"Project Dive VR" is a virtual reality experience that lets the player explore the Portofino diving area.
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Roles: Producer
Team size: 8 Development Team: Holy Diver Platforms: HTC Vive Engine: Unity 5 Development Cycle: December 2015 - March 2016 |
Showcased at Festival Della Scienza
(2016) |
My work in Project Dive VR
During the development of Project Dive VR, I handled the management of the team, and the communications with the externals. This also included handling our application to the Festival Della Scienza. Our team was understaffed, especially in the art department. So in order to alleviate the burden, I tried to get help from other teams, and see how much of the assets we could get online. With some help of the other teams we were able to deliver a product that was passable.
Working on request
Project dive VR was a project requested by Green Bubbles. This meant that we operated as if this was a client project. There were guidelines we could easily follow and which were clear from the start.
The game needed to be more of a sandbox that the player could freely explore. The player should be satisfied within a couple of minutes. The game should be easy on the player, for people that are new to VR (simulation sickness). These were guidelines that were easy to pursue, and formed the basis of the design.
The problems started to arise with the more vague requests. First of we were requested to make it look like the Portofino diving area. None of us had any idea what the area looked like, and footage of the area was limited. We received photogrammetry data of the area. The data was unreliable, due to the gaps in the data, and clear quality differences in certain areas. Even though we were understaffed, I wanted the team to try two options. The first option was the safest one. Convert the data into a height map and use it as terrain. This was a safe solution, but the terrain would lose some of the more interesting qualities. The other option was to try and generate the terrain in Houdini based on the data we received. That way we could preserve the good data, and replace the parts that were missing. Sadly due to our inexperience with Houdini, we could not generate a satisfying result.
The other problem we encountered was the lack of communication with the client. The client was a busy man that was traveling during our development, and English was not his first language. The questions we would ask him could take days to be answered. When we got an answer it was clear that the question was misinterpreted. I should have spend more time formulating the questions in a way that would be understood regardless.
The game needed to be more of a sandbox that the player could freely explore. The player should be satisfied within a couple of minutes. The game should be easy on the player, for people that are new to VR (simulation sickness). These were guidelines that were easy to pursue, and formed the basis of the design.
The problems started to arise with the more vague requests. First of we were requested to make it look like the Portofino diving area. None of us had any idea what the area looked like, and footage of the area was limited. We received photogrammetry data of the area. The data was unreliable, due to the gaps in the data, and clear quality differences in certain areas. Even though we were understaffed, I wanted the team to try two options. The first option was the safest one. Convert the data into a height map and use it as terrain. This was a safe solution, but the terrain would lose some of the more interesting qualities. The other option was to try and generate the terrain in Houdini based on the data we received. That way we could preserve the good data, and replace the parts that were missing. Sadly due to our inexperience with Houdini, we could not generate a satisfying result.
The other problem we encountered was the lack of communication with the client. The client was a busy man that was traveling during our development, and English was not his first language. The questions we would ask him could take days to be answered. When we got an answer it was clear that the question was misinterpreted. I should have spend more time formulating the questions in a way that would be understood regardless.
(not) Being a producer
The main takeaway from this project is that I do not think I am suited to be a producer. I can take care of the basics of being a producer. I can divide the workload, take care of communication, look at the schedule and plan accordingly. I simply lack the enthusiasm to take it a step further. I want to work in the project, and give it shape. I do not feel like I can perform to my fullest potential working as a producer.
I do value the experience I gained as a producer, and I will try to use that to work better as a team member. Things such as making accurate estimates on how long work should take. Being cooperative in the working method (sprints etc.) I will also be critical when working with a producer. I will try and see if there might be a better way of approaching certain situations. Methodologies have to be used in certain situations, and not adapted just because. Aside from working with producers, I can also use my experience to lead a small team. Though I would like to have more experience as a developer before I would attempt to do so.
I do value the experience I gained as a producer, and I will try to use that to work better as a team member. Things such as making accurate estimates on how long work should take. Being cooperative in the working method (sprints etc.) I will also be critical when working with a producer. I will try and see if there might be a better way of approaching certain situations. Methodologies have to be used in certain situations, and not adapted just because. Aside from working with producers, I can also use my experience to lead a small team. Though I would like to have more experience as a developer before I would attempt to do so.
About Project Dive VR
Project Dive VR was a project started by Green Bubbles to raise awareness for the diving area of Portofino. We were asked by the school to create a game that could be showcased at the Festival Della Scienza. The game would have to based on the Portofino diving area, using photogrammetry. We created the game to show people the wonders of the underwater world. We created the game to be easy on people that are new to Virtual Reality.
Contact
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