The Last Journey 1
2
C ontents 4 .................................. A Virtual Experience (Introduction)
6 ............................................................ Our Target Audience
6 .......................................................... Design Specifications
16 ........................................................ Concept to Conclusion
3
A Virtual Experiuence
The Last Journey is a short, non-interactive virtual reality demo in which the viewer looks through the eyes of an individual coming to terms with their own death. This metaphorical journey takes them downriver through a war-torn landscape, telling the story of a conflict between two nations from beginning to end; as well as using implicit narrative techniques to subtly convey the tale of the recently deceased protagonist.
4
Showcasing the power of the Oculus Rift, our virtual experience is designed to be as immersive as possible, utilising sound effects, music and animation to present a busy, exciting environment whilst always enduring the viewer’s eye is drawn to important events.
5
Our Target Audience Our product is largely aimed at those who already own an Oculus, to demonstrate the capabilities of the hardware to both the owners themselves, and their friends and family. We are mainly targeting teens and adults for several reasons, the two biggest of which are:
1. The nature of the content. Not only do we believe children will be less interested in the artistic style of experience we aim to create than adults, but there is also a small amount of graphic content which may be unsuitable for minors.
6
2. Adults are more likely to own the hardware. Surveys have found that the average age of a gamer is 35 in the UK and 37 worldwide . These demographic groups are much more likely to have the disposable income for, and perhaps also the inclination to buy, an Oculus than younger audiences; and while children may be bought them by their parents, the hardware is recommended for ages 7 and up.
7
The finished product would be made available to both Mac and PC users, however an examination of the VR demos reviewed on www.rifteneabled.com indicates the Mac audience could be more interested in experiential demos than PC owners, so the Last Journey may appeal to them because of this.
8
vm mv
As PC has a larger installed user-base for gaming, we will also be aimed at those who enjoy short, emotionally resonant experiences in gaming - such as indie games like Journey and Brothers: A Tale of Two Sons; as well as larger productions in the ilk of Beyond: Two Souls.
Our finished product would be marketed as a free download to showcase our ability in creating virtual 3D worlds, both for the Rift and not.
9
Design Specifications
Our final demo will be built in Unreal Engine 4, largely using imported assets created in 3D Studio Max and textured using Photoshop and Quixel Suite.
10
The demo was originally going to have a very specific aesthetic, using pastel, desaturated colours and monochrome shades in the textures of objects (top right). However since production began in Unreal Engine, we have elected to change the style to a more realistic one.
11
As the viewer travels through the level, they will pass several villages as depicted at various points in time, on both sides of the river representing two different nations.
In the finished product, this war will also be depicted by animated belligerents on each side, as well as an appearance of artillery and fortifications.
12
The land starts as represented in a symbolic peace, before progressing through an escalating conflict leading to all-out war and, finally, desolation.
A degradation and eventual burning of bridges represents the growing divide between the two nations, alongside a literal widening of the banks of the river as the conflict grows.
13
The mood of the scenes will be reinforced by progression of music, rising and falling in intesntisty and dynamics, with different instruments assigned different meanings as well as sound effects and a change of colour palette.
14
Furthermore, the mountains surrounding the edges of the map will rise and fall with the tension in the story, mimicking a story curve, with higher mountains marking scenes with greater tension.
These four photos display show some of the major changes in mood: the cave signifying the start of the conflict (top left), the “skirmish section (bottom left), open warfare (top right), and aftermath (bottom right).
The viewer's attention will be directed by sound effects and animations, such as an explosion to draw the eye towards the eruption of a volcano, or flights of arrows being fired over the river towards intended focal points.
15
Concept to Conclusion
Our project has naturally changed from the original idea, through production to the finished product, but these changes have been relatively minor - more to do with asthetics and where to focus the players attention.
The core concept of conflict between two nations is as prevelant as ever, but we did downplay the second narrative which was initially planned: the story of the recently deceased boatman.
16
Given the chance to pursue development, we would focus on how to better tell this part of the story, possibly introducing either dialouges between animated beligerants, or a solilaque by the main character himself.
17