cognition can make a game mor
e realistic. Instead of using just a keyboard and a mouse, you also get to give orders as a submarine commander would.
IBM's Jungle Book game ((800) 426-7235), which is slated for release in April for Windows 3.1, features voice recognition with a twist: Players must learn to communicate with and speak like the creatures of the jungle to win. "Voice activation frees the user from hand-eye coordination and can allow for a more intellectual game," says Cal Morrell, IBM Brand Manager. "This freedom can lower the barrier for children who have not fully developed their motor skills. The use of voice has its greatest potential in education and in products for small children."
Effectively incorporating voice recognition into games means that the software must recognize a range of words in different tones and accents and allow time for the computer to process the voice commands. For now, Command: Aces of the Deep does a decent job of understanding spoken commands. But players still occa
sionally hear their virtual crews respond, "I don't understand"--something you wouldn't want to hear if you were actually under attack.
Sierra might add voice-recognition support to other games in the future. For example, a future flight-simulation game might let you communicate with virtual wingmen or call up different virtual screens. Another possible scenario is in networked versions of games in which you communicate with other human players over a network while a computer monitors the conversation and takes actions based on what it hears.
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Voice recognition adds realism to games. With Sierra Onlin
e's Command: Aces of the Deep, you shout commands to your crew instead of typing on your keyboard.
Dive! Dive!
