Jack Tatton

Overview

During the summer I was planning ideas for my Honours project by tailoring briefs to improve selected areas of my skillset. In this post I intend to outline a range of projects that I have already started in a basic form. This analysis will continue with me speculating on how these projects can be improved to the high standards required for an Honours brief.

1) A gallery space of my own work

This project is a concept project which will showcase a range of digital pieces that I have created at college, university and for my own website. This project will provide all my work with a brand unifying all my pieces in one designed intractable space. This brief would be positive because it will showcase my work in a relevant way to game development enabling me to show progression in my skillset. I would plan to divide pieces into categories enabling the user to explore my work as a series of gallery spaces. The intended user of this space would be a prospective employer needing to review my work for a job application.

2) Victorian railway station

In this post I plan to explain some of the key features of our group game for the games proposal module. The game concept development allowed everyone in the team to suggest ideas for the proposal. These slowly came together to allow our game to have unique mechanics.

The first aspect of the game we selected was to choose the rewind topic to which I provided a base structure. A rewind topic allows the users to take the gameplay backwards at certain moments in time to replay a special level of area. This allows replayable and sustainable gameplay because players can repeat events to succeed where they have failed in their previous attempts.

Overview

This blog post will analyse the roles that have been allocated to and the reasoning why I am looking forward to developing outcomes as a Level designer and a 3D asset artist as part of a group. The two roles will test my ability to produce professional quality outcomes. The outcomes will enable me to build up a portfolio of work that will enable me to apply for jobs using the skillsets I have learned in a game company.

Level design

My level designer role will require me to adapt my skillset to design for multiplayer requirements on Rewinders. All my previous experience has been designing single player levels. The game takes place on a single share screen experience for four players so ensuring a range of character movement options is difficult. This will require me to be creative in the way I use the level form and the environment hazards.

3D artist

This section will talk about games in similar genre to ours and in regards to how to design effectively for four player multiplayer maps.

Gangs Beasts

There is no weaponry in Gangs Beasts so players have got to launch the opposition by man handling them into the air and throwing them into hazards or out of the gameplay space. The wresting nature to the combat means that players have got to use tactics in the way the position themes before an attack. This is due to the physics system of combat, which typically involves punching and grabbing.  This style of gameplay means that every fight is an unpredictable result. The character animation is ragdoll in nature and the art style is block colours to highlight and not distract for the action.

‪Fuzion Frenzy

This blog post will outline how I designed the levels for Rewinders based upon my research conducted into multiplayer design. Each level had to have certain requirements in terms of having four starting positions and having a selection of hazards. An important factor was that all the level architecture had to be different to ensure that the gameplay mechanics would react in a modified way keeping the player experience fresh. A key element was the high in the gameplay spaces which would be used during gameplay when players use their grenade.

This stage is where I implemented my level design concepts through creating three block maps using Unreal Engine Four. I tested design one, six and twelve because they all provide different level challenges for the players.  These allowed me to experiment with the height and scale of the gameplay world.

In the first level design the level architecture is split into quarters with to paths to reach the central area. The paths both feature a piston or a steam pipe fire hazard.

Level design 1

Level design 6

Overview  

The 3D asset creation will involve me modeling individual props that will be used as hazards or weapons during the game. The assets design will be defined by the concept art already created my other members of the group. The artwork will provide the base for the 3D models in terms of the shape of the polygon geometry. The concept art will be adapted with simple additions such as extra pipes or beveled edges that will provide in-game variety. I plan to use a high and low polygon workflow, which will translate the detail into Rewinders. I am going to prepare the assets for the game using a professional workflow through preparing or generating the normal and ambient occlusion maps. 

High polygonal

I will create the high polygon version of the assets that will feature the majority of detail. This stage will require the most amount of time because capturing the realism is difficult to achieve when poly counts are high. This aspect will be the most technical aspect in Autodesk Maya requiring the most amount of production time. 

Low polygonal

The final stage will be making the low polygon assets, which are based upon the high polygon geometry. In my previous experience of completing this process at Futureworks where I found that low poly models are simpler to make because they are mainly created with standard polygon geometry. The lower definition models rely on texture maps to show their detail and require being UV unwrapped to enable the texturing process to function.

Hazards asset list

Piston | Steam pipes | Buzz saw | Conveyer belt

Weapon assets

Overview

The piston hazard was used frequently in my level design meaning it was important that I selected this as my first 3D asset to model. This allowed the hazards to become a part of the block maps from an early stage. The ethos was that the head emits a damage percentage to the player when extended, meaning that the player would have to receive numerous blows before death. The piston can be used to block sections of the gameplay world and is placed opposite each other, so for player advancement through that area is challenging, without losing health.

Research

The main element of research I used was the concept art Niall produced. This featured the round shape of the casing with a smaller head that the casing provides the powerful motion. The main inspiration for this was engine piston cylinders movement, which is a fast repetitive action. The scale was oversized meaning the piston would have a larger impact and be eye catching to players in a busy gameplay space.  

3D Modeling

I added to this concept art through adding details to the form providing more depth giving the player context to the functionality in the 3D model. One of the ways I did this was adding pipes to the side of the casing. This gave the player information on how the power is transferred, it also linking the piston to the ground. I also highlighted the piston casing through adding two even spaced out-dents. I think both of these adjustments add to the level functional detail, which gave visual appeal than just the plain casing and head.

Overview

The grenade weapon is a main mechanic in our proposal, meaning it was key that I captured detail in the high polygon and translate this into the lower modelling process. 

Research

The main helpful part for the grenade model was the concept art, which Niall completed. The main element of the design was the spherical base form. The grenade was more visible with emissive lighting areas, an important aspect in such a large gameplay world. The shape also features a simple silhouette to enforce the visibility factor within the game.

3D model

This 3D model was simplistic in terms of modeling techniques because the base of the shape was a standard primitive sphere to achieve the detail I extruded.  

Overview

The steam pipe assets will provide variety of the hazards in the game. This asset will require animation to indicate to the player that the trap is in the process of functioning. This is used to give the player feedback during the game. In the modelling process I will continue to use the same workflow practices of high, low poly to setup ready for normal and ambient occlusion maps.

Research

The research that I conducted considered a variety of different value systems like submarines image to understand the function of the hazard. This gave me information about the way that a steam pipe should look practical and useful in a situation. This was supported by other images of dials and pipes with simple shapes.

Modifying the concept art

The artwork created will be used as a platform when I make the model. I plan to make the asset complicated making them more realistic to actual steam infrastructure. This meant that I had to research from a variety of sources.

3D model

This was the most complex model I have completed in this module due to the amount of realism in the concept art. This was evident in every aspect of the design from the steam outlets to the power connections. I started through the pipe which was connected to the central area.  

In this blog I intend to discuss the way in which I designed the development sheets to each focus on a different aspect of my assigned role level design and 3D artist. There will be a sheet of the level design, rewind mechanic, 3D modeling and production workflow. There are relationships between them the level design and the rewind mechanic sheets are part of my level design role. My 3D artist role is shown through the modelling presentation sheet and the production workflow will be related to modelling. All of the design sheets feature annotations to explain how the item will be used within the finished Rewinders prototype.

Level design process | Rewind mechanic | 3D production process | 3D modelling design

Overview

For the model I took inspiration from a range of different hand held saw tools to ensure the that I could represent a realistic protection equipment.

3D model

The 3D model had a varied of different elements to combine together into a single asset. The power source was defined with two rounded squared shaped areas which create the energy from wall mounted positions. This were then combined using a cylinder shape with a series of textures to provide a variation in shape throughout the model. The power source was shown as dominant because it connects to the case in a central location. There is a blade casing and guard which I designed to highlight the distinct capabilities of such an object. The casing also shows the direction of the blade giving a direction to the hazard. The blade is shown to be sharp through the teeth which emphasise it’s destructive capabilities. The blade itself is thin depth, though it is supported through variation in form in the casing and guard. The power is further displayed in the three solid legs that represent the weight which had to be spread over the hazards. Their shape features a triangle which is traditionally a shape that shows strength.

Overview

In the melee weapon the bat weapon was going to function as a secondary weapon during combat after the grenades. The main design features were taken from cricket and baseball bats which I attempted to merge their characteristics together. The images analysed found certain design features like the handle area and the variation in the shape of the bat. They both featured similarities such as the wooden materials appearing to look as durable and practical if used as a weapon. The bats both featured a taper so the useable face is wider therefore more important than the handle. The main difference identified was the streamlined features of the baseball bat with it being one wooden object. The cricket bat shape is more robust with the face wider and there is rubber material on the handle for more control.

3D Design

I started with modelling a baseball bat based upon reference images to ensure that I have captured the correct form. This model was simple to achieve because it was based upon a cylinder that I extended and shaped using the texturing procedure. I tapered the handle of the baseball bat to represent the handle. The reason why I selected to begin the process with a baseball bat was it is made out of a single piece of wood unlike a cricket bat.

Overview

The conveyer belt hazard was designed to move then player into an accompanying hazard and give damage to the player.  This meant the belt movement was the key element of the design so, it had to be easily visible from the gameplay angle.

The process involved exploring images of different conveyer belt systems and their functionality. The main source of inspiration was the industrial systems installed into factories because there is variety in design depending on the goods they carry. This gave me varying different designs I could chose from in relation to the belt look and form. There are also a range of materials that are used in the casing and construction of such devices. This allowed me several different options in terms of a track surfaces and highlighted many casing materials that would be relevant to Rewinders, considering industrial in one of the artistic themes.  

3D Design