Themed Experience Projects
In August 2024, I embarked on a new journey to pursue an education and career in Themed Entertainment. I left the comfort and stability of my job at Lockheed, and moved to Florida to earn a Masters Degree in Themed Experience at the University of Central Florida. Below are some of the projects I completed as a part of that curriculum.
Project Goal
Students will create a themed interior “man-made” environment utilizing Revit. Emphasis will be placed upon proportion, composition, and incorporation of recognizable objects such as furniture and architectural elements.
“The Last Drop” Themed Bar
The Big idea
Delve into the depths of the undercity and enjoy themed food & beverages alongside your favorite Arcane characters.
Storyboard featuring images from the show
The Last Drop Revit Renders
The Artificer Stand: bits and bobs and odds and ends and bells and whistles and nuts and bolts
Project Goal
Design a portable merchandise stand that makes a profit within 3 years.
The Big idea
A new, innovative, experience is to be introduced to Renaissance Faires across the nation. The Artificer Stand, or bits and bobs and odds and ends and bells and whistles and nuts and bolts, is a small merchandise stand selling tiny mechanical creatures that guests have helped create.
The Story of Artie Ficer
He hadn’t always had it easy. Long before he become a world traveler and dove into the world of sciences and magic, he was a just a boy like so many others. He and his mother would stroll the fields together picking her favorite flowers, lilacs. He would glance up at those kind sparkling eyes and see a younger, more rejuvenated version of his mother the moment she drew in its sweet scent. He swore she seemed to breathe easier in those fields. One day, on their daily stroll to the field of lilacs, she grew faint and crumbled to the ground, landing with a soft plump on the unkempt grass. With horror, he noticed his mother passed out behind him, her skin growing pale and purple. In a panic, he fled to the fields of lilacs, grabbed a handful, and hopelessly placed them right under her nose. Suddenly her breathing evened out. He ran back to the field 3 more times, grabbing as many as he could manage. Her eyes fluttered open and they made their way back home where he would experiment with all sorts of contraptions to get the healing properties of the lilacs to waft constantly throughout their home. This was the very beginning of his journey as an artificer. Over the years he created a great many things, but his personal favorites were his automatons: Tiny creatures brought to life by a combination of science and magic. He even converted his cart used to travel the world into one! Now, whenever Artie went to work in his workshop, he needn’t waste time trying to find a lab. His lab was always with him. This is the very cart we find him in today. Bits and thingamajigs from his MANY travels adorned every nook and cranny. It was all he could ever dream…so far.
The Product
Wyvernmaton (Wyvern Automaton)
Seemingly-Delicate Moving Parts
Flapping Wings
Opening Jaw
Steaming Nose
Guests may mix and match body parts for a truly unique and personalized experience
Turns to gold before their very eyes!
Sacred Space: New Ur
Project Goal
Design a place of worship after a religion without using any existing symbology.
The Big idea
An Ancient Mesopotamian “Gardenscape” at the base of an artificial mountain where visitors can follow the journey of Gilgamesh and ascend beyond the mortal realm to confront their mortality in the Temple of New Ur at the pinnacle of the Re-imagined Zagros Mountains.
New Ur Initial Sketch
Enki’s Mercy
This statue represents the hands of the god, Enki, who saved the human race from the Great Flood
Union of Fates
These hedge-like statues represent the moment Gilgamesh’s and Enkidu’s destinies became intertwined
Map generated in Dungeonscrawl
Enki’s Mercy
Contour and Scale
The Layout
Visitors embark on a journey mirroring that of the Epic Hero, Gilgamesh.
By the gods grace, visitors walk beyond the threshold (Enki’s Mercy statues) into a world of heroes.
Walk beyond the Union of Fates.
Scale the stairs to divinity, alone, just as Gilgamesh was forced to do.
The shear size of the inner sanctum is intended to humble visitors, giving them space to reflect upon their own mortality, just as Gilgamesh did.
Union of Fates
Inner Sanctum
New Ur Concept Drawing
The Floor is Lava Themed Experience
Project Goal
Design a themed experience based on an existing game
The Big idea
Based off the “Floor is Lava” game split into 4 linear modules. Guests must cross various platforms without touching the floor to save Christmas.
The Story
Ruckus’ genius was overlooked, this he knew for a fact. An electric guitar chainsaw was the perfect gift for a child. And yet, Santa let out a frustrated sigh, “Oh Ruckus, when will you learn?” and threw his marvelous invention into the pile of bad toy ideas. “Here, my boy: the key to the candy factory located in the Hot Cocoa Volcano. See if you find inspiration in the mountain of sweets. Something without chainsaws this time please.” Ruckus held out his hand and dropped his head, hoping to hide his tears.
Just before the door shut behind him, he heard the Head toymaker scoff, “I told you we should have kept that boy far from the Reindeer and Design Department.” Something in Ruckus snapped and his hands started shaking with hatred. He would show them all how wrong they were about him.
Malu: A Fantasy Role-Playing Themed Narrative
Malu was created to host a series of fantastical intertwined stories, that could be interacted with via Tabletop Roleplay Games (TTRPGs) such as Dungeons & Dragons, Pathfinder, and Daggerheart. Players may interact with the overall story, or forge their own path in this continent filled with wacky characters, political intrigue, intense power dynamics, vibrant cities and landmarks, and its own history book, should players wish to dive into the archives and unlock the secrets of Malu.
