Starting this week I have decided that I will now be using a weekly blog format posting every Thursday. This new format will allow me to better formulate my blog posts as they were previously sporadic and of a lower quality than I was hoping to publish. Now that most of my process in terms of asset creation has been explained I will be condensing the content in these posts.
The latest update to Forget-Me-Knot was rather large due to the lack of recent blog posts. I will quickly list the assets and changes made to the game in its current state:
Models:
- Door (Handle, Glass, Body)
- Door Frame
- Skirting Board & Roof Trim
- Record Player
Textures:
- Normal Map for Walls
- Normal Map for Carpet
- Emissive Maps for Window Glass
- Emissive & Normal Map for Door Glass
Interaction:
- Door Handle Animation
- Animations can now be reversed (closing) by reactivating the trigger (No longer requires a seperate closing volume
- Drawer SFX added
- Cupboard Door SFX added
- Record Player Animation(s) & SFX
Lighting:
- The previous lighting model has been redone. Lighting now looks more natural with the additions of a new spotlight that is activated when the room lights are turned off. This spotlight replicates the natural light coming in from the window.
Video of Updates:
Record Player:
The current textures for the record player and speakers are not final as I was more concerned about the animation and interactivity aspect. The player can toggle the record player on which plays 2 animation sequences (The first moves the Pickup Arm over the record and moves it down to make contact with the spinning record disk. The second animation is a subtle looping 'bobbing' animation for the Pickup Arm.) The player can activate the record player by pressing the interact button, and deactivate it whenever they please.
Global Game Jam - Narrative Progression
During the Global Game Jam 2015 at Abertay I created a prototype game called "Respire" with a team of 4 of my peers. My task on the project was to work in the engine to build the environment and add interaction. I worked on creating a sequencer in Kismet that would allow the player to progress to different "Story Beats" once the previous one has been completed. The original Kismet for this was created within 24 hours so it was messy and badly optimised. The day after the game jam, I worked on refining the Kismet Sequencer so that It both ran better and was easier to understand. I think will adopt a similar system in Forget-Me-Knot to handle narrative progression.
Old Sequencer:
New Sequencer:
Summary:
I feel that I am making good progress towards my 'end goal' for the honours project. The main concern with Forget-Me-Knot is that I am essentially creating a "whole package" of audio, visuals, gameplay and narrative. Although it is a lot of work, I shall try not to let it overwhelm me. I am finding that these blog updates are a great way for me to gauge both my progress on this project, but also my progress as a game designer/creator.
Next Steps:
Models:
- Television
- Telephone
- Record Sleeves
- Sideboard
- Typewriter
Textures:
- Update record player texture
- Create textures for above assets
Audio:
- Start scripting narrative and implement the narrative sequencer.
Lighting:
- Make the lights in the fireplace flicker.