Matt Lee's Draft Proposal

07IML346 Draft Proposal - Matthew Lee
April 11, 2007

a) Title: "The Tempest: Shadows of Society"

b) Abstract:

What is reality? How do we move through it, and how do games in themselves affect us in real life? For that matter, how do our expectations in these settings lead us to how our actions will affect us? To explore this, I will be creating a virtual experiential environment, possibly within the world of Second Life, itself a 3D World with many realms within.

c) Description:
1. Definition of Project:
Based upon the world of Shakespeare’s “The Tempest”, the island world will allow exploration of levels of reality and connections between present and past, as there is greater effectiveness in experiential exploration of a topic, not simply hearing about it. As such, some of the various “worlds” a character will find themselves in will be those completely of illusion, requiring puzzles to get out or to realize that there is something abnormal going on. The line between reality and fantasy is very thin sometimes, and in this sense, text alone is inadequate to describe it, just as it is in theatre or the world itself in which we live.

Thus, this project is an attempt to visualize and explore the world of “The Tempest”, using the environment of Second Life or Active Worlds as a starting point. Different artifacts will be put into the game that reference both the play and the worlds of present and past to show linkages, and allow travel between various points on the island, from the central jumping off point of the Destiny Spire, a museum of sorts which serves as the unifying locale of the disparate realms of this world. A rich visualization of what that world might be like, it is an attempt to draw others to learn about and appreciate the layers of experience behind everyday life.

Without a doubt, much of the problems that I will be facing here lie in presentation, and how I am going to be able to address the questions of “what is reality” through what is, to some, dated material. Since I have somewhat of an amalgamated audience, knowing a great deal about the standard dynamics of a MMO environment, I will likely have to begin with something to draw them into the world I am creating. Of necessity will be the use of images and references to Alchemy and Old Magic, where many more arcane symbols can be found, as well as many of the concepts that we find in life today (and many motifs in movies).

Since, balance, unity, and almost breaching the fourth wall are so central to the project, woven into the foundation of this environment itself (music derived from the music of the spheres, resonances, etc), there will have to be some areas where their presence is obvious (the Forest of Illusion comes to mind).

As one continues deeper into the world structure that has been created, one will be able to revisit the worlds of the past, and also to unlock information there that is built into each item. Each bit of “magic” acquired, each area cleared, unlocks certain elements in the accompanying database of information, which would not be too hard to access.

With this, the viewer would have to work at revealing information, but since in “games”, players are accustomed to sometimes doing repetitive or difficult tasks that they would not do in real life simply to get to the next level, why not take advantage of that? The user would already be immersed in the world (which is based on the play), and much could be done to build upon that.

2. Project Goals:
The exploration of a world cannot be undertaken simply with text, as detailed as that may be. Granted, some scholars can do this well enough, and teasing unwritten details from the pages of a script is something that is done regularly in the theatre, but for the layperson, this is impractical. Recreating the environment of “The Tempest” in real life would also be quite difficult, as property tends to be expensive, and land rather limited. Thus, a virtual environment, infinitely expandable to deal with traffic and future growth, is much more suited for this.

A viewer would ideally get a taste for how complex and how interconnected this world is, as well as how it draws from reality to construct itself. In going through this environment, one might hope to get a taste of what it is like to be an explorer or even a creator of a place, defining their experience by their own actions.

In an academic context, this is valuable because it is different from traditional methods of teaching and exploring a text, being a project where the written word might literally come to life. Like works such as the visualization of the Temple Mount, or the visualization of Troy, it gives viewers a new tool to experience what was only known in text.

c) Project’s Significance

In schools today, there is an educational crisis, particularly when it comes to appreciation of theatre and history. Texts, while being covered in standard classes through literary analysis and learning to critique a novel, hold no real interest for many, older works and literature especially, as they are more difficult to grasp conceptually. There is little interactivity, though this one of the most effective ways to impart information (problem based models are often more successful than simply essays and tests based on the analysis of quotes). And when one does manage to be interested, one usually only scratches the surface of what is possible, most references to the world contemporary to the text are lost.

