Logan Buchalter
Virtual Escape Room
Cornerstone of Engineering II, Northeastern University
Relevant Skills: project management, aesthetic design, MATLAB, SolidWorks, flowcharts
Objective
Develop a virtual escape room capable of being played by multiple remote players simultaneously
Variables / Constraints
Each team was given a timeline of approximately 3 months, and were required to implement a combination of code-based and CAD puzzles.
Role
As the project Architect, I was in charge of overseeing the project. While I did develop several puzzles of my own, I was also responsible for developing a layout for all of the puzzles and making sure that each puzzle blended seamlessly into the next.
Design Process
[1] I set up a meeting with the team to collectively decide on a theme for the puzzle room. After we decided on Star Wars, I developed a rough puzzle layout illustrating the different coinciding puzzle paths. I made sure that each group member received puzzles that played on their strengths and interests.
Final layout created and used for duration of project, modified as needed throughout course of project
[2] While making sure the rest of my team was on track, I began to set up the website to serve as the staging ground for the start of our game. I made custom graphics to give players a sense of uniformity and immersion. I also developed a custom lightsaber model in SolidWorks to be used as a prop in several puzzles.
Lightsaber prop, closeup
Lightsaber prop, isometric view
Lightsaber prop, side view
Title page for puzzle website
Excerpt from initial pages that instruct players how to proceed
[3] With the central webpage set up, I began to develop puzzles. The first puzzle required me to experiment with image editing and adding interactive features within an image. The second puzzle involved me to develop a dialogue that led to a MATLAB puzzle. For easy copy and pasting, this puzzle was put in a Google Doc.
Solution
By the end of the project timeframe, my team was able to develop a fully cohesive project. We smoothed out any errors by having classmates test play our puzzle room, leading to a polished final product.