Unravelling Sweeney

An interactive story for iPad

Abstract
This report, prepared by Jennifer Massey and Gayle OBrien, is a proposal for our final project in MSc Creative Digital Media in DIT. This report will
document the formation of ideas and concepts for the design and implementation of Unravelling Sweeney, an interactive iPad story for adults.

Table of contents
1. Project Aims and Objectives..6
1.1 Introduction.. 7
1.2 Other key objectives...7
1.3 Considerations.... 7
1.4 Market potential...7
1.5 Skills and Competencies7
2. The Concept... 8
2.1 Concept overview... 9
2.2 Concept expansion.11
2.3 Idea iterations.. 13
2.4 Device affordances. 15
3. Competitive Analysis.. 16
3.1 Introduction.. 17
3.2 Year Walk..18
3.3 Limbo 20
3.4 Device 621
3.5 Operation Ajax.23
3.6 The Room 24

4. State of the Art...26

4.1 Just a Reflektor... 27
4.2 Ana Somnia. 28
4.3 99 Rooms............29
4.4 Memorial to Murdered Jews of Europe... 31
5. Wider Influences.32
5.1 Freudian Dream Theory.33
5.2 Psychosis.....34
5.3 Dadaism... 35
5.4 Four Elements of Game Design... 36
5.5 User Centered Design36
5.6 Narrative Considerations... 37
5.6.1 Method of storytelling.. 37
5.6.2 Goals and obstacles 37

Table of contents
6. User Model and Needs.38
6.1 Introduction.. 39
6.2 iPad Usage Survey. 40
6.3 Personas.. 41
6.4 Scenario... 45
6.5 Use Case..... 46
6.6 Choosing Content.. 50
6.6.1 Content Survey......50
6.6.2 Discussion.. 57

8. User Testing and Analysis..66

8.1 Introduction.. 67
8.2 User Testing Plan... 67
8.3 Testing Process...
8.4 Paper Prototyping... 68
8.5 Mock prototyping on device.. 75
8.6 Pop Screen Flows.. 78
8.7 Video Testing.. 79
8.8 Story Testing.. 81
8.9. Social Media.. 82

7. The Story. 58
7.1 The Story of Buile Suibhne59
7.2 Elements of Story60
7.3 Heros Journey.61
7.4 Narrative as a Data Model.... 64

9. Content Plan ..83

9. Content Plan.. 84
9.2 Content Production. 101
9.2.1 Images and Text....
101
9.2.2 Story 102
9.2.3 Sound..102

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Table of contents
10. Coding Plan.. 103
10.1 Introduction 104
10.2 Choosing games engine..105
10.3 Apple developer account.105
10.4 Functional requirements . 105
10.5 Data retention....... 106
10.6 Fungus... 106
10.7 Head up display 106
10.8 Swipe and touch functions.. 106
10.9 Specific interactions. 107
10.9.1 Parallex scrolling 107
10.9.2 Spinning doll figure. 107
10.9.3 Detect orientation of device.. 107
10.9.4 Rotation 107
10.10 Text rendering. 107
10.11 Adding artwork 108
10.12 Audio considerations. 108
10.13 Discussion.. 108

12. Appendix... 1
12.1 Art tests.. 1
12.2 Early idea sketches.. 1
12.3 Lean canvas early iterations.. 1
12.4 Early storyboards. 1
12.5 Prototype sketches.. 1
12.6 Flow chart.. 1
12.7 Code... 1
12.8 Lean canvas.. 1
12.9 MoSCoW... 1

11. Project Schedule. 109

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1. Aims and Objectives

1 Project aims and objectives

1.1 Introduction
We want to create a digital storybook aimed at an adult audience,
which merges traditional storytelling techniques and structures with
new technologies. We want to push the boundaries of reading as
one would traditionally think about it, by creating a new dynamic
through audio, visuals and puzzles.
1.2 Other key objectives

Create an immersive user experience

Produce a unique, high quality digital narrative

Produce an effective product based on user needs and

testing

Learn new tools and technologies

1.3 Considerations
Added material must be presented in a way in which the user can
interact without losing the narrative thread.

1.4 Market potential

Despite the growth of interactive digital storybooks, it remains
primarily a child dominated market. Our research has shown there
to be a significant gap in the market for digital storybooks aimed at
adults.
1.5 Skills and competencies
Our backgrounds have directly influenced the direction we are
taking Unravelling Sweeney. The team have a varied background,
with degrees in art and design, psychoanalysis and programming.
We are using this project to strengthen our design and development
skills by learning new tools and techniques. Learning from modules
completed in Unity, After Effects and Ludology will be applied in the
coming months to deliver content, coding and testing plans to the
highest standards possible.

2. The Concept

2.1 Concept overview

Introduction
Once we had a clear sense of what we wanted as a team for the
app, and what our users wanted, we were now ready to define the
scope of the project. We did this by translating the project aims and
objectives, considerations from research and the user needs into
specific requirements.

Objective
The objective of the app is for the user to read the full story through
the eyes of the main protagonist, Mad Sweeney, with the assistance
of interactions, illustrations and sound. The user must work as
Sweeney to complete interactions and puzzles at intervals
throughout the app, with the ultimate goal of gaining control.

Concept
Unravelling Sweeney is an interactive text based journey through
the psyche of Mad Sweeney.

Genre
Modern retelling of Irish legend, part interactive fiction, part puzzle
game

Storyline
Buile Suibhne, told through poetry and narrative, was the story of a
king, cursed to madness by a priest. He wallowed in self pity and
wandered naked through Ireland, believing he was a bird. Seamus
Heaney has published a translation of this medieval Irish literature,
on which we will put a new, modern day twist.

Features

2 worlds: one text based, one 2D scrolling world

Fully interactive

Landscape format

Rotate to view text

First person view

Multi-touch

Drag & drop

Sound consideration
Sound effects will be central part of narrative, providing clues and
communicating tone. Creation and release of tension at intervals.
Several sound effects only play when the user interacts with them.
Completion time
20-25 minutes. 1-2 sittings.
Platform
The application will be designed for iPad.
Game engine
The application will be created using Unity engine.
Language
The language used in the app is English.
Release date
The game will be released in December 2016.

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2.2 Concept expansion

Introduction
We will now will extend our app concept definition. We will also briefly refer to earlier iterations which led us to Unravelling Sweeney, and conclude
with device affordances.
What is Unravelling Sweeney?
Unravelling Sweeney will be an interactive digital story for iPad. The app will be an entertainment piece and an expression of artistic production. We
wish to produce a complete final product. Unravelling Sweeney will push the boundaries of how user experience can be used to tell a story. The user
must work in partnership with animations and interactions to create an immersive experience. iPad interactions will be used in creative ways to follow
the story.
The story is based on the old Irish poem of an eccentric king Mad Sweeney or Buile Suibhne. Seamus Heaney has published a translation of this
tale called Sweeney Astray. Some original text from this will be used, as well as drawing on symbolism from the poem and relating it to modern
Ireland. Design, visuals and sounds will depict the present day. Narrative structure will follow the Heros Journey. Sweeney will be depicted as
having unstable mental health. The mood will be melancholic and unsettling.
The telling of the story will essentially be broken into two sections. The majority of the story unfolds similar to a book, using mostly text, alongside
imagery and sound. The structure of this text will shift dependent on what is happening in the story. For example, if the user is walking down stairs,
the text will take on a staggered appearance. The words will twist and turn, forcing the user to do the same with their iPad. They will be able to move
backwards and forwards through the story.

S. Heaney, Sweeney Astray, Field Day Theatre Co, Derry, 1983.

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In order to progress with the text, there will be a prompt to enter the second section. This game element of the story will be a dreamworld, Glen
Bolcain, which appears when Sweeney is experiencing a break in reality. This section will use a moody, grainy look and unsettling sound design.
The user will wander through a scrolling 2D world, in which they must interact with characters and restore calm. Here the user can experience and
discover Sweeneys unstable perspective for themselves.
The users main goal will be to regain a sense of control. They must face obstacles in the form of interaction puzzles which prevent them from
achieving that control. Completing these interactions will enable the user to progress to the next part of the narrative. The app will have an undertone
of the torments of mental health problems. By connecting with Sweeney, we want our users to relate to some of his traits, and become aware of the
narrow line between sanity and madness.
Style will be influenced by dadaism and futurism art movements as well as modern magazine layouts. Illustrations and animations will be positioned
in front of photos and videos. Sound design will be used to transform the experience and to tell parts of the story. Several clues for progression will
be delivered through audio.
Our main user will be ages 18-24, own and iPad and be comfortable with technology. We will also be targeting the 25-34 year old professional, also
comfortable with technology. A third user we have identified is the reluctant reader. This person would not usually read books on their iPad, but
would be encouraged to do so through an interactive means. Other users that may be interested in our piece include those interested in Irish
literature, new interactive experiences, psychology and explorative games.

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2.3 Idea iterations

2.3.1 Anxiety application
We initially looked into making digital narrative tool to deal with anxiety. We created two surveys - one for professionals in the area of psychology
and one for the general public. 95% of these professionals said a narrative tool would be very beneficial and 90% said they were not aware of any
available. However upon further research, we became aware of the difficulties of testing with vulnerable individuals and the large amount of research
with experts. These would distract from our main focus of delivering interactive digital media. Ultimately, we decided this wasnt an area that the
team would pursue. We did however decide to continue examining the areas of anxiety and control.
2.3.2 Dreams
We then considered creating an interactive narrative in 2D, based on the tradition of Freudian dream theory. Approached as an entertainment piece,
this gained a lot of interest from potential users, who were keen to learn more about their subconscious. From this, we began sketching ideas. The
user would journey through a dreamscape in a first-person world, interacting with the story in order to uncover their characters repressed memory of
a traumatic event. Decisions made and symbols collected would influence the journey taken and scenes visited. We wanted to evoke a rich
emotional experience, aided by strong visuals and soundtrack. We wanted to build for iPad and experiment with tap and drag interaction. A map
would be drawn of the dreamscape, and scenes placed around this map.
The translation of complex theory into a practical digital application was difficult. Upon further research and sketching, we realised the use of a
dreamscape made the concept quite vague and ungrounded. Testers were confused about the Freudian concepts we were trying to show. We
decided we wanted to keep some aspects of this idea but we needed a solid character and storyline to structure our piece.

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2.3.3 Psychosis
We knew from initial user tests that using a psychoanalytical approach could create a strong entertainment or explorative piece by highlighting the
fears, desires and urges of the user. Freud believed the imaginative act of dreaming to be essentially a psychotic process. A dream is a
psychosis, with all the absurdities, delusions and illusions of a psychosis. This led us to psychosis, not far removed from dreams, but strong enough
to structure a story. We decided to pitch various scenarios to users. These proved popular. We wanted a strong storyline, a character who already
existed, one who was not owned.
We looked to our storytelling heritage and Irish folklore and came across the story of Buile Suibhne, arguably a character suffering from mental
health problems. We were excited about using this character. After conducting user research to make sure we were on the right path, we decided to
use this tale, and adapt it to the modern day.

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2.4 Device affordances

iPads comprise the majority of Irelands tablet audience. An iPad provides a fundamentally different experience than a computer or mobile device. It
has a large screen and naturally lays flat on the table as opposed to resting upright or being held in ones hand. Unlike a mobile device, people
immerse themselves in iPad applications for longer periods of time and with a more relaxed mindset. It also is not their primary method of
communication which reduces interruption. This is ideal for our piece as which will be best enjoyed as a book, in one or several uninterrupted
sessions. The iPad is also ideal for the features we wish to leverage: sound effects, music, animation, shifting images and interactivity to tell a story.

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3. Competitive Analysis

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3 Competitive Analysis
3.1 Introduction
We carried out extensive research in the realm of interactive storybooks for adults. It became clear that the market is, at present, almost solely
directed towards children.
We have identified a number of apps that could be regarded as direct competitors. Four of these apps - Year Walk, Device 6, The Room and
Operation Ajax - were all created for iPad using the Unity engine. These have given us an exciting insight of what the Unity engine is capable of. Our
research has definitely influenced us to include a game puzzle element as a key feature of our app. Unravelling Sweeney doesnt fit into a specific
genre. We initially thought we would get a lot of inspiration from text based comics and adventures, but they rarely provided what we were looking
for. Following this research, we were keen to conduct some user research to find out if our new ideas would sit well with potential users.

