Building Virtual Worlds
Carnegie Mellon University | August 2024 - December 2024
A fast-paced interactive design course required for first year students in Carnegie Mellon’s MET program. Students work in rotating teams of five to develop short virtual experiences in just two weeks. Each team is comprised of 2 programmers, 2 artists and 1 sound designer, roles which are assigned at the beginning of the semester. Additionally, the team selects a member to be the producer for the duration of their project.
Skills: Logic Pro | Audacity | Adobe Audition | FMOD | Unity | C# | Meta XR Toolkit | Notion | Trello | Miro | Figma | Music Composition | Project Management
-
Round 1 - Interfaces
Using the xbox adaptive controller, design an interface to simulate a basic task
-
Round 2 - Naive User
Create VR experience that a guest must navigate through with no direct instruction from the game or the developers
-
Round 3 - Weird Platforms
Using a nontraditional input device, create a short multiplayer experience
-
Round 4 - Festival
Create a short, multiplayer experience that can be showcased during the ETC Fall Festival
Mouse Dishwashing Extravaganza
Platform: PC/Microsoft Adaptive Controller
As punishment for stealing food from a restaurant, a hungry mouse must now wash dishes to earn his freedom. Choose the right tool to clean each stain and earn coins as quickly as you can. You can eat leftover food to keep your energy up, but make sure not to let the boss catch you again!
Credits:
Esme Han – Artist | Alex Hall – Artist | Jerry Zhang – Programmer |
Dennis Sun – Programmer | Courtney Singleton – Sound Designer/Producer
Individual Contributions
Edited sound effects and composed music
Created a sound manager, allowing programmers to easily implement effects where needed.
Observed playtests and wrote a report summarizing both the direct feedback and behaviors exhibited by players during the experience.
Scheduled, facilitated and documented team meetings.
Managed group’s tasks through Notion dashboard.
A Beginner’s Guide to Kiki Watching
Platform: VR (Meta Quest 3)
Enter a magical forest filled with mystical creatures called “Kiki-flies”. Fill your research journal with pictures of these creatures to unlock a surprise!
Credits:
Ye Wei – Artist | Jose Mireles – Artist | Nellie Tonev – Programmer/Producer | Lea Shi – Programmer | Courtney Singleton – Sound Designer/Programmer
Individual Contributions
Edited sound effects and composed all music for the game.
Recorded an edited voiceover for Fairy NPC.
Created a Sound Manager, allowing programmers to easily implement effects where needed.
Implemented adaptive music which will change based on the player’s position in the world.
Programmed NPC behavior (following player at a distance, hint dialogue triggers).
Implemented logic for completing the game and triggering end credits.
Conducted playtests and documented feedback.
Hospital Rush
Platform: PC/3D Rudder
Work with your partner to race through a hospital and get your patient to the last available spot in the emergency room before your opponents! In this chaotic and goofy 2v2 multiplayer game, players must work together – with players in the front controlling direction and players in the back controlling balance – to get their patient to the end with only a couple bumps and bruises.
Credits:
Courtney Singleton - Sound Designer, Producer | Jack Peng - Game Designer, Programmer | Jing Chung - Programmer | Jiwon Park - 3D Artist, UI Designer | Max Zhang - 3D Artist
Individual Contributions
Edited all sound effects and composed/edited music.
Utilized FMOD for editing and controlling adaptive sound logic.
Assisted programmers with implementation logic for music and sound effects.
Observed playtests and wrote a report summarizing both the direct feedback and behaviors exhibited by players during the experience.
Scheduled, facilitated and documented team meetings. Coordinated equipment booking and return.
Created task manager in Google Sheets and managed progress tracking.
Dive Party
Platform: Jam-O-Drum
In this cooperative game, 4 players must take on different roles and work together to navigate their submarine through the depths of the ocean and collect treasure. The captain has a map and controls the movement and direction of the ship, the torch lights up the way and stuns enemies, the treasurer uses a magnet to locate and collect treasure, and the cannoneer shoots at enemies with limited ammo. Aim for a high score by beating enemies and collecting treasure but be careful. There are rumors of a powerful beast lurking in the depths!
Credits:
Nina Gamboni - Artist | Malaya Heflin – Programmer, Producer | Jimmy Jiang – Programmer | Courtney Singleton - Sound Designer, Producer | Emily Zhang – Artist
Individual Contributions
Edited all sound effects and composed 3 music tracks.
Recorded and edited voice over for some of the enemies.
Implemented sound effects and synced with animation.
Implemented treasure pile UI and assisted programmers with debugging.
Observed playtests and took notes on feedback from sessions.
Scheduled, facilitated and documented team meetings. Coordinated equipment booking and return.
Created task manager in Google Sheets and managed progress tracking.