Weekly summary

These are the finished results for my study.  However, as seen in the screen shot below I haven't been able to get the high poly bake right and the normal maps haven't been working. In the end I was able to get the normal map to work on the magazine drum for the model. But for the rest of the model, it didn't work. On the plus side, I understand PBR and how to create the maps for PBR.

This image are some Maya renders of the high poly sci-fi gun

These following two renders are of the low poly model with assign maps. However, in Maya I haven't been able to assign all of the maps to the model. I was only able to assign the albedo and normal maps to the model, as I don't know where the other two maps go in Maya. However, I imported the model in to UE4 and manage to assign all of the maps to the model.  This can been on the UE4 render sheet below 

Research for Essay

For my essay in year two, we have to write a 3000 word essay about creating coherent worlds. For this we have to look at how old forms of entertainment and where games have gain their influences which helped them create the worlds within them.

I am currently looking at Alice in Wonderland, for not only being one of my favorite stories but it's quite a fascinating book as it explores the imagination and plays with logic.

For instance, one of my favorite quotes from the book it heavily implies imagination is a powerful thing:

 “Imagination is the only weapon in the war against reality.” 
― Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

Imagination is a rather important factor to games, either it be during the development for a game to the person whom is playing the game. To those whom play games will often find themselves lost within the game as it does fulfill the imagination of the player. Further more, games are often seen as a escape from reality (and for relaxation).  This goes in part to this quote from Alice in Wonderland. 

The idea of escaping reality to your own 'wonderland' can also been seen in the Tim Burton's adaptation of Carroll's Alice in Wonderland, Alice finds herself in a world that is serious, finding herself in a dilemma and at risk of loosing herself, she then escapes to Wonderland. It's in wonderland, though she have to fight the Jabberwocky (like a gamer facing a boss fight in a game), she is in a familiar place she feels comfortable in. From this, she finds herself again and comes back to reality a stronger person for it.

From these, they remind me what someone would have to go through a game: finding themselves in a dilemma; go through missions or a long quest to fighting the final boss. 

But also these remind me of what someone would gain from playing a game: Needing to escape reality, lose themselves in a world that they are familiar with and then reemerging back into reality feeling themselves again and feel better for it.

Articles about games and escapism : 

http://gac.sagepub.com/content/5/4/335.short?rss=1&ssource=mfr

http://www.polygon.com/2013/3/28/4159254/jane-mcgonigal-video-game-escapism

Images from: aliceinwonderland.wikia.com

http://www.historytoday.com/richard-cavendish/alice-wonderland-story-first-told

Weekly summary

This week I realized I was being very ambitious to want to get two models down before the Christmas break. So I decided to stick with the browning.  However, from group crit I was suggested that I should make my browning more  sci-fi to fit into a BioWare (My dream studio I want to work for) game such as Mass Effect. So I done some iterations over my M2 browning renders and took to Facebook to ask people's opinion to which iteration looks best. Iteration 2 got the most positive feedback. I've also made a new mood board for sci-fi guns.

Also, we began to look at PBR which is a different and more current technique used in the games industry. Instead of using Normal, Defuse and Spec maps we now have to use:

Albedo maps: These have base colour that doesn't have no lighting information on it

Metal maps: These are maps are used to indicate if a model is metal or not. With this map you have to use either black or white to indicate metal or non metal materials

Normal: Same as before but use high poly model to get the normal map, instead of a hight map

Roughness: This indicate how smooth an object is and works in grey scale

This image below was the progress I made on M2 browning model before I change the direction of the model to a sci-fi heavy machine gun.


In addition to these, I've been looking at forums to look at how to  do roughness maps for my models.
I found a helpful forum post that helped me a lot for the roughness maps http://polycount.com/discussion/138413/how-to-create-roughness-map-in-photoshop

Weekly summary

This week we began our the second half of BA2a, and for the second half of this unit we are doing art test.
But before we start the art test we are doing studies to get us ready for the art tests.
For the studies and the art test I am going down the 3D specialism route. From this, in the workshops I began to look at high poly modeling.

This is different to what I am use to as for high poly modeling, you have to be able to drop a edge loop tool within the model and then once you've finished high poly modeling, smooth it and export it ready to be backed out as a normal map.

To begin with, I looked at 3D job roles within the industry and what they require. The studios I looked at are: BioWare, Zenimax, Ubisoft and Ready At Dawn.  Also, I started off with some mood boards of what I would like to create for studies.

My goal within the next three weeks (hopefully) is to create two models: A Victorian Horse carriage and a Browning heavy machine gun.


Here are some mood boards where I looked for influence for my mood board. I am going to start off working on the M2 browning. Also below these are some of my results from looking at 3D artist job descriptions:

Games Jam

Games Jam! 