The Room

Operation Ajax

Year Walk

Device 6

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3.2 Year Walk

Simogo, 2013
Year Walk is an 2D/3D first-person puzzle adventure game, loosely based on an old Swedish
tradition called Arsgang. Lines between reality and the supernatural are blurred as the player
wanders the Swedish countryside, solving puzzles. The game was really well received by critics
and sold 200,000 copies in its first year.
Influence
The 2D layered landscape in Year Walk creates an impression of 3D depth. The 1st person
mechanics make it an all encompassing experience which wed like to emulate in some parts of
Unravelling Sweeney. We want to include interactive images where the user can enter the world
from Sweeneys physical view. We are experimenting with Year walks swipe scrolling left-to-right
mechanics and ability to move forward and backward at certain points to achieve this 1st person
dynamic. We had originally been considering this for the entire story but we felt it was too confusing
and the multiple choice would take away some of the emotion the user experiences.
Year Walk uses an emergent narrative with a non-linear structure. This can cause the user to
wander around the game-space for hours and become very frustrated. Because Unravelling
Sweeney is a story rather than a game, we dont think the difficulty level should be so high. It
should be just enough to immerse the user and to gain a feeling of oneness with Sweeney, his
story and the iPad. Unravelling Sweeney will use a linear emergent narrative, so the user will
know which area to focus on in order for the next part of the story to be revealed.

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The mood set by Year Walks aesthetics is beautiful. Its simple nordic design, music and sound effects give an incredibly creepy, melancholic feel.
We will be studying these sound effects more in-depth in order to give our piece a similar atmospheric effect. As with Year Walks Swedish design,
Unravelling Sweeney will encompass Celtic undertones. We wish to use a mixed media, collage type aesthetic with a more text based narrative in
order to convey Sweeneys confusion. This will also give our app a more modern look, which will suit the digital medium.
The mechanics of Year Walk are incredibly interesting and varied. Gestures include multi-touch, dragging all 8 fingers at once, tilting and rotating.
Sound is integral to the game. One puzzle involves matching humming noises to the sound playing in the background. These interactions are
something we are very excited about. We hope to use similar elements, and expand to light detection and microphone input, in order to make
Unravelling Sweeney unrivalled in its genre. Year Walk has a downloadable companion, which functions as a mini-encyclopaedia for any myths or
creatures encountered in the game. This could fit in beautifully with our app as an insight into the characters and locations in our story, however it is
definitely in the maybe pile for now. We may come back to it as the project progresses, depending on time available.

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3.3 Limbo
Playdead, 2012
Limbo is a great example of an atmospheric game, succeeding in making the player feel isolated and anxious. This
2D puzzle platformer symbolizes the gruesome journey of a boy towards his sister. The game offers an audio and
visual atmosphere that can cause the user to feel on edge. Dark grayscale graphics create a haunting effect. Limbo
leaves everything open to interpretation, while at the same time creating a captivating and immersive game. It allows
the user to project their own emotions and fear into the experience. Limbos audio director has stated that he avoided
using sound that would manipulate the player or give too strong of associations - the more identity the sounds had,
the more he would distort them.
Influence
The atmosphere of Unraveling Sweeney is key. Iit must give context to all interactions. We are focusing on
Sweeneys isolation and his loss of sanity in an attempt to amplify the users emotional experience. Atmosphere
consists of two components:

Theme: the rich unifying idea of the work, what the story is really about.

Tone: How we express the theme. Every detail must focus back to the mood and each piece must fit
together.
Like Limbo, the tone must be conveyed in every aspect from the very first scene. The audio design, alongside
graphics and interactions, will be especially important to show the tone. The use of audio to convey large amount of
detail to the user and smooth between transitions is of great importance. We want a smooth transition of sounds
throughout each scene, as cutting and changing sounds between scenes can take away from the atmosphere. We
will take inspiration from Limbos less is more minimalist ambient sounds, which create an unnerving experience.

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3.4 Device 6
Simogo, 2013
Device 6 is a text-based puzzle game, entwining games and literature. Text, images and sound
are used to guide the player through a set of puzzles. The player becomes Anna, who must
solve puzzles to escape a castle on an island where she has inexplicably woken up.
Influence
Device 6 is written as Annas thoughts, which creates a strong relatability to the character. This is
similar to what we wish to achieve in Unravelling Sweeney, by using poems that Sweeney has
written himself. A single touch input is used throughout: one finger to scroll through the text, and
one finger to interact with puzzles We considered this style for ease of use and focus on
narrative. But we were keen to explore how multi-gesture could further immerse the user and
make them feel integrated with Sweeney. We decided on using one finger to scroll through the
text, and a range of interactions for the puzzles.
The game is divided into 6 chapters, each leading to Annas resolution of a puzzle and escaping
a room. This structure has proved successful in structuring the narrative. We would like to map
Sweeneys story into the Heros Journey structure. A major interaction/obstacle will greet him at
each stage of the Heros Journey. The user must overcome this obstacle to progress. Resolution
of each obstacle will create an understanding for that element of Sweeneys madness/situation.
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3.5 Operation Ajax

Cognito Comics, 2011
Operation Ajax is an interactive graphic novel which, like Unravelling Sweeney, is adapted from a book. The
story is about the CIA led 1953 coup detat in Iran. The portrait format of an original comic book has been
maintained, with lots of extra features added that would be impossible in an analogue version. A simple tap
mechanic keeps user interactions straightforward.The reader must tap the screen for a new frame of the
comic to appear in the foreground, as the previous frame drops back and darkens. The pace of the reading
is set by the user and they can go back or progress as they please.
Influence
Of particular interest to us is how the designers have included options to further investigate the story with
optional background information. Once the user taps to open a file, they are free to drag, pinch and zoom to
examine photos and documents. The story stands alone, but pulls the reader in enough to be curious about
these files. We hope to include doctors psyche evaluations on Sweeney to help the user gain insight into his
condition, but to move forward in the story rather than as an optional extra. This will enable us to create some
solidity around a fragile mind, and to cement the story into the modern world.
Cognito have exercised restraint in putting too many features into Operation Ajax. This is something we must
give careful consideration to as we begin development. This standard comic book format of Operation Ajax is
something we are keen to move away from. Like Operation Ajax, we wish to use a simple interface when the
user is reading, in order to concentrate on the text. However more interactive techniques will be added for the
gamified parts of the story.

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3.6 The Room - Fireproof Studios - 2012

Fireproof Studios, 2012
The Room is a 3D puzzler game for iPad. It has won many awards including
iPad Game of the Year 2013. It has also sold over a million copies. The game
focuses solely on complex puzzle boxes which the user must work their way
through. The user can swipe to move the camera around the puzzle box,
which stays fixed in the centres field of view. The user can then pinch, zoom
or tap to interact with an element of the box. Although narrative takes a back
seat, there is still an element of a story running alongside the cascade of
victories the user experiences as they progress.
Influence
The Room puts a heavy emphasis on user experience, something which is at
the core of our development strategy. The puzzles in The Room are guided
with subtle affordances in the artwork. For instance scratches on the door
where a latch might have been slid before or sparkles around a doorknob.
This is a tactic we will also be using in Unravelling Sweeney. As we will be
predominantly working with typography and imagery we will use layouts,
images and constrained movability to guide the user to work out where to
spot hints and how affordances will be displayed.
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Gestures used in The Room map directly to the physical movements you would expect in the real world.
Puzzles are resolved in a guided order. The first puzzle box has little challenge so the player can get used to
the affordances and know what to look out for. These are methods we will be incorporating into Unravelling
Sweeney. We will be using a guided swipe motion to follow the text, as well as tap, drag, pinch and zoom to
interact with various objects and images throughout. This simple, natural way of navigating means the user
can concentrate on resolving the puzzles rather than getting frustrated with mechanics.
We would love to experiment with tilt manoeuvres and different input methods to overcome puzzles
throughout the narrative. We found in Year Walk that discovering these mechanics was at times so difficult
that we would get frustrated and give up. The Room seems to have resolved this issue. In a number of
especially challenging puzzles, the player is allowed to request hints. The users sense of control and
accomplishment will be integral to Unravelling Sweeney. If the user is experience a frustrating level of
difficulty, we will consider including subtle hints, so as not to distract from the narrative experience.

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4. State Of The Art

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4 State of the Art

4.1 Just a Reflektor
Vincent Morriset, 2013.
Just a Reflektor is an interactive film directed by Vincent Morisset, that follows a young
woman who travels between her world and ours. The film allows the viewer to cast a
virtual projection on their computer screen by holding their mobile or tablet to the
computers webcam. That way the viewer controls all of the visual effects on a screen by
moving their device through the space around them. Morisset has stated about the piece:
In all my projects I try to make the technology disappear, so it just feels like something a
bit surreal or magical. In the first scenes the character is revealed through a spotlight. In
later scenes, a liquid effect combines with a time delay, which creates a video collage.
Influence
This interactive film is very powerful for the way it challenges how we interact with a story.
By shining a light on the content, the interaction metaphorically reveals deeper levels of
story and meaning. We considered the possibility of the user shining a light form their
mobile device to their tablet, however we decided that this would distract too much from
the iPad experience. We wish to include an interactive element that the user can control,
such as including the light from a lantern in the story to reveal text or image in a page.
The faster the user moves their fingers on a screen, the more visual effects that are
triggered. This reader driven experience will assist in immersing the user fully in the story
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4.2 Ana Somnia

Rostlaub, 2012.
Ana Somnia is an interactive website which uses a webcam to detect levels of
light in the users room. The moment that the viewer turns the light off in their
own environment (assumedly to go to sleep), they enter the dreamworld of
the main character Ana, as the computer screen explodes with dreams.The
project is designed to emulate how one dreams, combining animation and
soundscapes in a varying loop until the light is switched on.
Influence
This is a great example of code and art working together in harmony. We
have been influenced by this to include light detection - when the light is
turned off in users own environment, scary stories begin in the dark. The user
must allow access to their camera in order to take information from it for a
particular scene. This will enable the user to experience a loss of control,
emulating that of Sweeneys character. Forcing the user to watch in the dark
will create an unnerving sense of what is lurking in the darkness.

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4.3 99 Rooms
Kster, Schumann, Schulz, Buenemann, 2004.
99 Rooms is a Flash point-and-click to escape adventure. Each room has a task that you must
complete in order to move into the next room. The goal is to make it through all 99 rooms to the end.
Visuals used are dark photographs of East Berlins abandoned industrial sector. These rooms are
overlaid with artwork and animations, giving them a street art vibe. Sounds used are mostly background
noises such as creaky pipes, echoey footsteps and hollow whispers. Tasks are not difficult and can be
skipped at will. Hints include the mouse pointer changing to a fist when the user hovers over an action,
or a fast forward symbol when they can progress to the next room.
Influence
99 Rooms is primarily concerned with interaction and achievement, and the experience of beautiful
artwork, creepy sound design, and animation. On a very basic level, this is what we would like our story
to achieve. The mixed media aesthetic and overlay of 99 rooms works really well. It is a style we believe
we could apply to modernize Sweeneys story. The games sound design works well to create tension
but it would be much better if it gave progress feedback. This is an element we will be researching
heavily to subtly point the user in the right direction without removing all challenge.
I

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99 Rooms
Interactions work well to compliment visuals throughout the game. One of the rooms, for
example, includes a hanging mans feet in a doorway. When the user clicks and drags with
their mouse, the character swings. Simple, well thought out interactions such as this will be
hugely important for us. 99 Rooms gives enough simple challenge to move through the game.
Similarly, we do not want our user to run into too much difficulty or lose focus on the narrative.
This brings us to the possibility of adding a hidden time limit to some of the puzzle tasks so
that the user can move on if they get stuck for too long.

