Ares Alpha Prop Suggestions
Hello there!
I'd like to extent a warm greeting to the growing Ares Alpha user family and their brilliant creators.
As a long time event host who have tried many different solutions to add that extra excitement and spice to a proper event, I have to say that Ares Alpha really does stand out. Their application alone offers such a wide range of possibilities, married with the props, it's just amazing what you can do.
I thought that I'd create a thread for discussing suggestions for potential updates and improvements that we as users, may find to be of interest to us. This thread will focus on the props to keep it nice and tidy. Undoubtedly, some suggestions will have to address app related updates as well (I know some of mine does) but focus here should be the props, be it hardware or their software.
As great as the Ares Alpha products are, and I really do mean that they are, there can always be room for improvement. I am sure we all have had our thought and that mental wish-list of changes and additional prop features. It would of course be unrealistic to expect the Ares Alpha team to address all of our requests, and they can't very well custom tailor something just for you. That is why I hope that we can use this forum to gather our thoughts and ideas and see which of them might be in such high demand that it would make sense for them to peruse and try to implement in future software updates and/or perhaps in form of additional hardware.
I will start off with a few features I would like to see implemented in the future, one of which I do believe to be in the pipeline already, a game timer.
ARES ALPHA PROP WISH LIST - ATB Mini/Pro Edition
№ 1 - GAME TIMER
I believe props such as the ATB Mini/Pro, would do well to come with the option to set a GAME TIMER. And as time runs out, the current accumulated points should FREEZE FRAME on the display. Extra important for those that want to run quick games without the use of the Ares Alpha app.
№ 2 - ARES ALPHA GM NOTIFICATIONS
Here we would tread cross-platform between the Prop firmware and the App. As a GM, I would appreciate if more of the INPUT on the prop during game is relayed to the REF or at the very least, the GM.Let's play with the scenario that we have placed out HINT codes on the field. One of the codes may contain information of a DRONE location. Once the code is used, you as a GM would receive a notification that this HINT code has been used and which team were in ownership of the prop when this occurred. The last bit is an important detail as you would now make the DRONE POI visible on the map for that team. I imagine in game modes such as Domination, be it via traditional or with use of ATS (Target - switch team), it's the current holder of the Prop when the HINT code is used that will receive this information on Ares Alpha. As long as the players are aware of this, they would make sure to try to control the Prop before making use of a HINT code. The information would show on the Prop display regardless, but if the opposing team is in Posession of the Prop when this happens, they are the ones that will receive the POI updated of the DRONE location in the Ares Alpha app.
In the best of worlds, the above suggestion would be automated so the GM doesn't have to make the POI visible manually, as then we have the risk of human error. However, even if that would be the case, it would still be a great addition. All such notifications should be logged within the Ares Alpha app for the GM to be able to check in case they miss the notification. This last bit is extra important if the feature can't be scripted to run automatically.
№ 3 - ADDITIONAL RFID USE
I like that we can set up to 20x CODES as additional POINTS and just as many as HINTS. To my knowledge the RFID. That is a great feature, but wouldn't it be nice if you could make use of the RFID tags for this? I would have liked to be able to use the RFID tags within any game mode and set them to either give a hint or additional points just as the CODES do now. Of course there would have to be an exception for game modes such as Factory/depot and Collect Tags where the game modes center around use of RFID tags. With the current set of YELLOW, RED and BLUE tags, it could be implemented for 2 teams with ease. *
YELLOW = Hint
RED = Points for Red team
BLUE = Points for Blue team
№ 4 - BASIC GAME MODE SETTINGS
I do like how you can make all the changes nicely within the Ares Alpha app. But it is still an extra step where you need to connect your phone to the prop and reconnect as soon as you save a setting. I like this fetare to remain, but I would like a basic GAME CONFIG MODE which we have seen with other props. Perhaps you can't add everything such as CODES for HINTS, for that using the app is superior. But I would like to be able to just use the prop as is and enter CONFIG MODE where I could select GAME MODE and perhaps just set some basics such as how many TEAMS, TIMER (as per wish-list item nr. 1) and POINTS (exact options differ depending on selected GAME MODE). I think that adding this simple "stand alone" option for GAME SETTINGS will make the props slightly easier to setup and thus more likely to be used a lot more frequently for those quick games where you just want to throw in some extra spice, without arranging a complex event.
№ 5 - POWER/BATTERY INDICATOR
Yes I know you can check the battery status on the app and that is why I list this at the bottom of my suggestions. That being said, I wouldn't mind if you were able to view the battery status directly on the prop. Just like with suggestion to change GAME MODES via the Prop directly, it's handy to be able to check the battery status without having to use the app.
There we have a few suggestions. I've set them up per priority for me, nr 1 being the highest in demand.
Please comment and share your thoughts about these suggestions and your own "wish-list". Let's give the Ares Alpha team the feedback they need so that they know what feature might be in high demand.
Have a good one!
//MacAcer @TakeAimGotland.se
First of all, thank you for this long post! All this ideas and suggestions are helping is a lot.
Now, point by point:
1.Game timer: Like you said, it's on the pipeline!
2.App notifications: We also cook something about this: notification for GM when the box is used, and even more: remote admin (reset points, start/stop game, etc.)
3.It's a really interesting idea, let's see if other people find it useful!
4.Basic mode: Frankly speaking ATBs are so complex so the only way to fully manage it's by a dedicated phone app/interface. But we got the point about a simple way to setup the props, maybe an "wizard" mode for starters will be implemented. It's not a top priority, but it's noted.
