Degree Project -Week 5 — Week 18
Development Challenges
Skills Required
- 3D Modelling — Basic Knowledge in 3D Modelling, I’m confident enough that it wont impact my progress negatively as I have enough experience in it. (Relegated to lowest priority)
- Texturing/Material Painting for 3D Models — Lacking experience on how to properly paint and texture 3D Models. Will need to find time to explore this skill during the semester. (Given medium priority)
- Coding — Possess basic understanding of C# language in Unity. Majority of the project will rely heavily on coding therefore will need more time to seek support for this skill. (Given highest priority)
- UI/UX Design — Decent enough understanding, I plan to explore different designs and layouts that fit the game as users will spend most of their time staring at the UI. (Given highest priority)
Skill Acquisition Plan
- Augmented Reality(AR) & Unity — Multiple documentations available online, can fall back on lecturers if there are any technical problems or bugs with the code.
- 3D Modelling & Texturing — Will be relying on online tutorials for 3D Modelling, as I think theres enough resources available online.
- Visuals & Gameplay — This will require constant user test and feedback from the lecturers to gain a fresh perspective.
Tools used
- Unity, Game Design and Coding — Unity has a simple and basic enough framework to start my project from, and its the only game developing software I have experience with.
- Adobe Illustrator, UI Design — For basic design of transparent images to be implemented into the in-game H.U.D.
- Blender, 3D Modelling — I prefer using Blender than the other available softwares due to it being open source, allowing me to find many plugins and tutorials online.
- Adobe 3D Substance Painter — Used to texture and colour models professionally.
Technical Tools involving AR
Niantic Lightship
Pros
- Real time surface detection and meshing for environment.
- Multiplayer is one of the main features this package has included.
- Comes with multiple examples prepared.
- Real time interactions with the environment.
- Extensive documentations and tutorials prepared online.
Cons
- Cannot be exported straight away to a Webbased AR, requiring a third party such as 8th Wall to help turn the application into a Webbased AR experience.
- Requires extensive coding knowledge to understand .
- Low frame-rate even on phones with medium specs.
Only contains a few basic tutorials there wasn’t much in terms of documentation to help a beginner at coding with the package.
AR Foundation
Pros
- Free package available for download on Unity.
- Basic and advanced AR features.
- Meshing: generates triangle meshes that correspond to the physical space.
- Abundance of documentation online.
- Easy troubleshooting available online and physically.
Cons
- Requires separate packages for the target platforms officially supported by Unity such as ARCore for Android.
What I think
After my experience with Niantic Lightship I have moved on to using ARFoundation mainly because it is more beginner friendly and offers many open source tutorials and assets online.
Photon
Pros
- Allows network and data exchange to occur between platforms, allowing for a multiplayer experience.
- Created for 3D Networking Framework, perfect for the AR project.
- Proven by many to be an efficient and useful asset.
- Free of charge on the Unity asset store.
- Works for all platforms including AR.
Cons
- Must be integrated into the application itself separate from another package or asset.
- Unity beta versions are not supported, doesn’t support Unity’s New Input system.
Initial Experiments
Testing the Photon Services for multiplayer.
Technical Findings
Web-based AR or Application based?
Initially wanted to consider creating a Web-based AR, however as time went I decided to go for a typical application based setup for the game as I wanted players to return to the game anytime.
Photon requires more time to integrate
I’m not familiar with Photon Unity Networking, therefore I need to spend more time throughout the semester and sembreak to understand how to implement it better.
Organise workspace properly
Found out that the project workspace for all the platforms are messy, making it hard for me to assess important files and assets. Will need to spend time naming and organising folders.
