WALLPAPER RE-IMAGINED

In my experience of working in the arts, it’s not often that you get the opportunity to take an existing project into a second phase or to develop it further. However, this is the case with WALLPAPER, a narrative game originally funded by the Arts Council in 2014 as an interactive installation for a gallery setting at Bank Street Arts, and part of a research project with Sheffield Hallam University (SHU).

WALLPAPER is the story of PJ Sanders, Head of Product Innovation at US based company POPPITECH. Following the death of his mother, PJ returns to the UK to a historic home – Dalton Manor, which has been in his family for generations. Needing to clear the house and prepare for sale, PJ toys with his latest product; an experimental device primed to help him uncover the mysterious history behind a room in the house that has remained locked since his childhood. It’s an immersive experience about family secrets, mysteries and the future of technology.

As Creative Director of One to One Development Trust, WALLPAPER is a collaboration between myself and my colleague/partner, artist/writer Andy Campbell. The research undertaken by Reading Digital Fiction (SHU) was very useful, informing us about the reader/player experience. Audiences really liked this way of storytelling as a ‘new artform’, a mix of text, sound and moving image set inside a landscape where a narrative can be gradually ‘unearthed’ and explored.

We started playing around with how WALLPAPER might work in Virtual Reality (VR) as an experiment to show at an event we ran at the Art House as part of the national Being Human Festival 2016 – the overall theme of which was ‘Hopes and Fears’. For a lot of our audience at this event, it was their first go at using a VR headset. The responses were very positive, particularly at the idea that WALLPAPER might become a full-blown literary story experience incorporating visual texts – maintaining a reading element – and not just the usual shooting or puzzle game that saturates the market.

We made a short film about this event, it is a useful tool in showing wider audiences what WALLPAPER is like and how it is capturing the imaginations of readers/players. We applied to Creative England Games Lab to produce WALLPAPER as a full VR experience and were delighted not only to get the funding, but also be awarded a trip to the biggest games conference in the world: GDC in San Francisco in a delegation representing the region.

Re-purposing WALLPAPER for VR is indeed a challenge. We have rebuilt and repopulated Dalton Manor, designed new ways to interact with the game world without the need for additional hardware, created new lighting effects and transformed the overall mood and colour palette. The project also works without VR equipment using only the mouse. The technical aspects of this recreation are vast. It is a lot of trial and error, experimentation and dedication. To do this type of work you need easy access to the right tech and a highly resilient attitude to problem solving!

Our characters have been with us now for over three years and it has been great fun giving more depth to their personalities and personal histories. Developing for VR has also given us a good reason to re-imagine the soundtrack with Barry Snaith and Erika Bach of M1nk.

Within WALLPAPER there are many items and textures that we have sourced locally and from our own personal collections. Historic wallpaper from the Cow Shed restaurant courtesy of Wakefield Museum adorns the walls of Dalton Manor, as does artwork that was originally created by my mum and Andy’s grandmother: ‘reality’ re-purposed within a Virtual Reality environment.

As we near completion of WALLPAPER VR, we are excited to have some events coming up where we can invite audiences to come and experience the VR work-in-progress and hear about the processes of its creation. We believe the potential for this technology is vast for artists and storytellers, and that the results can be uniquely captivating.

WALLPAPER events:

Sat 2nd September at the Festival for Digital and Visual Poetry in Oslo

Fri 9th September at the Nostell Nights: Hidden Spaces event

Sat 30th September: Launch and talk about using sound in VR at Wakefield Literature Festival

WALLPAPER VR DEVELOPMENT

The initial release of WALLPAPER – exhibited at Bank Street Arts in Sheffield in 2015 and presented in VR in 2016 as part of the Being Human Festival of the Humanities – took on a very traditional (if somewhat oddly blue-tinged) ‘British ghost story’ style visual aesthetic. The ‘haunted’ house was shrouded in mist, the tone was dark and eerie; some readers/players made comparisons between WALLPAPER and various horror-style video games.