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4.4 Memorial to the murdered Jews of Europe

Berlin, Germany
This design of two thousand, seven hundred and eleven concrete pillars on an unevenly inclined
terrain in Berlin was created abstractly with the aim of breaking from the traditional concepts of
memorialisation. The visitor must walk through what looks like identical bricks and the ground drops
and it gets narrow and claustrophobic and intimidating. The enormity and scale of the horror of the
Holocaust is such that any attempts to represent it by tradition are inadequate.
Peter Eisenmann, who designed the sculptures: I wanted people to have a feeling of being in the
present and an experience that they had never had before. And one that was different and slightly
unsettling. The structure is perceived in a different manner depending where one is.
Influence
The interesting part about this sculpture to us is its ability to manipulate the users emotions. It has
been designed to trigger peoples subconscious feelings by creating a physical space that naturally
evokes these feelings. At some points the blocks get really tall and closer together so the person
walking through can no longer see their way. They feel animal instincts of fear and intimidation. There
is no way the user could have guessed this would be how they would feel until theyre completely
immersed in the art piece. We want to create a similar experience with Unravelling Sweeney. We will
use sound, visuals, touch and interaction to encourage the user to feel the emotions of Sweeney
rather than just read about them.

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5. Wider Influences

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5 Wider Influences
5.1 Freudian dream theory
Our portrayal of Glen Bolcain, Sweeneys dreamworld, will have strong Freudian influence.
Sigmund Freud believed dreams to be the royal road to a knowledge of the unconscious
activities of the mind. Freud saw dreams as the disguised fulfilment of repressed wishes.
Their fulfilment gives the dreamer no pleasure, and his experience takes the form of anxiety.
We have been researching Freudian dream theory in order to portray Sweeneys state of
mind. Sweeneys psychosis causes him to become trapped in a dream from which he cannot
escape.This dream also infiltrates his reality, and will seep into the textual parts of the app.
Freudian dream scenes regularly crop up in horror films in order to project a characters
subjective view of reality. The most crucial scene of Alfred Hitchcocks Spellbound (above
right) uses a Freudian dream sequence in an attempt to explain the characters hidden fears,
desires and impulses. This is exactly what we want Glen Bolcain to demonstrate. In Roman
Polinskis horror Rosemarys Baby, Rosemary falls asleep and is impregnated by the devil
(below right). Recalling the incident in the form of a dream allows Polanski to manipulate his
audiences sense of belief, maintaining realism by suggesting it all has been a dream. This
method of blending dream and reality will enable us to immerse the user.

S. Freud, The Interpretation of Dreams, (1900), Vol V, Ed. J. Strachey, Vintage, London, 2001, P. 270.

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5.2 Psychosis

Psychosis is a break from reality, a complete loss of control. It is the consequence of a defence against a conflicting or intolerable idea. A
psychotics reaction is to try to manage the incompatible idea, resulting in the dismissal of reality altogether. Weve been looking to the work
of psychoanalyst Darien Leader for guidance in how to portray Sweeneys madness. Leader argues that delusion and sanity cannot be neatly
separated. For Leader, delusions are a form of creativity or restitution, a sign that the psychotic is trying to give shape to the the invasive
chaos inside their head. They have simply entered a different world.
Sweeneys psychosis will be a defense against what he perceives to be happening to him in the story. Our character has located stability in
his delusional structure, Glen Bolcain. We wish to show Sweeneys psychosis as responding to events in the characters life, by using visuals,
sounds and interactions at important points of the story. Our character will be in constant danger of sliding back into chaos, into psychosis.
We would also like to include the perspectives of others besides our main character. In places, the user can interact to access a diary, doctor
notes, or newspaper clippings, containing hints of Sweeneys mental state.
We would like to construct Lynchseachan as Sweeneys psychiatrist in Unravelling Sweeney, who Sweeney sees as a threat. Lyncheachan attempts
to trick Sweeney on two occasions in Buile Suibhne to bring him back. We are considering portraying this as attempting to medicate Sweeney. He
doesnt succeed the first time. The second time, he succeeds and brings Sweeney home. Doctors often prescribe drugs and electric shock therapy
to psychotic patients that numb defenses and dulls the brain. This dulling of defenses can threaten the ability of the psychotic subject to build
self-generated defenses against the madness. We would like to show this idea when Sweeney is medicated, of the initial dulling followed by a more
extreme loss of reality, through visuals and audio.
D. Leader, What is Madness?, Penguin, London, 2012.

33

5.3 Dadaism
Dadaism was a cultural movement defying the laws of reason and convention. Its founders
broke away from normality to spread their ideas. The movement was designed to be
misunderstood, rejecting rationality and logic, as they believed it to be intellect and rationale that
that led to WWI which was ongoing at the time. To Dadaists, insanity seemed to be the worlds
true state. Dadaists were interested in freeing language from conventional syntax and
semantics, offering sound poems as a metaphor for the destruction caused by war and a
commentary on the deceitfulness of language. This ongoing conflict correlates with Sweeneys
madness, his confusion. The Dadaists revolt against WWI is similar to our main characters
revolt against Catholicism, and his questioning of the society around him.
Dadaist typography is characterised by an unconventional typographic design, which frequently
mixes fonts. This newfound freedom was a very new concept at the time. It is characterised by
unorthodox punctuation, printing both horizontally and vertically on a single sheet, and sprinkling
text with randomly chosen printer symbols. We wish to explore this Movements style further in
our work. The dadaist unconventional interface and freedom of style will give us the opportunity
to break rules and surprise the user.

34

The idea - cont

5.4 Four Elements of Game Design
Although originally proposed for games, we consider Jesse Schells Four
Elements of Game Design crucial to the success of our piece. Each of
these elements - aesthetics, user experience, technology and story - are all
essential and none is more important than another. We must ensure
throughout the project that these four elements are being used in harmony.
5.5 User centred design
ISO standard for the design of interactive systems has 6 key principles to
ensure the design is user-centred.

The design is based upon an explicit understanding of users, tasks

and environments

Users are involved throughout design & development

The design is driven and refined by user centred evaluation

The process is iterative

The design addresses the whole user experience

The design team includes multidisciplinary skills and perspectives

These principles must be maintained throughout all stages of design and
production of Unravelling Sweeney.

J. Schell. The Art of Game Design, CRC Press, New York, 2014.

Story

User
experience

Aesthetics

Technology

35

5.6 Narrative Considerations

5.6.1 Method of storytelling
Finding the right balance between the readers control and the narratives structure is very important. At first we were keen to include branching
aspects in our story. The users decisions would lead the narrative. However we encountered a number of issues, as highlighted by Schell.

Good stories have unity. Stories with many branching aspects can become weak and disconnected

Once a player believes they are on the wrong track, they stop experiencing the story and think about what they could have done instead.

Repetitive plunge of having to play from the beginning to see another ending

With freedom of control, the storyteller must give up inevitability.

For this reason, we have decided on a string of pearls non-linear writing approach. The user can to interact with the environment and move as they
please. However they must follow the storys singular path as Sweeney, is driven towards the his inevitable conclusion.
5.6.2 Goals, obstacles and conflicts
The art of screenwriting maintains that the main ingredients for a story are:
1.
Character with a goal
2.
Obstacles that prevent him from reaching that goal
As the character tries to overcome these obstacles, interesting conflicts tend to arise, especially when another character has a conflicting goal. A
goal with no obstacles is not worth pursuing. Our story will strictly follow this sequence. The goal of Sweeney must be the goal of the user, and what
keeps them moving across the string of pearls. Any obstacle faced by our main character must be a challenge our user faces. If we give the user a
challenge that has nothing to do with an obstacles, we will have weakened the experience considerably. As we are setting out to completely
immerse the user, it is very important we dont stray from this when planning our interactions.
36

6 User Model and Needs

37

6 User Model and Needs

6.1 Introduction
To assess interest and gain a clearer picture of expected users of our app, we combined ideas, set out a number of surveys and conducted a
number of one-to-one interviews. We wanted to use a user-centred approach which would allow us to further personalise the users experience. It
was important to apply this user model by focusing on:

Users profile

Users mental features: perception and openness to interactive experience

Reading behaviour

iPad usage

38

6.2 iPad Usage survey

We carried out initial research to find out iPad usage patterns amongst users. This survey was completed by 80 respondents. Our main findings are
summarized below. These findings proved beneficial in shaping our user models.

Most common age group for owning iPad was 18-25 (60%), followed by 26-32 (25%)

Women more likely to read an interactive storybook (90%) than men (55%)

85% of respondents tend to use their iPad for 15-30 minutes per sitting

73% of respondents use their iPad more often than their laptop

Men were much more likely to play action or strategy games, while women much preferred puzzle, trivia and word games

75% of respondents use their iPad 4-5 times per week

Respondents use their iPads most likely for web browsing (39%), followed by social media (33%), using other apps (18%), watching video
(22%) and playing games (22%)

Respondents on average have downloaded 15-25 apps for their iPad

Respondents use their iPad, on average, 4-5 times per week

From that research, we wish to describe what we would consider to be a stereotypical user. This has been greatly narrowed down from when we first
began our project and naively assumed that our piece would have broad appeal to everyone. It has become clear that the appeal of our app varies
widely among different age groups, backgrounds, tastes and interests.

39

6.3 Personas
Our research findings allowed us to determine the users that we will cater for in our design process. These personas are empirically grounded,
detailed descriptions as a result of our survey and interview analysis. They will function as a guide by which to experience the piece from different
points of view. We found that the majority of our audience fell into the 18-25 age group and were very comfortable with iPad usage. We also
identified a second group of target users: people in their mid-twenties to early 30s. A third type of user was also identified from our research: the
reluctant reader. This person does not read regularly, but would be encouraged to do if combined with a non-textual element. The three main user
personas that we have chosen for our app are as follows:

Sarah, 19
The visual communications student

Patrice, 34
The young professional

Sean, 26
The reluctant reader
40

Bio
Sarah is a 20 year old visual communications student from Dublin.
She has a strong appreciation for all things art and design. A fast
learner when it comes to new technologies, Sarah cant go
anywhere without her iPhone. A social media addict, she loves
to blog about new product and apps she has found. She loves to
try new things and stay that bit ahead.
Current behavior
Sarah uses her iPad regularly, 3-4 times per week. Sarah tends to
use it at home when she is relaxing in the evening. She uses it for
15-30 minute intervals. Sarah often downloads and plays iPad
games, preferring to download games a little different from the
norm. She reads a number of graphic design iMagazines on her
iPad. A lover of horror and suspense, she often watches movies on
on her device. Sarah has searched for interactive books for adults
in the past. She found they were mostly comic books which were
not of interest to her, however she would like to read one in a
different domain.

Pain Points
- Slow loading time
- Annoying music
- Uninteresting story
- Frustrating difficulty level

Sarah, 19

Goals
- Try out a new reading experience.
- Find an app which can be read in one sitting.
- Find interesting combinations of art and technology.
- Discover new interactive apps.
- Share recommendations with others online.

41

Bio
Patrice is a young professional from Galway. She is mother to a 3
year old son and is often on the move between work and taking
care of a young child. An established reader, Patrice grew up
reading traditional books but has become a lot more tech saavy.
She enjoys reading thrillers and takes out her kindle on the
commute to work every morning.
Current behavior
Patrice reads interactive storybooks to her son occasionally, using
her iPad. She has downloaded a few for herself and although
content is not as high quality as she hoped, she enjoys reading
them. Patrice sits down with her iPad in the evening to unwind 2-3
times a week. Patrice also uses her iPad to visit social media and
browse photos. She also uses it to play games, enjoying word
games and puzzle games. Patrice has recently become interested
in adventure games for iPads, getting enjoyment out of their
mysteries and searching for clues.

Pain points
- High quality interactive books for adults are
difficult to find.
- New and complex interactions in iPad games
can be difficult to grasp.
- Adult interaction storybooks are often
gimmicky.
Patrice, 34

Goals
- Find new story to read on iPad.
- Learn more about the how peoples minds work.
- Find apps which use easy to grasp gestures & interactions.
- Find story with unsettling atmosphere.

