Game collaboration
This project I shall focus on improving my knowledge and skills within a team and preparing for the industry. Using the theme 'Escape', our team of 5 shall flash out at least one polished level for a game.
To begin we all brainstormed mechanics we thought were achievable and we could do a lot with, art styles and themes we may want to explore and the an initiative for the game play. We all liked the idea of a puzzle based game, and drew upon multiple games for inspiration.
- Little Nightmares - This game keeps the environment de-saturated so that the character is more dominant in their yellow coat. To give an eerie mood to our game we want to keep the colour scheme de-saturated similarly, and have the more saturated colours for areas we want to draw attention to. The lighting and focus/blur in this game is also desirable. We will draw upon this game when testing lighting and atmosphere.
- Human Fall Flat - The puzzle progression is gradual and they are very innovative with their ideas. There mechanics are basic like we want to keep ours but they have multiple different scenarios applying them.
- Zelda: Breathe of the Wild - Interior simplicity, being open and not cluttered. Interiour atmosphere.
- Trine 2 - This game introduced 3 characters with unique mechanics and then presents a puzzle that has multiple ways of completion. Keeping the puzzles simple but letting the player interpret them makes for entertaining game play and is an aspect we could focus on
- Portal - Similarly, this game gives you a target and few tools. The player must think and experiment to complete the puzzle. Making puzzles less linear allow the player to interpret and be more involved
- Escape Plan - This game is solely focused on escaping, directly linking to the briefs theme. I liked to dull atmosphere it gave through desaturation and the simplicity of the puzzle and tools.
After discussion, we settled on some areas and then went away each with tasks to complete before the next day. This gives us something to work with and get stuck into on our first full day and begin getting our heads around the pre-production. The main areas we need to work on are blueprinting the base mechanics, level design and concepts. We created a Facebook group so we could keep in contact and share information when we weren't all in university.
This week we have all taken screenshots of our progress approximately every other day and posted to our group page for ideas, feedback and to generally inform each other on our progress. I find this method effective and we are planning to continue this throughout the project. As we are not all working alongside each other every day this method break that barrier and enables communication. Towards the end of the week I felt we hadn't all discussed some matter fully and I arrange the whole team to be together for a set time so check we are all happy with progress and what we need to do to move forward. I was personally struggling with level planning and wanted the full teams input to generate ideas.
To start the week I gathered notes for the pitch document from the brainstorming session on our first day. There were still undecided aspects so the notes are very brief. I posted the document on our shared Google Drive folder and asked everyone to read and edit accordingly so by the end of the week we had all the information needed just to be placed on the document. As blueprinting and concepts are not my strong area and we had people more able and willing to do those areas, I helped with level design and blocking out.
Whilst Scott began modelling some basic placeholders and experimenting with the style and some basic textures I looked at level progression. Although modelling is quite far forward for this stage, it was useful for the pitch document to express the style we wanted, and gave me more of a feel when blocking out. I watched a short but extremely informative video about KishÅtenketsu, a term introduce in the last unit.
In UE4 i drag and dropped blocks to get a feel for space and show where puzzles would be in the game. When the assets were ready I replaced the blocks with the placeholders. Using Scott's composition I lead the player through some pre-puzzle tasks and lead them to the main puzzle area. During mine and Scott's planning we were discussing leading the player through the puzzles and whether we should make it linear or give them more choice. On that note we devised an idea of a puzzle room, with multiple door ways all accessible to complete. This gives the player choice to complete which they want first but all must be complete to progress to the next level of the tower. We proposed this idea to the rest of the group and they liked it.
As the week closes we have the block-out half way, pitch document near completion and other tasks all on track. I feel we should have done the blocking out and level design early but this didn't get full considered and into action until midweek. Now we have all started and have a feel for everything I have devised a plan of what needs to be done and what is desirable for each week up until submission. I will keep this list updated as we go and add anything appropriate. Using this we can allocate jobs on the trello account and move lists around when complete. I feel at the beginning and end of each week minimum we should all meet and discuss what we have done and what's next. With everyone knowing their roles per week we can get stuck in and no important tasks get missed.
