nfc - rfid urban game using the touchatag contactless service

“Capture the Tag”an NFC-based Urban Gamepowered by touchatagAntwerp, August 2009

By Derk Humblet & the touchatag team

2 | Touchatag |August 2009 All Rights Reserved © Alcatel-Lucent 2009

Context:

touchatag NFC urban game challenge in cooperation with Mobilkom A1


Capture the Tagan NFC-based Urban Game, powered by touchatag

ConceptAdapted from classic game “Capture the Flag” http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capture_the_flag

OverviewEach of two teams, red & green, is assigned a “flag”—a set location marked by an NFC tag

Several additional ‘neutral node’ tags are located around designated play space

Goal: Locate and capture the other team’s tag before your own team’s tag is captured But that is possible only after your team has

captured enough neutral tags

Set up with game

creator @derk_humblet,

and referee @hansdemondt


Capture the TagSetup

Participants“Team Green”“Team Red”2 referees

Each team getsOne or more NFC phonesOne map of the urban area (Antwerp, Belgium)

Starting PointReferee gives a short briefing before game beginsEach teams starts from the location of their team’s tag

@bowa and Michael Elias at the briefing phase


Capture the TagGame Play

All nodes are initially hiddenPlayers only know the location of their own team’s tag

Find and capture neutral nodesEach node has a unique IDUses team’s NFC phone to claim a nodeClaimed nodes can be reclaimed by other team

WinningWhen a team claims enough neutral nodes, the location of other team’s flag is revealedFirst team to scan the other team’s tag and correctly answer the question wins!

Having found a

node, Bram

Bogaert touches

with his NFC

phone


Capture the TagNeutral Nodes

NodesEach is an NFC tag located at a fixed point somewhere in the city

To claim a node1.Scan with NFC-phone2.Phone prompts team with a question.

Correct answer captures node and possibly reveals clue hint to other hidden nodes

Incorrect answer reveals location of the node to opposing team (by text message), and forbids team from attempting to capture this node again for a set time period

Touching a NFC tag with an NFC phone

@touchatag (Toon Coppens) attempts an answer


Capture the TagGame Play Scenarios

When Team Red captures a neutral node… Team Green gets text message that Red

has captured a node

When Team Red claims a node that is already claimed by Team Green… Team Green gets text message telling

which node Team Red has claimed

When Team Red captures the flag… Team Green gets text message telling

them that Team Red has won the game

Hey, @touchatag and Diether: Only cheaters look up the answers online!


Result

We played with 8 people, 2 teams of 4 people1 NFC phone per 2 peopleThe game lasted just over 1 hourGreat team building event as well (as far as this is needed in the touchatag team )


Inspired to create your own game?

Then visit

http://www.touchatag.com/a1contest

and have a chance to win

nfc - rfid urban game using the touchatag contactless service

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