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XB3001 - Characters

Me and Will have decided to split the characters up I am going to do the enemies the player will be facing and Will will be doing the player character.

Robot Cowboys - The robot cowboy is one of the models left over from Texan Masquerade, When coming up with a list of enemies for Boom Boom Saloon we decided on keeping in robot cowboys. As my original attempt for a character model for Texan Masquerade already looked like a robot, I decided to make a new version of the character.

When It came to texturing the model every time I attempted the model I could not make a metal texture whilst using Photoshop I could not make a texture that I was happy with so I imported the model into unreal and then decided to experiment with the different metals in unreal. I decided to keep one of the metal materials. The reason for this is I want the enemies to stand out and look different from the rest of the level compared to the rest of the level. Not only does the metal stand out more but it looks a lot more intimidating.

Hobby Horse

The original idea for the hobby horse was robot horses that use to help with farming and tending to crops or ploughed the fields, and the robot cowboy came into town and reprogrammed them so that they would turn on their owners.

The two Ideas I had fort he hobby horse is a robot horse with some sort of tank tracks to get around, or a robot rocking horse that moves back and forth to mover around.

Research

I began to do some research and looked into different types of robot horses to try and get some inspiration.

Tommy Knocker

When coming up with making the Tommy Knockers I looked at both Steven Kings the Tommy Knocker and Pixar WALL.E

The Tommy Knocker are mining droids that have been corrupted bey the evil robot cow boy they are designed to mine for crystals in caves and that why there pick axe arms are always spinning

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XB3001 - Tillable Textures

I used tileable texture for all of my wooden textures for all of my wooden textures this has saved a lot of time overall in the project as I don’t have to texture each individual model.

I have made a light and darker version of these textures as well.

Lighter Textures

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XB3001 - Switching to Photoshop from Substance Painter

After UV mapping one of my models I then arraigned the UVs into different areas and placed them on top of each other depending on what colour the texture was going to be. I then took a uv snapshot and saved it as a png.

Once I decided what colours to use for the model I add a gradient going from top to bottom made a new layer imported the png into the file and then move the uv accordingly until I like how the colour looks and then transfer the file back to maya.

Substance Painter

The next test that I attempted was in substance painter I start of by baking the texture using the low poly mesh after that I add a basic material and chose the colour and then go to filters and choose a gradient. I then would add a smart mask to add extra effects on to the model using this method is similar to what I attempted with Photoshop but was a lot easier and quicker as I could adjust the gradient and change the colours with the click of a button whilst seeing what the model would look like straight away in engine.

Originally |I was going to use Substance Painter to texture all of my models but as I had more experience using Photoshop I decided to switch as I believe I can better results. Every time I textured models using Substance Painter they always turned out too realistic and did not look like the art style I was aiming for.

Substance models

Photoshop Models

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XB3001 - New Models

Cactus

Mine Tracks

Houses

Cliffs

Shrine

Platforms

Saloon

Cave

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XB3001 - Updating Wills Model

In my group project me and will are responsible for producing 3D assets for the level. Some of the assets that will is responsible for are various buildings that will be placed around the level. Here are the models will produced to put around the level.

Although all the assets are suppose to be low poly with simple textures I don’t think theses models should not go in the level. The cubes are for the walls and other parts of the models are not grouped together, uv mapped or textured.

As these models are not the best I decided to redo the models so that they look better in the game. I added more detail to the walls, porch roof, balcony so that they are not just simple cubes that have been put together. I changed the door and doorway, added a walkway and then Uv mapped and textured the models.

My models

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XB3001 - Deciding on an Art Style

When deciding on an art style from the start our group decided that we were going to do low poly models with stylized textures.

I looked at a few different game to try and look for inspiration.

Red Dead Redemption

For Red Dead Redemption it’s the actual environment that I like the most. I would like to make a low poly models that are similar as the setting of our game are similar.

Killer 7

I also researched Killer 7 even though the models are simple and low poly the textures and lighting that stand out visually giving the game the game a unique aesthetic.

The Little Devil Inside

Another game that I have been researching which is the seems to be the opposite of killer 7 is the little devil inside. The models from the little devil inside, are low poly but because of all the details they visually appealing and the textures are simple and look great. As well as that because the models in the little devil inside are exaggerated they don’tr need complex textures.

Substance Painter

To make the textures I am going to use substance painter my plan is to start I by baking the texture using the low poly mesh after that I am going to add a basic material and choose the colour and then go to filters and choose a gradient. I then would add a smart mask to add extra effects on to the model using this method is similar to what I attempted with Photoshop but was a lot easier and quicker as I could adjust the gradient and change the colours with the click of a button whilst seeing what the model would look like straight away in engine.

