With the release of Apple's Vision Pro, mixed reality has truly entered the mainstream consciousness. This article aims to provide game designers with the core principles for designing games in mixed reality.
What is Mixed Reality?
Mixed reality (MR) refers to a technology that blends elements of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) to create immersive and interactive experiences. In mixed reality, virtual objects are seamlessly integrated into the real-world environment, allowing users to interact with and manipulate digital content while still being aware of their physical surroundings. Unlike VR, which completely immerses users in a virtual world, and AR, which overlays digital content onto the real world, mixed reality combines virtual and real elements in a way that they coexist and interact in real-time. This technology has applications in various fields, including gaming, education, training, and entertainment, offering exciting possibilities for creating innovative and immersive experiences.
Mixed Reality Feature that can bring inspiration to game design
Multitasking
The promotional video of Apple's Vision Pro clearly demonstrates the first feature of MR that can be utilized in game development: multitasking mode. In multitasking mode, users can simultaneously open multiple applications(games are applications) that will run in sync on their smart glasses. When designing games in multitasking mode, the following limitations need to be considered in order to make it possible:
Lightweight interaction:
From an interactive standpoint, many games are not suitable for running in multitasking mode. Games like "League of Legends" and "CS: GO" which require users to perform high-frequency, high-precision hand-eye operations, are more feasible to be designed as single-task mode games rather than multitasking mode. On the other hand, games with less time-sensitive, simpler, and less dense operations are more suitable.
Lightweight gameplay:
In multitasking mode, gameplay that requires deep strategic planning, decision-making, skill development, complex rules, and demands significant effort and attention from players may also not be as suitable. When browsing the web, attending meetings, or handling work tasks, users are unable to devote their full attention and energy to your game. Therefore, games that are relatively simple, easy to pick up, quickly understood, and only require fragmented time are well-suited for running in multitasking mode in mixed reality.
Suitable genres:
Based on the two game characteristics deduced from mixed-reality multitasking mode, the following genres are well-suited for design and development on mixed-reality platforms:
Idle games: Representative work - "AFK Arena (Lilith)"
Social games: Examples include QQ Zone farming, parking games, etc.
Space anchors
Space anchors refer to the use of image recognition algorithms or manual calibration to create a virtual space that is proportionate to the real space, based on the data of the real environment. Space anchors include boundaries of the space, as well as furniture and other objects within it. They allow for the integration of virtual content with specific locations in the real world, enabling users to accurately position and interact with virtual objects in their real environment.
By using sensors, cameras, or other positioning technologies, mixed reality devices can recognize and track space anchors, and present virtual content precisely in the user's field of view based on their position and orientation in the real world. This technology enables users to interact with virtual objects in their real environment, such as placing virtual furniture in a real room or displaying virtual information in real space.
Utilizing space anchors to create novel gaming experiences
Using space anchors in conjunction with procedural content generation (PCG) to generate customized game content.
Currently, Oculus' calibration system relies on manual calibration, where players use controllers to outline the space and furniture objects. In contrast, Vision Pro utilizes spatial automatic recognition algorithms to automatically reconstruct the room into a cohesive space composed of stacked meshes. Both methods are highly tied to the customized space of the user, as each data is generated based on the user's individual living space. The highly customized room layouts of each user make it challenging for traditional game levels, which are fully controlled by designers, to be used in the immersive mode in shared space defined by Apple in mixed reality environments.
However, this problem can be addressed by leveraging the foundational algorithm of roguelike games - procedural content generation (PCG). Due to the flexibility of PCG algorithms, it is possible to generate level layouts based on the room's layout and populate them with artistic assets.
The main challenge with this approach is ensuring the playability of the generated game content/levels, as the quality heavily relies on the precision of the PCG algorithm. Maintaining a high level of playability while balancing the reliance on PCG algorithm accuracy is a crucial consideration.
Innovative mechanisms for interacting with space anchors:
Interaction between virtual objects and space anchors.
The greatest feature of mixed reality lies in the integration of virtual reality with the physical environment. When virtual objects interact with spatial anchor points, the collision information creates a sense of wonder, blending technology and magic. Game designers can fully utilize spatial calibration information to incorporate it as part of the game content, thereby harnessing the unique characteristics of mixed reality. For example, the walls could be torn apart by an unknown force, allowing various strange creatures to crawl out from the cracks. One typical example is Project Xray developed by Microsoft as shown in the video below.
Creature entities (monsters, characters) can utilize space anchors to navigate.
For a game full of creatures and navigating agents, utilizing the player's spatial calibration data and algorithms to segment the room and perform path-finding, aggressive movement, navigation, patrolling, and other logical behaviors can greatly enhance immersion in a mixed reality environment.
Tower defense and survival genres are examples where this innovative mechanism can bring traditional electronic games to spatial computing platforms, offering a novel and distinctive gaming experience with enhanced playability.
Utilizing visual privacy to create information asymmetry, thus more interesting gameplay.
Another characteristic of mixed reality is visual privacy, which means that when a user wears a headset, other users cannot see the content in their field of view. We can imagine a scenario of playing poker to understand this concept. As game designers, we can leverage the concept of visual privacy to create more engaging game content. For example, we can set up traps that only I can see, or the system can provide resources that are visible only to me. This opens up possibilities for unique gameplay mechanics and strategic elements that enhance the player's sense of immersion and personalized experience in the mixed reality environment.
Reference List
YouTube video: "How to Play Poker - Basics of Poker" - URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Z-apDBaUbc
YouTube video: "Mixed Reality Poker" - URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TX9qSaGXFyg&t=375s
Blog post: "How to Play Poker" - URL: https://www.winzogames.com/blog/how-to-play-poker/
Article: "如何在家举办扑克派对" - URL: https://www.sohu.com/a/159370671_356091
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