ZAP
VR exploration to learn design and development principles for creating virtual reality content. Created with Unity 3D, and compatible with Google Cardboard.
The concept is this: Use your gaze and head movement to look at the marshmallows and berries to zap them out. The whole point of this game for me was to learn some design and development principles for creating in VR.
MY ROLE: CREATED THE CONCEPT, DESIGNED AND BUILT THE GAME. MODELS FROM TED STERCHI.
GAZE:
I targeted development for the Google Cardboard because it was a lowest common denominator of sorts. Cheap and easy to use. The main selection input was also gazing. I started development pretty crudely, using spheres + limited shapes and testing how easy it was to select them based on size.
What I learned about gaze... Getting something to be easily selectable is tricky because everyone is different. Those with better neck coordination can select something with more fine-tuning, whereas others have difficulty selecting with gaze. For me, the ideal size of objects I wanted selectable was scaled 1.5x. Using gaze as a selection input is nice because it eliminates the need for a controller or button, but there is also the accessibility problem that arises when someone cannot steadily move their head.
1X Size
1.5x Size
DEVELOPMENT:
Learning how to design and build for VR is changing the way I think about experiences, making them more of a multi-sensory journey. The midway point of development arrived when things started falling into place. The 3D models were progressing (Thanks to Ted) and the level of game intricacy was advancing. Things were happening! Things like buoyancy, proper marshmallow deletion after selection, and starting to create the scene. And I was learning about materials, meshes, prefabs, and efficiency.
Creating the liquid and buoyancy
Adding score boards
Zap time!
ONBOARDING:
Onboarding is critical for any application but especially so for Virtual Reality. How does onboarding for VR work though? While creating the screens, I ran up against challenges such as readability, selection, and positioning. I had to describe how selection and gaze work to enable gameplay, as well as what the objective was.
