Alex Wills

Simulation Developer for Quest 2 VR Headset

Resources

Florida Underwater Manatee Simulation

As a developer for Quest 2, Alex used Unity3D and the Oculus Integration Package to design and implement a simulation to teach players about some of the actionable problems of manatees in Florida because of humans (boating accidents). In the simulation, the player is introduced into VR and given a short tutorial to learn the controls before becoming a manatee and exploring underwater. The player will eat seagrass, surface for air, and interact with other manatees to become familiar with the life manatees live and the problems they face.

To build this simulation, Alex

Designed levels and user interactions for gameplay
Wrote scripts to implement custom behaviors for the UI, point values, manatee behavior, player movement, and scene management
Assembled scenes in Unity with Game Objects
Optimized, edited, and added onto existing code from the previous project
Discussed gameplay with peers to improve the game design
Collaborated with Devin and Riley to use custom assets

In addition to game development, Alex worked with Professor Roy and Devin to teach summer camp students about our work, computer science, the environment, game design, and game development.

Underwater level where the player becomes a manatee, eats grass, breathes air, and socializes with other manatees

Technology

Unity 3D
Quest 2 Headset
Oculus Integration Package from Unity Asset Store

Learning Goals

To learn to design simulations with accessibility in mind, creating a portfolio piece that is accessible to a wide range of ages and a wide range of familiarity with virtual reality and computer science.
To closely collaborate with my teammates to learn how to work effectively with different roles to create a unified project.
To learn how VR Game Development can be used in experimental research.

Accomplishments

Designed 5 scenes in a game with Unity3D to create an intuitive VR experience that raises awareness for environmental issues manatees face
Utilized the Oculus library to build a Quest-compatible game that educates and builds sympathy for manatees in the local environment
Iterated designs and collected feedback for user interactions to make the simulation intuitive and easy to understand
Collaborated with 3 peers to share 3D assets, leading to faster and higher quality development of a 3D VR game
Assembled 3D assets and particle systems into a realistic underwater scene to create an immersive underwater level for VR

Gameplay Video

If you cannot view the video, here is the YouTube link: https://youtu.be/SXgbvRPEm6U

This is a full video playthrough of the game.

The final version may look different than what is shown in the video (planned updates to manatee models and animation transitions).

Unity Scenes

Welcome to the Game

In the first scene, you will learn some information about manatees, hear what they sound like, and choose the names for your two manatee friends.

2. Tutorial

You will then become a manatee and learn how to use the controls. This scene has some manatee facts as well as controller diagrams to help you know which buttons to press. You swim around with the left thumbstick, swim up with Y, and swim down with X.

3. Social Life

Increase your health by petting manatees and eating seagrass, and make sure to go to the surface to breathe to keep your oxygen bar filled!

In this scene, you can explore a large environment and meet your manatee friends to live a day in the life of a manatee.

4. Transition

After finishing your tasks, the game will transition later in the day to a new area with high boat traffic.

5. Boat Hit

In this scene, you will watch one of your manatee friends go up to breathe in an area with high boat traffic. A boat will hit your friend on accident, but luckily the boat only hits their tail and the accident is not fatal. If only the boat were moving more slowly and carefully, this accident could have been prevented.

6. Ending

At the end of the game, you will return to the surface to learn more about boat strikes and how they can be prevented.

For more detailed information on how the different scenes work and what scripts are used, check out the documentation on GitHub!

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