Shuting Lei
TT
雷舒婷
Mortise Mirage is an immersive VR 3D puzzle game inspired by ancient ink wash painting and traditional mortise and tenon woodwork, offering players a deep dive into Eastern poetic cultural themes. Players can spatially engage hands-on in assembling wooden objects and interact with them. Developed by Shuting Lei, Yixuan Wang, Yijun Ma, Ziwei Niu from Goldsmiths MA Virtual & Augmented Reality and Game Playful Design.
As a VR designer, I contributed to concept design, scene design, modelling, shaders, sound design, UI/UX, and video editing.
Video Brief
Personal Contribution
01
Concept design
Before the project development, drawing inspiration from traditional Chinese ink wash painting, I swiftly constructed the game's scene models using Cinema4D, establishing the overall poetic and Chinese aesthetic style of the game.
02
VR scene design
I imported assets created in Cinema4D into Unity, configured the Universal Render Pipeline (URP), recreated materials, and added lighting and environmental fog.
I designed an island surrounded by a lake as the player's game scene. Players will actually walk in a limited space, more simulating a real puzzle game scene.
03
Shaders
I utilized Shader Graph to edit the effect of water surface ripples and enabled the water surface to mirror the surrounding environment through specular reflections.
In order to make the ground texture more realistic, I used normal maps and Ambient Occlusion maps.
04
UI design
I combined traditional Chinese calligraphy art with gaming to create a uniquely styled user interface, allowing players to immerse themselves more deeply in the gaming experience.
I designed the UI of the menu interface. The fan is the carrier of the menu interface. Players can open the fan through gesture interaction. I designed the fan-shaped buttons to fit the shape of the edge of the fan. Players can view different interfaces by clicking different buttons.
05
UX design
I designed the user experience for the game's opening and completion. Prior to entering the game, there's a simple player-guided tutorial where players must assemble the simplest interlocking joint structure to proceed. Upon completion, the game title gradually emerges, leading into the game levels.
Upon completion of a level, players unlock an exclusive experience related to that level. Players can then navigate through the game on a boat they assembled themselves, enjoying ink-wash landscapes and ancient poetry as they sail towards the next level. This design not only allows players to gradually understand the gameplay and background of the game but also adds a romantic poetic touch, creating a spiritual resonance between the game experience and the player.
06
Video editing
I recorded the walkthrough in Quest3 and edited it into a demo video, video brief (for Immersive UK) and trailer.
Game trailer
Reflections
I'm thrilled to have teamed up with my stellar colleagues for this project! Each of us brought our unique strengths to the table, resulting in a harmonious collaboration. 🌟 I'm grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this endeavor.
My role in this project centered around being the technical artist, a role that feels like second nature to me. 🎨 I take pride in shaping the project's overall visual aesthetic, reveling in the creation of immersive 3D environments and refining UI elements to enhance the player experience.
What excites me most is the fusion of traditional Chinese culture with cutting-edge VR technology. This blend has the potential to introduce the ancient and mesmerizing technique of "Mortise and Tenon" to a global audience. 🌏 Sharing valuable cultural heritage is a mission close to my heart.
While Mortise Mirage has only scratched the surface of its potential, we're not stopping there. 🚀 Expect more mortise and tenon puzzle objects, such as pavilions and chairs, along with an exciting achievement system in future updates. Stay tuned for the latest developments! 🎉