with Eleanor Chung!
Introduction:
For those of you who are old enough, Westworld was a sci-fi technothriller released in 1973 written and directed by Michael Crichton (long before Jurassic Park made him a household name). A futuristic "Disneyland for adults", Westworld is one of three fantasy theme parks on a remote resort island (Westworld, Romanworld, and Medievalworld) where, for a hefty fee, you can indulge in your wildest fantasies (read: killing and sex) and nothing can go wrong. Westworld is populated by robot desperadoes, robot lawmen, robot dance-hall gals, and the like. During a mock showdown with robot gunslinger, James Brolin is shot and killed for real. It seems that the "nerve center" of Westworld has developed a serious technical glitch: the human staff is dead and the robots are running amok. The film's hero, Richard Benjamin, must first avoid then face down the relentless gunslinger, Yul Brynner.
Context and location:
We are proposing this for the ITP Spring Show. We would position three projectors within a room that each would project one half-side of one of the virtual worlds onto either a quarter-sphere suspended from the ceiling (better) OR onto three pieces of mylar stretched to create a triangular screen (cheaper).
Concept:
This concept would be retro pop culture-referenced entertainment in the form of a 3D game environment. Really, what could be more fun than killing and having sex with no consequences?
What happens: Visitor interactions
When you play Westworld, you get to run through all three worlds killing all the other robots in each world. The only catch is one of the robots can not be killed. Then that robot begins to track you (the gunslinger). The object of the game is to kill enough robots so you can trigger the ŇRed LightÓ above the Brothel/Bathhouse/Nunnery in your original world. Only then can you escape the gunslinger. (We havenŐt figured out the user controller device yet.)
Anticipated limitations or problems?
Creating 3 dome-like screen to project on: $$$ Having 3 users interact independently with robot-class objects. Creating a tracking program for the gunslinger robot. Scoring for each individual player and having the exit appear in the player original world. Other than that, piece of cake.
Multiple view relationships:
Each player stands in the center of the 3-dome setup, knowing which character he or she is controlling. They all start killing robots together (with scoring shown in each playerŐs original world). Each player can walk through all three virtual worlds, but must return to their original world to use their red-light escape.