Team Name
VR Guys
Timeline
Fall 2024 – Spring 2025
Students
- Kenny Nguyen – Software Engineering
- Hunter Befort – Computer Science
- Moamel Mohammed – Software Engineering
- Khang Tieu – Computer Science
- Gabriel Vargas – Computer Science
- Daniel Vo – Software Engineering
Sponsor
Dr. Carter Tiernan, Assistant Dean, UTA College of Engineering
Abstract
Maventure VR is an immersive virtual reality game to recruit prospective engineering students and provide an introduction and welcome activity for incoming students to the University of Texas at Arlington. Maventure VR will allow distant prospective students to have a fun adventure on the UTA campus even before they can visit in person, saving fuel and resources that would be required for in-person travel. Maventure VR also provides incoming students with a welcoming and social event through a team quest structured VR experience for students who are not able to participate in the on-campus Maventure activity prior to their starting semester.
The use of virtual reality (VR) in game play set in a real world location is not new in and of itself. However, this would be a new development for a senior design project in CSE. The development of a VR game would be a test case for a game design style capstone potentially envisioned in a game design program in collaboration with COLA. The specific development of Maventure VR could also be an innovative use of gaming in university recruiting and in community building. Explore engineering on the campus of the University of Texas at Arlington in this immersive campus simulator while collecting unique UTA artifacts and experiences on your quest.
Background
Students who graduate high school and move on to further education may find it intimidating to adjust to their new environment. Even students transferring from community college encounter challenges moving into a 4-year program. Most universities employ some sort of orientation requirement and socialization opportunity for incoming freshmen and new transfers. The University of Texas at Arlington (UTA) employs New Maverick Orientation and Maventure Camp to assist students by providing them an opportunity to engage with the social life of UTA as well educate them on what resources are available to them. While these two events are very beneficial to both the students and UTA, they come with a cost in energy sustainability. The flaw is that these events, occurring in the summer, come with a significant carbon footprint as staff and students, who are not yet living on campus, must commute long distances to campus for these events to be successful.
By employing virtual reality technology, an alternative option to Maventure Camp known as Maventure VR will be developed to reduce UTA’s carbon footprint and provide an immersive and entertaining experience to educate incoming students about campus qualities. This game will allow students to engage with the university in a virtual setting and allow students to explore the campus and learn about the qualities that make UTA student culture unique such as organizations, clubs, traditions and events on campus. This project will initially begin development for the College of Engineering specifically and then expand to other departments of UTA.
Project Requirements
The highest priority requirements comprise two categories: 3D Modeling Requirements and Game Functionality Requirements.
The 3D Modeling Requirements consist of building 3D models of UTA campus buildings in the virtual world of the game for players to explore. Information about the programs, organizations, and events hosted in a respective building will be dispersed at various locations in the game for players to discover and learn. The 3D Modeling Requirements were specified for the following UTA campus buildings with highest priority:
- Engineering Research Building
- Engineering Lab Building
- Nedderman Hall
- Woolf Hall
- E.H. Hereford University Center
- Maverick Activities Center
The Game Functionality Requirements define the main functionalities that make up the basis of the game. The Game Functionality Requirements were specified for the following items:
- Single Player Mode: Single player mode allows each user to play the game individually. With single player mode, users will be able to play the game at their own pace and have their own unique experience. In-game events and objectives can be accomplished by one player playing the game.
- Multiplayer Mode: Multiplayer mode allows multiple users to play the game simultaneously. With multiplayer mode, users will be able to communicate with each other in the game and collaborate together towards the goal of completing the game. In-game events and objectives will be accomplished by multiple players playing the same session of the game.
- Exploration Game Genre: Maventure VR will be an exploration game where players are able to freely travel around the virtual environment in the game. Along the way, players will make discoveries about different areas around the UTA campus. Pieces of information regarding student organizations, clubs, and traditions will be placed throughout each building location in the game for players to encounter to learn about the university.
- Collectible In-Game Artifacts: In-game artifacts are items that players will be able to collect in the game. The artifacts will contain information about unique aspects that UTA has to offer. Collecting certain artifacts in the game will progress the player towards the completion of the game.
- Text Dialogue System: Textual dialogue systems will be used to convey information to the player while playing the game. A tutorial of the game will present one or more text dialogue boxes to explain to the player how to play the game and the objectives needed to win the game. Information regarding student life and culture at UTA, collectible game artifacts, and in-game activities will be displayed to the player in the form of text dialogue boxes.
Design Constraints
Constructability: The team does not have access to blueprints of UTA campus buildings containing exact dimensions of the buildings and the rooms inside each building, so the 3D models created for each building will not be able to be built to scale in the game.
Functionality: Game mechanics or features with elements of profanity and violence cannot be implemented in the game. Age-appropriate content will be upheld in the game to ensure that younger users do not encounter inappropriate material in the game.
Interoperability: As the game is developed using the Unity game engine, Maventure VR uses the Unity Gaming Services platform to implement many of its multiplayer functionalities, such as user authentication, lobby rooms, and voice and text chat communication amongst players.
Safety & Welfare: The game is developed to be played with a Meta Quest 3 virtual reality (VR) headset, so players see the world inside the game through the VR headset display. Therefore, in-game graphics must not include flashing lights or visual patterns that could trigger eye strain, vision changes, seizures, or loss of consciousness. Additionally, player movement must be adjustable inside the game for the player to adjust their camera view and movement speed as necessary in response to sensitivity with motion sickness and dizziness while playing the game.
