 The
Interactive Dome Project
Title: Designer/Producer
Location: Carnegie Mellon University
Team: The Dome Team [link]
Date: Spring 2004
 The
Interactive Dome Project centered around an inflatable
dome that functioned like a mini-planetarium. We explored
and implemented interactivity in this immersive display
space. Over the course of the semester, I led my team
in developing two prototype dome exexperiences: Domites
and WARP: Team Delta.
Domites
The open-ended,
psychedelic Domites, our first prototype, allowed three
guests to interact with creatures called Domites using
two joysticks and a mouse. Guests could manipulate tools
that colored, moved and split the Domites. The playful
experience was periodically punctuated by explosions
which reduce the population of Domites.
One of the
more subtle features of Domites involved the dynamic
mixing of looping musical tracks. Specific colors of
Domite mapped to distinct musical loops. The volume
of a loop was tied to the number of Domites of the appropriate
color in the world. When the world exploded, not only
was the slate wiped clean visually, but a new set of
sounds would be attached to the different colors of
Domite, creating a new sound space to explore.
WARP:
Team Delta
 Our
second prototype, WARP: Team Delta centered around a
cockpit metaphor for the inside of the dome. Built for
four players, WARP consisted of 3 different roles: pilot,
engineer, and gunner. The pilot steered the ship, while
the two gunners controlled either laser guns or robotic
grappling arms. The fourth player, the engineer, used
a touchscreen to monitor energy levels, reroute power,
call for help and so on.
 WARP
stressed cooperation among the players. We designed
situations that forced the players to communicate and
cooperate to get the most out of the experience. We
augmented the gameplay of WARP with a number of sensory
stimuli. The immersive nature of the dome made motion
feel much more real, and bass shaker speakers mounted
inside the seats gave a surprising rumble at appropriate
times. Audio, including dialogue, music, and sound effects,
rounded out the experience, giving players a good feeling
of "being there."
As
a Designer on this project, I...
- ...developed
gameplay concepts including story.
- ...designed,
coded and iterated user interfaces.
- ...directed
the development of artwork.
- ...wrote
dialogue and directed voice acting/recording.
- ...oversaw
sound/music design.
- ...researched
effective techniques for taking advantage of interactivity
in the dome environment.
- ...documented
our designs.
As
the Producer for this project, I...
- ...organized
and ran playtests.
- ...collected
and analyzed playtest results.
- ...coordinated
and managed the team's efforts and resources.
- ...scheduled
and ran weekly meetings.
- ...maintained
the group's website.
- ...wrote,
consolidated, and edited project documentation archive.
Teammates:
Ruth Comley, Jen Smith, and Greg Wieder
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