Final Game Environment

Here are the last shots of the finished cave which I created for this project, I am very happy with the final finished look and believe that I have captured the pirate nature very well in this cave. I am happy with how everything looks and have tried to include as many skills as I could in this level so that I could demonstrate my full potential. During the level there are demonstrations of using particles to create fire and mist, mesh colliders so that the controller does not go through the floor and also box colliders that contain scripts so that if you fall on them you are spawned back to the beginning.

I then made a quick video to post onto my YouTube page so that I could show a quick play through of the whole level, showing the assets that I made for it and also how I used Maya and Unity to the best of my ability.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ESfasVLDR-A&feature=youtu.be

Demo Island

Once I had created my Maya practice objects I decided that I needed somewhere to put them, which is why I choose to build a demo island. Instead of handing in all of my individual files I decided to put them on this island to show them off fully. I wanted to include all of the things that I had learned to do during this project and demonstrate them on there - showing the use of skyboxes, invisible walls, rigging animations, particle simulators and general terrain and Maya modelling.

Maya Practice

After making all of my crates and barrels for the brief I decided to move onto some other Maya exercise that involved importing into Unity as well. To begin with I started by creating a dice as this was a test to ensure that our UV Maps where working correctly so the dice isn't actually that detailed.

After I did this I then went back and created another one that looked better and this time gave it an older appearance to make it look like it was part of a really old board game or set. I also added a bump map setting onto this one to give the appearance of the bobbly wooden surface that has been worn down over the years.

I then had a quick go at making a tree, which would also go on a demo island that I was going to be creating. For this island I wanted to create a palm tree as this would fit in well with the island theme and would look really good once added in as well. With this the branch was extremely easy to create as they look very simple but the difficult came when making the palms leaves but in the end they turned out well and they look really realistic.

Before I moved onto rigging practice, I first had a little play with the controls of it, and thought about how it worked. I started by making the equivalent to an arm joint so that when the bottom of the cylinder, which is the shape that I used to create the arm joint, was moved upwards it would look similar to a flexing arm.

I then moved onto creating an object that had a rigging attached to it to allow it to move. This, for me, was very difficult to get my head around but like with the original crate we did have a guide to follow which was very helpful as I did get very confused at first by the concept of making this. In the end it did look  great and I managed to go from a straight un-bent cube to something that did resemble cloth which did look realistic.

Crates and Barrels

To begin with, again before I started to create my actual scene I wanted to complete some practice objects in Maya first and also because we got set these as mini briefs that we had to complete.

The first one that I started with was a regular wooden crate as this was something that I also had to use in my own environment. I started this particular exercise by following a tutorial set by one of our tutors as we were new to using some of the tools in the software. I got used to this quickly and really enjoyed making the crate - I did have a few problems with it though like when I had to texture it.This this something that I really didn't enjoy doing as the UV texture editor was sometimes unpredictable and didn't always project in the way I wanted it to which wasn't very helpful as I was new to using it as well.

The next Maya object that I made was a wooden barrel - again because I needed one in my scene. I again found this relatively easy to create but again I really struggled when it came to texturing it due to once again the texture editor being a pain.

The next object that I moved onto creating was a futuristic crate or something from a metallic environment that would fit in well around steel and metal. This is one that I found quite hard to design as there were a lot of possible looks that I could have given my design. In the end I went for a plain metal box that had dents in the sides to be able to pick it up and then a glowing top to suggest that it had something toxic inside of it.

The next object that I created was an oil drum. This was probably the easiest to make as it was just a straight up cylinder with a few extrusions on the side. Also the texturing for this one seemed to go on a lot simpler and a lot quicker which almost seemed magical after the hassle of texturing the other ones.

Looking at Sound

To begin with before I even thought about the different sounds that I could use I first had a play around on Unity with demo tracks to be able to see the different types that I could do, in which there are two different options.

The first one below that I practiced was the background music which is achieved simply by placing sound in the scene and it will play throughout the level.

Or there is the second type which involves attaching a sound to an object so that it either plays music when the character is near it or it will play a noise either as the character goes close or interacts with it.

So, when thinking of what kind of sounds and music I could put into my own game I first though about what sounds and music I could put into my own game. I first thought about what noises a cave would make; as I wanted to convey the word 'fear' into my environment I didn't want to necessarily use background music as this would take away that element of fear - unless it was very soft music that added to the atmosphere.

I wanted to ensure that there was the sound of wind and maybe water in the opening of the cave to bring the sense that you are in the middle of the ocean and you are stranded. I also wanted to ensure that the sound of the wind going through the rocks continued through the level to add to that element of fear. Henceforth combining this sound with the misty atmosphere of my cave will give it that sinister feel to it; which is the look I wanted to go for.

