Lagoon

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• Navigation within the lagoon is broad (funneled) linear from shallow to deep and the finding of the Nautilus submarine last - the only escape out of the lagoon is through the laboratory (which is only accessed by being carried within the bubble vent column and then landing on the laboratory access) and then leaving by mini-sub Dolphin

Sensory Description

• After hours of exploration in the austere underground bunker complex, you come upon a huge multi-section curved window, an underwater vista into the Lagoon
• A visual portal into movement, light, water, and life
• You can hear a rush of water to the right side and the churn of water and bubbles swirling down into the Lagoon from a waterfall above and to the side
• Looking into the Lagoon you see an artificial half bubble of an observation sphere on the lagoon floor
• Above and off to the side (just below the surface) you note a horizontal elevated trellised structure that extends out of sight into the Lagoon that appears to be a walkway
• A room on the other side of the hall from the waterfall is dimly lit and you turn to explore it
• There is a staircase to follow downward and leads to the inside of the observation sphere.  From here you can see the waterfall, back to the huge Lagoon window, and the wreck of a miniature sub that looks like a dolphin
• the coral around the sphere seems to be many large separate coral heads rising half way up to the surface, inviting to explore with the heavy distance fogging of the underwater at 40 feet deep
• You notice a second stairway leading to a small room and go down
• Heavy dive suits hang on the wall and a closed submarine door leading out.  Touching the door makes the wheel turn and open into a very small room with a dive hatch in the middle of the floor.  Touching a dive suit starts the animation of the user donning the suit from the first person perspective
• Touching and closing the door opens the dive door and approaching it animates you over the opening and plunge into the water
• Landing under a small overhang leading out from under the half sphere - you begin walking around the half sphere - movement is slow with the sound of bubbles rising from your helmet - you look up and enjoy the movement of the bubbles up into light
• You note the trellised walkway ends at the lagoon cliff near the vista window and waterfall and still can't see the other end
• looking upward at the walkway you also entrance upon the surface movement - the dance of light through the waves and the dappling effects on the corals dissipating with depth 
• You move toward the lagoon wall and find a way through the tunnel of a coral head - small tropical fish begin swirling around your movement and follow you
• The reef is alive with moray eels, sea turtles, schools of colorful fish, angel fish and butterfly fish and the movement of light across the corals dappling from the movement of small waves above
• After some exploration around the large vertical coral heads you find there is a solid wall of coral that roughly follows below the trellised walk way - following both you come upon a tunnel into the coral wall - at this point you can't see to either end of the trellis walk way
• you decide to explore the rest of the (upper lagoon) area before trying the tunnel
• need cool statues half in and out of water with tides - such as a woman and man arching back to touch hands in a bridge so most of the torso from waist up is horizontal and almost all above water - symbolic
• Coming back down the coral wall to the tunnel you start walking in - the bubbles sound different as they hit the ceiling - air pockets form from the bubbles and and run along the upper surface
• The cave is descending as you lose almost all light before seeing more ahead
• the cave is a minor labyrinth that is easily solved by simply following one wall or the other (as if keeping the right hand on the same wall at all times

Tube

• From the manmade tube need to be able to see  the bubble column of the gas vent – at least the top half since it is reflecting sunlight – cool wavering effects – good curiosity spur
• make it so can get on top of tube to see all and path from the top and be able to see OMEN island up close!  do this by having tube go through a coral!!

Atlantis

• Save the super huge columns for Atlantis (or in lagoon in earlier versions) and keep the structures square and in ruins so they contrast with euro subconscious
• Bury Atlantis in coral and sand and lava

Shallow Lagoon

• When you emerge you are now on top of the coral ridge and can walk off the ridge back into the shallows or into the deeper side - a chance to step off and sink slowly to the bottom! - some 80 feet deep but still plenty of surface light reaches you - unnatural structures loom in the distance
• statues half in and out of water with tides - such as a woman and man arching back to touch hands in a bridge so most of the torso from waist up is horizontal and almost all above water - symbolic
• Atlantis ruins

