Abstract
Natural walking offers high immersion in Virtual
Reality (VR) but is constrained by physical space. Overlapping architectures, which reuse physical space, are a potential solution. Building on foundational principles of Architecturally Consistent Maze Generation in VR [1], we developed,implemented, and evaluated the Procedural Overlapping Maze System (POMS). POMS procedurally generates and prunes right-angled, overlapping maze corridors in real-time, enabling continuous natural walking in footprints ≥ 4x4m. This paper presents a controlled, between-group empirical evaluation (N=17 matched pairs) comparing POMS against a spatially equivalent static maze in an 8x8m tracked area using an Oculus Quest 3. Participants performed a time-constrained navigation task. We investigated effects on user engagement (time-on-task), usability (User Experience Questionnaire - UEQ), presence (igroup Presence Questionnaire - iPQ), and cybersickness (Simulator Sickness Questionnaire - SSQ). We hypothesized POMS would lead to increased time-on-task (H1), and that its dynamic nature would not negatively impact user experience, aiming for UEQ, iPQ, and SSQ outcomes comparable to a static environment (H2-H4). Results indicated no statistically significant differences in UEQ (H2) or iPQ (H3) between conditions, supporting our hypotheses that POMS could maintain these experiential qualities. Surprisingly, regarding cybersickness (H4), the increase in Oculomotor, Disorientation, and Total SSQ symptoms was significantly smaller in the POMS condition compared to the Static condition, while there was no significant difference for Nausea. This finding demonstrates an unexpected and substantial comfort benefit with POMS, exceeding our initial hypothesis of mere comparability. While POMS did not show a statistically significant increase in time-on-task (H1) in this study, a numerical trend suggesting longer engagement was observed. The markedly improved comfort achieved with POMS strongly suggests that such architectures have the potential to facilitate longer interaction periods, warranting further investigation into task design to fully leverage this benefit. These findings highlight that procedurally overlapping architectures like POMS can enable extended natural walking, not only without degrading core experiential qualities,but also by significantly enhancing user comfort.