Audience

According to Gamespot's 'What Gamer Are You?' video, there are up to 16 different types of gamer that could all be considered in my research as I wanted to narrow down my audience to a select type of gamer so that I knew what market I would be selling to, if the game was actually being produced.

Completionist
When it comes to the completionist they like any game where achievements can be unlocked and things can be collected in order to reach 100% completion in a game. They will stop at nothing until they have successfully completed it ensuring every bit of treasure is collected or every enemy on a level is killed.

Analyst
The analyst takes comfort in problem solving and will often throw themselves into adventure games that have logical puzzles involves to test themselves further. They enjoy difficult puzzles and like to challenge themselves on high difficulty levels.

Exterminator
The exterminator likes nothing more than getting stuck into combat and they can usually be found playing action RPGs as this way they can really get stuck into fighting and annihilating everything that gets in their way. They usually so not care how fast they play through a game as long as they can destroy everything in sight.

Speed Runner
The speed runner enjoys games that are fast paced and the only thing they care about is the end goal, whether they collect everything along the way is no concern to them as long as they unlock the ending they are looking to see as quickly as possible.

The Extrovert
Extrovert's are the type of gamer who can rarely be found in single player games as they feel more comfortable playing as part of a team and like to share the reward amoungst fellow team mates as they enjoy the social side to the game more.

The Introvert
The introvert's are completely the opposite to the extrovert and are generally quieter people enjoying the solitude of single player games and rarely venture into muliplayer or co op games as they enjoy the glory of defeating enemies by themselves and they don't like sharing the reward either.

Builder
A builder can usually found on simulation and real time games like The Sims and SimCity. They enjoy nothing more than building a house or creating a family that can be customised to the max and the more options available the better for this gamer. They can also be found on strategy game where planning is involved and they can also build up an empire to the highest level.

The Character Builder
Some games are all about character creation and some games are brilliant for this. This gamer wants to be able to create a character that looks exactly right and they want to be able to add as much detail as possible into there creations so they are playing with the perfect character.

The Reader
The reader will go out of there way to get involved in every piece of dialog on offer even if means listening to someones life story for 20 minutes *cough* Mass Effect 2 *cough* The reader like playing adventure based games with lots of stories but are generally very bad co op gamers as they tend to get left behind reading every piece of information possible and also love to read instructional manuals before even playing the game.

Difficulty Snob
The difficulty snob is something to behold and does not believe in easy modes. They will play every game on the highest difficulty setting possible just to show off there skill. They will only play games that have difficulty settings and if they are seen on a game that doesn't they will only be playing it if they believe the game is worthy of there skill level.

The Ghoster
The ghoster's are generally happier playing as assassins or silent killers and will always opt for a stealth attack over just charging in and hoping for the best. They will always plan out there moves carefully and ensure they have tactics in there kills; by going for a slit of the throat or one shot death by bow and arrow.

The Hoarder 
Hoarders are a strange type of gamer in a way that they will go out of there way to collect a large amount of loot from either bodies or stealing them from different camps. They will have a massive amount of prizes and will be loaded with money; not spending any of it unless it is to further there collection of loot and will not be a friendly co op in some cases as they will leave the fighting to others and run around collecting all the loot for themselves.

The Min/Max
The min/maxer gamer is all about the stats and do not care for much else. They will want to make sure that they carefully plan out what stats to improve in each place and will ensure that they upgrade everything correctly and according to a specific plan.

The White Knight
The white knight is always going out of their way to help people; they enjoy nothing more than going out of their way to heal the injured or completing side quests for others even if it puts there own life at risk. They are generally found playing any game but action RPGs are a favourite as they have side quest options that help the general public.

The Ultimate Evil Doer
Completely the opposite to the white knight this gamer will go out of there way to cause misery in the world and will do anything to get in trouble with the law. They enjoy the trill of trying to go unnoticed through a town that has bounty on them and love the excitement of causing trouble to make others miserable. 

The Apologist
The apologist has the tendency to get very involved in certain series whether the next game is good or bad. They will ensure that they have completed every game that the series has to offer even if it means playing through an awful game to get to the next one as they don't want to miss any of the story.

After looking at all of the different options of what gamer I could please by creating this game I decided that I wanted to go with a slightly different approach. Even though the idea of The Reader isn't my kind of game I thought that this would be perfect for mine as I wanted to be able to create a back story for the game first and then have the gamer play through the game, already knowing what has happened in past. This gives me lots of ideas that could be added into the game along the way as well to make it more appealing to this genre of gamer and also fits in well with my brief of just creating a visual environment.

Object Research

Before creating my game I wanted to think about different objects that could be added into my scene to make it appear more realistic and how the cave would have actually looked if real pirates would have lived there or made a primitive camp/base.

