Progress Report 11-18-2011

1. What concrete progress have you made on your capstone project since you submitted your proposal and timeline?

Towards the end of October, we had taken a tour of the AVL to see how we could use the technologies in there to create the Interactive Haunted House. We had looked at the Super High Definition Monitor and the Virtual Reality Theater and discussed the idea of using what is called a “gyro-mouse” to interact with the environment.

In November, we had started testing the aspect ratio of a test sketch of one of the rooms of the Interactive Haunted House project in the Virtual Reality Theater. As it turns out, the width of the aspect ratio was slightly narrower than expected. While the original template (the largest available) was 5750 X 1050, the VR Theater’s aspect ratio was 5600 x 1050. I have started working on a SWF in Flash that could be used in the VR Theater. Currently, I’m experiencing problems with the testing ActionScript, but hopefully, I can fix it before the week of Thanksgiving Break. Thankfully, with Brian Graham's help and from what I'm learning from Polly Baker's N221 clas, I might be able to fix the Actionscript.

2. How many times have you been in contact with your mentor?

I have been in contact with my mentor almost every week since I submitted the proposal and timeline. We have discussed plans of action regarding the use of the Virtual Reality Theater for the capstone and this November, we have focused on how to make the VRT Cave work for the project.

3. How has your timeline changed thus far?

So far, I seem to be on track, except that I hadn’t made an official script, nor have I done any real storyboards for the project. I have focused on testing the VR theater to see how my interactive haunted house would work. Right now, I’m trying to create an early prototype of the project involving a Flash SWF file and ActionScript, which I had been testing earlier than usual. I was not supposed to delve into programming until next semester.

4. What do you still need to complete in preparation for the beginning of your N499 course?

I still need to make some thumbnail storyboards for the rest of the haunted house, gather sounds and record voices, and attempt to refine the art of the project. Unfortunately, I don’t truly have quite a concrete art style in mind, since few to none of my surveys earlier last month were completed and returned.

5. If there have been significant changes to your project since your proposal, please discuss them.

The only real significant difference to the project is that I am already trying to program a prototype of a room for the Haunted House capstone, when I had scheduled myself to get reacquainted with Actionscript next semester.