Absence note for UDK Session 7 (12/12/2012)

Unfortunately due to a sickness bug in the winter of 2012 I was unable to take part in this session. I did turn up to college, but I was unable to stay for long as I still felt very weak and therefore I left before the session started.

I hope that I will be able to go back and complete any work set for this day, but until then I just felt it was only fair to write in my blog why the work was not put online.

ExPlay (6/12/2012)

For the first ExPlay I have been to it was a rather interesting event to say the least. Put into groups we had to create a board game using the three words given: Brandy, Snow and Laser.

The group I was in came up with numerous ideas including a race to the finish line type game and a defence game similar to 'Plants VS Zombies'. Finally we came up with the idea of traveling up a hill or mountain of some sort in which the player has to avoid being attacked by the evil snowmen. On their way up the player is able to pick up cards in order to get advantages and Brandy in order to power up the laser guns used by the neighborhood children who you play as.

The experience of making a board game in very little time was challenging and stressful at times, but overall a lot of fun and well worth the mad dash considering how good the finished product looked, despite my roughly drawn buildings.

I ended up taking the role of leader naturally as I am not one to say yes to things I don't like or disagree with. And whereas this can be a bad thing at times it helped to keep the game in production and stop it from becoming over complicated with new ideas being thrown in at the last minute. I felt by the end I had struck a good balance between being assertive and being a good team mate as I made sure to often check the others' work and tell them that they were doing well. Even throwing in things that they could do in order to make everyone feel as if they were doing their bit as it were. I also made sure to listen to their ideas and ask others for their own opinions. Having a break also proved useful as it allowed us to refresh our minds and continue.

Overall I feel that going to this event was a good thing as it allowed everyone experience in making a creative and fun board game with a limited amount of time and restricted the ideas they had. This event also gave me the opportunity to take on a kind of leadership role which is great as not only do I want to go into management within the industry, but I feel that my group communicated well and we were able to produce a finished product in the hour and a half/forty minutes we had.

In the end I couldn't have asked for a better team as everyone worked well together and came up with some wonderful ideas for the finished product.

UDK Session 6 (5/12/2012)

In this session we were shown how to add features to our environments such as ladders, jump pads and teleports.

See below:

• Created a flat plane and a tower for my environment before creating a small tower next to the original in order to create a ladder. To add the tower I right clicked on ‘Add Volume’ and selected ‘LadderVolume’. Then it was just the case of rebuilding my paths by selecting ‘Build Paths’ in order to allow the ladder to be used. Now whenever I play this scene I will be able to walk into the side of the tower that I added the ladder to and be able to climb it.  
• To create a jump pad I had to go into ‘View’, ‘Browser Windows’ and then ‘Content Browser’. Once there I then selected ‘Actor Classes’, scrolled down to ‘Navigation’ and selected ‘UTJumpPad’ in order to add my jump pad to the scene. Once in the scene I then right clicked a space and went into ‘AddActor’ followed by ‘Add PathNode’ in order to add where the jump pad would send me. I then had to right click my jump pad and select ‘UTJumpPad Properties…”, here I then had to select ‘Jump Target’ and write in the box next to it ‘PathNode_0’ in order to select the first destination I had made.
• Going onto ‘Navigation’ again I scrolled down to ‘Teleporter’ before selecting ‘UTTeleporter’ and dragging it into the scene twice so as to make two points that connect to one another and thus send the player back and forth through them. Similar to the jump pad I then had to connect not one, but both teleports by doing the following. Right clicking one teleport I selected ‘UTTeleporter Properties…” I then went into ‘Teleporter’ and in the ‘URL’ put in the opposite teleports ‘Tag’ which you can find under ‘Object’. You then do the same for the other teleport and it should do the trick.

UDK session 5 (29/11/2012)

In this session our lecturer showed us how to add texture to our environments, combine textures in order to make new ones and edit the landscape in UDK.
See below:  

• By left clicking on a texture, I could then right click on the Unreal Material Editor and select ‘Texture’ followed by ‘New TextureSample’ in order to add textures to the sphere on the left. 
• By holding down Ctrl and left click I was able to paint mountains onto the texture. Repeating this process on an existing mountain added another layer of mountain to it.
• Holding down left click on the far left brush allows you to change the type of mountain created.  
• Scrolling left on Brush Strength reduces the size of the mountain made, whereas scrolling right increases the size. 
• Double click left in order to bring up ‘Landscape properties’. 
• Ctrl + Alt and left click allows you to paint your environment with the texture you have selected.  

