Kyle’s Puzzler Project
Introduction
As part of the VRND coursework, I was asked to design, test, and iterate on a puzzler game within VR. In the game a player enters a building, watches a sequence and performs that sequence to escape. Players are then asked if they want to try again or end.
Puzzler
This project was successful thanks to iterating through testing and paying attention to design throughout the process. My test subjects have had a good time testing and look forward to more creations from me. Here is a quick video of the puzzler, but remember to read further to understand the details of how I got here.
Sketches
The design of this puzzler started with some hand drawn sketches to get the understanding of where I wanted to go with the design.

The Process
As stated in the beginning I went through multiple iterations before getting to the final design. My persona changed over time from my wife to her nephew Daniel, which changed the scope a little to a game less detailed and focused specifically on the puzzle. Here is some more information on Daniel:
Persona

Daniel, 12 — Middle School Student
Daniel is gifted in math and science and loves to play games. He specifically likes to solve puzzles and if they are part of a video game that is a plus.
“VR is cool, but gaming on my phone is exponentially better”
Experience with VR:
· Daniel just started to learn about VR by creating a cardboard and downloading some sample apps. In terms of using it for gaming, he has not seen the opportunity yet
User Testing and Iterations
Here are some points of user’s feedback on the main elements:
Scale and Size
How do you feel about the overall scale?
Not bad, overall it feels to scale
Tell me what you feel about this experience.
Very basic, but I understand the concept of VR a little better.
Is the experience comfortable to be in?
Yes
Is there anything hard to see or understand?
No everything seems to be in focus
UI Check
What do you feel you should do next
- Select the button
What do you feel about the scale
- Scale feels ok with this demo as well
What do you think the canvas is for
- for presenting user information
After you click start, what pops up?
- A choice
Do you understand what to choose.
Yes
Movement
Warned about the motion sickness
How do you feel about the movement
- Feels ok, slightly slow
Is anything in the scene causing you to feel uncomfortable
- No nothing. Movement seems to be uniform
Breakdown of final piece
The puzzler sets you in a suspended space with a Start screen floating in front of you, as soon as you click you are transported into the building and the puzzle sequence starts. You will notice there is ambient sound in the background and the orbs in the room light up in sequence. The user will click the orbs in sequence and be placed outside. Here are a few screen captures to show this off.
Start Screen

Selection of the orbs (orbs light up to let you know what you are selecting)

If the user no longer wants to participate they are instructed to take off the headset

Conclusion
In conclusion, this project was great experience getting use to the design process of a video game. Over all the iteration and user testing proved that you cannot complete it all on your own without some time of feedback. I hope you enjoy the game.
