ForeSight
Let's nurture nature for a better future
Razor
An open-world adventure VR experience that allows the immersant to traverse and protect a forest with the ability to see into the future.
Vision Statement
Foresight is a VR experience regarding the impacts of climate change, specifically deforestation and how human activities have irreversible consequences on the planet. Our team aims to incite reflection within the immersants through the stark visual contrast in colours and life via the time-switch mechanic, along with a fox companion that assists the immersant throughout their journey.
Project Goal
The overall project goal is for immersants to reflect on humanity’s impact on nature and develop empathy from the perspective of the victims. The animal companion also motivates the player to re-establish their connection with nature and evoke a transformative experience.
What Makes Our Experience Unique
Through the use of switching between present and future views, immersants will be able to see the desolate future state of the forest and their animal companion go extinct. The player’s in-VR goal is to prevent the destruction of the forest by observing clues from the future “vision” and making actions in the present.
Core User Experience
The dual view mechanic is the project’s core user experience. It aims to stimulate a strong visual and emotional contrast of the same environment between present and future, especially with animals involved
Desired User Experience
Reconnect with nature by building connections with the forest and nature, incite reflection regarding personal contributions to climate action, and develop empathy from the perspective of the victims
Premise
The experience starts with a cutscene with the immersant in their camping tent with their fox companion, showcasing their integrated life and connection with nature. Suddenly, immersants receive a vision of what will happen to the forest and animals in the future.
Narrative
01. Immersant is a hiker/camper who is spending the time with their fox companion, when they awaken the ability to see glimpses of a distant future
02. Immersant learns that in the near future, a machine will destroy their beloved forest, causing their fox companion and all other animals to die
03. Immersant’s goal is to prevent the machine by observing clues from the future “vision” and making actions in the present alongside their fox buddy.
04. Throughout this experience, the immersant can interact with their fox buddy while performing actions that prevent the machine from operating in the future. Some activities would be picking up water from a nearby river and dumping into the machine’s generator to short circuit its force field and removing the machine’s batteries to stop it from rampaging.
Immersion Frameworks
Sensory
Create a strong, multi-sensory connection between the player and the VR environment, as well as the animals inside the forest
Challenge-based
To save the forest and fox companion, players must complete a series of tasks and puzzles, obtaining clues by switching views to stop the machines
Inspirations & Visual Style
Farewell North
Contrast switching mechanism
Journey
Connection to other beings without speaking
ABZU
Narrative storytelling through exploration
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
Aesthetic similar to our visions for the “dead” environments
Genshin Impact
Colorful stylized world
Inspiration Analysis
Farewell North
Farewell North is an open-world adventure game in which users play as a collie traveling with their owner to restore color to bleak islands through exploring the land and sea, uncovering hidden paths, evading monsters, and freeing wildlife. What is inspiring is the sense of connection and collaboration between the collie and owner, especially as you work towards an emotional parting narrative at the end. It's meaningful because it promotes themes of empathy and perseverance, the idea that people aren't meant to go through life alone, and that life is more colorful, happier, and fulfilled with animal companions. On a technical level the mechanic used to restore color back to the islands inspired us to use a similar mechanic where we change what the user sees in the scene to represent the present and the vision of the future.
Journey
Journey is a wordless story told through gameplay and visual-only cutscenes. Its impressive use of visual and auditory elements along with the sense of companionship created without being able to directly communicate with other players create a moving and emotional experience that we were inspired by. We are striving to achieve a similar effect with a fox companion that feels alive and behaves independent from the users actions but one that can also be interacted with to build a connection to the fox companion.
ABZÛ
ABZÛ is an underwater exploration game where you play as a diver exploring the depths of the ocean. One of the goals is to introduce marine animal life back to areas which are void of life due to some kind of conflict which has left the oceans in desolate conditions. Through the use of visual and auditory design, the game has a "zen" feeling to it and helps establish a connection with the environment. It brings awareness to the ocean crisis and how we should cherish marine life. ABZÛ's impressive narrative and discussion on topics related to marine life inspired us to create a VR experience that embodies a similar emotional weight to it that would make the immersants more conscious on their impacts on the climate.
Genshin Impact
Genshin Impact is an open-world role-playing game with various environments to explore. Each of these environments has its own unique history and aesthetic, but all of them are stylized with colourful and vibrant textures and wildlife. Our team is inspired by the game's art direction and its feeling of complete freedom to explore. The exploration aspect of Genshin Impact is also enhanced by various interactable items across each environment, guiding players across the seemingly endless virtual worlds. These items often have obvious affordances, particularly a shining effect, which inspired us to make our own interactable items highlighted during the "future view."
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2
S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 is a unique blend of first-person-shooter and horror set within an open-world environment. Their concept arts have a visual aesthetic very similar to our visions for the “dead” environments. In particular, dead trees and fallen civilization equipment are aspects that we would like to incorporate into our own virtual world.