UDK session 4 (21/11/2012)

Wanting to create an atmospheric first person game similar to 'Amnesia: The Dark Decent'. I used the scene with the descending hole from last week and instead of making it descend into an abandoned bunker as I originally planned to make it descend into a jungle temple of some sort. Therefore I made sure to include plenty of trees within the environment and an Aztec temple in the background in order to visually tell the player this. I also decided that instead of just starting the player by the hole, as I planned originally, I chose to have them travel through a claustrophobic cave. Therefore, when they reach the mouth of the cave they have the sight of the hole, trees and the temple to greet them, thus giving the player a visual pay off. I decided to create the temple as a per-built one did not exist in UDK. Afterwards I added the flaming skull heads at the top which were available on UDK for added atmosphere. I made sure the hole had plenty of platforms for the player to jump down onto as, if the player fell down the hole every time and survived then this would be unrealistic. In this way the player would have the experience of exploring together with a sense of accomplishment from finding the way down safely. However, until I find out how to make the player character die from falling it seems unlikely that I will be able to accomplish this design choice. 

When I finally got round to texturing parts of my scene I found that I had forgotten what I had originally searched under in order to find the particular texture I liked. Fortunately, my lecturer told me that by using Alt and right click I could select a texture on a surface I had already used and then apply that same texture onto another surface, thus avoiding searching for the same texture over and over again.

Below you can see the stages I went through in order to create this environment and some game play images.

UDK session 3 (14/11/2012)

After deciding that I wanted to try and create a racing game using UDK I decided to start to place the track as I knew once the basic layout of the track was done other things like scenery could be added later in order to make it look more appealing. 

I deliberately made the track have more than one level as the racers would start by driving through a town before entering through the castle gates and down its stairs into the sewer - like dungeons. How the racers will return to the start in order to repeat the three laps I have not as yet decided. Perhaps I will have them going through a cave that leads back to the outside of town as that seems better than just using a simple teleport.

Below is the environment I designed last week with the addition of a sky background.
To add the sky I went onto 'View', 'Browser Windows', 'Content Browser' and then when it came up I typed in 'Sky' and selected the one I wanted. I then merely clicked on the environment and it was added to the scene. See below:

I can even do this process in order to add objects and textures to my scenes as I have done with last weeks environment. See below:

The Wind in the WIllows Presentation (8/11/2012)

Bobby Gilbert = Tech.
Steve Dooley = Artist.
Sam North = Writer.

Both Bobby and Steve who were there presenting the event seemed really confident and were good fun to listen to as not only did they seem really ethastastic about their work, but the work in question was illustrated beautifully and was therefore visually pleasing to watch. 

Things I learned from this event:

• Things work best if artists make friends with programers.
• In modern industries many things can be done on your own. 
• The Wind in the Willows was first writen almost one hundred years ago (1908). Therefore inspiration doesn't necessarily have to come from modern ideas.
• Always create storyboards.
• Visual design comes from the context and the age of the story. Therefore the app deliberately looks like an old worn book.
• Designs come from the characters' personalities.  
• One design / style can help you on your way to designing the others. 
• When basing art on animals add elements of their personality and/or life style into their personality e.g. Badger is big and bulky, whereas Mole is innocent due to being underground most of the time. In short, an outsider.
• Space/spacing is just as important as the characters as it helps to add dynamics e.g. the spacing in between two characters could add tension or remorse. Similar to blocking on stage.
• Always incorporate the story into the characters and scenes.     
• It is possible to draw atmosphere in scenes. 
• Interactivity and humour are two great things to have in video games.
• Avoid being too literal e.g. when the developers decided to tell the reader that Toad escapes from the manor he is shown swinging on tied up bed sheets rather than a wall of text being used to describe this. 
• Inspiration from the story allows developers to add new content. 
• Slow down the magical moments. It makes for a good contrast as opposed to the fast moments that can be chaotic. In other words, vary the speed. 
• When animating always add layers to art e.g. both foreground and background in order to add perspective. 
• Blending images is also very creative e.g. the before and after effects of say a take over as seen with Toad's manor house. 
• Even the style of text makes a big difference e.g. the text was made to look as if it was written in the pages themselves, not just placed onto top of them.
• The team created all the music themselves as they have musical experience.
• Took 4 maybe 5 months to make the whole thing. The first month was spent trading ideas with one another which they say was a lot of fun.
• Never lose the fun part of the process. 
• Similar but weaker versions existed and therefore they decided to create a awesome one. 
• When testing don't just ask the tester what they think. Watch them and see how they react. For example, if a child goes off with it and doesn't come back until later then you know you have done a good job! 
• The program they used was 'Objective C'.
• Photoshop does not replace good old pen and paper (so they say). 
• Have to take responsibility for your work and its advertising. 
• Keep up to date with new technologies and programs, otherwise you will be left in the dark.
• Read the 'Human Interface Guidelines' that people who create apps have to read in order to make sure they follow set protocols.     
• With PR, always get into contact with people / sellers. 
• If you want to reinterpret or interpret a story keep with its original essence and choose a story or writer you love.
• Make sure you get or can get along with the people you work with and/or for. Especially since you will be expected to work well with them for long periods of time.

