Waiver - A Balancing Act
November 2019 | Exhibited at the Digital Future's Open Show on Dec 4, 2019
Concept
The Onsite Gallery's Among All these Tundras ran between September 18 - December 7, 2019.
This endless runner style video game is inspired by The Onsite Gallery's current exhibit, Among All These Tundra. We decided to use the symbols of a bike and oil pipeline featured in Innuteq Storch’s photo series At Home We Belong and Marja Helander’s video Dolastallat (To Have a Campfire). For us, a pipeline is an example of a concrete imposition that looms over the environment, forcing a change of lifestyle to those within it. In turn, the bike is a representation of sustainability and community (based on Storch's photo series) that opposes the invasive and unsustainable pipeline that appears to infinitely weave its way through an otherwise natural game world.
Waiver comments on the dangers of imperialism, while recognizing that the persistent march towards an industrialized future is a trademark of perceived human progress and an ever-changing world. Unfortunately, this world often fails to consider the intricacies of the cultural beliefs and identities of those that reside in it. This dichotomy prevents us the luxury of choosing a side or declaring which is right, but instead leaves us with only one option; find a balance.
Development Team
Shiloh Light-Barnes
Lead Unity Developer, Post-processing
Madelaine Fischer-Bernhut
Unity Developer, 3D Modeler (Bicycle, Terrain, Bare Trees)
Sam Kingston
Sound, 3D Modeler (Pipes, Trees, Rocks, Lamp, Oil Drill)
Future Development
Initially we wanted to set up the game for a mobile platform, but because of time restraints we decided to demo it as a PC game for the Digital Future Open Show.
Currently, a mobile version is in development.
Gameplay
There are a few things worth noting that may not be apparent from a quick play-through. As you move further through the game, you will begin to experience more complicated combinations of pipes that make it increasingly difficult. We also introduce new pipes, such as one bent downwards as a result of a tree that had fallen on it and a pipe covered in ice. Both of these obstacles force the player to jump to avoid them.
References & Sources
Foliage Spawning on Mesh
https://answers.unity.com/questions/998590/how-would-i-instantiate-objects-on-a-mesh.html
Skybox
C# Mapping (Number Ranges)
https://forum.unity.com/threads/re-map-a-number-from-one-range-to-another.119437/
Winds of Autumn by LoneTreeMusic
https://www.jamendo.com/album/147985/awakening
Cocogoose Font (License acquired)
https://www.zetafonts.com/cocogoose