vivian chen @ stanford university
Music 256A: Music, Computing, and Design

Fall 2019

Final Project: A Musical Escape Room


Escape rooms are often designed so that you are reqiured to solve puzzles to get yourself out as quickly as possible, usually within a limited amount of time. Sometimes they're creepy, sometimes they're stressful. When time is up, you lose.

This musical escape room is, in this way, an anti-escape room. You're put into a deep trance and appear in a soundless room, and your goal is to play a series of minigames to bring back the music. There's no hurry to do anything - you can simply hang out in the room and listen to the flourishes of sounds, or simply the ocean waves. Yes, the objective is to "escape" (escape a world of no music), but you can't lose.

This game is created in Unity (for graphics and game mechanics) with the plug-in Chunity (for audio), connecting ChucK with Unity. Enjoy!



[Files]

escape room.zip


[Unity Project Download Instructions]
  1. Download and install Unity and ChucK
  2. Download the zip file
  3. Unzip the zip file
  4. Open Unity
  5. Open the project by clicking on the folder 'escape room'
  6. Open up the Intro scene
  7. Click on the Play Button in Unity



[Executable]

Note: You can run the executable, but the DrumController script for the Drum minigame works incorrectly in the executable mode (works perfectly in the editor), and something goes wrong with the point lights I use, so a couple of scenes visually don't turn out the way I want them to.

Unity3d Escape.exe



[How To Play]

There are 3 minigames you must complete to move onto the next step.
Piano: Play the correct sequence (hint: look at the picture on the far wall). You can now hear the piano!
Drums: Simon Says. You can now hear a beat!
Guitar: Type the letters on the screen. You can now hear a guitar strum!
There are other instruments in the room, but they're not part of the minigames.
At this point, you'll see a bunch of music notes hanging around the bookshelf. Click on the bookshelf and enter the secret tunnel.
Pick up the key and you will be transported back to the room. Check out those walls! You can also now open the door with the key.
Step outside and look for the boat on the dock. Take your time, maybe stare off into the horizon. Off you go!

(Note: make sure you do everything right in the minigames on the first try, or you'll have to restart the game...)


[Escape Room Playthrough (Screenshots + Video)]


initial

initial

in game

lose

initial

initial

initial



Video





[The Process]

The most disjointed to-do list of all time.

structure


[Collaborators]

Thanks to:
Vidya Rangasayee, TA
The MST squad
And of course, Professor Ge Wang - for teaching so artfully about artful design this entire quarter.