Skyrift Guardians

Inspiration

Our project draws inspiration from the rich tapestry of Chinese legends and myths, weaving together the cultural heritage of stories such as 女娲补天 (Nüwa Mends the Heavens) and 后羿射日 (Hou Yi Shoots the Sun). These tales, steeped in tradition and symbolism, served as the guiding light for our creative endeavors. By infusing our project with elements inspired by these narratives, we aimed to pay homage to the profound cultural legacy of China. The mythical themes not only added a layer of depth to the project but also allowed us to explore innovative ways of integrating technology with traditional storytelling, creating a fusion that resonates with both the ancient and the modern.

What it does

Skyrift Guardians is a multiplayer MR action game where players to work together to defend their home from the ever-expanding portal of evil through an exhilarating blend of action, adventure, and strategy. Your mission: locate the fabled ancestral artifacts, confront the menacing creatures, mend the torn rifts, safeguard the sacred crystal, and, restore world peace.

How we built it

We built the demo in Unity and used PICO Unity Integration SDK and PICO Unity Open XR SDK.
For XR Interaction, XR Origin and grabble component in XR interaction Toolkit SDK. For multiplayer, we used Photon fusion + voice SDK and applied both fusion and voice app id which support 20 users playing multiplayer and chat in the game. What's more, we also build the game mechanisms including enemy health and attack.

Challenges we ran into

Our biggest challenge was getting the multiplayer element to work. Our project stands as a testament to the successful integration of cutting-edge technologies, as we harnessed the power of Unity with Pico Integration SDK and Unity Open XR SDK, alongside the implementation of Photon for multiplayer functionality. The use of Mixed Reality (MR) posed unique challenges, particularly given the distributed nature of our development team, working seamlessly across different facets of the project and in remote environments.

One notable achievement lies in overcoming the complexities of building a multiplayer MR project. Navigating the intricacies of Unity and Pico integration required a meticulous approach, especially when faced with the challenge of merging disparate components developed by team members spread across various locations. The utilization of Unity Open XR SDK played a pivotal role in unifying the development process, ensuring a cohesive and streamlined experience for both developers and end-users.

Working with Photon, although a powerful tool for multiplayer synchronization, presented its own set of hurdles. Certain functions were rendered unavailable, prompting our team to explore alternative pathways to achieve our project objectives. This necessitated a creative problem-solving approach, leading to innovative solutions that not only addressed the limitations posed by the technology but also enhanced the overall project functionality.

The successful collaboration and collective effort of our remote team in overcoming these challenges underscore our commitment to pushing the boundaries of what is achievable in the realm of Mixed Reality, ultimately delivering a project that seamlessly merges Chinese mythology with cutting-edge technology.

What's next for Skyrift guardians

Hand tracking to cast spells (+ML gesture recognition) Image tracking to summon charms (+ML image recognition) Speech text system Microphone for spell casting (+ML text recognition) GPS tracking: being able to treasure hunt based on Chinese Fengshui NPC AI companions Add vertical portals on the “wall” and new monsters “invading” the reality