Coral 

• make a huge coral head with a cave system running on top of the sand!!  use it to connect down to lower terrace - the only way upward if user jumped off cliff or tube and wants to see the bubble enclosure! make caves with lots of pillars and make the lagoon less tropical possibly depending on  how hard it is to coral or mix rock and coral or just rock-lava - make upper entrance to entrance  on top of the coral head and make that a vertical maze too!!
• Caves within the coral heads are smaller & not much height – more like worm tubes – with a creature moving away that fills up the tube – give um spiral shapes for fluid touch in a fluid environment
• Complex geometry coral that is boxed in by collision walls to reduce collision calcs
• white coral carved (meaning the stone was taken from an ancient reef/land) underwater statue of slavery - female -
• Use sand terrain as bottom of coral head tubes mixed with some coral as floor

Gas Vent

• you see a shimmering tower just barely visible in the distance - as you approach you see that it is movement going upwards - and then you can slowly hear and see that it is a column of water rising by the push of bubbles rising from below
• the gas vent - you approach the bubble column to see its source and as you just begin to make out the crack vent in the ground you begin to be pulled toward it faster and faster until you are sucked up the column in a loud movement of bubbles surrounding and filling your view - This is effectively like a giant bubble column in a fish tank making the water move and oxygenate in this semi-closed lagoon
• Only way to access the deep end where the Nautilus is and the only way to land atop the suspended walkway to access OMEN island
• Use the vent of gas in lagoon in deep end as an elevator ride and  used to drop down on sub – need lots of water rush sound effects and sudden acceleration /deceleration into and out of bubble column– use 3 particle emitters with larger bubbles going up faster and a dense tight flow upward goes very fast and spreads a little as it climbs with all the air – slows as it climbs (pressure) and then user is jostled side to side more as climbs and twisted around & maybe topsy turvy
• To land on sub after bubble ride – I need an intermittent light as guide to the sub
• – falling into crack and then landing in the sub area (make this the default landing area unless the user does heavy steering) after the bubble ride disorients the user so don’t’ know where at – giving more sense of exploration later – and later trying to find the same way down that they use to climb out of area
• Gas vent is in a long crack – so if you fall into it sucks you to the middle and up the bubble ride – see mysterious lights deep in crack while being sucked to the bubbles
• you are thrown into the air spinning horizontally just fast enough to take in the full surface of the lagoon and a metallic structure on the seaside of the lagoon
• Plunging back into the water off the side of the column - just under the surface you get your closest look at the trellis walkway
• still slowly spinning, you float downward and the lagoon bottom becomes visible as you freefall
• it occurs to that you could possibly experiment with the bubble elevator to land on the walkway
• Experimenting finds that you are tossed out of the column's surface on the side opposite from the side you approached for the ride
• During the experimenting you find the lower end of the bubble column is near a coral wall blocking off access the more lagoon
• At this point the user could end up in the "Deep Lagoon" (behind the coral wall) or on top of the trellis walkway

Deep Lagoon

• Chances are the user will more likely fall into the "Deep Lagoon" from a bubble ride before making a landing on top of the trellis walkway
• Freefalling on the deep end into complete darkness you begin to see a single light below and then smaller lights outlining a massive whale sized structure below - just before hitting bottom you can see it is the "Nautilus" (the user might later experiment enough to approach the bubble elevator from just the right angle to land on the top of the Nautilus for exploration
• A hum of electricity
• little or no life
• little or no movement
• you walk under the behemoth and appreciate its lines and structure and the scars of battle (identical scars that were evidently copied onto the "Monarch of the Slaves" at "The Observatory)
• walking along the perimeter of light you see headstones of an underwater cemetery
• The coral cemetery has coral carved in the shape of every religion of the world and descriptions of dead crew fallen in combat
• in the middle of the cemetery is same statue as in the middle of the lagoon except this is a "free" statue with out chains - the figure is looking upward with arms slightly extended and palms upward
• The lowest portion of the Nautilus presents a dive hatch and positioning directly below animates up into the Nautilus and to doffing of the dive suit

Trellis Walkway

• Falling onto the walkway, you see it is in disrepair or unfinished
• Plate glass is attached on one side and the top and bottom
• You walk along the top toward the seaside end as oriented by enjoying the view of the upper end of the lagoon below
• you see a section where you could walk off of the walkway and land on the coral wall separating the upper lagoon from the lower lagoon and see the sights from there
• You see a statue that is not easily made out from above - only its human proportions and ornate base show that it is a statue from the height of the walkway
• Shortly you fall into the walkway when you find a patch that has no glass on top
• in the 

Omen Island

• The walkway ends at a solid wall of metal - both sides are missing the plate glass
• Looking downward there is a small metal ledge off the left side
• You step off hoping to land on the ledge
• You land on a surface and it is the floor of an overhang to a diving hatch
• Positioning directly below the dive hatch animates you up and into a dive room