I think I’m going to aim for models similar into The little Devil Inside and aim for and simple textures. I think this a quick way of getting textures completed and it will allow me to focus more on the models.

Image References

Read Dead Redemption

http://reddead.wikia.com/wiki/File:MainStreet-View2-RedDeadRedemption.png

Killer 7

http://www.cubed3.com/screens/18/killer7-nintendo-gamecube-screenshots-pictures-artwork.html

The little Devil Inside

https://techraptor.net/content/indie-interview-john-choi-little-devil-inside

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XB3001 - Changing Projects to Boom Boom Saloon

As a group we have decided to change what game we are making,Texan Masquerade was a big project that would of taken a lot of work. With the work that the group had been produced between now and the Christmas holidays, if we continue at the pace I did not think we would have a good finish project by the end of the year.

Texan Masquerade was also a very narrative have game and we never really came up with a story for the game we were focusing more on mechanics and modeling than the story. So we never really had anything solid story wise.

The group is now doing Boom Boom Saloon it a third person shooter where you have to kill all of the robots that have turned against humans. The player will still have the mask that grants them powers and they will use them to kill the enemy.

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XB3001 - Improving Environment Models

After we chose Texan Masquerade as the prototype we were going to make I decided to start looking at similar games. The first game that came to mind was Red Dead Redemption.

The main thing I noticed was all of the models are not perfect. When i say perfect I mean objects are are crooked, bent some have indents. They all look like they were actually made by people who lived in the old west and because of this it looks in my opinion better and more realistic.

Here is a house I did for the prototype.

House that I remade

After adding more detail and tweaking the model their is no question about which model looks better. Not only does the model I remade look more realistic than the model from the prototype, it feel like the house that I remade has more personality than the original model from the prototype.

Reference Image -

Google Images

Red Dead Redemption photo 1 - https://www.google.ca/search?noj=1&tbm=isch&sa=1&q=red+dead+redemption+town&oq=red+dead+redemption+town&gs_l=img.3..0i19j0i8i30i19l2.61958.62362.0.62576.4.4.0.0.0.0.139.379.3j1.4.0....0...1c.1.64.img..0.4.377.JDiZjpwj_Vw&epik=0knb7E_IWn_99#imgrc=g6YbgrMPxjjsEM:

Pintrest

https://.pinimg.com/originals/67/34/fe/6734fe82c8584b9aa3bb324e3a0f6c53.png

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XB3001 - Character for Texan Masquerade

We do not have a character artist on our team,but we did not want to use the the Unreal engines default character. So I am going to attempt to make some of the character models.

We have decided to try and make the character as simple as possible so we don’t have to worry about animation. I decided to look at different silhouettes of different peoples body types that match up with our game idea, as well looking at different peoples clothing to see whatI could conceal from the player. The best pieces of clothing to conceal the character is a poncho.

Curtis then drew some possible concepts of what the character could look like.

The reason we decided that the character could would be wearing a poncho is because this way we did not have to worry about animating any of the arms. We thought that we would only have to worry about animating the legs. Then if the player pressed a button it would bring up a menu and it would either be a widget or a different model wear the player can select a different option.

So this is the model I came up with,I think that the the model looks more like a robot than an actual person. All of the clothes seem to flat and although it hides what the body looks it’s easy to tell that this person is not human. I believe I need to redo this model if I want protagonist of the game to be human or at least make the poncho more realistic to make it look like it’s actually covering a person.

As I’m not a character an artist another possibility I could discuss with my team that maybe we turn the character of our game into a robot this would still make sense as the current enemy of our game are robots as well. And does not make the character look as bad if it’s does not look realistic or inorganic.

Reference Image

Google Images Silhouette images - https://trello-attachments.s3.amazonaws.com/59e0a394cef2c6da7ef8efa0/59fc5684dbdfd3e752b17a22/529234db4d6291581a6342fd325c5569/s2m_western_high_concept___character_silhouettes_by_pyrosity-d4evqgs_b.jpg

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XB3001 - Models for Texan Masqurade

While waiting for a White box from Richard I have decided to make and improve some of the models from of the prototype I know what will defiantly be in the level

Corn

Plank Walkway

Character for the game

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XB3001 (Summative) Reflective Blog Post 1

Reflecting On previous prototypes

Boom Boom Space Train

For the first prototype we made a game called Boom Boom Space Train, the idea of the game was to be a mix between Hotline Miami and Bomberman.

