Task 2 - Issues encountered during the development of the scenes 20.12.17

Issues Encountered During the Development of the Scenes

The creation of the scene did encounter some issues, most of it coming from the lighting side. Due to this being in its prototype stage, the assets were not much of a concerned for me. But the lighting errors have to be resolved to avoid any artifices, such as light bleeding etc.

Light Placement

The lighting in the folder tab

One mistake that I did do is the placement of the lights in the game. All of the lights have to be done in the persistent level, otherwise I will get a lot of lighting errors in the other levels. Furthermore the persistent level is the one that is always active across all the levels, so that is the perfect place to add all of the post-processing, light-map importance etc.

The lighting re-build issue in the sequencer

 A strange re-build error appears during the sequencer. I am uncertain why this is happening, but this could just be a certain blueprint that I am missing in the level. This is something that I will be investigating further in the Unit 2.

Texture stretches in the scene

This project is still in the testing phase, but this is an issue that I need to look out for. Certain textures on the materiel, can cause the asset to look stretched. This could because of the texture coordinate being at the wrong scale. Another issue is the fact that it could not be a procedural texture one. This kind of method will allow to keep the same scale, regardless of the asset size. I will look into this during the development of the game.

Lighting

modular lighting

Task 2 - Scene comparison with Top-down design 19.12.17

Scene comparison with Top-down design

With the scenes made I can now start on the sequencer process. I matched the idea from my top-down designs so I can perfectly capture the cinematic scene. All of the assets have been placed to the exact spot, so that the scene matches with my idea. I am happy with the outcome of the scene and I will be further improving it in the post processing.

The top down idea from the storyboard imported into the scene.

To make sure that the scene matches my storyboard idea, I had to import the image from my Photoshop file and put it into the Unreal Engine. It is there that I followed my design idea from that image, so that the end result will be an exactly the same. Not everything was mentioned in the top-down image, due to the vast amount of detail. regardless it was added into the Unreal and it now looks like the idea I had in my mind.

Task 2 - Unreal Scene Breakdown 18.12.17

Unreal Scene Breakdown

With the storyboard made and the environment complete, I can now start work on the sequencer to make the scenes. I tried my best to make the cinematics that compare closely to my storyboards. Even though I followed the idea, there were some parts that I had to change. All of this will be explained in the storyboard breakdown. 

Scene 1

Shot 1 - I perfectly captured the first shot in this scene. The crystal monster runs across the scene and zooms into the landscape. Not much changes need to be added to this shot, other then the post processing techniques.

Shot 2 - This shot may have less crystal trees compared with the sketch drawing, but the main idea is there. I may have to adjust the angle position of the character, other then that I have captured the shot I was after.

Shot 3 - I decided to add in another shot for my scene one. The character looks out to the distance, getting a idea from the landscape. I wanted this kind of shot in because I wanted the player to see that he is in a unknown location and trying to figure out what to do.

Shot 4 - I decided to do some changes to shot 5 and 6. rather have two shots to show the character push the button, I instead did it all in on shot. I also changed the camera angle, so that the player knows what he is doing. I would have liked to go for the close-up shot, but it would not make much sense considering the fact that the play knows what he is doing.

Shot 5 - No adjustments was made when I created this shot, other then the change from a clicking sound to a particle effect. By doing this it will have more meaning and the player will know what is happening.

Shot 6 - The final two shots from my storyboard match the ending shot for my scene one cinematic. The change being that I have the two characters walking the landscape, rather then just the one. This will lead to a change to the gameplay, but this will all be mentioned in my FMP.

Scene 2

Shot 1 - The first shot of this scene perfectly matches my idea from the storyboard. The Unreal scene is missing the rock falling, but this will be added what I add in the additional details.

Shot 2 - I did adjusted the angle of the drone going into the cave, only so that the player get a clearer understanding of the shot.

Shot 3 - The third shot in my scene matches with my storyboard idea. The crystal tress in the storyboard idea have been replaced with my bushes instead because I do not want them to take too much of the scene.

Shot 4 - The creature in the storyboard has been replaced with a crystal monster instead. I did wanted the tentacle monster that will lead to a giant boss, but I decided to go for a crystal monster so I can save some time. This will lead to the story being changed, but it should not be too much of a problem.

