VR Quidditch Game
2021 Competition project
VR quidditch game
Motivation
As lifelong Harry Potter fans, playing a real-life Quidditch game has always been a dream for us. To make this dream a reality, we embarked on a project that combined our passion for the magical sport with technology we knew. We participated in the National College Innovative and Creation Competition with this project and proudly secured the third place in the Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality group.
Design
The project can be divided into two main parts: the Unity game software and the hardware of our Quidditch system. Since we couldn’t find a suitable open-source Quidditch game, we decided to create our own game in Unity. We meticulously designed the racing field with rich textures, characters, and character movement algorithms. The game features four types of characters: the goal keeper, who moves across three circular doors and tries to prevent you from scoring; the elusive golden snitch, catching which would lead to an instant victory; and the chaser, who relentlessly pursues the golden snitch; finaly, the player.
For the hardware aspect, we engineered a broomstick base, fan, and magic wand. The base is supported by four independent springs to simulate the sensation of flying. A controller, resembling a stick, on the base enables players to control their height in the game by raising or lowering it. This control mechanism relies on a rotary variable resistor, measuring angles through voltage division. Players can also manipulate their flying angle and speed by adjusting their physical pose, for example, leaning forward to accelerate. A gyro on the base could capture all the motions of the player. Additionally, we setup two fans which is connected to the system, to simulate the wind one feels while flying, with wind strength increasing as the player flies faster. Lastly, the magic wand, equipped with a gyro and button, allows players to interact with the game by catching and throwing the ball, as well as capturing the elusive golden snitch.
Video
Competition Website
Conclusion
Creating this project was truly a dream come true and a source of immense fun. Throughout the process, we gained invaluable knowledge and skills, from programming in Unity to designing the hardware and mechanism of the broomstick base. It was a remarkable journey that merged our love for Harry Potter with technology, leaving us with cherished memories and newfound expertise.