This project hopes to address this as a teaching tool primarily directed towards the high school and college age audience, as well as a tool to inspire alternate modes of thought about a text.

d) Timeline: Deliverables
Acquiring island/private world
Constructing realm locations
Creating artifacts to travel about the world
Programming the “bot” characters (guides)
Destiny Spire and Vault of the Fates Constructed
Creating artifacts to alter appearance, for tourism purposes
Open for Beta
Refining and Testing
Open to the Public

e) Budget
(assuming Second Life):
Costs of Island: $980
Monthly maintenance: $150/month = $1800/year
Misc (software and such) $500

Total: ~$3280

(if Active World)
Citizenship $7/month = $84/year
Private World Cost $230
Annual Registration Fee $190
Tourist Accessibility Fee $60/year
World Hosting Fee $200
FTP Server Fee $500/year
Misc (software) $500
Total: ~$1764

f) Confirmed advisors:
IML – Professor Steve Anderson
Department – Associate Professor Paul Backer

g) Presentation/distribution plans

As a part of Second Life or Active Worlds, it will be accessible to anyone who uses either of these two mediums, for free. In the future, migrating it to another platform as a standalone environment is an option to allow it to reach a larger audience.

h) Production Resources:
Autodesk Gmax
Photoshop

i) Prior related work
j) Research bibliography


Appendix:

Chosen Medium: MMO Virtual Environment, based in either Active Worlds or Second Life

Guides (characters treated more like artifacts, with predefined speeches, each one makes an imprinture of a sort into the passport):

Miranda: Miranda is the daughter of Prospero, brought to the island at an early age. Thus, she is quite innocent about the outside world, and has never seen any men other than her father and Caliban, but she is not exactly sheltered either. She begins as naïve and non-judgmental, though this changes through the course of the game, when Prospero gets out of hand. Normally compassionate, and gentle, she can be surprisingly firm at times, especially when it is necessary for the greater good. She wields a long spear engraved with runes and is a spellcaster of element water, having grown up on the island.

Prospero: Twelve years before the events of the game, Prospero was the duke of Milan. Overthrown by his brother, Antonio, in concert with Alonso, king of Naples, he as forced to flee in a boat with his daughter. He arrived on the island and co-existed for a time with the witch Sycorax before a falling out in which he destroyed her utterly. Since then, he has spent his time on the island refining the magic that gives him the power he needs to punish his enemies. A very arrogant and vindictive individual, who can stoop to extremes of pettiness to show off his power. . .rather like a Sith Lord. As an Archmagus, he controls all elements equally and wields a twisted staff.

Caliban: A twisted beast, Caliban is the son of Sycorax (and of Prospero in this adaptation), who was born human, but had his memory erased and form twisted by Prospero in a fit of pique after Sycorax betrayed him. At present, he is treated as Prospero’s slave and seen as a monster by many other characters. Defiant and often unyielding, he desires freedom and the power that Prospero has over the island, as well as Miranda. In combat, he is extremely powerful physically, but has a weakness to magic, especially wind magic (and to a lesser degree water), as he is of the Earth Element.

Ariel: The “airy spirit” who serves Prospero, Ariel was “rescued” from a long imprisonment at the hands of the witch Sycorax by the magus. In return for this, he promised to be Prospero’s servant until Prospero decides to release him, but as Prospero has grown increasingly autocratic and defensive over the past 12 years, Ariel has become increasingly resentful and filled with a barely suppressed rage. While he cannot confront Prospero directly, he seeks a way that he might be able to overthrow his authority and obtain his freedom. Other than that, he is mischievous and ubiquitous, able to traverse the length of the island in an instant and to change shapes at will.

