Design & Development
Week 6:
Priority Plans
Tuesday 8th March 2022
WEEK 6 -
TO DO: PLAN/SEQUENCE PRIORITIES​
PURPOSE FOR PLAN
After speaking with course leader Adam this morning, it's clear that we need better organisation in terms of our setup and plans for the physical space, involving the equipment we plan to use and how we are going to tackle each moving part. Today, I plan to make a brief plan with Kiera to make task management easier for the both of us. In our discussion, Adam suggested prioritising each moving part in the form of a sequence, so we can undertake these things step-by-step rather than all at once. For example, starting with assessing the outcome of the projectors, and moving on to the overall setup of the space.
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WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
I intend to list out our requirements for the physical space and pinpoint exactly how we plan to use it. With this in mind, we can list out each moving part in a sequence, starting with what we need to approach first. The idea is that we approach these things one by one to ensure everything works before we move onto the next aspect.
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GOALS FOR THE DAY​
Come up with a suitable plan for the physical space setup. Include each aspect of the space and which element we will tackle first.
WHERE DO I BEGIN?​
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THE REQUIREMENTS
THE PHYSICAL SPACE​
Why and how do we plan to use it?
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GAMEPLAY
Players enter the physical space, surrounded by beautifully illustrated mountainscape projections. Players interact with the space through motion sensor/gesture control using their hand in front of the projected screen. (Through webcams) Players use slow movement to collect delicately falling snowflakes and witness the soundtrack develop overtime.
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WHY A PHYSICAL SPACE?
A physical space allows us to achieve full immersion in the environment. We want players to be able to move around and wander freely in their space, with no restrictions. A physical space provides them with the means to escape to their own safe space/quiet zone on campus and take part in both playful and beneficial gameplay. This physical space will also consist of a surround sound system to provide players with music from every direction and enhance player engagement. All of these elements work cohesively to provide players with an immersive safe space in which they can explore and interact with, all designed to encourage emotional and physical regulation.
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REQUIREMENTS
Knowing how and why we are using a physical space, we can be direct with our requirements and create a sequence that allows us to tackle each moving part in a step-by-step sequence.
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A physical space - whether that's a room, or panels/walls brought together to form a secluded space. A low-lit room, but enough light to pick up players hand through webcam.
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Interactive projections on 2/3/4 walls - suitable projectors that projects a suitable scale.
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Integrated/embedded webcams - to allow players to use gesture control to interact, directly in front of each screen.
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A surround sound system - to provide players with sound at different points/in different directions within the space.
LIST OF MOVING PARTS​
PROJECTORS - which ones will we use? Do we have to order them? How well are the visuals displayed? How do they work with our other tech?​
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IMAGE PROCESSING - what is required for projection? How is program displayed? How will the game work across all 4 walls?
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SOUND - How can we then implement the sound into this program?
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WEBCAMS - Which webcams shall we use? Do we have them? Do they need ordering?
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THE SPACE - How do we bring the space together? Individual screens/walls? How can we get these?
PRIORITISING THE MOVING PARTS​
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Now we can identify the parts with the highest priority and create a sequence of tasks that enables us to get everything complete in time for our deadline. We know the expectations for each moving part and the questions we need to ask regarding each one, our next task is to note down what we will approach first.
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PLAN
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1. PROJECTORS
One of the most important elements for the setup of the space are the projectors we use. We have to establish exactly which projectors we will be using and how, which will enable us to project any visual of our choosing onto a flat surface. We have labelled this as our first priority and element to tackle, which we plan to get a hold of as soon as tomorrow. We plan to ask the relevant questions such as how will they work and how will we get a hold of them?
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2. IMAGE PROCESSING
We know we will be using the method of 'Image/webcam processing' to identify the players movement and control the bird on screen but we must evaluate how this will work with the other elements. At this stage, we should know how our projectors will be setup so it'll be necessary for us to test this interaction with our projector setup. This will involve evaluating the quality of the projection and the ability to pick up motion in the space. The last question to ask is, how will we extend this interaction across 4 walls? Which will require us to think about how we make each screen interactive, 1 after the other.
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3. WEBCAMS
The next thing to approach is the setup of the webcams. How exactly will we embed these webcams into the walls? Will we place them in a webcam holder on top of each screen or will we have laptops on display? We also must identify which webcams we will be using and how we can get them. This'll be something to think about when we establish a suitable setup for the space. (Point 5)
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4. SOUND
By this stage, the sound should be in production by our Sound Designer. With the other moving parts working, we must establish how to implement this sound into the space using the surround sound system. This'll involve testing the MASS 5.1 surround sound system to ensure it all works. By this time, we should have implemented the sound into the program, so that the music is triggered when objects have been collected.
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5. THE SPACE
Our last priority is the setup of the physical space. Using all of these elements above, we could project into an existing room/use existing walls however, for the purpose of this project, ideally we'd like to project into a space of our own. This may require individual panels or screens being brought together to do so. Once we have all the moving parts mentioned, we can think about how exactly we will bring this space together, and tie in all the elements accordingly.
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NEXT AND FIRST STEPS​
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Next steps for us will be to continue our plans for testing the projectors. Our first priority as seen above are the projectors including which ones we will be using and how they'll work. By tomorrow and through the means of testing, we will be able to cross this first priority off our list and come to our first conclusion regarding the setup. This sequence will allow us to be more direct with our tasks and manage our time better! By the end of this week, we plan to have at least two of the five priorities checked off our list. Essentially, we must begin WEEK 7 knowing how our projectors and image processing program works successfully. I plan to adjust our schedule according to this new sequence also.
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