Interactive Narrative Design
IMMERSIVE VISUAL EFFECT
15/6/2026 - 26/7/2026| Week 09 - Week 16
LONG BOJIANG / 0375362 / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
Immersive Visual Effect / Taylor's University
Table of Contents:
InstructionsProjectReflectionInstructions
Project
Assignment 1 — Interactive Narrative Concept
The initial idea for this project came from a neo-noir detective story based on a hit-and-run case. The main question behind the story was: when all the evidence points towards one person, should the player trust the evidence or believe in the person behind the case? Before developing the concept, I spent time thinking about what interactivity should mean in this narrative. Instead of creating many small choices through different conversations and dialogue options, I decided that the story would focus on one important decision that would affect the entire ending.
The reason for this choice was because the emotional focus of the story was about a father protecting his son and being willing to take responsibility for him. Adding too many small choices could make the story feel less meaningful. Therefore, I designed the experience around investigation, collecting information, and finally making one difficult decision in the courtroom. The player cannot change their choice after making it, and there is no clearly “correct” ending. Each ending represents a different consequence, allowing players to think about their own judgment and responsibility.
During the early sketching stage, I focused on designing two main environments: the courtroom and the family home. I wanted these two spaces to create a strong contrast and help communicate the story visually. The courtroom represents rules, judgment, and the pressure of society, while the home represents personal memories, emotions, and family relationships.
For the home environment, I wanted it to feel realistic and lived-in rather than looking like a place created only for finding clues. Important evidence was placed naturally within everyday objects. For example, the courier waybill is just a normal piece of paper that could exist in any household, but after understanding its meaning, it becomes a key part of the investigation. In contrast, the courtroom was designed with a more serious and controlled feeling, using simple compositions and a colder atmosphere to represent the final judgment.
The interactive flowchart helped me understand how the player would experience the story from beginning to end. The structure begins with exploration and evidence collection, followed by the courtroom scene where the player decides whether to reveal important information. This choice leads to two different endings: the son being convicted or the father taking the responsibility.
Creating the flowchart also helped me realise that the investigation part could not only exist as decoration. The evidence collected by the player needed to have a purpose and connect to the final decision. This made me consider how the inventory system and evidence presentation should work together with the story. Instead of treating clues as simple collectibles, I wanted them to support the player's understanding of the characters and situation.
The mood board was mainly inspired by detective films and courtroom dramas. I used darker, cooler colours with small areas of warm lighting to create a feeling of uncertainty and emotional conflict. Lighting became an important visual element throughout the project. The home scene used warmer lighting to represent personal emotions and memories, while the courtroom used more neutral lighting to create a sense of seriousness and fairness. These visual ideas continued into the Unity prototype, where I adjusted the lighting of different scenes based on the original concept.
Looking back at the completed prototype, most of the original concept remained the same, especially the idea of having one major decision instead of many small choices. This decision helped keep the story focused and allowed the player to think more deeply about the consequences. However, during development, I realised that even a simple interactive story required much more technical preparation than I expected. Building the prototype involved creating scene transitions, managing collected evidence, setting up dialogue, designing the interface, and preparing 3D assets for Unity. These challenges helped me understand that turning a narrative idea into an interactive experience requires both creative thinking and technical problem-solving.
Task 1 Proposal PresentationAssignment 2 — Prototype Development: Interactive Scene
Assignment 1 — Interactive Narrative Concept
The initial idea for this project came from a neo-noir detective story based on a hit-and-run case. The main question behind the story was: when all the evidence points towards one person, should the player trust the evidence or believe in the person behind the case? Before developing the concept, I spent time thinking about what interactivity should mean in this narrative. Instead of creating many small choices through different conversations and dialogue options, I decided that the story would focus on one important decision that would affect the entire ending.
The reason for this choice was because the emotional focus of the story was about a father protecting his son and being willing to take responsibility for him. Adding too many small choices could make the story feel less meaningful. Therefore, I designed the experience around investigation, collecting information, and finally making one difficult decision in the courtroom. The player cannot change their choice after making it, and there is no clearly “correct” ending. Each ending represents a different consequence, allowing players to think about their own judgment and responsibility.
During the early sketching stage, I focused on designing two main environments: the courtroom and the family home. I wanted these two spaces to create a strong contrast and help communicate the story visually. The courtroom represents rules, judgment, and the pressure of society, while the home represents personal memories, emotions, and family relationships.
