#ffvest

[normowertest]

[normowertest]

Speeds key

After revamping my control system a number of times I have finally decided that I will use the triggers to initiate a force based on the direction of the corresponding analogue stick. I originally had a mana/power system in the game but opted to scrap it as I want to encourage the player to go as fast as I can. I have not place a cap on the max speed, instead have made the level incredibly difficult. I have noticed that due to the enormous speed you can pick up at some points you travel faster than the game can detect a collision, at first this irritated me, but as I have played more I am deciding to leave it in for now as it is essentially luck whether you skip the collision and again its another reward for high speed. I placed jumps within the level in order to force the player to pick-up speed, I also made the track very long, while you could travel slowly you wouldn't get very far and it would be rather boring.

I have opted to just use the vest on collisions as this seemed the most natural and most appropriate method in this style of game.

[normowertest]

Back to the drawing board...again

So with another prototype not giving the me results I was hoping for and the deadline date extremely close, I'm in a bit of a pickle. I have decided to create something that's less grounded as the vest doesn't offer the realism I'd like.I enjoyed how the used the vest as means of determining the direction of an object by creating a "rain" style feedback system that points towards it.

I want to create a movement system based on magical pulses and individuality controlled arms, I will use the Xbox360 so that I can use the dual analogue systems and I feel that squeezing the triggers feels better than pressing a mouse or keyboard button.

[normowertest]

Another Failure

I have started to create a scene in which the player must cut off their own arm, in order to create a more immersive scenario I implemented the use of an Xbox360 controller using Xinput. This allowed me the use of the vibration as well as the analogue triggers which offer an input that has is more representative of actual actions than a digital button and provide me with a value based on the amount the trigger is down.

I needed to create an audio system that would cause the player discomfort,  I used freesounds.org and gathered a few clips. I then edited these to extract the sound I wanted and create looping tracks or adding fade ins/outs. I had two categories of sound: Gore and Cutting. For the gore effects I had an audio file play on loop when you started cutting and used a co-routine to play other sound clips randomly that I had put into an array.  The main loop was significantly longer to make than the other files to make loop less noticeable.

For the cutting sound I also started a looping audio for the cutting sound this was also interspersed with other cutting sound randomly played.  To make the cutting sound more responsive I adjusted the audio pitch based on the value from the trigger and I adjusted the volume using a lerp that's position was affected by the triggers position also. I then added  breathing audio, this was a simple breath in/ breath out. I had this play in a co-routine with a delay instead of looping the audio. As you got further through the arm this delay would decrease and the audios pitch would increase. In order to incorporate the vest I used a similar system to the breathing audio, as the pain increased i reduced the delay between pulses. Then halfway through I started another co-routine to send pulses to the other front valves randomly and the delay on this decreased as it progressed to the maximum pain. This however did not provide me with the results I wanted, the main problem is that your very aware of the vest at all times and this pulls you out the experience. Also as the game is audio based the noise made by the air compressor is very distracting and again pulls you out of the moment.

From this and my previous prototypes I do not feel that the vest is suited well for these type physical interactions, as you only have a small degree of control on the valves it does not work well for subtle touches or constant contact. 

[normowertest]

Gameplay in the way of the game

I was jotting down ideas of where to take Exoculo[working title] and was thinking how the game actually lacked gameplay, so naturally I was thinking how can I make it more gamey? I then started thinking about Bioshock infinite and how while I love the game, its actual game like qualities made the overall package suffer, nothing pulls you out of the moment like searching a bin for cigarettes and apples(depending on the game of course). I then started thinking about what the vest actually provided me and what is unachievable without the vest. For me it was all about the experience, the vest provides the opportunity to really give the player a sense of belonging in the game world, a sense of realism and vulnerability. Unfortunately tech like this is normally is usually placed in unimaginative horror games built purely on jump scares. When thinking of a situation that the vest would truly enhance and bring to life my mind let me to think of 127 Hours. I won't spoil anything in the movie, but I thought about how managed to evoke incredibly agonising feelings and wanted to capture similar emotions. The lack of sight and knowledge of physical feedback put the player in an unusual situation, I wish to exploit this by creating an atmospheric game that plays on this. To clarify this is not a horror game, but an attempt at created situations that provide heavier weighted situations for the player to interact.

***SPOILERS (from 127 Hours)*** Inspired by the film I will create a demo in which the player must remove their arm in the game, I will be using the feedback from the vest, the vibration from an Xbox 360 controller combined with sound effects and voice acting to create a demo that hopefully works as a proof of concept piece. I will also include a segment where the player has control of their locomotive movement to demonstrate the deeper immersion in other situations.

***SPOILERS***

[normowertest]

Prototype 2

I have created a new prototype and have learned a few things, using the vest for constant feedback such as leaning on a wall does not work, as the vest has a limited amount of air it can store at a time and eventually the pressure diminishes. Surprisingly playing without vision is incredibly difficult, so I have made the level design far more simplistic, to the point of using holes in the floor instead of doors. I have implemented the ability to throw rocks that have a different sound depending on whether they hit the floor or a wall, using this players can avoid the walls, although this still has some kinks, such as you clipping the wall but the rock is thrown past it. It was suggested that the vest could be used as another form of guidance to the beacon by creating a rain like effect that intensifies as you get closer. The problem with this is that the vest only has 8 valves on it (2 of which don't seem to work), so at times the player may think they are being signalled left when in fact they are being signalled forward.

[normowertest]

Prototype and Scrap

I created a prototype without use of the vest, using bars on the side of the player that turned red (so kinda cheating as I was using visuals). I then plugged the vest into this and found that this concept didn't really work. The vest felt like it was forced into the game and quite frankly it just wasn't fun. So I went back to the drawing and decided that I would use the vest to inform players of walls in a maze like environment. This would have the player trying to reach a beacon, so they would use sound to work out the way to travel.

[normowertest]

No Visuals

As another uni project I have been tasked with creating a game that uses an unconventional I/O device, for this I have chosen to use a force feedback vest as I wish to create a game that has no visual component and feel that by providing another way for the world to represent itself to the player the game will provide a more immersive experience. The vest is made by TN Games and i will be implementing it into unity. The concept is simple to create a game where the player experiences the game through a combination of physical feedback and sound. The game will require the player to climb down a pathway in the fastest time possible. There will be chances for the player to make leaps of faith that will shorten their time, but at the risk of death,