After our class discussions I’ve decided to create the VR platform rhythm game that would involve the player moving along a set path and turning where there are changes within the music. Music has been my main focus throughout my years as an IMM major but it seemed like it would be a cop out to just create a music album for my thesis especially when the project has to be interactive. Although this would be my first attempt at creating a game, let alone a VR game, a Rhythm game seemed like the best way to immerse the user in the music while they are also having fun playing the game. My main inspiration for this game was the PS4 game Beat Saber which is a similar rhythm game except the user has to cut through objects moving towards them.
I’m currently in an interactive music class with Dr. Nakra where we are studying how the music in games affect the gameplay. In almost all of these games you see that the music plays a huge part in the user experience. Games like the new Spiderman on PS4 and Assassin’s creed all have unique musical themes that make the user more immersed in the game whether they are at a dangerous point in the game or at a heroic point while others like The last of Us use the lack of music at certain points to make the mood even more eerie. However what these games have in common is that the visual aspect drives the music. This game would be doing the opposite of that.
The user would have to listen to the music and discern the right times to turn to avoid falling off a platform or running into a wall. I think users would enjoy the experience because not only would they be playing the game but they would be listening to music and actually start recognizing where and how the changes happen and might even notice these patterns in other music they listen to. For this demo I’m thinking of creating 1-3 levels, depending on how much I can do within the time allotted to us, with around 1-2 minutes of music per level that I will be making myself and have actually already started composing.
Unlike beat saber where the objects are coming towards you, on each level the user would be moving forward having to turn right or left at the right times and the speed would be determined by the level that they are playing. My idea is to create a hallway that the user would be moving through with an artifact to collect at the end of the level. It would have to be completed in one try and if the user hits the wall, they have to restart from the beginning. Some possible prototyping would be to actually play beat saber and get a feel for the game and it’s environment, animation of the hallway environment and testing the movement through the game. I would also have to get acquainted with the Unity engine by creating a test environment as that is the platform I’m going to be using to create this VR rhythm Game.
Look into Rez, a real milestone of a rhythm game.
Talk to Professor Fishburn about Rez in particular, rhythm games in general, and your idea.
What made/makes the previous/current games work? How does your idea learn from that came before while moving the genre forward?
Since you’re using VR, why not take advantage of additional movements beyond just turning? It is a rhythm game, after all, so I think you’d want to incorporate elements of dance… other body movements.
Look into using the MS Kinect camera with Unity. (Seem to be plenty of examples out there.) We have a Kinect or two in the equipment cage. I know Brett Taylor worked with the Kinect when it first came out.