Cyberthreat
2016 - 2020 for Enigmatic
Project Objective: build a VR game within 12 weeks and release as Early Access on Steam, compile feedback and iterate.
My contributions
- Producer
- Applied agile methodology to the development process.
- Coordinated daily and weekly testing. Organized testing events, market research, and data collection.
- Managed the daily task list, task assignment, milestone schedule, budget, and design documentation as it evolved.
- Worked with the art department to refine graphics and effects.
- Created design lookbooks to guide the creation and purchase of new assets.
- Co-authored the premise and backstory.
- Managed relationships with outside vendors.
- Authored the CyberThreat version 2 Design Document for multiplayer location-based gaming.
- Interaction design
- Helped define new motion mechanics to combat extreme motion sickness.
- Researched the science behind motion sickness and brainstorming strategies to use in VR.
- Co-authored new features: selfie cam with record and share capabilities, and in-game retail.
- Co-designed the HUD.
Producer
My background in mobile gaming taught me that releasing a product every quarter equaled almost linear growth. With that in mind, the decision was made to build a VR game with a limited budget and a compressed development cycle of twelve weeks.
The initial concept of CyberThreat and the first iteration of the game was a timed urban campaign shooter with a directed narrative. Early play-testing showed assumptions about the game were not holding up, and therefore the scope of the project radically changed. Examples of discarded ideas are as follows. Narrative structure, as experienced in console and PC gaming, with scripted and cinematic cut scenes, is not sustainable for the VR user. The second major game change was that opponents in the game should not be human in form. Playtesters experienced an uncomfortable and often visceral response to shooting a human analog in-game. The project, when completed, was a complex and fully realized sandbox FPS that encouraged exploration of movement and gaming environment.
When released on Steam in June 2016, CyberThreat received excellent reviews. The game made a return on investment capital and served as an MVP for my startup. Our team launched several innovations in CyberThreat that included in-game retail for custom team merchandise and an early example of a personal Selfie Cam to record and share gameplay without using third-party software.
In 2018 development started on the second iteration of CyberThreat, buoyed by the increasing trend in Multiplayer Location-based gaming.
I continued my producing duties in addition to authoring the story and design document acting as a co-director on the project. My daily activities included managing outside vendors to create and update assets and to work with in house development team to redefine gameplay. The following game document is the road map for CyberThreat Campaign, a mission-based multiplayer game for location-based entertainment, and is my work product.
In-game Innovation Demo
Interaction Designer
I want VR to be inclusive and that means accommodating people with sensitive proprioception, or motion sensitivity. Using my personal experience to guide me, I made a list of discomforts while in a headset, with specificity when mechanics were causing issues and when they were not, then set about researching why it was the case. Interaction design and motion mechanic development began with reorienting my thinking about controllers: the concept being controllers are location beacons in a fully realized world that allows players to interact using their bodies. Through the daily rigor of iteration and playtesting, we innovated motion mechanics for the extremely motion sensitive that were also just fun. My solutions for motion sensitivity built in concert with our development team were: a natural motion arm running mechanic, a ski jump mechanic, and an early instance of Jet Pack locomotion.
Variable speed arm locomotion mock-up
Arm running tracks the natural motion of arm swing while walking/running. Coupling the speed of movement with controller positioning allows players' internal sense of where their body is in space to match up with the image presented in the HMD. The variable speed allows players to move at speed for comfort while still allowing for quick in-game locomotion. Navigation in-game is determined by the position of the controller, not the HMD allowing users to navigate and continue to be engaged in the 360 environments without navigational errors.
The first slide demonstrates arm running, very typical of that mechanic widely used in development at that time, we called it the Arm Sprint.
The second slide is arm running, and the final slide is the Arm Glide. The Glide speed is still a quick form of locomotion without the triggering of balance receptiors in the inner ear.
The ski jump mechanic is an alternative to teleportation. Both mechanics are present as player choices. This alternative to teleport alleviates motion discomfort because it allows the user to have an uninterrupted or continuous frame of reference. The player can see the locomotion while taking place, and it is coupled with their body’s movement.
A unique feature of this mechanic is the decoupling of position from head tracking, making it possible to move in a direction the player is not looking in. Decoupling navigation from the HMD decreases navigation errors in-game. Similar mechanics used at the time are tied to the HMD position, meaning it is possible to change direction mid-movement, creating a disoriented jump.
Ski Jump mechanic mock-up
Our JetPack mechanic does not subject the player to gravitational forces; hover is the default position until direction and speed are engaged. Speed is variable using the trigger, altitude and direction are tracked from the HMD’s location, not the joystick. The best example of this mechanic is present in the innovations video above.