This week we have all taken screenshots of our progress approximately every other day and posted to our group page for ideas, feedback and to generally inform each other on our progress. I find this method effective and we are planning to continue this throughout the project. As we are not all working alongside each other every day this method break that barrier and enables communication. Towards the end of the week I felt we hadn't all discussed some matter fully and I arrange the whole team to be together for a set time so check we are all happy with progress and what we need to do to move forward. I was personally struggling with level planning and wanted the full teams input to generate ideas.
To start the week I gathered notes for the pitch document from the brainstorming session on our first day. There were still undecided aspects so the notes are very brief. I posted the document on our shared Google Drive folder and asked everyone to read and edit accordingly so by the end of the week we had all the information needed just to be placed on the document. As blueprinting and concepts are not my strong area and we had people more able and willing to do those areas, I helped with level design and blocking out.
Whilst Scott began modelling some basic placeholders and experimenting with the style and some basic textures I looked at level progression. Although modelling is quite far forward for this stage, it was useful for the pitch document to express the style we wanted, and gave me more of a feel when blocking out. I watched a short but extremely informative video about KishÅtenketsu, a term introduce in the last unit.
Our game play is quite focused on the puzzles, so we need smooth mechanics but they need to be planned well. As described in Mario 3D World, you can introduce mechanics slowly and develop to make an entertaining and achievable level. When planning the position and timing of the puzzle, we need to consider 'teaching, developing, twisting and then concluding'. I began applying this technique to the mechanics we plan to use:
To think up puzzle ideas I looked at the early influence. I watched a short video showing player interpretations of the same puzzles within Trine 2. This reassured me in the 2 main mechanics we plan to use and that it is still possible to have good game play if it's kept simple.- Introduce timer button with simple door
- Add timer to a corridor, player must pass through in time otherwise they get trapped/squashed (slight danger)
- Add a puzzle to complete within the timer and some danger.
I made an initial flow of how the play would go.
- Start in a small room, small amount of lighting
- Press the panel to activate the door (button introduction). Possible voice activation
- Move a block away from the door to get through (block moving introduction)
- Next room has multiple pressure pads that need to be activated (block moving challenge)
Next a challenge and or danger can be introduced: - Panels needing to be activated in a sequence to activate door/key/etc.
Blocks to be aligned to climb
Panels with timers and disappearing platforms
In UE4 i drag and dropped blocks to get a feel for space and show where puzzles would be in the game. When the assets were ready I replaced the blocks with the placeholders. Using Scott's composition I lead the player through some pre-puzzle tasks and lead them to the main puzzle area. During mine and Scott's planning we were discussing leading the player through the puzzles and whether we should make it linear or give them more choice. On that note we devised an idea of a puzzle room, with multiple door ways all accessible to complete. This gives the player choice to complete which they want first but all must be complete to progress to the next level of the tower. We proposed this idea to the rest of the group and they liked it.
As the week closes we have the block-out half way, pitch document near completion and other tasks all on track. I feel we should have done the blocking out and level design early but this didn't get full considered and into action until midweek. Now we have all started and have a feel for everything I have devised a plan of what needs to be done and what is desirable for each week up until submission. I will keep this list updated as we go and add anything appropriate. Using this we can allocate jobs on the trello account and move lists around when complete. I feel at the beginning and end of each week minimum we should all meet and discuss what we have done and what's next. With everyone knowing their roles per week we can get stuck in and no important tasks get missed.
This week is for experimentation and collaboration across new areas. Our cross-course collaboration is with fine art, and our week long project requires 5 seconds to 1 minute of footage relating to the picture and word we got. My group consisted of 2 fine art women and 3 games art women (including myself) and our topic was 'rabbit'.
