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How to Wizard is a VR puzzle game where players devise their own solutions with custom crafted spells. With respect to this, the levels are designed to be solvable in many ways, subverting the predetermined nature of the puzzle genre and placing the focus on player freedom and creativity.

How to Wizard: Bio
How to Wizard
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How to Wizard: Video Player

How to Wizard features 13 spell modules with which up to 5 can be combined to craft custom spells. These are unlocked with progression in the story mode. Once story mode is completed, new game+, where all modules are unlocked from the start, and challenge mode are unlocked. In challenge mode, each level is slightly altered and various modules are restricted to add an extra layer of difficulty and to encourage approaching the level differently from story mode.

How to Wizard: Text
The spell crafting table

The spell crafting table

Decked out with all the modules.

Level 1

Level 1

The entrance to the tomb...

Level 12

Level 12

Four doors need to be opened to move on...

Level 13

Level 13

Companion cube, How to Wizard style.

Level 14

Level 14

A series of puzzles testing your knowledge of almost all the spell modules.

My original mock up plan for level 14. South-western view

My original mock up plan for level 14. South-western view

What was originally geometry that fell was replaced with a door.

Challenge level 14

Challenge level 14

The most difficult level in the game... Will you step up to the challenge?

My original mock up plan for challenge level 14. South-western view

My original mock up plan for challenge level 14. South-western view

Laser numbers were changed to make it easier.

The legend for my level mock ups

The legend for my level mock ups

How to Wizard: Image

My roles in this project were co-leader with responsibility in team management as well as programmer. I programmed a majority of the spell modules, half of the puzzle elements and core functionality such as player control and the save system. I also designed some of the non-tutorial levels and most of the challenge levels. Additionally, I maintained a devlog over 2 months from our first prototype to our final release.

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One of the greatest challenges during development was preventing clipping in VR from breaking the levels. To resolve this issue, I've implemented a tracking system to detect when the player is out of bounds to reset them as well as detecting when their controller is clipping through walls to know when to ignore input. I've also developed a teleportation system that can account for complex room layouts to alleviate clipping occurrences.

How to Wizard: Text

©2020 by Nathan Viengkhou. Proudly created with Wix.com

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