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[APK] Number the Stars

yosun
Honored Guest
Milestone 3/4:

APK: https://vrjam-submissions.s3.amazonaws. ... upload.apk

Live Gameplay Video (sped up): http://youtu.be/d26IFwSKCIQ






CP: http://vrjam.challengepost.com/submissi ... -the-stars



Number the Stars is a casual yet immersive 3D rails game that you “create to advance” by connecting the dots. This VRJam entry features two gameplay modes: Story Mode and Freeform Mode.

> As a reminder, the judges will primarily be reviewing your video, images, and descriptions for the first round of judging, so be specific in your description to ensure we understand what we're seeing. For example:

>Controls - how is your game, app, or experience controlled? Gaze, touch pad, controller?

>Mechanics - what can a user or player expect to do or experience in this world; what are the core “gameplay” mechanics?

>Innovation - what did you try that is new or unique in VR? For example, UI / user cues, multi-user interactions, visual/audio interactions, comfortable locomotion techniques, immersive control methods, or even extending the technology in some way.

## Controls:
Gaze cursor via overlay with "tooltip" or helper text hovering about cursor. Tap to action.

## Mechanics:
The user rotates their head, then aims (with a gaze cursor that may show a helper-tooltip) and taps to interact with in-game objects - mostly spheres or dots that you "tap" to connect, and turn into interesting things:

The core gameplay mechanics relies on connecting the dots to advance, with gaze selection also of select "special" scene objects (such as pulsating nebulas that give you a different "starview"). Upon completing a constellation, the materialized mesh may be interactive - a trigger to magically-appear other things, or a door, or a monster!

## Innovation:
UI: 2D overlay gaze cursor with glance-ready hover-text tooltips. Both wide area and targeted Spatial-hotspots, such as looking up or down trigger different game events - or look-tapping at specific objects do other things. Float-in-space symmetrical interface - such as 0-g isolation and directed-arrows in an inner-sphere.

Walking: "Look where you want to walk" - then tap and hold the side touchpad to walk (after you finish tracing an animal in Freeform mode).

Flying: Traverse via star-pull! (You'll see!)

Gameplay: I've searched, but I'm surprised that I'm the first(?) to create a head-motion (or even gyroscope-based) 3D dot to dot game, where you trace the contours from your perspective, similar to how constellations are named. If that's true, then this is also the first create-the-world-type rails game that uses the dot-to-dot method.

Intuitive audio clues: using headphones, you can hear the star-ping for the next thing to trace

Bonus: When you complete the 3 levels in the current Story Mode, you will find a very-readable cylindrical scrolling credits scene, that you read by spinning around on your chair! This credit also contains targeted "in-line hotspots" that you can geze-tap to trigger.


---



### Credits and Attributions:

*Tools*: Unity 4.6.3 with OVR 0.5.0. Photoshop, Illustrator, 3ds Max (I did very little modeling - I'm just a one person indie team, so I deferred much of the mesh to the asset store:)

*Asset store*: PROTOFACTOR's Animals, Philip Schmidt's Big Environment Pack, Marmoset Skyshop, Elementals Particles. (I also wanted to include the dark lady from Unity 5 sample assets, but had some issues getting it to import in 4 without crashes on-device - the gears on the hill are from her clockwork!)

*Music*: "Lost Frontier" Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

*Sound FX*: Garage Band synth glockding highest C

#### How did I come up with this idea?

I tried to combine the essence of two of my favorite games (I also tried to incorporate some interesting perspective navigation tricks from Monument Valley, but this won't be ready for the game jam build) - Unfinished Swan and Blueprint 3D.

It’s reminiscent of Unfinished Swan, but instead of starting with a blank white canvas world, you start with “stars” that you connect to form the outlines of game geometry. When each item is “traced”, it turns into a more realistic-looking game geometry, that the player can advance along.

It's also reminiscent of Blueprint 3D, with the wonder and magic feeling you get when you see the blueprint come together from the right angle, or in this case, when the dots and lines fully converge into a 3D geometry, beyond the contour from your camera perspective. However, it's a lot less frustrating because it's always obvious which dot to connect next.

You can create an entire universe by dot to dot!

> Be careful what you connect, next! The dots and lines are deceptive - you just might create your own walking enemy...

The original intent of the game was for it to be more of an action-packed rails shooter, but it's turned into a whimsical story-heavy game of discovery...

#### Story and Mythos?
ChallengePost: yosun SMS: 415-77-YOSUN Twitter: @yosun Some old public hacks.
5 REPLIES 5

KominAaa
Honored Guest
That is a very simple and clever concept!
Halfway between an experience and the relaxing kind of puzzle game that gets you into the zone 🙂
Hi! Check our VRJam2015 entry SteamCrew VR, Our VR Game Shufflepuck Cantina Deluxe VR and our VRJam2013 entry EpicDragon VR! Follow us on Facebook!

IrikGabitov
Honored Guest
Sweet!

yosun
Honored Guest
Undecided about the level art. On the one hand, as a one-person team, I'd prefer a more abstract look... but then, the magic seems to happen when you finish connecting-the-dots and something more realistic fades in.





Level so far features simple models that are quick to make - but I guess there could be some interesting models to include from the asset store.
ChallengePost: yosun SMS: 415-77-YOSUN Twitter: @yosun Some old public hacks.

yosun
Honored Guest
(More old stuff / archived)

Number the Stars is a 3D immersive rail shooter game that you “create to advance” by connecting the dots.

It’s reminiscent of Unfinished Swan, but instead of starting with a blank white canvas world, you start with “stars” that you connect to form the outlines of game geometry. When each item is “traced”, it turns into a more realistic-looking game geometry, that the player can advance along.

It's also reminiscent of Blueprint 3D, with the wonder and magic feeling you get when you see the blueprint come together from the right angle, or in this case, when the dots and lines fully converge - but less frustrating because it's always obvious which dot to connect next.

Be careful what you connect, next! The dots and lines are deceptive - you just might create your own walking enemy...

Milestone 2 Diff:







Milestone 1 Diff:

(Screenshots look very indie currently... still haven't finetuned star shader yet)





(Might rename this to Reach for the Stars)
ChallengePost: yosun SMS: 415-77-YOSUN Twitter: @yosun Some old public hacks.

yosun
Honored Guest
Didn't make finalists. 😕

Would appreciate comments if anyone had the chance to play my game or watch the video (sorry, for the bad screenshots, ran out of time.)

Feel free to DM me - criticism appreciated.
ChallengePost: yosun SMS: 415-77-YOSUN Twitter: @yosun Some old public hacks.