Ok guys, unless I feel like posting something minutes before I hand in (Or even after… which I do not.) This will be the last you’ll hear from me. Probably.
Having managed to learn a good amount of the unity engine to the point that I was able to produce a small game (Oh my god I made a working game! How awesome am I?) I can easily say the following:
I am happy with my progress this semester.
Hold the applause, we are all very proud, but I am here to talk to you today about whats coming next!
OK, so last semester I predicted I’d be making GDD style level design and mechanic pitch documents.. silly me. So do not take this as given, I may change my mind in the next few months!
Next semester, I am looking at doing something very similar.
Hopefully, I will develop a small game for iPhone, with a control scheme that will translate well, all finished, polished and complete.
None of this “5 levels to show variety” rubbish. Even if the game is 1 level, a full game is a full game.
Who knows, I may even retail it! (And get attacked by the Autodesk lawyers for using a student version of Maya)
So, that’s it, thanks for listening, give me 70% +
Until next time (at which point I’ll make some sort of iPhone app) …Goodbye!
Click here to play the (Somewhat) finished (but in places temperamental) game!
Showing posts with label Semester 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Semester 2. Show all posts
Wednesday, 4 May 2011
Reflecting on reflecting
With 2 days to go (Two?! Oh crap) till I hand in my reflective diary (and an extra week for everything else) I find that it is time I looked back at this semesters ‘reflections’
(Which is silly, really – considering that I am loosing an entire week of reflections!)
Overall, I find it has been nothing but a series of “Hey, look what I did/can not do/ how much I hate unity” but I feel this is appropriate.
The reason I said so much but meant very little last semester was because I was simply doing something I already knew how to do, while I was practicing, I was not learning anything.
This time, however, there has been remarkable progress, considering a few months ago I couldn’t import a texture into unity, and now I am chopping up and pasting code to meet my own needs and begging to think of better and more exciting ways I could make games, defiantly something handy for next time!
The reflections have been far less research-y this time, however my dissertation next year will fill this void, as like I said, it has been a learning experience. It is a case of combining my research and practice with the skills I have learnt now, to truly become a “Master” of the art!
It may not have been the most critical analysis of my work, or even others work, but the diary defiantly marks my progress. And that is what we need! (That and 2500 words.)
(Which is silly, really – considering that I am loosing an entire week of reflections!)
Overall, I find it has been nothing but a series of “Hey, look what I did/can not do/ how much I hate unity” but I feel this is appropriate.
The reason I said so much but meant very little last semester was because I was simply doing something I already knew how to do, while I was practicing, I was not learning anything.
This time, however, there has been remarkable progress, considering a few months ago I couldn’t import a texture into unity, and now I am chopping up and pasting code to meet my own needs and begging to think of better and more exciting ways I could make games, defiantly something handy for next time!
The reflections have been far less research-y this time, however my dissertation next year will fill this void, as like I said, it has been a learning experience. It is a case of combining my research and practice with the skills I have learnt now, to truly become a “Master” of the art!
It may not have been the most critical analysis of my work, or even others work, but the diary defiantly marks my progress. And that is what we need! (That and 2500 words.)
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
The User Interface
The most recent addition to my game has been graphic user interface content. And oh what a royal pain it was.
Sure, I had a button to reload the level when it decided not to load bits of script, this was easy, I could stick the same thing on each level.
But a full on title screen?
Ergh.
The Title Screen has 3 elements to it. The two buttons, “Play game” and “Instructions, and the central image logo.. thing. Laying these out was not easy. More on that in a second
Now, you might be thinking “Why is it so crap?” (I can almost hear you say it Josh.)
Simply, because anything nice was too hard.
The game will be submitted in a portable windows format, meaning that whoever is grading it can choose to play in whatever screen resolution he (or she) chooses.
This means that when positioning the GUI, if the player chooses a screen resolution smaller than I have made it for, it will get cut off.
Reversely, if they do it too big, it will distort and not be laid out as intended.
Too Big
Too Small
Just right. (Thanks, Goldylocks.)
So, here we are, with a nice simple layout for the GUI. But what of the other places?
Fortunately, I was able to use images for buttons, and choose the ‘roll over’ state as a different image!
Monday, 2 May 2011
An apology - and my game! (ish)
One thing I would like to note is that over the past few weeks, I have been able to insert images into my posts, meaning I could not show the asset generation - due to blogger having a bit of a bug, in which all my text formatting would disappear and my post would end up as an unattractive wall of text.
As well as this, My original intention of posting lots of versions of my game had been shelved due to me not having the £150 to renew my webhosting.
