Monster Milktruck
Encyclopedia
Monster Milktruck is a freeware
video game played through the Internet
using the Google Earth
engine. This program can be played on certain operating system
s and/or on certain browser
s. The Google Earth plug-in is required for proper use of the software. However, the plug-in can be installed without leaving the website. Once the installation is complete, the player needs to restart his or her browser in order to access the game.
The milk truck is colored white with red cursive
letters that say "Milk
" on it from the left side and the right side of the vehicle. While the letters cannot be seen from far away, they become more visible when the camera is forced to become closer to the truck. There are turn signals visibly seen on the rear of the truck that are never used in the game. Four rubber tire
s can also be seen on the track although they look unrealistically huge and protrude from the sides. This is considered to be a consistent trait among monster truck
vehicles; giving it monster truck tires and the chassis
of an old milk truck.
anywhere in the world. Players can either drive in their surroundings or instantly warp to a new area by typing in either a name of an attraction or a familiar address (street addresses are permitted to be used but rural route
addresses are prohibited because they cover too large of a territory for the program to adequately cover). After completing this first step and clicking on the "Teleport
" button, the milk truck is instantly transported to the desired destination. A few minutes may be required for the topography
to completely load depending on the clock rate
of the computer and the bandwidth
of the Internet connection. The milk truck driver will either complain or enjoy the moment depending on how fast the player controls him. Comments include "Whoah, cowboy" and "Sometimes I wish I was working for UPS
." However, the ultimate comment when it comes to acquiring speed over the more bumpier areas of the game is: "CREAMY
!"
Players can easily drive through their own neighborhood
(and their local area) just like they were driving through the preset areas. All the player needs to do is to type down either their home address (without needing a postal
or ZIP code
) or the name of the town that they live in followed by clicking on the "teleport" button. The player doesn't have to remain confined to their local area as it becomes possible to explore anywhere that the road system can get them. It is possible to clear off the home address from the address line but the address will have to be re-inserted in order to be able to teleport back to the player's chosen address if they end up getting lost on the roads. Preset areas are already well defined and include Tokyo
, Pismo Beach
, Whistler
, and the Googleplex
. They drop the player off within reasonable driving distance of a notable attraction and provide visible roads to drive on.
, services like Blockbuster Video, restaurants like McDonald's
, and hotels like those belonging to the Hilton Hotels
franchise. Even sporting venues like the Texas Motor Speedway
that are used in NASCAR
racing events and Stadium of Light
(which is used for English Premiership soccer matches) can be found with 3D models. A few of these sporting venues show visible graphics when driven through like the Rogers Centre
(revealing a baseball field
) or most of the race tracks (revealing the entire track along with the infield).
However, some sporting venues like the Air Canada Centre
, the Cowboys Stadium, and a few of the NASCAR tracks (i.e., Bristol Motor Speedway
and Martinsville Speedway
) do not allow the player to see the inside while "driving through" the structure. Instead, they are forced to drive through the building before coming out on the other side due to a lack of collision detection.
s. This program could also be used to compare and contrast the experience of visiting a major U.S. capital
as opposed to seeing it in a textbook
. Using the visual stimuli, it is also possible to adapt the Monster Milktruck program to learn about other things like European geography
, world history
, world geography, and social studies
. People using the software can also embark on independent studies that compare the way that milk was brought to consumers in earlier years as opposed to today. They can study more about milk trucks and their appointed routes.
with any of the 3D buildings
in the game, bridge
s (forcing players to drive under the bridge with the appropriate road appearing under the structure), or even with bodies of water (lake
s, ocean
s, and river
s). Although the speed is not shown, it is estimated that the maximum speed of the milk truck is 400 mi/h. The maximum speed of the vehicle is extremely unrealistic because aircraft can only cruise at less than 400 mi/h at 40000 feet (12,192 m) in the air.
