AR Chess is an innovative fusion of classic chess gameplay with Augmented Reality technology, that brings the classic board game to life. This project aims to provide users with an immersive gaming experience where players can interact with a virtual chessboard projected into their real-world environment by overlaying 3D chess pieces onto any flat surface through their mobile device's camera, thus allowing players to observe the board from various angles & zoom-in on pieces to plan their strategies in a more engaging way. Players can challenge various opponents to strategic battles, maneuvering virtual chess pieces with intuitive gestures and commands. AR Chess aims to revolutionize traditional chess gameplay by bringing it into the digital age, offering players a dynamic and visually captivating way to enjoy this timeless strategy game.
The development of AR Chess project is subdivided into following milestones to ensure successful project execution and delivery. The methodology will encompass the following phases:
| Phase | Methodology |
|---|---|
| Research and Requirement Gathering | Analyzing current market trends, competitor products, and target audience preferences, Identifying technical (hardware & software) requirements, Research must be carried out to know the technologies currently being used for AR game design and development in Unity. 3. After the initial investigation, the next step is to complete the installation of the necessary resources for the development of the project. At the same time, an evaluation will be conducted to determine which device is the most suitable for this project. |
| Design and Prototyping | Modeling the Pieces and the Board: The next step during development will consist of creating a 3D model of each of the six pieces found on the chessboard (king, queen, rook, knight, bishop, and pawn) and the board, Texturing the Pieces and the Board: The following step will be to add textures to the modelled pieces. |
| Development & Testing of 1st Iteration | Programming the 1st version: Scope of the first iteration is to develop a finished game that can only be played by one player against another, Testing and corrections from the 1st version: After the first iteration, the game will be tested to fine-tune it and avoid bigger bugs in further iterations. |
| Development & Testing of 2nd Iteration | Programming the 2nd version: The scope of the second iteration is to add multiplayer functionality and attempt to add artificial intelligence to the game to allow a single-player vs. machine game mode, Testing and correction from the 2nd version: After the second iteration, the game will be tested to fine-tune network connectivity and the artificial intelligence, if successfully implemented. Redressal of any bugs or issues identified during testing. |
| Development & Testing of Final Iteration | Migration to Augmented Reality Environment: At this point, the 3D environment will be moved to an AR environment by changing the type of camera and the inputs expected by the program. |
| Gathering information & Drafting of the Final Report | Review all the information collected during the project and manage this information for potential future consultation. This will allow me to gather and finalize content for the final project report, Drafting of final report will start in parallel with information gathering process and will continue throughout the entire project until the finalization from the last revision. |