To run, download the VR folder and create a build in Unity for your chosen platform.
Virtual reality has an impressive ability to allow players to escape reality. Recent advances in hardware have given players higher fidelity worlds, increased pixel counts in screens, improved depth and range of sound and even smell. Fields of view have been increased to reduce the “binocular effect”. This project investigates the software side of virtual reality. There have been some improvements in software such as: better tracking technology and the quality of art assets (to match their equivalent in the real world). By developing this project, the aim is to use software to improve immersion in virtual reality. This is accomplished by incorporating asymmetric multiplayer mechanics to invite the real world into the virtual and prevent potential breaks in immersion occurring. The project discovered that this method had a positive effect on immersion. This finding is limited by a number of factors. The quality of gameplay, the number of participants, lack of in-person testing and the number of games compared. The project consisted of constructing a game around this multiplayer mechanic and compare it with an existing single player experience. A sample size of eight experienced players were exposed to both games and were then tested by questionnaire after their playthroughs. The findings are consistent with the hypothesis that asymmetric multiplayer enhances the immersive experience of virtual reality.
Client and server folders hold all the original code for the networking aspect of the project. The code of the final project is in VR. Code can be found in the Assets folder under the folder Scripts.
Dissertation and Game Design Document can be found in the document folder.