Risk Assessment
Design Development
Story
Keywords : Nonsensical, Fun, Crazy, Sci-fi
“Somewhere in his laboratory(mother’s basement), a no-name mad scientist named Doctor Kwan-Tum has created his latest invention yet. The Assembled sTorage System, A.S.T for short, because if he kept the S you would get the point. What is the A.S.T? It’s a multi-storage device with the capabilities of an onion, featuring a multi-layered compartment system made with composite “science material(which are just plastic that the scientist rebranded)” all the while hosting the most important component, a Quantum Molecular Teleportation Device! The purpose of the A.S.T is to have a storage device that teleports to you at will along with teleporting it to another place, revolutionising packing and moving personal objects and creating a convenient experience. Doctor Kwan-Tum however being a genius, did not actually create a remote for it and expected the device to work on his command. The A.S.T teleports away before he even had the chance to rename the S to a T before it relocates to another location, thankfully for the doctor the teleportation device short circuited and he was able to ping its location. One problem, the doctor doesn’t ever leave his basement, and he used the only teleportation device he had. So what does he do? He hires cheap labor with his money he scrapped up from his couch to dismantle his device and bring back the teleportation component. Which is where the players come in as a pair of inexperienced duo that has to work together to dismantle the device.”
World Background
The game takes place in the real world, where realistic and cartoonish elements combine together to form a not so believable and uncanny universe. People come in realistic forms and shapes, the same goes for objects as well hence why majority of Dr. Kwan-tums face lacks a few extra polygons.
Character Background
Dr. Kwan-tum is a self-proclaimed scientist aged around 30, that stays in his mother’s basement which also happens to be his laboratory. In his laboratory Dr. Kwan-tum focuses on creating pointless devices that serve no purpose to humanity. Recently however, he has begun producing the ultimate storage device that will finally prove to be beneficial to humanity, or so he has claimed online on social forums.Dr. Kwan-Tum’s Personality
-Irrational
-Low Self-Esteem
-Not the brightest but smart enough
-Awkward
-Fidgety
Introduction Cutscene
An introduction will be added into the game for the primary purpose of establishing a story to ease players into the game.
How will the introduction cutscene be integrated?
At the start of the game when players click on the start button.
Ending Cutscene Variations
Endings will be randomly chosen, players actions will not affect the ending.
- Teleporter Ending — The machine short circuits and teleports off again, leaving Dr.Kwan-tum distraught.
- Sock Ending — The machine opens up to reveal Dr.Kwan-tum’s sock.
- Bomb Ending — The machine opens up to reveal a bomb which then teleports to Dr.Kwan-tum’s laboratory.
Gameplay
The following topics will be my plan for each step of the gameplay along with an Updated User Flow List.
User Flow
Stage 1 — The AST
Equipment : Screwdriver, Long/Short-Sightedness, and Pick
Player 1 has a Screwdriver but no very bad vision, whereas Player 2 is Long-Sighted and can’t see where the screws are. Player 2 is given a Pick to break up gunk blocking the screws as well. Both players suffer from either Short/Long-Sightedness.
Stage 2 — The Bomb
Equipment : Manual, Wire Cutters
Player 1 has the Wire Cutters and works with Player 2 to has to look at a manual on the side of the bomb, Player 1 will not be able to see the Manual proper because the player is illiterate.
Stage 3 — The Bot
Equipment : Interface, Line Connector
Player 1 has a Line Connector to connect together, Player 2 is not illiterate and can read the Interface, Player 2 needs to interact with the interface in a classic RPG format to keep the Robot entertained. If Player 2 does not keep the robot entertained while Player 1 is repairing the fuses a fuse will drop out.
Stage 4 — The Puzzle Box
Equipment : Symbol Puzzle
Press the corresponding symbols on the device with colors at the same time without fail to win, the catch is that the colors displayed are meant for the other player, therefore both players are required to communicate. Failure to complete the task in time will lead to both players restarting the stage. The buttons will start to get dirty over time, forcing players to wipe clean the dirt constantly to interact with the button.
Ending
The box opens to reveals its casing, the players still retain control and are able to look into the box revealing it’s random endings. The game ends after the ending with a scoreboard for how long it took players to finish the game.
Moodboard for Stages
Moodboard for H.U.D & Loading Screen
Color Palette
The idea is to create a science experiment in a laboratory atmosphere within an Augmented Reality environment. I focused on the visuals for the devices the players interact with along with the U.I of the game.
Scoreboard
Adding a scoreboard will help to boost replayability and encourage competitivity among players. The scoreboard will appear at the end of the final stage.
