Migros
3D Detectives Adventure App
The Nature Detectives App is a native app for iOS and Android that we implemented for Migros, the largest retail company in Switzerland. As part of the promotion "Nature Detectives Mania", the Nature Detectives App is designed to teach children aged 8-11 about Swiss nature in a playful way. The young users learn interactively, by solving puzzles and small tasks - but above all with fun - which habitats there are in Switzerland, which plants and animals inhabit them and how to recognize them.
A large-scale promotion as a scrapbook with 9 different habitats as well as matching animal and plant stickers to stick in form the starting point. In the complementary app, it was desired to depict Swiss nature as faithfully as possible and to create a 3D world that is as detailed, exciting and beautiful to discover as nature itself.
The playable content of the Nature Detectives app will continue to be unlocked for users piece by piece, week by week. Parents receive stickers when they make a purchase at a Migros store or at Migros Online, which can be pasted into the campaign-accompanying scrapbook and also serve as keys to habitats in the app. If 15 stickers per habitat are scanned in the app, a new adventure can begin. Image recognition is performed using the Image Recognition Algorithm of the Vuforia Engine, an augmented reality software development kit.
Habitats in 3D
Using photos, videos and the help of Swiss children's book authors and nature experts, we created eight characteristic Swiss habitats - from farms to mountains - in a very short time. Each habitat can be discovered from at least seven different camera perspectives. With the help of the Minspektor (an animated character) and two protagonists (Mia and Leon), users solve tasks and questions about Swiss nature and its flora and fauna in order to collect badges.
Level Design
Each level was first roughly sketched, pre-built in Blender, adjusted, and finally brought to life in Unity using various techniques such as particle animations, self-developed shaders, and lighting effects. The complex technical setup and an optimized workflow were essential for us to meet the detailed requirements in the short time available. Our custom-built production pipeline allowed us to always work with multiple people on a level at the same time. Thanks to Arnold Renderer, we were able to achieve results quickly without having to rely on render farms.
Controlled complexity
In order to graphically represent the building of the levels and to be able to build and fine-tune element by element, we developed an extension for the Unity editor. This allowed us to define the player's walkable area, interactive game elements and their spawn points, and control points for automatic scene changes. We were also able to adjust the difficulty of all levels so that they were neither too easy nor too hard.
A special audio experience
At least 50% of a game experience is sound - it amplifies, intensifies, emotionalizes and ultimately immerses us completely in the game. For the Nature Detective app, a complete soundtrack was composed to capture the special feeling of the game and to give players an all-encompassing unique immersive experience.
Great emphasis was placed on biological accuracy in the various 3D worlds: Ornithology, entomology, "Eastereggs" and specially designed game audio allow coincidences to emerge and give players a personalized gaming experience. Coupled with three different languages and more than 1000 sounds specially designed and recorded for the game make the app a unique audio experience.
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Minigames to gain knowledge
Eight mini-games per habitat serve to playfully deepen the user's knowledge. For example, about animals that can be discovered and the traces they leave behind. Or about plants - some are edible, others are poisonous for humans and animals. The games are structured according to known and learned game mechanics, so that they are challenging in terms of content, but not a challenge in terms of usability. All mini-games of a habitat build on each other, clue by clue you get closer to the solution of the case. Just like a real detective. Since the goal here is to convey content, we alternate between 2D and 3D presentation - depending on what serves the purpose best.
