I’m using the tree idea I explored earlier for the hub style room of the prototype. I started off by using placeholder assets to get a feel for the size of the room. I wanted to try and get enough room that the player could walk around the tree, but not so little that they could get lost in the dark, as I’m sticking to the darkness.
I then had a look at what I wanted to do with the fx corridors. I started off with a normal corridor, which I was neutral on. Its not bad, but its not particularly engaging either. I did think constantly walking forward could get boring, leading the player to think about other things, get distracted and not become relaxed.
The spiral staircase idea was one I loved in concept, as it has a lot of symbolic associations with creativity and transcendence. In practice though, it really does not work, especially with the oculus. Being able to see the stairs themselves loses a lot of the meditational, non-real space feel, and bumping up them is not a nice experience in vr.
I opted for a compromise in the end, taking the winding round from the stairs and putting it in a level corridor. This adds a bit of intrigue, as the player doesn’t know what’s round the corner, but feels still, non representative, and isn’t going to make the player sick.
Amy Stevens Honours Blog 