Videos of my level/reflection

Reflection:

Making this game has been a fun experience for me to do but there were parts that made me want to just give up when things didn't come together. These issues were mostly to do with either coding not working or unity just hating me, some of the bad things were mostly with modeling and and trying to get everything ready to be placed into my level. Becaues you spend most the time inside the 3d modeled 'level' i spent little time on the outside environment texture wise. I added a dust storm particle effect but the added light makes it harder to see in the video, with texturing my 3d level could have been better. I just wanted it to be done fast and didnt put much thought into it, guess thats one of my main faults, just wanted to get everything done fast and have it in working order.

One more major thing is to put more effort and work into this actually blog....yeah guess thats it.

More pictures of level

here a few more pictures of my environment

no need for enemies

So yeah been told by a few people and justin that i had no need for enemies for my level.Since justin will be mainly focusing on the actualy environment and addons.also been told that i need more posts which is worrying me cause i don't know what else to talk about.

Title screens etc

Whelp here are my mainmenu screen,help,credits and gameover screen that are linked to my level.Most of the pictures are just random things i found from google and modified myself in photoshop.I know i know credit screen is crap.

Thank god for friends

well i truely am in debt to 'Hopper' he gave me his terrain with no textures on it to help me, thank you so much man /brofist.
well now that i have a terrain partially done(didnt give me his completed one) i can speed things along.

More problems

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOo CURSE YOU UNITY FOR WIPING MY WORK.

well yeah most of my work is gone but no fear for i shall rebuild the terrain again, good thing y i have all the files i used in another folder.

Props for level

some model i've done as props for my level, these were the only ones i could import properly so i added some of the ones from the fps tutorial.

substitue has been found for enemy models

Ok i will be using the same model we are using in my programing class for unity as an enemy since i'm running out of time and its jsut there and ready to go now that i have put my coding on it. Knowing justin i may loose marks because of using a model that isnt mine but well best to use what you can find :D.

Issues with models

Seems i made the model to high in the poly count and now its having issues with my laptop so i am starting to panick that i wont have anything as far as being an enemy in my level.

HUD for level

this is what i kinda wanted my HUD to look like but it just wouldnt work. Then i got help from Alex and now it looks cool,heres a pic of it.

its loosely based of the one from FPS tutorial we did in unity programing,but with more alienised skin with symbols representing health and ammo.

Why is it in the lower corner?:

Well i made it small and in the lower corner so it doesnt distract or annoy the player as they move through my level.This is also influenced by Prey where the HUD is shown at the bottom of the screen so as to keep out of the way, i believe this is a good idea and place because a big HUD may distract players and end up getting them frustrated and angry.

This HUD displays 3 things, Health,Ammo for machinegun and Ammo for rocketlauncher. These are the main mechanics the players use and must keep track on if they wish to complete the level.

3Dmodel update

finally spent some time creating one of the model i hope to implement onto my level. hopefully nothing go's wrong >.<

Immersion/atmosphereand control

Somthings i will implement into my level are game mechanics or player interactions to create atmosphere and immersion that will really get the player into my level. One of the main mechanics if i can label it that what is both lighting and particle effects.There will be little light in my level so as to create a dark and scary atmosphere so as to give the player a real fright when they fight and enemy, which would be another mechanic in my level.Fighting in most games are what can really get more out of the player as they must react quickly in order to survive and triumph.
To go along with the level being dark and spooky i added in some background sounds such as footsteps when your character is walking and eerie music that will play throughout the level, this going with the sound of strong wind when you exit the main building and fall into the main environment.


Disabled Thought:
Thought popped up during a speach the lecturer was giving about players who might be disabled and then it hit me, i didn't do/talk about anything that might enable people like that to play my game.Guess one thing would be a feature to add more light for those with bad eyesight, maybe a colour blind feature and that i can really see being done.

Unity environment

Screenshot of how my 'environment' looks.

Particle effects are refering to a dust storm/cloud that effect the environment.

Controls

Can't believe i actauly forgot about mention something that is actually really important to any game.Anyway i am going to stick to the normal movement keys being WASD with spacebar being jump,left click being shoot and 1/2 being what to push to change weapons. I chose these buttons because they are easy to use and people know them from other games.

