Experimenting with virtual reality level design
During the pandemic lockdown I became interested in virtual reality. I had always been interesting in game and level design, but my daily usage of VR motivated me to learn Unity and generate worlds and maps for games I was routinely playing. It was an incredible experience and I learned so much. Here are those experiments:
Valley was my first map created for Onward VR in 2022. Built with the same asset pack as used in the game's default map Downfall. This map featured three lanes, one of them being a close quarters underground tunnel.
My second map created for Onward VR in 2022. Learning from the surprises of my first map and how it played, I started this one by actually doing level planning on paper. This map ended up playing very well, but the dark atmosphere was a turn off for some players as it added unnecessary challenge.
Missile Silo was my third map created for Onward VR in 2022. This one was the most ambitious map I built for the game. It featured three unique lanes with unique play styles. It also introduced verticality with a catwalk system in the center lane. I really enjoyed the process of creating the lighting and audio aesthetic in this level. I felt like I had really accomplished a more mature design and atmosphere with this map.
My first VRChat world created in 2021. One of my first projects in Unity. After building this world first for PCVR, I had the idea to port it to mobile VR. I learned a lot about how to optimize for good performance from that experience.
My second VRChat world created in 2021. Meant as a social hangout world. I included many secrets like a easter egg UFO and some alien artifacts.
My third VRChat world created in 2021. I made this map for a Halloween party. It featured a lantern maze through a forest with spooky triggers and an easter egg 'hell' area.
My fourth VRChat world created in 2021. A recreation of the original Pick Me Up Cafe in Chicago. Built for my friends for my birthday birthday I threw in VR Chat. Later I converted this to a miniaturized Onward map.
I haven't created any new virtual reality content recently, but I have built some software for Apple Vision Pro, and I would love to maybe create some immersive experiences for that device soon.