My second year university solo project. I was entirely responsible for the design, coding, modelling, sound design and performance. The final submission for this project received a grade of 100% and it was demoed at Leeds Beckett’s end of year showcase.
Evocation is a VR alchemy game with a horror theme inspired by Hellraiser.
Use your alchemical skills to craft the votives needed for the evocation ritual. Time is of the essence, for the demons are watching and are tasked with drawing you into their labyrinth.
Player Goal: Evoke and subjugate the Greater Demon.
Method: Craft three votives using real world chemistry methods. Complete the evocation ritual.
Obstacle: Lesser Demons are trying to draw you into the Labyrinth.
Overcome Obstacle: Close the portals as they open.
Consequence of Failure: Player will be trapped in the Labyrinth, but given the chance to try again.
Engine: Unity
Version Control: GitHub
Additional Tools :
– Custom version of the OpenXR Interaction Tookit
– FMOD
Where is the fun?
I love science and especially chemistry, but who can afford to get all that glassware? I made this game primarily because I wanted to have fun with my own professional chemistry set and do the reactions.
The fun is in the assembling of the glassware, and the transmutation of the liquids. On top of this is the archaic horror layer that fulfils a fantasy of being a Victorian alchemist discovering the secrets of the world for the first time.
Custom Chemistry Engine Within Unity
I designed a system for tracking the volumes of liquids in each container and how they interact together. This was done entirely through math and shaders so having to simulate liquid physics could be avoided.
Some of the features include:
Colour
Each fluid has its own colour, and when combined with other fluids, the colour of the resulting fluid will be a combination of all liquids, taking into account their proportions.
Miscibility
Whether certain fluids can or can’t mix together such as oil and water. This makes some fluids mix together, and some to separate into layers.
The video demonstrates that the reaction generates a black liquid which doesn’t mix with the red liquid and so sits on top of it.
Boiling Point
At what temperature the will liquid evaporate from the solution. This could result in the liquid boiling off if it isn’t in some kind of distillation or reflux setup.
Bubbles form on the surface of the liquid when it has reached its boiling point. Mixed liquids will boil and evaporate at their own temperatures, leaving any liquids with a lower boiling point behind.
Reaction Conditions
Under what conditions will various liquids react together to form a new liquid. Conditions include mechanical agitation, temperature, concentration within a solution, the configuration of the glassware.
In the video, three liquids are being mixed in specific volumes, and then shook by the player to make them react.
Skills Unlocked
I used the development of this project to really hone my skills with shaders and using Composition Over Inheritance design patterns.
I also went all-in with the sound design. This was my first time using FMOD and I learnt every trick I could to ramp up the atmosphere with the soundscape, and the immersion though dynamic collision sound effects.