Using Navmesh in Unity: Part Two (CGA Year Two)

Part two of this tutorial focuses on creating a Navmesh that allows doors to stop a character from navigating into a certain area. This means the door has to essentially cut off part of the Navmesh when it shuts, it then rejoins when the door opens allowing the character to navigate to a certain area. We also learnt how to apply floating text that appears whenever You hover your mouse over a specific object.

Follow the screenshots below to see how this is done.

Again We were given this scene and all assets by our tutor.

Group Project, My Documentation. Puzzle List. (CGA Year Two)

Together with some input from the group I put together a structured list of puzzles to help build a basic story and game play. Please use the floor plan to help visualize the puzzle layout.

Using Navmesh in Unity: Part One (CGA Year Two)

This post focuses on our lesson with Ewan in which We learnt how to use Navmesh in Unity. Follow the screenshots to see how I followed the tutorial.

We were given the scene and assets to use in this tutorial.

You can see here how I baked the Navmesh onto the object.

I gave the character a point and click controller allowing the player to navigate the scene using His/ Her mouse.

You can see here how the Character uses the Navmesh to calculate how to jump up to the ledge.

Overall I do find coding difficult to do, even when following a tutorial led by a tutor. I have tried to learn coding in My own time and haven't made much progress. Its a shame as I would like to learn how to code however as I progress through this course i'm hoping to specialize as an Environment Artist/ 3D Artist. Coding doesn't have much of a part to play in these roles so personally I wish to focus in on modelling over coding. I feel its more important for Me to build a strong 3D portfolio.

Part two of this tutorial can be found in the next post.

Group Project, Creating a Game. (CGA Year Two)

This is the start of a group project in which We create a game.

This post and each post relating to this game on My Blog will focus solely on My role within the team. To see how our game is progressing overall please head to our Team Blog. The game's Design Documents, Art Bible and Story/ Narrative can also be found there.

Click Here to Visit the Team Blog - http://etherialgames.blogspot.co.uk/

The team I'm working with consists of one of each of the following:

• Game Designer
• Concept Artist
• Character Artist
• Environment Artist

I have assumed the role of Environment Artist for this project.

We have named our team, Ethereal Games.

We were given a brief by our tutor. We have to make a point and click game based around the words World War 1 and Library. We decided that we were going to make a puzzle/ murder mystery game based within a Library. The game will be based in Germany in WW1. I have to create an environment using only 100,000 tris. This is equivalent to an environment found in a GameCube game.

I'm not allowed to use normal or bump maps in any textures. Meaning the entire level must consist of low poly objects.

Since I am The Environment Artist I began looking into Architecture that was typical of this time period. I mainly focused on Libraries and old buildings in general, Victorian architecture was common of this time period so I narrowed my initial research to revolve around Victorian era buildings.

Research Into Old Libraries.

I noticed a very common trait that exists within these old buildings. The interiors are mostly made of wood and marble with the occasional touch of iron to make up spiral staircases and banisters. However I feel that creating complex structures out of iron will burn through the tri count I am limited too. Any intense detail I wish to add in will have to be done through textures.

Whilst discussing the premise of the game it was suggested by a member of the team that We stylize our game. We decided to use Gothic/ Goth as the style of our game. This works well considering Gothic actually originates from Germany so it fits in perfectly with our game. It will help to add an old rustic feel to the interior. It will also be easier to create a spooky environment.

I then started to research old Gothic buildings/ architecture. Luckily I don't have to model the exterior, only the interior. So I don't have to worry about burning through the entire tri count on the outside.

Research Into Gothic Architecture.

German Gothic is actually very similar in a way to Victorian architecture, which is great for Me as it makes designing the Library much easier.

I'm going to aim to try and keep the level design simple but intriguing, i'm hoping to add in pillars to most of the rooms along with intricate woodwork. Unfortunately i'm limited with the tri count and i'm not able to add in detail through normal maps. So any intricate detail will be added in through diffuse textures.

Research Into Old Victorian Furniture.

I'm hoping to be able to fill up the level with low poly assets to flesh out the environment and add an extra level of realism. This will also help Me convey the Gothic style by designing Gothic furniture and dotting it around the level.