The idea was to create a game that was fast paced, and the player would be able to use the environment around them to affect their surroundings. In our prototype we made it so that the player would be swarmed by enemies and the player had two weapons, one of the weapons was a gun that could kill one enemy at a time but environment around them would be fine. The other weapon that the player would have a bomb that can destroy multiple enemies but the bombs destroy the area around the player. The player has a choice between a more powerful weapon that limits the player’s movement, and increases the chances of the player falling out of the level making them more vulnerable.

In my opinion this was the groups best prototype, we were able to show off the core mechanics and get the point of the game across. I think the level looked visually appealing thanks to the models and the lighting. Even though the core mechanics off the game were completed we were not able to get the A.I within the level working fully they just looked at the player as well as that apart from the core mechanics of the game there was not much else to the game it was mainly about killing the enemy and think it might have been better if we added some sort of puzzle to the prototype to break up the gameplay to make it less repetitive and would a new element of gameplay to keep the player interested.

Anti Penguin

Anti Penguin was our second prototype, the idea of the game is a penguin that has been genetically modified by evil snowmen. Anti Penguin can produce heat and turn himself into flames without being hurt. He has transcended all other penguins and has become an outcast because of it. So that no other penguin will ever have the same fate as Anti Penguin he has returned to the base of the snowman that made and wants to destroy them.

Anti Penguin was our worst prototype, the idea behind Anti Penguin was going to be a stealth where the player will attack snowmen. But for the prototype we never came up with a core mechanic for the game. We got wrapped up with how much we liked the idea of the project instead of coming up with actual gameplay elements. The only idea we produced mechanics wise was an ability that allowed Anti Penguin to generate heat and the player could melt objects to help get around, but the idea was flawed as there was no way to control the ability and it could melt anything in the game which offered little to no gameplay and no challenge what so ever. The models looked ok but the level was not finished either so there were gaps where there was nothing in the level. One of the reasons for this was that we had technical problems which set back the prototype, but the group could communicate more if this happened then we could have made a difference to the level by discussing the mechanics more or trying to add other elements of gameplay or stepped in and helped people who were struggling.

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XB3001 (Summative) Reflective Blog Post 2

Texan Masquerade

Texan Masquerade is set on a different version of earth, where detective Jimmy James is on the case. At the local fairground set on a farm a mysterious gang has all assembled together. Jimmy James has been investigating the gang for quite some time, using multiple masks scatted around the fairground that give Jimmy James different abilities he must try and find out this gang’s secret and stop them. Using the masks Jimmy James must find them to unlock different areas that have been sealed off to him and to find out what’s truly going on at the Texan Masquerade.

We were trying to make a cross between Psychonauts mechanically where you use different abilities to progress the game with the visual style of Killer 7 which shows of a simple yet unique art style that’s interesting visually.

Overall this was my favorite prototype to work on in my opinion it had the best models, we were able to show of how the mechanics of the masks worked and give people an idea of how the main mechanic works in the game. And the level looked good overall when it was all put together. However, this type of game lacked a story and only had the basic idea of the game and we did not have an ending for the prototype which made it feel short and incomplete. As well as that I believe we could have communicated as a group better as I knew the other members of the team were doing work, but I did not know the progress of the prototype, so I do believe that we need to communicate better as a team by using discord and Trello on a regular basis so we all know what we are up to.

The prototype we have chosen to go with is Texan Masquerade we think out of the three this game has the most potential, Anti Penguin never really had any solid mechanics to go from and we would have to come up with a new idea completely for the game. Boom Boom Space train was the best prototype overall but also seem to be the simplest the gameplay seems very repetitive. Overall the Texan Masquerade seems like the best to do from a gameplay stand point and level design as we will be able to create multiple different puzzles using the masks, it will offer interesting options for environment level design and prop design as we are going to have multiple different areas for the player to explore. And the mask creating multiple abilities offers multiple different opportunities from a programming stand point. Also as a group we are going to start using Trello regularly so that we can see what work has done without asking the person themselves so that we don’t have to find out how the process of the game is going.