Sycorax: A witch and mother of Caliban, she is long dead by the time the game begins, though like the others, she holds a grudge against Prospero. Of course, she doesn’t much care for Ariel either, having been the one to imprison him in a pine tree for disobedience. She ruled the island alone before Prospero, and for a time, alongside him when he arrived, but after having a child by him, they had a falling out, resulting in her death. She is still quite powerful, even in death, though she has been sealed into the area that her old hut used to be in.

Ship’s Captain: Unnamed and bitter over the loss of his ship, he is now a powerful spirit who swears his allegiance only to the sea. He wishes to find out why his ship was sunk, and he is now bitter and angry, waiting for someone from the island to step aboard so he can question them. (gained after death)

Ferdinand: The Son and heir of the King of Naples, this is the comic relief character, a prime example of a fool in love, who alternates between being hypermasculine and emasculated, trying to impress her and failing. Miranda, not having seen any other men but her father and Caliban, completely misunderstands his intent and manages to show him up, thinking he needs her help.

Setting:
All the action takes place on or around the island physically, though some will occur on the spirit plane. So here are some of the various locations:
· Vault of the Fates: Entry point to the island, where one gains an initial passport item in the form of a staff, recording where one has visited and what puzzles on has solved. A map of the island is located here, as well as statues of the “guides” on the island, each of which holds a piece of the story. One can buy souvenirs of one’s stay here, as well as transform one’s avatar appearance to be more suited for the world and acquire skills to navigate the island more effectively
o “Guide” = Miranda, daughter of Prospero

· Shipwreck (water elemental area): Accessible by painting’s “warping” function or “Waterwalking” granted by a water staff
o Half-sunken remains of vessel run aground on a reef, hull is rotting
o Presence of ghosts and vengeful sea sprites
o “Guide” = Ghost of Captain, whose restless spirit is tied to his ship
o Contains items/knowledge from mainland in the armory and captain’s quarters, as well as the shades of those who knew Prospero as he once was.
o Sounds: BGM possibly a mournful cello piece, with the sound of waves

· Forest of Illusion (created by Ariel to hide himself away when he finally grows too tired of Prospero’s constant orders. A user must pass through here to the pine tree at its center to find out why he is so discontent):
o A forest of mists and shadows, where nothing is quite as it seems
o Creatures drawn from legendary beasts, from humanity’s fears
o Items may be found there that exist nowhere else on the island
o While passing through the forest, one will hear sound slips from “The Tempest”
o “Guide” = Ariel: The enslaved sprite, pass through the forest, and will tell you his story.

· Sycorax’s hut (to where the spirit of the witch is now bound):
o Shadowy area where dark impressions of the past remain
o Contains several powerful fire-magic items
o Touching items will reveal traces of past memories
o Eventually, one will encounter a “Keeper of Memory”, a ghost of the witch will appear in a burst of shadow and flame, presenting to you a series of puzzles for you to solve before vanishing. Each one you solve will unlock more of her memories and secret places around the island
o “Guide” = Sycorax, the Witch

· Caliban’s Cave (Earth Elemental area, where Caliban has gone to ground after one of Prospero’s fits of anger)
o Golems may rise from the ground to do his bidding (physically resistant and physically powerful in melee attacks, weak to magic).
o While waking along, clips of “The Tempest” can be heard, specifically those relating to Caliban and his relationship with Prospero
o “Guide” = Caliban, son of the witch, no stranger to oppression, a native

· Beach and Woods
o The general areas where one can go to train/level up, gaining experience by fighting rogue sprites.
o Also, beach is where you will encounter the shipwrecked people for the first time after leaving the Forest of Illusion.
o “Guide” = Ferdinand, Price of Naples

· Destiny Spire:
o Magically neutral, Austere, adorned only by the books of sorcery that he studies and by a curious magical symbol traversing the room
o Contains, on higher levels of the tower, pieces of the text (old scrolls and such) and paintings from the text that if interacted with, can transport one to places about the island
o Resembles a cross section of a triton shell
o “Guide” on ground level = Prospero, the lord of the island