We have made great progress on prototyping the main location for Life Hutch VR. The life hutch itself is a pivotal setting to the story and must be a functional and believable environment for Captain Terence and the user. This particular story was chosen because it lends itself perfectly to the type of immersive experience VR does so well and we intend to make it so realistic that the user will forget themselves and believe that they are trapped and desperate for help. To enhance the experience, we have added the legs of Captain Terence and the sound of his ragged breathing to further reinforce the notion that you are injured and resting on the floor. Also notice the dust drifting around. These small details should go unnoticed, but subconsciously bring our world to life.
Playing as the captain, you must use your wits to survive and solve the puzzle of how to escape. The interior of the life hutch has been overhauled to look more like a place where a marooned spaceman might spend a month while waiting for a ship to pick him up. The malfunctioning ELLIS (Electronic Load Lifter Industrial System) robot design has been improved to reflect the work Mark Bloom and I are doing to embody this character with a mix of caring, yet aggressive qualities. I describe ELLIS as a doddering old caretaker who who transforms into a character like the Hulk.. It is an interesting design challenge to mix those together in a single entity while layering in the practical aspects of what ELLIS is built for. On any given day, he might need to install equipment, tend to the hydroponic garden, fix a computer, and haul fuel to the generator. Then there is the day Captain Terence arrives....