Intro: Highlights
“…The past 30 or so [years] have been considered ‘The Golden Age.’ …Of course, a closer look beyond the bustling cities, and even within, would prove otherwise, but why focus on the negative? After all, who could argue with an era called the ‘golden age?’”
“Here at camp, you take a few courses such as Fighting 101, Alchemy for Dummies, History (or naptime, as most of you may call it), Study of Magical Creatures (it’s an elective), and Superb Spells and Where to Find Them.”
“A light breeze ruffles your hair, or fur, or cloak, or whatever else you have going for you, and a shiver of anticipation runs down your spine, just as a green spark explodes in the sky, now things are about to get interesting.”
Villian Monologue
“You see, the only purpose in life is death. The mere spark between eternal darkness. Today, yours too shall be snuffed out”
“I am the inevitable beginning. The second reckoning. I am the beginning of the end your world so desperately craves.”
“I was like you once. A servant of the greater good, but the gods have forsaken me just as they have forsaken you.”
Starting City: Norhia
Norhia is a large bustling city of mostly seafaring people and merchants who have acquired wealth and prosperity thanks to the abundance of goods from the sea.
Places of interest
Theatre: Belladonna – beautiful woman
Known in secret by the Eidolon Troupe or plant enthusiasts as the deadly nightshade
Smith and Armory: Sterling Wares
Leathershop: Nice Leather We’re Having
Transportation Hub: Send It
Taverns and Inns: The Roaming Tavern, Admirals Club, Zoya’s Fine Wine, Taps on Top (Rooftop Bar), Crows Nest
Norhia Public Library
Apothecary: Poisons and Potions
Info Board
Bounty Board – must be certified by Universal Hunter Society (UHS pronounced us) trademark
Warning to travelers traveling to Scrath – thiefs on the road – Stay Vigilant!
Looking to Hire!
Bodyguards
42 Wallaby Way, Norhia
Experienced sailors OR sailors without life insurance
Report to deck VII to earn your sea legs (or lose them…we are not responsible for any body dismemberment))
Kingsguard Tryouts – Biannual
12-month training program with an additional 8-month shadowing program
Decent pay, benefits, and downtime (as long as you apply today!)
Auron Temple – renovated!
Missing posters
Opera House – grand opening next week!
Who Wants to Be a Villianaire
Lore
Richard J Villianaire has always been a man of style
And, oh, Wickedness was indeed in during the war.
He alone is responsible for uniting many of the villainous families after the banishment
Using his Sorcerous skills to create, as he called it, a Sanctum of Sin,
Housing his fellow villains while they built themselves a home in this cursed, banished land.
He tended to prefer solitude in his later years, only seeking comfort in his vast collection of wines and books;
And so, when he passed, he enchanted his castle to put on one final villainous act: choosing his heir.
Phantom of the Opera Inspired Themed Narrative
Plot Hook: A mysterious fire burned the old theatre to ashes. Players must confront potential arsonists, gang members, and the most fearsome of all, theater kids.
Don "the Nightshade" Octavio
A man sonders out of the shadows. At first, all you see is his linen collared shirt, buttoned two buttons too low for high society, and perfectly pressed pants. The stage light shifts, revealing hair like wildfire and piercing blue eyes. Terror grips you as your gaze drops to his fiendish half-mask, grinning wildly like it had just decided its next meal was you. He removes his mask revealing what would be a man just like any other, if not for the hunger in his eyes.
“Always had a knack for stage direction and knowin’ what people wanna see before they see it, but I don’t wear suits, so I keep to the shadows: a specter orchestrating every move without being seen. And so we became the Eidolon Troupe”
The Trifecta
Lovable dimwitted grunts inspired by Team Rocket from Pokémon and Beck's Troupe from Final Fantasy VII
The aforementioned theater kids
"It takes three to tango"
The Belladonna - the deadly nightshade
Bell-shaped petals consume the opera house in a warm yet unyielding embrace.
Acoustic Design and how it influences gameplay
Reward players for thinking outside of the box: if they destroy acoustic paneling, their thunder damage is super effective.
Decided to conduct Acoustic Analysis on the theatre to see how realistic its design is for real-life application.
Auditorium Acoustics and Architectural Design
Michael Barron
Goal:
Determine if reverberation time remains in the recommended range (1.3-1.8 seconds)
Assumptions:
Diffuse sound field (energy travels with equal probability in all directions)
Temperature and humidity are negligible when analyzing the air absorption coefficient (m)
Analysis:
Using Sabins Formula, Solve for Reverberation Time
Conclusion:
Even with acoustic baffling, the reverberation time climbs above the 1.8 second mark. What this tells us is the geometry of the building has to change to prevent longer-than-ideal reverberation times. There are several ways to accomplish this:
Addition of balconies (medium upholstery)
Increase size of decorative chandelier to better scatter sound
Decrease surface area of walls and/or increase surface area of carpeting (ellipsoid rather than spherical dome)
Lower theatre ceiling to decrease volume of the room