Title Design
Sketches
Main Menu Design and Layout Iterations
Artistic impression of first stage
Sketches for Gameplay
3D Modelling
- Stage 1
- Main Menu
- Equipment/Taskbar
- Stage 2
- Dr.Kwan-tum
Texturing with Adobe Illustrator
Stage 1 using Adobe Illustrator. Planning to change to Adobe 3D Substance Painter in the future.
Main Menu Camera Light Test
U.I Element Design
Target Audience
Age : 18–35
The Primary target audience is between the ages of 18–35, mainly because these generations are more tech-savvy than the older generations.
Location : Urban Environment
Internet connection is required to use the application, certain areas do not have data coverage and as such cannot access the game’s multiplayer feature.
Game Preference : Mobile games
The Primary Target audience will be those that are more interested in mobile gaming.
Game Skills : Basic Level
Doesn’t require much skills to play the game, controls are meant to be simple and easy to understand. Players only require communication to play the game together.
Sounds
Sounds compiled for addition in the future are based on Sci-fi to generic modern day audio, such as a washing machine sound file for the first stage.
User Scenario
Explain how the user starts shit with a sketch or graph. User approaches the booth, User scans the QR code to download the game, User launches the game and plays it.
Wireframe of gameplay
Images of wireframe step by step process, each page is arranged from Main Menu to individual stages.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/198iaGh1WeE0YDfa_Y_5JWiffiVEeeQqv/view?usp=sharing
Script Writing
The script is made to be short and concise to send a clear message to users, this is because the users are using mobile phones and tend not to listen to longer sentences.
https://docs.google.com/document/d/14yzqUu7O0CIwTn_FpHIYJ8DCTD85R5hr6BKCOQin7_w/edit?usp=sharing
Gantt Chart
Prototyping
Development Process
Gameplay Interactions
- Tapping
- Rotating
Particle Effects
U.I Design
Loading Screen Opening/Closing
Gameplay Prototype
Tutorials referenced
answers.unity.com. (n.d.). How To Play Animation On UI Button Click Please… Im Going To Freak Out Please Enter And Help Me — Unity Answers. [online] Available at: https://answers.unity.com/questions/1118969/how-to-play-animation-on-ui-button-click-please-im.html [Accessed 20 Sep. 2022].
doc.photonengine.com. (n.d.). Introduction | Photon Engine. [online] Available at: https://doc.photonengine.com/en-us/pun/current/getting-started/pun-intro.
docs.unity3d.com. (n.d.). AR anchor manager | AR Foundation | 4.1.12. [online] Available at: https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.xr.arfoundation@4.1/manual/anchor-manager.html [Accessed 20 Sep. 2022].
Unity Forum. (n.d.). Button OnClick as toggle. [online] Available at: https://forum.unity.com/threads/button-onclick-as-toggle.264234/ [Accessed 20 Sep. 2022].
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). How to create a Timer [Tutorial][C#] — Unity 3d. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-C95TuQtf0.
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). How To Use Substance Painter With Blender | Blender to Substance Painter Workflow Tutorial. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQ0YsuL5oAI [Accessed 20 Sep. 2022].
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Unity AR Foundation — How To Use Google AR Cloud Anchors? [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EuKW9RjORdk [Accessed 20 Sep. 2022].
The next step
Based on the progress of the current semester, I estimate that the work required to complete the project will take less than 8 weeks, however I would like to spend an additional 8 weeks to polish up gameplay interactions, experience and visuals. A new Gantt Chart will be prepared to plan out the 2nd phase of the project.
Final Thoughts
After repeated failures along with attempts to understand and polish the project in Unity, this is mainly due to the package errors and version errors I have never encountered until this semester. I may be migrating to PlayCanvas to better test out the AR capabilities. Since the assets for modelling, UI, and textures are separate and accounted for it should be fairy safe to migrate to the new platform. I will spend the following weeks in semester break testing out PlayCanvas and comparing the benefits and disadvantages to Unity. The decision will be made on which platform to continue on the final weeks.
