email: support@openmediagroup.com
November 18, 1999
Hello cool cats! So you want to play GooglePlex? Great! It's a seven step cure for all your ills - here we go!
1. Get Java 1.2.2 for Windows
You may permit Windows Internet Explorer to automatically fetch and install Java 1.2.2 for you by visiting http://www.openmediagroup.com/FetchJava.html . Or you may just fetch it by hand from http://www.javasoft.com/products/jdk/1.2/jre/download-windows.html. This file is 5,280,200 bytes long and will take 15 to 30 minutes to download over a 56k link. Note that Googleplex works fine with Java 1.3 as well.
2. Get Java3D 1.1.2
Purrfect. Now you will need Java3D. Goto http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D/download.html and download and install "Java 3D Runtime for the JRE". This file is 2,400,090 bytes long and will take about ten to fifteen minutes over a 56k link.
Alternatively you may wish to download the "Beta version of Java 3D 1.1.2 for DirectX" from http://java.sun.com/products/java-media/3D developer connection. This is highly recommended if you do not have an OpenGL accelerated hardware graphics card for your PC. Performance is excellent ( 30 ~ 60 fps ) on the NVidia TNT2 with this driver on higher end Pentiums. Even laptops with the ATI Rage LT ( such as the DELL ) will perform very well with the DirectX Java3D drivers. There is a nice FAQ at http://tintoy.ncsa.uiuc.edu/~srp/java3d/faq.html .
3. Verify your installation of Java and Java3D
Note: this step is optional.
You should see a spinning cube at http://www.openmediagroup.com/HelloUniverse.html. If this does not work please just complete the installation. It is not critical that Java3D run inside a browser for our application to run. Meow!
Note for developers fetching the full "Java 3D Runtime and Examples for the JDK" version of Java3D: You will discover that Windows Internet Explorer cannot find Java3D and the above example fails. The easiest solution is for developers to install the runtime version also. Please try to avoid setting your classpath, this will just create headaches later.
4. Get MathEngine 1.06
Note: this step is optional.
You can obtain MathEngine from http://www.mathengine.com, the new user registration & download page is located at http://www.mathengine.com/Products/fd/regindex.php?newuser=1. This download is free but you must pre-register to obtain download access. The MathEngine Fast Dynamics Toolkit download is is 2,034,756 bytes long.
5. Got Java, got MathEngine, get GooglePlex!
Still with us? - great! Download and run GooglePlex at http://www.openmediagroup.com/GooglePlex.exe. This is a self-installing windows executable and is 3,210,255 bytes long. It should take about 20 minutes to download over a 56k link.
6. Running the game
Now it's playtime! Goto the Start Menu and select "StartMenu/Programs/GooglePlex/GooglePlex" to run the game. Or, goto a command shell, and 'cd' to /program files/GooglePlex and type "java -jar mediatoy.jar" as a last resort.
Your goal is to explore all levels and accomplish the simple physically based puzzles you will find within. Use the arrow keys or the mouse to move. Use the shift key at the same time as the arrow keys to rotate the camera. Raise and lower the camera with the 'd' and 'f' keys. Use the numbers '1' through '6' to peek at the levels.
GooglePlex can be demanding on system hardware. To help it run faster on slower machines use the keys '7' through '9' to adjust the simulation rate with '9' being fastest.
Developers may wish to run the game from inside a webpage. See "level1.html" in the game directory for example. You need to enable permission bits using the java policytool. For an example policy file see the source directory.
7. Contact us
Problems, questions, or comments? Email support@openmediagroup.com.
GooglePlex is both a game and a technology demonstration. The game levels represent the kinds of scenarios that users should be able to build with the authoring tool we are now writing. We sought to build the most fun yet simplest possible game at the same time, focusing on having rich emergent game-play out of the interaction of simple parts. We hope you enjoy it. Email us if you have any problems. Email us anyway in fact - good luck and have fun!
- Anselm Hook, Ron Timbol, Lorna Moroz, Glenn Gear, Lucy Boyd-Wilson, Jingyu Liang, Mika Valimaa