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I am a diving instructor andI am very interested in developing a computer/video gameto share with everyone for scuba diving training in addition to classroom training. The first assignment that I would develop is to develop a video game for Underwater Navigation. I've found that most of my students have difficulty in underwater navigation(to some certified divers too!), therefore, I think it may be a good idea to have them learn it in a virtual and safe environment first before they actually dive into the ocean to practice. The benefit of learn it in a virtual world is safety, you'd better get lost in a virtual world than in the real big blue!
So, can you share some thoughts with me how you think this idea is good or not, and what kind of stuff I should implement in this training game?
I would build it with increasing skill level mastery. For example, have them navigate to a Spanish Galeon with sunken treasure, and back to the anchor line. Then have them do it in a square pattern, with other interesting things to "see," and then go to the triangle. Provide hints for compass use while at the turning points.
After the students master the basic skills involved, make a more advanced navigation level where they have to swim against a cross current (change the direction they face, to swim along the desired azimuth) and so forth. I understand that the skill for this is usually aquired by feel and watching the bottom, but this could aid their understanding of the principles. Again, do this with the simple, out and back method, and move on to the different methods (box & triangle).
Once this level is mastered, create a practical experience where they combine all the skills and have to lead the diver to recover a cool item at the end of the challenge.
Don't forget to include the students counting their fin kick cycles!
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You could include marine wildlife that they should learn not to touch; they might have to navigate around coral without touching it, or avoiding some jellyfish might take them off course, and they have to find their way back. You could use the game to help students learn to identify different types of marine life.
Once again, the purpose of this game is to provide the students and instructors a safe(virtual) environment for the students to learn and be familiar with the skills before their actual open water training.
Thank you very much.
Last edited by SubMariner; April 3rd, 2005 at 08:00 PM.
Reason: merged threads & put into R&D
For question 11 I checked "Treasure boxes" for one feature to be included, but wanted to note the reason here. I think they would be good as navigation targets, or goals, with increased starting values according to the difficulty of the nav course being run. Maybe even set it up so that the size of the "treasure" drops if you fail to control your depth (bouyancy) or mismanage your air usage, or wander off course (without getting lost completely) during the exercise. It seems to me that the game should also have a statistics database to track successes and failures in all skill areas.
It's impossible to complete the survey until you include either fill in the blank or none of the above for all required questions.
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My dear friends, as I mentioned earlier in another thread, I am developing a free Underwater Navigation Training Game and the response from you are very good and valuable. Here, would you please helping me to do a survey so that I can collect all the data for the game's development?
Once again, the purpose of this game is to provide the students and instructors a safe(virtual) environment for the students to learn and be familiar with the skills before their actual open water training.
Thank you very much.
Hi,
I filled in your survey. Good luck with your project.
here's something for discussion. I think a simulation game can help a lot with getting across *concepts* and maybe make people aware of certain habits (like checking air) but that's a long way from teaching diving *skills*.
I think if you focus your game on teaching the concepts through simulation then your game will have a good chance of being useful. If you try too hard to make it into a "flight simulator" for divers then I think you'll be over-doing it.
The point is that the skills required to control such a simulator are not necessarily the skills you need to dive. For example, you may be able to achieve perfect buoyancy in the game but if you don't do the dives you're not going to have good buoyancy in the water.
Thoughts?
R..
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