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Chrome World Wide Maze

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Re: Chrome World Wide Maze

#111

How do they get other web pages, given cross-domain constraints? Are they downloading the page on the server into a headless browser like Phantom JS, and then delivering the result to your browser to be manipulated using WebGL and Javascript? I get that there are capabilities like drawWindow() to turn parts of the dom into raster images programmatically, but how doe they suck the web page into your browser in the fir…

I actually think I got it, and it's less impressive than I thought. Check this Screenshot: http://snapplr.com/hb27 ...they're essentially rendering the entire site in a headless browser like Phantom JS on their server and taking a screenshot (i.e. basic stuff any intermediate javascript developer can do).

Next, they're manipulating a basic image with WebGL, etc.

...So this is NOT impressive because they have lost the dom, unlike Firefox Tilt which maintains knowledge of the DOM the entire time--for example you can continue to edit the web page as you're playing around with the rendering in 3D space. With this you could not do that.

Tilt is a firefox addon, which must be where they get access other domains. Without being a firefox add on (or Chrome Extension), I was imagining this Maze experiment rendering the dom of another site in a headless browser on their server, and then delivering the resulting HTML to your page with all the absolute and relative URL paths of images and files adjusted so that they would render on another domain. And then at this point, the WebGL stuff could happen, manipulating an actual dom.

That all said, there are a few things that happen in the game that suggest knowledge of the dom, such as the way the make text have a 3D bubble cloud style. Maybe they are in fact doing some analysis in a headless browser, aside from just making a simple screenshot. They also break up logical portions of the page. So maybe the find the coordinates and dimensions of these logical portions and then in webgl crop the large image of the page at these exact coordinates.

I'm sure someone else has done a more thorough analysis. Would love to know what anyone else finds here to figure out how they're doing what they're doing.

Re: Chrome World Wide Maze

#112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, it's not a perfect game controller. A convenient one maybe, but not perfect, not even good. It has the same problem that you would encounter if you tried touch typing on an iphone keyboard. It has no physical feedback so you have no idea if you are pressing the correct button (or any button at all) on the phone screen unless you are actually looking at it. Which means you won't be able to look at the TV screen at…

I feel for what you mean here. Personally I hate the PS3 controller as it's too small, I much prefer the xBox 360 controller and especially if it has the keyboard attached to it. Also, on the iPhone I dislike 99% of the games that use a virtual joystick on the screen, I just can't get on with them. But for touch interface games, what the parent post says is a joy I look forward to experiencing: A game with discreet i…

> But for touch interface games, what the parent post says is a joy I look forward to experiencing: A game with discreet information on the hand-held device.

Isn't that the whole idea behind the WiiU?

Re: Chrome World Wide Maze

#113

How do they get other web pages, given cross-domain constraints? Are they downloading the page on the server into a headless browser like Phantom JS, and then delivering the result to your browser to be manipulated using WebGL and Javascript? I get that there are capabilities like drawWindow() to turn parts of the dom into raster images programmatically, but how doe they suck the web page into your browser in the fir…

I actually think I got it, and it's less impressive than I thought. Check this Screenshot: http://snapplr.com/hb27 ...they're essentially rendering the entire site in a headless browser like Phantom JS on their server and taking a screenshot (i.e. basic stuff any intermediate javascript developer can do). Next, they're manipulating a basic image with WebGL, etc. ...So this is NOT impressive because they have lost the…

How are they aware of the DOM level though? Certain elements pop out, are you suggesting they just use path mapping? It would be easier to, along with the screenshot, send the DOM tree hierarchy with some coordinates no? Still kind of impressive, but true it's no Tilt.

Re: Chrome World Wide Maze

#115
post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Why "naturally", if other browsers also implement the relevant technologies?

They create those demos to attract users to their browser - kind of defeats the purpose if you can run it using any browser. I actually downloaded mobile chrome on to run this - I usually run Firefox.

If your purpose is to attract users rather than advance the web, sure.

But they _claim_ that the purpose of these demos is to advance the web.

That's not to mention that claims like "only works in Chrome" when in fact it works elsewhere happen to be lies. I guess no one worries about that sort of thing nowadays...

Re: Chrome World Wide Maze

#117
post #85
post #2

I think this is the first time I've been genuinely impressed with a Chrome Experiment. They've recreated Super Monkey Ball entirely inside the browser, with the option of using a device as a controller. Certainly an interesting concept for multiplayer gaming, imagine Chrome running on a Smart TV(Chrome OS TV?) and a couple of friends can hook up their mobiles as controllers, and play some casual party style games lik…

This one is pretty neat too. http://stripenight.com/racer/ i'm sure it has been posted on HN before

Definitely neat. Thanks for posting.

Re: Chrome World Wide Maze

#118
post #82

The first thing that showed up when I visited this page (in Chrome, no less): "This page is in Spanish; would you like to translate it?" Other than that, it seems to be just stuck on the loading screen.

I'm having the same issue, and it keeps happening. It keeps asking me about Spanish! Otherwise, it worked well.

Re: Chrome World Wide Maze

#119
post #2

I think this is the first time I've been genuinely impressed with a Chrome Experiment. They've recreated Super Monkey Ball entirely inside the browser, with the option of using a device as a controller. Certainly an interesting concept for multiplayer gaming, imagine Chrome running on a Smart TV(Chrome OS TV?) and a couple of friends can hook up their mobiles as controllers, and play some casual party style games lik…

You mean like this?

https://code.google.com/p/powpow/

(see video)

There's also this

https://github.com/greggman/octopus

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