Since we got a new more specified set of parameters after and from our brainstormed ideas, we were tasked with assembling a product from those parameters. We also needed to make it more engaging than a basic task simulator, so that firefighters would want to train more instead of thinking it was bother.
Game Brief:
Genre: VR Simulation
Audience: Firefighters receiving training
Primary Objective: The primary objective of this game is to train firefighters to deal with horses in barn fires by using detailed horse simulation split into two parts, a horse interaction stage and a barn fire simulation stage.
Firefighters would receive scores based on their speed in saving a horse and each fire station would have its own score which would encourage firefighters to spend more time training with the game and encourage them to take it more seriously.
Introduction to the Game: Firefighters will cooperate in and out of the VR in order to get the best speed gaining them a better score. Multiple firefighters in VR will cooperate with each other and with firefighters outside of VR to promote cooperation and communication in these situations. Firefighters in VR will be in a simulated barn while the firefighters outside the barn will have maps and data which they will need to relay to the firefighters in VR.
What mechanics are you using to actualize the objective: The cooperation between the firefighters in VR and out of VR using maps and information not available to both parties promote communication and teach firefighters how to deal with horses both in dire situations and out of dire situations.
The detailed horse AI will help get firefighters used to equine behavior without having to put themselves or the animals in real danger. Having multiple stages allows the firefighters to get used to both the VR and the animal in non dire situations allowing for greater understanding to be achieved.
Before each session there would be a speech or recording of a firefighter telling a story about their own experience working on a barn fire or saving horses from a fire.
Game Control: Full VR immersion using both full head control and handheld interactors. Movement would be achieved using Gorn like dragging. EX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zFxfwKlforE
Score/Objective: The objective would be two fold, to rescue the horse (if possible) as quickly and with minimal risk as possible.
Interface/information: In the first stage the HUD will have information regarding the horses mood, reactions, health, and the environment while you interact with it. This could be disabled externally to promote learning from just the horses reactions and appearance if needed.
In the second stage the VR headset and the in VR view will match the view from inside a firefighters helm as closely as possible with most if not all the information being viewed by firefighters outside of the VR simulation
Main User Mechanics/Actions:
Communicate: One of the core aspects of this game is the communication between the VR user and those outside of VR games.
Avoid: The user must avoid dangerous situations and areas such as fire, rearing horses, or collapsing structures.
Levels/Environments: There would be two levels/environments. The first would be a completely blank area except for the horse itself allowing you to interact with it an learn without the danger. The second would be a barn fire with a number of horses inside. The barns layout would be drawn from a large number premade layouts and the situations would be randomized each time.
Obstacles: The fire and structure itself as well as the horses themselves.
Describe and Explain the unique ways in which your game idea meets the needs of the theme, entity, AND objective: The game promotes communication between firefighters both in and out of the simulation in order to train multiple firefighters at the same time in both interacting with horses and barn fires.
Sixty Seconds of Play: The training instructor would boot up the game and set up the simulation. The VR users would enter the simulation environment and those outside the simulation would get access to the maps and simulation data. They would work together to save the horses.
Link to Video of Similar Gameplay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BYunaBkn9Ng
Team Members
Myself,
Seth Nunley
A serious game problem 