This week, Studio Mar focused on finalizing our markers and getting multiplayer support working. In addition, while moving forward with our installation concept, we decided to showcase/playtest our game at a few different campus opportunities.

Finalizing Markers

We finally finished testing all of Vuforia’s targeting types, including cylinder targeting, which works well as long as we have a distinct enough pattern on the cylinder. Now that we have a better idea of the marker tracking capabilities available to us, we tested all our different options for the origin marker: a big 2D marker projected on the wall or floor, and a 3D marker in the center of the room.

We found that using a 2D marker on a screen causes problems with extended tracking, which treats the moving RGB channels of the screen as part of the background and causes the origin marker to drift. This rules out using a projector or screen for any markers, so we decided to go with a large 3D marker in the center of the play room. This also allows the players to walk around the room, rather than be restricted to facing one direction. This does require that we print out a very large version of the marker design, so that it can be seen from farther away and applied to a large 3D object–we plan on using a rectangular prism, such as the plinth used in museum exhibits (for reasons that will be explained below).

We also plan on moving forward with a cylinder marker for the paintbrush, to create a wand for users to draw with. A cylinder can be easily affixed to the top of the Daydream controller or another handle, and we’re thinking about using PVC pipe or something similar as a sturdy base to wrap the printed marker design around.

Multiplayer

We finally got the multiplayer working! Our main game demo now supports multiple players drawing and seeing the drawing update live. One player has to host and the others join, but visually–in-game–the experience looks the same.

Installation Demos

Adrienne’s sketch for a possible LineAR installation setup at the Senior Art Exhibition.

Having decided to lean into an installation rather than a play-anywhere game, we discovered multiple opportunities to host, demonstrate, and/or playtest LineAR. Firstly, Adrienne is excited to show off our game as an installation in the Miller Gallery during the 2018 Senior Art Exhibition, which opens on May 5. We can use one of the plinths used to display pieces as the origin marker, provided we print out the marker designs for the various faces, and place it in the center of the designated alcove.

We also have the opportunity to demonstrate LineAR during Carnival, which is April 19-21, at a booth or other location that IDeATe hosts. While our game won’t be as polished for Carnival as it will be for the art show, we can still demonstrate what we have and get feedback from players. Tom also discussed the possibility of showing the game at Meeting of the Minds at the end of the semester.

With actual spaces in mind, we can consider how to design an installation in more detail. From a technological point of view, our devs are confident that the game can work outside of an installation experience, although perhaps not as well, if anyone would like to play it outside of one of our installations.

3rd-party viewing

With more concrete ideas for installations, we also began thinking about how to show the gameplay experience for anyone watching, but not playing, the game. This is largely important for the art exhibit, since that will be less of a gameplay experience and more of a showcase. We were inspired by Uncorked Studio’s use of projection mapping to show 3D drawing in a VR experience on the walls of a room using perspective tricks, and with Anna’s previous experience with projection mapping we’re confident we could recreate a similar experience.

A problem with projecting the drawings–or any other visual effects–on the walls of the game room is the same problem mentioned above with extended tracking, that it assumes moving parts of the background are stationary and moves the drawings with it. A possible solution would be to create separate viewing and play rooms. Another option is to forego projection mapping and show the gameplay view on a separate screen, or provide 3rd-party observers with a large tablet like a “window” to walk around and look at the drawings. We’re still discussing our options while we work on building our core gameplay.

Word Bank

We are also beginning work on building a bank of prompts for the Pictionary aspect of the game, since we want our core gameplay to demo at Carnival. We’re considering what makes a prompt better to draw vs. act out, hoping to hit the middle ground, as a combination of the two is what we hope to encourage in our game. To that end, we’re curating existing prompt lists and have also sent out a survey with a few example words to see what people are more likely to draw or act.

We’re also discussing curating multiple word banks–not just a generic, family-friendly one to use in gameplay, but also lists that would encourage discussion on more controversial topics or that explore certain themes, like abstract terms that are hard to illustrate (i.e. “ennui”, “angst”, etc.). This would help adapt the game to the different showcase environments, such as the art show vs. Carnival, and would be a good basis to help develop the game past this semester.

Next Steps

For this week, our next immediate steps are:

• Testing Daydream controller compatibility with Unity and our game
• Building up the word banks
• Finalizing our marker face designs and building prototypes

We need to develop a list of materials and equipment for the various exhibitions very soon, so knowing what we need to print, build, use, etc. for our installation is high on the priority list. We are also going to modify a second Google Cardboard to use for playing, since even after lowering the camera aperture on the Holokit, it still feels too distant from the natural point of view.

Thanks for keeping up with Studio Mar, and check back next week for another udpate!