We sat down and introduced each other and our areas of interest within our course. With these in mind we discussed what we could do with the knowledge we all shared and the time frame we had. We bounced around a lot of ideas and all seemed up for sculpting something. Myself and Sadie felt the most comfortable with the filming aspect and Elly has experience with editing video software. Jo and Hannhee had commitments later on in the week so this worked in will that us three film and edit then. Areas of discussion:
Interchange- Taxidermy - The local Castle Museum has a large collection of interesting animals in their taxidermy section. We could use the idea of a stuffed animal as our rabbit image looks stuffed/inflated.
- Sniffling - Rabbits have very twitchy noses and sniffle a lot. We could use this as a based with slow motion nose twitching shots or other sniffling movements in other animals.
- Inflating - I thought the rabbit looked extremely inflated with all the fur. We could use inflation as a point and enlarge things. The simplest suggestion was inflating a balloon, which then could also lead to burst and over inflation.
- Cotton candy, cotton wool, fur and hair - The extreme amount of fur could be altered and displayed using a different material. We all said what we thought the fur reminded us of, varying from cotton candy, cotton wool, hair, other animal hairs etc.
- Dandelions - We liked the idea of inflation and the fur exploding from the item. The motion of the wind blowing the dandelion 'petals' was a desirable effect. It could also leave the object naked so we could see before and after.
- Flower (Game) - Following the thought of wind and the dandelion, I thought of the game Flower, where you are the wind flowing through the flowers. I was unsure how we could implement this into our project with the time and skill level we had though. We may experiment with the camera motion to replicate the perspective of being the wind.
We regrouped with our research and our rabbit models. Jo and Hannhee had found disturbing facts on how angora fur is removed and thought it would be an important message to portray in our video. The process of removing angora fur is to pull it from the rabbit whilst it is still alive. To further our idea, we all agreed we should have some shots where we pull the fur from our rabbits as well as blowing the fur off. Rather than focusing on the action and making this abstract video we shall try implement some knowledge about this cruelty.
We began filming the rabbits we had whilst waiting for the last member of our group to arrive and continued with more after the discussion and when all the rabbits and fur were ready. We now have a series of videos and images and will send them all to Elly as she has the editing software and has offered to work on it with our feedback and advice after each pass.
Setting up, choosing a well lit place and experimenting with the girls was very fun, and throwing together ideas on how to present all of what we had. There are many ways of portraying a message and we have not studied these. Influences should be taken from advertisement and campaigns on how we can portray a strong message, but at the same time this is a short film not a campaign. Me and Sadie are looking into sound and will keep in touch with Elly the next few days as she edits the videos together.
Keeping in touch with Elly was difficult as she did not respond to messages promptly or involve us. However, with little time and only one person being able to edit the file, there was little we could do about this. Once complete, she sent us all the file ready for the presentation. Due to personal reasons I could not attend the presentation of our video but I informed the course tutors and the members of my team that I could contact.
I feel my team communicated well when together and produce a variety of ideas and enjoy working together. With the limited time we were given and the interchange event right in the middle, we only really had 3 days to work on this. I feel communicating was difficult as not everyone was on or used social media often, and this is the easiest way to contact people when not with them in person. It would have been nice to have more time to review our video as the final piece was a very early pass and could've benefited from team input, however it portrayed all of our ideas and was within the specification.
Keeping in touch with Elly was difficult as she did not respond to messages promptly or involve us. However, with little time and only one person being able to edit the file, there was little we could do about this. Once complete, she sent us all the file ready for the presentation. Due to personal reasons I could not attend the presentation of our video but I informed the course tutors and the members of my team that I could contact.
I feel my team communicated well when together and produce a variety of ideas and enjoy working together. With the limited time we were given and the interchange event right in the middle, we only really had 3 days to work on this. I feel communicating was difficult as not everyone was on or used social media often, and this is the easiest way to contact people when not with them in person. It would have been nice to have more time to review our video as the final piece was a very early pass and could've benefited from team input, however it portrayed all of our ideas and was within the specification.
The cross course collaboration week shared the stage with Interchange, fitting the theme of trying something new. I chose Silent Narrative, described as a workshop where we learn about portraying narrative without any text. This was a full day, with the morning spent looking at examples and experimenting. We then went outside and could use observational drawing to portray a different narrative.
