Big Ocean Window

My Role: Programmer
Finished: 2018
Available At: Nordsoe Oceanarium
Platform: Windows
Input: Joysticks
Engine: Unity 3D

Main Contributions

  • Game framework
    • Worked on the networking between the presentation app and the ocean window application.
  • UI
    • Implemented the stands UI for controlling the mackerel
    • Implemented an encyclopedia view with touch controls for inspecting the animal 3d models, including rotations, translation and zooming.
    • Implemented the UI for the presentation app.

About

Showing the predators and prey of the North Sea – in the same aquarium – does not seem to be possible. Some animals are too big or too intelligent to be put into aquariums, others would not last 5 minutes before they were eaten. Today’s technology made it possible for us to solve the challenge – a giant 100m2 digital aquarium, where we can show huge fishing schools and their fascinating patterns of movement, fast predators preying on the schools and slow lumbering giants, devouring everything in one mouthful. It is both a majestic sight to watch and then it’s great fun too – seeing the realistic simulation and controlling your own fish among all the other fish in the digital aquarium.

Big Ocean Window is a simulation transitioning from one scenario to the next seamlessly. Each scenario defines a set of animals that will interact with each other, from plankton luring in herring, to tuna, killer whales and birds praying on the herring.

In front of the ocean window is a series of stands where a museum visitor can enter into the ocean window as a mackerel. The visitor can now control the mackerel on the small stand monitor and each mackerel is tagged with a unique color, making it easier to find yourself on the big screen as well. The player can now hunt herring themselves, but they need to be mindful of the other predators or they become prey themselves.

We also developed a separate app for tablets that can connect to- and interface with the ocean window using networking. This allows the museum personnel to show different forms of media such as movies and PDFs on the big screen, as well as bring up the 3d models of the animals and inspect them.

The project was created by: Nordsøen Oceanarium, Søren Robert Lund Architechts, and PortaPlay. With support from Logic Artists.