42

Bio
Sean is a sound technician from Derry. Sean is interested in Irish
legend and mythology, which he used to hear growing up. He would
like to find out more about the topic, but unfortunately the majority of
text available is inaccessible and challenging to read, and he finds
himself losing concentration.Sean enjoys reading illustrated books
and short stories.
Current behavior
Sean uses his iPad once or twice a week, mostly for playing games
and watching videos. Sean is interested in playing explorative
games and he gets excited about new interactions. When he does
sit down with his iPad, he likes to complete a game in one setting.
Sean loves games with strong visuals and animations. An avid
musician, he considers the sound design of his iPad games to be
highly important. Sean sometimes reads interactive comics on his
iPad. He enjoys the interactive element and is keen to find more
interactive books from different genres.

Pain points
- Difficult to read a text only book.
- Short attention span.
- Irish myths and legends are difficult to find.

Sean, 26

Goals
- Immersive interactive story that does not feel gimmicky
- Avoid complex navigation
- Find renditions of Irish legends
- Something more visual than a simple textbook
- Learn more about Irish culture
- Interesting sound design

43

6.4 Scenario for Patrice, 34

Patrice settles down on the couch after she puts her 3 year old to bed. Its 9pm and getting dark outside. She takes out her iPad to
unwind and taps on The Unravelling Sweeney icon, eager to use this app for the first time. She is brought directly to the first screen
which is peppered with unusual text, accompanied by a polaroid image of a man. The text is running off-screen to the right. Patrice
touches and drags the screen, realising she can follow the text by swiping. She continues to read the odd text, trying to make sense of
it. She taps onto the polaroid image and it pops forward at a slight angle, exposing a number of other polaroids below it. She taps and
drags the first image and the images below are revealed. She holds and drags them one by one to spread them over the screen. They
are all pictures of a man. She taps one and it rises to the top of the pile. She pinches to zoom in on his features and becomes aware of
a sound developing and getting louder as the image gets bigger. When the picture is the full size of the screen, it becomes apparent
that the sounds contain information relating to the images background. Parts of this background begin to animate and the photo comes
to life. Patrice realises that the text she has been reading is referring to the man in these images

44

6.5 Use Case

user

system

Goal

Tap icon
Load game
Display text

interaction

Use Case

input

Enter app/game

process
Enter game

Swipe left

output
input

Load next scene

process

Display next
scene

output

Swipe right

manouever

input
Return to
previous scene

Learn
interactions

output

45

user

system

Read text

Tap polaroid
image

Goal

interaction

Understand
base part of
story

process

input

Retrieve array of
images and load

process

Display image in
foreground

output

Drag image

Use Case

Follow story
Through
interaction

input
Reveal more
images
underneath

output

46

Use case
user

system

Tap another
image

interaction

Use Case

input
Move tapped
image to top
layer

Pinch on image

Pinch to full size

Goal

output

input
Display image in
zoom

output

Initiate sound
with growing
volume

output

input

47

Use case
user

system

Goal

interaction

Play sound at
full volume

output

Display image at
full screen size

output

Animate
background
images

Interact with
image and gain
more
information

Use Case

output

48

6.6 Choosing content

6.6.1 Content Survey
We required more information from our potential users. This would help us personalise and customise the experience. We also needed to know
how our target audience would interpret the story of Sweeney - find out their knowledge of Irish mythology, their likes and dislikes. We sent out the
following survey to get feedback from potential users, specifically requesting iPad users.

49

1. Do you read books on your iPad?

2. What subject matter do you most like reading?

100%

75%

50%

25%

Often (3%)

0%
Adventure (50%)

Action (19%)

Psychological thriller (44%)

Romance (29%)

Horror (22%)

Mystery (43%)

Never (64%)
Sometimes (33%)

50

3. Do play games using your iPad?

4. What genre of games do you find most appealing?

100%

75%

50%

25%

Often (24%)

0%
Word games/puzzles (62%)

Role playing (22%)

Adventure (36%)

Mystery (27%)

Action (27%)

Horror (18%)

Never (39%)
Sometimes (37%)

51

5. Have you ever read an interactive book for iPad?

6. Would you consider reading an interactive book for adults?

Yes (17%)

Yes (81%)

No (83%)

No (19%)
52

7. Are you more likely to read an interactive story

on a topic you are familiar or unfamiliar with?

8. Which of the following would encourage you to read an interactive story?

100%

75%

50%

25%

Familiar (51%)

0%
Interactive features (47%)

Strong visuals &sound (51%)

Strong storyline (81%)

Game puzzle element (56%)

Able to affect outcome (27%)

Large amount of text (7%)

Unfamiliar (49%)
53

9. Are you interested in finding out more about Irish

10. Are you familiar with the Irish legend of Mad Sweeney

myth/folklore or that of other countries?

Irish (71%)

Yes (25%)

International (20%)

No (75%)

Neither (9%)

54

6.6.2 Discussion
A key finding from our surveys was that the user would gain more from cognition and suspense, than from using branching aspects. Respondents
previous digital narrative experience was limited and they did not tend to expect a wide selection of choices. We decided to embed a number of
minor choices within the environment of the story, so as not to take away from the main piece. These choices are optional. When a user encounters
a minor choice, there are rewarded with a small bit of information, in the form of animation, text or sound effects. These will allow the user to gain
more depth from using an interaction.
64% of respondents had never read a book on their device. Yet 81% were open to reading an interactive storybook. It is clear from our research that
users need some encouragement to consider reading on their devices. This led us to identify a third user of our app - the reluctant reader. By
including interactions, sound, visuals and puzzles, this group of users are encouraged to read. The majority of respondents showed an interest in
reading interactive books, despite most never having read one. This shows a definite gap in the market for adult content.

55

Choosing content
Users responded positively to the inclusion of a game-puzzle element. Word games and puzzles were considered appealing by twice as many users
than any other genre of game. We had originally considered an open world adventure game, however these findings led us to scale this idea down,
and let it take a back seat to text. Interactive puzzles and text elements will allow us to focus more on the narrative. A strong narrative will be integral
to the success of the app.
When asked if users were more likely to read a story they were familiar or unfamiliar with, the results were almost completely even. This shows us
that users will not shy away from the story of Mad Sweeney if it is strange to them. 71% of respondents were keen to find out more about Irish myth
and folklore. The themes of adventure, psychology and mystery ranked highly as favourite genres of books. These are elements we would like to
apply to our story. However more in-person testing was required to ensure we were going the right direction.

56

7. The Story

57

7.1 The story of Buile Suibhne

We have decided to base our app on the Irish legend of Buile Suibhne. This tale is not widely known and we would like to bring it to a bigger
audience. We want to focus on an emerging narrative, as the user discovers the tale and pieces it together for themselves.
Unravelling Sweeney is a modern retelling of the ancient Irish legend of Buile Suibhne. This story, written in the 12th century, tells the story of Mad
Sweeney. Sweeney was a king, cursed by Roan the Fair and condemned to a life of mental illness. He flew around Ireland, wallowing in self pity and
believing he was a bird. One place of interest to our story is Glen Bolcain, a place of great delight for the madmen of that time. It was the place
where Sweeney would find peace for his inner turmoil. The story conveys the loneliness of mental illness as well as tensions between pre-Christian
and Christian Ireland.
Buile Suibhnes narrative is interspersed with poetry. The poetry reveals Sweeneys thoughts and hardships, while the prose structures the story.
The poetry element allows for a personal inside view. The text was translated to English and published in 1983 by renowned Irish Poet Seamus
Heaney, who named his work Sweeney Astray. This brought Sweeneys story back to the Irish people. Unravelling Sweeney is an experiment in
bringing this ancient tale to the next generation. There are many interpretations of the tale. We are basing our story on Heaneys written version.

58

7.2 Elements of story

Main character

Sweeney

To which something happens

Psychotic break

In some place

Modern day Ireland

Present
Glen Bolcain:

outside time & space

For some reason

Unstable mental health

Told from a particular perspective Sweeney

main perspective
Characters Sweeney interacts with

Other side of the story

Themes

Loss of control, despair, madness, isolation

59

7.3 Heros Journey

We want our story to follow the Heros Journey structure. An
event throws the characters life out of balance. He is
aroused by a conscious or unconscious desire for what he
believes will restore that balance. This pattern of narrative
will help us to ground our structure. We have arranged each
major point of Sweeney Astray into each part of the Heros
Journey, expanded upon in this section.
We will then examine the core narrative elements to drive
instantiation and prioritize interaction. A narrative data
model will be used. User interactions derive from the
narrative considerations and goals.

60

Heros Journey
1. Ordinary world

Introduction to Sweeney, living his normal life as king of Dl nAraide.

2. Call to adventure

Ronan the fair marks a church in Sweeneys territory. Sweeney revolts, bolts stark naked and is
summoned to a battle at Moira.

3. Refusal of the call

a truce is momentarily called.

4. Crossing the threshold

Sweeney violates the truce and kills one of Ronans psalmists. Ronan puts a curse on Sweeney and
he becomes possessed, talking out of a tree.

5. Tests, allies, enemies

Men call out to Sweeney and try to get him down from the tree. Sweeney flies around Ireland. He
reaches Glen Bolcain, valley of the lunatics. Sweeney continues to wander around Ireland for seven
years, returning to Glen Bolcain every so often. His brother, Lynchseachan is worried for Sweeney. He
disguises himself and tries to trick him. Sweeney meets his wife. She attempts to bring him back, but
he bolts.

6. Midpoint climax

Lynchseachan finds Sweeney and tells him all of his family are dead. When Sweeney realises this is
not true, he is relieved. His exile is over and he returns home to be king.
61

7. Rising action

Sweeney meets a hag who tempts him and he relapses back into madness. He goes off with the hag.
She dies.

Rising action (2)

Sweeney sees a woman at the well. He believes she has robbed him. He then meets Alan, Man of the
Wood and they become allies for a year.

8. Moment of atonement

Alan commits suicide. Sweeney reminisces about home.

Moment of atonement (2)

Sweeney returns to Glen Bolcain. He considers returning to Dl nAraide and trusting his people again,
rather than enduring these woes forever.

9. Final push

Ronan hears that Sweeney is coming home to Dl nAraide. He asks the Lord not to repent in his
vengeance. Goan answers Ronans prayer and Sweeney suffers a terrifying apparition of headless
torsos and disembodied heads.

10. Seizing the sword

After seven years of wandering, Sweeney comes to rest at a monastery in St. Moling, where he is
looked after. A cook in St. Moling is accused of liking Sweeney more than her husband. Her husband
slays Sweeney with a sword.

11. Return with Elixir

He dies at the door of the monastery having been anointed and reconciled with his faith.

62

7.4 Narrative as a Data Model

stage

detail

noun

verb

Ordinary world

Sweeney

Call to adventure

Ronan

block

Sweeney

control

Refusal of the call

Sweeney

relent

Crossing the Threshold

Sweeney

Lose mind

Ronan

curse

Psalmist

die

Men

goad

Lynchseachan

tricks

Wife (Eorann)

Reaches out

Sweeney

Flees to Glen Bolcain

Tests, Allies and Enemies

63

stage

detail

noun

verb

Midpoint Climax

Sweeney

return home

Call to adventure

Ronan

block

Mentor

Lynchseachain

intervene

Rising Action

Sweeney

relapses

Hag

tempts

Ally

Alan

wander

Moment of atonement

Alan

dies

Sweeney

return to Glen Bolcain

Final push

Ronan

prays

10

Seizing the sword

Cooks husband

slays

11

Return with Exilir

Sweeney

repents
64

8. User Testing & Analysis

65

8 User Testing and Analysis

8.1 Introduction
We began user testing as early as possible. We needed to ensure that expectations were met and that the application was working correctly. It has
been important for us that we were able to iterate through rapid tests of ideas, and focus on cases where things go wrong.
8.2 User testing plan
A number of main functional requirements were laid out before user testing began. These will be very important throughout the process, and much
more testing is required throughout production.
1. User can read and understand story from beginning to end
2. User can successfully interact with app
3. Interactions and illustrations enhance the reading experience
8.3 The testing process
It was important to find and test on people that our product was intended for. During one to one testing, we create a relaxed environment where the
app is meant to be used. The users were given simple tasks and asked to comment on everything that they do. We have decided to work with six
people. This is a large enough figure to be representational and to find any major issues. Testing is carried out every other week, even if small. This
allows us to identify issues, and realise their cause. By testing with iPad owners, the user will get to use a device and operational system they are
familiar with.

