Entry #1 - Idea Generation
This week i have started the idea generation for the final major project. We have decided to create a first person puzzle game with horror elements. My role within the pair is to model all of the assets that i we will need within the game. The rest of the jobs we are going to share out such as the level layout designs, the interactivity and mechanics within the game. We were also given a proposal document and a presentation, which both need to be completed for the following Tuesday when we will be presenting our presentation to the rest of our peers.
The first thing that i did was created two shared boards on Pinterest, one for inspiration and references. This way we can both add images which inspire us and give us an idea as to how we want our dungeon to look like in the end. I feel like these boards are going to be very useful for us when it comes to how we want our dungeon to look aesthetically, as we are going for a dark and dingy prison cell. I already have a separate board full of dungeon assets that i can use as inspiration from a previous project, so this will save me some time when it comes to collecting ideas on what to model and include in our level.
I decided a good place to start my idea generation was to create a mind map of possible assets that i could create and the rooms that they are associated with. This way i have an idea of what to model if i get stuck and i can priorities the ones that may take more time compared to the smaller, less complicated models. I have produced the mind map in my sketch book as this is where all my idea generation will be recorded.
Entry #2 - Level Layouts
Today i created an example of the level layout for our game along with annotations. I drew the level on graph paper so that i would be structured and have some sort of scale to follow if i were to follow this design when creating the level. The annotations that i have written next to it will give me an idea of what sort of assets will be included in the area, what sort of lighting will be used and whether or not there will be a puzzle within that area. I have also recorded some ideas as to the sort of puzzles we could feature that the player needs to solve in order to continue through the level.
Entry #3 - Modelling work
I am currently feeling very happy as to how my work is coming along as i have already made quite some progress on creating the models for our level. I have chosen to start to create a modular kit for our level which will include all of the basic things like the walls and doors as this will allow us to quickly set up a level. At the moment, the majority of the assets i have already created are quite cuboid-like in shape and do not contain much detail, so i am going to try and model some more complicated and detailed pieces in order to further my skills. The software i am using to to model all of the assets is 3DS Max. I am using this software as it is free to download, so i am able to work on my project not just at college but also at home and therefore giving me more time to create the assets. In addition to this, i already have experience using this software as we have been learning how to use it for most of the years to create models for another project and so i am already familiar with the tools.
Things to do
The next things i am going to work on are generating ideas for the puzzles. This is something that i need to complete as we need to work out whether or not we can actually create these puzzles within Unreal. I am planning to write down some considerations i will need to take into account when thinking about puzzles. Once this has been completed i will be able to start to model any assets that we will need in order to start to create the mechanics behind the puzzles. I also need to make sure that i complete the modular kit so that i can send it off to Callum, who can then start to texture these pieces ready to be put straight into Unreal.
Credits:
Created with images by TeroVesalainen - "mindmap brainstorm idea"