Solve for Why - Explore the Music and Philosophy of PHI-108

Inspiration

My husband and friend released an album last year and of course, I am their biggest fan. Getting new music to potential fans is challenging as all the streaming platforms are oversaturated and even more now that AI music is a thing - around 100,000 new songs are being released every day. Since my husband bought me a Quest 3 for my birthday last year (possibly to keep me occupied while he is in the studio), I have spent the majority of my free time socializing with people in Horizon Worlds, usually around a campfire and the conversation often turns to the bigger questions in life. I wanted to do something different to promote PHI-108’s music, which asks the listener to think deeply about a variety of topics, and so the idea to create a world that revolves around music and philosophy was born.

What it does

Solve for Why is part adventure, part puzzle, and part meditation- for those who want to immerse themselves in the music and lyrics. It could be described as a combination of a Choose Your Own Adventure book, a Dali painting, and a private music concert… but you have to find the concert. With parkour, touchpoints to find, and music to enjoy there's a little something for every personality and every mood. Oh, and there's flying.

How we built it

I started my build with the encouragement and support of a very kind and expert world creator. He gave me tips and assigned some homework to get me started, which included creating skyboxes to represent each song using AI. As I progressed, I found it to be an overwhelming learning curve so I decided on the experiential route where I researched how to do something based on the task at hand. I met other builders who gave me advice, assets, and scripting help. My husband also contributed to the creative process. I learned my lesson the hard way that not everyone is trustworthy and reliable, however, almost all of the people who helped me have been amazing. Because I don’t own a PC, my husband brings home his laptop from work so I can have access to the desktop editor, but honestly, I have felt more comfortable building within the VR headset.

Challenges I ran into

Creating a smooth animation was difficult and because I wanted people to ride on the animations, I finally worked out that I had to use keyframes for motion. My world creator friend shared a keyframe motion script with me and I adapted it through trial and error to suit my goals. Understanding how memory usage is different from capacity was something that I learned a little too late. I’ve had to delete things because I based my original plan around capacity. However, I am gradually learning ways to reduce the size of items in the world by optimizing image textures, making things non-collidable, and trying to avoid heavy assets. I have also learned other tricks and tips that I plan to get my head around in the near future.

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

First off, I’m really pleased that I didn’t give up. At times it felt like I was in over my head and that my brain wasn’t going to be able to comprehend the next lesson. Taking it step by step was key. As far as the world goes, I adore the garden paradise I made inside The Supersoul music sphere. Digital gardening suits me much more than actual gardening. I am also proud of the overall design where the user experience depends on choice. Picking the sword with the green gem challenges the player with a reverse escape room - how do I gain access to the tower? The player that chooses the sword with the red gem gets to explore eight thematic music experiences and has to find the touchpoint that will get them back to the tower after each song. Their curiosity about what is happening on the ground keeps them intrigued.

What I learned

So much. Every step of the way. Two months ago, I couldn't even resize an object. Now, I at least have enough knowledge to point a beginner builder in the right direction. I've also learned how much more there is to learn. My first reaction to seeing CodeBlocks was "no way, never!" Now, I am no longer intimidated and even started to look into typescript. Attending webinars and watching videos has been not only informative, but inspiring. I got the most out of the world planning ones. Seeing the big picture around world development really opened my eyes. Having a checklist that makes me consider so many factors and variables is a really valuable tool, it will definitely come in handy as I dream up my next world.

What's next for Solve for Why - Explore the Music and Philosophy of PHI-108

I plan to continue to simplify processes and reduce the memory so I can find the room to add two more quests. I originally wanted to have a vehicle, maybe a train or flying carpet, on the ground so people can get around more quickly. However, I am pretty pleased with the Teleportation Station. I will also continue my lessons in blender and create some items to add to the world or replace the publicly available assets. I’d like to add accessibility for those prone to motion sickness once I regain memory. Something I’ve been thinking a lot about is hosting philosophy-based discussion groups that could revolve around a different topic for each event.

Built With

• blockadelabs
• desktopeditor
• quest3