Admittedly this did suit both the overall narrative tone and Barry Snaith’s terrifically atmospheric soundtrack very well indeed, and the first release remains (at least in our opinion!) a well-rounded, stand-alone ‘narrative game’.

But for our GamesLab funded VR version, we’ve decided to pull WALLPAPER slightly away from all of that and go for a brighter, more sun-drenched SF look. And to change what happens. 🙂

The mood is still dark and rich – yet extremely gentle and quiet. You’re PJ Sanders, hardware engineer/innovator, in the middle of nowhere in the North of the UK, late evening, having flown in from the States following the death of your elderly mother. But this time, the futuristic survellience hardware you’re working on doesn’t just lie dormant in a bright red case – it’s aware. It talks to you. And it will very much help you uncover the history behind the one room in the house that’s remained locked since your childhood.

WALLPAPER-VR-2

We’ve come a long way on a number of levels, as artists/developers since WALLPAPER’s initial release – and so has the narrative. Our focus from the beginning now is on how technology attempts (and often struggles) to interpret quietness, space, disconnectedness, less globally recognisable (yet personally historically rich) surroundings, off-map locations, and powerful ‘impossible human’ emotional resonance.

It’s been a fascinating process so far and we’re on track for release in a few months. The work will be primarily a VR experience, but will also work without VR hardware (important!).

We’re really excited to be working with the amazing Mau (Erika Bach & Barry Snaith) on the new soundtrack which we’re sure going by their current work will be nothing short of mindblowing; and to have Sarah Jowett embarking on some fantastic historical research for us.

Please follow us on Twitter and Facebook to stay uptodate.

Experience Wallpaper in Virtual Reality

Earlier this year we were delighted to be awarded funding from Creative England’s GamesLab Leeds initiative to develop our digital fiction project WALLPAPER into a fully-blown Virtual Reality experience.

WALLPAPER is an immersive science fiction ghost story told through game engine technology, originally funded in 2015 by Arts Council England and Sheffield Hallam University. It was designed for exhibition/installation and was featured at Bank Street Arts in 2015 and in the Being Human Festival of the Humanities in 2016 – where we revealed a short VR prototype.

Now, this funding is allowing us to develop WALLPAPER into a fully rounded VR experience, taking advantage of VR hardware such as Oculus Touch, and pushing the story to new levels of interactive immersion.

WALLPAPER’s new lease of life kicked off in style in February with One to One’s Digital Director Andy Campbell being funded by Creative England to attend the Game Developer Conference (GDC) in San Francisco. The 6-night trip offered our organisation invaluable insights and contacts in the games industry, as well as the opportunity to discuss WALLPAPER VR (and our long-standing approach to digital storytelling) with the likes of Intel, Valve and Oculus.

Watch this space for insights into the development process as we step back into PJ Sanders shoes and explore Dalton Manor through his eyes. This time, literally. 🙂

WALLPAPER – DIGITAL FICTION FOR PC/VR

WALLPAPER

* virtual box only. but you knew that, right? 🙂

USA-based computer engineer and innovator PJ Sanders returns to his remote family home in the UK following the death of his elderly mother. His agenda: to close the place down and sell it. But not before he employs an experimental device he’s been working on, primed to help him uncover the history behind one particular room in the house – a room that has remained locked since his childhood.

Recommended spec requirements: 64-bit PC desktop or laptop running a dedicated graphics card, 8GB RAM and speakers or headphones.

