Handbell Hero!

See it on YouTube

Quick Overview

Grab 4 to 8 people, the KidsPlay Handbell Set, and ring yourself silly with a bunch of Christmas tunes.

Background

For the background of this project, and helpful information, check out this blog entry.

Before you run the game

This probably works best on a Windows system (yeah, I know....) You'll need to do the following:

• Clone/download this repo to your PC.
• Make sure you have the Java 8 SDK installed, and in your PATH. You can verify this by running this from a command-line: javac -version, it should display something like javac 1.8.x
• To compile/build the game, run the command hh.bat compile If the build fails, double check that your PATH is pointing to Java 8.
• For the optimum visual effect, go into the resources directory, right click on the file Nightmare Hero.ttf and select the option to Install.
• From the command line, change directory to the directory that contains this repo, and run hh.bat

For best results

This game has been optimized for a 720p display/projector. It doesn't scale well (I didn't bother going that far overboard with the coding).

Other limitations

This game currently works best with the MIDI files that are provided. Visit the blog post for more information about how to use your own song files.

Huge thanks to these people and resources

• Allen Fisher, for doing a superb job putting together the MIDI files
• Marshall Baltzell, for doing an amazing job with the two image files, especially on the Handbell Hero logo - he was dead-on with the appearance.
• Matt Bresnan, for coming up with the initial game design, and giving me the opportunity to take some time to code up the game.
• The creator of the Nightmare Hero font, which adds to the visual effect of the game.
• The audio effect on the selection menu, which adds to the audible effect of the game.
• Apache FilenameUtils - they have libraries that make coding easier (and less cumbersome).

Copyright/License

This software may not be used for any commercial (for-profit) purposes. Instead, you're encouraged to:

• Help install/run this at a school, and give kids the gift of music and teamwork (without charging them for your "services").
• Entertain your family, friends, or co-workers at a holiday gathering (again, at no charge).

If you enjoy this project, post a comment on the blog, or send a tweet using #handbellhero!

Disclaimer

Use this software at your own risk. There are no guarantees of any kind - think about buying a lottery ticket instead.

Contact info

If you love it, hate it, or have any questions or comments, let me know on Twitter @Panurgy