TREASURE HUNT VR
TYPE OF PROJECT
Individual
DESCRIPTION
A Virtual Reality voice-controlled game designed for disabled players. Created as a proof of concept that those who are unable to use a standard controller can utilise a combination of the VR headset movement and voice commands to experience video games.
​
Take control of a despondent Captain to save your ship and find the hidden treasure!
YEAR
2025
GENRE
Puzzle & Adventure
SOFTWARE
Unity
LEVEL DESIGN PROCESS
REASONS FOR PROJECT
I created this project to :​
​
-
Prove that hand-free games are possible
-
Create an experience that everyone can enjoy
-
Challenge myself as a designer by taking away conventional player controls
-
Design and create a virtual reality game
​
​
PROJECT GOALS
Throughout the project I aimed to :​
​
-
Utilise pacing to keep the player engaged
-
Introduce and build upon mechanics at an appropriate rate
-
Limit player frustration
​
​
INITIAL PLAN
I started the project by researching ways of traversal in VR games. After discovering teleportation and realising how that could be paired with a voice command to move around the level, I began prototyping the mechanic.
​
As the game was controlled through voice commands, fast paced genres like First-Person Shooters weren't considered due to multiple inputs being required at the same time.
​
Instead, I decided on a puzzle game in which the player navigates a pirate ship. This gave me a good base to design some initial encounters.
​
​
​
​
​
PLAYER MOVEMENT
In most games, the player has the freedom to move around the screen to wherever they want. I still wanted to give them that same sense of freedom and control, whilst limiting the amount of Teleportation Points around the level.
​
I began by placing the Teleportation Points far away from each other to avoid the player having to say "teleport" 20 times in quick succession. However, I needed a more concrete metric to build my level around.
Early on in development, I prototyped a small level to find the optimum distance between Teleportation Points. I found that 2 meters and below was too short, and caused player frustration as they felt as if they were making no progress each time they teleported. On the other hand, 10 meters was too long and made it difficult for the player to hover over the Teleportation Point with the reticle.​​​
​
The optimal distance between Teleportation Points was found to be between 3 meters and 8 meters. This avoids player frustration whilst still making it easy for the player to teleport.
​​
PACING
Initial voice controlled movement prototype.
To utilise voice commands, the pace of the game had to be slow and methodical. However, I still needed to create moments of tension and excitement to keep the player engaged.
​
There are two main peaks in excitement that the level is built around.
Encounter #1 - Hole In The Ship:
​
The first encounter is a hole in the ship which the player must quickly patch to stop the ship from sinking.
​
The main design challenge during this encounter was to teach the player a new voice command whilst guiding them to the correct solution and still keeping the stakes high.
​
During early playtests, players would recognise the hole in the ship but explore elsewhere before going back to it. To fix this, I sacrificed the sense of freedom in the game for this small section and hid any irrelevant teleports. This stopped the player from getting distracted and their sole focus was on the sinking ship, where the game could teach them the new mechanic.
​
Encounter #2 - Tentacle Attack:
​
The second peak in tension came near the end of the level, in the form of a huge tentacle attack from a sea monster.
​
I wanted to create an encounter that subverted the player's expectations of teleportation. Prior to this, the player was able to freely teleport whenever they wanted.
​
During this tentacle attack, however, the sea monster's limbs hide and unhide the teleportation point. From a gameplay perspective, this is more engaging for the player as they now have to time when to teleport.
​
Both the subversion of expectations and the player having to use some skill in their teleport timing creates an exciting final encounter in the level.
​
​
​
​
Teleportation points could potentially distract the player from the sinking ship, ruining the designed tension.
Updated version of the same encounter. No unnecessary teleportation points can distract the player.
Interest curve for the first level.
Tentacles appear from the sides of the ship.
Metrics for the distance between Teleportation Points.
DEVELOPMENT SCREENSHOTS
Click images to enlarge
Initial blockout to test Teleportation Point distance metrics.
During initial playtests, player's struggled to discover the hidden door. Added scratch marks to fix this problem.
Created 3D models in Blender such as the rat and the tentacles.
Added leading lines to subtly guide the player.
Finished and tested all mechanics in the level.
Made the level feel more like a pirate ship.