There are no traffic light
s or highway patrol
to punish the player for excessive speed and/or reckless driving with either a traffic ticket
and/or an arrest
to "rehabilitate" the offender. Speeding is a nearly unavoidable accomplishment because there is no visible tachometer
or speedometer
that can show the player's exact speed. The player must convert the time it takes from one flat area to another into either miles per hour or in kilometres per hour. Also, the player could do simply downright suicidal actions
without dying. These actions can include jumping off of the Grand Canyon
, Mount Everest
, Niagara Falls
, or even off any generic canyon that descends 100 feet (30.5 m) or more. Players, however, are limited to Planet Earth; Google Earth's flight simulator (that is included with the main program) permitted players to fly Mars
and on the moon. Due to a lack of an onboard GPS
unit or a proper map mode, the player must memorize the driving route by using 3D landmarks in order to purposely drive to a destination. A lack of other vehicles on the road to generate traffic (either through a multiplayer mode or through AI-controlled vehicles) allows the players to maintain speeds that are unrealistically fast for windy roads, urban streets, and for roads that are on mountains.
There is no option to play with the horn
or to use proper turn signals because they have never been implemented in the game yet.
Freeware
Freeware is computer software that is available for use at no cost or for an optional fee, but usually with one or more restricted usage rights. Freeware is in contrast to commercial software, which is typically sold for profit, but might be distributed for a business or commercial purpose in the...
video game played through the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
using the Google Earth
Google Earth
Google Earth is a virtual globe, map and geographical information program that was originally called EarthViewer 3D, and was created by Keyhole, Inc, a Central Intelligence Agency funded company acquired by Google in 2004 . It maps the Earth by the superimposition of images obtained from satellite...
engine. This program can be played on certain operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
s and/or on certain browser
Web browser
A web browser is a software application for retrieving, presenting, and traversing information resources on the World Wide Web. An information resource is identified by a Uniform Resource Identifier and may be a web page, image, video, or other piece of content...
s. The Google Earth plug-in is required for proper use of the software. However, the plug-in can be installed without leaving the website. Once the installation is complete, the player needs to restart his or her browser in order to access the game.
The milk truck is colored white with red cursive
Cursive
Cursive, also known as joined-up writing, joint writing, or running writing, is any style of handwriting in which the symbols of the language are written in a simplified and/or flowing manner, generally for the purpose of making writing easier or faster...
letters that say "Milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
" on it from the left side and the right side of the vehicle. While the letters cannot be seen from far away, they become more visible when the camera is forced to become closer to the truck. There are turn signals visibly seen on the rear of the truck that are never used in the game. Four rubber tire
Tire
A tire or tyre is a ring-shaped covering that fits around a wheel rim to protect it and enable better vehicle performance by providing a flexible cushion that absorbs shock while keeping the wheel in close contact with the ground...
s can also be seen on the track although they look unrealistically huge and protrude from the sides. This is considered to be a consistent trait among monster truck
Monster truck
A monster truck is a pickup truck, typically styled after pickup trucks' bodies, modified or purposely built with extremely large wheels and suspension...
vehicles; giving it monster truck tires and the chassis
Chassis
A chassis consists of an internal framework that supports a man-made object. It is analogous to an animal's skeleton. An example of a chassis is the underpart of a motor vehicle, consisting of the frame with the wheels and machinery.- Vehicles :In the case of vehicles, the term chassis means the...
of an old milk truck.
General information
Using the arrow keys to accelerate, decelerate and turn, the player can navigate his box-shaped milk truckBox truck
A box truck, also known as a cube truck, cube van, bob truck, box van, or straight truck, is a truck with a cuboid-shaped cargo area.-Road vehicles:...
anywhere in the world. Players can either drive in their surroundings or instantly warp to a new area by typing in either a name of an attraction or a familiar address (street addresses are permitted to be used but rural route
Rural delivery service
Rural delivery service refers to the delivery of mail in what are traditionally considered rural areas. In the United States, rural letter carriers began service with the experiments with Rural Free Delivery in 1891...
addresses are prohibited because they cover too large of a territory for the program to adequately cover). After completing this first step and clicking on the "Teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
" button, the milk truck is instantly transported to the desired destination. A few minutes may be required for the topography
Topography
Topography is the study of Earth's surface shape and features or those ofplanets, moons, and asteroids...
to completely load depending on the clock rate
Clock rate
The clock rate typically refers to the frequency that a CPU is running at.For example, a crystal oscillator frequency reference typically is synonymous with a fixed sinusoidal waveform, a clock rate is that frequency reference translated by electronic circuitry into a corresponding square wave...
