Solving a Puzzle

T. Craddick
Aug 9, 2017 · 6 min read

Udacity VR Development — Puzzler Project

This is a concise virtual reality application design for the Udacity virtual reality nanodegree program. It is intended to be a demonstration of how virtual reality can be used on mobile device. It is also a personal experiment with the constraints of iterative development, and mobile development in terms of scene design and mechanics.

Puzzler

The premise of the application is kept simple, being a puzzle of spheres that light in a certain order for a user to match. The overall design and mechanics are intended to be simple, serving more as practice for developing lighting, interaction, and locomotion around the constraints of mobile devices.

Video Walkthrough of the Application

Development Process

I started the development process by determining who I my target audience would be for the application, and then created a fictional persona to help keep in mind. This audience changed once beyond my initial choice when I began the project, and ultimately became the group of individuals who are unfamiliar with VR, so that the application could act as a simple demonstration.

Persona

Image Source: https://pixabay.com/en/boy-chef-cook-food-male-man-1300112/

Sketches

I then proceeded to make a small selection of sketches documenting the initial design ideas I had while making the application, many of which did change by the end of the project. They did help greatly in terms of ensuring I adhered to the basic design principles decided upon early in the project however.

Initial Design Sketch
Castle Design Upon Implementation

User Testing

In order to practice iterative development, I asked someone to test my application so that I could figure out what elements worked, and which ones needed refinement.

Test 1: Scene Scale

Q: How big do you think you are in this experience?
A: “Compared to the gate, I feel like a normal person, compared to the mountains I feel very tall.”

Q: Do any of the objects seem too big/small compared to the others?
A: “The castle seems fine, though it seems a bit small compared to the mountains around it.”

Q: What would you say the mood or atmosphere of the place is like?
A: “Kind of creepy, very dark. Also sort of pretty though, so lost is a good feeling for it.”

Q: Is there anything that you are interested in looking at, but is too difficult to see?
A: ”Everything seems okay on that front.”

Iterative Changes: I adjusted the size of the terrain surrounding the keep in an attempt to make it look more of a natural construction.

Test 2: UI Design

Q: Do you see a panel? How does it look in terms of size?
A: “It’s a good size. Just readable enough to say “hey come here and come do this” “

Q: What do you think this panel is for?
A: “Very clearly, to introduce the game and to start it.”

Q: After pressing the button, what happens?
A: “My perspective is moved to just inside the gate I saw behind the panel.”

Iterative Changes: Everything seemed fine on this front, though I did adjust the text font from the initial format of the user test.

Test 3: Movement Mechanics

Q: How does the movement feel after clicking start? Too fast or too slow?
A: ‘ A little fast, but that may just be because I get motion sick easy, but slower may do the same.”

Q: Are you getting any motion sickness from the movement?
A: “When I entered the room, there was a slight bit just due to the unexpected layout, but again, I also get easily motion sick.”

Q: Did you notice any height changes, or any disorientation as a result of the movement?
A: “Slight bit of the mentioned disorientation at the end, but nothing bad at all.”

Iterative Changes: I attempted to make the movement slightly slower in hopes of reducing the motion sickness. I also changed the starting position slightly so that the player had a better view of the gate and room as they were entering in hopes of reducing problems.

Test 4: Puzzle Mechanics

Q: Was the gameplay for solving the puzzle intuitive?
A: “It makes sense as a puzzle game in terms of what to do with the spheres.”

Q: Did you have any issues playing through the puzzle using the mechanics?
A: “With the current view, the two ends get cutoff depending on where you look, you can’t see them all at once which was a bit inconvenient.”

Q: Any other concerns regarding the scene, gameplay or otherwise?
A: “Maybe put the balls closer together, but nothing beyond that.”

Iterative Changes: I decreased the distance between the spheres so that the player could see them all without needing to look around and lose sight of one end.

Breakdown of Final Build

The application opens with the user facing the small keep, with a menu standing between them and the gate. They can look around at this point to get a better view of the keep and the surrounding hills, but can make no process before looking at the UI.

Initial Opening Screen

Once the player presses the start button to begin the puzzle, they are moved forward into the keep, standing by the entrance where they can view each of the spheres.

Puzzle Setup

Once they are finished moving, the spheres begin to light up in a specific pattern of five lights, which the user must memorize. Sound accompanies each of these instances of lighting up, helping the user to know which is being lit. The player must then select each sphere in the same pattern that was previously shown to them.

Selecting a Sphere

If they make a mistake, then an error sound is played, and a new pattern is shown. If they correctly select the pattern of five, then a success sound is played, and the player is moved through the other gate. They are then presented with another menu, congratulating them for finishing the game, and offering them the chance to restart it.

Conclusion Screen

Conclusion

Ultimately, the application turned out largely as I had hoped given project assets and specifications. Though there were a few edits based upon user testing and self evaluation, the project design remained largely similar to the initial sketches. I believe this project met the initial goals of creating a concise application to introduce virtual reality to newcomers.

Next Steps

The application as it stands still has many rough edges. From fine tuning the scaling of the building and the contained objects, to the proper organization of the spheres, there are many details that could be refined to create a more pleasant user experience. When a proper experience has been created, then efforts can be made to increase replayability and engagement with the player, likely by adding additional rooms with similar puzzles for the players to move through.

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