System Security

Platforms: Oculus Quest

Genre: VR, Science Fiction

Engine: Unity

Skills: Level Design, Environmental Storytelling, Dialogue Writing, Unity C#, Unity VR

Roles: Designer, Writer, Programmer

Itch.io Link: https://mercenary-studios.itch.io/system-security

World Building/Foundations

In starting this project, I had immediately gotten a sense of what I had wanted to construct at least with regards to the world. Taking heavy inspiration from a variety of science fiction media, such as Tron, Warhammer 40k, and Dystopian Novels such as 1984, I started to look into how I could form the world. With these particular elements in mind, I thought about what mythical and real world events I could use to form the background and lore for the world. These details were important for making it feel lived in and as alive as the real world, allowing the player to be immersed in the universe.

The slides below showcase some of the mood board images I collected to help form ideas on the world and how it looked.

Overarching Idea

"A world inside of a computer (No, not that one), where the anti-virus serves as a sort of military hierarchy that all citizens of the machine are under. Based on a previous incident that left the machine crippled, this new force came in, being hailed as heroes by those living in the computer world (bytes). This allowed the AVD (Anti-Virus Division) to take power and control over all who may be attempting to enter the System. They safeguard Lord Commander 32, the head of the system who ensures the infrastructure of the system keeps running. All who live here, live in fear of the Virus, a term used to generalize all threats to the System. The bytes of the system trade in information, and a common story is told: everyone needs to do their job to the best of their ability, or face Deletion. Deletion, is the process by which a Byte is taken to the outskirts of the System, and placed in a large prison complex, called The Rec. This world is in a perpetual state of martial law. The Anti-Virus Division, and the System Deletion Unit, all work together to prevent the arrival of any non-approved bytes into the System."

All of these ideas and concepts were used to create the foundation of the universe. Considering the scale at which I was working, I thought of ways that I could incorporate the terms that we, as humans understand of a computer and how it works. The Anti Virus Division serving as a customs/travel security agency, made the most logical sense from this standpoint. As it's the piece of your computer which scans over data that comes into the computer. System 32 is the means by which the system keeps operating, so them serving as a distant figure who is important to society allowed me to place them here. The Rec, is of course, a shortened version of the recycling bin, where things are stored until they are either retrieved or deleted forever. These details were all explored in game via dialogue and environmental details.

Story

This series of images is the flow chart of decisions that the player can make when the game is finished. This is also where I introduce who the player is playing as, who they are working with, and what their roles in the world are. However over the course of the fifteen-week long period, some decisions had to be taken out for the sake of time. While these were things that had affected the overall course of the project, I do believe that these had allowed for the game to have a more hopeful ending, and made it more cohesive.

Sound Design

In order to make this scenery seem believable and alive, it needs to have some form of noise, each of the areas in the game have their own times of day and their own events that are taking place. As a result, I carefully thought out what I would include for the sounds and how loud they would be in relation to each other. Over the course of development and testing, I noticed that some of the sounds were more distracting than immersive. With that in mind some sounds would be removed from the final product.

Training Room:
What is happening - A lecture from a superior officer in an organization. Some air vehicles are on the outside, so those would be muffled slightly due to them being inside. There are some soldiers outside who are potentially moving. Though they
wouldn’t be able to see them.

What is occurring in the story - The player is learning about what they are doing and
why. As a result the player would feel a sense of importance with what they are doing.
They are working at a mock up of their station.

Loudest: Inside of a room to the left. The sound of a computer processing data.
Middle Audio Level: Marching soldiers outside.
Quietest: The sound of planes/helicopters outside.

This is intended to give the player a sense of the world constantly being at the ready to
move in case something should happen to occur in the world that would lead to another
disaster.

Work Space:
What is happening - Some people are coming into the system from another location. These are people who need to be scanned and properly analyzed before they are allowed in. Two soldiers stand guard at the front door ready to deal with any potential threats. There is a TV screen that produces camera footage, and there are voices in the distance of people talking to the customs officers and amongst themselves. There’s also a camera on the player’s right that oscillates slightly. Narratively, the player would be working to get people through their room, with a gun
underneath their desk. Effectively, you’re just doing your day job.
Sounds:

Loudest: People conversing in the distance
Medium: TV screen hum
Quietest: Movement of a Camera.

These sounds would give the illusion that the world is a lot more alive than it appears to be and that there are more people in the space that they can’t see. The camera is meant to keep the player on their toes and the static of the screen is meant to do the same thing.

Bar:
What’s happening? The player and Martin are relaxing in a local bar. The player can get some drinks for themselves while they’re talking. They hear the clinks of glasses, the hum of cars on the outside, and Martin’s voice.
Sounds:

Loudest: moving of glasses
Medium: Movement of pans and the sound of cooking
Quietest: Cars passing by.

Apartment:
What is happening - After the player talks to Martin, they go back to their apartment and just relax. As a result, the sounds that they hear are the hum of their refrigerator, the pattering of rain outside, and the distant hovering of flying vehicles.
Sounds:

Loudest: Refrigerator
Medium: Air Vent
Quietest: The pattering of rain on the glass.

Martin’s Brain:
The player dives deep into Martin’s psyche, and as a result, they can hear a lot of distant and muffled voices of people who he remembers. This increases the anxiety of the player. They will hear the sound of a woman's voice with some reverb to it so that it implies that they are viewing it second-hand and that it has passed. Then they can hear the roar and clattering of large metal spikes as a beast skitters into view.
Sounds:

Loudest: Skittering claws and roars
Medium: Distant voices with Reverb.
Quietest: A hum, like the fan of a computer.

Characters