Fabio Mosca_Business driven VR game design_Codemotion Berlin 2019

Nowadays publishing a VR videogame on online stores, aiming to turn profitable, is a major challenge. Differently, the high hardware barrier posed by VR until now has created more possibilities on "LBE" sector (Location-Based Entertainment), where hardware is provided and games are enjoyed on the spot. In this talk we'll dive into the challenges and differences in designing a VR game aimed to the general public and for "public locations" compared to online ones, analyzing Yon Blitz (a VR multiplayer shooter arena which made 800+ players in Milan Games Week 2018) and other comparable cases.

About - Fabio Mosca: CTO - AnotheReality

Co-Founder and CTO at AnotheReality, Fabio Mosca is a Virtual Reality designer, videogame programmer and engineer. With a Bachelor’s Degree in CS engineering, Fabio focused his studies on videogame programming and interactive media, leading to his first VR experiences in 2014. After years of experiments, research and works in VR, he released Yon Paradox (2016), a VR videogame about time paradoxes, and co-founded AnotheReality, focusing on VR location-based entertainment and training simulators for Industry 4.0. Also founder of the VR Milan Meetup, better known as "AperitiVR".

Transcript

1. Business driven VR game design: the case of Yon Blitz Fabio Mosca - Founder, CTO @ AnotheReality 24-25 October, 2019
2. GAME DESIGN VR SUSTAINABILITY $$
3. - Some VR design constraints - Analysis on VBI: Lost Connection, a previous VR LBE game - Case History: Yon Blitz
4. Fabio Mosca - CTO @ AnotheReality - Computer science engineer - Videogame designer & developer - Creating VR experiences since 2014 - Founder of Virtual Reality Milan Meetup community (AperitiVR) - Mentoring and teaching about VR design and programming - Firm believer that VR is really useful (and usable!)
5. AnotheReality is a videogame and XR studio based in Milan, Italy, specialized in the development of immersive applications and videogames for business and entertainment. Since 2014 we've been developing and experimenting with VR and videogames, using what we learned to solve problems and create value for companies using XR and videogames. Nowadays we offer solutions for training (Virtuademy), for marketing & sales, operations and location based entertainment.
6. 5 YEARS OF XR DEVELOPMENT We are specialists in Immersive Computing and Real-Time Technologies > Deployed 50+ VR projects since 2014 > Worked successfully with clients like IBM and Nokia > Led international teams as VR subject experts > Working both with Unity and Unreal Engine
7. AR, VR, MR, XR? © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati
8. VR DESIGN CONSTRAINTS
9. To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy – Sun Tzu Specifiche del corpo umano: 3 sistemi per determinare mozione • Vista (gli occhi percepiscono la vection) • Sistema vestibulare ( all’ interno dell’ orecchio) • Sensazioni corporee (tattile)
10. To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy – Sun Tzu Specifiche del corpo umano: 3 sistemi per determinare mozione • Vista (gli occhi percepiscono la vection) • Sistema vestibulare ( all’ interno dell’ orecchio) • Sensazioni corporee (tattile) In condizioni normali, questi tre sistemi concordano fra di loro.
11. In realtà virtuale, percepiamo i movimenti solo con la vista. Quindi percepiamo solo la «vection» (indizi visivi che ci fanno capire che ci stiamo muovendo) Il nostro corpo percepisce quindi che i «3 rilevatori di movimento» non concordano, e conclude che siamo stati avvelenati. La reazione immunitaria è quindi di «spurgo» del veleno dal corpo.
12. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati To know your Enemy, you must become your Enemy – Sun Tzu Human body specs - 3 systems used to determine motion: • Sight • Vestibular system • Proprioception Under normal circumstances, those three systems agree between them.
13. While in VR, we perceive movements just with our sight. So, we are able to perceive only "vection" (visual clues that tell us we are moving) Our body perceives that our 3 systems aren't agreeing between them, and thus, determines that we've been poisoned. Our immunitary system reaction to this is "cleansing": we need to vomit / sweat to remove the poison. And that's the reason for motion sickness ☺
14. Humans are lazy. Humans get tired. Humans sweat. Humans are imprecise. Humans can do mistakes. Humans get hurt.
15. Human becomes the controller.
16. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati As the human is the controller, he can do always what a human would do.
17. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati As the human is the controller, he can do always what a human would do. Like moving. And you can't really stop a human from moving with software.
18. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati As the human is the controller, he can do always what a human would do. Like moving. And you can't really stop a human from moving with software.
19. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati
20. PREVIOUSLY... VBI: LOST CONNECTION
22. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati VBI: Lost Connection is a cooperative escape room in VR, created for events and showcasing how IBM Watson can be used in a VR videogame - Fixed play time for easy queuing - 4m x 3m play area (each player) - Playable by inexperienced users - Related to AI, in a future setting - Multiplayer can be local
23. It works! ... with a game master People forget the narrative "There was a story?" People get distracted "oh this cube is moving!"
24. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati People get distracted *concentrating to find hints... "OH LOOK AT THIS FLOATING CUBE!"
