SUMMARY
Built in Unity and operating on Oculus S, Story Heist is an immersive VR experience. Based on fables and tales the narrative leads us through stories we grew up to. My work was on Jack and the Giant Beanstalk Level, taking the player on a quest to steal the gold before Jack can get his hands on the goods.
CONTRIBUTIONS: Level Design, Kit Assembly, Guide map, and Beat Map. Created the Lock and Key Mechanics. Level polish, quality control and voice acting.
SPECIFICATIONS
TEAM: 3 - Student Project
GENRE: VR Narrative single player
DURATION: 3 Weeks
SOFTWARE: Unity, Diagrams, and Dungeon Scrawl
GAMEPLAY OVERVIEW
The Goal of the game is to wreak havoc and ruin the happily ever afters by stealing important narrative items such as the Harp, Goose, or Gold. and return to collect bounties. The experience itself allows players to play within a sandbox realm as objects are interactable. The player is equipped with a Gun, allowing them to ensure destruction and enjoyment.
VISUAL RESEARCH / THEMATIC
I began designing the levels by conducting research and gathering visual references to create a mood board to capture the essence and aesthetic that makes Jack and the Bean Stalk unique.
I intended to create a historically accurate representation while including ideas that would suit scenarios and mechanics, such as scale, traversal, interaction, and exploration.
BLOCK OUT PROCESS
Level Beats and pacing
The level beats are meant to indicate important points within the level. At the start of the game, the player is dwarfed by the large entrance doors, the anticipation leads them to a room with blocked paths. Again the player uses their size to progress, however, locked doors still deny the player access. The hidden passage is an Ah-ha moment for the player, a reassurance of size and space. Again we face a challenge, large steps to scale, a vista allows the player to reflect on the start. Reaching the main hall a vantage point view directs our attention to the key on the table, another obstacle. After obtaining the key the player can acess the Gold room, a treasure trove of valuables and the cellar
Level Overview
The Level design directs the player through the castle into the main room with the giant before allowing them entry to explore new areas. This gate and key logic allow the player to unlock new rooms while also reconnecting and looping them through the castle. The paths return to the beanstalk after completing the main objectives. New areas reward the player’s exploration with valuable bounty items.
Walkthrough
The player starts at the Entrance. ➤
BEAT 1 CASTLE ENTRACNE- Transported by the beanstalk up to the castle the player is first introduced to the scale of the level and the grand size. ➤
BEAT 2 LOCKED DOORS- Slipping between the double doors, we truly begin to comprehend just how small we are and the advantages to our size. ➤
The first room we're met with two doors, both locked. It was easy to slip through the first door but the second requires more investigating. ➤
A hole in the wall behind the shelf to the right of the door, in near plain sight is a small passage. ➤
BEAT 3 HIDDEN PATH- The passage leads us through a burrow that was once home to Jack's Father. A moment to reflect on our size as were reassured by "ordinally and normal" sized objects. ➤
We emerge on the other side, the vines near the door indicate our progress to making on the other side. The door at the end of the hall is locked, and inaccessible. A fork to the right leads us to a spiraling staircase. ➤
The player reaches the large steps leading to the Grand Hall. ➤
Scaling the spiral staircase we fall victim to large steps, a simple feat becomes an effort.➤
BEAT FOUR LARGE STEP VISTA- Half way up the stairs we catch a vista revealing where our journey began. ➤
Once at the top we have a clear direction. A hall full of paintings lining the eastern wall. ➤
At the end of the hall locked doors, again, block our path. However were standing, elevated within the grand hall. ➤
BEAT 5 GRAN HALL- Below the Giant sleeps, settled at the end of the table. The Key and harp sit in the center of the table. The player has several options to reach the table, jumping from the pole, ledge or shelf. ➤
The Grand Hall is a sandbox of objects for interaction, the key unlocks doors as the harp plays music, the giant is a large ragdoll as is the food. A moment or rejoice for the player as they unlock the blocked paths. ➤
The player collects the key, enabling them to explore the locked doors. ➤
After the hall of art, the player can take the key to unlock the cellar room. ➤
The Door behind the Giant leads to an L shaped hall, Anticipation growing as a room shining around the corner awaits. ➤
BEAT 6 GOLD ROOM- A room full of golden objects and valuables. A treasure trove of shiny trinkets, odds and ends. A room meant for fulfillment. ➤
BEAT 7 CAGED GOOSE- Within the room, kegs of wine and barrels line the walls, the center a cage. Another objective, the golden goose.➤
The golden goose is locked within the cage. After using the key the player can collect the Goose as a reward. ➤
The final cellar door leads back to the T, to the left the spiral stairs. Ahead, the door that returns us to the first room. This loop allows the player to quickly return to the beanstalk, with their narrative items. ➤
The last doors loop the player to the starting room. The door to the left leads to the main hall where the right door returns us to the cellar. This allows us to make an escape through the crack in the door and complete our mission. ➤
BEAT 8 BEAN STALK- We reach the beanstalk and return to the main hub, cashing in our rewards and successfully completing the level. End.
Reference and Reflection
This was a great experience to play around with VR and create a space meant to be explored and interacted with. The Scale of the space created challenges that required unique problem-solving for traversal and exploration. I enjoyed creating pockets within the space to make it feel homogeneous.