Inspiration
We wanted to create a platform that made chess more portable and physically immersive for players. While online chess is widely available, we thought mixed reality better captures the thrill and takes of chess.
What it does
The application uses Unity and C# scripts to let users play chess, moving pieces on a virtual chessboard. It is compatible with and built for Microsoft's Mixed Reality Toolkit 3. This technology uses arm movements by the player to simulate physically picking up chess pieces.
How we built it
We built our project by learning to work with scene editing in Unity. We manipulated objects by testing to get a better understanding of how their physics impact the game. By scripting each object, we applied physics to make interacting with chess pieces more natural and reliable.
Challenges we ran into
Technical difficulties with configuring the necessary release of Unity for MRTK3 and implementing the intended effects for some C# scripts. To replicate the effect of capturing an opposing piece, we used Object.Destroy. The condition which triggered this method would apply to the chessboard, deleting it. We solved this issue by tagging the two chess teams and the board so that the script only applies to opponent pieces. We also overcame an issue with certain pieces not colliding with the board.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud that we were able to work cohesively as a team and use Microsoft's toolkit to expand our input options in Unity. We corrected game-breaking errors and look forward to a continual improvement process.
What we learned
The potential and accessibility of Unity for game development, as well as the immersion possible with mixed reality game design. This project has given us a foundation in working with C# to script complex and responsive 3d games.
What's next for Mixed Reality Giant Chess
We plan to further develop logic which restricts player movement in accordance with chess game mechanics. We would also like to improve the user experience by adding more selectable options for the background environment and music.
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