During the year 2020 to 2021 for the end of my first year of my master I realized a project challenge in group over a period of two weeks. The first and the second place allowing to go to expose on the Laval Virtual show. The goal was to propose an innovative project in VR in the form of a gamejam in team. We were composed of a team of 8 students (4 3D artist and 4 programmers) I was Lead Programmer and gameplay programmer. We created an Asymmetric VR Escape Game with 3D printed connected handcuffs. The average duration is 15 minutes. The game features two protagonists, one on PC and one in VR, who have to help each other so that the VR one escapes. The VR player is bound by connected handcuffs which limits his actions. Some elements of the scenery are tangible and represent a real constraint such as some walls, pipes and the connected handcuffs. Players can chat during the experience. The game has a scoring system with the best time recorded and sorted in a database and displayed on a website.
Stand at Laval Virtual Convention
Example of User during experience
Storyline : This game tells the story of Pinky a Harley Quinn style girl who decides to rob the mansion of the biggest mobster named Butcher. Unfortunately she gets caught by Butcher's men. So Pinky ended up unconscious and handcuffed to a pipe in the basement of the mansion. Kiki, Pinky's best friend and computer genius, decides to help Pinky escape. He cracks the security system to access the different systems, security cameras and audio system to exchange with Pinky. Thanks to this and to the cooperation he will be able to help Pinky to escape. Pinky will need Kiki's help to destroy the handcuffs in order to escape.
Game : The game involves two players, one on the PC and one in VR who can't actually see. Both players can communicate verbally and the PC player can see the VR player through the security camera. They will have to pass different tests in order for the VR player to be freed. The second goal of the game is to make the best time in cooperation. The key to success is communication and reading information.
VR Player (Pinky) : The VR player will embody Pinky stuck in a room, she will start attached to a physical pipe with physical handcuffs and will have to break them during the experience to escape. She will be able to do actions such as picking up objects, activating buttons/lever, etc. She can communicate with Kiki. She will also be able to show the security camera different elements and can be guided by Kiki.
PC Player (Kiki) : The player on PC will embody Kiki behind a computer, he will have in front of him a series of interface with indications to help Pinky. However the help is asymmetrical because the information will allow to help Pinky to make actions but also give information to Kiki to also make actions.
Connected Handcuffs : Connected handcuffs is one of the main elements of the experience. This element physically restricts the VR player's range of action. At the beginning of the experience the VR user is handcuffed to a pipe or he will have to escape from it. At some point in the experience the VR user will have to break the handcuffs in the application using a saw. In reality the handcuffs are connected and will break when the information is sent from the application.
Connected handcuffs explanation :You can see below the separation of the handcuffs in the application versus the reality. The effect is almost immediate and the feedback in the application is very satisfying according to our feedback as well as the professional and private users at Laval Virtual.
Separation of connected handcuffs
For the functional part of the handcuffs we have an electronic system. The handcuffs are controlled by an Arduino Nano using a Bluetooth module. It is powered by a 9V battery for the control part. When sending the signal from the application to the handcuffs, the control part of the system changes the state of the transistor. It allows to switch the power part in 12V of the handcuffs and to activate or deactivate the electro-magnet which allows to maintain the handcuffs in place or to dislocate it in the other case.
Electronic engineering
HandCuffs CAD
Final rendering electronic engineering V1(Orange) vs V2(White)
Final result V1(Orange) vs V2(White)