First, I would like to update that my team and I decided we will be creating Pac-Man in AR for our project.
- Why did you and your team choose the technologies you did?
We decided to choose Unity, and XCode for our main software programs. There are also plug-ins that will be installed for AR purposes.
Unity is a gaming development program that will allow us to create our AR Pac-Man game. Unity will allow us to import 3D models and animations, create game controls/inputs, and overall AR functionality. XCode will take the work we have done in Unity and make it a playable app on iOS devices.
For project management, Trello is what we will be using as well. We are familiar with the design and how to navigate so it made sense just to go with what we know, or sort of know.
GitHub will be keeping track of all the coding done between the team. We will implement a Continuous Integration (CI) system so that we will always have backups, and the project will keep getting built bit by bit.
- How will your project use them?
Unity will allow us to create the actual game. That includes game logic, 3D models (including Pac-Man, ghosts, walls, etc.), bind to surfaces for AR appearance, all AR functionality through iOS (access to camera and sensors), and everything in-between.
XCode will allow the project to be playable on iOS devices. After programing in Unity, we basically take that code and “transfer” it to XCode. Xcode will then convert everything to be playable on iOS devices for testing and deployment.
The other programs that are included in Unity will be ARKit from Apple and AR Foundation. ARkit will be the program that allows access to the camera and, if needed, sensors on iOS devices. AR Foundation allows programmers in Unity to create AR experiences for devices.
- What are some potential blocks?
So far, we believe that we have a solid foundation of programs for game development and project managing. My setup is entirely Apple/iOS products; MacBook, and iPhone. My partner’s setup is the opposite; Android, and Windows. Fortunately, my partner was able to use MacStadium, which is a macOS server that allows him to rent out a virtual macOS machine from his local machine. This allows him to use Xcode and ARKit. He also was able to find an iPhone that will allow him to test on his own. Unity should be the same for both parties no matter the devices.
It seems that we are able to move forward using iOS devices, but we will have to actually start testing, which will begin in the next week or so. If problem(s) arise, we will need to figure out how we can both test the game. Again, Unity should not be a problem. Immediate ideas are to continue to work in Unity, but we will both have to test using our own devices. Meaning that I will work on iOS and he will need to navigate towards Android. Though I believe is not a huge jump but will require different plug-ins between the two.
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