KAIJI TOWER
Platform: Oculus Quest 2 with passthrough
Duration: 2 weeks
Tools: Unity, Rhino3D, Visual Studio Code
Role: Programmer, Game Designer, Environmental Designer, Gameplay Technical Designer,Technical Artist
Teammates: Xun Zhang (Programmer)
Sarah Wille (Programmer)
Sijia Wang (Artist)
Samantha Trimboli (Artist)
Zhaojia Guo (Sound Designer)
The game is about a man participating in a deadly game show, gambling his life with the hopes of winning valuable treasures.
Our goal is to utilize the Quest 2 passthrough and the virtual environment to make the guest (player) feel immersive.
The Design:
Upon discussion with the team, I suggested the concept of incorporating actual wood planks into the gameplay to blur the lines between the virtual environment and reality.
Physical wood planks
The integration of physical objects within the virtual space has proven to be effective. Feedback from numerous playtests indicates that participants genuinely feel scared when stepping onto the wood plank, despite it being only an inch height off the ground.
Due to device constraints, I had to write a script to decide whether the character stays on the plank or falls, mirroring the guest's movements in the physical space. With the help of VR, guests experience the sensation of falling despite remaining on the same level in the real world.
Using the same script to make character move on the stair
Falling
The Environment and the Level:
Within the confined 11.5ft by 11.5ft physical space, I Designed the game's environment to accommodate our constraints while ensuring all intended gameplay elements were present.
Originally, the game was designed as a single-level obstacle course. Recognizing the spatial limitations, I changed the design to a vertical format, effectively utilizing the available area. This approach proved successful, fitting within the limited space and simultaneously elevating additional excitement for the guests.
A vertical game layout
Shader and VFXs:
Simple lava shader and sparks
A light rings effect to notify the guests when they interact with important object
A shader for respawn point