ROGER MATTHEWS
level designer / cinematic designer
ELEMENTS
Overview
Surreal horror VR experience where you travel back and forth between a TV weather station and a mysterious connected Fog World.
Narrative
In this loose adaptation of Kafka's The Trial, you play as a weatherman who finds himself trapped in his job's TV studio by the very elemental forces he thought he could predict and understand.
Player Objective
Fly through the Fog World to find ways to tame its elemental forces and find an escape from the station.
Production
As game/level designer, I led a team of eight in developing a vertical slice that was exhibited at The Barrett Center.
Made in Unreal Engine.
Monster, player VR hands, and custom fog VFX created by art team.
Research
I watched video tours of TV weather stations, and took notes. For the sake of easy navigation and scope I focused on two parts:
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Center desk that has computers used to gather weather data.
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Green screen studio that is easily accessible from the center desk.
I also found a meteorologist's job typically starts early, at around 3:30am, which I liked as a small detail to set the game at an unusual time of day when the sun is down, and a station would be empty.
To make the space a bit more creepy and ominous, I drew upon my personal experience of working at VICE's Brooklyn location. I worked in editing rooms with glass walls that led to huge open industrial areas that were eerie to walk through at night when the office was empty.
To find a way for elemental forces to enter the weather studio, I referenced the Netflix show The OA. In the show, characters are trapped in a large glass enclosure, where gas appears from vents in the ceiling.
For the second abstract world the player is transported to (Fog World), I referenced the VR experience Osmose by Char Davies that used abstract shapes, semi-transparent textures, and particles to create an unrecognizable and dreamlike universe.
Level Plan
Basic 2D Layout + Level Flow
Introduction/Tutorial:
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1. Elevator opens, and takes you out to floor of the weather station.
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2. Once you enter the station, a series of changes occur:
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- Glass walls come up and block your exit.
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- Fog starts pouring out of ceiling vents.
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- Monster appears out of the fog.
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3. Monster collides with player, sending them to Fog World. (Collision is unavoidable)
Main Gameplay Loop
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1. Navigate Fog World and find portals to teleport through.
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2. Arrive back in TV station. Location is based on which portal you chose.
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3. If monster collides with you again, you are sent back to Fog World.
Ending
1. Find trigger in TV station that sends the glass walls back down to the floor.
2. Find flashlight that lets you explore dark unlit areas of the station.
3. Find portal inside dark area of TV station that transports you back home.
Exhibition Takeaways
The final vertical slice was debuted as part of a group exhibition at the Barrett Center. Participants played on an Oculus Quest headset while their gameplay was displayed on a dedicated monitor.
I cut the scope of the project in order to prioritize fixing framerate performance drops, given the risk for discomfort lag could introduce in particular when flying through the Fog World. The positive reaction I received validated this decision, and no lag or bugs popped up during the exhibition.
My main takeaway was being reminded how many are still new to VR, and how seemingly simple moments can have a big impact given the immersiveness of the medium.
I did notice that some players got stuck in ways that were unintended at times, and I took notes for future exhibitions I am considering bringing the project to.
