Introduction: A Virtual Reality game for the HTC Vive. Place objects to direct a ball to a series of stars without touching the ground.
Project Description: The Wallace & Gromit Challenge is a Virtual Reality project I built as part of the Udacity online nanodegree program. The object of the game is to make the ball contact a series of stars before hitting a target. The ball must not touch the ground and the player must be standing on a starting platform when they let go of the ball. The player can teleport as well as create and destroy the following items:
1) Plank: ball rolls down it, 'nuff said.
2) Target: given on levels where player also has a slingshot--gives you something to aim at to get the ball started on its path. The slingshot has a set position as part of the level and cannot be moved--but can fire in any direction.
3) Boxes: player can teleport on top of them, allows you to reach high-up places...or anywhere, for that matter.
4) Conveyor: ball moves slowly along the path of the belt. Like the plank, but you can send the ball uphill. Any challenge could be solved with just conveyors, so the player is given a more limited number of these.
The following controls are used to move around, create, destroy, and manipulate objects:
1) Teleport: Press the left trackpad to point to where you want to go and release the trackpad to teleport. A red line shows where you are pointing and a blue circle shows where you will teleport at any given time. Teleport can also be used to climb on top of boxes, up ladders, and some other large objects. The player is not able to teleport through certain barriers or outside of the room.
2) Item Menu: Touch the right trackpad to bring up the item menu. Items in the menu show up as smaller versions of what they will look like when they are created, with some text below telling you how many of those items you have left. Levels vary in how many items can be viewed and created. Press the right or left side of the trackpad to switch between items in your inventory.
3) Item Creation: While viewing an item on the menu, press the right trigger to create an item of that type.
4) Item Placement: After an item has been created, place a controller inside the item and press trigger. The item will then attach to and follow your hand until you release the trigger.
5) Item Destruction: To destroy an item, grab it, place it behind your head, and release the trigger.
In the later levels, the player also has access to a slingshot. To operate the slingshot, place the ball in the sling, grab the sling with the Grip and pull it back, then release the Grip to fire. While gripping the sling, a dashed line will show the ball's estimated trajectory to help with aiming.
1) Plank: ball rolls down it, 'nuff said.
2) Target: given on levels where player also has a slingshot--gives you something to aim at to get the ball started on its path. The slingshot has a set position as part of the level and cannot be moved--but can fire in any direction.
3) Boxes: player can teleport on top of them, allows you to reach high-up places...or anywhere, for that matter.
4) Conveyor: ball moves slowly along the path of the belt. Like the plank, but you can send the ball uphill. Any challenge could be solved with just conveyors, so the player is given a more limited number of these.
The following controls are used to move around, create, destroy, and manipulate objects:
1) Teleport: Press the left trackpad to point to where you want to go and release the trackpad to teleport. A red line shows where you are pointing and a blue circle shows where you will teleport at any given time. Teleport can also be used to climb on top of boxes, up ladders, and some other large objects. The player is not able to teleport through certain barriers or outside of the room.
2) Item Menu: Touch the right trackpad to bring up the item menu. Items in the menu show up as smaller versions of what they will look like when they are created, with some text below telling you how many of those items you have left. Levels vary in how many items can be viewed and created. Press the right or left side of the trackpad to switch between items in your inventory.
3) Item Creation: While viewing an item on the menu, press the right trigger to create an item of that type.
4) Item Placement: After an item has been created, place a controller inside the item and press trigger. The item will then attach to and follow your hand until you release the trigger.
5) Item Destruction: To destroy an item, grab it, place it behind your head, and release the trigger.
In the later levels, the player also has access to a slingshot. To operate the slingshot, place the ball in the sling, grab the sling with the Grip and pull it back, then release the Grip to fire. While gripping the sling, a dashed line will show the ball's estimated trajectory to help with aiming.
Playtest Results: Players found this game to be fun and a good introduction to VR since it utilizes a wide variety of basic but useful mechanics. The tutorial system, a floating button that guides the player where they need to go for each level and is accompanied by instructional text, was especially helpful in helping the player learn the game.
Playtesters were able to figure out most of the User Interface, but item creation continued to be a challenge even after playing the game for a while. This was because pressing the trigger causes the entire hand to want to grip, often leading the player to accidentally press the trackpad (since their thumb had to be on it to keep the menu open) and switch items, placing something other than what they expected. I could fix this UI problem by changing the item creation mechanic so that items are spawned when the player's hand is empty and they press the trigger with the controller behind their head (like the item destruction mechanic, which was very satisfying to use), eliminating the need to have the menu open while placing objects--the system for viewing which item is selected and cycling through menu items would remain the same.
Placing objects proved to be another challenge for new players. When, for example, one grabs a long conveyor belt by one end, the other end moves a great deal from the smallest of hand shaking. When both ends of the item have to be in a fairly exact position, this takes a lot of practice to get right. This is an area that needs experimentation. One potential solution is two-handed grabbing, where the object's position and rotation is determined by a center point between both of the player's hands (when they are gripping the same object with both controllers).
Playtesters were able to figure out most of the User Interface, but item creation continued to be a challenge even after playing the game for a while. This was because pressing the trigger causes the entire hand to want to grip, often leading the player to accidentally press the trackpad (since their thumb had to be on it to keep the menu open) and switch items, placing something other than what they expected. I could fix this UI problem by changing the item creation mechanic so that items are spawned when the player's hand is empty and they press the trigger with the controller behind their head (like the item destruction mechanic, which was very satisfying to use), eliminating the need to have the menu open while placing objects--the system for viewing which item is selected and cycling through menu items would remain the same.
Placing objects proved to be another challenge for new players. When, for example, one grabs a long conveyor belt by one end, the other end moves a great deal from the smallest of hand shaking. When both ends of the item have to be in a fairly exact position, this takes a lot of practice to get right. This is an area that needs experimentation. One potential solution is two-handed grabbing, where the object's position and rotation is determined by a center point between both of the player's hands (when they are gripping the same object with both controllers).
Conclusions: This project was a great chance to experiment with creating and refining generic VR mechanics that I will likely reuse for future projects. The game provides a fun experience, but still feels like a demo rather than a full game. I believe this is because all of the levels are focused on introducing concepts rather than developing mastery. That is, the player is focused on figuring out how to use the tools the game provides them, rather than practicing the use of already-learned concepts to creatively solve challenging puzzles. Furthermore, up to this point in the development of this project, I have focused on implementing simple ideas effectively rather than outlandish ideas on a bare-bones level--which makes for a satisfying experience, but not an especially complex one. I do not consider these to be problems with the game, but they rather indicate that the game is incomplete. What is needed for further development are additional levels with stricter limits on the number of items the player can use and developing new items that interact with each other in surprising ways.
As a child, I remember long hours playing The Incredible Machine on PC. To create that kind of experience in VR would be nothing short of amazing. The Wallace and Gromit Challenge in its current state is already a strong step in that direction.
As a child, I remember long hours playing The Incredible Machine on PC. To create that kind of experience in VR would be nothing short of amazing. The Wallace and Gromit Challenge in its current state is already a strong step in that direction.