{"id":315,"date":"2026-02-13T16:15:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T16:15:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/?p=315"},"modified":"2026-02-27T17:06:13","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T17:06:13","slug":"week5-report","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/week5-report\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 5 \u2013 Feb.13"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>This week, the project made significant progress in both technical development and art production. On Tuesday, we conducted a playtest of the demo and received a large amount of valuable feedback, which helped us further refine and optimize the testing demo we plan to complete before the Halves milestone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Progress Overview<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"line-height:1.6\" class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\">Strong progress in both technical development and art production <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\">Conducted a <strong>demo playtest<\/strong> and gathered valuable user feedback <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\">Identified improvements needed in interaction clarity and player guidance <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\"><strong>Refined the demo scope<\/strong> in preparation for the Halves milestone <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\">Advanced core gameplay and spatial interaction systems <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\">Completed key design production materials and continued character animation work <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\">Defined clearer next steps toward a more polished and stable demo<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">I. Art Progress<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>This week\u2019s art development achieved several important milestones. <strong>We completed all design production materials, including the poster, half-sheet, logo, and website assets.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For character development, we finalized the rendering of our existing character design. Work focused on emphasizing the <strong>character\u2019s entrance animation <\/strong>as well as improving <strong>locomotion animations<\/strong> to better integrate movement within the spatial environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"1200\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character1-edited.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-332\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character1-edited.png 1200w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character1-edited-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character1-edited-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character1-edited-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character1-edited-768x768.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1273\" height=\"1274\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character2-edited.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-331\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.9991979681860714;width:316px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character2-edited.png 1273w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character2-edited-300x300.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character2-edited-1024x1024.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character2-edited-150x150.png 150w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/week5-character2-edited-768x769.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1273px) 100vw, 1273px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-video\"><video height=\"1080\" style=\"aspect-ratio: 1920 \/ 1080;\" width=\"1920\" autoplay controls loop muted src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/charcater_suggest_jump_compressed.mp4\" playsinline><\/video><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">II. Tech Progress<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Our technical development this week continued to focus on two parallel goals: improving visual stability in the VR experience and completing a fully interactive testable demo.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the VR headset display side, we identified a key issue caused by continuous spatial tracking calculations. Because the system constantly recalculates the player\u2019s position in physical space, objects that should appear fixed occasionally exhibit slight positional drifting when the player moves. This resulted in a less satisfactory visual experience, and we have been actively working on stabilizing object anchoring and improving spatial consistency.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For the interactive demo, we successfully implemented the intended interaction systems. Core gameplay mechanics are now functional, including elemental reactions and state changes of virtual objects influenced by real-world objects. These systems establish the foundation for our gameplay loop and future iteration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">III. Playtest Feedback<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>After completing the initial gameplay prototype, we conducted a playtest session that generated substantial feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One major takeaway is the need to <strong>strengthen player guidance and visual communication<\/strong> through both design and art direction. Since the experience is spatially driven, critical interactions must be clearly communicated through strong visual cues. Interactive objects need to be larger, more readable, and more immediately recognizable. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Additionally, players benefit from staged guidance, with different levels of instruction appearing at different phases of the experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From an art perspective, feedback suggested that visual design should go beyond supporting gameplay and narrative alone. Players expect <strong>moments of surprise <\/strong>and discovery through environmental art. Art assets should also help communicate what is happening within the scene, allowing players to intuitively understand events without relying solely on explicit instructions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"769\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-2-769x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-336\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-2-769x1024.png 769w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-2-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-2-768x1023.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-2.png 1056w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 769px) 100vw, 769px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"886\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-1-886x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-335\" style=\"aspect-ratio:0.8652410440419006;width:269px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-1-886x1024.png 886w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-1-259x300.png 259w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-1-768x888.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/image-1.png 1049w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 886px) 100vw, 886px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What&#8217;s Next<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1.6\">Complete approximately 75% of the polished demo, including animation, gameplay systems, VFX, and sound integration <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1.6\">Finalize multiple state designs for in-game interactive objects <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1.6\">Design, model, and texture a second character <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1.6\">Produce VFX based on the game\u2019s elemental system and interaction design <\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-base-font-size\" style=\"line-height:1.6\">Begin preparation for the Halves presentation<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This week, the project made significant progress in both technical development and art production. On Tuesday, we conducted a playtest of the demo and received a large amount of valuable feedback, which helped us further refine and optimize the testing demo we plan to complete before the Halves milestone. Progress Overview I. Art Progress This [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-container-style":"default","site-container-layout":"default","site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-transparent-header":"default","disable-article-header":"default","disable-site-header":"default","disable-site-footer":"default","disable-content-area-spacing":"default","pgc_sgb_lightbox_settings":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-315","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-weekly-report"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=315"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":339,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/315\/revisions\/339"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=315"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=315"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/aktis\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=315"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}