Workshop Progress

Here is some more progress on my workshop project. This is much closer to what the final product will be. There are still some things that need work like the lighting and some of the textures.

Boss Character Progress

Here is an image of my boss character in progress. I was exploring some poses and trying to nail down the overall structure of the character before I jump into the final render.

Puzzle Research

The game I chose to research is called SOMA. It is a first person game that is mostly story driven with some puzzles along the way. I chose this game because it has a similar look and feel to my workshop. The puzzle also seems to be along the lines of what I'm going for. The player has basic controls like moving around, jumping and picking up objects, there are enemies in the game but there is no way to fight them. The puzzles used would be informational based because it involves passwords for computers and notes scattered around to guide the player. It is also people based puzzles since the player learns about a particular character during this scene. When the player gets into a certain room the lights will turn on, the player sees  desk with papers and a computer. The computer is mostly for backstory, the paper had some info about the room and there are switches drawn on it. After that the player will hear the voice of a robot and see him through a window. The lighting and sound help guide the player to the next room. They are confronted with buttons, the robot in peril and a lever. If the player pulls the lever the robot will start getting electrocuted and hurt. Turning the lever off stops the electricity. The button in front of the robot are red, the player can push the buttons and if they are pushed in the correct order and then they pull the lever, the robot can be saved. The player can also choose to kill the robot if they want and then just move on, but it will hurt the ending of the story. If the player saves the robot, it rewards them with a better ending to the games story.

 A desk with info and other things to inspect.

 The window where the player hears the voice of the robot and can see the buttons.

 A note on the computer helps the player get an idea as to what is going on.

 A lever that controls something in the room.

 The buttons that need to be hit in a certain sequence to save the robot.

 The robot that needs to be saved, he also talks to the player.

The lever that if pushed at the wrong time, can kill the robot or save him.

Workshop Progress

Here is an image of my workshop in progress. Right now I am at the stage of adding in some textures to get a better idea of the overall look of the place. I am thinking about adding a track to the robot on the floor so that it gives the impression that he was able to move around the room at one point. 

Boss Progress

Here are some rough I did for my character designs. I will be taking one of these forward and create a full render drawing of them. Eventually I might model one of these characters.

Workshop Progress

Here is an image of my workshop in progress. It is going to be a battery assembly line that has been long forgotten with a robot as the focal point.

Boss Project

For my next project in DFA we are creating a boss-like character that will eventually be modeled in the future. Here are some simple silhouettes I made where I am just trying to find some interesting shapes.

DFA Environment Progress

Here are some studies I made for my DFA project. I started out with notans which help find the big shapes and lighting. I then turned them into local tone studies and then went further with adding a bit of color to them. My next task is to take one of these images and turn them into a full render.

DFA Progress

Here are some sketches for my DFA Environment project. This includes my high poly object which will be the robot, some mod kit pieces, ISO map, top down map and some small props. This is a reference sheet that will help me with my final render and eventually it will be used as a guide for when I make the room in my 3D class.

Environment Reference

For this project I am creating an environment that has a focal point that the player might interact with and it will be highly detailed. It be an assembly line that deals with batteries. In the center there will be a robot that is forever stuck scanning the batteries and moving them along to conveyer belts. This is some reference I found for my robot and what the environment might look like in the end.

Final Prop

Here is the final design for my prop that I used to help flesh out and model in Maya.

Prop Progress

Here is a shot of my high poly prop that I will be baking down to my low poly version.

Prop Progress

Here is a shot of my low poly prop in progress. This is based off the prop that I made during my DFA class.

DFA Progress

Here is some progress work on my DFA Environment, it will be a factory with robot as my main focal point and they are repairing another robot that would be used to help the player in some way.

Hero Prop Course

Here is the general layout for my course with the prop I am going to create. I also created a rough design for what my character will look like.

Prop Style Guide

For my DFA class, we were to go out and find reference images to create a style guide that would help us narrow down our hero prop. Here are some of the images that I chose. On the left side I was going for more of an Art Deco feel and found reference from the film The Rocketeer. On the right side I was going for a more futuristic look and used Iron Man's boots and reference as to why my rocket boots might look like.

Exploratory Sketches

For the next phase of our hero prop project, we had to go and sketch out what the general layout of the obstacles and/or hazards might look like and how the character would possibly use the prop to get through the basic mechanics of the level. The 3 props I chose to explore more of were the rocket boots, heavy metal gun, and steampunk robot.

Hero Prop Game Design Mechanic

Brainstorming Ideas:

1. For this idea I was thinking of having my character wear a sort of backpack with a claw attached to it. The backpack might be used for adventures and finding treasure so it would have all sorts of pouches and tools attached to it. The claw would be used to pick up items that might be hard to reach.