Although this session was about producing a App I believe a lot of the points made by them have relevance to the gaming industry.   

UDK session 2 (7/11/2012)

• UDK = Unreal Development Kit.
• 'Build a Brush' adds brushes.
• 'Subtract a Brush' removes brushes. 
• 1 unit = 1 square.
• Ctrl + Alt allows me to select multiple brushes.
• Remember to ALWAYS click 'Build Geometry for Visible Levels' (image of a blue box). This will update the map with any new parts added to the environment.
• Ctrl + L then click the mouse to place a light source.
• Right clicking the light bulb will allow me to change its proprieties such as its brightness.
• Right clicking the screen at any time will bring up the option to 'Play level' or 'Force Play From Here' if no playing start exists. Selecting this will allow me to play the game at any time.
• Right clicking any 'Brushes' allows me to change the scale of them.

Below are the screen shots showing my first attempt at creating a map in UDK:

 

 

Research and ideas for a game environment (2/11/2012)

After being given information on how to design a map/environment for a game, I decided to do some further research on this subject.
I looked online for information on what makes playing a certain map enjoyable. I also considered the levels in games I have played that I personally enjoy as well. This seems to be a good way to prepare for when I have to design an environment later in this course. 

What makes a good game environment? 

From my own experience when playing video games I feel that I have a strong understanding of what other players enjoy in levels for games. The game environments that are most enjoyed by players seem to be the ones that not only contain some sort of atmosphere, but are also visually pleasing and/or tell a story.

For example, whenever I have asked fellow class members from this course and my previous one which game environments they loved or remembered the most, one of the most common answers has been the underwater city of Rapture from the game 'Bioshock'. This comes as no surprise as not only is Rapture a very original environment for a video game, but the whole game is also incredibly atmospheric due to its lighting and use of confined spaces which playing in an underwater city provides. Bioshock is also a prime example of how to make small self-contained levels within the game seem much bigger as they are tight and confined enough to make sure the player doesn't get lost, whilst also convincing the player that the game environment is much bigger than it actually is. This is thanks to the use of perspective e.g. the player can see other locations and characters through windows that they can perhaps reach later in the game. Large and bright advertising and windows are also seen on the outside of the underwater buildings and not only does this help light up the city that would be plunged into darkness due to its depth, but it also helps to convince the player that this is a world that it is both populated and lived in. 

 

Which particular game environments do I like and why? 

Not only do I love the environment above for the same reasons as other players, but I also really enjoy the following: 

• The tracks in Sonic and Sega All Stars Racing are all based on existing Sega franchises and therefore include numerous elements from those games such as characters and locations. Thus racing through these tracks are a lot of fun as it provides fans of the franchises a nostalgia experience taking them back to when they first played the game that the track is based on. These tracks are also very varied and colourful and therefore the player never feels as if they are repeating the same race twice, especially as each track plays slightly differently and players have to make quick decisions in order to figure out the best route, hidden shortcuts and the locations of the power ups and speed boosts.    