Picture Sources

Bomberman - https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=bomberman&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwisz9Pv__3XAhVPy6QKHZW0DKMQ_AUICigB&biw=1920&bih=974#imgrc=GjUmWq0fE_qDiM:

Hotline Miami - http://cdn.akamai.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/274170/ss_b2a76d2c605c7e54bf3e2ba43f835698d0bd6441.1920x1080.jpg?t=1498680121

Killer 7 - https://queerlyrepresent.me/upload/Killer%207.jpg

Psychonauts - http://valkyrgaming.com/images/P/PsychonautsWaterloo.jpg

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Reflecting On Previous Prototypes Blog Post 2

Texan Masquerade

Texan Masquerade is set on a different version of earth, where detective Jimmy James is on the case. At the local fairground set on a farm a mysterious gang has all assembled together. Jimmy James has been investigating the gang for quite some time, and using multiple masks that gives Jimmy James different ability’s. The mask are scatted around the fairground and Jimmy James must find them to unlock different areas that have been sealed off to him and to find out what’s truly going on at the Texan Masquerade.

This was my favourite prototype to work on in my opinion it had the best models, we were able to show of how the mechanics of the masks worked and give people an idea of how it worked in the overall game. And the level looked good overall when it was all put together. However this type of game lacked a story and only had the basic idea of the game and we did not have an ending for the prototype. As well as that I believe we could have communicated as a group better as I knew the other members of the team were doing work I did not know the progress of the prototype so I do believe that we need to communicate better as a team.

The prototype we have chosen to go with is Texan Masquerade we think out of the three this game has the most potential of the three, Anti Penguin never really had any solid mechanics to go from and we would have to come up with new idea completely for the game. Boom Boom Space train was the best prototype overall but also seem to be the simplest the game play seems very repetitive. Overall the Texan Masquerade seems like the best to do from a game play stand point and level design and also offers interesting options for environment level design and prop design. As a group we are going to start using trello regularly so that we can see what work has done without asking the person themselves so that we don’t have to find out how the process of the game is going.

#Futureworks XB3001

Reflecting On Previous Prototypes Blog Post 1

Boom Boom Space Train

The first porotype our group made was called Boom Boom Space Train, the idea for the prototype was the player would be swarmed by enemies and the player had two different weapons in the prototype a gun that could kill one enemy but no damage to the area around them or a bomb that would kill multiple enemies but destroy the area around the player. Our idea for this is the player could use more powerful weapons but at a cost of destroying the area around them making the player more vulnerable.

In my opinion this was the groups best prototype overall this was the groups best prototype, we were able to show off the core mechanics and get the point of the game across. I think the level looked visually appealing thanks to the models and the lighting. Even though the core mechanics off the game were completed we were not able to get the A.I within the level working fully they just looked at the player as well as that apart from the core mechanics of the game there was not much else to the game it was mainly about killing the enemy and think it might have been better if we added some sort of puzzle to the prototype.

Anti Penguin

Anti Penguin was our second prototype, Anti Penguin is a penguin that has been genetically modified by evil snowmen. Anti Penguin can produce heat and turn himself into flames without being hurt. He has transcended all other penguins and has become an outcast because of it. So that no other penguin will ever have the same fate as Anti Penguin he has returned to the base of the snowman that made and wants to destroy them.

Anti Penguin was our worst prototype we all got wrapped up in the idea of Anti Penguin because we all liked the idea, but we never really came up with a core mechanic the game instead we came up with an ability that melts objects when you get to close but there was not a way of controlling the ability making almost no game play, so the game had no challenge in it what so ever. As well as that we had technical problems which set back the prototype so the group has to communicate more and if someone is being hindered help them out as best as you can.

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Prototype 3: Texan Masqurade Models for the level

Barn Support for Roof

Barn

Barn Door

Beanbags

Bucket of beanbags

Buntings

Bush

Carnival Booth One

Carnival Booth Two

Chair

Coin

Crate

Door of House

Fence

Floor Light

Gates

Hammer

Hay

Hedge in Container

Hedge

House

House Supports

Lift

Lights

Multiple Wall with Windows

Prizes

Pulley System

Ramp for Back of House

Ring for Carnival Booth

Stool

Strength Test Game

Table One

Table Two

Tractor

Trees

Wall for House

Wall With Doorway

Well

Window

Wrench

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XB3001: Prototype 3 Art References

Here are some art references given to me bu Richard Burton for the third prototype.

Aerial Images

Decoration

Gates

Structers

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Prototype 3: Texan Masquerade

The third prototype is called Texan Masquerade. The annual Texan masquerade has come to town and the player is a detective that has to find out whats going on. The player has to solve puzzles to unlock areas that have been blocked off and preventing the player from progressing by using the players detective skills and individual masks that have unique powers that is scattered around the map.

The theme for this is trade the masks that are scattered around the level the player will have a certain number of masks that they can hold at a time. The player will be able to combine the masks together so that they can use multiple powers at once. Until the player can combine the masks they will have to choose which power they want by trading between the masks.

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