In this MVP, I have all the base components working correctly, and
together. I found that the extra time we have on this final project
allowed me more time to explore creative design choices on top of
Milestone 1. I am having fun exploring Easter Egg features I can
implement and there is still much I want to attempt to implement. Most
notably, I want to create a second version of the project which flips
the control structure so that the body starts full, and the player
removes organs, influencing the music via subtractive synthesis while
attempting to keep the patient alive (as determined by the vitals
monitor).
Milestone 1: Working Mechanics
So far, I have the scaffold of my scene complete, as well as the piping
between Unity and ChucK. Unity keeps track of where each organ is. Once
an organ is placed in the RIGHT slot, Unity changes a global
variable in ChucK – via an event – which maps to each organ. To put it
simply, when an organ is in its slot, the corresponding audio features
are added to the backing track in ChucK. Once an organ is "thrown out",
Unity instructs ChucK to remove that sound from the backing track.
Next, I intend to add the following:
More organs (liver, kidney, stomach, etc.)
A vital monintor to control the rate of heart beat, brain activity, etc.
A main menu where you can chose between two modes: empty body where you add, and a full body where you take organs out.
Milestone 0: Brainstorm
Expanding upon the ECG Sequencer
This idea proposes expanding upon by music sequencer by adding more
dimensions than just a heart monitor. In this version, I would have a
monitor for pulse-ox, temperature, blood pressure, and brain activity
(in the form of an EEG trace) which I would be able to manipulate to
create sequences. Each variable would control a different instrument
with its timbre embodying that vital sign.
Operation
I would like to create a musical operation. Just like the original
Operation game, one would be able to drag and drop human body
parts to "build" up a musical piece. The game would act as a
granular synthesis tool. Each body part would correspond to a
specific type of sound. For example, the hear would create a kick
drum, the brain would create an ethereal jumping melody, the lungs
would create a breathy organ sound, and so on. The game would have
certain rules you may implement as well, such as starting with a
complete body with all the organs already placed and being able to
remove body parts.
Light City
This is my least developed idea. In this one, I am envisioning an
array of light bulbs or candles, with flickering lights. One would be
able to zoom in on a specific candle or light bulb, and manipulate it
in some way. This may include stretching it out length-wise to create
higher frequency notes, or stretching it out width-wise to create
lower frequency notes. One would initiate sounds by either lighting a
candle and controlling the flickering flame (using wind or water to
alter how big, small, constant, or ephemeral it is), or by plucking
the filament of a light bulb like a string.
