Sowilo

Script section

"In the initial stage of the project, we attended numerous exhibitions to seek inspiration. Sowilo proposed a story concept that integrated sign language and offline performances, but it was abandoned due to technical and time constraints. Rumbie wrote a script about making friends, but it was discarded because the connection between the plot and virtual reality was too weak. In an urgent situation with less than two months before the final submission deadline, Kiana found a story suitable for adaptation into a virtual reality experience - 'Pulses of the Machine.' This idea gained unanimous approval from the team members and mentors. Therefore, under Kiana's leadership, we made some modifications and enhancements to the original story, resulting in the current script."

AR: Introduction to IO information, astronauts Martha and her companion Burton experience a car accident while searching for life forms on IO.
VR 1: Martha discovers that Burton has already died, and the nearest lander is 41 kilometers away. Martha's oxygen tank has ruptured, forcing her to remove her companion's oxygen hose and attach it to herself, dragging Burton's body forward. Due to her injuries, Martha quickly becomes exhausted and is faced with two choices: either inject a hallucinogenic drug or die quickly.
VR 2: After injecting the drug, Martha hears Burton's voice mechanically questioning her - "What does everything on IO look like?" Martha sees the yellow stones on either side of the road transform into Burton's moving purple arms and head. The shattered stone skull emits dazzling light from its broken eyes, enveloping her.
VR 3: When Martha wakes up, she finds herself standing by the edge of a boiling sulfur lake. IO activates the electromagnetic sensor on her display and, using Burton's voice, tells her that this planet is the life form they have been searching for. Burton has already merged with this colossal mechanical life. IO entices Martha to join it by jumping into the lava. Martha is once again faced with a choice: to become immortal as a machine AI or to maintain her human beliefs and dignity by dying (This is an open-ended ending, Martha may die, or she may wait for rescue).

VR Speed User research

To investigate the impact of the current walking speed of the main character on the overall game experience.

Questions about speed

Through the experience, are you aware you are dragging a body behind you?
The walking speed remind you are dragging the body with exhaustion.
Do you think it’s necessary to set up different walking speed in the whole experenice?
Do you think it’s necessary to show the walking speed level in the UI system?
Any point in the story that you feel the walking speed it's uncomfortable?
Do you have any comments for the walking speed?
How comfortable is the controller gesture for moving?

As the plot progresses, a number of events occur that affect the walking speed of the main character.
For example, she walks very slowly when she is injured and very tired, and faster when she has been injected with a stimulant.

We wonder if changing the walking speed will make the experience more immersive for the player?

User suggestions

"If there were no clues, one wouldn't know that there was someone pulling strings behind the scenes."

A

"Having footstep sounds while walking might enhance immersion."
‍

B

"The duration of slow walking at the end can be shortened."
‍

C

Expert recommendations

Originally, before the VR segment began, there was a segment where participants could interact with a vehicle model, followed by a scene where the vehicle explodes and crashes towards the experiencer.

“The scene involving the vehicle explosion and crashing towards the experiencer may not be necessary for the plot and could potentially overlap with the AR segment.”

Klaus Fried

Senior Lecturer,
BA (Hons) Film Practice

“You could leave a pure black scene, using only the audio portion as background noise for transition.”

Dr Ana-Despina Tudor

Course Leader,
MA Virtual Reality

Project rework

Due to uploading issues, we reset the project and received secondary feedback from both our teachers and friends. Based on this feedback, we made the following optimizations and modifications to the project.

Previous Version

Current Version

The opening scene features the explosion after interaction as a setup between AR and VR.

Remove the interactive and animated elements at the beginning, keeping only the sound.

There are no interaction guides; player movement is pre-set as part of the storyline.

Add interactive tutorial icons and interaction prompt warnings.

There is no VR interaction; player touch triggers the plot.

Adjust the duration of interaction warning prompts to avoid obstructing the field of view.

There are no footstep or breathing sounds; only variable-speed motion.

Enhance immersion by adding varying degrees of footstep sounds and breathing sounds to increase the sensation of dragging.

All ground surfaces have the same color and are obscured by fog, making it difficult to see the direction ahead.

Recreate the ground texture and lighting for the roaming segment after injecting the drug to create a small path, making it easier for players to understand the direction to move forward.

There is no guiding ball; after the shader switch, the lake surface becomes unclear.

Add an incarnation of IO in the form of a ball on the surface of the lake to guide players towards the direction of throwing themselves into the lake.

The user model has clipping issues, allowing you to see inside your own body.

Re-adjust the human models to alleviate any inconsistencies or glitches that disrupt immersion.

XR - The Very pulse of the machine

Team Members

This project is implemented based on AR tracking animation technology, and VR interaction with full-body tracking technology.