We discussed narration within illustrations and looked through multiple books and illustrations, students and professionals. I took a shine to Underworld by Michel Gagne which was in the book Flight (Volume 3). The style was simple and the story flowed. The colours were soft and nothing was too distracting for them main character. I found myself shortly attached to this little fella and the risks he took for someone he did not know. The story was told through a variety of close and distance shots to paint the picture and expressions. I understood the story and emotion involved and there was no narrative.
We discussed narration within illustrations and looked through multiple books and illustrations, students and professionals. I took a shine to Underworld by Michel Gagne which was in the book Flight (Volume 3). The style was simple and the story flowed. The colours were soft and nothing was too distracting for them main character. I found myself shortly attached to this little fella and the risks he took for someone he did not know. The story was told through a variety of close and distance shots to paint the picture and expressions. I understood the story and emotion involved and there was no narrative.
Game collaboration
This week is production. With all the pre-production work behind us, we can now get stuck into production and getting a playable level as soon as possible. The week started with a meeting with tutors to discuss planning and getting the most out of our Trello board. Now the board is updated my previous list is less relevant, though it will help me track progress and know things aren't getting miss out.
I have began making assets and uploading the first pass to Drive so they can be used as placeholder. A quick texture will help identify them in the scene and we can edit later on in the process. I have saved all files and meshes in good state so anyone can access them later and quickly pick up where we left of. The pressure panels and some varied floor sized are uploaded and accessible to use in the level now. I will not start working on assets to populate the scene and give it more character. I thought the ceiling is quite bare so could benefit from something hanging. I suggested a chandelier to the team and they liked the idea, so I shall begin finding references to model from.
The chandelier needed to be simple and use similar materials to other assets populating the scene. I liked the lanterns having from the chandelier, as I could also have them on the walls for areas where chandeliers did not suit.
I began modelling the chandelier and a lantern this week. By the end of the week I had the first pass modeled and some unwrapped. I cannot work as fast as other members of the team but have completed the task I was set and will finalise the models in the next week.
I have been in uni every day and had contact with some of my team each day. I organised us all to meet at the end of the week to see what we had all done and to ensure we were all on the same page. Multiple people were looking at level layout and design so we needed to ensure no time was being wasted and what direction we wanted to go in. We used this meeting to clarify with everyone the structure of how the player reaches the puzzles. My original idea of having a big room with multiple sections within has been revised to lead the player through and progress more obviously. This has been roughly sketched out and kept by one of the boys as reference.We all revised what we wanted to complete before we return again on Monday.
I enjoy looking at the blueprints and seeing how my teammates have gone about them as it is a complicated area I struggle with. I am becoming more familiar with the capable functions and what each node can do, meaning I could potentially help fix small problems if they occur during testing.
I began modelling the chandelier and a lantern this week. By the end of the week I had the first pass modeled and some unwrapped. I cannot work as fast as other members of the team but have completed the task I was set and will finalise the models in the next week.
I have been in uni every day and had contact with some of my team each day. I organised us all to meet at the end of the week to see what we had all done and to ensure we were all on the same page. Multiple people were looking at level layout and design so we needed to ensure no time was being wasted and what direction we wanted to go in. We used this meeting to clarify with everyone the structure of how the player reaches the puzzles. My original idea of having a big room with multiple sections within has been revised to lead the player through and progress more obviously. This has been roughly sketched out and kept by one of the boys as reference.We all revised what we wanted to complete before we return again on Monday.
I enjoy looking at the blueprints and seeing how my teammates have gone about them as it is a complicated area I struggle with. I am becoming more familiar with the capable functions and what each node can do, meaning I could potentially help fix small problems if they occur during testing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H54ZRxjmx3Q
Week 3
This week again began with a discuss ourselves and with David to check our scope and progression through the project. We are having small issues with attendance at university as some of us work more from home and only meet when arranged. Not everyone is always on time and this causes tension and delay. I have made the messages about meetings apparent to everyone and have emphasized the promptness more now so we can all be there on time to minimize problems. If it continues to happen we shall directly address the issues with the individual as it effects the team negatively.