Usability: The game is developed to be played with a Meta Quest 3 virtual reality (VR) headset where the user will need to download and run the game on a Windows computer and pair the Meta Quest 3 headset with their Windows computer to play the game through the VR headset. Additionally, internet connection is required to access the multiplayer functionalities of the game.
Engineering Standards
Unity User Manual 2022.3 (LTS): Provides Unity documentation and development guidelines for creating a game with virtual reality (VR) and multiplayer capabilities with the Unity game engine and Unity Gaming Services platform.
Meta Quest Virtual Reality Check (VRC) guidelines: Outlines requirements for developing a game application to be compatible and used with Meta Quest VR headsets.
Meta Quest 3 Health & Safety Guide: Specifies health and safety information pertaining to the usage of a Meta Quest 3 VR headset that will be followed when developing a safety-compliant game to be used with the Meta Quest 3 VR headset.
ISO/IEC 23270:2018 – C# Programming Language: Defines the specification for developing applications in the C# programming language, which is used when writing the code of the game in the C# programming language.
IEEE 3079-2020 (IEEE Standard for Head-Mounted Display (HMD)-Based Virtual Reality(VR) Sickness Reduction Technology): identifies technical requirements to reduce the sickness experienced when using a head-mounted display VR technology such as a VR headset.
System Overview
The system architecture of the Maventure VR game is comprised of four layers: Server, Client, Network Communication, and Game World. The Server Layer consists of a server machine external to the game application that serves as the host of the game. This layer functions as the authority of the system by establishing game rules and mechanics and managing a centralized game state that will be synchronized across all players playing the game. The Client Layer consists of the client game application that users will need to download and install to their desktop computer or laptop. The game application will mirror the server’s game rules and mechanics, game state, and logic to generate a copy of the server’s game instance on the user’s device for the player to interact with. The Network Communication Layer is responsible for defining the standards and conventions in which data is transmitted over a network connection between the Server Layer and Client Layer. The Game World Layer manages the creation, deletion, and modification of the data of the game state and game objects generated in an instance of the game.
Results
Our team was able to create a functional game with the following core components implemented:
- Lobby System: Players can create online lobby rooms for one or multiple players to join the same game session to play the game.
- Engineering Quad Buildings Game World Integration: 3D models of the Engineering Quad buildings of the College of Engineering at UTA were integrated into the world of the game and placed at their respective locations based on the real-world university campus of UTA.
- Information Billboards: “Learn More!” buttons were created and dispersed throughout the game world for players to discover and interact with to display billboards of information about various student organizations of the College of Engineering at UTA.
- Game Win Condition: A score count was implemented to keep track of the number of student organizations that the players discover. Once all student organizations were discovered, the players would win the game.
- Game Lose Condition: A countdown timer was implemented to display the time that remains for the game session. If the players do not complete the win condition of the game before the timer runs out, they will lose the game.
- Victory Area: Once the win condition has been achieved, all players will be teleported to the victory area where a congratulatory message will be displayed. In this area, an “Exit Game” button will be available for a player to press to end the game and close the game application.
- Game Over Area: Once the lose condition has been achieved, all players will be teleported to the game over area where a “Game Over” message will be displayed. In this area, an “Exit Game” button will be available for a player to press to end the game and close the game application.
Future Work
- Fix imperfections in the 3D models of the Engineering Quad Buildings and refine the appearance of the 3D models to make them look more realistic.
- Recreate the real-world campus grounds outside of the Engineering Quad Buildings of UTA inside the game.
- Implement stairs and elevators inside the 3D models of the buildings for players to be able to traverse to the upper floors of the buildings.
- Create 3D models for other UTA campus buildings to be integrated into the game.
- Replicate certain rooms and labs of the real-world campus buildings inside the game for players to tour.
- Add more pieces of information for other aspects of the university and student culture at UTA into the game for players to learn about.
- Implement mini-games or mini-activities for players to complete inside the game.
- Create artifacts or objects for players to collect in the game that will contribute to the progression of the game.
- Modify the win and lose conditions of the game with more complex requirements to make the game more challenging and fun.
Project Files
Project Charter
System Requirements Specification
Architectural Design Specification
Detailed Design Specification
Poster
References
1. UTA. MavEngage — mavorgs.campuslabs.com. https://mavorgs.campuslabs.com/engage/.
2. UTA. Maventure Camp — uta.edu. https://www.uta.edu/student-affairs/maventure.
3. UTA. New Maverick Orientation — uta.edu. https://www.uta.edu/student-affairs/orientation.
4. UTA. Tour Builder — tour.concept3d.com. https://tour.concept3d.com/share/DY8tpxAgB/stop/1.
5. UTA. YouTube — youtube.com. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xuhAAPW225U.
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9. “ISO/IEC 23270:2018 — iso.org,” https://www.iso.org/standard/75178.html.
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17. “XR Hands — docs.unity3d.com,” https://docs.unity3d.com/Packages/com.unity.xr.hands@1.4/manual/index.html.
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19. U. Technologies, “Unity – Universal Render Pipeline — docs.unity3d.com,” https://docs.unity3d.com/6000.2/Documentation/Manual/universal-render-pipeline.html.
20. “Vivox Unity SDK — docs.unity.com,” https://docs.unity.com/ugs/en-us/manual/vivox-unity/manual/Unity/vivox-unity-first-steps.