For the home environment, I wanted it to feel realistic and lived-in rather than looking like a place created only for finding clues. Important evidence was placed naturally within everyday objects. For example, the courier waybill is just a normal piece of paper that could exist in any household, but after understanding its meaning, it becomes a key part of the investigation. In contrast, the courtroom was designed with a more serious and controlled feeling, using simple compositions and a colder atmosphere to represent the final judgment.
The interactive flowchart helped me understand how the player would experience the story from beginning to end. The structure begins with exploration and evidence collection, followed by the courtroom scene where the player decides whether to reveal important information. This choice leads to two different endings: the son being convicted or the father taking the responsibility.
Creating the flowchart also helped me realise that the investigation part could not only exist as decoration. The evidence collected by the player needed to have a purpose and connect to the final decision. This made me consider how the inventory system and evidence presentation should work together with the story. Instead of treating clues as simple collectibles, I wanted them to support the player's understanding of the characters and situation.
The mood board was mainly inspired by detective films and courtroom dramas. I used darker, cooler colours with small areas of warm lighting to create a feeling of uncertainty and emotional conflict. Lighting became an important visual element throughout the project. The home scene used warmer lighting to represent personal emotions and memories, while the courtroom used more neutral lighting to create a sense of seriousness and fairness. These visual ideas continued into the Unity prototype, where I adjusted the lighting of different scenes based on the original concept.
Looking back at the completed prototype, most of the original concept remained the same, especially the idea of having one major decision instead of many small choices. This decision helped keep the story focused and allowed the player to think more deeply about the consequences. However, during development, I realised that even a simple interactive story required much more technical preparation than I expected. Building the prototype involved creating scene transitions, managing collected evidence, setting up dialogue, designing the interface, and preparing 3D assets for Unity. These challenges helped me understand that turning a narrative idea into an interactive experience requires both creative thinking and technical problem-solving.
Assignment 2 — Prototype Development: Interactive Scene
While Assignment 1 focused on developing the concept and narrative direction of PALM, Assignment 2 was about transforming the idea into a playable prototype. During this stage, I realised that creating an interactive experience required much more than designing the story itself. A large amount of time was spent building the basic structure of the project, including scene connections, player interaction, dialogue presentation, and character setup. Many of my learning experiences came from solving unexpected technical problems during development.
World structure and player interaction
The prototype was developed using three main 3D environments: the starting area, the family home where the investigation takes place, and the courtroom scene. These spaces were connected through interactive transitions, allowing the player to move between different parts of the story while keeping their progress and collected evidence.At the beginning of development, scene transitions caused several unexpected issues. After moving between scenes, the game view sometimes appeared empty, which made me initially think there were problems with lighting or scene setup. After testing different elements step by step, I discovered that the problem came from how objects were being managed during scene changes. Some important objects were not being correctly maintained, causing the player progress to reset or disappear.
Another issue happened when entering the home scene, where the player could fall through the environment because some physical settings had not been properly configured. These problems helped me understand the importance of carefully checking object settings, colliders, and scene structures during development. I also learned that Unity's warnings and error messages are valuable information rather than something to ignore, as they often provide clues for solving problems.
Dialogue as illustrated pages
For the narrative presentation, I chose not to use a traditional dialogue box. Instead, the story is presented through illustrated panels that the player can move through one by one, creating an experience closer to reading a graphic novel. This approach matched the visual style of PALM and allowed the composition, character expressions, and lighting to contribute to storytelling.
To achieve this, I created a simple dialogue system that displays different images and text based on the player's interaction. During the process, I learned that even a simple interaction system requires careful planning. Some dialogue elements did not appear correctly at first because of how the interface was activated and controlled. After testing and adjusting the structure, I was able to create a more stable system that could support different narrative scenes.
This process also changed my understanding of interactive storytelling. Dialogue is not only about displaying information to the player; the way information is presented can influence the atmosphere and emotional experience.
The decision point
The main interactive element of PALM is the final decision where the player chooses whether to reveal the courier waybill evidence or keep it hidden. This moment represents the main conflict of the story, so developing this section was one of the most important parts of the prototype.
Instead of creating a complicated branching dialogue system, I designed a simpler structure that matched the scale of the project. The choice leads to two different story paths and endings, allowing the player to experience different consequences based on their decision. This helped me understand that interactive design does not always require many choices; sometimes one meaningful choice can create a stronger emotional impact than multiple smaller options.
