#futureworksxb3001

[simranwhithamfutureworks-blog]

No Renaissance for Robots - Gameplay Trailer

XB3001 Professional Game Practice group game trailer for team Cynical Hippo for our third year, game design group project No Renaissance for Robots.

XB3001 Professional Game Practice - Group Project - Cynical Hippo - No Renaissance for Robots Trailer - Group Game Officially Finished:

Above you can find a link to our the final variation of our group project trailer for our group project, No Renaissance for Robots.

Overall we believe the trailer manages to showcase the core gameplay, explain the core narrative pretext of the player’s purpose within the level, and showcase the game’s mechanics, environment and level design.

What went well?

Overall the team has managed to fully create what our original brief we set ourselves was, a fast-paced, first-person, arena-based shooter, based on the theme of Vulnerability, set within a Synth Wave/Futuristic Venice.

Our main design goal was to create an experience that at its basic core was fun and we have been able to craft an FPS experience, that manages to keep the player on a constant run & gun system throughout the level in an attempt to prolong their longevity, fighting upon wave upon wave of rogue AI enemies, through small open areas and tight Venetian alleyways, tying into the theme of Vulnerability.

On top of the gameplay aspect of the project, the team is also extremely pleased with the game from an audio standpoint, I have been working alongside and handling communication between the Cynical Hippo team and freelance audio team, and we have been able to produce game audio, ambient & musical scores we believe only help strengthen the immersion of the game itself and add to the fast-paced nature and flow of the gameplay.

Overall:

The team is happy with the final result of our trailer and has ceased all development on the game & is now shifting all of our primary focus towards preparing for our presentation pitch on hand in date. 

[simranwhithamfutureworks-blog]

XB3001 Group Game - Cynical Hippo - First-year BAGD & Game Art Feedback Session:

On Friday the 6th of April I held a small feedback session to present the final build of No Renaissance for Robots to gain any additional feedback that could be implemented into the final polishing stages of the game.

The playtesting was undertaken by some first year BAGD students and third-year Game Art students which throughout their playtesting session I asked them to document their feedback into a document whilst playing.

The following feedback points were what was documented by the playtesters:

Signs could maybe be bigger to help navigation

Sprint speed could be default and walk optional - cutscenes?

Clouds

Duke Nukem style catchphrases - RELOADIN / DAMN ROBOTS

Heavy machine gun possibly obstructs vision

Shotgun knockback is cool

Size of level is 10/10

Art style works well

Enemy ragdoll is pretty funny when they fly off

 FUTURE IDEAS:

Could shoot cash machines for upgrades after each play session

- Multiple levels could allow player progression and scoreboards

Online 64v64 multiplayer ... (;

Moving Forward?

On the 8th of April (today), I will be commencing the final polishing stages and elements to the level design and structure of the game before the team moves into the phase of closing down all polishing on the project completely.

[simranwhithamfutureworks-blog]

XB3001 Group Game - Cynical Hippo - Game Audio/Music/Voice Acting Update - All Audio now in No Renaissance for Robots!:

After working alongside Futureworks Game Audio students Adam Whitehead, Alex Larumbe & Joshua Hindle we have been able to implement all of the game sounds, audio, voice acting and music into the final build of our group game No Renaissance for Robots.

I have been communicating back and forth with the audio team from the start of the development of the project to ensure all sounds, music and voice acting help serve the narrative, atmosphere and mechanical functions present within the game.

Music:

Working alongside game audio student Joshua Hindle we established that the soundtrack had to be something that from an audio sense provided an atmosphere of fast-paced gameplay, familiar synth wave tones present within the genre of music but also be a track that got more intense the more the match went on.

After performing feedback sessions at Manchester Gamers Unite and to a wide variety of Futureworks students the majority found the music really helped set the tone for the game’s genre and helped immerse them into the gunfight gameplay and synth wave aesthetic of the environment.

Voice Acting:

With the narrative premise of our game being simple as the player being a cleanup crew who have been sent into an anarchy Venice Plaza that’s been overtaken by robots and they have been sent in to exterminate them the team felt this needed to be communicated to the player via an audio sense as well as a visual UI feedback sense also.

As you can hear in the attached video above game audio student Adam Whitehead recorded a brief radio communication voice-over line that once the player walks into an unavoidable trigger box within the starting area, they will be briefed by the operator on the current situation.

Overall we believe as a team from feedback sessions that this communicates the simple narrative premise of the game to the player and what their immediate objective from the level starting point is.

Game Ambient Audio:

With Alex Larumbe and Adam Whitehead taking up the duties of recording and mixing the in-game ambient noise and sounds I have communicated back and forth working with both of them to implement the sounds into the final build of the game, providing feedback on the development of the sounds throughout the project’s development.

From here we have managed to gain a good understanding on both sides on making the sounds that are present in the final build of No Renaissance for Robots feel organic and suit the overall art style and genre of the game from a gameplay perspective as well as an audio design perspective.

What went well?

Communication and development between myself and the audio team has gone well throughout the project and I have been able to provide feedback and produce an asset library of sounds/music that we have been able to develop to suit the game’s art style, the theme of vulnerability and genre of Synthwave.

The implementation of the sounds also went well with the assistance of group game designer Maksym Grant allowing to have the sounds/music present throughout the game with very few errors during the implementation phase of development.

[simranwhithamfutureworks-blog]

XB3001 Group Game - Cynical Hippo - Level Design Update - Modular Scaffolding Kit placement:

Upon receiving the final sets of modular kit models from group 3D prop artist Aaron Costello I have placed the sci-fi scaffolding building kit around the renovated sections of the Venice city level.