Shot 5 - The angle of the shot may be different from the storyboard, but did get the shot I was after in the Unreal scene. The landscape end shot was altered to be more of a third-person shot, so that the player will be able to get a better view of the terrain.

Shot 6 - This shot was a simple one and I did a good job of capturing the exact same shot from the storyboard. The main idea of this scene is to make it fast-paced, so when I get to the post processing I will make some more adjustment to the scene.

Shot 7 - This shot follows the main idea from my storyboards and no alterations will be need for this shot. I may change the sound for this shot, but for now I will keep it as it is.

Shot 8 - Originally this creature was only going to appear in just two shots in the 2nd scene, but ended up being in three shots. This was only a minor change and change the story to be more about the creatures introduction. This kind of story idea is better because it shows that the world is full of strange beings, adding more to the story element.

Scene 3

 
Shot 1 - The scene follows the main idea from my storyboard. During the unreal scene, the camera will continue to move across and change to another position. The rock formation that you see in the storyboard has been replaced with crystal pillars instead, to save me some time.

Shot 2 - A slight change was made to this scene. A change the camera from a third-person perspective to a first person one. I wanted to make the player see more of the landscape and in the process get a closer look of the strange object. To do this I added a slight rotation, just when he gets to the end of the cave.

Shot 3 - The storyboard matches well with the Unreal idea, although I did not add in the QTE. I may consider to add in a multiple choice QTE, but for now I will keep with just the scene idea. When I do add in the QTE, I will use the other shots that I drawn in the storyboard and add them into the Unreal Scene.

Shot 4 - I did a good job creating the unreal scene to match the storyboards. I am yet to add in the particle effect, but that will be done at a later time. I did replace the tentacle with a crystal instead because I wanted t save some time. But the idea that I have now is good and it goes well with the crystal theme.

Shot 5 - Again just like the last shot, I had to change the story in order for my other shots to make sense. As the drone scans the crystal, it will begin to expand and take the player to another world. I did however, take some of the camera idea from the storyboard and added it into the scene.

Shot 6 - The final shot will take the player into another world and the gameplay will begin. The creature may be different, but I have still made the idea that I wanted. All I need to do now is to add in some extra details and that will be done in the post processing.

Task 2 - Cave Creations in Maya 18.12.17

Cave Creations in Maya

The caves in Maya

For the caves, I made some simple planes and have them next to eachother. taking a bit of advice from a YouTube video, if the player does not see the edges then I do not need to make a fully modelled cave. This simple method will also make it easier for me to UV.

The UV layout

To ensure that the assets texture work well I have filled out the UV to cover the 0-1 space. It was a simple model so the UV was not too hard to do. But the large scale will ensure that the textures will be very detailed.

The lightmap

A lightmap has also been applied to the assets. Following the method from my environment assets I made sure they follow the same texture size and that they are at an 90 degree angle. That way I will avoid any lighting errors.

The cave in Unreal

With the assets in the engine, I need to make a hole in the terrain in order fro them to work. Again, I used a YouTube video in order to get this idea. At the current moment there are no texture present on the assets and in addition to this, there is a slight seam issue. This will be explained in another blog. One idea that I am thinking of is a seamless texture or some other advice texture that I have learned during my 80's cinema course.

Task 2 - Unreal Scene Shots 18.12.17

Unreal Scene Shots

I have covered this in the unit 2 blog, but I will also display it here. As you can see the environment matches well with the storyboard plan.

Scene on does a good job in displaying the landscape from a birds eye view. The crystal bushes also help to build up the foliage in the area.

Scene 2 was the biggest environment of the three and did well to adjust the height map to fit the landscape scale. There are some missing textures but these will be address another time.

The cave sequence in this level follows my initial plan. I add need to add some more assets into this scene to show off more the underwater setting.

The alt shots main focus is mainly on the character, but for scene 3 (right image) the asset placement helps to show some signs of life.

