Week 5: ARKit Research and Paper Prototypes

In week 05, we proposed another round of pitches, then we practiced paper playtest to see if those ideas work. We continuously test ARkit 2 and 3 to determine what they can do to support the game design ideas.

The Work Week 05

After Quarter, we came up with new round of pitches:

The first one we try to split phone screen into two parts and the player need to match their half faces into one and then play a game.

Core Game Mechanism: Using split screen to match two half faces then use facial recognition tools to check.

Original game mechanism:

1 Use facial expression photos to show which emotion they need to make. When they succeed, take a photo.

2 Give guests specific scenario and let them make expressions to respond this situation and at the same time mimic each other.

The second idea is using one player’s face as a game pad then play a game on top of it.

Two players work together. Basically, the idea is player 1 plays a game on play 2’s face. Player 1 holds the mobile phone and can see AR projection on player 2’s face which is a face that player 2 needs to match. Player 1 needs to guide player 2 to change his/her facial expression/ shapes to match the AR projection face mask.   

Game Mechanics:

1. 1. There is a paper prototype made by the plastic board to work as an AR screen. Two players stand on both sides of the plastic board facing each other. There also is a face drawing on the plastic board which works as the AR projection. The third person holds this plastic board and works as the system. 
   2. There are 3 steps the players need to work together to finish. The first is to let player 2 make a match with the shape of the eyebrows of the drawing on the plastic paper. If they do that correctly, the red ball at the top of the face drawing will move the middle of eyebrows which means that they finish the first step. The second step is to let player 2’s face match the shapes of the eyes and nose of that drawing. If the do that correctly, the red ball will move from eyebrow to the chin. The last step is to let player 2 match the shape of the mouse. If he/ she do that in the right way, the red ball will move to the mouse and the two players finish the game.  
   3. During the two players playing the game, they can use language to communicate or look at each other and get clues from others’ faces.

The third prototype is a co-op AR creature herding game:

1. Summary: Two players work together to use facial movements and expressions to get a creature to move from Point A to Point B, which they can figure out with the use of a manual
2. Game Mechanics
   1. There is an alien on the loose, and as two human alien farmers, you have to work together to bring it back to the barn!
   2. Aliens will only move in response to facial expressions
   3. Example creature has two heads, which are facing front and back (simulated by real humans, ideally would be AR)
      1. One is an “angry” head, the other has a “sad” head
         1. This creature is emotionally at war with itself, can only be moved when both heads are put into a more “neutral” state
         2. Can only be put in this state when the players work together to make the right expressions to put these heads in a neutral state
   4. “Creature Compendium” manual explains not only what the heads’ default and neutral states look like and how to get them there, but also the kinds of expressions that will work to move the aliens
   5. When players put an alien head into a neutral state at around the same time, the creature moves one step closer to the “barn” (end point)

Paper Prototypes

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From our paper prototype and interior playtesting, we can see the potential of each prototype and also the weak points of each one, we will refine the details over the weekend and do a playtest again next week.

Plans for Next Week

The most important thing for next week is to hold a ETC interior playtesting and try to find useful feedback from it.