The final week was spent finalising all assets textures and lighting the map. I wanted the lighting done inside the tunnel quickly to showcase my emmisive maps and see if there would be any problems on the tunnel walls but this was left very late in my opinion.
After the final presentation, we received feedback saying the lighting in the tunnel needed work - as most of us were aware we had left it late in the day for lighting this came as no surprise. I also wanted the lights in the tunnel to be orange and look like I had planned in Maya, however as Molly was in charge of the Unity aspect, she did not find enough time to play around and achieve the effect.
Overall, I feel the project has turned out well. We have a working Easter Island style level, full of assets with a working boss battle. All other aspects not included were down to coding issues. I feel that most of the team put in their best effort and everyone did the same amount of hours of work.
Wednesday, 9 April 2014
Sunday, 6 April 2014
Week 11
This week everything was inside Unity with camera setup working. There was issues with the boss spline and how the camera would suddenly jump to spinning around the boss however and the camera went through the walls of the tunnel at some points but Molly worked to fix them.
Now all the assets were placed we could see what areas needed changing. One issue was the entrance to the tunnel. As the tunnel was made of a single plane and the terrain was as well, there were some gaps and faces poking through the ground. To counteract this, I came up with the idea of a tunnel entrance archway like train tunnels have. As this was my idea I took the task on and modelled, UV'd and textured this asset. I took inspiration from train tunnel entrances.
Now all the assets were placed we could see what areas needed changing. One issue was the entrance to the tunnel. As the tunnel was made of a single plane and the terrain was as well, there were some gaps and faces poking through the ground. To counteract this, I came up with the idea of a tunnel entrance archway like train tunnels have. As this was my idea I took the task on and modelled, UV'd and textured this asset. I took inspiration from train tunnel entrances.
I also felt that the tunnel did not look rocky enough and other areas of the map could use some more interest and rubble so I modelled some rocks using some steps from the following tutorial
Tales of Nalstone. (2014). Realistic Seamless Low Poly Rock. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3J-Hd6OqqNM. Last accessed 10/04/2014.
I created two textures so Molly could interchange them in Unity to make difference in the level. I also created single rocks and one rock pile. This way Molly can position them in different amounts as well as different places.
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Week 9 and 10
After the alpha we created yet another new plan to keep us on track. We made sure to not underestimate the time it would take to get things done, accounting in time for unexpected errors.
- One of the main areas for the group to focus on was improving textures. One of the main areas I focused on was my Easter Island head cave supports as the original diffuse was a simple grey rock texture. I wanted to make them fit in with the style of the boss so I used the idea of glowing cracks in them (using an emmisive like I had done with the mine carts). I changed the colour to blue to show how the supports are part of the alien technology.
- In order to add more interest to the walls of the tunnel it was suggested to add variation. I first tried extruding the faces but this lead to stretching on the texture and the extrusions did not look realistic. I then tried moving some of the vertices out to make the tunnel walls less smooth. This work better but I still did not fully understand the best way to create roughness on the walls. In order to fix this, Rob took over the tunnel as he had just used a technique on the valley involving edge loops and edge extruding that could be applied to the tunnel. I then continued to work on my other assets while he completed this task.
- I did a quick list of what needed to get done to help Rob the team leader out as he was busy. This helped us visualize what was still left to be done.
- I did a quick list of what needed to get done to help Rob the team leader out as he was busy. This helped us visualize what was still left to be done.
Sunday, 9 March 2014
Week 7 and 8
During Week 7 there was a change in team leader, with Rob taking over from Molly. This turned out to be a good move for the team as the new leader made a new plan of action to get us on track for alpha presentation and the communication between the team improved. Rob also made sure no one was taking on too much work or vice versa by reassigning some job roles, with the terrain being split up. I took over control of the tunnel as I had all the assets inside the tunnel. Molly took over the role of Unity, Reece was tasked with animation whilst Luke and Rob did other environment work.
I felt that this would help as I wanted to see everything get into Unity for weeks prior and reorganising the job roles made this more likely to happen.