Well, problem solved. I may have made some shady deals with a Nigerian banker, but its worth it. Here you go!
Click here to play the (Somewhat) finished (but in places temperamental) game!
As well as this, My original intention of posting lots of versions of my game had been shelved due to me not having the £150 to renew my webhosting.
Well, problem solved. I may have made some shady deals with a Nigerian banker, but its worth it. Here you go!
Click here to play the (Somewhat) finished (but in places temperamental) game!
Friday, 29 April 2011
A look at the pracitioners, again.
Having a quick look back over some of the Practitioner lecturers (and specifically their websites... as I check thsi essay is finished) I have begun to remember what it is I found so futile about some of these practitioners.
As I state in my essay on the lecture series, I did manage to find the odd useful tidbit, but nothing that has truly changed my life, or even reflected positively on my practices.
What is it that I disliked so much?
Some of them produce some real poo, and make a lot of money from it.
I will not name names, but instead, I will change foot for some examples.
The relevance of these people is completely lost on me. Sculptors, Ceramicists. They slowly carve foofy shapes out of materials, while I create only what I need using a computer.
To prove my point, here are a few gems, while they are fantastic pieces of art, they are just that. Art. Completely functionless.
I feel quite annoyed that in a subject area where we are taught the essence of time keeping, remaining vigilante about the size constraints of our work, and constantly considering the end user, we are shown hapless artists and their pieces created on a whim.
Perhaps I will neglect all end users and create a completely selfish and self gratifying game? It could be an interesting result.
As I state in my essay on the lecture series, I did manage to find the odd useful tidbit, but nothing that has truly changed my life, or even reflected positively on my practices.
What is it that I disliked so much?
Some of them produce some real poo, and make a lot of money from it.
I will not name names, but instead, I will change foot for some examples.
The relevance of these people is completely lost on me. Sculptors, Ceramicists. They slowly carve foofy shapes out of materials, while I create only what I need using a computer.
To prove my point, here are a few gems, while they are fantastic pieces of art, they are just that. Art. Completely functionless.
I feel quite annoyed that in a subject area where we are taught the essence of time keeping, remaining vigilante about the size constraints of our work, and constantly considering the end user, we are shown hapless artists and their pieces created on a whim.
Perhaps I will neglect all end users and create a completely selfish and self gratifying game? It could be an interesting result.
Thursday, 28 April 2011
What I’d change.
Having got to the point that the primary game play and graphical elements have been completed, I am beginning to look back and thinking what I would change if I could re-do the project from the ground up.
While this is a bit of an upsetting prospect to see how it could be made better, it will let me see what may be best next time.
Camera
One of the biggest thing to cause my issue is the camera – having changed several times during the creation of the game, I am still not happy with it, though its current incarnation gives me the least problems.
Had it been rotating, the controls would have kept skewing at certain angles causing block pushing to become very difficult.
The over the shoulder camera would have required greater attention to detail in the modelling, nicer textures, (Both of what I did anyway) but most importantly, would have gotten caught on the terrain in such an enclosed environment. While it may have been ok in places, catching raised terrain in the camera would have been a nightmare.
First person is simply a big no no here. You would end up just seeing the boxes. You’d never see what you where doing!
Controls
Not such a problem here, but I would certainly have liked to consider the control scheme for iPhone from the beginning.
Had I made it mouse based, I could have easily made it touch based. As it stands, I am stuck with keyboard input for now.
Animation
My big problem here is due to my inexperience I had to choose between having an idle pose and walk cycle or having a walk cycle OR having a walk cycle and a ‘push’ animation.
The push animation looked better, so I took it!
Hopefully in the future I will not have to have limited animations. With a better grasp of what I am doing I can better experiment and repair mistakes.
Style
The style of the game fits quite well with the mechanic, I’d like to do a game in which the graphics do not take as long to create.
Perhaps a game made entirely of squares!
Hang on, I did that for my honours project in my undergraduate. Maybe not!
While this is a bit of an upsetting prospect to see how it could be made better, it will let me see what may be best next time.
Camera
One of the biggest thing to cause my issue is the camera – having changed several times during the creation of the game, I am still not happy with it, though its current incarnation gives me the least problems.
Had it been rotating, the controls would have kept skewing at certain angles causing block pushing to become very difficult.
The over the shoulder camera would have required greater attention to detail in the modelling, nicer textures, (Both of what I did anyway) but most importantly, would have gotten caught on the terrain in such an enclosed environment. While it may have been ok in places, catching raised terrain in the camera would have been a nightmare.
First person is simply a big no no here. You would end up just seeing the boxes. You’d never see what you where doing!
