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Nicholas Dorbin
Software Development
Vive & Rope-Based Gameplay Mechanics
My thesis is about innovating locomotion mechanics within Virtual Reality . At the launch of the HTC Vive , a large portion of games used teleportation as the main method to navigate the environment . My goal with this project was to create an alternative locomotion method in order to provide more options for developers . I created a rope-based locomotion method where players can grab onto physicsbased ropes and pull themselves along the ropes . Players can create their own ropes in the environment and can even throw themselves from one rope to another .
challenge established standards . I wanted to prove that teleportation is just an option for locomotion , not a rule to follow . The biggest thing I learned from my thesis is that in Virtual Reality , players must be given as much control as possible .
During testing of my thesis , players loved throwing themselves from ropes , but they did not like riding a swinging rope because it was too fast and they could not influence it . I found that most players will not feel sick from their interactions with the game as long as a motion is gradual or in the control of the player .
I chose this project because I love pushing the boundaries of game development . The game industry advances when people ignore the formula of a mechanic and
68 SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT