Building Virtual Worlds is a course at Carnegie Mellon University’s Entertainment Technology Center.
In this course, random groups of five students (two programmers, two artists, and one sound designer) create a game prototype based on an impromptu assignment every week or two weeks.
My role in this course was a programmer. This page shows all five projects I did in this course, they all used different platforms and technologies, but all were made using the Unity engine.
Dream Guardian
Platform: Oculus Quest 2, VR game
Technology: Unity, C#, Oculus
Team size: 5 people (2 programmers, 2 artists, 1 sound designer)
Project Duration: 2 weeks (Sept 6 2022- Sept 19 2022)
Challenge: The Guest Helps Character A Who is Afraid of Character B
Design And Gameplay
Players play a dream guardian, guarding the little boy Bob from the intrusion of nightmares. Players need to use the flashlight to see the entity of the nightmare, and use the dream catcher to turn the nightmares into good dreams.
Notable Contributions
1. Design the gameplay, game flow, and level content with the other programmer and two artists
2. Based on Oculus’ official API implement all VR interaction functions, including grabbing, throwing, triggering, etc.
3. Set the scene, skybox and models with intense collaboration with artists.
Potion Maker
Platform: Oculus Quest 2, AR game
Technology: Unity, C#, Oculus
Team size: 5 people (2 programmers, 2 artists, 1 sound designer)
Project Duration: 2 weeks (Sept 20 2022- Oct 3 2022)
Challenge: Create a consistent, highly interactive, and engaging experience that lets naïve guests feel like theyhave a lot of freedom in the choices they make.
Design And Gameplay
Players play a potion store clerk, according to the recipe and order requirements to configure the potion, and finally collect the key to open the treasure chest to get the mysterious potion to summon the dragon.
Notable Contributions
1. Design the gameplay, game flow, and level content with the other programmer and two artists
2. Based on Microsoft’s MRTK API implement all AR interaction functions, including grabbing, rotating, pressing, etc.
3. Design and implement a potion dispensing system so that potions can be generated efficiently.
4. Set the scene, skybox and models with intense collaboration with artists.
Buttmen
Platform:PC, Eye Tracking game
Technology: Unity, C#, Tobii Eye Tracker
Team size: 5 people (2 programmers, 2 artists, 1 sound designer)
Project Duration: 1 week (Oct 4 2022- Oct 10 2022)
Challenge: A Fun-Focused Virtual World in a Week
Design And Gameplay
Players use their line of sight to separate the buttmen who want to fight and win by sticking around for a specific amount of time.
Notable Contributions
1. Design the gameplay, game flow, and level content with the other programmer and two artists
2. Based on Tobii API implement all Eye Tracking interaction functions.
3. Design and implement a calibration system that allows different players to obtain accurate eye tracking with a short calibration time.
4. Using Shader Graph to create neon effect environment materials
5. Set the scene, skybox and models with intense collaboration with artists.
Condemned
Platform: Oculus Quest 2, VR game
Technology: Unity, C#, Oculus
Team size: 5 people (2 programmers, 2 artists, 1 sound designer)
Project Duration: 2 weeks (Oct 17 2022- Nov 3 2022)
Challenge: Interactive Story
Design And Gameplay
The guest embodies a maid who has been driven mad with jealousy when the Lord of the Manor she works for decides to get married. Guests substitute the roles of the maid and the murderer by performing various interactive acts.
Notable Contributions
1. Design the gameplay, scripts, and level content with the other teammates
2. Based on Oculus’ official API implement all VR interaction functions.
3. Designed and implemented the mopping effect.
4. Set the scene, skybox and models with intense collaboration with artists.
The Big Year
Platform: Location Based Entertainment, Vive
Technology: Unity, C#, Vive
Team size: 5 people (2 programmers, 2 artists, 1 sound designer)
Project Duration: 2 weeks (Nov 8 2022- Nov 21 2022)
Challenge: Build a world for ETC Festival
Design And Gameplay
Several players enter the hot air balloon basket we made and complete their bird watching journey by flying the balloon, taking pictures of wild birds, and trying to discover endangered species.
Notable Contributions
1. Design the gameplay, game flow, and level content with the other teammates
2. Based on Vive’s official API implement camera simulations, including zooming, rotating and shutter.
3. Design and implement the operation code of a realistic movable platform to simulate the movement of a hot air balloon.
4. Design and implement a photo collection system to determine what photos the player has taken and put into the gallery.
5. Set the scene, skybox and models with intense collaboration with artists.