Controls
Not such a problem here, but I would certainly have liked to consider the control scheme for iPhone from the beginning.
Had I made it mouse based, I could have easily made it touch based. As it stands, I am stuck with keyboard input for now.
Animation
My big problem here is due to my inexperience I had to choose between having an idle pose and walk cycle or having a walk cycle OR having a walk cycle and a ‘push’ animation.
The push animation looked better, so I took it!
Hopefully in the future I will not have to have limited animations. With a better grasp of what I am doing I can better experiment and repair mistakes.
Style
The style of the game fits quite well with the mechanic, I’d like to do a game in which the graphics do not take as long to create.
Perhaps a game made entirely of squares!
Hang on, I did that for my honours project in my undergraduate. Maybe not!
Tuesday, 26 April 2011
Pre-animation
I thought I would have a change of pace and complain BEFORE the animations went tits up today.
I am within a hairs reach of finishing the final level, and just need to animate a few little bits to bring the level to life. (Of course, I have other bits of work to do in the next few weeks to make the project complete)
Now if you’ve read the last few blogs, you’ll know this is where I keep cocking up.
First up, I have deleted and cleaned up the history. So that won’t be a problem!
It is all in place, so should scale nicely, the positioning wont be a problem.
At the very least, this blog shows that I am now thinking about possible errors. Next semester should be smooth sailing!
And from what I’ve got so far, I do think with the next build of my game becoming visible, you will all be truly impressed.
Also, I’d like to add that I have not posted a playable version of the game recently due to me wanting to show changes in all levels, not just a few, and the fact that my hosting has been a bit… gone.
I am within a hairs reach of finishing the final level, and just need to animate a few little bits to bring the level to life. (Of course, I have other bits of work to do in the next few weeks to make the project complete)
Now if you’ve read the last few blogs, you’ll know this is where I keep cocking up.
First up, I have deleted and cleaned up the history. So that won’t be a problem!
It is all in place, so should scale nicely, the positioning wont be a problem.
At the very least, this blog shows that I am now thinking about possible errors. Next semester should be smooth sailing!
And from what I’ve got so far, I do think with the next build of my game becoming visible, you will all be truly impressed.
Also, I’d like to add that I have not posted a playable version of the game recently due to me wanting to show changes in all levels, not just a few, and the fact that my hosting has been a bit… gone.
Thursday, 21 April 2011
Just not getting it right.
As I mentioned a few days ago, my animation of a machine went a bit belly up, causing me to have to quickly redo it.
Well, it happened again. This time with a rigged model, after cleaning it up (or I thought I had) it turned out I had neglected the hidden layers, leaving some history I had assumed to be harmless, actually causing the animation to play itself, but keep an untextured copy of the model completely motionless.
Obviously the history of an object is very important in unity, so I will need to begin being a LOT more vigilant about it.
Obviously this is a practice I had learnt a few years ago, but it is not until something causes you a problem that you really begin to take it seriously. As the invisible effects of deleted history often meant very little to me.
I guess all that stuff I was taught for 3 years did mean something!
and good news! I am onto decorating the last level! After this I will essentially be finished, adding the extra touches to make my work truley fantastic. (And sorting out my development work a nd that damn essay.)
Happy chocolate bunny day!
Well, it happened again. This time with a rigged model, after cleaning it up (or I thought I had) it turned out I had neglected the hidden layers, leaving some history I had assumed to be harmless, actually causing the animation to play itself, but keep an untextured copy of the model completely motionless.
Obviously the history of an object is very important in unity, so I will need to begin being a LOT more vigilant about it.
Obviously this is a practice I had learnt a few years ago, but it is not until something causes you a problem that you really begin to take it seriously. As the invisible effects of deleted history often meant very little to me.
I guess all that stuff I was taught for 3 years did mean something!
and good news! I am onto decorating the last level! After this I will essentially be finished, adding the extra touches to make my work truley fantastic. (And sorting out my development work a nd that damn essay.)
Happy chocolate bunny day!
Monday, 18 April 2011
Pointing it out
Had I not moved across the country (Very slowly, damn traffic) to my home for 2 weeks, where I am fortunate enough to currently have no desk, you guy(s) would have got this earlier. When you make a game and know exactly what to do, it is very hard to process problems, something you begin ‘wanting to fix later’ quickly gets put on the back burner and forgot. Today’s example of this: Visibility! When I changed the camera back to stationary, one of the big problems it caused (again) was that the player vanished behind boxes.
Whoops!
Easy solution though, just stick an unsightly arrow above the character, and we go from this...
To this! 
Crisis averted. Good work team.