of the computer and the bandwidth
Bandwidth (computing)
In computer networking and computer science, bandwidth, network bandwidth, data bandwidth, or digital bandwidth is a measure of available or consumed data communication resources expressed in bits/second or multiples of it .Note that in textbooks on wireless communications, modem data transmission,...
of the Internet connection. The milk truck driver will either complain or enjoy the moment depending on how fast the player controls him. Comments include "Whoah, cowboy" and "Sometimes I wish I was working for UPS
United Parcel Service
United Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
." However, the ultimate comment when it comes to acquiring speed over the more bumpier areas of the game is: "CREAMY
Cream
Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...
!"
Players can easily drive through their own neighborhood
Neighbourhood
A neighbourhood or neighborhood is a geographically localised community within a larger city, town or suburb. Neighbourhoods are often social communities with considerable face-to-face interaction among members. "Researchers have not agreed on an exact definition...
(and their local area) just like they were driving through the preset areas. All the player needs to do is to type down either their home address (without needing a postal
Postal code
A postal code is a series of letters and/or digits appended to a postal address for the purpose of sorting mail. Once postal codes were introduced, other applications became possible.In February 2005, 117 of the 190 member countries of the Universal Postal Union had postal code systems...
or ZIP code
ZIP Code
ZIP codes are a system of postal codes used by the United States Postal Service since 1963. The term ZIP, an acronym for Zone Improvement Plan, is properly written in capital letters and was chosen to suggest that the mail travels more efficiently, and therefore more quickly, when senders use the...
) or the name of the town that they live in followed by clicking on the "teleport" button. The player doesn't have to remain confined to their local area as it becomes possible to explore anywhere that the road system can get them. It is possible to clear off the home address from the address line but the address will have to be re-inserted in order to be able to teleport back to the player's chosen address if they end up getting lost on the roads. Preset areas are already well defined and include Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Pismo Beach
Pismo Beach, California
Pismo Beach is a city in San Luis Obispo County, California, United States. The population was 7,655 at the 2010 census, down from 8,551 at the 2000 census...
, Whistler
Whistler, British Columbia
Whistler is a Canadian resort town in the southern Pacific Ranges of the Coast Mountains in the province of British Columbia, Canada, approximately north of Vancouver...
, and the Googleplex
Googleplex
The Googleplex is the corporate headquarters complex of Google, Inc., located at 1600 Amphitheatre Parkway in Mountain View, Santa Clara County, California, United States, near San Jose. "Googleplex" is a portmanteau of Google and complex, and a reference to googolplex, the name given to the large...
. They drop the player off within reasonable driving distance of a notable attraction and provide visible roads to drive on.
Momuments and properties
Buildings of notable properties are shown on the map as they appear on the most current edition of Google Earth using 3D computer graphic imagery. All other buildings appear flat and integrated with the terrain; novice drivers may have difficulty in telling the difference between a non-notable building and a part of the general terrain. This can include drug stores like Shoppers Drug MartShoppers Drug Mart
Shoppers Drug Mart Corporation is Canada's largest pharmacy chain with more than 1,241 stores operating under the names Shoppers Drug Mart in nine provinces and two territories and Pharmaprix in Quebec as well as in Hawkesbury, Ontario....
, services like Blockbuster Video, restaurants like McDonald's
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
, and hotels like those belonging to the Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels
Hilton Hotels & Resorts is an international chain of full-service hotels and resorts founded by Conrad Hilton and now owned by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton hotels are either owned by, managed by, or franchised to independent operators by Hilton Worldwide. Hilton Hotels became the first coast-to-coast...
franchise. Even sporting venues like the Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway
Texas Motor Speedway is a speedway located in the northernmost portion of the U.S. city of Fort Worth, Texas – the portion located in Denton County, Texas....
that are used in NASCAR
NASCAR
The National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing is a family-owned and -operated business venture that sanctions and governs multiple auto racing sports events. It was founded by Bill France Sr. in 1947–48. As of 2009, the CEO for the company is Brian France, grandson of the late Bill France Sr...
racing events and Stadium of Light
Stadium of Light
The Stadium of Light is an all-seater football stadium in Sunderland, England. With space for 49,000 spectators, the Stadium of Light has the fifth-largest capacity of any English football stadium. The stadium primarily hosts Sunderland A.F.C. matches...
