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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