Thursday, 14 April 2011
Moving parts
Working on the 3rd level (my 4th to decorate) I have came across a bit of a (huge) stumbling block.
Trying to make a machine to be whizzing away in the background, I discovered the following:
Lots of moving parts + animation = super difficult.
It was easy enough to animate the first time, quite time consuming to build all the bits and fit it together, making it up as I went along.
What wasn’t easy was fitting these animations together, trying to time it so that the machine didn’t play out of time (Like meat falling into a box – Needed to land in it every time! Meanwhile, something had to spin constantly.)
As it went into Unity, not only did I need to resize it and position it (all individually) but I then saw that it all went to hell.
Either bits flew off in random places, didn’t show up, didn’t move, or moved wrong, either out of time or in the wrong way.
What an embuggerence.
Take two, and late into the night, the second version. Its done, and SEEMS to work. Just got to scale and position it now. That’s so fun.
I’ll try and get an image up of all the moving bits soon! And you’re due for a demo!
Now, my brain is fried and I’ve made no progress AGAIN (Thanks, Essay.) this week. Good thing I’ve got plenty of time!
Now for sleep. Maybe food. Even if work is more important. (Sunlight and fresh air? Pah!)
Trying to make a machine to be whizzing away in the background, I discovered the following:
Lots of moving parts + animation = super difficult.
It was easy enough to animate the first time, quite time consuming to build all the bits and fit it together, making it up as I went along.
What wasn’t easy was fitting these animations together, trying to time it so that the machine didn’t play out of time (Like meat falling into a box – Needed to land in it every time! Meanwhile, something had to spin constantly.)
As it went into Unity, not only did I need to resize it and position it (all individually) but I then saw that it all went to hell.
Either bits flew off in random places, didn’t show up, didn’t move, or moved wrong, either out of time or in the wrong way.
What an embuggerence.
Take two, and late into the night, the second version. Its done, and SEEMS to work. Just got to scale and position it now. That’s so fun.
I’ll try and get an image up of all the moving bits soon! And you’re due for a demo!
Now, my brain is fried and I’ve made no progress AGAIN (Thanks, Essay.) this week. Good thing I’ve got plenty of time!
Now for sleep. Maybe food. Even if work is more important. (Sunlight and fresh air? Pah!)
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
“Deadline” is a happy name.
I am in an unfortunate place, readers. (I’m not sure that should be plural.)
I have got to that horribly awkward stage of my work where I have made enough progress soon enough and close enough to the end that I know I can do the work in the time I have left, and have become horribly unmotivated.
I want the work done, and I want it done as soon as possible, but with the urgency completely pulled out from under me, and inspiration for the last few bits lacking (to say the least) not a lot seems to be getting done.
There are still a few complex thing I need to do, and I know there will inevitably be problems and changes I need to make at the last minute. (as there always is)
However, at the stage I am at, I feel (probably misguidedly) that I can cope with this.
So, new plan. Today I shall make a list of what I need to do, and start crossing things off. Hopefully as I see the list get shorter I will become more motivated!
It’s a horrible time for this too, with the last weak before Easter (and probably hand in, really.) I need to be getting stuff done! But I’m either doing it slowly or just not happy with it.
At least I KNOW I am slacking, so I can begin to deal with it!
(Annoyingly, any coding changes and stuff I need to do will have to wait, because my silly internet connection won’t do anything, and it is a miracle you are able to read this.)
I have got to that horribly awkward stage of my work where I have made enough progress soon enough and close enough to the end that I know I can do the work in the time I have left, and have become horribly unmotivated.
I want the work done, and I want it done as soon as possible, but with the urgency completely pulled out from under me, and inspiration for the last few bits lacking (to say the least) not a lot seems to be getting done.
There are still a few complex thing I need to do, and I know there will inevitably be problems and changes I need to make at the last minute. (as there always is)
However, at the stage I am at, I feel (probably misguidedly) that I can cope with this.
So, new plan. Today I shall make a list of what I need to do, and start crossing things off. Hopefully as I see the list get shorter I will become more motivated!
It’s a horrible time for this too, with the last weak before Easter (and probably hand in, really.) I need to be getting stuff done! But I’m either doing it slowly or just not happy with it.
At least I KNOW I am slacking, so I can begin to deal with it!
(Annoyingly, any coding changes and stuff I need to do will have to wait, because my silly internet connection won’t do anything, and it is a miracle you are able to read this.)
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Good thing it isn't a doctorate.
I realise this is a place to talk about our “Advanced practice 2” module, but I thought I would take a bit of a break to say… what have we really learnt from the practitioner lecture series?
My entire week has seen little progress because I have been trying to get a silly essay written about why ceramicists are relevant to my practice. (Also because a small fire broke out in my kitchen and the carbon monoxide has made me woozy.)
They are not.
Of course, in the “Critical analysis” I am wondering if it is best to write this, or maybe tip toe around the area to make it look like I’m not just being stubborn.
IF they want our opinions, should I give them it? Or will I get a better grade if I drone on and on about how much I have learnt without knowing it, and how my eyes are now open to the world of ceramics (and making fairy tales out of bean cans.)
While some have been more interesting, and even somewhat relevant (Negative space, interesting.) others have been so head bangingly pointless that I wonder why the university pay them to come talk at us. (Some animator guy – Showed us his animations for an hour while name dropping.)
So, I apologise for this little… bit of honest, but if I can’t whinge in my essay, I sure as hell can in my reflective diary.
And if one more person tries to tell me “We can all learn something from them, it reaches across all areas of design” I will throw something large, heavy and blunt in their general direction.
I want to work on my game, not some pompous “Image heavy critical analysis of blah blah snore…”
Damn you, Academia. Thou are a heartless wench.
My entire week has seen little progress because I have been trying to get a silly essay written about why ceramicists are relevant to my practice. (Also because a small fire broke out in my kitchen and the carbon monoxide has made me woozy.)
They are not.
Of course, in the “Critical analysis” I am wondering if it is best to write this, or maybe tip toe around the area to make it look like I’m not just being stubborn.
IF they want our opinions, should I give them it? Or will I get a better grade if I drone on and on about how much I have learnt without knowing it, and how my eyes are now open to the world of ceramics (and making fairy tales out of bean cans.)
While some have been more interesting, and even somewhat relevant (Negative space, interesting.) others have been so head bangingly pointless that I wonder why the university pay them to come talk at us. (Some animator guy – Showed us his animations for an hour while name dropping.)
So, I apologise for this little… bit of honest, but if I can’t whinge in my essay, I sure as hell can in my reflective diary.
And if one more person tries to tell me “We can all learn something from them, it reaches across all areas of design” I will throw something large, heavy and blunt in their general direction.
I want to work on my game, not some pompous “Image heavy critical analysis of blah blah snore…”
Damn you, Academia. Thou are a heartless wench.
Monday, 4 April 2011
Unity - can do awsome things.
Through the semester I have looked a lot at what I have been doing, so I thought it was time to look outside my little armature bubble and see what Unity can really do.
Hopefully, this will fire off some inspiration for next semester! Unity is a powerful engine, and while I am amazed that I have got a working game, I know it has been used to produce some great results.
Here are some I have found!
Max and the Magic Marker.
A fantastic concept, the player uses touch input to draw shapes that become physics objects and solve puzzle.
A simple take on a platformer that ‘Kirby Canvas Curse’ and ‘Yoshi’s Touch`n’Go’ tried in the early days of the DS, but only did to the point that you could draw tracks for the player to move on. This allows you to use it as a shield, a way to catch other objects (Like balloons, and fly) or, as stated, a simple bridge.
Spawning physics object of your own creation. Verdict? A bit beyond my years.
Paper Moon
Perhaps one of the most stylish Unity games, the thing about this great little game is that it could be made so easily. Platforms switching in and out of a 2D plane. Set 2 animation states on an object, set a button to switch between them, and make your world around it!
The style seems to also be very important, with only 2 colours and a paper cut out look, it’s defiantly charming.
Looks like Unity is good for platform games with simple game enhancing mechanics. Changing the environment somehow seems to be key. But just to be different, let’s look at...
Colorbind.
A simple little puzzle game where you drag your finger to create a path of “Paper” and link up coloured dots to different strips of folded paper.
A difficult concept to get my head around, but a very nice little game, especially for iPhone.
A bit slow paced for my taste, but a nice little idea (that I couldn’t hope to do)
I think the key would be to identify a very simple game with limited (Read: Simple) controls, that lots of levels could be made quickly once the mechanics are in place. Produce it for iPhone and get rich... err, I mean... a good grade.
Progress is slow on the game front this week, as I am trying to get my essay done. How do I say “Got bored of listening to ceramicists” in 1500 words without sounding like a jerk?
Hopefully, this will fire off some inspiration for next semester! Unity is a powerful engine, and while I am amazed that I have got a working game, I know it has been used to produce some great results.
Here are some I have found!
Max and the Magic Marker.
A fantastic concept, the player uses touch input to draw shapes that become physics objects and solve puzzle.
A simple take on a platformer that ‘Kirby Canvas Curse’ and ‘Yoshi’s Touch`n’Go’ tried in the early days of the DS, but only did to the point that you could draw tracks for the player to move on. This allows you to use it as a shield, a way to catch other objects (Like balloons, and fly) or, as stated, a simple bridge.
Spawning physics object of your own creation. Verdict? A bit beyond my years.
Paper Moon
Perhaps one of the most stylish Unity games, the thing about this great little game is that it could be made so easily. Platforms switching in and out of a 2D plane. Set 2 animation states on an object, set a button to switch between them, and make your world around it!
The style seems to also be very important, with only 2 colours and a paper cut out look, it’s defiantly charming.
Looks like Unity is good for platform games with simple game enhancing mechanics. Changing the environment somehow seems to be key. But just to be different, let’s look at...
Colorbind.
A simple little puzzle game where you drag your finger to create a path of “Paper” and link up coloured dots to different strips of folded paper.
A difficult concept to get my head around, but a very nice little game, especially for iPhone.
A bit slow paced for my taste, but a nice little idea (that I couldn’t hope to do)
I think the key would be to identify a very simple game with limited (Read: Simple) controls, that lots of levels could be made quickly once the mechanics are in place. Produce it for iPhone and get rich... err, I mean... a good grade.
Progress is slow on the game front this week, as I am trying to get my essay done. How do I say “Got bored of listening to ceramicists” in 1500 words without sounding like a jerk?
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Today’s achievement: Animated texture!
A quick note to tell you all about what I have done today!
Apart from other bits of work and dressing my beautiful set, I got to the point that I wanted to experiment with animating a texture to know if putting a conveyer belt in was viable.
…turns out it is!
I still need to wrap my head around the variables to make it animate right (and lay a texture out properly) but as it stands, I have a texture moving (Off setting itself) with a script! A script that has variables for all occasions!
Sometimes I wonder if I am teaching myself too much about unity. A guy did this for his 3rd semester! And I have 4 more levels!
Somehow, I will need to top this next semester… great… (Time to sabotage)
I’d have added a link, but it really is just a texture that moves a bit on an object.
Apart from other bits of work and dressing my beautiful set, I got to the point that I wanted to experiment with animating a texture to know if putting a conveyer belt in was viable.
…turns out it is!
I still need to wrap my head around the variables to make it animate right (and lay a texture out properly) but as it stands, I have a texture moving (Off setting itself) with a script! A script that has variables for all occasions!
Sometimes I wonder if I am teaching myself too much about unity. A guy did this for his 3rd semester! And I have 4 more levels!
Somehow, I will need to top this next semester… great… (Time to sabotage)
I’d have added a link, but it really is just a texture that moves a bit on an object.
Sunday, 27 March 2011
Its done. The game is done!
I know I’ve said this before, but it really is.
Every prop in the game has been modelled and textured, checked it works, and fixed accordingly.
I can officially say I’ve got it finished.
…But my high standards tell me that I am nowhere near the finish line.
Why?
Because it is barren and lifeless.
The decorations consist only of things that NEED to be in the level, and for me, this isn’t good enough. I like my scenes to be chocked full of detail. I want each room to have a purpose!
After all, why would a factory have lots of big empty rooms?
They wouldn’t.
This game is my baby, and I will make it perfect!
I’m not quite sure how yet, as there is a lot of space to fill. But I will do it.
This will look perfect.
And I can’t take it back now!
(I still hate texturing. But it seems painting a few bits of filth on everything makes it fit the scene, Thank you Photoshop brushes and soft light.)
So, what will I do?
Props! Props props props. Everything from machines to conveyer belts, to make it look like a factory.
But beyond this, I also want to add LIFE! A few animated characters, maybe they’ll just be stood there, maybe they will respond to the player touching them or going nearby. Perhaps they will be part of the environment! I would just like to give a greater sense of a grubby alien planet by putting in.. Grubby aliens!
Every prop in the game has been modelled and textured, checked it works, and fixed accordingly.
I can officially say I’ve got it finished.
…But my high standards tell me that I am nowhere near the finish line.
Why?
Because it is barren and lifeless.
The decorations consist only of things that NEED to be in the level, and for me, this isn’t good enough. I like my scenes to be chocked full of detail. I want each room to have a purpose!
After all, why would a factory have lots of big empty rooms?
They wouldn’t.
This game is my baby, and I will make it perfect!
I’m not quite sure how yet, as there is a lot of space to fill. But I will do it.
This will look perfect.
And I can’t take it back now!
(I still hate texturing. But it seems painting a few bits of filth on everything makes it fit the scene, Thank you Photoshop brushes and soft light.)
So, what will I do?
Props! Props props props. Everything from machines to conveyer belts, to make it look like a factory.
But beyond this, I also want to add LIFE! A few animated characters, maybe they’ll just be stood there, maybe they will respond to the player touching them or going nearby. Perhaps they will be part of the environment! I would just like to give a greater sense of a grubby alien planet by putting in.. Grubby aliens!
Monday, 21 March 2011
Semiotics... or visual cues!
With the current build of my level, I have found the same two pieces of feedback being given to me over and over.
Firstly, it is not clear that the door on the second level is behind the large crate.
Secondly, there is no indication as to which way the boxes get pushed.
Both of these are simply a lack of finish in the level, as I have not yet been able to create a way to lead the player into knowing these things (Without telling them outright.)
But now, the problems have solutions! I first created a sign that has been placed above all level endings. While this is useless on most levels, it means that I now have a way to indicate where a hidden or blocked door is. It is on all levels to maintain visual consistency
.
The crate direction problem is a bit different. I could create lowers bits of floor (Like a delivery network) or perhaps mark the route of the boxes.
Both of these are a little too obvious. So instead, I have opted to indicate that the boxes have been moved in various directions before. How? Skid marks! The ultimate way to show movement in a grubby environment.
Small floor markings will now be put near the crates to show initially what direction it will be moved. It is up to the player to remember beyond this.
With all the invisible walls and semiotics, this level design stuff just gets more complicated!
Firstly, it is not clear that the door on the second level is behind the large crate.
Secondly, there is no indication as to which way the boxes get pushed.
Both of these are simply a lack of finish in the level, as I have not yet been able to create a way to lead the player into knowing these things (Without telling them outright.)
But now, the problems have solutions! I first created a sign that has been placed above all level endings. While this is useless on most levels, it means that I now have a way to indicate where a hidden or blocked door is. It is on all levels to maintain visual consistency
.The crate direction problem is a bit different. I could create lowers bits of floor (Like a delivery network) or perhaps mark the route of the boxes.
Both of these are a little too obvious. So instead, I have opted to indicate that the boxes have been moved in various directions before. How? Skid marks! The ultimate way to show movement in a grubby environment.
Small floor markings will now be put near the crates to show initially what direction it will be moved. It is up to the player to remember beyond this.
With all the invisible walls and semiotics, this level design stuff just gets more complicated!
Sunday, 20 March 2011
I assume this would be a "Beta" Build.
Having toiled with getting the block maps made in Maya, made to look pretty, put back in unity, and fixed to the point that players dont start wandering off of the sides of things, I can now confirm that the game is fully operational! Camera and all!
What we have now is very simple art assets level wise, as well as most of the main assets that move/are interacted with (Doors, Crates, Portals. Switches to come soon.)
All of the level loading, camera moving, triggerd events and other widgets are sorted. It really is just a case of making the level look fancy and sorting out the lighting.
Now, I'll let you enjoy 5 levels of pain staking, block pushing fantasticness.
Click here to play! (Not in an iFrame so that no clipping occours.)
Obvsiouly it still has a few minor hiccups. Sorry!
I will fix t hese as and when I find them/know how.
What we have now is very simple art assets level wise, as well as most of the main assets that move/are interacted with (Doors, Crates, Portals. Switches to come soon.)
All of the level loading, camera moving, triggerd events and other widgets are sorted. It really is just a case of making the level look fancy and sorting out the lighting.
Now, I'll let you enjoy 5 levels of pain staking, block pushing fantasticness.
Click here to play! (Not in an iFrame so that no clipping occours.)
Obvsiouly it still has a few minor hiccups. Sorry!
I will fix t hese as and when I find them/know how.
Wednesday, 16 March 2011
Not so genius
The process of recreating my block maps in Maya, after having built them perfectly to scale in Unity, recreating them to the right size so I can import it back into Unity with the art assets... I’m getting confused just writing it.
Having made my first attempt at level one using a pre-created square of platform, I managed to create a mess.
The plan was to use a small pre-made platform and tile it, changing the railings and creating whatever shape I needed.
The problem here was that it was not symmetrical, so I spent more time tweaking it than it actually saved.
So, here I am, back at the starting line. A lot further ahead already, having made a block map (Well, more of an untextured blocky level) and ready to start decorating and importing.
What have we learnt here? You cannot tile a 3D model! And 3D isn’t my strong suit.
I have a blog written about my so called “Genius” of using models that tile so that I can change them to fit a particular size. I’ll post it next, so we can all laugh at how pathetically delusional I was.
Having made my first attempt at level one using a pre-created square of platform, I managed to create a mess.