(which is used for English Premiership soccer matches) can be found with 3D models. A few of these sporting venues show visible graphics when driven through like the Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre
Rogers Centre is a multi-purpose stadium, in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated next to the CN Tower, near the shores of Lake Ontario. Opened in 1989, it is home to the Toronto Blue Jays of Major League Baseball and the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League...
(revealing a baseball field
Baseball field
A baseball field, also called a ball field or a baseball diamond, is the field upon which the game of baseball is played. The terms "baseball field" and "ball field" are also often used as synonyms for ballpark.-Specifications:...
) or most of the race tracks (revealing the entire track along with the infield).
However, some sporting venues like the Air Canada Centre
Air Canada Centre
The Air Canada Centre is a multi-purpose indoor sporting arena located on Bay Street in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada.The arena is popularly known as the ACC or the Hangar ....
, the Cowboys Stadium, and a few of the NASCAR tracks (i.e., Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway
Bristol Motor Speedway, formerly known as Bristol International Raceway and Bristol Raceway is a NASCAR short track venue located in Bristol, Tennessee. Constructed in 1960, it held its first NASCAR race on July 30, 1961...
and Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway
Martinsville Speedway is an International Speedway Corporation-owned NASCAR stock car racing track located in Henry County, near Ridgeway, Virginia, just to the south of Martinsville. At in length, it is the shortest track in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series. The track was also one of the first paved...
) do not allow the player to see the inside while "driving through" the structure. Instead, they are forced to drive through the building before coming out on the other side due to a lack of collision detection.
Educational components
The game can teach people about spatial concepts, geographic categories, and description of landscapeLandscape
Landscape comprises the visible features of an area of land, including the physical elements of landforms such as mountains, hills, water bodies such as rivers, lakes, ponds and the sea, living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, human elements including different forms of...
s. This program could also be used to compare and contrast the experience of visiting a major U.S. capital
Capital City
Capital City was a television show produced by Euston Films which focused on the lives of investment bankers in London living and working on the corporate trading floor for the fictional international bank Shane-Longman....
as opposed to seeing it in a textbook
Textbook
A textbook or coursebook is a manual of instruction in any branch of study. Textbooks are produced according to the demands of educational institutions...
. Using the visual stimuli, it is also possible to adapt the Monster Milktruck program to learn about other things like European geography
Geography of Europe
Europe is traditionally reckoned as one of seven continents. Physiographically, however, it is the northwestern peninsula of the larger landmass known as Eurasia : Asia occupies the eastern bulk of this continuous landmass and all share a common continental shelf...
, world history
World History
World History, Global History or Transnational history is a field of historical study that emerged as a distinct academic field in the 1980s. It examines history from a global perspective...
, world geography, and social studies
Social studies
Social studies is the "integrated study of the social sciences and humanities to promote civic competence," as defined by the American National Council for the Social Studies...
. People using the software can also embark on independent studies that compare the way that milk was brought to consumers in earlier years as opposed to today. They can study more about milk trucks and their appointed routes.
Lack of realism
The milk truck has a tendency to react adversely to the changes in the elevation on the map. Sometimes, it tends to treat some elevation changes like stunt ramps. Even mild changes in altitude can cause the vehicle to wildly jump off the road. There is no collision detectionCollision detection
Collision detection typically refers to the computational problem of detecting the intersection of two or more objects. While the topic is most often associated with its use in video games and other physical simulations, it also has applications in robotics...
with any of the 3D buildings
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
in the game, bridge
Bridge
A bridge is a structure built to span physical obstacles such as a body of water, valley, or road, for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle...
s (forcing players to drive under the bridge with the appropriate road appearing under the structure), or even with bodies of water (lake
Lake
A lake is a body of relatively still fresh or salt water of considerable size, localized in a basin, that is surrounded by land. Lakes are inland and not part of the ocean and therefore are distinct from lagoons, and are larger and deeper than ponds. Lakes can be contrasted with rivers or streams,...
