Dettaglio e Particolare

Introduction

Dettaglio e Particolare is an installation/game meant to expose painting in a new way.

The project is still under development and is being exposed in diverse exhibition.

Pitch

Dive into a painting and unravel the finest and tiniest details of great Flemish painter’s masterpieces in a unique kind of experience.
Explore, discover and gaze at those beautiful painting from a new perspective !

Intentions

The game is all about showing paintings to the player/spectator in an entirely new way that he would not have thought of. We wanted the player to feel as if he was in the paintings and to make him see it from a perspective he couldn’t otherwise.

Installation

Dettaglio e Particolare is a game based on a specific hardware mechanic, this mechanic require a complex setup, using a video projector, a camera set to see what is being display by the projector, an umbrella customized with a LED on top of it (use to track the position of the umbrella using the camera), two stereo speakers and a computer to run the game, all setup in a large room (4m x 7m).

The goal of the setup is to have a big enough projection angle and some space for the player to move in front of the projector with the umbrella, using it as a projection surface.

Thanks to this setup the player can now use the umbrella as a screen and move it up and down, left and right to reveal different part of the projection.

Game concept

Dettaglio e Particolare is an exploration game that reward the player’s curiosity and discoveries. The projector displays a painting, but only a very zoomed section of the painting, he starts locked in this zoomed area, he can navigate in and observe the section using his umbrella.

To unravel more of the painting he has to find special element that we call triggers, in the painting, each of these trigger will reveal more of the painting by zooming out the painting, letting the player see more of the painting.

To find the triggers, the player can also listen to the sound played by the speakers, those sounds are spatialized and hint the positions of the triggers.

Game mechanics

Navigation
The player can move in the painting by moving his umbrella on the side of the projection and using the umbrella button. This will move him to the side, the same way a camera pan works in rts/moba games.

The triggers
The triggers are the main progression elements, finding and activating one (with the umbrella’s button) will zoom out the painting.

My roles

On Dettaglio e Particolare I’m mainly working as a game designer, but I’m also helping with development. I’m also the tinkerer working on the umbrella.