Unit 1 - 3D Visual Design
Modeling Reflection - Modular design is the crux of constructing all gaming assets. You start with simple geometry, then work on sublevels to gradually shape and size the object to make it resemble what you want. Most, if not, all of my original 3D models were created via the modular design. Aside from altering basic parameters such as dimensions, size, segments, or poly count, I would convert the geometric shape to an editable poly. From there, it was simply a matter of how much I would extrude or bevel a polygon, adjust a vertex, attach a separate object, create new faces by connecting edges, and so on.
This is an ice cream truck that I created using the "Edit Poly" modifier from a simple box.
|
This is a minecart that I created with simple extrusions and connected borders next to spikes created and arrayed from a cone.
|
These are a finish line and billboard created from a plane and several cylinders.
|
Unit 2 - Production Management
Team Reflection - As with most projects throughout one's life, collaborative works are not only inescapable, but often prove to be the best and only way to get work done. Instead of handling everything by yourself, you designate roles to each person, limiting the stress put on each person. Our team consisted of a 2D artist, programmer, producer, and a 3D modeler which I was. Obviously, our team was far smaller than a typical video game company. Communication is key between team members, and is necessary to avoid stumbling over each other's feet and ensuring that everyone involved is pulling their weight. There are also some cases in which one team member may need help with their task. This is when another team member will come in and assist if they have completed their job.
Unit 3 - Pre-production
Planning Reflection - Pre-production is undoubtedly the most important planning phase of any project. It is what shapes the result of the project, sets the parameters and boundaries, and establishes the vision and goals. Each team member shares their ideas and build upon each idea to expand their vision. While brainstorming, the team leader considers what works as well as what is feasible. Once everyone's ideas have been heard, the team will narrow down their scope in order to become more manageable and organized. Rough drafts and outlines are made, whiteboxing and storyboarding occur, and the team generally puts their pencils to the paper as the player experience slowly comes into fruition.
Design Reflection - When considering the player experience, one must think about the choices presented to the player. What would the player do in this scenario? How does this decision make the player feel? What does the player gain from choosing this option? Where does this choice lead the player? Choice is more than a "yes or no" question, and convexity is more than presenting the options ad nauseum to the player. The player should not feel forced into a situation, much less a situation that punishes the player instead of rewarding them. It is important to remember that options in video games are meant to enhance the player's experience and often reward them, and while some games put their own spin on convexity in their games through unusual means, those games are a niche exception, and does not mean that following suit is a good decision.
Design Reflection - When considering the player experience, one must think about the choices presented to the player. What would the player do in this scenario? How does this decision make the player feel? What does the player gain from choosing this option? Where does this choice lead the player? Choice is more than a "yes or no" question, and convexity is more than presenting the options ad nauseum to the player. The player should not feel forced into a situation, much less a situation that punishes the player instead of rewarding them. It is important to remember that options in video games are meant to enhance the player's experience and often reward them, and while some games put their own spin on convexity in their games through unusual means, those games are a niche exception, and does not mean that following suit is a good decision.
This is our team's convexity map from the "Mapping Choices and Convexity" assignment created in Photoshop. This ordered our thoughts for our racing game.
|
This is my outline for my fighting game user interface from the "Creating a UI Prototype" assignment. There are several placeholders for the actual icons created in Photoshop
|
This is the end result of my user interface created in Photoshop. The placeholders made organizing the layout very easy.
|
Unit 4 - Production Techniques
Production Reflection - Working in the Unity game engine is much different than working in 3ds Max. Switching between both applications can be confusing as navigating the scene in one application is different than navigating the viewport in another, which can cause me to accidentally trigger a shortcut that I have to undo. Working in Unity 3D encompasses coding in Visual Studio, which is another beast in and of itself. Terrain painting in Unity 3D is fairy simple as I mostly have to rely on my intuition and knowledge of realistic terrain in order to create a realistic scene using various brush tools. Resizing assets is also easy as it is simply a matter of changing parameters in the side window.
Coding can (and most commonly was) a major headache as a simple typo can crash your game. Honestly, it's as simple as typing a comma instead of a semicolon which requires a magnifying glass to sift through all the lines of code to pick out the issue. It is for this reason why those that upload public code to use for our own projects are often seen as "heroes." The same could be said for those that answer troubleshooting questions on public forums such as Yahoo Answers. Otherwise, making certain code public instead of private will save time as the options will be directly editable within Unity.
Coding can (and most commonly was) a major headache as a simple typo can crash your game. Honestly, it's as simple as typing a comma instead of a semicolon which requires a magnifying glass to sift through all the lines of code to pick out the issue. It is for this reason why those that upload public code to use for our own projects are often seen as "heroes." The same could be said for those that answer troubleshooting questions on public forums such as Yahoo Answers. Otherwise, making certain code public instead of private will save time as the options will be directly editable within Unity.
Team Reflection - I was the 3D modeler of our team. Before we began creating our assets, we each sketched our idea of a race track that we would like to see implemented into the game. I sketched a simple figure-8 track with oil spills and boost pads. I figured that a simple track would suit beginners and serve as a good course for the players to familiarize themselves with the controls and mechanics of the game. The whiteboxed track can be seen in the video above. The track would have had an incline in the middle as well as items. Other assets such as barrels and trees would have been present as well.
After I submitted the whiteboxed track and uploaded the sketch to the shared Google Drive folder, I began creating the 3d assets. I started with some simple geometry and compound objects from 3DS Max such as various foliage including trees and bushes. Other objects included railing, cones, spikes, and pipes. The first convoluted asset I created was the ice cream truck using the "Edit Poly" modifier. I textured a plane with a picture of an ice cream truck to guide me while I modeled. After that were light poles, a minecart, and a building. Once I was done, I uploaded the .fbx files of the 3D objects to the Google Drive folder. Unfortunately, the textures on the models were either incompatible while exporting or broke during the process, and I ran out of time to fix this issue. This led to the 3D objects being a solid color.
After I submitted the whiteboxed track and uploaded the sketch to the shared Google Drive folder, I began creating the 3d assets. I started with some simple geometry and compound objects from 3DS Max such as various foliage including trees and bushes. Other objects included railing, cones, spikes, and pipes. The first convoluted asset I created was the ice cream truck using the "Edit Poly" modifier. I textured a plane with a picture of an ice cream truck to guide me while I modeled. After that were light poles, a minecart, and a building. Once I was done, I uploaded the .fbx files of the 3D objects to the Google Drive folder. Unfortunately, the textures on the models were either incompatible while exporting or broke during the process, and I ran out of time to fix this issue. This led to the 3D objects being a solid color.