
Go! Pirate captain!
A pirate theme Mix Reality game developed with Magic Leap
Background
Designed and launched a pirate theme adventure AR experience. Combined virtuality and reality with a physical map, to explore how could physical parts enhance AR experience.
My Role:
Game Design, Interaction Design,
3D Models, UI, Props
Platform:
Magic Leap

Duration:
2 weeks
Quick View

Ideations
Build on Physical World





Experience Flow

3. Pirate Fight
1. Mermaid Island
2. Treasure Box / Save People
Play Testing
Usability Testing with Naive Guests
With the goal of designing for all people and family members, I held playtesting section with "naive guests" to find out if the game was understandable and playable. The testers I found across:
1. People of different ages, from kids to elder players
2. Not familiar with the device
3. Game players and non-game players

Feedbacks from playtesting:
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Difficult to figure out the ship navigation method.
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Learning curve a little high.
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Confuse about where to explore?
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Could have a better interest curve.
Iterations

Less Learning
Effort
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Added a ship rudder prop on the controller, to let the player get the sense of there is a touching area and use it to navigate the ship.
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Redesigned the navigation control method:
Instead of circle thumb touch, use swiping left and right to control.
A Better
Interest Curve
For clearer guidance and a better interest curve, I adjusted the storyline and the key plots for a smoother experience flow. Added small bonus on the way to lead player's exploration.
Before
After


Before
After


Evaluation
After iteration, I held another round of playtesting.
The playtesting went smooth, the new experience flow solved user confusion and trigger a deeper engagement.

Final Design



After final development, we held a game showcase and invited Anthony Daniels as our final play tester. Daniels played C-3PO in the Star Wars film series.
“I feel great freedom in the game, the level of freedom is pretty high. The game is fun and the guidance is clear.”
Takeaways
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AR could be more engaging when the design is connected to Reality, design the interaction with the physical part could help naive players to better understand and enjoy the AR experience.
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Although the 3d camera recognition by AR devices could be limited by tech, designers can find design solutions to help real environment recognition and the experience based on XR.