Lazy Eye Shooter
Project overview
This video gives a detailed description of the project. It is currently outdated as far as the art assets go, but the project's goals are well explained.
Lazy Eye Shooter is a project created to help people overcome Amblyopia (lazy eye) through first-person shooters. This genre was chosen because FPS games have proven to increase visual acuity.
The subject plays by looking through a stereoscope. The view is split to control what is shown to each eye. While playing, there are events shown to a particular eye and the player is required to react. Correct actions are rewarded while incorrect responses are punished.
Visual interest and levels of hierarchy are aspects of design that were particularly important to keep in mind while creating assets for Lazy Eye Shooter. In order for the study to work properly the subjects always need something to verge on with their eyes. Large, open areas in games are not as effective for this study which can limit design choice.
Subjects as young as seven years old will be playing this game and it therefore needs to be family friendly. This includes creating weapons that do not resemble guns, and incorporating bright colors with clean textures. Also, it is important to make the enemies look the part while not looking too gruesome. As a result of the varying ages skill level needs to be taken into account as well.
The subject plays by looking through a stereoscope. The view is split to control what is shown to each eye. While playing, there are events shown to a particular eye and the player is required to react. Correct actions are rewarded while incorrect responses are punished.
Visual interest and levels of hierarchy are aspects of design that were particularly important to keep in mind while creating assets for Lazy Eye Shooter. In order for the study to work properly the subjects always need something to verge on with their eyes. Large, open areas in games are not as effective for this study which can limit design choice.
Subjects as young as seven years old will be playing this game and it therefore needs to be family friendly. This includes creating weapons that do not resemble guns, and incorporating bright colors with clean textures. Also, it is important to make the enemies look the part while not looking too gruesome. As a result of the varying ages skill level needs to be taken into account as well.
Assets and Design
I wanted to create a centerpiece for the level, making it the focal point. By incorporating the smaller pieces and the branches off to the side I was able to continue the theme and bring the level together. The tree branches make lines for the eyes to follow to help traverse the level.
The tree is further emphasized with rays of light shining down through the roof of the level. This effect was created using the UDK material editor's fresnel effects along with opacity masks created in Photoshop. In-game there are also some particle effects falling through the space as well.
The rotating gears help to bring life to the level by creating an environment with ambient motion and adding visual interest.
Beginners often have trouble navigating through levels in games. I created this seamless texture to be the railing along the sides of the level. When designing it I intended for the texture to "point" in a direction. I placed this texture around the level and oriented it in an attempt to direct the player to points of interest.
The floor textures were created in Photoshop by overlapping white and black circles to achieve different results.
These next images portray the knight who spawns when the player reacts incorrectly to the random event. As punishment the player must defeat the knight instead of being rewarded with ammo and health.
These are screenshots taken directly from UDK. The base mesh with the fur texture was created by Joel Ogden, a colleague of mine. It was then passed to me to make the additions of the gears, glasses, etc.
These are screenshots taken directly from UDK. The base mesh with the fur texture was created by Joel Ogden, a colleague of mine. It was then passed to me to make the additions of the gears, glasses, etc.