There was quite an in-depth conversation about whether or not the mine cart track should follow the exact centre of the tunnel. Although this would be more accurate to real life, I felt that it wouldn't look very interesting for the player to simply be following a track through the tunnel. It would also make the idea of dodging pillars and crates less easy to implement as the player could just safely follow the track through the centre of the tunnel as there would be no central pillars to dodge.
Week 8 was the alpha presentation so our group went through a crunch to get everything done in time. We made sure that everything was modelled, UV'd and had at least base textures on. I focused on getting the tunnel and tracks textured.
I felt that this would help as I wanted to see everything get into Unity for weeks prior and reorganising the job roles made this more likely to happen.
There was quite an in-depth conversation about whether or not the mine cart track should follow the exact centre of the tunnel. Although this would be more accurate to real life, I felt that it wouldn't look very interesting for the player to simply be following a track through the tunnel. It would also make the idea of dodging pillars and crates less easy to implement as the player could just safely follow the track through the centre of the tunnel as there would be no central pillars to dodge.
Week 8 was the alpha presentation so our group went through a crunch to get everything done in time. We made sure that everything was modelled, UV'd and had at least base textures on. I focused on getting the tunnel and tracks textured.
When working on the walls of my tunnel I found an issue with the normals on the walls. The original normal map that I added was too rough but the walls needed some form of normals to look rock-like. To counteract this I smoothed the normal map in Photoshop with a small amount of surface blur. This reduced the noise yet kept the effect of the normal map. I added in some lighting to show the effect this would have when put in game.
No Normals
Harsh Normals
Smoothed Normals using Surface Blur in Photoshop
Wednesday, 19 February 2014
Week 5 and 6
Other assets to include in the tunnel were lanterns, track, carts and some cave supports. I had already modelled the carts and tracks so I then began to model the lanterns.
Again with the lanterns I created a number of variations to see which one would fit the scene best. I decided on the square version (highlighted in this image) as it fit well with the design of the mine carts.
Again with the lanterns I created a number of variations to see which one would fit the scene best. I decided on the square version (highlighted in this image) as it fit well with the design of the mine carts.
I uploaded track pieces, a mine cart and a lantern so the tunnel can start to be populated with some assets. If needs be I can go back and change the scale but I felt we needed to at least see how things imported into Unity before making too many assets.
After deciding on the mine cart model to use I set about UVing and texturing the carts to see if my idea of a blue light around the centre would work. I created a diffuse and then added an emmisive in order to get the blue glow. I feel this has worked well and help show the carts are of an alien origin not human based.
-Over the course of the weeks the scale of the tunnel and tracks has been an issue. I made a route though the tunnel with the modular pieces of track I created and then merged them all together. The original track was much too large for the tunnel and came close to the walls at some points so I scaled it down and the tunnel up to create more a difference.
(before on left, after on right)
Wednesday, 12 February 2014
Week 3 and 4
Week 3- Presentation work
All of week 3 was spent creating a powerpoint presentation in a group. We focused on making the powerpoint look professional with lots of images of concepts and talking about our planning and any difficulties we thought we would face.
Week 4 - starting to model
I prioritised the track and mining equipment for inside the tunnel as this will be our third-person area so it needs to look good. These assets also help the player make sense of what the tunnel is used for in relation to the story and level.
Tracks: I used bend deformers and created straight, 45 and 90 angle pieces. I will go back and alter these later on as we do not have a final layout yet.
Mine carts: I created 4 quick concepts in Maya and asked for opinions from the group on which one would be best used in game. The idea behind the carts was to make them look like alien tech but have a simple design. I aim to make them look like they hover above the track on some form of magnetic trip and will use an emmisive to make them glow blue.
Issues at this stage: Scale of the level needs to be worked out still. We are creating assets without fully understanding the scale that will be used in Unity. Although all the assets can be scaled inside the engine it would make a lot more sense to have the correct scale in Maya and build more correctly from the start. This issue is being solved by the team leader who is going to work out the scale and let us all know as soon as possible.
All of week 3 was spent creating a powerpoint presentation in a group. We focused on making the powerpoint look professional with lots of images of concepts and talking about our planning and any difficulties we thought we would face.
