Prepare for Softs

This week, our team is in full swing preparing for the upcoming soft opening. With just a bit of time left before we showcase our experiences, we’ve been focused on polishing key elements in both Safari Hike and Underwater to ensure a smooth and immersive presentation.

Safari Hike

On the Safari Hike front, we’ve been refining the narrative flow to better guide our guests through the journey. We also spent time enhancing the soundscape, layering ambient sounds and cues to strengthen the sense of place and progression. In parallel, we continued developing the microcontroller system for the staff, ensuring that it feels responsive and intuitive as a core interaction mechanic.

Underwater

For Underwater, we addressed several sound-related issues. One of the big wins this week was successfully implementing footstep sounds that vary depending on the character’s pace. We also worked on pitch adjustments—now the soundscape dynamically changes based on movement speed, helping to reinforce the underwater illusion and giving more personality to the experience.

Looking Ahead

A key discussion for our team this week is deciding whether or not to proceed with the Sound Jam event scheduled for Week 13. With the soft opening so close and priorities shifting toward polish and playtesting, we’re weighing how this decision fits into our overall timeline and goals.

Week in review: Microcontrollers, Headset Research, Level Design

This week was a bit shorter due to Carnival festivities, but we still made steady progress across both of our experiences!

Safari Hike

We continued development on the staff microcontroller, this time collaborating closely with Dave to refine its integration. It’s exciting to see the interaction becoming more responsive and synced with the overall experience—every small improvement brings us closer to a polished final product.

Underwater

On the Underwater side, we focused on two key areas:

• Headset Research: We looked into different options and configurations for the top-of-head mounts, aiming to enhance immersion while keeping the setup comfortable and functional for guests.
  
• Level Design: We also spent time developing and refining the level design. This process included improving spatial pacing, planning visual storytelling beats, and ensuring player movement feels intuitive and rewarding within the environment.
  

Even with the shorter work week, we’re happy with the momentum we’ve maintained—and Carnival definitely gave us a refreshing mid-semester breather! More updates coming soon as we dive deeper into polish and final integration.

Week in Review: Exploring Haptic Technology and Building Team Dynamics

This week, our main objective was to dive deep into the world of haptic technology—exploring its use cases and applications across various industries. Haptic feedback, which simulates the sense of touch using vibrations or motions, is transforming everything from gaming and robotics to healthcare and education. Our goal was not only to understand how haptic technology works but also to identify real-world applications that could align with our ongoing projects. With its potential to enhance immersive experiences in virtual reality or assist in complex medical procedures, we’re excited to see how haptics can play a role in our work.

While exploring this fascinating technology, we also faced the challenge of figuring out our team dynamics. As we’re still in the early stages of collaboration, establishing clear communication, defining roles, and understanding each other’s strengths have become essential to ensuring efficient progress. Working well together is key to tackling both the technical aspects of haptic technology and its real-world applications, and we’re committed to fine-tuning our team dynamics moving forward.

Despite these challenges, we made significant progress. To kick off the week, we got organized by setting up our Jira board with Danni. This tool will help us manage tasks, track progress, and stay aligned as we move through the project. It’s already proving to be invaluable for keeping everyone on the same page and streamlining our workflow.

Our exploration into haptic technology also began in earnest as we researched its various applications. From enhancing user experiences in gaming controllers to aiding medical training with tactile feedback, haptics is a rapidly evolving field. This research not only deepened our understanding of what’s possible today but also sparked new ideas for how we could leverage haptic technology in the future.

A key highlight of the week was our first Subject Matter Expert (SME) meeting with Vivian Chen, a PhD student at Carnegie Mellon University’s Robotics Institute. Vivian, who is conducting research with the Future Interfaces Group, shared invaluable insights into the cutting-edge advancements in haptic technology. The discussion broadened our perspective on how haptics is being used in research and real-world applications, and we’re excited to continue collaborating and exploring new possibilities with her.

Looking ahead, we’ll be expanding our research into more specific applications of haptics and exploring how we can innovate within this space. Additionally, we’ll continue refining our team dynamics to ensure that we can tackle future objectives with even greater efficiency. Stay tuned for more updates as we move forward in this exciting journey!

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