Upper Statue

• upper statue is accessed by walking off the Trellis Walkway when directly above the coral wall separating the upper and lower lagoon
• The same exact statue as the one in the Nautilus cemetery only it is chained and looking downward

More Details

• this terrain is generally open terrain with a real separation of light from the surface to give depth - the participant can wander in any direction until they hit the walls of the lagoon or the coral features or move off a terrace to a lower area - one way trip
• cool jumping off a drop off to sink into the distance fogging until hitting bottom at slow water speed
• on the land (lagoon cliff) side is a giant window - the diver can see into an area with stair-case and viewing balconies
• near the reef window is a suspended glass and metal tube emerging from the lagoon wall and crossing the length of the lagoon to OMEN island at the the reef wall - tube is flat on bottom side and as curved as possible with plate glass and metal reinforcement design
• in the middle of the lagoon is a glass dome - participant can see stairs descending down inside this viewing dome
• on the reef wall a huge closed metal door - large enough for the Nautilus to leave the lagoon
• at the highest point in middle lagoon is a statue carved of coral - chained version of a woman used as the "free" statue overlooking the grave site at the Nautilus
• This terrain is different from the others as the attraction is exploration of a 3D jungle of coral with animated models of sea-life not a linear exploration of human structures    
• angel fish - one huge one that hangs in one area - (later version plays hide and seek)
• gotta have a Moray eel to accompany
• a school of 2/3 fish other than angel shape that follow the divers around 
• small dissipating bubbles from the divers that are cool enough to entertain in them selves
• lagoon is closed in - a huge metal door (closed and sized to the Nautilus) in the side of an underwater cliff is the excuse for the Nautilus to be in the lagoon
• on one end is the cliff/underwater plate glass window (rivets and plate glass) and at the other is OMEN island - neither can be penetrated - lots of lighting effects
• a transparent walk tube with supports goes from near the reef window and connects into OMEN island - any detail true to the design document that will excite the imaginations - inaccessible
• underwater viewing room - rivets and plate glass - inaccessible - visible stairs going down - inaccessible
• white coral carved (meaning the stone was taken from an ancient reef/land) underwater statue of slavery - female -
• with dark fogging the divers can come up to an abyss and not see the bottom - in one part they can see lights below - a call to find the Nautilus
• as go deeper then clicking right mouse turns on electric lamp (in book)
• bubbles from breathing - to play with trapping bubbles under structures or watch them slide up lateral overhangs
• add to the dappled sun shadow on waves movement over bottom and coral by using dynamic lights
• Nautilus - first indicator is seeing light glow from deeper below - make it so there is a hand rail effect so participant can't jump directly down to the source - making it so they have to find way downward to deepest part of lagoon
• one huge project in its self would be a detailed (exterior only) model of the Nautilus that would be put high enough off the bottom and in the middle of an open area that the user will have little other geometry to compete for rendering - will also look huge with nothing to compare too - imagine the lighting possibilities and the fish attracted to the lights - putting the sub exterior only is a tease for the user to see the imaginative possibilities - the desire to go inside - save the mystery that Nemo is all about
• just as the participant gets close enough to start seeing details (can see lights further out) the Toccata music from the movie cuts in - I will try to secure a recording at local pipe organ (big city church)
• graveyard - mixed carved coral stone religious icons -  another statue of same woman as above - now unchained and smiling over the graves - juxtaposed against the harshness/isolation of the Nautilus mission
• surface with sun and wave movement - in deepest end of lagoon the distance fogging (water style) would close out the sun and surface
• lagoon is closed in - a huge metal door (closed and sized to the Nautilus) in the side of an underwater cliff is the excuse for the Nautilus to be in the lagoon
• on one end is the cliff/underwater plate glass window (rivets and plate glass) and at the other is OMEN island - neither can be penetrated - lots of lighting effects
• a transparent walk tube with supports goes from near the reef window and connects into OMEN island - any detail true to the design document that will excite the imaginations - inaccessible
• underwater viewing room - rivets and plate glass - inaccessible - visible stairs going down - inaccessible
• white coral carved (meaning the stone was taken from an ancient reef/land) underwater statue of slavery - female -
• with dark fogging the divers can come up to an abyss and not see the bottom - in one part they can see lights below - a call to find the Nautilus
• as go deeper then clicking right mouse turns on electric lamp (in book)
• simulate dappled sun shadow on waves movement over bottom and coral by using dynamic lights