• The Legend of Zelda Wind Waker's endless ocean of water is perhaps one of my favourite video game environments ever! As the player sails across its sea they are treated to not only a bright, colourful and relaxing visual style, but also to a beautiful musical score. Perhaps, even more importantly there are no load times! Just a continuous journey from one island to another without anything breaking up the action, thus making the player feel fully immersed in the game's world .  

• Persona 4 is a fantastic example of dungeon design in gaming as each dungeon in question isn't just another cave or bricked corridor as seen in other dungeon crawlers. Not only is each dungeon designed to be as original as possible (including a sauna, strip club, 8-bit video game world and even Heaven itself), but the dungeons are also based on the inner feelings and psyche of the person trapped in them. This gives the player a further connection to the person they are saving due to the player's previous knowledge they may have of that character and the visual manifestation of that character's troubles represented by the dungeon that they are in. This, coupled with the TV filter that the game includes helps the player believe that they are really inside the TV world in which the game takes place.

• The arenas you can fight in Mortal Kombat are also well designed as not only are they visually pleasing, but they also combine fantasy and technology perfectly together. This is especially true with the latest instalment which includes numerous modern city environments which are attacked by magical creatures whilst the two player characters on the screen fight it out, therefore making the fight seem epic.   

My game environment ideas: 

Before thinking of an environment concept I decided to think of the type of game play that the environment is for as that can drastically affect the overall game. Therefore I am torn between genres, namely an RPG or a fighting game with RPG elements, or a racing game similar to Mario Kart and Sonic and All Stars Racing.

• The RPG or fighting game with RPG elements I imagined to be set in a steam punk city built on top of a floating island in the sky. The game itself would be similar to an RPG as the player would have to travel through the city in order to reach the locations they need to go to. On their way they could also talk to NPCs, purchase goods and take part in side quests as seen in most RPGs. The fighting game idea would come into play when the player reaches certain areas within the city and comes across other characters who they have to beat in order to advance the story. I personally really like this last idea as in most fighting games the player has to watch a cut scene which loads up an environment for them, but the environments never really feel connected to one another. That's why I want to create an open city as by doing so when a player fights an opponent they may see the other buildings and environments they have already visited and/or fought in in the background.  

You can see a rough design for the city below:

• Although I have put a lot of thought into the above idea I am also keen on creating a racetrack for a racing game due to the fact that I am eagerly awaiting the release of Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed. However, even though I would love to create a racing game similar to the examples mentioned previously I am currently lacking ideas for a genre or franchise to base it on, though I suppose I should be creating my own franchise in order to show personal creativity. 

Perhaps a steam punk racing game as I am a big fan of that trend?
Referencing: 

• Berry, J (2012) Sonic and All-Stars Racing screenshot [Online image]. Available at: http://www.sonicstadium.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/sonic-and-sega-all-stars-racing-screenshot.jpg (Accessed: 2/11/2012).
• Mendoza, R (2010) Wind Waker screenshot [Online image]. Available at: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwPtuUh4VODAeWVd9fNW6JECWlAszdgyrEEGPe_ZAwLpeDuKVJ43o7UgkRKc-pH4Dk7beK0F_YBEW2yLiblDEAdkXvigPZS1d5I21nZ-2P2Muzh9jz6MGsUpRkRWMZdY-UY81K8nmfiSVq/s1600/zeldaww2.jpg (Accessed: 2/11/2012).
• Unknown (2011) Bioshock screenshot [Online image]. Available at: https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGf_RRsXjKSkFIVyEGJBbQYyBOr5mbOZVE3yOKe0avD27EJUzP0DCYqqwZ2cxIkDBzo4ClLUGOXGryoeA7HN3q3PAuTzCwTp_Cpvx8q2UyzPguN4Zzkoyuh9rMG9qb8Iu9W-N2RP3jZ8U/s1600/Bioshock+2+-+Rapture.png (Accessed: 2/11/2012).
• Unknown (2011) Persona 4 screenshot [Online image]. Available at: http://images.wikia.com/megamitensei/images/2/20/Persona_4_void_quest_3.png (Accessed: 2/11/2012).
• Unknown (2011) Mortal Kombat screenshot [Online image]. Available at: http://images.wikia.com/mk/images/d/d5/Bridge_mk9.jpg (Accessed: 2/11/2012).