In terms of the level design itself I have looked through old architectural designs; however, unfortunately due to both WW1 and WW2 there are very few examples of floor plans/ layouts left. Most old German buildings were destroyed within this period of time, along with floor plans, some of which were burnt by Hitler during his infamous book burning of 1933. This has made searching for old German floor plans a nightmare, all I could find were old church floor plans. So I have decided to use the reference I have already gathered to create my own design.

I gray boxed the level/ floor plan in Maya. The process of actually creating the level helped open My eyes to the limitations of level design. For example the doors have to be wider than doors in real life, this is so the player can get through them easily without getting stuck on the door frame. The corridors have to be wide enough to fit the player, assets and the camera's field of view; but at the same time be small enough to create a confined space to convey the feeling of claustrophobia. 

Gray Box Level, Ground Floor Plan. 

Since we are making a puzzle game I wanted to add in secret rooms for the player to discover. I labelled the secret rooms on the floor plan above. 

Gray Box Level, Upper Floor Plan.

You can see here in the upper floor plan how I have added a balcony area over looking the main entrance. In the late 19th century/ early 20th century it was common for buildings to have a grand entrance to convey a sense of wealth to guests. This is something I want to convey in My own building/ level design. I have added place holder pillars into the gray box design to show roughly where I plan to add them.

I have also added in an astronomy tower/ office. I thought this would be a nice touch and could serve as a unique area for the player. The round shape of the office also contrasts nicely between the square rooms of the library making it a memorable room for the player to explore.

Gray Box Level, Ground and Upper combined.

Here is the completed gray box design (without a roof) pieced together. I have left the roof off for now to allow the game designer easier access to plan out the players route, and place cameras around.

I have given a copy of this gray box to the game designer to begin prototyping code for use in the game. However this may not be the final level We use in the game. The floor plan is subject to change throughout the design process.

Playing Board Games (CGA Year Two)

In this lesson we brought in our own board games to play with classmates.

I brought along The BEST of TV & MOVIES.

The BEST of TV & MOVIES is a board game for 2 to 6 players or 2 teams of any number. Each team is given 4 questions in a row by the opposing team, these questions relate to TV and Film. Each question on the card is associated with a color; either Orange, Blue, Pink or Green. If the team answering the questions gets one right their piece on the board moves up to the corresponding color. Whoever is reading the questions begins by reading the first question on the card, the questions get harder and harder as they move down the card. If the team answering the questions get one wrong they have to then read out questions to the apposing team thus denying them the opportunity to progress further along the board. This goes on until a team reaches the end zone. Once there they have to answer all the questions on a card (4 questions) in a row. If they get all the answers correct they win the game.

We had two hours to play a single game between two teams of three. We both reached the end zone however neither team were declared as winners, this is due to neither team being able to answer four questions on a card correctly in a row. After a long and heated debate on who should win we agreed on the game being a tie.

It was interesting playing this style of game and being able to spark up a sense of competition using only some colored plastic pieces, a board and a set of questions. Playing this game taught Me that you really don't need much to create a game, as long as you can create a challenge or a sense of competition then you can make a board game just as tense and competitive as a first person shooter. Key simple game mechanics and a sense of achievement are at the heart of any good game.

Z Brush: Working With Z Sphere's (CGA Year Two)

Today in Robins class I learnt how to use Z Spheres in Z Brush.

The premise of Z Spheres is simple. It allows you to design and create an organic base mesh using only spheres built on top of other spheres. Its a very forgiving process that allows you to create, edit and design a character in seconds.

You can see here how in seconds I have gone from a single sphere to something resembling a torso.

I built upon the base I created for myself to create a creature that I would say is a cross between a human, a crab and an insect. 

I then went on to edit that creature to create a spider like alien organism. It reminds Me of something from Skull Island in Peter Jackson's 2005 film King Kong. 

Z Spheres have demonstrated to Me the power of Z Brush and how intuitive it can be. Within minutes of learning about Z Spheres I had created the basis for a potential monster. This would of taken much longer to create in Maya and definitely would of limited my creative potential. It was very easy to use Z Spheres; I look forward to learning more about Z Brush in the coming months.

Designing and Playing Board Games Through Paper Prototypes (CGA Year Two)

Today in Ewans class We learnt in groups how to create games using Paper Prototypes.

Paper Prototypes are playable basic examples of a game, user interface or software made out of paper in the concept/ design stage. They are deigned to be easy to use and provide a clear example of the final vision of the design team. They are cheap, effective and can be thrown away if they are no good.