Character setup and animation
The characters in the prototype were created using Ready Player Me models and Mixamo animations. Setting up the characters was more challenging than expected because several different elements needed to work together, including the character model, animation settings, and Unity configuration.
At first, some characters could not display animations correctly and remained in their original poses. Through testing, I learned how important it was to check the character rig settings and animation setup carefully. I also encountered problems where incorrect animation files caused characters to move in unexpected ways. This experience taught me to organise and label assets more clearly, especially when working with multiple similar files.
Overall, Assignment 2 helped me understand the difference between designing an idea and building an actual interactive experience. Many technical challenges appeared during development, but solving these problems improved my understanding of Unity workflow and project organisation. More importantly, I learned that successful interactive design requires a balance between storytelling, visual design, and technical implementation.
Assignment 3 — User Testing, Feedback and Iteration
While Assignment 1 focused on developing the concept and narrative direction of PALM, Assignment 2 was about transforming the idea into a playable prototype. During this stage, I realised that creating an interactive experience required much more than designing the story itself. A large amount of time was spent building the basic structure of the project, including scene connections, player interaction, dialogue presentation, and character setup. Many of my learning experiences came from solving unexpected technical problems during development.
World structure and player interaction
The prototype was developed using three main 3D environments: the starting area, the family home where the investigation takes place, and the courtroom scene. These spaces were connected through interactive transitions, allowing the player to move between different parts of the story while keeping their progress and collected evidence.
At the beginning of development, scene transitions caused several unexpected issues. After moving between scenes, the game view sometimes appeared empty, which made me initially think there were problems with lighting or scene setup. After testing different elements step by step, I discovered that the problem came from how objects were being managed during scene changes. Some important objects were not being correctly maintained, causing the player progress to reset or disappear.
Another issue happened when entering the home scene, where the player could fall through the environment because some physical settings had not been properly configured. These problems helped me understand the importance of carefully checking object settings, colliders, and scene structures during development. I also learned that Unity's warnings and error messages are valuable information rather than something to ignore, as they often provide clues for solving problems.
Dialogue as illustrated pages
For the narrative presentation, I chose not to use a traditional dialogue box. Instead, the story is presented through illustrated panels that the player can move through one by one, creating an experience closer to reading a graphic novel. This approach matched the visual style of PALM and allowed the composition, character expressions, and lighting to contribute to storytelling.
To achieve this, I created a simple dialogue system that displays different images and text based on the player's interaction. During the process, I learned that even a simple interaction system requires careful planning. Some dialogue elements did not appear correctly at first because of how the interface was activated and controlled. After testing and adjusting the structure, I was able to create a more stable system that could support different narrative scenes.
This process also changed my understanding of interactive storytelling. Dialogue is not only about displaying information to the player; the way information is presented can influence the atmosphere and emotional experience.
The decision point
The main interactive element of PALM is the final decision where the player chooses whether to reveal the courier waybill evidence or keep it hidden. This moment represents the main conflict of the story, so developing this section was one of the most important parts of the prototype.
Instead of creating a complicated branching dialogue system, I designed a simpler structure that matched the scale of the project. The choice leads to two different story paths and endings, allowing the player to experience different consequences based on their decision. This helped me understand that interactive design does not always require many choices; sometimes one meaningful choice can create a stronger emotional impact than multiple smaller options.
Character setup and animation
The characters in the prototype were created using Ready Player Me models and Mixamo animations. Setting up the characters was more challenging than expected because several different elements needed to work together, including the character model, animation settings, and Unity configuration.
At first, some characters could not display animations correctly and remained in their original poses. Through testing, I learned how important it was to check the character rig settings and animation setup carefully. I also encountered problems where incorrect animation files caused characters to move in unexpected ways. This experience taught me to organise and label assets more clearly, especially when working with multiple similar files.
Overall, Assignment 2 helped me understand the difference between designing an idea and building an actual interactive experience. Many technical challenges appeared during development, but solving these problems improved my understanding of Unity workflow and project organisation. More importantly, I learned that successful interactive design requires a balance between storytelling, visual design, and technical implementation.
Assignment 3 — User Testing, Feedback and Iteration
After completing the prototype, I conducted playtesting with other people to understand how they experienced PALM. This process helped me discover problems that I could not notice during development. Since I was familiar with the project, I already knew how the interactions worked, but new players experienced the game without this background knowledge. Their feedback helped me see the weaknesses of the design more clearly.
