'The Royal Choice' is a storytelling experience, encapsulating a semester-long exploration of the design and development of Virtual Reality experiences. It’s been made using Unity software. The user is immersed in an interactive story, taking the role of a little princess facing a moral dilemma. The princess, trapped in her castle, has to choose between benefiting the many and hurting her father, or the opposite. All assets, interactions and environments have been developed and designed by us.
Collaborative project with Jasmin Shi
Collaborative project with Jasmin Shi
Plot
The story begins with the princess awakening in her chamber, and we are introduced to her identity and position within the royal family. As she hears a bird-like cry, she decides to investigate the source of the noise, and we follow her as she makes her way towards the basement of the castle. The flapping of wings grows louder as she approaches.
Once in the basement, the princess discovers a room filled with cages containing magical birds, whose serum is used to grant immortality to the royal family, that tends to rule for up to 300 years. She speaks with one of the employees, who explains the king's reasoning for using the birds in this way. The princess finds herself at a crossroads and must choose whether to expose the king's actions by setting the birds free or keep the information to herself. Is it better to do the right thing even if it leads to negative consequences or do the wrong thing if it results in a positive outcome?
Once in the basement, the princess discovers a room filled with cages containing magical birds, whose serum is used to grant immortality to the royal family, that tends to rule for up to 300 years. She speaks with one of the employees, who explains the king's reasoning for using the birds in this way. The princess finds herself at a crossroads and must choose whether to expose the king's actions by setting the birds free or keep the information to herself. Is it better to do the right thing even if it leads to negative consequences or do the wrong thing if it results in a positive outcome?
Lobby
The lobby has a simple UI system that displays the title, authors, and brief instructions. The user path is designed to teach navigation in a VR environment, demonstrate SnapTurn for turning, showcase RayCast interactions, and familiarize the user with transitions between scenes through the emissive star. Teleportation, scene transitions, and navigation are used throughout the game.
Dream & the chamber
The story begins with the user waking up from a dream in a dark environment with bird sounds playing in the background. A script fades the screen and transitions to the next scene after the audio finishes. After waking up, the user hears a bird NPC's voice prompting them to reflect on their dream and embark on a journey to uncover its secrets. Eye-centered and grab interactions are used to guide the user and unlock audio.
Corridor
The corridor serves as a transition scene to enhance immersion, anticipation, and curiosity. Custom assets were added, and platforms were scripted to move when the user stands on the emissive star. A custom Shader Graph for water, fog, and subtle sounds were added for added sensations.
Prison
This scene leads to the story's climax by showcasing the conflict between the kingdom's prosperity and the birds' lives. Plenty of birds in "cages" are seen, and an audio lab report is triggered when the user enters the area. The guard NPC explains the king's reasons for keeping the birds, causing a moral dilemma for the user. The user must choose between two columns, triggering two similar but different endings that showcase the losses and gains of each side through a bird and guard debate.
Interactions include the guard NPC and lab report triggered in a certain area, the option to make an uninformed decision, and the NPC following the user.
Interactions include the guard NPC and lab report triggered in a certain area, the option to make an uninformed decision, and the NPC following the user.
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