drifter wrote:Missed that thread... I reflected a bit on the question a few time ago...
If one of your stretch goal is to make that tech as accessible as possible (for remote treatments), you should keep it cheap and simple.
- No too much detailed 3d environments (no pricey PC needed). Like already said, a level of detail like we see in some old Source games should be immersive enough.
- Will motion controllers be really needed ? You won't need so much interactivity in most scenarios, a gamepad should be enough to move around and to gradually control the intensity of the experience (if the experience become too strong for the patient, he can always remove his headset, but it would be better to give him the possibility to quickly go back to a "normal" environment, with just a button).
- Open headphones allow direct communication between the patient and a near practitioner (of course you will need microphones for remote treatments). I'm not competent in psychotherapy but doesn't direct communication have some advantages ?
I didn't know Microryza, looks more suited for your project, indeed (too much of a niche market for a Kickstart campaign).
It shouldn't be too pricey IMHO (well i'm just a beginner dev), most of your scenarios doesn't need too much 3d content and coding (except the subway scenario where you will need good animations and AI to make it realistic).
Your fist step is to sell your software alone, and maybe later you could sell it in a complete VR Therapy package.
A satchel containing : laptop (specs adjusted to your software, long life battery), Rift, two wireless pads (one for the practitioner), one pair of open headphones and/or 2 closed pairs with microphone.
Depending on the laptop (and therefore on the complexity of your 3d environments), we are between $1200 and $1500.
Expandability : after the launch, you must keep ready to create some specific scenarios at any time (on customers' requests).
@Drifter , from what you just said, I am inclined to think that the office where I met on Monday -with the studio that is developing the software- was bugged... by you.
I agree with everything you said:
- I asked the studio I´m working with to make the platform scallable in every possible way. Graphic detail should be configurable, and scenes could be added/removed to tailor AMVR according to customer needs. Still... monetarization is still way down the line as I´m just starting. At this point in time the project is 100% scientific.
- In the future, I plan to have 1 screen work as the control panel + window to the VR environment and the Rift separately.
- I´m planning to use a flight stick instead of controller (for now), since many people don´t know their way around an analog stick. With the flight stick, it feels more natural (push forward-pull back-left/right/ rotation (stick´s 3rd axis). Plus the trigger is readily available as a Panic Button.
- True about motion controllers, not really needed at this time. I´m thinking of adding kinect for body tracking and probably an Omni but not until we have a positional tracking solution. I don´t need patients leaving with a headache.
- The remote treatment thingy is actually tricky and would require lots of testing. the presence of a therapist is important although it can also be done remotely. There´s lot of people who continue with their psychologist even after moving overseas... internet god bless Skype... still... I haven´t seen any research about it. I´ll have to network a bit and see if this is going on anywhere. I also think it´s important to have someone -Like Nate in the Rift demo videos- priming the person and giving physical prompts and cues. I´ll think about remote once "live" is tried, tested and effective.
- The hardware-software combo is also a good idea, there´s actually a company from Spain doing this with Vuzix glases (:S) at they priced it at $2000. The other problem is that technology down here it´s very expensive (when not unobtainable due to import restrictions), so selling hardware could be a problem. Not a discarded option, tho.
- I´ve been thinking of a world editor, easily scriptable (like in Garry´s mod)... I could also work with the studio so they can tailor make the scenarios according to specifications (and provide some support) and participate them in the earnings.
-Another bullseye regarding scenario complexity: at this stage, the most complex scenario would be the subway station. Mostly because of the scripting involved.
I also have to think about cultural relativity... Since I can´t be using assets in different languages (Subway, Metro, Subte) so I have to heavily use icons instead of written language -without making it all feel like a cartoon-.
Thank you for the valuable feedback!