Want to learn more about Paper Prototyping? Click Here - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paper_prototyping

We had to design a board game using graph paper and coloring pencils.

After some discussion and brainstorming My team settled on designing a board game based around survival in an apocalyptic world. The game placed 2 players against each other, the main objective is to grab as much food as possible using a car and return it to your base, therefore denying the opposing player the food. You can see in the picture above the layout of the board, the food represented by the small yellow squares is dotted around the map. The players are in the large blue and red squares near the corners of the map, their base camps are right behind them. We also created different zones and terrain on the map such as grasslands and swamps. These affect the players movement by slowing down the car. We also placed bridges that cross the river, these act as a choke point on the map allowing the other player to effectively defend their side of the map.

Players move by using a dice. For example if I was to roll the dice and land a 6 I could then move the car 6 times its own length. A car is roughly 3 squares in length meaning that by landing a 6 I would move the car 18 spaces along the board. Movement penalties in difficult terrain mean that You knock 1 off of your dice roll. So if the player was to roll a 4 He/ She would only move 3. 

So how does the player lose? The player to start off with has 10 food stored back in their own base. Every round (So every time both players roll a dice and move) they lose 1 food each due to attrition and food consumption. Meaning the player has 10 rounds by default before they lose due to lack of food. The player obtains food by placing it into their car and transporting it back to their base. It then increases the players food count. The players can attack each others bases to steal food however We didn't finalize this process before the end of class.

If our team were given time to expand upon this prototype game We would refine the combat and food spawning system. There is also potential to add in other resources such as fuel for your car. We would also add weapons such as rifles allowing you to hunt for food and defend against the other player. We could add in a deck of cards that create random events, every 3-4 turns a card is drawn by a player that would create an event such as an earthquake, a freak storm or a party of bandits. This in turn would then add its own set of new resources such as waterproof clothing to defend against inclement weather, or equipment for traps to defend against bandits. This would help open up multiple victory conditions for each player to follow in order to defeat the other player. The potential for expansions with this type of game are virtually endless.

After designing a board game We were asked to in groups design a multiplayer map for a first person shooter; again using a Paper Prototype.

I put forward the idea of designing a map based around a WW2 shooter. I remember vividly playing Medal of Honor: Frontline when I was younger on the PlayStation 2. The very first mission "Your Finest Hour" really got my adrenaline pumping. It put me right there on that beach, and it still is to this day the only mission in any game I have played that resonates in my memory so vividly. 

Medal of Honor: Frontline - Your Finest Hour - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a6Z2fthfvS4

That mission was the main source of inspiration for this map design. I roughly sketched out a beach landing complete with concrete bunkers and landing craft. Although I didn't have very long to create a map I was constantly thinking of how long it would take to get from the landing craft and up the beach where cover awaits the player. I was also thinking of possible avenues of approach and lanes in which the players can attack and defend. The spawns and possible power weapons also played a part in the design. This map is objective based with the defending team spawning up in the bunkers and the attacking team spawning in the landing craft. Sporadic cover is spread across the beach so attacking players have to move quickly to get to cover before the defending team can take up positions in the bunker.

Once the map had been sketched out We were asked to play the map using paper to represent players. We played the map using a method found in a book called 'The Art of Game Design: A Book of Lenses, Second Edition' by Jesse Schell. We used a metronome that ticked every 5 seconds. Every time it ticked We were allowed to move the player 1 space on the graph paper. The moment a player had line of sight on an enemy player He/ She had to shout BANG to represent a gun firing. If you had line of sight on the enemy and called out BANG then you have killed the enemy player.

We began to play with 3 players in total. We divided the teams with 2 players attacking and 1 defending. We gave the attackers an advantage due to the huge fortifications the defender had on their side. I was on the attacking side and managed to get into the enemy bunker unharmed. Unfortunately My teammate was killed by the enemy player leaving a tense 1 vs 1 standoff. However I managed to clip the defending player when He exposed himself meaning I had won the game.

Overall learning how to use Paper Prototypes to design a level was a useful exercise. They allow Me as a designer to really think about a level and how I would build it. It gives Me an insight into what the gameplay will be like before I even make the level in 3D, this is extremely valuable and will save so much time down the line. Its simple but extremely effective when conveying ideas to a team.