Samsara 洄

Enter a Dream World of Love and Healing: Join Rosie and Isac in this Fantastical Topiary Garden, Where Fur Babies and Animal Lovers Unite to Find Solace, Share Memories, and Embrace Nature's Magic.

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Inspiration

SAMSARA is a game inspired by the heartfelt story of Rosie the Beagle and Isac the Alchemist, representing the bond between people and their beloved pets. Explore a fantasy topiary garden filled with giant animal-shaped plants and join Isac on a journey of healing and reflection. Interact with friendly dogs and cats, find solace in a virtual world, and share memories with fellow animal lovers. Experience feeding, tracking, walking, and playing Frisbee with your virtual furry companions. ROSIE aims to create a dreamlike space where pet lovers can find comfort and continue their love for nature and animals.

What it does

These gameplay mechanics aim to immerse players in a comforting and healing virtual world, where they can forge connections with virtual animals, reminisce about their own furry companions, and share memories with other players who are also animal lovers. The game seeks to provide a serene and therapeutic experience that celebrates the love for nature and animals.

  1. Feeding System: As a player, you will receive small snacks from the system every day. These snacks can be used to feed the small animals you encounter along your journey in the topiary garden. By feeding them, you can establish a connection and bond with these virtual creatures.
  2. Tracking System: Similar to real-life interactions, the pets you feed will start recognizing you and following you as you explore the garden. This tracking system adds a sense of companionship and realism to the game, as you build a relationship with these virtual animals.
  3. Strolling System: Imagine strolling through the garden during a beautiful twilight day. In ROSIE, you can experience the joy of walking your virtual dog during this serene setting. This pulling system allows you to enjoy the simple pleasures of spending time with your furry companion in a tranquil environment.
  4. Frisbee System: Engage in interactive fun with your virtual furry children through the Frisbee system. You can play Frisbee games with them in the unreal world of ROSIE, creating playful and joyful moments. This feature adds an element of activity and entertainment to the gameplay experience.

How we built it

SAMSARA is a VR casual game created collaboratively by a diverse team using the Unity engine. The team includes independent artists, experimental animators, musicians, 3D modelers, game artists, interactive programmers, and UI designers. Leveraging the story, VR technology, and animation, Samsara offers players an emotional experience of exploration and discovery as they step into the roles of Framel, Isac, and Rosie, delving into themes of life, death, and heartwarming solace within a virtual space.

Challenges we ran into

  1. All-in-one VR headset optimization: Maintaining a high frame rate in VR games is crucial because it relates to the player's immersion and comfort. If the frame rate drops and the game becomes laggy, players can easily feel dizzy. Recognizing the inherent limitations of standalone VR devices, to achieve better frame rates and overall experience on the all-in-one VR headset, we need to make some trade-offs and find a balance between storage space and computation time.
  2. Simulating animals and interactions: To simulate the unpredictable nature of animals, we created around 20 different animations for each animal we have in the scene as well as a random behavior system. What’s more challenging is the interaction dynamics. For example, if a user reaches out to pet a virtual cat, the cat should arch its back or lean into the petting, just as a real one might. Similarly, if a frisbee is thrown, a virtual dog might be expected to run towards it and fetch it. These interactions are all dynamic and need to happen in real-time. Therefore, when developing these interactions, we need to try to take into account all the situations in which the user can interact with the animal, otherwise, bugs may occur during gameplay.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

  1. All-in-one VR headset optimization: We used baked lighting in place of most real-time lighting to reduce computation time, simulating day and night effects with baked lighting. We also made targeted simplifications to models, using simple polygons to achieve complex visual effects. Particle systems were used instead of actual volumetric lighting. Finally, we applied extensive Level Of Detail (LOD) optimizations to reduce the complexity of 3D model representations when it's farther away from the viewer. Through continuous adjustments using the aforementioned methods, our game’s frame rate can maintain over 60fps when players are playing.
  2. Simulating animals and interactions: Our team dove deep into the realm of animal simulation to create an experience that feels both engaging and authentic. We are thrilled to introduce a total of 6 meticulously crafted interactions with our virtual cats and dogs. Users can indulge in activities like walking their dog through scenic landscapes, sharing the joy of a playful frisbee toss, and experiencing the pure joy of petting these virtual pets. Furthermore, we've incorporated interactive features like feeding, which allows players to nurture and care for their animals. For those who enjoy a more hands-on interaction, they can lift their pets or engage in playful antics with a cat teaser. We've taken special care to ensure each interaction is not just a scripted event but offers players a high degree of freedom, making each playthrough unique and personalized.

What we learned

NEVER AIM TOO HIGH~~

What's next for Samsara 洄

VR game to XR game

  1. Embedding Body, Facial, and Eye Movement Tracking: Moving beyond traditional VR interactivity methods, we're set on incorporating holistic user tracking. By embedding advanced body, facial, and eye movement tracking technologies, we aspire to usher in a new era of communication within the virtual realm. Soon, users will be able to interact with in-game animals using genuine body language, allowing a breadth of emotions — from happiness and joy to anger and sadness — to be conveyed seamlessly. This will not only foster a more profound connection between the user and the virtual beings but also set new standards for immersive communication in VR.
  2. Enhanced Haptic Feedback: The sense of touch is a vital component of our interaction with the world, and we're committed to replicating that in our virtual ecosystem. The haptic feedback embedded with the VR headset will allow users to 'feel' the animals in an unprecedented manner. Whether it's the soft fur of a kitten or the muscular contour of a wild stallion, every detail will be palpable.
  3. Spatial calibration and spatial anchors: Recognizing the immense potential of spatial calibration, we aim to refine and expand our spatial recognition capabilities. In our future iterations, users will be able to step into an intricately crafted alchemist's hut that seamlessly aligns with their real-world surroundings, ensuring optimal spatial consistency. But the magic doesn't stop there. Within this personalized space, users will have the autonomy to decorate, adjust, and reinvent, effectively merging their physical environment with a fantastical virtual overlay.

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