Before testing, I expected the final courtroom choice to be the biggest challenge because it represents the main conflict of the story. However, the results showed that smaller gameplay details had a greater impact on the player experience. Issues such as dialogue page transitions, evidence collection feedback, and whether players understood the purpose of collecting clues affected their understanding of the story.
Playtesting also made me rethink the emotional impact of the narrative. As the creator, I already understood the relationship between the father and son, but new players did not have the same connection. Observing their reactions helped me understand the difference between my intention and the player's actual experience.
Through this process, I learned that interactive design requires continuous testing and improvement. A good idea is not enough; the way players experience and understand the story is equally important.
User Testing Report：
After completing the prototype, I conducted playtesting with other people to understand how they experienced PALM. This process helped me discover problems that I could not notice during development. Since I was familiar with the project, I already knew how the interactions worked, but new players experienced the game without this background knowledge. Their feedback helped me see the weaknesses of the design more clearly.
Before testing, I expected the final courtroom choice to be the biggest challenge because it represents the main conflict of the story. However, the results showed that smaller gameplay details had a greater impact on the player experience. Issues such as dialogue page transitions, evidence collection feedback, and whether players understood the purpose of collecting clues affected their understanding of the story.
Playtesting also made me rethink the emotional impact of the narrative. As the creator, I already understood the relationship between the father and son, but new players did not have the same connection. Observing their reactions helped me understand the difference between my intention and the player's actual experience.
Through this process, I learned that interactive design requires continuous testing and improvement. A good idea is not enough; the way players experience and understand the story is equally important.
User Testing Report：
Final Project
The final stage of PALM focused on combining all the previous work into a complete interactive experience. Instead of creating new systems, I mainly worked on improving the connection between different parts of the game, making sure the investigation, dialogue, and courtroom scenes felt like one continuous story.
Story progression
The final version guides the player from exploring the family home and collecting evidence, to the courtroom scene where the main decision takes place. During development, I adjusted the transition between scenes to improve the pacing. I decided that the courtroom would begin automatically when the player reaches that stage, because I wanted the player to feel that the consequences of their investigation had arrived naturally.
Interactive gameplay
The investigation section allows players to explore the environment, collect evidence, and understand the background of the case. I improved the interaction system by adjusting how players discover and collect objects, making important items easier to notice while still requiring intentional interaction. This process helped me understand that small interaction details can strongly affect the player's overall experience.
Branching outcomes
The main feature of PALM is the final choice of whether the player reveals the courier waybill evidence. This decision leads to two different endings, showing different consequences for the father and son. Instead of creating a complicated branching system, I kept the structure simple and focused on making this one choice meaningful. This allowed the story to remain clear while giving players space to think about their own judgment.
Audio and atmosphere
Sound and visual atmosphere were important parts of creating the mood of PALM. Different scenes use different audio styles to support the emotions of each moment. The home scene uses a quieter atmosphere to encourage exploration, while the courtroom creates a more serious feeling. These elements helped strengthen the contrast between personal emotions and public judgment.
Overall, completing the final build helped me understand how a narrative idea can become a playable experience through the combination of storytelling, interaction, visuals, and sound. The project also showed me the importance of balancing creative ideas with practical development decisions. Through this process, I improved my understanding of interactive design and gained more confidence in creating immersive experiences.
Final Demo Video：
The final stage of PALM focused on combining all the previous work into a complete interactive experience. Instead of creating new systems, I mainly worked on improving the connection between different parts of the game, making sure the investigation, dialogue, and courtroom scenes felt like one continuous story.
Story progression
The final version guides the player from exploring the family home and collecting evidence, to the courtroom scene where the main decision takes place. During development, I adjusted the transition between scenes to improve the pacing. I decided that the courtroom would begin automatically when the player reaches that stage, because I wanted the player to feel that the consequences of their investigation had arrived naturally.
Interactive gameplay
The investigation section allows players to explore the environment, collect evidence, and understand the background of the case. I improved the interaction system by adjusting how players discover and collect objects, making important items easier to notice while still requiring intentional interaction. This process helped me understand that small interaction details can strongly affect the player's overall experience.
Branching outcomes
The main feature of PALM is the final choice of whether the player reveals the courier waybill evidence. This decision leads to two different endings, showing different consequences for the father and son. Instead of creating a complicated branching system, I kept the structure simple and focused on making this one choice meaningful. This allowed the story to remain clear while giving players space to think about their own judgment.