WALLPAPER is currently touring as both a large-scale projection piece and a Virtual Reality demo for the Oculus Rift. If you would like a free copy for PC, to show the work at your venue, or to use it in a digital storytelling class or workshop, please contact us on Twitter @dreamingmethods

Dreaming Methods Logo Horizontal

Teasers

Screenshots

1

3

2

5

For more information about Dreaming Methods visit www.dreamingmethods.com

Responses 

“Tremendous experience – love the atmosphere
of the visuals, storytelling and sound.”
– Ian Deon

“Held my breath through most of it…
Beautiful design and incredibly immersive.”
– Jessica Nonedge

“Beautiful and disorientating. Very detailed, loved
the sound and the mystery.”
– Stephen Elliot

“Visually stunning with an evocative soundtrack.” – Chris Joseph

“Intricately beautiful.” – Mez Breeze

“Intuitive and naturally intriguing, great that you aren’t just sat
consuming the story but actually uncovering it.”
– Tony Shephard

BEING HUMAN FESTIVAL 2016

We are delighted to announce WALLPAPER’s involvement in the Being Human Festival in association with Sheffield Hallam University. The WALLPAPER launch event was held on Thursday November 17th @ 4.00pm. A talk/workshop: ‘Digital Fiction, WALLPAPER, and Hopes and Fears for Storytelling’ took place on Wednesday 23rd November 5.00pm. Thank you to everyone who attended! Check out our short film from the launch night.

WALLPAPER is an interactive and immersive piece of digital fiction presented as a large scale projection and cutting-edge Virtual Reality experience (Oculus Rift and Gear VR). Through a launch event, gallery installation and exciting talk/workshop, readers were invited to explore an atmospheric 3D storyworld set in the remote North Yorkshire moors, uncovering a family history of unfulfilled hopes and hidden fears.

www.dreamingmethods.com
www.readingdigitalfiction.com

Digital Fiction Workshop – 7th June 2017

Twine website
WALLPAPER Twine example
WALLPAPER Twine example archive (for importing into Twine)
WALLPAPER Twine scripts and resources

WALLPAPER narrative game for PC (2015 edition)*
WALLPAPER narrative game instructions

Recommended software, downloads and resource sites

* recommended spec: i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 2GB graphics, mouse & keyboard or gamepad, headphones/speakers

WALLPAPER Twine scripts and resources

COLOURS
Background (dark blue): #030329
Links (light blue): #8ac3ff
Hover over links (red): #cf171f
Text (white): #FFFFFF
FONTS (TAKEN FROM GOOGLE FONTS)
@import url(https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lora);
REFERENCING IMAGES, AUDIO AND VIDEO


STYLESHEET DEFAULTS
@import url(https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lora);

body, tw-story
{
 font-family: 'Lora', serif;
 background: url(https://dreamingmethods.com/wallpaper/twine/images/wallpaper-background.jpg);
 background-repeat: no-repeat;
 background-position: center top;
 background-color: #030329;
}

tw-passage
{
 color: #ffffff;
}

tw-link
{
 color: #8ac3ff;
}

tw-link:hover 
{
 color: #cf171f;
}
RESOURCE LOCATIONS
http://dreamingmethods.com/wallpaper/twine/images/
http://dreamingmethods.com/wallpaper/twine/audio/

 

IMAGES














AUDIO
VARIABLES

Opening page:
(set: $carrying_briefcase to false) 

Front door of the house:
(if: $carrying_briefcase is false)[PJ has forgotten his briefcase.]
(if: $carrying_briefcase is true)[PJ got the case. Front door can be unlocked.]

Opening the car boot and collecting the briefcase:
(set: $carrying_briefcase to true)

Recommended software, downloads and resource sites

EXAMPLES OF DIGITAL FICTION/NEW MEDIA WRITING

http://www.newmediawritingprize.co.uk
https://elmcip.net/knowledgebase
http://eliterature.org/
http://collection.eliterature.org/3/
http://www.inanimatealice.com
http://www.dreamingmethods.com
http://www.webyarns.com
http://www.crissxross.net
http://www.mezbreezedesign.com
http://www.luckysoap.com
http://www.vispo.com
http://prynovella.com
http://www.taleoftales.com

SOFTWARE (FREE)

http://unity3d.com
http://fungusgames.com
https://www.gimp.org
http://www.audacityteam.org
https://notepad-plus-plus.org
https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/visual-studio-express
https://filezilla-project.org
https://www.openoffice.org/download/
https://www.blender.org
http://codesigning.ksoftware.net