66

8.4 Paper Prototyping

We have been testing with paper prototyping in order to gain initial idea feedback
and structure. Paper prototyping allowed us to quickly create hand drawings of user
interface and get them out in front of users.It helped us decide if initial scene
layouts were intuitive and quickly brought up any issues with navigation throughout
the app.
Because Unravelling Sweeney is not a traditionally laid out app it demands lots of
drawing. Many elements of the story are symbolic or need physical iPad movement
to follow the scene flow. For every concept we had, we drew how it would be
applied in the application. We began with rough sketches of our interaction ideas to
demonstrate what was happening. This gave us an immediate insight into which
ones would definitely not work for this project.
We then took the more successful scenes and arranged them into short
storyboards for user testing. Although it was very beneficial to get our concept
outlined, it was often difficult to portray interactions and key parts of the story, such
as zooming and swiping. As such, we only used this method for navigation.

67

iPad navigation tests

68

69

Sample prototypes

70

71

Key Findings
1. Rotations are intuitive
We asked testers to describe what they were seeing and what they
would do next. We noticed the testers would rotate the images as
needed.
2. Minimal design is better
Where we had a large amount of imagery, the user often didnt
know which items were interactable. We also found that it distracted
them from the story. This led us to devise a more minimal design,
using mostly black and white text. This aesthetic worked very well
for our modern depiction. We began to use more spaced out
images on a white page and to colour them slightly to entice the
user to touch them. We also began to use the turning text to
manipulate the user into rotating the pages to finish reading the
sentences. As well as our hand drawings, we tested an image made
on illustrator to make sure it would still be clear in the digital form.
The testers found this image easier to navigate.((insert pic higher
spec tree))

72

3. Clarity needed between worlds

The testers often did not realise when they had changed to the world
of Glen Bolcain. This was more difficult to get across on paper. The
busyness of the 2D world and the lack of controls was confusing. We
added arrows to the UI to demonstrate where to tap for the next
prototype and weve also added a filter so the user will know
immediately that theyve entered a different part of the story.
4. Low level of Dadaist typography preferred
We also tested our typography styles on paper. We wanted to make
sure the Dadaist style wouldnt be too difficult to read. We showed
users a paragraph in a book type font, a handwritten font and a
mixture of fonts in a Dadaist style. We asked them if they could easily
read all three. Surprisingly the feedback relayed that the handwritten
font was the most difficult to read. The testers found the Times Font
was the most readable but most of them found they could follow the
mixed font paragraph with no problems and felt it was interesting to
read in this way. When we tested more extreme examples of Dadaist
typography, testers found it very difficult to follow. We will take an
element of Dada but simplify it for our user needs.
73

8.5 Mock prototyping on device

This method was much easier to share with
potential users. By using POP to mock-test
on device, users could roughly see what our
initial scenes would look like on an iPad. It
was a good way of testing interactions early,
without having to code.This enabled us to
test out visuals, UI, layout and structure.
Although POP had very limited interaction
options for what we want to do, we found it
very helpful for developing the flow of the
scenes. There were, however, many issues
with POP crashing. This resulted in us getting
a lot more out of the faster paper prototyping.
We will use Fungus in the coming weeks to
get all of our scenes onto a device, in a
Twine-like sequence, and test futher.

74

8.5 Key Findings

1. More likely to try different modes of interaction.
While testing on POP we asked testers to navigate through the
story. We had worried prior to testing that our multi-gesture idea
was too confusing. But when watching testing, users were keen to
solve puzzles. They would swipe and drag and tap.

2. Some traditional UI needed.

We flagged some points in our narrative where the user could get
stuck. We needed to add exit buttons in a number of screens.
Especially when the user was in Sweeneys Glen Bolcain. We also
added directional arrows to show the user which directions they
could move.

. But not that much interaction

No one thought to use 4 fingers. Perhaps that is a bit too much?
Although we haven't got the code working for it yet, we would like to
incorporate more complex interactions, inspired by Year Walk, such
as turning the device upside down for something to fall out. We still
want to go for this style. But we will definitely have to think up some
obvious, non gimmicky pointers in the design

3. Puzzles need to be large

A problem encountered on device was that users were unable to
interact with some puzzles. This was a direct consequence of them
being too small. We resolved this by cleaning the layouts and
enlarging interactables. This also led us to introduce a zoom
feature.
3. Puzzles need to be developed
We were aware that we hadnt developed the puzzles to any level of
difficulty. Users expressed interest in interesting puzzle elements
used in other games.

75

5. Clarity of perspectives
Testing showed that it wasnt obvious when the story enters the perspectives of other characters. It was confusing our testers. They couldn't
identify from paper prototypes/POP that they needed to click on 3 different images to progress.This led to the idea of cogs. They will not
move forward/make a sound when you try to swipe. You must view all of these before moving forward. The next to be viewed will pulsate
until you click it. When all have been completed the cogs will work together and roll out the next part of the story.
To further combat this problem we have introduced colour coded filters which relate to the colour of the object you interact with initially and to
the colour of the text associated with this character. When you enter anything from that characters perspective the same coloured filters will
be used. They will also have a specific art style and a font which relates to them in all circumstances throughout the narrative. Our testers
found this more intuitive. The colour coding was a technique used in The Matrix to define the switches between worlds. Were planning to
test this further as its very important that the users position and understanding is clear.

76

8.6 Pop Screen Flows

77

8.7 Video Testing

Creating the atmosphere and making a story from different types of media is at the core of our
development of Unravelling Sweeney. Because this wont come across until we develop a
much higher spec prototype, we made some more videos in After Effects to test the
atmosphere of the app. We included soundscapes and visualisations of different elements we
are considering using. This gave the potential user a much clearer view of how immersive the
app would be. We wanted to push the boundaries with the weirdness of the app so we could
gauge user reactions. We asked them how the videos made them feel and questioned them on
their understanding of certain parts.
Key findings

Testers responded positively to the weirdness and uneasy feeling of the videos. This is
an atmosphere we are keen to create in our final piece

It has shown us that music is an irritant at times and some of our testers reduced the
volume as soon as the music started. Most preferred the videos with minimal music.

Madness portrayed came across effectively

Title sequence: https://youtu.be/XWKLxo8ZUrM
Abstract visual & audio retelling: https://youtu.be/4SDbe9LZV6s

78

We also created a video trailer to better get across our idea. The trailer used a similar
geometric style to what we wish to use in the final application. We first wrote out exactly what
we wanted the trailer to say. We then storyboarded. Illustrations were created, and some
elements were sourced from stock footage. These were brought to Photoshop and edited.
They were then brought into After Effects, with motion graphics and scene transitions added.
The audio was edited to fit the length of the trailer. The file was then exported and uploaded to
our social networking sites. It received great feedback online, and user testing showed us that
a better understanding of controls. Feedback on poetry used was also largely positive.
Link to trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4lOG9ySs48s&feature=youtu.be

79

8.8 Story testing

We wanted to test our potential users understanding of the story of Buile
Suibhne and the language used so that we could decide how to produce a
modern retelling. Below are some of the methods we used to test this.
Measured user understanding.
We got users to read certain sections of text and asked what it meant. This
caused much confusion among users, partly due to the language used. We
had considered using only poetry of Sweeney to tell our story but after testing
we realise that we need a mixture of simple verse and prose to keep the story
clear. We plan to paraphrase the book and mix it with audio and visual cues
to build a complete story.
Measured interest in story, familiarity with story
With our story divided up into different parts of the Heros Journey, we got
users to read the text to establish their interest in the tale. We needed to know
how our target audience would interpret the story of Sweeney. By carrying out
one to one interviews, we found out more about users knowledge of Irish
mythology, their likes and dislikes. This information helped us to personalise
and customise the story

80

8.9 Social Media

We have set up an active social media campaign as a way to document our progress, obtain user feedback and develop an audience. Both platforms
are updated regularly, and have definitely pushed us forward and helped us to refine styles/ideas. We have been able to keep users up to date with our
progress, as well as get feedback on art styles, interactions, and story elements. Facebook in particular allowed us to reach out to potential users by
giving them a voice and allowing them to contribute in decision making for elements of design, story and functionality. It has been kept very active, with
growing numbers of followers. We have been contacted by followers interested in our app and keen to help out, putting themselves forward for
one-to-one testing and for helping with the narrative.
8.8.1 Feedback received
Three surveys have been posted to these sites. These allowed us to quickly find out story/interaction preferences and iPad usage habits. We were also
quickly able to get feedback on art styles and to see which posts people were most interested in. We took on board the popularity of some posts and
aimed to steer the marketing and some of the development in that direction.
Other key findings:

Dadaism font & style was popular

Geometric artwork was most liked

Videos encourage page visits

Weird is wonderful on the internet

Facebook: www.facebook.com/UnravellingSweeney
Wordpress: https://unravellingsweeney.wordpress.com/
81

stage

detail

noun

verb

Midpoint Climax

Sweeney

Returns home

Mentor

Lynchseachan

intervene

Rising action

Sweeney

Relapse & leaves

hag

tempts

Alan

Talk & wander

Ally
8

10

11

9. Content Plan
Moment of Atonement

Final Push

Seizing the sword

Returns With Elixir

Alan

die

Sweeney

Returns to Glen Bolcain

Ronan

prays

Sweeney

hallucinates

Sweeney

rests

Cook

helps

Cooks husband

slays

Sweeney

Repents & dies

82

Content Plan

Below is how we will depict each step of the Heros journey. in Unravelling Sweeneys modern
retelling. We plan to include a major interaction and/or animation at each step. These interactions
will provide the user with a break from reading the text and immerse them in the story

1. Ordinary World
Sweeney Astray

Introduction to Sweeney, living his normal life as

king of Dl nAraide

Modern
depiction

Sweeneys ordinary life: higher middle class, early

twenties, partying and smiling with friends

Interactive
element

Parts of Sweeneys life displayed in collage of

photos, sounds and video clips, beside text

User interaction

Drag, zoom, pinch photos

Result

Photos enlarge and zoom.

User interaction

Tap play icon on video clip

Result

Video clips play, muted

User interaction

Tap play icon on sound clip

Result

Sound clips play

83

2. Call to adventure
Sweeney Astray

Ronan the Fair marks a church in Sweeneys

territory. Sweeney revolts, bolts stark naked,
and is summoned to a battle at Moira.

Modern depiction

Father intervenes, disrupting Sweeneys

party.

Animation

Text grows, distorts.

Figure of a man appears
Grows bigger, invading space, spinning
faster, louder,

Interactive element

Spinning figure now blocking text, taking over

screen

User interaction

Tap

Interactive element

Figure spins faster, audio increases

User interaction

Slide figures head & body in opposite

directions.

Animation

Head cracks open. Figure spits out text/curse

84

3. Refusal of the Call

Sweeney
Astray

A truce is called. Momentary calmness

Modern
depiction

Straightforward text

85

4. Crossing the Threshold

Sweeney Astray

Sweeney violates the truce and kills one of

Ronans psalmists. Ronan puts a curse on
Sweeney and he becomes possessed, talking
out of a tree.

Modern depiction

Early psychosis, Sweeney feels persecuted.

Hiding on rooftop/balcony.

Interactive
element

Little window image appears alongside text.

User interaction

Tap on window

Animation

Animation: first-person view downwards through

window from high storey building. Figures
pointing at user, shouting, tense music.