Audio and atmosphere
Sound and visual atmosphere were important parts of creating the mood of PALM. Different scenes use different audio styles to support the emotions of each moment. The home scene uses a quieter atmosphere to encourage exploration, while the courtroom creates a more serious feeling. These elements helped strengthen the contrast between personal emotions and public judgment.
Overall, completing the final build helped me understand how a narrative idea can become a playable experience through the combination of storytelling, interaction, visuals, and sound. The project also showed me the importance of balancing creative ideas with practical development decisions. Through this process, I improved my understanding of interactive design and gained more confidence in creating immersive experiences.
Reflection
Experience
Through this project, I learned that creating an interactive experience involves much more than just having a good story idea. At the beginning of the semester, many parts of game development were unfamiliar to me. I had little experience with Unity and did not fully understand how different systems worked together. Simple tasks such as creating interactions, moving between scenes, and organising game elements often took a lot of time because I needed to learn the process step by step.
During the development of PALM, I gradually understood that every part of an interactive project is connected. A small change in one area could affect another part of the experience. For example, the evidence system, dialogue, and final decision all needed to work together to support the story. Through continuous testing and adjustment, I became more confident in solving problems and developing my own ideas instead of only following tutorials.
Looking back at the final prototype, I feel that the biggest achievement was not only completing the game, but also gaining the ability to turn an idea into a working interactive experience. Many things that seemed difficult at the beginning became skills that I could apply during the later stages of the project.
Through this project, I learned that creating an interactive experience involves much more than just having a good story idea. At the beginning of the semester, many parts of game development were unfamiliar to me. I had little experience with Unity and did not fully understand how different systems worked together. Simple tasks such as creating interactions, moving between scenes, and organising game elements often took a lot of time because I needed to learn the process step by step.
During the development of PALM, I gradually understood that every part of an interactive project is connected. A small change in one area could affect another part of the experience. For example, the evidence system, dialogue, and final decision all needed to work together to support the story. Through continuous testing and adjustment, I became more confident in solving problems and developing my own ideas instead of only following tutorials.
Looking back at the final prototype, I feel that the biggest achievement was not only completing the game, but also gaining the ability to turn an idea into a working interactive experience. Many things that seemed difficult at the beginning became skills that I could apply during the later stages of the project.
Observation
One important thing I learned during this project was how to approach problems during development. At the beginning, when something did not work, I often tried changing different things without knowing the actual cause. However, after facing more problems, I learned to analyse the situation carefully, test different possibilities, and solve issues step by step.
I also realised that storytelling and technical development cannot be separated in interactive design. The choices I made for the narrative directly affected how the prototype needed to be built. For example, creating different endings required planning how the player’s decisions would influence the story. This experience helped me understand that interactive design is a combination of creative ideas and practical solutions.
One important thing I learned during this project was how to approach problems during development. At the beginning, when something did not work, I often tried changing different things without knowing the actual cause. However, after facing more problems, I learned to analyse the situation carefully, test different possibilities, and solve issues step by step.
I also realised that storytelling and technical development cannot be separated in interactive design. The choices I made for the narrative directly affected how the prototype needed to be built. For example, creating different endings required planning how the player’s decisions would influence the story. This experience helped me understand that interactive design is a combination of creative ideas and practical solutions.
Findings
This project changed my understanding of game development. Before starting, I thought creating a game required advanced technical knowledge that was difficult to achieve. However, through continuous learning and experimentation, I found that improvement comes from solving problems one by one.
Working on PALM also helped me understand the importance of balancing creative ideas with realistic production limitations. As a solo developer, I needed to take different roles, including storytelling, visual design, and technical development. This taught me how to make decisions based on both creative goals and available resources.
Overall, completing PALM gave me more confidence in creating interactive projects. The most valuable result of this module was not only the final prototype, but also the experience and working process I developed. I learned that good interactive design comes from continuous testing, improvement, and learning from challenges.
This project changed my understanding of game development. Before starting, I thought creating a game required advanced technical knowledge that was difficult to achieve. However, through continuous learning and experimentation, I found that improvement comes from solving problems one by one.
Working on PALM also helped me understand the importance of balancing creative ideas with realistic production limitations. As a solo developer, I needed to take different roles, including storytelling, visual design, and technical development. This taught me how to make decisions based on both creative goals and available resources.
Overall, completing PALM gave me more confidence in creating interactive projects. The most valuable result of this module was not only the final prototype, but also the experience and working process I developed. I learned that good interactive design comes from continuous testing, improvement, and learning from challenges.
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