After having done a bit more research on the topic, I have discovered the Void is an extension of a much larger concept called “Evermore.” The project description is written up in this page for Theme Park University.
Evermore does have a Facebook page and I would encourage anyone interested to check it out.
Needless to say this is all very encouraging since it confirms the rantings of this blog in a very commercial direction.
Ok – I have to admit –
I am a little freaked out now.
This is exactly what I have been talking about for the last few years:
I really don’t know much about the Void but I am totally wigging out. It is almost like they have taken my idea and run with it. However, this is such a radical concept yet I am willing to let these guys take the initial punches while I learn and watch. I am jealous as all hell but excited as well. Other share the same vision and it will become reality.
Having dealt with much of these issues I realize that what these guys are doing is not easy. If they have what they claim to then they have already sunk millions of dollars into the tech. I am suspicious. However, I am looking forward to see how this progresses.
There has been a ton of VR activity the last couple of weeks. The Tech community is going crazy. Just as I had envisioned it years ago, the wave is breaking! With the seeming commercial success of one VR application; Occulus, Hololens, we will see an influx of money flowing to the technological development of the other sense.
As expected, Smell-O-Viosn has made its footstamp.
Although just a kickstarter, FeelReal is just the first of non-visual haptic feedback systems. There will be more for sure. I’ll need to dig deep into the Raconteur coffers and throw them a bone.
This is way cool. Last week we looked at an interface device for immersive VR that allowed the user’s shoes to elevate with the terrain. Nice Idea but hardly practical.
This new device, on the other hand is very cool. This still is very confining. But Oh!, what it can do!
I’m kind of wigging out about this. However, this is the wave and it’s starting to break. I see my opening. I’m going for it!
It’s no secret, I have long been a fan of dark fantasy. Somehow the grey lines separating good and evil, protagonist and antagonist have always attracted me. I guess they parallel life. It is never quite apparent who the good or bad guys are until viewed again in retrospective.
In this article, 10 authors are listed who provided gritty, realistic fantasy before the turn of the twentieth century.
I have read the works of many of these authors. I loved them! In my humble opinion, any of these storyworlds would constitute as excellent interactive storyworlds. These are just a few samplings of the storyworlds which could be created. The possibility is almost unlimited. What’s next? Jane Austin Storyworld? Why the hell not?
It has always been my contention there are three perspectives to interactive storytelling experience:
With the new developments with AR/VR these days, most of the audience attention has been placed on the first and third perspectives. Today, I have just become aware of a new avenue for the second person perspective.
The folks from Sword Coast Legends and Wizards of the Coast are working on a Dungeons and Dragons RPG game experience on the computer. As the role players experience the dungeon in real time, a dungeon master (DM) is also manipulating the game experience concurrently with the players. Reminding that the DM does not necessarily want to destroy the gaming party, just make sure they are challenged sufficiently. Similarly, it is often the DM’s responsibility to deliver a fun playing experience for the players.
Within the interactive storytelling experience, A contributed second person perspective can really help to push the game and prevent it from getting stale along with upholding the fun factor of the experience. While the interactive storyworld experience is not exactly an RPG game, it can borrow some some of the same interactive components. It seems all that is in place with this RPG system is dungeon crawling and fighting. While this is fun for certain purists. Others will be seeking the interactive characters and dynamic experiences. An involved second person perspective can really help avoid the interactive storytelling experience prof devolving into porn.
Here is a quick and cool development involving Leap and OSVR.
The folks over at Leap will be bundling their goods with the Razor folks in their combined OSVR package which is an open source VR development package.
As mentioned in a prior article, Leap has an interesting tool on their hands. I don’t have immediate plans using the OSVR platform but I hope Leap’s tools are still available outside. We’ll see.
Here is an interesting new article by the Swiss Institute of Forensic Medicine proposing using VR to help settle Court Room decisions. They are looking into using VR to re-create crime scenes or scenes under legal scrutiny.
While this direction is hardly surprising, it is not a very new concept either. Legal teams have been utilizing computer graphics as a visualization tool since the early 90’s. In fact some of my first jobs revolved around creating accident reconstruction for consulting firms. I believe this approach is effective. However, as with all media, VR needs to be authored and is subject to biased interpretation.
I thoroughly believe that VR can make an excellent legal tool. The cost may make it prohibitive. Instead of authoring just one perspective, a full 360 degree perspective must be maintained. To complement the visual presentational elements I believe further advancements in procedural storytelling must be made. More specifically, the development of a storytelling language needs to be developed. The language provides a neutral format to which any situation may be described without biased interpretation. From that language the situation may be re-created to any media format; Video, VR, Comic Strip, Novelization, … . The interpretation to media will provide the biased interpretation. However, the language itself should be as neutral as possible.
These are indeed exciting times!
HTC Vive has just drop its hat into the VR ring with with HTC Vive; Valve’s HR headset:
Not much is known about this headset but supposedly they will have a commercial version out by the end of the year. It sounds like it is a beefier, faster version of the Oculus Rift. Maybe Vive has solved some tracking issues too? We look forward to finding out.
I have heard that Valve will be introducing the new headset at GDC this week. I look forward in having a hands-on demo!
Also, in related news, I have just found out a site I have been frequenting lately, WEMO.IO, is actually a VR company run by old associates, WEVR. They have just announced a partnership with Valve to be a development partner for their new headset. From the initial looks of it WEVR is foccussing on a suite of VR production tools as well as producing their own VR content.
I’ll need to drop a few emails to what some of the old folks are up to. It’s re-assuring confirmation to know that the wave that has been building for the last few years is actually seen by other like-minded souls.