Chicken Run

Introduction

Chicken Run – a groundbreaking motion-sensing Unity game that fuses physical activity with immersive entertainment. Players don wings to guide a virtual chicken through three escalating levels, evading a cunning wolf. This innovative experience not only challenges players but also captivates spectators as they witness the dynamic interaction between players and digital characters. "Chicken Run" redefines gaming as an exhilarating workout, offering both excitement and fitness in a single package.

• Project Type: Team Project

• Tech: Unity, Physical Computing

• My Deliverables: Interactive Design, Game Design and C# Coding

• Team Members: Ying Xiao, Fanyun Peng, Shuang Cao

Chicken Run 2023

Originating as a 2017 school project, our vision for "Chicken Run" has endured. This year, we're revitalizing it, transitioning from physical to digital. What began as an academic endeavour has evolved into a passion project, blending technology and creativity. The journey ahead holds the promise of innovation and nostalgia intertwined, as "Chicken Run" takes flight in a new, exciting direction.

Transitioning from an Arduino-centric setup, we've embraced WIT Motion's game-changing product: a compact Bluetooth-enabled accelerometer. This shift streamlines our hardware, propelling "Chicken Run" towards enhanced possibilities.

In a complete reimagination, we've crafted an entirely new game universe. Set on a vibrant farm, "Chicken Run" unfolds across three progressively challenging levels. With five lives at their disposal in each level, players navigate an array of obstacles – from leaping over vegetables and equipment to contending with unexpected falling objects. This dynamic landscape offers a captivating blend of strategy and excitement, reshaping the way players interact with our avian protagonist.

Challenge

One of our primary interactions revolves around arm-waving to control the on-screen chicken's movements. Overcoming the hurdle of detecting and seamlessly connecting this waving motion to the chicken's actions posed a significant challenge during development.

Process

Our journey began with the vision of crafting an interactive game that would engage players in a captivating arm workout experience. As we explored this concept further, the natural resemblance between the motion of moving arms and the graceful flight of birds became apparent. This discovery led us to the exciting decision to create a game where players control a bird's movements by simply waving their arms.

We strategically integrated Arduino technology with Unity to bring our concept to life, forming a dynamic fusion that underpins our motion-sensing game. This deliberate combination allowed us to encapsulate the essence of motion sensing, empowering us to construct an immersive and interactive experience that seamlessly marries the physical and digital realms.

Extensive research into avian-themed games and movies led us to a pivotal discovery: the captivating world of "Chicken Run." Intrigued by the diverse range of motions exhibited by chickens—ranging from walking and jumping to their characteristic hesitant movements—we recognized the potential for an engaging and varied gameplay experience. As a result, we decided to transition from a generic bird concept to a charming chicken character, breathing life into our project aptly named "Chicken Run." This shift not only added depth to our gameplay but also imbued the project with a delightful touch of familiarity.

I firstly tried different sensors to test the waving motion. After the research and tests, I decided to use an accelerometer to detect the accelerations of arms on three axises. Then I spent two weeks to translate the acceleration data into a reasonable motion of the chicken in Unity.  

© 2023 By Fanyun Peng. All rights reserved.