2. For this idea I was think of having a form of rocket shoes, They would help boost the player to high areas. One fun thing that can be added is that as the shoes are being used, they can start to wear out and lose small pieces and eventually the player will start falling. They would look like something that was made in someone's garage like they found whatever they can to get them to function.

3. For this idea I was thinking of creating a small robot companion that would follow the player around. It would be cool if the style was steampunk and it had an ornate design with smoke and steam coming out of it with little propellers. It might be used to help the player fight enemies or scout out an area.

4. For this idea I was thinking about making a Da Vinci styled early gun. It would be cool to look into his designs for other contraptions and try and design a gun that might have existed during his time. Maybe it has some wooden gears that help it reload faster and some metal clamps that hold it together. The ammo might be early gunpowder.

5. My next idea was to try and and make an explosive that can be controlled by the player. Something from the future that has tank treads so it can get around hard terrain. The player can make it go wherever they want and make it explode upon hitting a button the a control they they are holding.

6. For this idea I was thinking about creating a gun that shoots out super heavy metal music. It would be super loud and obnoxious. It will be mostly made out of metal/chrome and have skulls and other type of hardcore imagery on it.

7. For this idea I was thinking about having a suitcase that follows the character around. This would be a cool thing that can help add on to the players inventory. It might look similar to the suitcases you see at airports with four wheels, but it will look sleeker and more beefed up for wherever the player is going.

8. For this idea I was thinking about having the player wear some funky goggles that can help them locate and sense enemies. The goggles would have a central gear on them that changes its settings. It would have a small light attached so the player can see in the dark if needed.

9. For this idea I was thinking of having the player wear a sort of power glove. The glove would be something like a retro futuristic style. It would have a small hatch that can shoot out a laser, an arm that comes out of it that scans things for the player and some other small tools attached to it. I was thinking that it could have a streamlined design as if it came from the 50's vision of the future.

10. For this idea was thinking of making a steampunk gun that hangs on the players back,when the player take out the gun, it transforms into a combat ready machine. It would also be cool if steam came out of the side of the gun every time the gun shot. I was thinking the gun might have some form of a scope and a made out of copper or bronze with a wooden handle.

Final Trailer

Here is the final trailer for my racing level.

Space Research

For programming class we chose to go with the arcade game Space Invaders. 

Game Features:

• Player Locomotion- Left to right
• Game Camera- Static, top down
• Player Health and Respawn System- Player has three lives and when killed player respawns on the left side of the screen.
• Wall Collision- Collision on the left and right sides of the screen.
• Enemy Behavior- Enemies move from left to right as a group, when they reach one side of the screen, they will drop down one row. They randomly shoot projectiles. 
• Level Hazards- Enemies attacking you are the main hazards. 
• HUD- Gamplay screen is the player's score and their lives. Ending screen is "game over" and "play again?"

Asset List:

• Materials and Textures- Alphas of the player and the four different enemies. 
• Sound FX- Laser sounds, two different explosions, background music.
• Particle Effects- Enemy explosion, player explosion, shooting particle.
• Animations- Animations of the three different enemies and the explosions.

UE4 Game Template: 2D Side-Scroller

It would be the best choice for our project code base because it is close to the camera. It gives us the orthographic view that we need. 

Potential Challenges- Making the AI scroll from side to side and dropping down.

Attract Trailer Research

For our next assignment we had to go find an attract trailer for a game to get an idea as to how we can apply it to our racing levels. I chose to find one for Forza Horizon 2. I liked this one because it had some really nice shots of both the scenery and the cars.

HUD Research

For class we had to go out and find some examples of HUD's that would fit the style of our cars. Since my car is a 57' Bel air, I figured I would go for a more old style vintage HUD. One good example I found was in the game Mafia II. I figured that if I went with something like that, I could replace the gas gauge with something else similar to the setup we have in the Vehicle Game.



I also looked up what the speedometer actually looks like in a Bel Air.

Here is a mock layout I made of what it might look like.

Particles

For my racing level I created a money trail that flows out the back of my car as it drives. I also created a smoke particle effect that you can see on top of one of the buildings.

Particle Research

For our programming class we were to look into how to create our own particle effect that would fit into our race track levels. For my effect I chose to look into creating a money trail that comes from the side of my car as it drives. My level starts just after a bank robbery has taken place. The idea is that the player just got the money, got in the car, and is now on the run from the cops.

Here is a tutorial video on creating a Mesh Emitter which put me on the right path to creating the particle effect. I did the first few steps, then did some of my own experimentation.

This picture is very exaggerated but the money coming out the back of the car is somewhere in the ball-field as to what what I'm going for.