Week 4 - starting to model
I prioritised the track and mining equipment for inside the tunnel as this will be our third-person area so it needs to look good. These assets also help the player make sense of what the tunnel is used for in relation to the story and level.
Tracks: I used bend deformers and created straight, 45 and 90 angle pieces. I will go back and alter these later on as we do not have a final layout yet.
Mine carts: I created 4 quick concepts in Maya and asked for opinions from the group on which one would be best used in game. The idea behind the carts was to make them look like alien tech but have a simple design. I aim to make them look like they hover above the track on some form of magnetic trip and will use an emmisive to make them glow blue.
Issues at this stage: Scale of the level needs to be worked out still. We are creating assets without fully understanding the scale that will be used in Unity. Although all the assets can be scaled inside the engine it would make a lot more sense to have the correct scale in Maya and build more correctly from the start. This issue is being solved by the team leader who is going to work out the scale and let us all know as soon as possible.
Sunday, 2 February 2014
Week 1 and 2 - Intro, Concepts and Research
This module, Applied Game Art Production, is focused on creating a level for a mobile phone game known as Invasion. The game is based around a simple concept. Aliens came to our planet thousands of years ago and planted their technology for use at a future date. They have now returned and are awakening the technology for a full scale invasion of our world. Game play is focused on piloting a helicopter through each level. The camera view can be switched between a top-down viewpoint and a first-person viewpoint to add some interest in each level.
The first step in this project was getting into groups. I joined a group with 4 others (molly, Freeman, Robert Leach, Luke Phillips and Reece O'Connor) and we set to work.
First order of business was electing a team leader who would manage and coordinate the team. Molly stepped forward and we all agreed. I felt this was a good choice as Molly is a reliable person and highly organised.
After nominating a leader we all set about coming up with an idea and researching possibilities. My first idea was an Egyptian based level with the pyramids housing the alien technology. Other ideas included Rome's coliseum, London city (half-converted to alien technology) and other sites with historical monuments.
We eventually settled in the idea of Easter Island. We chose this idea for a number of reasons. Firstly, the famous Easter Island heads can be used as a perfect example of alien technology that was placed there thousands of years ago. We had the idea to make the heads come to life, move and help the aliens in their invasion. This will be good when creating models as we can a number of variations of heads and different places they are found along the island. Secondly, Easter Island has a number of different kinds of terrain, from beaches, to grasslands to dormant volcanoes. This will make the level seem more interesting if we create transitions between these areas.
After finalizing the idea of Easter Island, we each took some time to think of some ideas on what could be placed in the level and a map and route was planned out by Robert Leach. We wanted to include a number of different areas to make the level seem more interesting so the final plan is as follows. We decided to start at the beach, go through a tunnel, over a town and finally into the boss area. The beach area would include a set of sea defences that the player must shoot down to pass through. The tunnel will be a mining operation by the aliens and be an area transition from the fertile grasslands near the coast to the more desolate wastelands of the volcanoes. We wanted to add diversity so decided that the tunnel should start to include a small amount of lava towards the end to make the player try to figure out what is coming up ahead. The final area will be a boss fight area in the base of the volcano. The volcanoes on Easter Island are dormant however we felt that to add interest, the boss would awaken, reawakening the volcano and creating lava plumes and fire to make the boss fight have some drama.
When planning out the route we had to think about the limitations of working on mobile development. One of the main issues is occlusion - boxing in the level - to make sure the entire level is not being rendered at once. To counteract this, we have made open areas use the top-down scrolling view whilst when entering the tunnel we have it switch to first person as that area will be enclosed.
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Once working out a basic level plan we could then look into what assets would be used. We came up with a basic list of what would be in the level, such as alien technology, supplies, different heads and basic trees and rocks. We then divided the work load between us all. I came up with the idea that we should all have one large prop/asset to work on and then we can all pitch in and help with making the smaller assets. The 5 main big props/areas in our scene will be as follows:
1) The Boss (Luke)
2) Stone heads (Reece)
3) Sea defence pillars (Rob)
4) Stone archway inside the tunnel (Me)
5) Terrain (Molly)
Molly now created a Gantt Chart with each of us as a different colour to use for this project to enable us all to keep on track and reach deadlines. Small milestones were set on a weekly basis to make it easier to see how the project would be split up.
The first step in this project was getting into groups. I joined a group with 4 others (molly, Freeman, Robert Leach, Luke Phillips and Reece O'Connor) and we set to work.
First order of business was electing a team leader who would manage and coordinate the team. Molly stepped forward and we all agreed. I felt this was a good choice as Molly is a reliable person and highly organised.
After nominating a leader we all set about coming up with an idea and researching possibilities. My first idea was an Egyptian based level with the pyramids housing the alien technology. Other ideas included Rome's coliseum, London city (half-converted to alien technology) and other sites with historical monuments.
We eventually settled in the idea of Easter Island. We chose this idea for a number of reasons. Firstly, the famous Easter Island heads can be used as a perfect example of alien technology that was placed there thousands of years ago. We had the idea to make the heads come to life, move and help the aliens in their invasion. This will be good when creating models as we can a number of variations of heads and different places they are found along the island. Secondly, Easter Island has a number of different kinds of terrain, from beaches, to grasslands to dormant volcanoes. This will make the level seem more interesting if we create transitions between these areas.
After finalizing the idea of Easter Island, we each took some time to think of some ideas on what could be placed in the level and a map and route was planned out by Robert Leach. We wanted to include a number of different areas to make the level seem more interesting so the final plan is as follows. We decided to start at the beach, go through a tunnel, over a town and finally into the boss area. The beach area would include a set of sea defences that the player must shoot down to pass through. The tunnel will be a mining operation by the aliens and be an area transition from the fertile grasslands near the coast to the more desolate wastelands of the volcanoes. We wanted to add diversity so decided that the tunnel should start to include a small amount of lava towards the end to make the player try to figure out what is coming up ahead. The final area will be a boss fight area in the base of the volcano. The volcanoes on Easter Island are dormant however we felt that to add interest, the boss would awaken, reawakening the volcano and creating lava plumes and fire to make the boss fight have some drama.
When planning out the route we had to think about the limitations of working on mobile development. One of the main issues is occlusion - boxing in the level - to make sure the entire level is not being rendered at once. To counteract this, we have made open areas use the top-down scrolling view whilst when entering the tunnel we have it switch to first person as that area will be enclosed.
Once working out a basic level plan we could then look into what assets would be used. We came up with a basic list of what would be in the level, such as alien technology, supplies, different heads and basic trees and rocks. We then divided the work load between us all. I came up with the idea that we should all have one large prop/asset to work on and then we can all pitch in and help with making the smaller assets. The 5 main big props/areas in our scene will be as follows:
1) The Boss (Luke)
2) Stone heads (Reece)
3) Sea defence pillars (Rob)
4) Stone archway inside the tunnel (Me)
5) Terrain (Molly)
Molly now created a Gantt Chart with each of us as a different colour to use for this project to enable us all to keep on track and reach deadlines. Small milestones were set on a weekly basis to make it easier to see how the project would be split up.
My main prop for the project is to be the contents of the tunnel (cave lights, railway track and carts and the large stone support pillars inside) so I now set about concepting and researching different designs for these assets.
I wanted to make sure the inside of the mining tunnel looks like it was created by the aliens so came up with the idea to have a slightly futuristic aspect to the assets by running a blue light around them to look like they are powered by alien technology.
For the stone archway supports, I wanted to make it seem like the Easter Island heads were working for/made by the aliens so made it seem like they had walked over the island to reach the mining effort and help hold up the tunnel (much like robotic mining equipment).
I wanted to make sure the inside of the mining tunnel looks like it was created by the aliens so came up with the idea to have a slightly futuristic aspect to the assets by running a blue light around them to look like they are powered by alien technology.
For the stone archway supports, I wanted to make it seem like the Easter Island heads were working for/made by the aliens so made it seem like they had walked over the island to reach the mining effort and help hold up the tunnel (much like robotic mining equipment).
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