: a Cooperative Multi User City Simulation
   2
   3 MicropolisNet is an animated interactive system simulation game, providing
   4 a set of rules and tools for planning and building a complex
   5 dynamic simulated city.  Several people on different workstations can
   6 participate in the same game, cooperating and coordinating their
   7 actions over the net.
   8
   9 Working together, you can zone land use, hook up the power grid, build
  10 roads, bridges, parks and stadiums, raise taxes, and even summon
  11 disasters, causing the city to grow and thrive, or crumble and die.
  12 MicropolisNet features multiple city views and maps with overlays,
  13 simultaneous editing and user interface interaction, "voting panels"
  14 for group decision making, and multimedia communication and
  15 annotation features ("bridges between players").
  16
  17 The multi user interface supports communication via three media in
  18 parallel: text, sound, and graphics.  It includes a scrolling text log
  19 for telegram messages, a networked audio server for sound effects and
  20 voice intercom, and shared cursors and graphical overlays for
  21 pointing, gesturing, annotating and editing the map.
  22
  23 I propose to build a model of the Amsterdam neighborhood near
  24 the conference ("bridges between dijks"), and let people walk up
  25 and interact as they please.  Experienced MicropolisNet players can
  26 participate, using the shared environment and communication features
  27 to demonstrate the system, advise other players, and coordinate the
  28 game.
  29
  30 The purpose of the experience is to create a constructive cooperative
  31 virtual environment, where people can collaborate towards a common goal,
  32 take part in group decisions, and share resources, responsibility,
  33 and the consequences of each others actions.
  34
  35 MicropolisNet is robust and easy to use, with engaging interactive sound
  36 effects and lively graphical animation, so it's fun to watch as well
  37 as play.
  38
  39 MicropolisNet can be played across several different makes of computer at
  40 once ("bridges between brands").  It presently runs on color SPARC and
  41 Indigo workstations (and is easily portable to other Unix platforms),
  42 and plays over the net (but without sound) on other 8 bit color X
  43 terminals and workstations.  I can ship my own SPARC if necessary, and
  44 I'm trying to obtain support and a loan of equipment (hopefully Indigos)
  45 in Holland.
  46
  47 It would be useful to have a high resolution video projector, visible
  48 from the other workstations.  The projector could display overall city
  49 maps, graphs, messages, statistics and other global data, so players
  50 don't need to spend their own screen space.
  51
  52 I need enough floor and table space to place workstations where people
  53 can walk up to them and use the keyboard, mouse, and microphone.  Most
  54 could be together in a group within view of the video projector, but
  55 others could be in remote locations.
  56
  57 The workstations, network, video projector, and posters must be set
  58 up and torn down, but none of that's very difficult.  Thin wire ethernet
  59 would be preferable, and would require thick to thin transceiver for the
  60 workstations equipped with thick wire ethernet plugs.
  61
  62 Once MicropolisNet is set up and running, it doesn't require special
  63 supervision.  I will attend and demonstrate the system as much as I
  64 can, but during other times, unless someone volunteers, it can run
  65 on its own, as long as there's enough security that none of the
  66 equipment walks off.
  67
  68 I'm presently implementing MicropolisNet on X11 for DUX Software (who
  69 licensed Micropolis from Maxis).  It's mostly functional now, and will
  70 be ready to demonstrate, but not yet released as a product, by the time
  71 of the conference.  Soon I'll have an "Alpha" demo version for the SGI
  72 and SPARC, for limited distribution to INTERCHI reviewers and other
  73 interested people.  I'll make a video tape as soon as I have the
  74 time and equipment.
  75
  76 I've given many talks and interactive presentations at conferences,
  77 and run demos at trade show booths.  At CHI'90, I participated in the
  78 "Empowered" performance (giving a whirlwind tour of pie menu based user
  79 interfaces I'd implemented).  Last year, I ported Micropolis (single user)
  80 to OpenWindows on the SPARC (which won "Product of the Year 1992" from
  81 Unix World).  I worked as a developer of The NeWS Toolkit (at Sun in
  82 Mountain View) and the HyperLook UIMS (at the Turing Institute in
  83 Glasgow), both of which I used to port Micropolis to the SPARC.  To
  84 implement MicropolisNet on X11, I'm using the Tk toolkit, which I chose
  85 to use because it's free, simple, and extensible.