Games such as prey and call of duty, Since the game/level is based mainly for PC use and it would be costly to make a controler ment only for this game. Some may find it impossible to use and not like where as everyone is used to the basic FPS keyboard keys.

level update

just an update and how my 3d levels layout is coming along

Texture references

while working on my Main levels model ie the building i did some quick research to see what kinda textures i would might on it, here are some of the references i found.

Level:

Objectives

I've decided to only have one objective due to me having less time to build my level because of other tafe work.
It still is a major if not the only objective that would really be need for a singular level and it's the kill the 'Boss' shown in the circular area of the levels layout.

Assets

As instructed by our lecturer we were given the task of writing down all assests we would be needing in our game level such as model,texutres,sounds and mechanics.

for my level the assets i need are listed below:
Sound-
background music
-something creepy
object/environment sounds
-wind sound
model sounds
-footsteps of character

Models-
Level ( building most of it in 3dmax)
character models
props
-barrels
-crates
-Cryotube
weapon models

Textures-
Level texture
- 3d level ( will take a long time to make)
weapon/prop texture
-crates
-barrel
-cryotube
character model texture
- may not be needed




I guess more will be needed but this is all i can think of for now.

update on blueprint

here is a clearer version of my level blue print showing where certain assests whill be placed etc.

Enemies have been marked with M's while the boss has been marked with a B. This level also has and 'outside' enviroment section where the player leaves the main build to find another route past enemies.May be hard to see because my scanner sucks balls.

Concepts for in game effects

Today we each played a game and wrote down some key aspects of the game environment and brain storm what we might want in our own game. These aspects include music,lighting, textures and so on, some of the features i wrote down are as followed:
note these features are what i might want in my level

Plants made in 3d using alpha channel so as they can be walked through.
uvw redering opacity and such for detailed building textures.
Background music to fit the scene.
different sorces of lighting to show shadowed areas.
smooth and fluid movement animation.

will update more as i work on my level.

Game blueprints / objectives and game objects

rough blue print of my game level


























kinda rough layout and i'm thinking of redoing it again because it looks a little big/complex.

with making a blue print we also had to come up with 3 game mechanics and 5 game level objectives to go along with it.
3 mechanics that will be used are shooting jumping and using.
the 5 objectives well thats where i had some problems, what did i want the player to do during the level.
1.escape the cryoroom
2.find map of where you are
3.Aquire better weapons
4.Escape enemy patrol
5.defeat Main Enemy at end of level

Characters

So time to create some characters for my game, i had more or less and idea for what i wanted as characters sincei worked my art ideas along with my game level so first off are the enemies.

Broodthieves: Vary only slightly as a species with there only beinbg 3 types. The drone,the soldier and the doctor.

The drones are merely a head controling a small mechanical saucers with which they are able to preform menial tasks and labors.

yet to make a model to be used in my game for it.

heres a sketch i did of one

The soldier is as the name sugests a warrior.

my original concept for them was that they were around 7ft high with red armor and wings which were surgicaly attached but as my skills in modelling suck i cant make a low polly model to be used in my game so i need to find an alternative to use.
heres a sketch of what i hoped to make.

The doctors are just as they are named, they are the ones who operate and create the soldiers and drones for there race. they themselves have 'modified' being that the lower half is that of a serpents.Again making a 3d model for this will be hard but here is a sketch of one.

Backstory

Backstory:
You awaken and find yourself in a room filled with crychambers, a body lies on the ground next to you as you examine it you jump back in fright as it is not human but something....else.As you look around you notice a gun rack on the wall near the only exit from this horrofing room.You make your way out grabbing what looks to be a machine of some sort and a rocket launcher,as you quickly but silently make you way down the hallway you hear heavy footsteps round the next corner. You slow down and press your back to the wall slightly turning to look around the corner you are stunned at what patrols around the corner.It's metalic skin shining in the starlight you see a being that looks as if it belonged in a horror film, you quickly turn you gaze from the creature and think to your self, this can't be real, this is a dream right, where am i!?

yeah just a little story/intro to my level :3

This was heavily influenced by prey and bioshock most as both have aspects of Story that coinside with mine.

ideas : /

Using some of the techniques discussed in this chapter, begin developing a concept foran original game idea. Discuss the central theme of your idea, and the methods you usedto bring your idea into existence.

hmmm original game idea, well i've had this weird idea ofr a while now bout a game level that i could design for this. The theme that surrounds this is a fantasy/futuristic alienised environment where the palyer must find out where they are and what *aliens* inhabit this structure, since i want it to be their spacecraft/ship. good thing about this is it ties in with my game art ideas for environment and character creation. I didnt really think of a method for this idea it just popped into my head while going home after tafe one day : /, though i can say it is influence by other games such as prey,doom and bioshock.