s, ocean
Ocean
An ocean is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the hydrosphere. Approximately 71% of the Earth's surface is covered by ocean, a continuous body of water that is customarily divided into several principal oceans and smaller seas.More than half of this area is over 3,000...
s, and river
River
A river is a natural watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, a lake, a sea, or another river. In a few cases, a river simply flows into the ground or dries up completely before reaching another body of water. Small rivers may also be called by several other names, including...
s). Although the speed is not shown, it is estimated that the maximum speed of the milk truck is 400 mi/h. The maximum speed of the vehicle is extremely unrealistic because aircraft can only cruise at less than 400 mi/h at 40000 feet (12,192 m) in the air.
There are no traffic light
Traffic light
Traffic lights, which may also be known as stoplights, traffic lamps, traffic signals, signal lights, robots or semaphore, are signalling devices positioned at road intersections, pedestrian crossings and other locations to control competing flows of traffic...
s or highway patrol
Highway patrol
A highway patrol is either a police unit created primarily for the purpose of overseeing and enforcing traffic safety compliance on roads and highways, or a detail within an existing local or regional police agency that is primarily concerned with such duties.Duties of highway patrols or traffic...
to punish the player for excessive speed and/or reckless driving with either a traffic ticket
Traffic ticket
A traffic ticket is a notice issued by a law enforcement official to a motorist or other road user, accusing violation of traffic laws. Traffic tickets generally come in two forms, citing a moving violation, such as exceeding the speed limit, or a non-moving violation, such as a parking violation,...
and/or an arrest
Arrest
An arrest is the act of depriving a person of his or her liberty usually in relation to the purported investigation and prevention of crime and presenting into the criminal justice system or harm to oneself or others...
to "rehabilitate" the offender. Speeding is a nearly unavoidable accomplishment because there is no visible tachometer
Tachometer
A tachometer is an instrument measuring the rotation speed of a shaft or disk, as in a motor or other machine. The device usually displays the revolutions per minute on a calibrated analogue dial, but digital displays are increasingly common...
or speedometer
Speedometer
A speedometer is a gauge that measures and displays the instantaneous speed of a land vehicle. Now universally fitted to motor vehicles, they started to be available as options in the 1900s, and as standard equipment from about 1910 onwards. Speedometers for other vehicles have specific names...
that can show the player's exact speed. The player must convert the time it takes from one flat area to another into either miles per hour or in kilometres per hour. Also, the player could do simply downright suicidal actions
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
without dying. These actions can include jumping off of the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
, Mount Everest
Mount Everest
Mount Everest is the world's highest mountain, with a peak at above sea level. It is located in the Mahalangur section of the Himalayas. The international boundary runs across the precise summit point...
, Niagara Falls
Niagara Falls
The Niagara Falls, located on the Niagara River draining Lake Erie into Lake Ontario, is the collective name for the Horseshoe Falls and the adjacent American Falls along with the comparatively small Bridal Veil Falls, which combined form the highest flow rate of any waterfalls in the world and has...
, or even off any generic canyon that descends 100 feet (30.5 m) or more. Players, however, are limited to Planet Earth; Google Earth's flight simulator (that is included with the main program) permitted players to fly Mars
Mars
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun in the Solar System. The planet is named after the Roman god of war, Mars. It is often described as the "Red Planet", as the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance...
and on the moon. Due to a lack of an onboard GPS
Global Positioning System
The Global Positioning System is a space-based global navigation satellite system that provides location and time information in all weather, anywhere on or near the Earth, where there is an unobstructed line of sight to four or more GPS satellites...
unit or a proper map mode, the player must memorize the driving route by using 3D landmarks in order to purposely drive to a destination. A lack of other vehicles on the road to generate traffic (either through a multiplayer mode or through AI-controlled vehicles) allows the players to maintain speeds that are unrealistically fast for windy roads, urban streets, and for roads that are on mountains.
There is no option to play with the horn
Vehicle horn
A vehicle horn is a sound-making device used to warn others of the approach of the vehicle or of its presence. Automobiles, trucks, ships, and trains are all required by law to have horns...
or to use proper turn signals because they have never been implemented in the game yet.