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In this section:
In this section:
◉ We will plan our digital places by thinking about the kinds of experiences (feelings and actions) we want them to prompt in visitors, and critically thinking about how our places might invite experiences beyond the colonizing, conquering, and violent ones often invited by commercial digital places.
◉ We will plan our digital places by thinking about the kinds of experiences (feelings and actions) we want them to prompt in visitors, and critically thinking about how our places might invite experiences beyond the colonizing, conquering, and violent ones often invited by commercial digital places.
◉ We will learn how to navigate the development environment in Unity.
◉ We will learn how to navigate the development environment in Unity.
◉ We will learn how to create a new scene and sculpt and texture terrain in Unity.
◉ We will learn how to create a new scene and sculpt and texture terrain in Unity.
Big Idea: Designed places reflect the creative choices of the people who designed them. By being mindful of the experiences (feelings and actions) we want our virtual places to encourage or discourage, we can design our virtual worlds to have space for powerful, meaningful, or interesting experiences, and (hopefully) avoid building colonizing norms into them.
Big Idea: Designed places reflect the creative choices of the people who designed them. By being mindful of the experiences (feelings and actions) we want our virtual places to encourage or discourage, we can design our virtual worlds to have space for powerful, meaningful, or interesting experiences, and (hopefully) avoid building colonizing norms into them.
planning our DIGITAL PLACES
planning our DIGITAL PLACES
Before learning how to create digital places, we're going to take some time to think about what we want these digital places to do. Places 'invite' us to feel things and do things, and designed places are usually designed to invite us to do specific things.
What does a classroom during the school year usually invite you to do? What does it keep you from doing? What feelings does it encourage? What feelings does it discourage?
What about the place you're in right now? What about the digital places you explored earlier?
What about the place that you'll be making in these lessons?
Take a moment, either using the worksheet linked above, or your own paper, and develop an experience plan for the place you will make. You can do some or all of the following activities, in any order:
◉ Make a list of what you want visitors to your place to FEEL.
◉ Make a list of what you want visitors to your place to FEEL.
● Feelings can be emotions, but can also be lots of other things that happen in your body. You can feel dizzy, stable, or sick. You can feel like you have to squint to see, feel like you're safe, or feel like you have a long walk ahead of you.
● Feelings can be emotions, but can also be lots of other things that happen in your body. You can feel dizzy, stable, or sick. You can feel like you have to squint to see, feel like you're safe, or feel like you have a long walk ahead of you.
● If it helps, reflect on some of the feelings you had in virtual places back in Part I. Were there any strong feelings you had there that you would like to try to create?
● If it helps, reflect on some of the feelings you had in virtual places back in Part I. Were there any strong feelings you had there that you would like to try to create?
◉ Make a list of what you want visitors to your place to be able to DO
◉ Make a list of what you want visitors to your place to be able to DO
● Remember, this is about what actions your PLACE can encourage or discourage. So don't think about special abilities for you virtual body ("I want to fly," "I want to turn invisible"). Think about what your place can allow a body to do ("I want to walk on the surface of the sun," "I want to meet a three-headed monkey named Gary," "I want to sit down somewhere quiet").
● Remember, this is about what actions your PLACE can encourage or discourage. So don't think about special abilities for you virtual body ("I want to fly," "I want to turn invisible"). Think about what your place can allow a body to do ("I want to walk on the surface of the sun," "I want to meet a three-headed monkey named Gary," "I want to sit down somewhere quiet").
◉ Next, write down HOW your place will encourage those activities and feelings. What artistic choices will you have to make? What things might you have to include?
◉ Next, write down HOW your place will encourage those activities and feelings. What artistic choices will you have to make? What things might you have to include?
◉ Make note of how these planned experiences are different from the colonizing, conquering, and violent experiences of some of the digital places we looked at.
◉ Make note of how these planned experiences are different from the colonizing, conquering, and violent experiences of some of the digital places we looked at.
◉ Now, draw an "experience map" of what it will be like to move through your place. Imagine moving through your place. Are experiences close together or far apart? Are experiences intense, calm, or both? Do you have freedom to choose where you go, or is there one set path?
◉ Now, draw an "experience map" of what it will be like to move through your place. Imagine moving through your place. Are experiences close together or far apart? Are experiences intense, calm, or both? Do you have freedom to choose where you go, or is there one set path?
◉ Through writing and drawing, imagine the history of the place you'll be making. Draw or write what that place was like before the visitor/player arrived (this could be a long time ago, or recently). Draw or write a significant past event that shaped the place. Sketch what evidence exists in the place today that show that history (objects, communities, landmarks, ruins, buildings, life forms...).
◉ Through writing and drawing, imagine the history of the place you'll be making. Draw or write what that place was like before the visitor/player arrived (this could be a long time ago, or recently). Draw or write a significant past event that shaped the place. Sketch what evidence exists in the place today that show that history (objects, communities, landmarks, ruins, buildings, life forms...).
GETTING STARTED WITH UNITY
GETTING STARTED WITH UNITY
Follow the tutorial below to learn how to navigate through Unity and explore the sample project we'll be using in these lessons.
CREATING A NEW SCENE & BUILDING TERRAIN
CREATING A NEW SCENE & BUILDING TERRAIN
Follow the tutorials below to learn how to navigate through Unity and explore the sample project we'll be using in these lessons.
PLAY & EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR PLACE-IN-PROGRESS
PLAY & EXPERIMENT WITH YOUR PLACE-IN-PROGRESS
Follow the tutorials below to experience walking through your world (very important for getting a feel for the scale of the place!), and creating custom textures for your terrain.
ADDITIONAL TERRAIN TOOLS
ADDITIONAL TERRAIN TOOLS
Follow the tutorials below to use Unity's built-in tools for adding trees and foliage to your terrain. (Later we'll be learning how to add more custom models - or peek ahead to Part V if you're curious!)
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