PRODUCTION TIME
Embedded Files
3 months
YEARS OF RELEASE
2023
SOFTWARE
Unity
LIFETIME
10'
GENDER
Escape game
PLATFORM
VR / Quest 2
- OVERVIEW
Project Harmony is a VR experience based on escape room codes, where you play the role of a military scientist working on a large-scale project on a space station.
In a period approaching the Cold War, the world is prey to numerous economic, social and environmental crises, favoring the emergence of autocratic superpowers.
After many years of armed conflict, the watchword is clear: strike a blow.
As a military scientist, your role in this operation is fundamental.
- CONTRIBUTION
This game was made by a team of 6 people.
My role was Game Designer, Level designer and UX/UI Designer.
Structure of the experience
Structure of the experience
Puzzle dependancy chart.
Emotional intensity curve
Emotional intensity curve
The constraint of this project was to include a storyline with a twist. To help us design this experience, we created an emotional intensity curve.
This curve was used to define where we wanted to place the game's high points, and thus set the pace of our game.
Puzzle design
Puzzle design
As an escape game, the challenges of our experience are in the form of puzzles.
Therefore, the game is made up of 5 puzzles that reinforce the narrative.
Narratively, this experience is divided into two different parts, separated by the plot twist.
The first part of the experience is designed to give an impression of "scientific process" through its interactions and puzzles.
The puzzles are therefore based on "procedural" gameplay elements, referring to the character's role within the narrative during this sequence.
Puzzles are more focused on mental challenges, and the player is given clear objectives.
These objectives are :
Fill and retrieve the active principle in order to insert it into the ground
Charge and recover the 3 batteries and insert them into the soil
1st puzzle
This puzzle offers a Mental challenge with an observation micro-challenge.
Description: An element of the environment to the left of the players comprises a 3x3 grid and 4 Plexiglas cubes, with symbols for several molecules (24 symbols) on each side, as well as a screen.
On the screen is a diagram representing a molecule assembly.
Puzzle resolution:
Recompose the active ingredient by selecting the right molecules.
The player must break down the assembly and proceed by elimination, using the clues provided to find the right symbols.
In order to solve the puzzle, the players must locate and place several molecules on the 3x3 grid. Therefore, once the players have identified a good molecule, they simply need to place the cube on the grid according to the molecule's position in the assembly, in order to select it.
For the last two molecules, the players have to deduce that the two cubes must be superimposed on the same position in order to complete the puzzle.
To find the right molecules, players are asked to perform several actions/challenges:
Manipulating the cubes to see the different faces
Observation: the player must observe and locate the molecules in common with the clue he'll get by breaking down the assembly.
Placing cubes on the grid
Schematic drawing of how the "molecules" cubes work
2nd puzzle - NOT IMPLEMENTED
This puzzle offers a Mental challenge with a deduction and listening micro-challenge.
Description: An environment element to the right of the players has 3 columns with 8 buttons and a handle that has two states: "pattern" or "test".
The rows of buttons are linked to 3 discharged batteries.
Puzzle resolution:
Each column represents 1 different sound.
All buttons in a column make the same sound with a variation in the intensity.
Thus, the 8 buttons of column 1 when pressed individually make the same sound, and the same for columns 2 and 3.
By pressing the right buttons, the player must reproduce a sound pattern that can be heard by setting the handle to "pattern" status.
Columns are played simultaneously
Special feature: the lever:
If the lever is in the "pattern" position:
The pattern is played in a loop with a 10-second pause between loops.
If the lever is in the "Test" position:
A playback track starts, reading the player's composition from top to bottom. For each button pressed, the sound assigned to it will be played, whereas buttons not pressed will produce no sound.
Solution
The second part begins just after the plot twist is revealed. In this part, the puzzles are more of a "do-it-yourself" nature, with more physical challenges.
To reach their goal, players must solve 3 puzzles representing 3 narrative stages.
Namely:
Open the hatch and turn on the circuit breaker to restore power.
Switch on all diodes to activate the cannon's overheating.
Overheat the various parts of the cannon by targeting them on a screen.
3rd puzzle
This puzzle offers a Mental challenge with a memorization and deduction micro-challenge.
Description: The players have 2 handles above them, as well as other items they acquired earlier in the experience.
If they grasp the handles and pull on them, a trapdoor on the wall opens.
On the other hand, if the participants let go of the handles, the trapdoor closes again.
Puzzle resolution:
The player must then assemble a weight that he or she has previously unlocked, place it on one of the two handles and grasp the other by hand to unlock the trapdoor.
There are 4 levers, and a status LED indicates whether the lever is open (green) or closed. To solve the puzzle, you need to operate the levers in the right order.
If a lever is opened in the right order, it remains green. Otherwise, it reverts to red.
The first lever is green by default and cannot be closed.
Schematic drawing of the puzzle's intermediate phase
Schematic drawing of the puzzle's final phase
Puzzle in game
Solution
4th puzzle
This puzzle offers a Mental challenge with a memorization and deduction micro-challenge.
Description: The players have in front of them an element with 6 diodes. Around this element are 4 levers.
Specificity of the levers:
If the players lower a lever, 3 LEDs are triggered, reversing their state.