To begin with the pirates would have had a large amount of barrels and crates on board which they would have stored food and drink, mainly rum, on the ship, which they would have transported from there to the island to be able to stay there. I wanted to include a lot of barrels at the entrance of the cave so they where ready to take in further, and I also wanted to include a number of barrels and creates at the centre of the cave as well to show that this is the section that they would have lived in the most so there would also be a store here.

On the way to the middle section of the cave I also wanted there to be a section where the captain would have spent most of the time. In this section I wanted there to be a big crate where he would have worked and then also instruments he would have used on the ship like a compass, telescope and then he would have also had his own supply of food and rum.

In one part of the cave as well I wanted to include a cell where they would have kept any prisoners that they already had on board the ship or if anyone tried to mutiny again the captain. In this cell, because it is old now; I would image that there would still be shackles on the wall and also bones still there from the prisoners that where left behind after they moved on from the island.

Further into the cave I wanted there to be a large middle room where the pirates would have spelt, fed, watered and also gambled - as they would put wagers on anything to entertain themselves in this room there would also be a number of crates and barrels as they would store them here out of the way of the water so they didn't  get wet. I also imagine that would also use them as seats so they could talk and have somewhere to sit and drink. In this section I also thought about having empty bottles on the floor as they would have been drinking from them and there would also be a spot where they would have slept above the water - so I thought about adding in hammocks or broken ones to show they are old.

After thinking about all of the general objects that there needs to be I moved onto thinking about the amount of treasure there would be in the cave. I wanted to ensure that there was ancient golf throughout the entire level as it would have been stored in every available place and this is where I wanted to bring the sense of awe into my game. As the player moves into the main section of the game I want there to be a wow factor at just how much gold is in one place - including the big chest in the middle which will be stacked on gold all around it. I also have small sections around the edge of the cave which will contain treasures and there will be not only gold but also gems, necklaces, goblets and scepters as well just make the gold collection more impressive.

Once I have added in all of these objects I also wanted to see if I could add in patches of mist into the environment to again add that air of mystery and suspense into the scene. As I wanted to include torches as well I thought about how I could also bring a sense of fear with them, by giving them an eary glow and making them flicker.

Backstory

During the early 1600's the pirate Fidius Calico was said to have made camp on a forgotten and undiscovered island located just north of the Caribbean in a long lost and feared area of the Seven Seas. Back then the land was unnamed, lost to the rest of the world; but to many now it is named Isle of Ororca. The most feared place in any sailors mind. Now, some hundred years on Calico's treasure has become a myth, lost in made up stories of sailors attempting to reach the island but none ever returning. That is where Lieutenant John Montague comes into the story and believe me he plays a crucial role in this particular one, as this story is not one that is myth and legend that has been passed through generations of people. This is a true story told by the Lieutenant himself after he actually came upon the island and took the gold without haste, for Calico's gold came in it plenty and would be a valuable prize for his hard work. Many years on, after Montague had settled down in a small village just on the rural outskirts of London he began working on his book, documenting his journey and below is an extract from the most crucial stage when he arrived at Isle of Ororca.

 'The journey was nearing its end when the weather turned sour. The waves became bigger, splashing against the bow of the ship upon which we were aboard. Neptune's Cutlas had coped so far; being the best ship in the Caribbean. But no one saw it coming. The wave rose upon us, some 30 feet in the air before it crashed against the ship and we felt the wood break under us. Terror ripped through my very bones as I attempted to grab anything to stay alive.'

'I awoke, lying on a cold piece of driftwood, obviously a piece of the beloved Neptune... I didn't know what had happened, my head stung with a dull ache and I was soaked to the skin; shivers running there way through my body but I lifted myself up off the ground and looked around.'

'The cave was cold and damp and there were plants growing down the wall in the cove, I looked out across the sea and saw the mist blocking all vision of where I was but I had the feeling I was there on the Island. the Island of mystery and legend, and the very Island we were looking for. I turned, and my search of the cave began.'

Character Development

For this project I wanted to create a character so that the audience knew who they were playing as during the level. Along with my back story, which will be the next post, the character development was very important to me to be able to get a good idea of how he would have dressed and what he would have looked like, also looking at different outfits that he could have worn, looking at other pirates and also some kind of personality so that the audience know how he would have acted.

I first wanted to have a look at some different film characters that I could base my character on and hopefully get a few ideas off the different characters. I noticed that in a lot of these films the characters where long blouse type shirts as they are very loose fitting and easy to wear. A lot of them also wore quite baggy trousers, again for easy move ability and then boots and waistcoats as well.

