VR Nanodegree Puzzler Project — “Mysterious Dungeon”
Guest Contribution
This VR game experience was based on the Puzzler Project from Udacity’s VR Nanodegree (hyperlink) program. The main object of this project was to create a properly scaled VR experience which is intuitive to the user and takes into consideration many of the VR elements such as proper scale, proper movement to avoid simulator sickness, and many other factors which go into making a good VR experience. The game portion inside the dungeon is based on a visual pattern-repeating memorization mechanism very similar to the old Simon electronic game from the early 80’s.
Outcomes
My original idea was to have a “dungeon hidden in ruins” concept complete with a head and mouth opening for the entrance, but that task seemed a little beyond the scope of my time + talent. So, instead I opted for a mysterious building sitting out in the middle of a valley floor with trees and grass/dirt around it. I also opted for a dusk setting so things would coalesce with the cricket background noise in order to create a unified evening environment. And I also managed to find a great Skybox background Image* in the Unity Store that really added to the mystery and slight eeriness of the VR space. It’s interesting how the VR scene evolves over time as elements are added and tested in the VR HMD (Head Mounted Display). It’s similar to painting or drawing where you are laying down the foundation and then adding colors, lines, and layers to complete the final work.
For the final touches I was able to re-create torch fire and added an intro voice to the experience. Overall, I’m satisfied with the final product, but like most artists it’s hard to put down my work and call it done. Also my family and friends were fairly impressed that I was able to cobble together a complete experience in a relatively short amount of time.
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The Development Process
Statement of Purpose
Puzzler game is a mobile VR application that challenges the user to solve a memory puzzle game in a mysterious dungeon environment setting in order to escape.
Identifying the Audience
Before I could start work on the Puzzler app in detail I had to discover who my audience was. I did this by considering what type of person would like to play a puzzle game in a dungeon-type setting. Since I played Dungeons & Dragons and video games in my youth, the target audience seemed to be someone with similar interests. After some brainstorming, I decide that Sheldon was the Persona which best represented this audience:
Vision and Development
Although I started with the idea of a Dungeon Ruins type environment, as things progressed it seemed that laying the strong functional foundation became more important than creating an over-the-top environment.
Eventually I decided that modeling the head would take too long and would detract from my goal of creating a workable game. So, I decide to build and scale the dungeon with the resources available in the project. Below are a few images of the early build lighting tests and sizing up the GUI menu.
User Testing, Feedback, & Iteration
Initial Testing and Feedback
My Wife tested the initial dungeon and felt that I had properly scaled it to the approximate size of what the dungeon would look like in real life, but she said it could use some more detail like flames on the torches and better mood lighting. She also said that in her opinion the menus were too high and could be lowered to near eye level.
My daughter (8) replied that the dungeon is cool but it’s plain. At the time I did not have any mountains, a basic dungeon structure, and only a generic skybox image in the background.
Pre-Final Testing and Feedback
Wife: She didn’t understand the gameplay?—?we came up with a suggestion to add in a “fail” pop-up GUI to explain to the user that they failed to repeat the sequence and that it would start over again.
Daughter: She loved the torches and the way the orbs lit up, but she was also a little confused on the game mechanics though she did get through successfully on her second attempt.
Neither tester complained about any environmental factors such as the scene, object scale, the dungeon, or player movement. Overall, the only change I would make would be to possibly make is to add a GUI during gameplay to provide feedback if the player failed to repeat the sequence or add an audio cue for the failure with a short explanation that the sequence will repeat again. I found audio cues to be just as important as visual ones.
Breakdown of Final Product
VR Environment
Overall, I spent a fair amount of time getting the basic foundational elements correct like scaling and lighting. I think that paid off in my user feedback. Adding little touches like torch fire and the environmental 3D sounds really help to sell the VR experience and make it more than just a game. I consider it more of a game inside a VR world and for the first time I understand the impact that proper usage of sound can make to the experience.
Player Movement
The player movement went pretty well and there were no reports of simulator sickness, mainly because the movement was consistent and linear. Also, I tried to set the speed at a moderate pace so as not to be too slow but more of a quick walk.
Game Mechanics
I think the game mechanic development went pretty well. I did not run into too many issues here, although as stated in the player feedback it would have helped to have visual or audio cues when the player failed. It would have helped to make the player aware that if they failed the sequence would repeat again and that they would have to start the sequence over. If I had more time I would probably put this as my #1 priority to improve the App.
Conclusion
The Puzzler project was very challenging, mostly because of the time constraints and a few software bugs involved with the some audio elements of the GoogleVR SDK not executing correctly with the current version of Unity. But it was also fun because I didn’t have to spend a lot of time double checking game mechanics as the code provided in the course worked marvelously! It allowed me to focus more on the environment and overall VR experience, which is a very important activity to really craft the VR experience. It also allowed me to dabble with the terrain editor and creating fire from particle FX.
This project is now over, but I will continue to improve on a few more elements of gameplay before I officially call it complete. Although it is a playable game from start to finish, adding more levels and making the gameplay mechanic more intuitive will only make the experience better.
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