Setting out to do a sort of fumblecore game, my partner and I first had to determine how each action would be implemented. Our concept is simple: Get the player to squeeze their way past a subway turnstile. But we want it to feel realistic, which means it should feel awkward. To achieve this, we came up with an appropriate control scheme: 

The goal is use the right stick to grab the first bar of the turnstile, then pull it back just enough to allow space to squeeze through. Then, with the left stick, the player will move their leg around the next bar and move forward. 

It’s easier to envision both actions in 2D. The arm moves up, down, left, right. The leg moves forward, backward, left, right.

With feedback from our professors, we thought of a way to introduce these mechanics before asking the player to interact with the turnstile. We’re doing this with prompts asking the player to first swipe their MetroCard and then tap their phone. (Of course, neither of these will work. Damn MTA!) 

While Nick worked on creating a 3D model for us to use, I started with a 2D prototype of the turnstile. It helped us get a feel for the movement because, again, these interactions will essentially be on a 2D plane.

As I write this, we’ve just got the model set up in Unity. I haven’t added any movement to the limbs, but the first-person camera, walking and controller support are already set up. Wish us luck!