I mainly wanted to take my inspiration from Pirates of the Caribbean's Will Turner as he has a similar personality to how I imagine to be as he has a confident personality and is a natural leader, which is what my character is. Most of them had quite long hair which is a style that I wanted to take forward as well as a hair cut would have been a rare thing amoungst pirates, and decided that my character would look the best if he had his hair tied back off his face slightly as this would have made it easier for him to see. 

Concept Art Development 2

Once I knew what the basic shapes of the cave would look like I then went through and added a few objects into each of the scenes. I only added treasure in at this stage and looking back I should have included more detailed objects and items throughout the cave. Like before I completed these on Photoshop but I am not particularly proud of them as they are shaded roughly and do not look that good to me.

In terms of the first one, to begin with I don't want there to be treasure this early on in the map and I also didn't really like the orangey glow of the sunset. I wanted my level to convey fear so I would need to set it at night instead. 

When looking at this one, I am not happy with the coins here again and will end up replacing them with crates and barrels as this will create a better environment. Also I really like the way the cave gets a lot darker as it goes down but in this case I may need to add torches to be able to show the tunnels better.

I then lastly completed one of the inner section of the cave. I really like the look of this cave, but as before the texturing is not that good and there are far to many rocky areas in the background. This could be broken up by adding in piles of gold around the large chest and also changing the shape of it so that it looks older. 

After I had developed my concept art further I then went back and drew out 2 quick sketches to refine the look of the cave further. I first drew one of the tunnel including the torches and then also the inner cave as to refine earlier concept art problems.

Concept Art Development

I then drew out some line drawings of the cave system and how it would all link together, making sure that I was drawing in perspective to be able to get the best idea of how to model it later in 3D. I started by drawing out 4 different shots of the cave throughout the level, some in the tunnels and some in the main area, which merely showed the cave without any objects in it. I then also drew 3 picture of shots from the island which the cave is based on. Again these are simple line drawings that I can model from later on easily.

Floor Plans

I then moved onto looking at different floor plans for the island cave. I started off by design 6 different layouts and in some cases taking the layouts from previous design ideas. I really liked them all but wanted to go for one that had a large open area in the middle and then also had a tunnel system around it so I decided to with the 5th design as I would be able to develop it in the best way. 

I then drew out a more detailed floor plan so that I could then develop it further. I also coloured this one using Photoshop to be able to get a good idea of the colours that I will need to use when it came to texturing it as well. Even though I am not that happy with the shading on it, it shows what I want the floor plan to look like well.

I then wanted to do another floor plan to be able to plan out where my objects are going to go so that when I then started to bring everything into Unity I could easily place all of my objects without having to think about it too much.

Initial Concept Art

To begin with I started by showing my initial concept art ideas, based upon 8 different levels that I could have made based around the idea of making a cave. I wanted to first explore different ideas before narrowing down so that I could select the best one.

 This mountain level was an interesting idea but I thought about it further and realised that there probably wouldn't be any other interesting objects that I could add into the level other than the ones that I stated. But I really like the look of the tunnel system thumbnail on the right and would definitely take a part of this forward in my designs. 

I then looked at a level which would be based in a canyon and thought about how the canyon could have been set in the wild west and been part of a bank robbers life, in which he left his treasure in a hidden trapdoor that is at the end of a cave system. There would also be parts of this level that are set outside on the side of the canyon.

I then had the idea that the cave system would be on a different planet as this game me the opportunity to add in interesting objects that are unique to this planet and also the cave system could be lit in interesting ways and in different colours to bring a sense of fear to the level.

I then looked at an island level where the caves would be in the hill located on it. I really like this idea as it could look bright and exciting during the day but then at night the caves could be misty and mysterious, again trying to bring that element of fear. I also thought about bringing another theme into this, that it could be an abandoned island once inhabited by pirates.

I then thought about how I could make a cave system in the city, as I wanted to explore different locations fully and in detail to decide which is the best one to create. I wasn't so keen on this level once I had created it as it was basically just a sewer system which isn't that creative and it would have been very stereotypical and include water and toxic green barrels.

I then moved onto looking at an underwater level which I did really like, and it included a lot of Atlantean based objects which would have looked really nice once created in unity. The problem with this one is that we are making a first person game and do not have the skills to be able to make the character swim underwater.

Again, I am not to keen on this level as it is not very imaginative and is a lot like the island level but not as good. Although I do not like the setting for it I can definitely use the idea of stalagmites and stalactites and also the plants hanging down from the ceiling. 

The last one which I looked at was a graveyard level, which again I really liked the idea of it but again like the underwater level, in my first year on this course I felt it was slightly too ambitious as I didn't know how to use unity let alone create monsters on it. 

The idea that I decided would be the best to go for in the end was the island cave as this would look very sinister in places and I would be able to theme it correctly as well in order to make the island as interesting as possible to explore. Although I have chosen to do this idea I will be using other influences from the initial designs to make the level even better.