As you can see I have placed the scaffolding kit to allow players to access more vertical areas of the game map allowing players to utilise both the zip line mechanic and vertical aspects of the level design to reach rooftops and use the Venetian building rooftops to reach other sections of the map such as the back alleys and waterfronts.

To also add some additional environmental storytelling aspects to game world itself I placed small scaffolding floor panels and railings on the floor below rooftop scaffolding locations & altered certain panels to either look like they are on the verge of falling off or have fallen off a scaffolding kit and onto the lower street floors.

Moving Forward?

I have placed Aaron’s kit throughout the whole level and am now in the final stages of adding any additional environmental storytelling and organic life into the environment of the level itself using props provided by Callum and Aaron.

[simranwhithamfutureworks-blog]

XB3001 Group Project - Cynical Hippo - Environment Characteristics - SpeedTree Modelling:

Working alongside group environment artist Callum Reyes we decided that to that to add some more additional environmental characteristics to the windows of the modular kits throughout the environment that we would create some potted plants to be placed as hanging baskets for the windows of the modular kit.

Using a potted plant basket created by Callum as a reference I then used SpeedTree to create a variety of different potted plants of shapes and sizes that could be placed inside Callum’s pot with some SpeedTree wind functions applied to the potted plant meshes upon import into Unreal Engine to add some organic life to tree’s to make it look like they are being blown by a small breezy wind in the environment.

Upon importation, I created a series of actor blueprints each containing the flower basket static mesh and from there imported four variations of SpeedTree models into the four actors creating four variations of flower baskets whilst also saving on Unreal Engine processing power within the game.

This same process has also been repeated for some SpeedTree Vines that I have created and placed throughout the backstreets and waterfronts of the Venetian streets to replicate that of the actual streets of Venice I captured in my references images whilst in the country, aesthetically following the rules and regulations of Venice’s architectural structure within it’s environments.

What went well?

Creating the tree’s/plants was a simple enough process in SpeedTree as you can see in the video above and because of the number of mesh properties and functions SpeedTree presents I was able to create a wide variety of potted plants to add some visual variety to the baskets when placed throughout the level.

Moving Forward?

I have placed the SpeedTree flower baskets around the environment on a number of buildings and will continue to place them in areas I believe they will add additional characteristics to the environment.

[simranwhithamfutureworks-blog]

XB3001 - Group Project - Cynical Hippo - Level Design Update - Gondola movement and player usability:

With the team in the final polishing stages for our group project game, No Renaissance for Robots one additional level design bit of polishing I have implemented into the final state of the game is to have the gondola models produced by group environment artist Aaron Costello perform rowing animations through the waterfronts and alleyway back streets of Venice, for the player to use to their gameplay advantage.

As you can see in the screenshots above the gondola’s move on an animation timeline up and down the waterfront/alleyways, and now that the collisions have been modified on the gondola models players can now jump onto the gondola’s from the bridges and use them as a transportation method should they choose throughout the level.

I chose to use the gondolas as a method of transportation throughout the level design to offer the player’s choice within how they approach the design of the level and escaping the robots itself to collaborate with the theme of vulnerability.

Vulnerability:

If players find themselves cornered on a bridge and in a vulnerable situation they can risk jumping into the lethal immediate death water and landing onto a gondola and using it to traverse the level design as an escape method to prolonge their longevity until they either are killed or complete the objective of clearing out the robots.

[simranwhithamfutureworks-blog]

whi

XB3001 - Group Project - Cynical Hippo - Level Design Update - Creating environmental characteristics and storytelling:

With the lighting now placed throughout the level, I focused on applying additional meshes produced by group environment artists Callum Reyes and Aaron Costello throughout the level to start adding street props and more environmental storytelling and characteristics throughout the level.

Callum provided assets such as street cones, dumpsters, bins, supply crates, and additional assets and Aaron provided assets such as bullets, and the neon signs, which I have placed throughout the level.

By placing these assets and animating Aaron’s Gondola models to slightly float in the waters of Venice, I have been able to create visual environmental storytelling as you can see in the screenshots above.

By placing traffic cones, crates and bullets on the streets and waterfronts I have been able to make it look like visual chaos has taken place throughout the city of Venice.

Moving Forward?

With us entering the final stages of polish I will continue to populate the world best I can before the team works on creating our final game trailer to display the gameplay and essence of the game.

[simranwhithamfutureworks-blog]

XB3001 - Group Project - Cynical Hippo - Level Design Update - Lighting placement and adjustment:

After being provided with the lighting static Unreal set lights and lampost/wall light meshes by group environment artist Callum Reyes I have now placed all the environmental lighting throughout the game world and level from both a street and vertical rooftop standpoint.

Based on the player feedback from playtesting events such as Manchester Gamers Unite and first-year/class playtesting sessions one of the biggest criticisms was that the game was aesthetically too dark and players had trouble navigating the map as a whole due to the lack of lighting.

After slightly increasing the skylights intensity & placing Callum’s lights throughout the level as you can now see in the screenshots above it is easier to navigate the whole map as the whole environment now has lights both street and wall mounted present in every street, corner, waterway and alleyway.

Moving Forward?

With the majority of the level completed now from a level design and environment art perspective, we are now waiting for group programmer Maksym Grant to refine any blueprinting elements of the project and for the audio team to begin implementation of any additional game sounds on the 27/03/2018.

Once these elements are produced the project will be passed onto Maksym for him to begin the final process of packaging the UE4 project.