SOFTWARE (PAID)

http://unity3d.com (Plus or Pro)
http://www.ambiera.com/coppercube
http://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud.html
http://www.actualinstaller.com

AUDIO RESOURCES

http://www.freesound.org (free)
http://www.audiojungle.net
http://www.freesfx.co.uk (free)

VIDEO RESOURCES

https://videos.pexels.com (free)
http://www.videohive.net
http://www.istockphoto.com
http://www.pond5.com
http://www.videocopilot.net

IMAGE AND PHOTO RESOURCES

http://www.dreamstime.com
http://www.morguefile.com (free)
http://www.shutterstock.com
http://www.istockphoto.com

3D MODEL RESOURCES

https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models (free)
http://www.turbosquid.com/Search/3D-Models/free (free)
http://www.turbosquid.com
https://3docean.net

SCRIPTS AND TUTORIALS

http://labs.dreamingmethods.com
http://labs.dreamingmethods.com/code
http://labs.dreamingmethods.com/boilerplate
http://www.w3schools.com
http://www.htmldog.com
https://www.lynda.com (paid)

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY

http://www.unity3d.com (free version allows VR/AR development)
https://www.zappar.com
https://developers.google.com/vr/concepts/vrview (360 photos/videos)
https://aframe.io
https://developer.oculus.com

BROWSER EXTENSIONS – CHROME (FREE)

Colour Picker
What Font
Web Developer

UNITY EXTENSIONS – PLAYMAKER

Playmaker Unity Extension (paid)
Playmaker Ecosystem (free)

 

SNEAKY EXTRAS

WALLPAPER 360 MUSIC VIDEO (drag to look around as it plays)

Download 360 Music Video for Virtual Reality Headsets (450mb)

ORIGINAL BANK STREET ARTS EXHIBITION MATERIAL

Project Overview (PDF)
Artists’ Statement (updated) (PDF)
High resolution screenshots from the project (ZIP)

EXHIBITION ARTWORK

Canvas-2

Canvas-1

Canvas-3

Canvas-4

Canvas-5

FURTHER HELP & SUPPORT

For support writing and developing your own digital fiction beyond this workshop please email andy@onetoonedevelopment.org – please allow a few days for a reply. 🙂

Digital Fiction Workshop 21st January 2017

Twine website
WALLPAPER Twine example
WALLPAPER Twine example archive (for importing into Twine)
WALLPAPER Twine scripts and resources
WALLPAPER narrative game for PC (2015 edition)*
Recommended software, downloads and resource sites

* recommended spec: i7 processor, 8GB RAM, 2GB graphics, mouse & keyboard or gamepad, headphones/speakers

WALLPAPER Twine scripts and resources

COLOURS
Background (dark blue): #030329
Links (light blue): #8ac3ff
Hover over links (red): #cf171f
Text (white): #FFFFFF
FONTS (TAKEN FROM GOOGLE FONTS)
@import url(https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lora);
REFERENCING IMAGES, AUDIO AND VIDEO


STYLESHEET DEFAULTS
@import url(https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Lora);

body, tw-story
{
 font-family: 'Lora', serif;
 background: url(https://dreamingmethods.com/wallpaper/twine/images/wallpaper-background.jpg);
 background-repeat: no-repeat;
 background-position: center top;
 background-color: #030329;
}

tw-passage
{
 color: #ffffff;
}

tw-link
{
 color: #8ac3ff;
}

tw-link:hover 
{
 color: #cf171f;
}
RESOURCE LOCATIONS
http://dreamingmethods.com/wallpaper/twine/images/
http://dreamingmethods.com/wallpaper/twine/audio/

 

IMAGES














AUDIO
VARIABLES

Opening page:
(set: $carrying_briefcase to false) 

Front door of the house:
(if: $carrying_briefcase is false)[PJ has forgotten his briefcase.]
(if: $carrying_briefcase is true)[PJ got the case. Front door can be unlocked.]

