The Manor

The Manor is a redesigned multi-user cooperative experience created for a CAVE environment as part of my Experience Design coursework at CMU’s Entertainment Technology Center. Our task was to take an existing, barely functional setup and transform it into a polished, engaging attraction.

In the final experience, two guests stand on a motion-platform “raft” and must paddle together through a haunted, partially flooded stone manor. Using dual joysticks, DMX lighting, large-scale projections, and synchronized motion-floor feedback, we created an immersive environment where teamwork is essential. Guests steer through corridors, clear magical orbs, trigger ghost encounters, and navigate obstacles, all while communicating to stay in sync. The tone leans spooky and atmospheric, using jump-scare video ghosts, shifting lighting, and environmental sound to build tension without becoming overly intense.

Our improvements focused on storytelling, usability, and emotional pacing. We redesigned the environment in Unity, rebuilt interactions, refined the tutorial, created a clear experience flow, and added new effects and triggers that make the journey feel alive. We also produced supportive materials such as storyboards, FSM diagrams, content maps, and walkthroughs to document the system and its design. The final result is a cohesive, responsive experience that demonstrates how thoughtful playtesting, redesign, debugging, and layered immersive elements can transform an existing setup into a compelling cooperative adventure.