Run 'n Gun #1

For now I have been assigned a role in asset development for our run 'n gun side-scroller. I have modeled a few buildings that will be used to create the world of this game. I have modeled these buildings in a modular way so they can be re-used to create bigger/longer buildings. They can also be textured in many different ways to create even more variety.

We are going to be trying a new method of level design that we haven't done before. I am sure it is a common practice in a lot of games so we are going to experiment with it as well and see how it turns out. We are going to be modeling everything separate from each other, windows, doors and buildings will be separate items and 'stitched' together to create even more variety to the environment. Hopefully this way we can make the game look and feel great.

Here are a couple screenshots of some of the work I have done for now.

Suspended Platforms:

Doors of Different Sizes:

Building Modules:

So what do you think of the work so far? I know it doesn't look like much right now, but we have high hopes for this game and really want to make it great. So your opinions and comments would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

[Posted with iBlogger]

New Beginnings

It's time to put everything I learnt last semester to good use. In the last post I mentioned it's a new semester, which means a new game. At the moment I am working on a side-scrolling run 'n gun style game.

Basically the player plays as Agent Hank Malone and he is out to rescue Secret Agent Princess. The story will be your typical shoot up the bad guys and save the pretty lady(who doesn't like saving her) from the evil villain. The player will have a large assortment of weapons to use to create havoc and kill anyone standing in the way. The player will be able to run, jump and shoot, for now that is all the actions that can be performed.

Currently we have two levels in mind. The first starts out in a train yard where the player has to work their way through the hordes of enemy attacks to get to the next level. At the end of the level there will be a Boss Battle (still to be decided) and then on to the next level. The second level will be a little trickier. The player climbs aboard a moving train and has to make their way to the front of the train without being killed by enemies or falling off the train. There will be carriages the player will have to jump onto roof by roof or climb into and walk through the carriage. Once the player gets to the end, there will be another boss battle. Defeat this boss and save the girl.

That's the new game in a nutshell. Really looking forward to working on this game. Hoping I'll get to do more animation that last semester, which I think I will. I'll keep you posted on our work through-out the semester.

I'm Back

So, it has been a while since my last post and with a new semester comes new posting.

Before my break I was working on a zombie RTS/tower defense, needless to say it was quite the adventure. Unfortunately we ran out of time and had to butcher out a lot of our intended features and the game turned out to be a tower defense game with absolutely no RTS elements to it. This made it just like every other tower defense game out there. But it was still an experience and I definitely learnt a lot from it.

I think the most important thing I learnt from Zombies would be SCOPE. Have a realistic scope for any project you are working on, especially if you have limited time, skills and experience. It doesn't help having one coder (who did a fantastic job) trying to code the whole game either.

Not to mention having two or three artist without any direction to a specific art style. This leads me to the second thing I learnt. Make a DESIGN DOCUMENT for the whole team to follow. This should contain game features the coders have to create to the look and feel of game assets for artists. In other words everything that has to do with the game. The clearer everyone's understanding about the game, the better.

Now I could go on and on about everything else I learnt and write a book about it, but I think I'll leave it for now.

Have you been involved in any projects that didn't go according to plan? Feel free to sure your experience right here.