This week at uni, we have been tasked to create a game in a small team and we must create a prototype game within a week.

Though it has been stressful, I enjoyed my time doing this games jam. It was exciting to see 

the team I was in to create a decent prototype game within a week.

It was also great to see the reactions to others playing our game

Here's a few pictures of people playing our game:

 

Weekly summary

This week I have been trying to finish off my game prototype. Here are some screen shots from within the game. 

For my game prototype, I used some free chair assets which I obtain from: http://www.michalorzelek.com/blog/3d-model-chairs/

Note: These two screen shots below are two mechanics you pick up in the game. 1. this is a steam gauge compass (this is the stealth mechanic) that you pick up within the dollhouse, and once you leave the dollhouse becomes a HUD item which becomes the vital part of the game. However, at the moment I have not been able to implement that to the prototype and if I have enough time I will try to implement this to my game.

2. though this is a sphere, in the 'final' game this would be a heart. This is the bigger heart that Ziggy gains which will give him the courage to fight the demonic toys around the toy shop. Once picked up, the same with screen shot 1, will be place on the HUD and become the courage mechanic of the game explained in the pitch document.

One thing I would like to add if I have time to do so, is to make the game end. As for the moment, you get the last pick up (which in the final game would transfer you from the dollhouse to the main toy shop) and nothing happens and the game won't end and you'll be left wandering the dollhouse. I want to change this, but only if I have the time to do so.

1. 

2.

In addition to this, I manage to get some people to play test my game prototype. The picture below show a mate play testing my game prototype

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Weekly summary

This week I had a my presentation which I presented my pitch document.
The images below are of the slides for my pitch document.
Note: These are the slides for my pitch document with the tweaks I was suggested to do, to make my pitch doc look better.

As I am writing this post, I am still working on my prototype

Weekly summary

This week I have mainly been working on my pitch document for it to be presented next week.

Here are some of the slides for my pitch document. I have more, but I want to add a few more tweaks to them before I upload them and before I present them next week. Also I manage to get some audio for my game prototype for both a sound trigger and for the background music.

I got the audio for my game prototype from:
http://soundbible.com which I used the Kid laugh audio for a sound trigger.
For the music in the background of my game prototype I used hide and seek from free SFX (http://www.freesfx.co.uk)

Week Summary

Unfortunately due to some unforeseen circumstances and my power supply unit blowing up - to which I couldn't do any work on my PC. Unfortunately I couldn't work off USB at uni either, as before I could backup my files on my USB, the power supply unit failed. So I couldn't do any work last week nor post a weekly update.  

Moving on:
Whilst at uni, I manage to get started on my game prototype and manage to get some assets done for my prototype. I wanted some environment pieces to look a specific way, which I couldn't do within UE4. I also manage to get started on my pitch document.

Here are some slides from my pitch document. The first slide also display the Dollhouse asset I created for my game prototype.
From last week, I was able to take notes the good 'ol fashion way and I've made some choices about what my I want game prototype is going to show.

For my prototype I am going to base it within a dollhouse, which from my research I want to have the player led into a false sense of security and so the player can grasp the basics of the game's controls.
When the player will start within the dollhouse and think they are normal size, however once the tutorial level is competed (this is where the prototype will end)they will end up in the toy shop, which they will be small and the enviroment will be big , to make the player feel insecure.

Research for Prototype

To further my research that I've have already done, I've been looking at more playthroughs of Among the sleep, Five Nights at Freddie's, Affected: The Carnival and Alien Isolation. I have also manage to play Alien Isolation to get a feel for the mechanics myself.

In addition, I've done more mood boards for the aesthetics of my game prototype. This mood boards depitc the tone I want for my game, the demonic toys I want in the game and lastly how I want my main character (Ziggy which I am now calling my character) to look like.

From my research into horror games, I've notice that for most horror games the tutorials in horror games or at least the first part of game they leave the player into a false sense of security. So when the scary aspects of the game are introduced, it makes the scary moments more intense. I want to add this aspect into my game prototype. Also from my research, I have gone away the 2D side scrolling game I originally wanted, and instead want to have the game in a 1st person view.

 My experience from playing Alien Isolation:

From playing Alien Isolation, they have an interesting mechanic of being hunted and chased. This plays on our natural fears and which in turns makes us want to run or hide. In Isolation you are encourage to hide, as you cannot attack the alien or you will die. If you make enough noise, they Xenomorph will hunt you down and kill you. Which makes it more scary, as you cannot fight the Xenomorph your only option is to hide.

These are some screen shots from my playthrough of Alien Isolation. These were captured from the PS4 share feature  

More walkthroughs I've been looking at: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c7RD_a4XjNA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU5JJraK7jQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iOztnsBPrAA

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zHi4SEVAJt8