User interaction 1

2 finger zoom out

Result

Reduce image, return to text

86

5. Tests, Allies and Enemies

Sweeney Astray

Men call out to Sweeney and try to get him down

from the tree. Sweeney flies around Ireland. He
reaches Glen Bolcain, valley of the lunatics. He
continues to wander around Ireland for seven
years, returning to Glen Bolcain every so often.
His brother, Lynchseachan is worried. He
disguises himself and tries to trick him. Sweeney
meets his wife. She attempts to bring him back
but he bolts.

Modern depiction

Glen Bolcain: Sweeneys dreamworld, psychotic

state
Location: festival, outdoors, masquerade.
Meets 3 characters:

Lynchseachan (brother)

Wife

Doctor/psychiatrist
Each attempts an intervention

Interactive
element

Cogs appear alongside text - 3 smaller

darkened, one large coloured. User must interact
to proceed

User interaction

Tap on large coloured cog

Animation

Cogs rotate, zoom into cog scene change

87

5. Tests, Allies and Enemies (Contd)

Scene Change

Glen Bolcain: Open world. Parallax scrolling will

be used to give the illusion of 3D depth within a
series of 2D layered images.

User interaction

Drag device surface from left to right to navigate

left & rightMove forward & backward to move into &
out of scene, only when special paths become
available

Interactive
element

3 characters located within open world:

Lynchseachan, wife, doctor
Can be found by following:

Arrow symbols

Sounds getting louder, closer you are to

character
User must find these characters

User interaction

Tap on first character: Lynchseachan

Animation

Lynchseachan recites text. Disappears

User interaction

Drag device to navigate through world

Follow sounds & arrow symbols

User interaction

Tap on second character: wife

Animation

Wife recites text. Disappears

88

5. Tests, Allies and Enemies (Contd)

User interaction

Drag device to navigate through world

Follow sounds & arrow symbols

User interaction

Tap on third character: doctor

Animation

Doctor recites text, disappears

Scene change

Transition back to text world

Animation

Cogs reappear. 3 cogs darkened

One smaller cog - coloured, cue

User interaction

Tap on coloured cog

Animation

Cogs rotate, zoom into cog image

Scene change

Lynchseachains perspective
Puzzle image of photos, pieces apart

User interaction

Tap and drag to arrange

Animation

Full image reveals photograph of Lynchseachan &

Sweeney

Scene change

Transition back to text world

Animation

Cogs reappear. 3 cogs darkened

One smaller cog - coloured, cue

89

5. Tests, Allies and Enemies (Contd)

User interaction

Tap on coloured cog

Animation

Cogs rotate, zoom into cog image

Scene change

Wifes perspective
Tape recorder

User interaction

Tap play

Animation

Recording of wife professing love and worries for

Sweeney

Scene change

Transition back to text world

Animation

Cogs reappear. 3 cogs darkened

Another smaller cog - coloured, cue

User interaction

Tap on coloured cog

Animation

Cogs rotate, zoom into cog image

Scene change

Doctors perspective
Doctors diary notes

User interaction

View scribblings. Pull and drag to turn pages

Scene change

Transition back to text world.

User can now continue to read text

90

5. Tests, Allies and Enemies (Contd)

Scene change

Transition back to text world

Animation

Cogs reappear. 3 cogs darkened

Another smaller cog - coloured, cue

User
interaction

Tap on coloured cog

Animation

Cogs rotate, zoom into cog image

Scene change

Doctors perspective
Doctors diary notes

User
interaction

View scribblings. Pull and drag to turn pages

Scene change

Transition back to text world.

User can now continue to read text

91

6. Midpoint climax
Sweeney Astray

Lynchseachan finds Sweeney and tells him all of

his family are dead. When Sweeney realises this
is not true, he is relieved. His exile is over and he
returns home to be king.

Modern
depiction

Successful intervention. Sweeney has a

nightmare that all of his family are dead. This
frightens him into returning home

Interactive
element

Night terrors scene. User prompted to turn off light

in their own setting, possibly text
If no camera access granted by user: lightswitch
appears alongside text

User interaction

Turn off light in own environment

If no camera access granted by user: tap
lightswitch

Change scene

Enter Sweeneys nightmare. Loop animation and

soundscape

User interaction

Turn on light in own environment

If no camera access granted by user: end
animation after 12 seconds

Change scene

Return to text
Sound: heavy breathing

92

7. Rising Action
Sweeney Astray

Sweeney meets a hag who tempts him and he

relapses back into madness. He goes off with the
hag. She dies. Sweeney then sees a woman at
the well. He believes she has robbed him. He
then meets Alan, Man of the Wood and they
become allies for a year

Modern
depiction

Meets Alan. Relapses, leaves home again,

partying. Follows Sweeneys mental state of
getting carried away.

Interactive
element

Two circles join together alongside text.

Bouncing, makes text wobble slightly. Circles roll
along, pushing user to change direction

User interaction

Physically rotate iPad

Result

Change direction, view more text

User interaction

Tap on circles

Animation

Emit glow and warmth of friendship

Glimpses of couple within circle
Double text travelling together

Animation

Ball eventually breaks open and text falls out of

ball.
93

94

8. Moment of Atonement
Sweeney Astray

Alan commits suicide

Modern depiction
1

New friend commits suicide. Dark time. Sweeney

then sees the light. He reminisces about home

Interactive
element

Lantern animation appear beside the text. The

text gets gradually darker once Alans death
depicted, until too dark to read.

User interaction

Drag lantern alongside text to read

Result

Text is now legible

95

8. Moment of Atonement 2
Sweeney Astray

Sweeney returns to Glen Bolcain. He

considers returning to Dl nAraide and
trusting his people again.

Modern depiction

Return to Glen Bolcain: Sweeneys

dreamworld, psychotic state
Location: festival, outdoors, masquerade.

Interactive element

Cogs appear alongside text - 3 smaller

darkened, one large coloured. User must
interact to proceed

User interaction

Tap on large coloured cog

Animation

Cogs rotate, zoom into cog, scene change

96

Scene Change

Glen Bolcain: Open world. Parallax scrolling

will be used to give the illusion of 3D depth
within a series of 2D layered images.
Glen Bolcain is darker, emptier and more eerie
than before. Sounds more distorted

User interaction

Drag device surface from left to right to navigate

left & right
Move forward & backward to move into & out of
scene, only when special paths become
available

Interactive element

Character located within world

Can be found by following:

Arrow symbols

Sounds getting louder, closer you are to

character
User must find this character

User interaction

Tap on character: Ghost of Alan

Animation

Alan recites text, distorts

Audio gets louder, distorted
Scene turns dark

User interaction

Tap and drag to create light and clear screen

Scene change

Transition back to text world

97

9. Final push
Sweeney Astray

Sweeney sets off for Dl nAraide. Ronan hears

that Sweeney is coming home. He asks the Lord
not to repent in his vengeance. God answers
Ronans prayer and Sweeney suffers a terrifying
apparition of headless torsos and disembodied
heads.

Modern depiction

Sweeney is returning home, when he has a

psychotic break

Animation

Sweeney flying home, soaring above text path in

slow motion.
Calming music plays, brightened screen
More text

Interactive
element

Scary disembodied pieces of heads roar, grow &

convulse on text screen.

User interaction

Drag and drop pieces

Animation

Pieces meld to form Sweeneys own face in

mirror.

98

10. Seizing the Sword

Sweeney Astray

After years of wandering, Sweeney rests at a

monastery in St. Moling. A cook who has taken
care of him is accused of liking Sweeney more
than her husband. Her husband slays
Sweeney. He dies at the door of the monastery
having been reconciled with his faith

Modern depiction

Sweeney is finally at peace, when a temptress

comes to lure him back

Interactive element

Triangles alongside text, interact to continue

User interaction

Tap in sequence

Result

Sounds play a tune, indicating success.

Continue with text

Animation

Alongside text: video viewfinder containing

flashbacks from Sweeneys previous life
More text

Interactive element

Drip coming upwards from bottom of screen

Low sound of voices

User interaction

Turn iPad upside down.

Result

Text falls down. Read to end

99

9.2 Content Production

9.2.1 Images and Text
All assets will be produced by team members. Design will be kept minimal and clean to suit the modern day story we wish to portray. Jenny has
worked in magazine design and will use this skill to create the screen and text layouts on schedule. Photographs will be taken and reworked in
Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator to create the desired effect for our still images.
Approximately 20 images will initially be used. These will be expanded on once the basics of the Heros Journey structure is complete. There will be
0-3 images per page as well as text on paths. Page/scene designs will be carefully worked out before production so no extra time is wasted on the
artwork. A large amount of research has been carried out on the styles we wish to use. We are confident of producing the quantity and quality
needed for Unravelling Sweeney within the timeframe.
For the open world at Glen Bolcain, the same artwork will be re-used both times the user enters. This world will be kept small with approximately
10-16 similar scenes. Layers will be created in Illustrator and Photoshop and the illustration will be kept simple and effective.
We plan to produce a number of animations in After Effects. A line-drawn aesthetic will be used over a photographic image for many of these. We
have been producing these elements for our Digital Storytelling Module. A small amount of video will also be used as animation, provided that data
sizes are kept within our parameters. These take time to produce but will be kept on short loops to decrease the data quantities. Drawings will be
relatively simple in order to keep production time down.

100

Content Production
9.2.2 Story
Heaneys version of Sweeney Astray is 75 pages of prose and poems. We plan to reduce this greatly and have begun to redesign our story around
the Heros Journey structure. Much text will be substituted for interactions in order to tell the story in a different way. We also plan to use sounds,
images and animations to depict parts of the journey. Gayles background in psychoanalysis and Jennys art background will help us visualise the
symbolic nature of our storytelling. Once the structure is perfected and we know exactly which parts will need to be in text, parts of Sweeney Astray
will be edited into position. Our user testing has shown us some complications with difficulty of user understanding. This has brought us to consult
with an expert in English Literature. We may continue on this path if we are having the same difficulties in June.
9.2.3 Sound
Sound will be central to the telling of Unravelling Sweeney. Although we do not have backgrounds in sound it is an area of huge interest to us. We
have been working on sound design in Digital Storytelling and in Mobile Application Development with Unity and have come across a number of
techniques we plan to use in the piece. Most recording will be done with Foley and edited in ProTools and Audition. We have full access to recording
studios in both Dublin and Wicklow. Music in the piece will be limited. Our experience with creating musique concrete will be used to create these
small musical elements.

101

10. Coding Plan

102

10. Coding Plan

10.1 Introduction
Once we had an idea of our projects end result and had planned each interaction, we began to source our code. A lot of initial inspiration was taken
from our competitor analysis apps. Since these apps were made using Unity, we knew these interactions were achievable. We then began designing
our ideas on paper and prototyping to establish what code we would need for basic interaction, as well as more complex gestures.
We plan to build the app up, layer by layer. This will allow for an initial fully working app, as opposed to having some scenes more complete than
others. Interactions and animations will be added iteratively. Unity Tutorials have been our primary starting point. We have got a number of
interactions working on the Unity engine as a result of these tutorials (Appendix 12). We have also sourced code from Unity forums, lectures from
our Mobile Development class and books such as Holistic Mobile Game Development by Penny de Byl.
Finalized coding in Unity will begin at the beginning of July, once the entire flow and story is finalised and marked up in Fungus. By the beginning of
September, we expect all coding interactions to be working, and our app to be taking shape and beginning to resemble what we have set out to
achieve.

