We decided to use resistive sensors + camera + RFID chips (or weight scale) to detect player’s move: raise, bet, and fold instead of our previous option of pressing buttons or keyboards after making moves to feed input to the machine. This decision is expected to improve the user experience that resembles traditional poker plays.
We chose to do this because we got feedback saying that button inputs will significantly reduce the fun that players can get from playing poker. So, we thought it would be better to challenge ourselves if it meant better user experience. It was also mostly because we absolutely agreed with the feedbacks and were already thinking about changing the input.
However, it is indeed true that this would add more complexity to our design, so plan to make this our final design, but focus more on the fundamental parts of the machine (dispenser, game state tracking, card detection) first before diving on creating realistic input mechanisms.
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Week 2 specific report:
Part A was written by Justin Kim, B was written by Andrew Kim and C was written by Martin Lee.
Part A:
In our project ACE, we have carefully considered the impact on public health, safety, and welfare through multiple design aspects. From a health perspective, while direct physiological benefits may not be immediately apparent, the system is expected to promote psychological well-being by creating a consistent and fair gaming environment that reduces player anxiety and eliminates the physical strain traditionally experienced by human dealers. The project significantly enhances safety by securing fair gameplay and policing any illegal plays that are difficult to catch in a traditional poker environment. Through these considerations, our automatic poker dealer machine improves the gaming experience while maintaining high standards for public health and safety.
Part B:
Poker is one of the most popular card game in the world. Though there may be a person who has never played poker before or has played once or twice (which is me), there is rarely a person who does not know what poker is. After all, the term pokerface has become so widely used that it is now used as an adjective.
The main goal of our project was to allow players to enjoy the full experience of playing poker without the need of delegating one person to be the dealer. Of course, this will only apply to casual game plays which does not involve professional dealers, but we think that casual game played between friends and family should get more focus. Anyways, by removing the innate limitation of casual poker games, we thought that this game would allow people to naturally socialize with more ease. For example, if there were two people in a room, it would be impossible to play poker. However, with this machine, they can. Moreover, poker is a game that becomes more enjoyable as more people join in. Thus, allowing one more person to joing the game would be meaningful.
Long story aside, game is one of the best means of socializing. There is a reason why such a thing called pub games exist. It is a great way for strangers to meet in a pub and get close to each other with more ease. Poker is also a game that is great for socializing, and it would be great to see our project become a good starting point for a small, but lasting societal impact.
Part C:
Our solution is aimed specifically at people who enjoy playing casual poker with their friends, family, or any group of people. As such, as we’re working towards the MVP, we’re actively making economic decisions to not only meet the given stipend but also to make it cost-efficient. Essentially, with just our solution, people should be able to enjoy the end-to-end Texas Hold’em in virtually any environment (only if there’s a table and electricity).
