Inspiration
The inspiration for "Guardian Agent" comes from the fascinating world of Ingress, where alliances struggle to control the mysterious portals of Exotic Matter (XM). To add a layer of intrigue, I introduced an enigmatic entity: a neutral force known as the Guardian Agent, which the factions are completely unaware of and speculate is an evolution of the Machina Portal AI. This concept is taken from reality where in a few years we have seen how AI has begun to become part of our lives.
What it does
"Guardian Agent" offers a multi-dimensional gaming experience where players engage in an intense struggle to control XM portals. The game introduces a new neutral entity—the Guardian Agent—whose mission is to protect the portals from both existing factions. Utilizing advanced WebAR and Metaversal Deployment from 8thWall, the game promises an immersive experience across various platforms, including mobile, desktop, and VR, all synchronized in real-time using Shared-AR for a seamless gaming experience.
How we built it
"Agent Guardian" stands as a groundbreaking multiplatform multiplayer WebAR Game, fueled by the advancements of 8thWall and its Metaverse Deployment, complemented by the innovative Shared-AR module.
*Multiplatform Compatibility: *
- Mobile
- Desktop
- VR (To join on Quest 2, use the Meta app to paste the lobby invitation link)
*Important note: * No VR headset or Desktop is required, as the game offers a 100% functional experience on mobile devices.
Player Roles:
Players are classified into three distinct roles:
- Faction Enlightened Agent
- Faction Resistance Agent
- Guardian Agent
Lobby:
Max 8 players.
Guardian Agent Assignment:
The game automatically assigns the Guardian Agent role, considering the player's connection platform, prioritizing in the following order:
- VR
- Desktop
- Mobile (host)
Examples:
- 1 player on VR, 1 player on Desktop, 4 players on Mobile → VR Guardian.
- 5 players on Mobile → Mobile Guardian (Host).
Faction Selection:
After the Guardian Agent's designation, the remaining players can freely choose the faction they wish to join.
*Characters: *
Each player is represented by an Ingress drone symbolizing their faction, distinguished by a red sphere marker for is own player and blue for the others players.
AR Localization:
The game features its unique AR spatial localization system, allowing players to move their drone freely, and synchronizing it within other players' spaces in real time.
Game Mechanics:
The primary mission for each agent is to gather the highest amount of MX (blue ingress coins), while avoiding being hit by the crystals launched by the Guardian Agent. A hit results in a 3-second loss of drone control, hence the Guardian Agent's role is to prevent agents from the other factions from collecting the coins.
The score display at the top of the screen shows, from left to right, the coins collected by the agent and the total of coins amassed by both your faction and the rival faction. Thanks to the real-time scoring system, the Machina Portal adjusts its color to the color of the faction with the most MX.
*Limitations: *
To maintain game balance, participation is limited to a maximum of one player on VR, one on desktop, with no restrictions for mobile users, until the lobby is filled.
Challenges we ran into
The main problem I had is with the web development since I come from a Unity background, but thanks to the template, the examples and the support of 8thWall I was able to overcome it. And also understand how CSS works
Accomplishments that we're proud of
My own AR system to locate and position one player's drones from his local space to another player's space. And also the creation of shared mechanics on different platforms as well as their mechanics to themselves.
What we learned
During this challenge, I embarked on a great learning challenge. Before I started, I had no experience with 8thWall and no knowledge of web development. However, with a lot of effort and of course help from 8thWall and the community, I managed to create my own multiplayer game from scratch.
What's next for Guardian Agent
I want to continue the development to launch a more complete experience, and be able to share it with more people. I also want to add even more features, especially for VR, such as increasing the compatibility for the number of VR devices that can be used.
Built With
- 8thwall
- ar
- css
- javascript
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