103

10.2 Choosing Games engine

Unity is our chosen platform for development. We completed a module in Unity as part of our Masters. This engine has been very useful for
simplifying the game development workflow. It is quick and easy to get builds up and running and the engine is very visual, which is ideal for our app.
The engine is also free, giving users access to almost all of the features available. We are scripting in C# with Unity. Scripting allows us to build a
more complex game, as well as improving our programming skills. We have experience in C# programming prior to this course, and we consider this
a definite advantage.
10.3 Apple Developer account
An Apple Developer licence will be set up in July in order to use Unity to its full potential with iOS. We will establish our team, add our devices and
finalize our provisioning profiles.
10.4 Functional requirements
From our research, we have created a prioritized list of functional requirements to help us to see the users needs. These are listed in order of
importance for the development process.
Functioning app, no glitches (H)
Complete story (H)
Smoothly working interactions (H)
Intuitive and appealing visuals & sound (M)
Inclusion of a game-puzzle element (M)
These requirements have helped us shape our development process and establish what elements are most important.
104

10.5 Data retention

A data model must be built to retain data from the story, and allow for a glitch-free application. When the user exits the app, all information must be
retained so that they re-enter at the same point. Information will need to be passed into this data model so that it can be stored for further use. Initial
code is included (Appendix 12.7.1). We have learned about Player Prefs in our mobile development app, however this structure will not be stable
enough for our final project. Getting this right is imperative to building a strong app. It is the first thing we will do once the build begins.
10.6 Fungus
As the story is of such high importance to the success of the app, everything will first be made on Fungus. Fungus will be very beneficial to us in
terms of establishing layout and organization, story flow, amount of words on screen, text size, etc. We will show the file on the iPad to a number of
potential users, watch how they interact and get their opinions. Once we are confident that we are on the right track, the story is understood and the
layout intuitive (early July deadline), we will be confident to start building on Unity. We are very interested in UX and UI Design, as this is an area we
are keen to to work in following this course. As such, navigation and smooth interactions are highly important for the build.
10.7 Head Up Display
Layout and placement are very important. Grid and layout components will be added to address placement of UI.
10.8 Swipe and touch functions
Tapping and swiping will be the primary gesture used in our app. After a lot of gameplay that involves single-finger touches and drags, our app will
throw up a puzzle that requires places more than one finger on the screen (All Appendix 12.7.2). We are excited to include interactions, and testers
have been enthusiastic about using different approaches. More testing will be carried out in this area to ensure we get it right.
105

10.9 Specific interactions

10.9.1 Parallex scrolling: In Sweeneys open dreamworld, parallex scrolling must be implemented to give the illusion of 3D depth with a
series of 2D images. Layers in the background move slowly across the field of view, while close up views move quickly. The player must
drag their finger across the screen from left to right. They can also move forward and backwards. This code was explored and is fully
functioning for our dreamscape. (Appendix 12.7.3))
10.9.2 Spinning doll figure: This code, applied to interactive figure of Ronan at stage 2 of the Heros Journey, is interesting as it allowed us
to apply physics. Physics can be added to display objects as bodies. In this particular code, the figure maintains a realistic body shape. It is
something we will research more to give our app a more realistic, and therefore immersive feel. (Appendix 12.7.4)
10.9.3 Detect orientation of device: For our final scene, the user must turn the device upside down in order for the text to fall out. This script
works by detecting the orientation of the device with input.deviceOrientation. This is indepedant to screen orientation which means we can
stop the scene from flipping about but yet determine how the device is being held (Appendix 12.7.5).
10.9.4 Rotation: We must develop our app for both portrait and landscape orientation, due to the nature of rotating the device to follow the
text. This will require us to rearrange text & images. We have had difficulty testing the rotation idea thus far as we have been using POP.
We are keen to get this part of the code working on Unity in order to user test and discover issues early. We have been testing code which
uses the devices orientation to control objects (SOURCE APEN). This is a start, but further work is needed (Appendix 12.7.6).
10.10 Text rendering
Text may need to be included in the code to allow for iterations. We have been having issues in early tests of font rendering with Unity. As our app
will require a lot of rendering, we may need to look into using a plug-in. Text Mesh Pro is one plug-in that seems to be one that would solve this
issue. However it is costly so we will need to explore other options also.
106

10.11 Adding art-work

Artwork will be added steadily throughout the process, replacing placeholder images. We will not be using and UI elements such as buttons in our
app. All elements will be custom made in Photoshop and Illustrator, ensuring that sizes are appropriate for importing into Unity. Animations and
sprites will also be created in Photoshop, before importing and animating into Unity.
10.12 Audio considerations
We also need to start testing our audio for the first time in early June. Audio will first be recorded using Foley. Found audio will also be sourced from
free websites such as freesound.org. Editing will be carried out in Pro Tools and Adobe Audition and brought into Unity.We will include trigger
interactions for music in Glen Bolcain scene entry (Appendix 12.7.7). We will also explore the use of sound effects throughout the text (Appendix
12.7.8).
10.13 Discussion
Sourcing and getting this code working at an early stage gives us confidence in continuing with the framework and interactions we are proposing.
The code referenced in our Appendix has been tested and is fully functioning within Unity. It contains code that we believe could be beneficial to our
final project. Our project is ambitious in places and the coding plan is far from finished. This will be worked on a lot more in the coming weeks and
months.

107

11. Project Schedule

108

Project Schedule
We have created a work schedule for the next stage in order to determine how much work would be required
for the implementation of the code and the production of the content. Please see trello for further information.
https://trello.com/b/sd4qe2l0/unravelling-sweeney

Week no.

Coding Schedule

Content Schedule

Week 1

Learn Fungus

Finalise and lay out story

Week 2

Perfect test interactions in Fungus

Produce initial assets for fungus prototype

Week 3

Build Fungus prototype

Add visuals and sound

Week 4

Test Fungus build, Test Unity Code

Test Fungus build

Week 1

Set up in Unity, Build data model, set up Apple

developer account

Create visual assets in photoshop/illustrator

Week 2

Develop core interactions

Create sound assets (foley, synth, found)

June

July

109

Week no.

Coding Schedule

Content Schedule

Week 3

Develop puzzle interactions

Asset animations

Week 4

Test Unity build basic interactions

Test Unity build basic flow

Week 1

Fix any interaction issues, Develop more

complex interactions

Iterate any flow design issues

Week 2

Add animations

Record and edit more sound clips

Week 3

Finish first Unity build

Create any assets needed to finish build

Week 4

Test first finished Unity prototype

Test first finished Unity prototype

July cont.

August

110

Add visual timeline

https://trello.com/b/sd4qe2l0/unravelling-sweeney

SPRINT 1

JUNE

Finalise story text

Differentiate elements
Test story & mechanics
Refine concept
Learn & build in Fungus
Develop art style
Develop adobe skills
Research
Create assets for fungus

SPRINT 2

JULY

AUGUST

SEPTEMBER

FINAL

Build in Unity
Produce assets
Iterate
Develop UI
Complete final Fungus
build
Test in Unity & Fungus

111

12. Appendix

112

12.1.1 Art tests

113

12.1.2 Art tests

114

12.1.3 Art tests

115

12.2 Early Idea Sketches

116

12.2 Early Idea Sketches

117

12.2 Early Idea Sketches

118

12.2 Early Idea Sketches

119

12.3 Lean Canvas Early Iterations

120

12.4 Early Storyboards

121

12.5 Prototype Sketches

122

12.6 Flow Chart

123

Appendix 12.7.1
Sample code for data retention within scenes (
Ref: Unity Official Live Training: Data Retention
//Attach to camera. Create 4 vertical buttons to do what is in brackets. We don't need to use getcompontent since the class itself has a static
reference to itself. Put on both scenes so the data persists
void OnGUI()
{
if (GUI.Button(new Rect(10, 100, 100, 30), "Button 1 up"))
{
//script.static member.public variable/reference
gameControl.control.health += 10;
}
if (GUI.Button(new Rect(10, 140, 100, 30), "Button 1 down"))
{
gameControl.control.health -= 10;
}
if (GUI.Button(new Rect(10, 180, 100, 30), "Button 2 up"))
{
gameControl.control.experience += 10;
}
if (GUI.Button(new Rect(10, 220, 100, 30), "Button 2down"))
{
gameControl.control.experience -= 10; }}

124

Appendix 12.7.2
Multi-touch input
Ref: Unity tutorial: Multi-Touch Input
Access touches from input class
using System.Collections;
public class TouchTest : MonoBehaviour
{
void Update ()
{
Touch myTouch = Input.GetTouch(0);
Touch[] myTouches = Input.touches;
for(int i = 0; i < Input.touchCount; i++)
{
//Do something with the touches
}
}
}
125

Pinch to zoom using multitouch inputs

Ref: Unity tutorial: Pinch to Zoom
{
// If there are two touches on the device...
if (Input.touchCount == 2)
{
// Store both touches.
Touch touchZero = Input.GetTouch(0);
Touch touchOne = Input.GetTouch(1);
// Find the position in the previous frame of each touch.
Vector2 touchZeroPrevPos = touchZero.position - touchZero.deltaPosition;
Vector2 touchOnePrevPos = touchOne.position - touchOne.deltaPosition;
// Find the magnitude of the vector (the distance) between the touches in each frame.
float prevTouchDeltaMag = (touchZeroPrevPos - touchOnePrevPos).magnitude;
float touchDeltaMag = (touchZero.position - touchOne.position).magnitude;
// Find the difference in the distances between each frame.
float deltaMagnitudeDiff = prevTouchDeltaMag - touchDeltaMag;
126

Pinch to zoom (Contd)

// If the camera is orthographic...
if (camera.isOrthoGraphic)
{
// ... change the orthographic size based on the change in distance between the touches.
camera.orthographicSize += deltaMagnitudeDiff * orthoZoomSpeed;
// Make sure the orthographic size never drops below zero.
camera.orthographicSize = Mathf.Max(camera.orthographicSize, 0.1f);
}
else
{
// Otherwise change the field of view based on the change in distance between the touches.
camera.fieldOfView += deltaMagnitudeDiff * perspectiveZoomSpeed;
// Clamp the field of view to make sure it's between 0 and 180.
camera.fieldOfView = Mathf.Clamp(camera.fieldOfView, 0.1f, 179.9f);
}
}
}
}

127

Set up camera script to listen for touch input

Ref: Charlies Notes, Mobile Development, Lecture 5, Slide 31
Send x, y, position & phase of the touch to the text labels in the UI
//declare variables for the UI text labels that will output mouse values public
GameObject textLabelXValue;
public GameObject textLabelYValue;
public GameObject textLabelPhaseValue;
//also vector to hold the touch position
public Vector2 touchPos;
//and a string for the touch phase public string touchPhase;
// Use this for initialization
void Start () { }
// Update is called once per frame
void Update () {
if (Input.touchCount > 0) {
Touch touch = Input.GetTouch(0);
if(touch.phase == TouchPhase.Began){
touchPos = touch.position; touchPhase = "Began";

128

Set up camera script to listen for touch input (Contd)

} else if(touch.phase == TouchPhase.Moved){
touchPos = touch.position; touchPhase = "Moving";
}
else if(touch.phase == TouchPhase.Ended){
touchPos = touch.position; touchPhase = "Ended";
}
}//end of touchCount condition
//now update the UI controls
textLabelXValue.GetComponent().UpdateLabelFloat(touchPos.x);
textLabelYValue.GetComponent().UpdateLabelFloat(touchPos.y);
//now the touch phase- which is a string
textLabelPhaseValue.GetComponent().UpdateLabelString(touchPhase); } }

129

Appendix 12.7.3
Glen Bolcain/Sweeneys Dreamworld
Ref: Holistic Mobile Development with Unity, De Byl
2D parallex scrolling script: Drag left/right & up down main layers:
Attach to main camera.
//Array to hold all layers
public GameObject[]layers;
float dragSpeed = 0.005f;
float mousePosXStart = 0f;
//don't let sceen drag off screen: clamp the layer movement:
float minDragX = -0.8f;
float maxDragX = 8.0f;
if (Input.touchCount == 1 && Input.GetTouch (0).phase == TouchPhase.Moved ||
//calculate change in touch position from second finger is put down
Input.GetMouseButton (0)) {
Vector3 newPosition;
float deltaX = 0f;
if (Input.touchCount == 1) {
//touchscreen (device)
deltaX = Input.GetTouch (0).deltaPosition.x;
} else {
deltaX = Input.mousePosition.x - mousePosXStart; }