Target audience:
The game audience would have to be teenagers and young adults since this will be a mature/scifi/horror type of game, that would run only for PC. I chose this audience cause... well could you honestly see a 10 year old or younger buying and playing this game by themselves, well there parents could be bad and buy it for them but thats not the point and with choosing PC as the game platform i just prefer computers to consoles game wise, this is just how i grew up.

homework week3

another 3 questions/development on ideas for game level and characters, will work on this during the weekend.




1. Using some of the techniques discussed in this chapter, begin developing a concept for
an original game idea. Discuss the central theme of your idea, and the methods you used
to bring your idea into existence.
2. Create a backstory, environment, and three character descriptions associated with your
original game idea. How are these elements integrated and linked through a central
theme?
3. Document your concept with reference material and original sketches. How did you
capture your reference images? Create thumbnails and silhouettes. Compile these images
into an art “bible” to help guide your vision.

First *Assignment*

We were giving a small assignment, well homework really where we had to answer 3 questions.

1. Imagine that you are a level designer working in the 1980s. Knowing the
limitations associated with this era, what type of game would you develop?

A:Due to the lack of technology as advanced as todays,i would go for an arcade style game like pac-man/space invaders but i would try to create something priginal and out of the box of standards that both games listed set. Maybe a mash up of the two like Pac invaders or something along thse lines.

2. Play three games—one from the 1980s, one from the 1990s, and one
released after 2004. Compare and contrast how levels and environments are
designed in all three games.

A:The three game i have chosen are Pac-man( 1980s),Sonic the hedgehog(1990s) and World of Warcraft (2004)
comparing these three you can immediatly see how over time environments of a game have evolved as well as how levels are seen. In Pac-man the environment was the square maze filled with pellets and some ghosts, this being a simple design is basic but enjoyable as you work your way around the maze eating pellets and avoiding the ghosts with the -levels- being shown as the maze becomes harder to navigate and ghosts become deadlier.
As for sonic with the increase of power from technology a new essence was added to game, moving left and right across the scene with changing environments.Levels were represented with how the environment looked as well as how you could interact with them such as you could swim in sections that were filled with water and so on.
With the release of world of warcraft a new set of standards was made as far as environments go in my opinion, with such detail going into the landscape as well as changes in terrain in the game wow gave a greater look into how a games environment can be not only beutiful but ingaging at the same time. As far as how leveling is represented as a players own level increased they were prompted to explore more lands which were considered dangerous beforehand, this can include the level of monters one might find in a zone as well as in Dungeons.
Over the years the form of environments and levels as a concept have changed but one thing remains the same, they are engaging and fun to all who play them.


3. How does a game’s genre affect the way its levels and environments are
designed? Choose one level from three different games—each from a distinct
primary genre—and compare how these levels are designed with regard to
setting, goals, puzzles, and risk–reward system.

A: hmmmm
first game is a level from mortal kombat 3 (fighting genre) it's environment is designed simply becuase you main focus is to beat the crap out of you opponent though they added in little details such as spikes and edges to add a sort of puzzle like element where you think how to uase the environment to your advantage, settings include radom places such as the subway, a street and so on.risk and reward side of mortal kombat is that if you win u move on if not youtry again.

Counter strike is my second choice (FPS) for settings CS is summersied as police vs terrorists in regards to how the level is design, they have a general theme of an urban environment, where terrorists are either holding hostages or planting bombs. These settings vary from normal combat situations that are preset into the players mind, with the goals varying on how the teams wants to do things depending on maps. as a puzzle aspects of CS it forces you to work together to solve problems like how to get to the bomb or saving the hostages, risks and rewards are define simply as risks are high and rewards are wen you complete the task you feel happy about it.

My thrid and final choice is Zelda (Adventure) depending on situation you find yourself in, settings in Zelda as far as level design is concerned revolve around what items/ acheivements you have aquired in order to make things easier which also falls into the puzzle aspect which is an inportant part of the Zelda game.


whelp thats all i can think of atm so yeah : /. lookingforward to upcoming classes :D

Thursday 22/7

As my header explains this is for tafe course and stuff, gonna be posting on and off as i create this level : /.