Task 2 - Creation of the Unreal Environment 16.11.17

Creation of the Unreal Environment

In my unit 2, I have made the environment in the engine added in the animations. Now I can focus upon the environment in my scene and add in the assets. Following from the idea of the storyboard, I have added in the crystals that I have made and added them into the scene.

As you can see from the image above, I have captured the idea from my storyboard and added it into my game. Each scene will be split into different levels, so that it will not be to heavy on the game. The main landscape plan for this storyboard will be having scene one - three the custom landscapes and the second one a height map. The second scene will have a lot of detail and because of that I will have to use a height map to capture that large detail. 

Task 2 - Landscape Creation in the Scenes 16.11.17

Landscape Creation in the Scenes

There are many ways I can create the environment for my scenes, but for this project I decided to go for a manual creation via the use of the Unreal Engine. I used their community website so help make he scene I am after.

Scene 1 and 3

The landscape settings

By adjusting the settings in the landscape I can create the map in any size I like. Like texture maps, the scale follows the power of two settings and the larger the scale the larger the map. because the scene 1 and 2 are small I only need a small map, so for the scenes I went for the 64x64.

The sculpting tools in Unreal Engine

With the layout done, I can now begin to sculpt the landscape to make liking. There are various tools that I can use, such as the sculpt and smooth tools to build up the ;landscape and alter its shape. This is a small landscape, so I do not need to do much to change the terrain. For scene 2 however, I will have to use a different approach.

Scene 2

A example height map

Because I am working on a bigger scene I will need a large landscape. But manually working on this would take ages so I would have to use a height map instead. For the height maps I have taken a example from the internet. I can also use the other software to create a more realistic landscape.

A height map imported into the viewport

 In order for me to import them, I first need to make them PNG. Once done they will appear as a green outline in the viewport. The problem with height maps is that the texture has got to be the exact same size when you import them into the viewport. Otherwise they will have errors. With the correct dimensions I can then modify them  in the landscape editor, if I need to make an other changes.

  

Task 1 - Unreal scales for the scenes 16.11.17

Unreal scales for the scenes

Even though the scene itself was made with just landscapes in the Unreal Engine, there are some assets that I used to create the 3rd scene. Using the idea from the world of level design website, I made the walls  using the following scales:

Walls

Height - 300uu

Width - 600uu

Depth - 20uu

Cave Walls

Height - 590uu

Width - 490uu

Cave Arch

Height - 300uu

Width - 600uu

Depth - 20uu

Most of the work will via the use of the landscape creation tool and some assets to help build up the scenes.

Task 1 - Museum Trip Reference Shots 11.11.17

Museum Trip Reference Shots

Museum Moodboard

Getting references from the internet is always a good way of acquiring some asset inspirations. But I want to find some images for myself and use them for some ideas. I decided to get the shots from the Liverpool World Museum because that is the best place to find some aquatic and geologically shots. My main focus point was on the underwater terrain and the minerals. These are the kind of models I want to have in my scenes, so getting to know their texture structure will be essential for me to create a more realistic world.

But I decided to take more then just these shots. Since this is a alien world I took some shots of hydroponics, so I can see how I can make some interesting writing and also how they are carved into the rocks. In addition to this I took some space-themed images too, to capture the sci-fi element of my game. Even though the game will be centred around the underwater and crystal environments, I still want to show some signs of life in this world. 

I got some great shots from the museum and they have really helped me to understand the ways rocks are textured and how the different environments change the way the rocks looks. Those underwater images allowed me to see how lights behaves, which will be very useful for the post-processing. 

Task 1 - Top Down Views of my Scene 13.11.17

Top Down Views of my Scene

The top-down views of my scenes

All three of my scenes will have their own objectives I will have to follow a certain path. To help me visualise this idea better, I made some top drawings. The arrow will indicate the path the character will take and I highlighted the place where the assets will be. I want them as close to the characters as possible, just so that the camera will be able to get those assets in the shot too. This scene will have some different sizes, but they should not be too hard. The only hard one will be the second one, because of the scale.