Our scope is still reasonable and we have most of the blockout done with the modular assets in use. My aim for this week is to unwrap and complete the models I had started and make some small shrubs/grass patches. We also still like the idea of the other towers/island to be in the distance so I will model a low poly tower from the concept and the layout of our blockout. If any other items are needed more urgently I shall begin on those though.
At the end of this week we all went to EGX to network and explore the games on show.
In the build up to week 4 we have approximately half the structure done with a couple of puzzles in place. We have all of the puzzle ideas documented in a shared online document so they can all be access anywhere.
At the end of this week we all went to EGX to network and explore the games on show.
In the build up to week 4 we have approximately half the structure done with a couple of puzzles in place. We have all of the puzzle ideas documented in a shared online document so they can all be access anywhere.
Week 4
This week began with a group meeting, assessing what was done and how much was playable. With limited time left, we need to be play testing and tweaking more than building from scratch. This meeting was good so we all know where the game is at and what the next few weeks require. We have prioritised getting all the puzzles within the game even if the mechanics aren't quite perfect. The minimum for this week is to have the level all put together so you can walk from start to finish, with puzzles in their rooms even if they have not got fully functioning mechanics as of yet.
I am finalising the first pass for the low poly tower and placing it into an old UE4 file to test. After posting it into the group, I will use the brick texture rather than the other pattern I briefly experimented with using the original concepts. Using Substance Painter in a non destructive way I can add all the bricks and alter the colours as and when.
The whole team have been in each day and we have all been able to discuss concerns and get feedback instantly with each other. Communication is still strong, especially with us all being in the same place working for a few hours each day. We are continuing to use the Trello board and our Facebook page to post what we have done and get feedback.
I have began sound design for our game. At our meeting I said I would take on this role and clarified the style of sounds we were all thinking. Sounds need to be ambient and not overpowering to suit the environment and atmosphere we want to create. I created a list of sounds we will need and will add options for the sounds with them.
To conclude this week, I have found almost all the sounds we need for the game, and have experimented a little with them in UE4. I have enjoyed looking at sounds and thinking through the level as to what requires what types of sounds. Communication was important as I wanted to get the game play vibe that everyone was happy with and that we originally intended. In a nutshell, the sound needed to be a blend of Zelda and Dark Souls. These references made it easier to think and research sounds. I watched some gameplay of Zelda: Breath of the Wild to analyse how much sound was used and where. It would have been interesting to look into sound design and possibly recording, however I do not believe we have enough time for the research, recording and implementing. We are on track but still need all of the work to come together in one file and be playable, which is priority.
I have used various sites to find free sounds for us to use. These sites include:
- Zapslplat
- Freesound
- Purple Planet
- Free Music Archive
- FreeSFX
I compiled a document with the sounds i needed and then copied links to the sounds I liked. I then later reviewed and chose which ones I wanted to edit. This document kept all my ideas in one place and any relevant notes attached. I made the links I've used 'bold' and annotated if necessary. Once the files are sorted I uploaded them to the sound file immediately so the others could access them and see what they think. I am happy with the sounds I have found, and have kept with subtle noises and effects as we want an immersive ambient experience.
We are considering sounds increasing as you get close to certain areas, such as increased wind when you go outside and are near the top of the tower. I have used this documentation for information on setting this up in UE4. https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Audio/SoundActors/index.html
Week 5
This week we aim to be able to play through and critique our level. I am aware this is quite later to be starting this, and we should have had more playable aspects prior to now. We have be adding all the things we created and planned at the end of last week and continuing to do that this week. I will get access to the file so I can add sounds and any other aspects I have made that aren't already placed.
Early on in this week I had access to the main file for a short period of time, and sorted the background sounds and added a few trigger boxes for floor creaking and some ambient wind early on in the level. I have an old file to work on as I haven't used UE4 much and I crash it often. This way I can experiment with where sounds go and sort out timings beforehand. Once sorted I can then put them straight into the main file knowing they will work. I have a list of all the sounds and what I do in my spare file, so that I can make sure everything goes over to the main file that should and I remember what I have done.