Once the players lower a lever, it returns to its initial position.
The same lever can apply opposite effects (switching on one diode and switching off the other)
A lever can only switch on, but not only switch off.
Puzzle resolution:
Players have to find the right combination by lowering the right levers in the right order to activate or deactivate all the LEDs.
To find the right combination, players are asked to perform several actions/challenges:
Manipulating the levers and discovering their effect
Memorizing their effect: the player must memorize the effects of the different levers to be able to correct contrary effects.
Sequencing of actions: "If I press lever A, then lever B and C, I can light up so many diodes by relighting the one that was switched off by the first...".
Puzzle in game
Schematic drawing of the design
5th puzzle
This puzzle offers a Physical challenge with a precision micro-challenge, dosage.
Description: This puzzle serves as "final input".
The player has a screen in front of him displaying a top view of the cannon, as well as a gauge and the countdown to the bomb's launch.
To the right and below the screen are 2 measurement bars, each with a handle. If the player hasn't completed any of the puzzles in Part 2, the handles on the measuring bars are not accessible. These are retracted.
As soon as the player solves another puzzle in part 2, a handle comes out of one of the two measurement bars and becomes accessible.
Puzzle resolution:
Once you've completed the other two puzzles in Part 2, and unlocked the two handles next to the screen, the red area will begin to move randomly across the 2d representation of the cannon.
The player will have to move the cursor by moving the handles up and down or right and left according to the bar.
The aim is to align the cursor with the red zone as closely as possible.
The more the players align the cursor, the more the gauge increases. Their aim is to stay in line as long as possible until the gauge is completely full.
If they take too long between alignments, the gauge will start to decrease.
Puzzle in game
Puzzle in the prototype
Feature : Asynchronous Actions
Feature : Asynchronous Actions
Asynchronous actions are actions that the player must perform at regular intervals to continue the experience, or risk "losing the game".
Asynchronous actions also provide a rhythm to the experience, and are a tool for readjusting the tension of a sequence and indicating to the player what dynamic his character is in.
Asynchronous Action number 1
Asynchronous Action number 1
The action consists in validating a communication with the rest of the base. After each puzzle completion, the player must perform this action to communicate on the progress of his mission.
This is done with a pneumatic. All the player has to do is close the pneumatic door to stamp a capsule. Once dabbed, the asynchronous action is completed.
Asynchronous Actions number 1
Schematic drawing of the Asynchronous Actions number 1
Asynchronous Action number 2
Asynchronous Action number 2
The action consists of relocking the door.
If the light above the door turns red, the player must use the valve to close all the door locks.
The player must turn the valve to the left and make 2 complete turns to fully re-lock the door, otherwise the locks will reopen slowly.
Asynchronous Actions number 2
Schematic drawing of the Asynchronous Actions number 2
Design evolution
Design evolution
In creating our puzzles, we used paper prototypes, which enabled us to quickly test their effectiveness and completion time.
However, as our experience is in virtual reality, we had to rethink some of the designs, as their implementation in VR caused UX problems, notably linked to visibility and the space required for the puzzle to be functional.
One of our main UX problems had to do with one of our puzzles we had called "perforated plates".
In this puzzle, we were faced with the problem of the visibility of the "draw plates" action in play. To complete the puzzle, the player had to be able to see the 5 plates separately, as well as the solution, which was a wall of batteries with "good" and "bad" ones.
But this didn't fit with the VR set-up and the room scale constraint.
Level design
Level design
For the level design, we have to deal with the roomscale constraint (a 10m2 room).
The layout of the game space is based on the desire to enable players to interact extremely quickly. The entire play area is designed to be circular, with a maximum of 4 steps.
The positioning of the interactive elements, and more specifically the puzzles, their position has been designed by zone of interest.
Indeed, the level design has been divided into 3 zones.
The puzzles in Part 1 are mirrored on two large, virtually identical consoles located in the middle of the capsule, so on both sides of the sides of the player at the start of the experience.
The asynchronous actions are both located at the back of the capsule on the same
so that the player quickly identifies this part of the environment environment as a part with repetitive actions.
Finally, the puzzles in Part 2 are located at the front of the environment, with the exception with the exception of the trapdoor puzzle, which, to adapt to the environment moved back.
Phase 1 elements
Phase 2 elements
Asynchronous actions
Sign & Feedback
Sign & Feedback
Color coding
Color coding
Directly linked to navigation in the space, the need to make visible at first glance which elements are interactive which elements are interactive and which are not.
Interactive elements and puzzle zones are colored light blue/orange, to stand out dramatically in a duller environment.
This color coding immediately draws the player into certain areas of the room areas of the room, smoothing navigation.
Lights
Lights
Still with the idea of accompanying the player as they navigate, we've implemented lights around each puzzle.
Those lights illuminate the available puzzles, such as puzzles 1 and 2 for phase 1, and the others for phase 2.
When a puzzle has been solved, the light goes out.
Sign&Feedback : Puzzle 1
Sign&Feedback : Puzzle 1
To help solve the first puzzle (molecule one), there's a Mastermind-inspired color code to give players feedback on whether or not the placement of the cubes (correct face and position on the grid) is right or wrong.
Navigation diagram between scenes
Navigation diagram between scenes
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