Each scene will have a certain number of assets. These are:

• Crystal pillars - large with cold textures
• Crystal bushes - small and follow the similar colour palette 
• Cave walls - following a modular creation  
• Crystal monster - acts as one of the aliens in the world
• Drone - the machine the player will control
• Character - the main player and the key part of the story
• Rocks - acts as a atheistic element

Games such as Monster Hunter World always show of the environment in a way that is both visually appealing and  a way to draw the player to this world.  I will be doing the same to some assets:

Crystal trees and bushes - These will have a glowing effect to give them a sense of life.

Other crystal beings - I am planning on having some small creatures that will blow around with he wind.

Weather effects - there will be some element of decay in the world. I wanted this to be a way to drive the story.

Following these ideas I will able to make my scenes more surreal more importantly believable. 

Task 1 - Story Mindmap 12.11.17

Story Mindmap

The story mindmap

In addition to making a environment mindmap, I also need to make a story mindmap too, to further breakdown my idea. I split it into each scene and note down what I want to happen in each of them. I also made one for additional details, such as the number of shots I need for the whole scene completion. Having this kind of idea written down will help me to develop the story when I get to the sequencer creation process. 

Task 1 - Scene Plan 11.11.17

Scene Plan

Scene 1

Throughout the course of this game storyboard, the character will go to multiple locations. These will act as the game cut-scenes, while the main game itself will take place on another level. I have created a simple idea on how I want the game environment to look like in the Unreal Engine.

A sketch drawing of the game environment 

As you can see in this picture, this scene will set of the introduction to the environment. While the first scene will take place on this level, the other two will done on separate levels. This not just helps to identify a cut-scene on the game, but also makes it easier for me to managed the creation of them. At the current moment the game project itself is at its blockout stage. This means that not all the gameplay functions are active and the game assets are not present. Once the cut-scene is complete, I can ten move on to the game creation. I used the Pinterest image to help be create the environment.

Scene 2

The scene 2 concept sketch

My main idea for this scene is to have just the drone to explore the environment. This will require a large landscape will tall pillars of crystals to create the illusion of scope and scale. As you can see in the image above, the small plateau will be the place where the drone will be located. Because of the large scale of this scene, this will take the most time to build. But it will go well with the full story of the game and capture the scale of the landscape. The pinterest board was used again to acquire the references I need to make the scene.

Scene 3

The scene 3 landscape 

This sketch is a small one, but places an important part of the story. This is the place where the two characters will encounter a strange being and get dragged into a mysterious world. Unlike the previous levels, this will be done with assets to create the cave landscape. The crystals pillars that where made in the previous levels will be positioned to create a path leading to the end of the cave, where that create is. This kind of idea was inspired by the exploration of alien buildings, as seen from Mass Effect Andromeda.  

Task 1 - Environment Drawings 10.11.17

Environment Drawings

With the moodboard plan laid out, I decide to go into more detail with the environmental design by attending a museum. It is here that I will get some hands-on approach with the crystals by looking at their shape and colour design. I will also get some advice from the  staff their too will will help me further with my project. This kind of method is seen in the gaming industry a lot. The game Monster Hunter World for example went to real world locations so as Australia and Indonesia. 

The environment sketch plan

As you can see in the image above I have I have made some sketch plans of the models that I will amke and the layout I want them to be. The image text reads:

Crystal design:

1. Crystals embedded into rocks to enhance environment. 
2. Crystals will glow via material
3. A particle effect will be applied to give them a more frozen feel

Crystal Layout and scene plan:

1. Player character walks down this cave to find a object.
2. The object will set the tone for the gameplay.
3. Crystals pillars will have a symbolic appearance via the placement of the assets.
4. Particle effects will also be added here to create the ambience.

Having these drawings will help to create the basic blockout of my Unreal Project. The crystals will play a key role in this game, so these drawings will help me to structure them in a way that both applies gameplay functionally and visual appeal.

Task 1 - Scene Drawings 10.11.17

Scene Drawings

During this unit, I have learned a lot about perspective drawings. My art skills are not my strongest point, but I have tried my best to make them as professional as possible. Below are the sketch plans I made for the scene environments.

I have used some perspective for these images, most of them being in the one-point perspective. The canyon for example is in that layout. I wanted to drawing some mountains to visualise my idea with the crystal with them. It is by doing this that I can get the landscape design I want for the project.