I have enjoyed using UE4 more this week, as I wanted to follow through with the sound an implement it within the level and edit volumes where needed. I used this information to help set up sounds within the jump and walk animations of our character - https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Animation/Sequences/Notifies/index.html. I used this information on ambient sound - https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Audio/SoundActors/.
I am looking at particle systems for a cloud/mist effect alongside the clouds I have already created. To help me know the potential and get a good effect I have looked at the UE4 wiki and the particle systems. (https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/ParticleSystems/Reference/index.html#modules).
This walk through was extremely useful for the basics for creating the cloud/fog. I followed the material set up and then attached it to the particle system. From then I could use my knowledge learnt from the guide and keep referring back to to get the right variables. (https://www.3dtotal.com/tutorial/2124-unreal-engine-4-part-4-particle-smoke-dev-kit-by-rob-redman-tutorial-new-projects-free-foliage-landscape)
When I had access to the main file during the week we came across the issue that the lighting wouldn't build. Another team member spent a few hours cleaning up the file, sorting out folders so you canf ind things appropriately as some content hadn't been sorted when placed in the file. With this in mind, I looked into the memory draw that tessellation takes as I planned to use this for my clouds. I found this information - https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Resources/ContentExamples/MaterialProperties/1_8/
I've taken out the tesselation on the cloud material and the effect is still okay to use in the game. The clouds are in the distance and can be reasonably low poly. This should hopefully not cause any problems like we initially had and still give the desired look.
We are considering sounds increasing as you get close to certain areas, such as increased wind when you go outside and are near the top of the tower. I have used this documentation for information on setting this up in UE4. https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Audio/SoundActors/index.html
Week 5
This week we aim to be able to play through and critique our level. I am aware this is quite later to be starting this, and we should have had more playable aspects prior to now. We have be adding all the things we created and planned at the end of last week and continuing to do that this week. I will get access to the file so I can add sounds and any other aspects I have made that aren't already placed.
Early on in this week I had access to the main file for a short period of time, and sorted the background sounds and added a few trigger boxes for floor creaking and some ambient wind early on in the level. I have an old file to work on as I haven't used UE4 much and I crash it often. This way I can experiment with where sounds go and sort out timings beforehand. Once sorted I can then put them straight into the main file knowing they will work. I have a list of all the sounds and what I do in my spare file, so that I can make sure everything goes over to the main file that should and I remember what I have done.
I have enjoyed using UE4 more this week, as I wanted to follow through with the sound an implement it within the level and edit volumes where needed. I used this information to help set up sounds within the jump and walk animations of our character - https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Animation/Sequences/Notifies/index.html. I used this information on ambient sound - https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Audio/SoundActors/.
I am looking at particle systems for a cloud/mist effect alongside the clouds I have already created. To help me know the potential and get a good effect I have looked at the UE4 wiki and the particle systems. (https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/ParticleSystems/Reference/index.html#modules).
This walk through was extremely useful for the basics for creating the cloud/fog. I followed the material set up and then attached it to the particle system. From then I could use my knowledge learnt from the guide and keep referring back to to get the right variables. (https://www.3dtotal.com/tutorial/2124-unreal-engine-4-part-4-particle-smoke-dev-kit-by-rob-redman-tutorial-new-projects-free-foliage-landscape)
When I had access to the main file during the week we came across the issue that the lighting wouldn't build. Another team member spent a few hours cleaning up the file, sorting out folders so you canf ind things appropriately as some content hadn't been sorted when placed in the file. With this in mind, I looked into the memory draw that tessellation takes as I planned to use this for my clouds. I found this information - https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Resources/ContentExamples/MaterialProperties/1_8/
I've taken out the tesselation on the cloud material and the effect is still okay to use in the game. The clouds are in the distance and can be reasonably low poly. This should hopefully not cause any problems like we initially had and still give the desired look.