25. A CASE HISTORY: YON BLITZ
26. AR, VR, MR, XR? © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati
27. YON BLITZ VR shooter arena, e-sports ready
28. Quicker Easier to explain Easier to play Replayable
29. A multiplayer arcade shooter game for 2-4 people, running on local net. 1 button game (trigger to shoot / select), with abstract, simple but shiny aesthetic. Gameplay: competitive multiplayer mode where players are divided in two teams and they fight each other. 5 minutes rounds, wins who has more kills.
30. • Funziona! • Serve un game master • Le persone si distraggono • Target: casual gamer • Easy to explain • Budget available: 1 month of dev • No possibilities of motion sickness • Less space as possible
31. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati
32. MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER GAME "There is a gun. You have to shoot other people." Easy to understand. Quick to explain. "Who does most kills wins". Objective quick to explain, easy to understand. Triggers competitivity as well
33. Before working on our shooter game, we need to analyze and test various VR shooting games to get what works in VR, and what not.
34. - Very good experience overall - Not really playable without free movement - Launching grenades is frustrating - Shooting with a grenade launcher is better - Too big weapons (laser cannon, gatling) feels bad - Weapon selection horrendous
35. - Fun, customizable - Enormous weapons are better handled than DOOM VFR - Weapon pivot point in the center instead of handle - Selection of weapons more traditional but usable - No magazines is good
36. - Terrible - Shame on you fallout! - Terrible UX in VR - Weapons feel like toys
37. - We want small weapons - No ammos - Aim with your hands - See where projectiles go! - No "free roaming" env
38. We have only teleport movement option, so we need "small space" for players to be in (not bigger than their roomscale). But a competitive game requires movement, space, positioning... Solution: platform based map!
39. MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER GAME "There is a gun. You have to shoot other people." Easy to understand. Quick to explain. "Who does most kills wins". Again, objective quick to explain, easy to understand. Triggers competitivity. Map made of platforms Avoids motion sickness. Fixed space. No people going outbound
40. MULTIPLAYER SHOOTER GAME "There is a gun. You have to shoot other people." Easy to understand. Quick to explain. "Who does most kills wins". Again, objective quick to explain, easy to understand. Triggers competitivity.
41. An important part of an LBE game that is easily forgotten is... to be entertaining also for spectators. Only a fixed and small amount of people can play the game, but most "locations" and "events" pay for solutions that can entertain lot of people. If we want to make the game more appealing for entertainment, it needs to be... a show.
42. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati Necessary for tournaments, streaming and spectators. Enables a caster to overview all the game, keep track of the score of each player, and move with a free camera around the map Also, features a green screen mode for show.
44. The "Director" view also enables an operator to easily assemble teams, start-stop matches, connect players in a dynamic way. Enabling business owners / "non-prousers" to easily install and operate the game lowers the adoption barrier, and necessity of specialized people (that costs!).
45. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati DIRECTOR CAMERA Necessary for tournaments and streaming. Enables a caster to overview all the game, keep track of the score of each player, and move with a free camera around the map Also, features a green screen mode for show.
46. The gameplay is simple and straightforward, fast-paced and competitive. Single weapon, no power-ups No heals (to prevent pro-players to snowball and frustrate other players) Immediate respawn after death (time is precious for players, especially if paid)
47. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati
48. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati
49. 3 days, Milan Games Week (Oct 2018) 800+ Blitzers 5 days,Lucca Comics & Games (Nov 2018) 1.500+ Blitzers >30% of the players came back in the same day to play again, queuing up again for 1-2 hours. Fidelity TESTED ON THE FIELD
51. A videogame designed for eSports The Deathmatch we played was a crescendo of tension ” “ ” “ Il Corriere della sera (main Italian newspaper) Tom’s Hardware
52. When people are getting "dressed" with VR headsets, chances are that there aren't 4 operators, so some players will have some waiting time being in VR.
54. Removed because bad: • There are floating debris in the “empty space” between the platform. Player can shoot at the debris, attracting them towards his gun (gravity gun), and releasing them to place them on the platform for cover. Debris can be destroyed after some shots. • Player dies. He waits 10 seconds and respawns again • Powerups on specific platforms Good features that didn't make it in time: - Automatic / smoother director camera - Deep statistics at the end of the match - Setting names for the players - Different maps for different amount of players - Tutorial / stuff to do in the waiting room
55. © 2019 AnotheReality srl – Tutti i diritti sono riservati Yon Blitz (Oct 2018): VR multiplayer shooter. 5 minutes gameplay, uses 2.5m x 2.5m, has extra features for spectating games. Developed in 1 month and half, team size: 5 Sold in tournament format, or installation for arcades and events.
57. www.anothereality.io FABIO MOSCA Founder, CTO @ AnotheReality S.r.l. Milan, Via Privata Deruta 20 fabio@anothereality.io Twitter: @Gounemond