130

/for loop goes through each layer and drags

for (int i = 0; i < layers.Length; i++) {
/*newPosition = new Vector3 (
layers [i].transform.position.x + deltaX * dragSpeed * i / 10.0f,
layers [i].transform.position.y layers [i].transform.position.z);
layers [i].transform.position = newPosition;*/
float newX = Mathf.Clamp (
layers [i].transform.position.x +
deltaX * dragSpeed * (i + 1) / 10.0f, minDragX, maxDragX);
if (i == layers.Length - 1) {
newPosition = new Vector3 (newX,
layers [i].transform.position.y,
layers [i].transform.position.z);
layers [i].transform.position = newPosition;
} else if (layers [layers.Length - 1].transform.position.x < maxDragX
&& layers [layers.Length - 1].transform.position.x > minDragX) {
newPosition = new Vector3 (newX,
layers [i].transform.position.y,
layers [i].transform.position.z);
layers [i].transform.position = newPosition;

131

Appendix 12.7.4
Suspended Figure: Ronan
Ref: Holistic Mobile Development with Unity, De Byl
Create figure in different parts for body, head, limbs. Parent limbs to body
Use hinge joint to suspend.
Allow tap interaction: Attach to camera. The code lets us click or tap figue & add a forces to it in same direction as physics raycast from touchpoint
Void Update ()
{
if(Input.touchCount > 0 && Input.GetTouch(0).phase == TouchPhase.Began))
{
RaycastHit hit;
Ray ray = Camera.main.ScreenPointToRay (Input.mousePosition);
if(!Physics.Raycast (ray, out hit. 10000))
Return;
hit.rigidbody.AddForce(ray.direction * 1000);
}
132

Suspended Figure: Ronan (Contd)

Rotate head:
Add sphere, hinge joing and rigidbody, set hinge joint on y axis
To make spin around, modify :
Void Update ()
{
If (Input.touchCount>0 && Input.GetTouch (0).phase == TouchPhase.Began))
{.....}
else if ((Input.touchCount > 0 && Input.GetTouch(0).phase == TouchPhase.Moved))
{
RaycastHit hit;
Ray ray = Camera.main.ScreenPointToRay(Input.mousePosition);
If (!Physics.Raycast (ray, out hit. 10000)) return
If (hit.rigidbody.gameObject.name == SpinHead)
{
hit.rigidbody.AddTorque(Vector3.up * Input.GetTouch(0).deltaPosition.x * -10);
This adds a force to head when finger is dragged on top of it
133

Suspended Figure: Ronan (Contd)

Count number of spins:
Add 3 cubes, reshape, position as coming out of, SpinHead in fan like shape
Make children of SpinHead
4th cube as counter, position in front of one of the blades
Sequence on Spin counter: 1 full revolution to right: blade 1,2,3,1. 2 would give sequence 1231231
Public class countSpins : MonoBehaviour
{ private string recordHits = ;
Private strng matchString = 1231231;
Void OnTriggerEnter (Collider ther)
{
If (other.gameObject.tag == spinner)
{
recordHits += other.gameObject.name;
...

134

Appendix 12.7.5
Detect orientation of device
Ref: Holistic Mobile Development with Unity, De Byl
Using UnityEngine;
Using System.Collections;
Public class dropBall : MonoBehaviour {
public GameObject theSphere;
Bool ballReleased = false;
Void OnTriggerExit(Collider other) {
this.collider.isTrigger = false;
}
Void Update () {
If (Input.deviceOrientation == DeviceOrientation.LandscapeLeft && !ballReleased) {
theSphere.rigidbody.isKinematic = false;
theSphere.rigidBody.AddForce(Vector3.up * 1000);
ballReleased = true;
}
}}
135

Appendix 12.7.6
Accelerometer input: Use devices orientation to control objects
Ref: Unity tutorial: Accelerometer Input
using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
public class AccelerometerInput : MonoBehaviour
{
void Update ()
{
transform.Translate(Input.acceleration.x, 0, -Input.acceleration.z);
}
}

136

Rotate item on axis:

Ref: Charlies Lecture, Lecture 4
public class RotateCube : MonoBehaviour {
public float speed = -10f;
// Update is called once per frame
void Update () {
//rotate cube around its y axis dependent on speed, not frame rate dependent
transform.Rotate (0, speed * Time.deltaTime, 0);
}
//speed change
public void AdjustSpeed(float newSpeed){
speed = newSpeed;
}
}

137

Appendix 12.7.7
Add music to game
Ref: Unity tutorial: Adding music to your game
using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
using UnityEngine.Audio;
public class CombatMusicControl : MonoBehaviour {
public AudioMixerSnapshot outOfCombat;
public AudioMixerSnapshot inCombat;
public AudioClip[] stings;
public AudioSource stingSource;
public float bpm = 128;
private float m_TransitionIn;
private float m_TransitionOut;
private float m_QuarterNote;
// Use this for initialization
void Start ()
{
m_QuarterNote = 60 / bpm;
m_TransitionIn = m_QuarterNote;
m_TransitionOut = m_QuarterNote * 32;
}

138

Add music to game (Contd)

void OnTriggerEnter(Collider other)
{
if (other.CompareTag("CombatZone"))
{
inCombat.TransitionTo(m_TransitionIn);
PlaySting();
}
}
void OnTriggerExit(Collider other)
{
if (other.CompareTag("CombatZone"))
{
outOfCombat.TransitionTo(m_TransitionOut);
} }
void PlaySting()
{
int randClip = Random.Range (0, stings.Length);
stingSource.clip = stings[randClip];
stingSource.Play();
}

139

Appendix 12.7.8
Add sound effects triggered by game events (object thrown)
Ref: Unity tutorial: Sound Effects & Scripting
using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
public class ThrowObject : MonoBehaviour {
public GameObject projectile;
public AudioClip shootSound;
private float throwSpeed = 2000f;
private AudioSource source;
private float volLowRange = .5f;
private float volHighRange = 1.0f;
void Awake () {
source = GetComponent<AudioSource>();
}
void Update () {
if (Input.GetButtonDown("Fire1")) {
float vol = Random.Range (volLowRange, volHighRange);
source.PlayOneShot(shootSound,vol);
GameObject throwThis = Instantiate (projectile, transform.position, transform.rotation) as GameObject;
throwThis.rigidbody.AddRelativeForce (new Vector3(0,0,throwSpeed));
} }}

140

Add sound effects triggered by game events (crash)

Ref: Unity tutorial: Sound Effects & Scripting
using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
public class CrashSound : MonoBehaviour {
public AudioClip crashSoft;
public AudioClip crashHard;
private AudioSource source;
private float lowPitchRange = .75F;
private float highPitchRange = 1.5F;
private float velToVol = .2F;
private float velocityClipSplit = 10F;
void Awake () {
source = GetComponent<AudioSource>();
}
void OnCollisionEnter (Collision coll) {
source.pitch = Random.Range (lowPitchRange,highPitchRange);
float hitVol = coll.relativeVelocity.magnitude * velToVol;
if (coll.relativeVelocity.magnitude < velocityClipSplit)
source.PlayOneShot(crashSoft,hitVol);
else
source.PlayOneShot(crashHard,hitVol);}}

141

Movie playback
Ref: Unity tutorial: Movie Texture
((MovieTexture)GetComponent<Renderer>().material.mainTexture).Play();
Make movie play when spacebar is pressed:
public class PlayMovieOnSpace : MonoBehaviour {
void Update () {
if (Input.GetButtonDown ("Jump")) {
Renderer r = GetComponent<Renderer>();
MovieTexture movie = (MovieTexture)r.material.mainTexture;
if (movie.isPlaying) {
movie.Pause();
}
else {
movie.Play();
}
}
}
}

142

12.8 Lean Canvas

Overview
Name: Unravelling Sweeney
Genre: A modern retelling of Irish legend. Part interactive fiction,
part puzzle game
Inspirations
Games: Device 6, Year Walk, Limbo, The Room, Operation Ajax
Interactive websites: 99 rooms, Anasomnia, Just a Reflektor
Wider influences: Dadaism, Freudian Dream Theory, Holocaust
memorial (Berlin), Psychosis
Film: Birdman, Memento, Into The Void, We need to talk about
Kevin
Uniqueness
Digital storybook aimed at an adult audiences
Merges traditional storytelling techniques and structures
with new technologies
Push the boundaries of reading as one would traditionally
think about it, by adding a new dynamic through audio,
visuals and puzzles

Player experience
Challenge and achievement
Goal orientated
Immersion
Anxiety and relief
Unsettling
Loss and gain of control
Physical movements of iPad (rotate to follow text path)
Setting & theme
World 1: Main setting. Similar to book. Uses mostly text, alongside imagery &
sound. The structure of this text will shift dependent on what is happening in
the story. For example, if the user is walking down stairs, the text will take on a
staggered appearance. The words will twist and turn, forcing the user to do the
same with their iPad. They will be able to move backwards and forwards
through the story.
World 2:.Dreamworld, Glen Bolcain, user prompter to enter when Sweeney is
experiencing break from reality. Moody, grainy look and unsettling sound
design. User will navigate through scrolling 2D world, interact with characters
and restore calm. Experience and discover Sweeneys unstable perspective
143
for themselves.

Visual style
Main world

Black and white reality page

Text designed to follow story eg : turning corner/
breaking down etc.
Dadaism - unconventional
Mixed fonts and collage
Modern lean
Magazine type layouts
Colour coded modes - tints - different perspectives
Mixed media

Glen Bolcain
Festival, masquerade
Illustrations & photos
Blurry, distorted
Unreal
Animated dream-world

Audio Style
Minimalist ambient sounds.
Smooth transition between scenes.
Use of panning and volume to show position.
Build and release tension
Not too strong associations so user uses imagination.
Mechanics
Primary: tap, swipe
Secondary: rotate iPad, drag and drop, pinch & zoom, multi-finger touch,
parallex scrolling, upside down physics, sound panning
Characters
Sweeney: protagonist
Ronan: antagonist/enemy
Lynchseachain: ally
Alan: ally & temptor
Eorann: wife
Doctor/psychiatrist: information giver /docs notes

144

Story/Reward
The app will have an undertone of the torments of mental health
problems. By connecting with Sweeney, we want our users to relate
to some of his traits, and become aware of the narrow line between
sanity and madness. Sweeneys psychotic episodes will be
portrayed through visuals, animations and sound as a break from
reality. Sweeneys main goal will be to regain a sense of control.
Sweeneys goal will become the goal of the user. The user will face
obstacles, in the form of interaction puzzles, which prevent them
from achieving that control. These interactions will draw the user
into the next step of the emerging narrative.

Problem
1. Gap in the market. Theres very little in the line of interactive storybooks for
adults. Ones available are comics/ kindle / ebooks.
2. Irish storytelling is a huge part of our heritage and its getting lost in the
modern age.
3. Potential for changing the way we experience stories with all the technology
available to the ipad. more than just turn page mechanics.
4. People arent reading anymore.
Solution
1. Adult content. Challenging. Visually appealing.
2. Recreate an Irish Legend. Using technology that people engage with now.
We want to comment on society today.
3. Make immersive, challenging. Use physical interactions. Move away from
traditional book layout. Look at more natural gestures. Include user as part of
the story, through digital means
4. Including text will encourage imagination. Adding challenges to progress in
the text. Using sound, interactions and imagery to make the entertainment
more in keeping with how people engage today.

145

12.9 MoSCoW
Must

Fully functioning app, no glitches

Complete storyline, strong, user can easily follow
Smoothly working interactions
Intuitive user interface and mechanics
Balance user interaction with narrative structure

Should

Intuitive and appealing visuals and sound

Inclusion of game-puzzle element
Immerse user
Atmospheric, unsettling theme
Use sound to guide interactions
Twist, turn, rotating of text
Tell story through verse and prose
Appeal to adult audience
Users goal: to maintain a sense of control

Could
-

Portray Sweeneys dreamworld: Glen Bolcain

Use multiple gestures/interactions
Calm and relieve tension
Identify user with mental health problems
Use all original text from Heaneys translation

Would
Use branching aspects
Create companion app to give further details on characters and
legends in story
Revive interest in Irish literature/poetry/legend

146