Creating a Simple Mediascape Using Mscape Maker
Before we can start..
Before we can get started creating a mediascape you need to ensure that you've installed mscape onto your desktop computer.
Download mscape software
Introduction
We are going to create a simple mediascape that will trigger various pieces of media at real-world locations. mscape supports audio, images, video, html (web) pages, and Flash Movies. To start off with we're going to keep things simple and just use audio and images. I've made a package of media files you can use for this tutorial. It's a collection of media borrowed from Doubloons!, a mediascape trading game involving Pirates. It's a zip file, so you'll need to download it, save it to your desktop, and extract it before we can use the files inside it. In Windows XP you can just right-click the downloaded file, select 'Extract here' and follow the instructions.
Download the pirate media files
- Start up mscape maker by going to the Start Menu, then Programs, then mscape. Click the mscape maker icon.
- Mscape maker will start up and present you with a blank mediascape.
Import the media files
Before you can use any media in your mediascape you need to import them into mscape maker.- Click the Import Audio button on the toolbar at the top of the mscape maker screen
- Navigate to where you downloaded the pirate media files
- Select all the audio files by clicking and dragging out a selection rectangle. Alternatively hold the SHIFT key while clicking each file.
- Click OK, and you'll see the audio files appear in the mediascape view of mscape maker (the left-hand panel).
- Click the Import Images button on the toolbar and repeat the process above to bring in the image files.
Importing a Map
The next thing we need to do is to add a map that represents the area of the world we want our mediascape to run in. What we recommend you do is to import a map of an area nearby you, so you can go right outside and experience the mediascape you have created in the real world. Note that you need an internet connection for the following steps to work.  Some mediascapes are designed to work anywhere in the world - these are known as portable mediascapes. A mediascape that only works in one particular location is known as an anchored mediascape. In this tutorial we are going to create an anchored mediascape. See How to Make a Portable Game for more details on portable mediascapes |
- On the top bar of the mscape maker click on the Map button. This will bring up a screen asking where you want to get your map from.
Select Map Source
- Choose 'mscape map service' when prompted for the source of the map. The mscape map service allows you to browse maps using an interface similar to google maps. With the click of a button you can capture that map and place it into your mediascape.
How to use the mscape map service
| The map service in Mscape 2.1 currently supports Europe and North America. Mscape 2.2 will have greater coverage as it integrates OpenStreetMap - a community-generated map of the whole world. If you want to create a map elsewhere with Mscape 2.1 see Using Maps in Mediascapes for more help. |
- Once you are happy with the map, click Next to preview the image. The previewed image may look a little different to the image you saw while browsing the map, but this is normal.
- Click Import to bring the map into mscape maker.
mscape maker with the newly-imported map
Add a region
A region is simply an area of the real world that triggers actions when the user moves into it - these areas can be either circular in shape (Circle Region) or of arbitrary shape (Polygon Region). Regions are one of the main methods we have of associating pieces of media with a real-world location. Once you have a map in the main window you will see buttons appear below it.- Click on 'Create Circle' and you will see a circular region appear in the centre of the main screen.
Make the region play a sound
There are two main methods of filling in those OnEnter events - you can use simple drag-and-drop actions, or for more advanced users you can type commands directly in using the keyboard. For now we will stick to the simple method.- Drag the audio object called piratemusic from the left-hand bar over to the region and drop it onto the region.
the drag-drop wizard
- Choose Play for OnEnter, then click Next and choose Stop for OnExit
- Click Finish and you will see that the text piratemusic.Play(); has appeared under OnEnter and piratemusic.Stop(); has appeared under OnExit.
The piratemusic.Play(); and piratemusic.Stop(); statements are simple examples of the mediascape scripting language that is used in mscape. Once you get to know the scripting language you may find it quicker to type these statements in yourself rather than using the drag-drop wizard. Try it for yourself by deleting piratemusic.Play(); just as you would in a text editor or Word document. Type in piratemusic and then hit the . (period) button. A list of options will appear - this is the list of the possible actions (play, stop etc) that can be performed on the object called piratemusic, and the list of properties that can be read. To find out more about the mediascape scripting language see The Mediascape Scripting Language : Introduction. |
Make the region show an image
If you drag and drop an image onto a region, the wizard will appear giving you options to show and hide the image on the OnEnter and OnExit events.- Drop the image called Pirate1 onto your circular region, and use the wizard to make the image be shown OnEnter and hidden OnExit.
Create more regions
- Repeat the previous steps to create more regions, until you have used all of the sample content.
Save your mediascape
You can now save your mediascape by clicking the Save button on the top bar (the little icon of a floppy disk) or choosing Save from within the File menu.Try the mediascape out
mscape tester is an application that allows you to test out the mediascape you have created on your desktop PC.- Start up mscape tester simply by clicking on the 'try it on - PC' button in the top bar of the mscape maker.
the mscape tester application When it starts up, on the left you will see a simulation of the screen of the mobile device. On the right is the map with the regions you created. If you click anywhere in the map you will position a little figure at that point. That figure represents the person carrying the mobile device and experiencing the mediascape. If you click the figure into the region with the attached audio then you should hear the audio start to play and the images appear. When you're done testing, click the Close button on the top-right of the window to return to mscape maker. If you have a mobile device linked to the computer you can click on the 'try it on - PDA' button in the top bar of the mscape maker and the mediascape will be copied to the mobile device so that you can try it outside.
 Make sure you have installed mscape player to your mobile device before trying this step. See Installing Mscape Player for details. |
Running your first mediascape for details on how to run your mediascape using mscape player.
