BLOG 2:
Project
Rabaul... Start!
Project Requirements
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We are to build an augmented reality experience around an object from a museum, art gallery or zoo. To mimic work dynamics of the real game industry, we will adopt different roles based on our skill sets. These include: programming, quality assurance, 3D modelling, project management, art, sound and process documentation.
The idea
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Our group had set our eyes on the Japanese Mitsubishi A6M3 airplane. It is a beautiful model with a rich history, and is currently displayed in its own exhibit at the Auckland war memorial museum.
Fig 1
Our vision was to bring this airplane model to life. Through the phone camera, the plane would come to life - its propellers would spin, and the background would transform into the war scene landscape in Rabaul, Papua New Guinea.This would emulate the surroundings of the war time, and give museum visitors a much more immersive experience.
Brainstorming
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Before we came to this vision, we had brainstormed enthusiastically, coming up with various MR approaches for the A6M3 model (as shown below). We also jotted down the several elements that may be in our built environment. For VR, we came up with scenarios outside the plane and inside - where the user gets a 360 of the cockpit and can see the moving environment around them. The VR idea however, was sightly too ambitious, since creating a full 360 surrounding in a short period of time was unrealistic. We then targeted down to the AR methods - a much more achievable goal given our skills. Our general idea was to capture the mueseum plane in the camera frame, and build an environment surrounding it.
Research
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Simultaneously, we gathered various visual inspirations and model references of the A6M3 to help us members visualise the plane in flight and on the ground, as well as helping us to understand the context of its surroundings better.
Research was also gathered around the history of the plane, and we chose to base our setting on "The Battle of Rabaul": This was an invasion of Japanese troops to Rabaul, Papa New Guinea in 1942, during WWII. By 1943, it had become a Japanese base, with more than 100,000 troops garrisoned there (History.com Editors, 2018). The mitsibushi A6M, designated as the Navy type 00, could outmaneuver every airplane it encountered when it first appeared, and was used to great effect during this time. (Britannica.com Editors, 1998)
Mapping out our project
Finalising our aims
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While vibing to our 90s hip hop, we discussed our project overview, rationale, aims, as well as some short term goals. We also roughly assigned each group member to their roles. These weren’t particularly specialised, and we all got assigned to a few roles each, since most of us do not have specific strengths. My roles for the project are: Art, coding, documentation and QA.
Gathering visual inspiration
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Now, for the arts people, our first task was to collect art inspiration for the AR backdrop. We searched for images of the A6M3, specifically in Rabaul, since we wanted the setting to speak true to the history of the event. One of the landmarks was the Hanabuki volcano (top images). This research gave us a good picture of Rabaul and the various environments (mountains, beaches, sky) which we would refer to during the concept art process. We were also leaning towards making our imagery grey-scale or sepia tinted, to create a dated, nostalgic atmosphere.
Gantt Chart
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Together, we discussed and framed the rough deadlines for each of the process components - from inspiration to ideation to development. It was important to make these clear, since many major parts have dependencies on other components (such as the coding, which depends on the concept art).
The hardest part for us QA assignees was to create a nice Gantt chart using the free softwares available. After cycling and fiddling through Team Gantt, and then to Click-Up, and searching for more free Gantt chart websites.... we came back to Team Gantt and finally created a reasonably clear, categorised timeline.
References
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Fig 1.
Romano, Gail (2020, September 11). The Zero: Two men and a plane. Tāmaki Paenga Hira. https://www.aucklandmuseum.com/discover/collections/topics/zero
Britannica.com editors. (1998). Zero | Japanese aircraft. Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/technology/Zero-Japanese-aircraft
History.com Editors. (2018, August 21). Battle of New Britain (Rabaul). HISTORY. Retrieved August 29, 2021, from https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-ii/battle-of-new-britain-rabaulIrwin, T., &