Opening the car boot and collecting the briefcase:
(set: $carrying_briefcase to true)

Recommended software, downloads and resource sites

EXAMPLES OF DIGITAL FICTION/NEW MEDIA WRITING

http://www.newmediawritingprize.co.uk
https://elmcip.net/knowledgebase
http://eliterature.org/
http://collection.eliterature.org/3/
http://www.inanimatealice.com
http://www.dreamingmethods.com
http://www.webyarns.com
http://www.crissxross.net
http://www.mezbreezedesign.com
http://www.luckysoap.com
http://www.vispo.com
http://prynovella.com
http://www.taleoftales.com

SOFTWARE (FREE)

http://unity3d.com
https://www.gimp.org
http://www.audacityteam.org
https://notepad-plus-plus.org
https://www.visualstudio.com/vs/visual-studio-express
https://filezilla-project.org
https://www.openoffice.org/download/
https://www.blender.org
http://codesigning.ksoftware.net

SOFTWARE (PAID)

http://unity3d.com (Plus or Pro)
http://www.ambiera.com/coppercube
http://www.adobe.com/uk/creativecloud.html
http://www.actualinstaller.com

AUDIO RESOURCES

http://www.freesound.org (free)
http://www.audiojungle.net
http://www.freesfx.co.uk (free)

VIDEO RESOURCES

https://videos.pexels.com (free)
http://www.videohive.net
http://www.istockphoto.com
http://www.pond5.com
http://www.videocopilot.net

IMAGE AND PHOTO RESOURCES

http://www.dreamstime.com
http://www.morguefile.com (free)
http://www.shutterstock.com
http://www.istockphoto.com

3D MODEL RESOURCES

https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models (free)
http://www.turbosquid.com/Search/3D-Models/free (free)
http://www.turbosquid.com
https://3docean.net

SCRIPTS AND TUTORIALS

http://labs.dreamingmethods.com
http://labs.dreamingmethods.com/code
http://labs.dreamingmethods.com/boilerplate
http://www.w3schools.com
http://www.htmldog.com
https://www.lynda.com (paid)

VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY

http://www.unity3d.com (free version allows VR/AR development)
https://www.zappar.com
https://developers.google.com/vr/concepts/vrview (360 photos/videos)
https://aframe.io
https://developer.oculus.com

BROWSER EXTENSIONS – CHROME (FREE)

Colour Picker
What Font
Web Developer

UNITY EXTENSIONS – PLAYMAKER

Playmaker Unity Extension (paid)
Playmaker Ecosystem (free)

 

FURTHER HELP & SUPPORT

For support writing and developing your own digital fiction beyond this workshop please email andy@onetoonedevelopment.org – please allow a few days for a reply. 🙂

WALLPAPER Development Phases

WALLPAPER, a narrative game by Andy Campbell and Judi Alston (One to One Development Trust’s Dreaming Methods) went through a number of experimental visual phases before emerging the way it looks now. We thought it might be interesting to share these phases!

The original colour schemes were warmer and the environment details such as fog and sunlight more emphasized. In one version it was raining and thundering when our main character PJ Sanders arrived at his old family property. We had to change and adapt the environment for performance reasons as well as to keep consistency with the story line, as you can see from the following screenshots. (Press to enlarge imagery).

1   4

wallpaper_b   wallpaper_c

wallpaper5   wallpaper8

bedroom   room

lighting-1   lighting-2

5   7

Dalton Manor was built using ProBuilder, an extension for Unity 5. Before the walls were textured, it looked somewhat like the Holodeck from Star Trek. (Click to enlarge images.)

1   2

3   4

5   6

7   8

Artwork created out of notes/sketches during the development of the project. (Press to enlarge.)

1   1A

Screen shots from WALLPAPER being created in the Unity 5 editor. (Press to enlarge.)

1   10

9   8

7   6

5   4

3   2

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