Blog Week6

Week 6: Feb 19, 2024 – Feb 23, 2024

  • First client meeting in ARENA
  • AR demo for XRTC
  • Finalized first stage User Flow, Persona, Interaction, game UI
  • Full-run tech prototype with playtest
  • Visit the Heinz History Center (Shirley Yee’s collection)

At the Heinz History Center

Meet in ARENA!

The team were able to meet with our client in ARENA! People appear in ARENA with their own avatar and video streaming. We also enabled screen share in ARENA along with the third floor conference room table and Chinatown miniature to be included our experience.

AR Demo:

We were able to demo our project for XRTC, one of our potential client.

Design and Experience Direction:

As for design this week, we have finished the whole UI for the first stage, exchange system, refine UI prototype, and design location based experience.

Attached below is an interactive UI page in Figma that allows people to experience the whole UI in our first stage.

https://www.figma.com/proto/YpypfwPFTX3IO36V6cZzPj/Game-UI?type=design&node-id=5-596&t=b1THEpC7xCWLO0xS-1&scaling=contain&page-id=0%3A1&starting-point-node-id=5%3A596&show-proto-sidebar=1

We have also created the more detailed story board for the first and second stage.

Location based setting environment:

We plan to add location based setting in our experience, and below is a photo of what we want our room to be looked at when players enter. We would hang lanterns and set up spot lights, and stoves that facilitate change in light and people’s interactions.

Playtest:

We were able to playtest during playtest day. Some of the playtest takeaways we were able to receive were:

  • Emphasize the connection between mobile game experience and location based entertainment.
  • Create more background stories of the players’ roles during the gaming process
  • Have a specific guideline about how users should interact with each other.

Art Direction:

Based on the design direction, our artist were able to design branding for our UI.

Models of NPCs in our experience

Tech Direction:

We have made a prototype of our first stage demo and we will be further throughly develop to make in complete before the half presentation. As showed in the video, players are able to enter the room, give and receive money from people to corporate in buying wood and paint in the common goal of building the Chinatown as new immigrants.

Our current game demo

Research:

We went to Senator John Heinz History Center to visit Shirle Yee’s father’s archive. We received a lot of research materials including detailed map for 1890s, 1930s, and 1960s Second and Third Avenue. We also received information of the ownership of buildings during such period. Along with housing, we also received information about people’s migration status to further develop our persona in our experience.

This weekend and next week:

Design: npc Audio, interaction audio, finalize stage 1 UI, LBE in room (ideally by halves) 

Art: 3D Models for avatar heads, painting/tapestry showing an overview of what will happen in the scene, branding UI

Tech: adjusting avatar, Fixing AR problem (ideally by halves)