Oculus Launchpad Experience 0.8
- by Anthony
- in Oculus Launchpad Thoughts
- posted August 27, 2018
Introduction
This week has been fine-tuning the back-end, creating a name a logo we can come together on, and ruminating on how best to showcase the various platform functionalities for our September prototype deadline.
Past
So far we the team has been doing a wonderful job of cleaning up the back-end and front-end administrative pages to more production-level qualities while I sketch out the general ideas, model some sample “worlds”, describe the focus of this project, and ultimately decide what the “MVP (Minimum Viable Prototype)” we should showcase to Oculus to inspire further support.
Present
This week has included a great deal of thought as we hash out a clearer and “more marketable” direction for this project. We have been fine-tuning the back-end so that worlds are much easier to create and upload to the system, working on better styling of the administrative pages, and the “story1” team has also gathered materials to start mocking up 3D worlds.
I have been focusing personally on some additions to the “campfire hub” we have, adding in locomotion for all devices, and coming up with the name and logo shown at the beginning of this post. After several iterations and some great feedback from the team we have settled on “circles” with an accompanying circular logo.
I wanted to try and get away from more “technology-driven” terminology and instead focus on the motivation of this project, rather than the technology used to create it. I felt that “circles” evokes organic shapes that could also describe our journeys through this world as non-linear and cyclical (like learning!), capable of overlapping with others to form higher-order shapes such as a “sphere” or “basket”. The logo itself is also restless, creating a mysterious energy which I think works well within a powerful and exploratory VR context.
Future
My objective is to now start concretely getting content in so that we can have a solid prototype to send to Oculus at the end of September. I think the ideas are mostly formed and the base technologies mostly implemented; but now everything requires combing everything together, modelling more content, testing, and prototyping. I understand that the prototype need not be perfect but it will have to show great potential, that inspires confidence in its completion. “Story1” will be a focus but I will also be exploring an additional world set we can bring in to showcase a larger breadth of work – a “Story2” – what that is, I am still torn on: astrophysics or Canadian history? Due to my wonderful wife’s opinion I am leaning towards the latter …
“Music brings people together. So my function in anything I do
is to help bring people closer in”
– Gord Downie
