Locomotion in VR
Playable Prototype Integrated Build – Click to Download
We were able to polish one of the mechanics and explore different possibilities for another.
The following is the mechanic mappings for the build:
Triangle – 3rd person Runner
Square – Motion angle test with Scaling Mechanic
Circle – Irregular Angle test with Scaling Mechanics
3rd person Runner: (Tentatively called Delicious)
After getting feedback we decided to merge the falling demo and the floating demo into a more cohesive single prototype. We also wanted to see if we could give the assets more life by adding some level of detail. While texturing them properly was not something we could achieve we were able to get close to the above sketch, model-wise.
In the prototype similar to the hot air balloon game we have you controlling a balloon of bananas that is moving forward. The objective is to collect stars to get points and to go through kiwi rings to increase the amount of time you have to play. There are both obstacles in the path as well as objects being fired at you as you fly the course. You do not need to only dodge but also have a shield that you control to prevent being hit from the projectiles.
The game uses the following mechanics of play:
- Left Joystick – Controls the shield (It wraps around the player character)
- Head tilt – Moves the balloon from left to right
- Stars – Points
- Kiwi Rings – Time increase by 5 sec
- Looking around if stable enough should not actually move the balloon around.
- You start with 90 seconds
It should be noted that parts of the prototype are still lacking, the stars are not well positioned enough to be satisfying and can be arranged in a better way. Some of the balancing for the game is off especially at the moments where the player needs to choose between the stars and the rings, as currently it is not made into that interesting of a choice. The game lacks juicy feedback, while feedback is present it is not yet at a level where it feels largely satisfying. We also need to work on the scale of the objects.
Motion angle test with Scaling Mechanic
We took the simple zoom based mechanic and thought of implementing it slightly differently to bring about a sense of motion for the guest. In the previous version, the guest had to look around and even look behind him to see the trail which gave him a sense of motion. Here, we worked with the height of the player from the object. It was as though the guest was flying/jumping towards the object instead of translating in one axis towards it. This way, the guest got a sense of motion but not too much of it to make him fall sick. Also, playtests proved that, there was a sense of urgency that was achieved when the guest was moving down towards an object rather than moving towards it in one dimension. The guests were more vested in this approach.
Irregular Angle test with Scaling Mechanics
In this game, we took the learning from the simple table game and started placing the objects around the world, but this time at different heights. That way, when the guest moves between objects, there is a shift in object under/next to him as well. This made the game more interesting and also lead to better spatial puzzles. To enhance the experience and to complete the game loop, we implemented a ‘collect the stars’ game where the guest needs to move around the world and collect stars that are floating around. This gave guests a reason to move around in the world and also a mechanic that brought about strategy as the guest had to decide his path between objects to maximize his score.