Turret and Barrel

For this project I had to create a turret and barrel that might fit into my level. My level takes place in the country side so I decided to make a propane tank and and a helicopter-like turret since there is going to be a police chase in my level.


 Below are the Blueprints that show how these both work.

Level Intro

For this task, we had to go out and find a racing game that had an intro to each of its levels. I chose to look at the ones from Mario Kart 8. I liked this one because it has a nice shot of the center of a town, which I have something similar in my level.

Creating an Explosive Barrel

For class we had to create an explosive barrel that reacts when you touch it and then flies off in a random pattern. I decided to make a propane tank since it will fit into my level a bit more.

Simple propane tank/barrel:

We are also going to be creating a turret. I might have a helicopter in my level so I decided to create a turret inspired by one that may be on a helicopter.

Visual Target:                                                          

Quick Sketch:

I went for a simplified version that might be able to shoot bullets along with larger projectiles.

Refined Turret Design:

Creating Destruction

In class we were to create some fun destructible objects for our levels. Here are some of the ones I made using the Unreal and PhysX programs.

Race Track Storyboard

Here is a rough storyboard of the main elements to my race track through the mountains. Also there is and updated view of my overall track.

Exploring Arrays

In this exorcise we got to explore how to control what lights we wanted on or off. We used a simple code made up of 1's and 0's to create a pattern.

          

Research for Race Track

What is the story? 

 The track is based around the power of wind. As the player drives around they will find that wind plays a major role. The track will have a more peaceful tone to it with lakes, mountains, trees and wind turbines in the distance. It is a track that was built for racers who want to go fast and enjoy the overall scenery.

The time of day will be around noon/evening.

Type of Stunts:

There will be a bridge towards the end of the level that is highly effected by the wind. While it gives a great view of the world, it is also very dangerous and looks as if it will snap at any moment.

Another big part of the map is an area where the racers can drive on the wall. There is also a part of it where the racers can do tight turns if they wish not to go on the wall, this can help them get around the track faster, but they run the risk of hitting the wall.

Reference: 

Color Palette: 

Stunt Designs and Map:

Array Challenge

In Programming class we had to create an Array setup. Here is my setup with a simple pattern using Blueprint.

Level Analysis

Here is a presentation showing the breakdown of Yoshi's Circuit from the WiiU game Mario Kart 8

Link: Presentation

Level Proposal

Where is it?

The level takes place in a dark cavern. The time is modern day and the sun is just about to go down.

What is the conflict?

The conflict is that you are an adventurer who was wandering around a forest, the player falls through a hole in the ground and lands into a cavern. They have to find the way out as they collect the treasure along the way.

Who lives there?

The cavern was at one point populated by the people who dug it up. Now they are long gone and not a soul has been to it... until now.

What is the architecture like?

The architecture is very cave like. The Inside is very dark and gloomy. Parts of the cavern look as though it was planned out by the people who dug it up.

Shinobi III Analysis

Shinobi III was one of the first games I played on the Sega Genesis. I thought that it would be an interesting idea to go back and look at the first level. It's one of the first games that actually taught me how to do wall jumps along with double jumps. The first level is fairly flat with a very little amount of jumping.

The game becomes much crazier as it goes, but it starts out like a traditional ninja game. You walk through the forest defending yourself against other ninjas and then you come across 3 samurai in a cave.  As the game progresses, you find that the game takes place it what seems to be a distant future.

The level starts you off pretty slow with about 2 standard enemies. If you wait to long to attack them, they will jump and throw a projectile at you. As the level progresses, you will come across 2 other types of enemies. One of which is a walking man with a blowpipe and helmet. He takes 2 hits to kill. The first hit will knock him back which makes him get into his attacking pose.The second hit will kill him. The other type of enemy you will come across is a guy that is colored red and hops around. He only takes one hit, but he is one of the harder enemies to kill at first. 

There are many standard enemies throughout the level. There are only 3 blowpipe men who are mostly in the first half of the level. There are 2 hopping enemies towards the end of the level. When the player enters the cave, they will have to fight 3 samurai. The first 2 are fairly easy while the last one takes a couple more hits. The first 2 have an attack where they swipe their sword and you have to jump over their slash. The last samurai changes it up a bit because when he shoots out his slash attack, it will come towards the player, making them jump. The slash will actually come back to the samurai like a boomerang. 

The player can also pick up item boxes which will give them more ammo, powers, or replenish their health. Some have time bombs in them which the player has to avoid. There are other ways the player can move and attack if they are more experienced. Tapping twice on the D-Pad will allow the player to run. You can also shoot a small wave of projectiles if you jump and hit a certain button. If you have a power when you get into the cave, the samurai become much easier to defeat.

Gameplay: