Outlining the components we will be producing and establishing our final deliverables.
| Components | Physical Space | The App | Expectations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Construction/ | |||
| Development | 2.5x2.5x2.5m Room | ||
| Frame/Wooden structure | |||
| Screens/boards | |||
| Paint | |||
| Potentially sound proofing material | Mobile Game available on Android and IOS. | Physical box, suitable for one person at a time. | |
| Ability to keep sound within the room. | |||
| Mobile game to be accessible to those when required. | |||
| Visual Design | Environment/Animations in our chosen art style | ||
| App logo | |||
| Backgrounds | |||
| Interactions | |||
| Animations | The visual design of the physical space must relax and calm players. The visual appearance of the app must be kept clean and simple. | ||
| Sound Design | Soundtrack | ||
| Atmospheric Sound | Sound effects | Sound must immerse and engage players. As well as evoke feelings of calm, ease and comfort. Sound effects will be provided after each interaction within the mobile app. | |
| User Interface | Main Menu | ||
| Loading Screen | |||
| Interaction | |||
| Settings | Main Menu | ||
| Loading Screen | |||
| Settings | Easy navigation. Clear and simple to use. Must be accessible and have intuitive usability. | ||
| Scripts | Projection mapping | ||
| Menu’s | |||
| Interaction | |||
| Controller support | TBC | Project our visuals onto a 360 degree environment to the scale of our choice. Players must be able to navigate the reflective app easily with no frustrations. Advanced controllers must be available for those who need it. | |
| Software | Sparck | ||
| Adobe Illustrator | |||
| Adobe Photoshop | |||
| Adobe After Effects | |||
| Unit | |||
| Logic X Pro/Garage Band | Unity | ||
| Android/IOS System | Successfully design and produce all assets for our physical space. Successfully program our gameplay experience within Unity and eliminate the risk of bugs or other complications. | ||
| Hardware | Projectors | ||
| Surround sound system | |||
| PC |
| Tablet/Mobile Phone | Projector must project visuals 360 degrees around the physical space. Players must hear sound from every direction. PC must have the processing power to successfully run our visuals. Mobile device must run application successfully. |
| Promotional Material | Trailer Logo Website Social Media Posters and Banners Merchandise | N/A | Must successfully market, advertise and promote both the process and final outcome of our project. Gain engagement, impressions, reach and a healthy following. | | Gameplay | Players observe their physical surroundings and potentially interact in some way. | Players use their reflective app to create action plans for the day ahead. | Players leave the experience feeling calm, relaxed and at ease. Players are expected to install the app post-experience and create a ‘plan of action’ for the days ahead, in a playful yet tactile way. |
Physical Space
Construction
The construction of the physical space will only be a concern if we are to choose to use the XR Box as our environment to develop our experience within as for ‘6m Cylinder’ is readily set up including all the hardware we need. Which space that we use is to be decided after we have carried out more extensive testing at the beginning of Semester Two. If the plans for the XR Box go ahead, we will need to source the materials listed above.
The dimensions of the physical space have been tested virtually during semester one and the conclusion of those results were that the most appropriate dimensions would be 4x4x3 metres. However, for the arcade event and final deliverable, we propose to adapt these dimensions to 2.5x2.5x2.5 metres for ease of construction and mobility to the arcade event. This decision should not impede the impact of the game experience.
Visual Design
Environment and interactions within it will be kept incredibly simple as the focus of the experience is the players engagement with the audiovisual design. The visual design aims to impress, please and satisfy the player enough that they are able to form a connection and be influenced by the visual storytelling. Our research into colour, shape and motion has allowed us to understand how to induct feelings of relaxation, calm and comfort. For example, we know that shades of blue have immense power to manage stress and even influence physical symptoms such as lowering blood pressure. Spirals, curves and circles are known to project feelings of harmony and balance, supporting the notion of inner-peace. In regards to motion; rhythm, repetition and slow movement are found to have calming effects because there are no surprises and predictability is reassuring. Visual design production will also require team training for softwares including Adobe After Effects for any animations/motion and Sparck to generate the projection mapping.
Sound Design
We will be designing and producing our own soundtrack for the physical space as this is the most important element to achieve immersion and assist in the regulation of emotions. We must pay close attention to the composition of our soundtrack and use particular musical patterns to project and evoke emotions of peace and relaxation. Throughout our research we identified the specific key that is associated with emotions of happiness, calm and innocence which is ‘C Major’. In addition to this, the chord ‘G’ can be used to evoke feelings of satisfaction, gratitude and peace. We are aware of the most suitable arrangements for our soundtrack and as mentioned before, plan to produce and pass on a ‘Sound Bible’ to make the music students aware of our intentions.
User Interface
We will need to design and produce User Interface for our physical space to allow players to reset and adjust the settings of the space. To ensure the space is as accessible and inclusive as possible, in Semester Two we must consider advanced controls that’ll provide extra support for those that need it. Throughout our research we focused on Inclusive Design and established additional features such as audio description, colour contrast and external hardware.