Extra Notes

• Bthe lagoon gets its exchange of tidal water through many small tunnels and high tide over the top of the reef (but not enough clearance for the mini-sub Dolphins) - shallow beach on one side and sheer drop off on the other side next to the cliff rift - the drop off is where the Nemo's Bunker complex meets the lagoon in huge plate glass windows 
• the camera swims toward the explorer as they pass - comes up from behind and then through the helmet and then user control is given
• Opening camera movement of the eel would be side to side versus the up and down of the dolphin in the euro dream
• bioluminescence/wavering on cliff walls and in caves in spots – make it spotty so obvious it is bio
• put wavering sheets between user and lights form a distance to give lights of sub some dynamics – wavering by putting a rotating box in front of sub?  could attach a box around user so visible at certain distance is wavy – cool sci-fi effect and surreal!! So a transparent circular/box wall around the user rotates and the textures are animated fading in and out – get a good sense of water waver – at shallow areas add fixed sun ray waver as  wall attached to user on the sun side? – sub culture had a great example
• in the lagoon make terrain colored according to the sun angle - algae etc
• instead  of wavering shadows etc. for all of shallows just attach a light or effects to the user – rotating transparent objects could cast shadow?
• with dark fogging the divers can come up to an abyss and not see the bottom - in one part they can see lights below - a call to find the Nautilus
• as go deeper then clicking right mouse turns on electric lamp (in book)
• underwater light show at night in reef laser is very cool diffused in water - could use OMEN island as a giant screen 
• repeated sound effect of ambient water sound, the rhythmic bubble release from diver breathing
• change physics of gravity - allow walking off cliffs and sinking slowly to next surface
• program screen bobs with heavy long stepping of a heavy underwater diver!  - if look up then you see matching release of bubbles with in sync with breathing sound effect
• surface with sun and wave movement - in deepest end of lagoon the distance fogging (water style) would close out the sun and surface
• use sun reflected water dappling in the shallows of lagoon and on the tube and windowed cliff etc
• stirring up the bottom - use different colors of interactive fogging, greenish and blue light and fog in Lagoon, with full bright on textures at waters surface and graduate the texture lighting as you go down
• Make oversized fish and octopus etc. in lagoon
• Multi-colored cliffs in lagoon by lighting
• this terrain is generally open terrain with a real separation of light from the surface to give depth - the participant can wander in any direction until they hit the walls of the lagoon or the coral features
• jumping or at least going off a drop off to sink into the distance fogging until hitting bottom at slow water speed
• non of the man-made features are accessible each shareware release will include the planned development such as promising the opening up some of these features for exploration or the connection of other terrains etc.
• on the land side is a giant window - the diver can see into an area with stair-case and viewing balconies
• near the reef window is a suspended glass and metal tube emerging from the lagoon wall and crossing the length of the lagoon to OMEN island at the reef wall - tube is flat on bottom side and as curved as possible with plate glass and metal reinforcement design
• in the middle of the lagoon is a glass dome - participant can see stairs descending down inside this viewing dome
• on the reef wall a huge closed metal door - large enough for the Nautilus to leave the lagoon
• at the highest point in middle lagoon is a statue carved of coral - chained version of a woman used as the "free" statue overlooking the grave site at the Nautilus
• This terrain is different from the others as the attraction is exploration of a 3D jungle of coral with animated models of sea-life not a linear exploration of human structures
• a waterfall onto lagoon that gets louder as you approach!
• have a sunken flooded broken mini-sub just like small sub in the inner reef ( this gives rational to the OMEN island and its sub connects)
• need cool statues half in and out of water with tides - such as a woman and man arching back to touch hands in a bridge so most of the torso from waist up is horizontal and almost all above water - symbolic
• lagoon is closed in - a huge metal door (closed and sized to the Nautilus) in the side of an underwater cliff is the excuse for the Nautilus to be in the lagoon
• on one end is the cliff/underwater plate glass window (rivets and plate glass) and at the other is OMEN island - neither can be penetrated - lots of lighting effects
• a transparent walk tube with supports goes from near the reef window and connects into OMEN island - any detail true to the design document that will excite the imaginations - inaccessible
• underwater viewing room - rivets and plate glass - inaccessible - visible stairs going down - inaccessible

Keep Following the Trail..