5.Battery indicator: If you press the A key, you should be able to cycle between main screen and info screen. Here you have a lot of tech info about the prop, including the battery level.
One feature we're really proud of with Ares Alpha accessories is the online firmware upgrade, so you'll always be up to date with the latest game features.
Again, thanks a lot for this suggestion thread, it's exactly what we hope to achieve by starting this Ares Alpha forum!
Thank you for such a swift response. I'm hopeful that other users will jump in.
I am happy to see that my top two requests are already in the making. The 3rd one is less important as the feature is present in form of CODES, but I would find it practical if RFID tags could be used as an option to the CODES.
With regards to the 4th request. Perhaps you would have to make all the game mode specifications for the respective game modes via the app and have those settings saved on the prop. Then the user could start the Prop and just cycle through and select one of the preset game mode options, using the keypad on the prop, thus leaving the complex configuration for the app, but you still end up with an easy to use menu where you can select the game mode you wish to run. Though I'd still like the GAME TIMER to be something you can alter directly with the prop once that feature is introduced.
Regarding the 5th request. I had a vague memory of seeing the battery status on the prop screen, but couldn't recall if that was the case. As soon as I read your response I had to check, and there it was, pressing A or B on the ATB Pro keypad show battery status and some additional useful information. I am sure you have this information in the Ares Alpha Props manual, but I must have missed it. Guess we can scratch that request as you already thought about it.
Suggestion for an additional use of the ATS/ATB Addon Targeting system.
ATS - TEAM TARGET POINT SYSTEM
After a conversation about the Ares Alpha, a friend of mine spawned the idea of the potential of a new kind of MODE with the use of the ATS/ATB Addon. He suggest that it could be used as a fun way to generate additional points for up to 4x teams.
The ATS would start off in neutral white color, but randomly light up one of the pre-assigned team colors, in combination with a single alarm signal to notify nearby players that it is active. When it does, it lights up in a TEAM color, the TEAM that carries that same color now has a short window of opportunity to hit the target in order to score additional points for their TEAM. If they manage to hit it, points are registered and it should flash in the TEAM color and sound a longer signal to let the players know that they were successful in hitting it as a direct confirmation of registering the points without having to check in on the Ares Alpha app. Once the signal is over, the ATS goes back to neutral white color, making it unable to register hits/points for anyone until the next time it lights up in a TEAM color. Preferably you should set the color to random so that players can't predict when to be ready to hit it.
ATS - TEAM TARGET POINT SYSTEM SETTINGS
In settings you should have a few parameters.
Checkbox to assign for which teams it will work (RED, BLUE, GREEN & YELLOW)..
Duration of which the target is active to register a hit (a fixed time in seconds).
Time interval between activation - minimum and maximum duration in seconds. Example - Minimum: 30 sec, Maximum: 90 sec
Points scored for a hit during the active time.
We're thinking that the ATS should just register a fixed amount of points if hit during the active time and not points for every hit it might registers during the active time. I suppose that could be an option, but would suffice to just be open to register a single hit during the brief time it is active as described above.
Out of a hardware perspective, the ATS and the ATB Addon targeting system both seem to have everything needed in order to deliver such a GAME MODE setting and it would be an exciting way to throw in additional points during the game. The fact that one could accidentally award the opponent points by hitting it at the wrong time just adds to the excitement of this game mode.
I don't see this as a MODE to focus an entire game around, but rather a fun addition to any game, just as you can throw in QR-codes or CODES for additional POINTS, you could make use of this RANDOM TARGET POINT SYSTEM.
Hey, guys!
I just implemented the ATB in our magfed paintball community and am excited to be using it for my upcoming event in 2 months. A game timer for the domination mode is critical for accurate scorekeeping by freezing earned points. I'm glad it's in the pipeline for a future update!
I would like to suggest adding a kill confirmed game mode where we can set the limit of points per color that when a red tag gets scanned, it subtracts 1 point from the red side. When blue tag gets scanned, it subtracts 1 point from the red side. Etc.
Having an ongoing list of game modes of how these products are being used would be a great resource for inspiration for other users/producers to create games and build off of them.
Hi guys, been using these props on all our games for the past few weeks and they are amazing.
One game mode we play is a battlefield 4 type rush game using the props as the M-coms. It would be nice if when in bomb mode to have a setting to enable the prop to go back to bomb standby instead of defused so the attacking team can keep attempting to detonate it. Also, if it could be done by using one button to arm and one to disarm instead of a code like domination mode this would be more simple. Currently we have a work around to get the defenders to type the reset code (keep points) but would be nice to be able to have the option to just use buttons e.g red = arm, blue = disarm.
Keep up the great work!
First off, thank you for your great app and props. They are the best! Keep up the good work. I have a suggestion. When an ATB is in bomb mode, I want an additional option to arm the bomb. To set a time for the bomb to arm itself after a period I as gamemaster specify. For instance, if I set it for 3 minutes, after that time, the bomb arms itself. It will open up for fun scenarios 🙂
/Tommy
Bogartpojkarna Airsoft
How about a Team Chat feature, or at the least a broadcast message feature? Be great for sending instructions to teams!
This is a feature related with the app, not the props.
Please write on the App section, it is a good ideea!
Currently I'm making a team points counter with my 3D printer, richt now the points would be added manually on the counter.
A way to read out the points with a Rpi or arduino would be a nice add-on.