Summoner XR

Summoner XR lets players summon creatures for battle by drawing spell shapes in the air and speaking incantations. Each unique combination of shapes and words conjures a different creature.

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Inspiration

Our team wanted to address the challenge "Spatial UI: The world is your interface!". We were particularly interested in exploring what we can use besides the typical forms of UI!

We took inspiration from anime and games like Full Metal Alchemist, Dr. Strange, Okami, where spell casting magic circles and drawing of symbols and shapes are used in spell casting.

We wanted to explore combining different types of interactions that are unique to XR which includes gestures, drawing in world space and voice commands. We believe immersive interaction experiences like these will engage users on a deeper level.

What it does

Our project address the challenge by using gesture, drawing and sound together in the summoning experience. Taking these inputs to form a unique summoned creature.

When the user raises their index finger and their hands are in view, they can be used to draw symbols as indicated by the hints in the scene, when a recognised spell symbol is drawn, the user will be able to activate it via reciting an incantation and the corresponding creature will be summoned.

In our current prototype there are 2 characters with 3 elemental variants each resulting in a total of 6 possible results.

The final form of this interaction could be a Summoner's fight between players and the summoned creature will be able to battle with another using alongside their creature.

How we built it

This prototype was built with TikTok's Effecthouse software, a primary Social AR platform. Using gesture detection, voice detection and AR Brush features. Ideally, if the Logitech MX pen is used, it could provide a more accurate and immersive drawing experience in XR space that will enhance the summoning experience.

Nevertheless, using Effecthouse was a no-brainer as both of us are Effecthouse ambassadors and for the ease of access, you can just scan the QR code with TikTok and will be able to try the prototype for yourself!

Challenges we ran into

We had only formed our team and started the project less than a month before the deadline. The detection of drawn symbols was particularly challenging to implement. We had to take a few days away from the project and many pauses too due to other work / personal commitments.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Completed 6 variants of summoning, the visual effects and experience of summoning looks polished and building an actual prototype that can be tested.

What we learned

  • Designing for interactivity with gestures and working around software limitations can be challenging
  • To always be ready to scale and rescope as necessary with a tight timeline, finding solutions that are achievable and yet still delivers the main concept is key.

What's next for Summoner XR

Ideally building a version closer to our vision and introducing battle / multiplayer components will be interesting as XR experiences are best enjoyed with friends!

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