The plan was to use a small pre-made platform and tile it, changing the railings and creating whatever shape I needed.
The problem here was that it was not symmetrical, so I spent more time tweaking it than it actually saved.
So, here I am, back at the starting line. A lot further ahead already, having made a block map (Well, more of an untextured blocky level) and ready to start decorating and importing.
What have we learnt here? You cannot tile a 3D model! And 3D isn’t my strong suit.
I have a blog written about my so called “Genius” of using models that tile so that I can change them to fit a particular size. I’ll post it next, so we can all laugh at how pathetically delusional I was.
Sunday, 13 March 2011
Mechanical Growth
Please excuse the clever lame title, but “Stuff that I didn’t think of” Seemd likea less whimsical title.
What I would like to talk to you today is not so much a problem, but an effect of design that I have realised (as I imagine most people do quicker than I have) that through creating a game, sometimes you need to create additional mechanics to make the game more exciting or dynamic.
In my case, this is opening door switches and teleporting blocks, but this defiantly isn’t the first time I came across this.
During my final year of my undergraduate, Both my game design and my futures game pitch began as one idea (two ideas?) and quickly evolved with the consideration of game play.
In Playdoh Crusade, my Games Design module, The characters would craft weapons from a substance found within the battlefield.
With this, I had to solve the problem of players dyeing when they where taking it back, the strength of the weapons, what would happen to these weapons upon a players death, and of course, defining how it was found, used and processed into a weapon.
Complicated and unessacerry stuff about my 3rd year:
For reasons I can not begin to remember, I had the players drying out Playdoh by carrying it around, so that the player could not take it from them. If they didn’t, the crafted product would be avalible to the enemy upon the wielders death
So, while a game can start off as one idea, when you put a person in control of the game, you quickly find the holes that you otherwise wouldn’t have seen. (Except me, I always see them, as I am perfect) or begin to include mechanics to vary the game play a bit.
Once upon a time, this was a power up. Now its just good game design.
(Also, remind me to do my next blog on the pain in the arse-ness of having to stick walls and knick-knacks in levels to keep the player out of places.)
What I would like to talk to you today is not so much a problem, but an effect of design that I have realised (as I imagine most people do quicker than I have) that through creating a game, sometimes you need to create additional mechanics to make the game more exciting or dynamic.
In my case, this is opening door switches and teleporting blocks, but this defiantly isn’t the first time I came across this.
During my final year of my undergraduate, Both my game design and my futures game pitch began as one idea (two ideas?) and quickly evolved with the consideration of game play.
In Playdoh Crusade, my Games Design module, The characters would craft weapons from a substance found within the battlefield.
With this, I had to solve the problem of players dyeing when they where taking it back, the strength of the weapons, what would happen to these weapons upon a players death, and of course, defining how it was found, used and processed into a weapon.
Complicated and unessacerry stuff about my 3rd year:
For reasons I can not begin to remember, I had the players drying out Playdoh by carrying it around, so that the player could not take it from them. If they didn’t, the crafted product would be avalible to the enemy upon the wielders death
So, while a game can start off as one idea, when you put a person in control of the game, you quickly find the holes that you otherwise wouldn’t have seen. (Except me, I always see them, as I am perfect) or begin to include mechanics to vary the game play a bit.
Once upon a time, this was a power up. Now its just good game design.
(Also, remind me to do my next blog on the pain in the arse-ness of having to stick walls and knick-knacks in levels to keep the player out of places.)
Building walls
You know what’s annoying when you build a level?
Knowing players are smart enough to try and break it.
For every inch of floor I put in, for every puzzle I lay out, and for every platform I raise, I know someone, somewhere (Yes, you. Jerk.) will want to find a way to ‘cheat’ (Not do what I tell them.)
So now that I have working block maps of all but one of my levels, I have found where the issues lie, and have started to PUT WALLS UP ALL OVER THE PLACE!
Coming up with an excuse to blocks bits of the level is a massive pain in the arse.
If my levels turn into a big wall-ey mess. You know who to blame.
Yourself!
Knowing players are smart enough to try and break it.
For every inch of floor I put in, for every puzzle I lay out, and for every platform I raise, I know someone, somewhere (Yes, you. Jerk.) will want to find a way to ‘cheat’ (Not do what I tell them.)
So now that I have working block maps of all but one of my levels, I have found where the issues lie, and have started to PUT WALLS UP ALL OVER THE PLACE!
Coming up with an excuse to blocks bits of the level is a massive pain in the arse.
If my levels turn into a big wall-ey mess. You know who to blame.
Yourself!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)