The final thoughts

When I went into designing this level, the first thoughts that went through my mind were "Oh my word, I'm actually going to make something look amazing in a game engine." Looking back on where I started, I'd say I screwed up a few times along the way. From the size of the level to the texturing, I think I did my fare share of guess work. I found it rewarding making not just the modells and textures, but also the terrain, the particle effects (especially that laser). I found myself going through every possible idea when it came down to the characters. To truth, I actually hated creating the characters. Not because I HAVE to make them. It more comes down to the fact that I build their backstory and everything else in my mind after I talk about them. It's irritating, but it can let me create a bigger picture, and a better image if it ever came down to modelling those three. I never really decided what I wante to do at the start. I found two completely polar opposite objects, and attmepted the impossible. It was a struggle, but a worthy struggle at that. I would happily come back in decades, no, years and make this game fully accessable for all to play. I would love to, but with my current skill level, I have a more to learn. As a wise man once said to me:

"You are never old until your stop learning"

And I never intend to stop.

Level Construction

Now that I have everything together, now it is time to place everything together. Without further ado, I hereby start puting the level together.

After about a good two hours of material fixing, I got it to here

Doing this part of the level seems alot more rewarding then doing the modelling or the texturing. I get things thrown at me for saying this but, it seems more rewarding placing everything into position than just build everything piece by piece.

And this is with trees! More Trees!

I sat down after working on it and realised one problem with my map: it's too small! In a scrambled effort to make it bigger, I tweeked a few things here and there and produced something bigger, not likely to be badder, but most deffinately give the player more hideing spots.

Spot the difference? I can

After forgetting to add rocks, I quickly and without any further need of panic added them in. Question is: can you honestly see them in this new and improved image?

Now with rocks? Can you see them?

Trees make the level loook more lively. There are ferns and grass alpha. Now for the stretch for the finish line! G.U.I. Here I go!

Heads Up Display and Front

Alright... so with all games, there needs to be a Heads-Up Display (or H.U.D.). I looked at games like Assassin's creed due it's high immersion and sci fi feel. Just thinking it makes me want to play assassin's creed all over again.

Minimal interface, maximum immersion, all while falling from a great high

So I sat down with me, my level and my brain, and smacked a nice and tasty H.U.D. for my game.

Ah photoshop, thou art an image maker.

This is how it would look for the level. Note, in the top right hand side, a dial like device, notifies the player of what piano mode Noct. Currently. He is the soft music (Fade mode). The points numbered 1 -9 repressent the number of songs/music attacks that are slated to the hot keys. Customisation for what songs would be the player could use would be defined out of battle.

Now for a main screen which doesn't show anything about the level!

This is the main screen... The font was made by Ola Björling (ola@techno.org) (I prefer to keep in the safe side of things

I know... it's snazzy, needs more neon lighting, but it blue is a calming colour. I chose the font "Hybrid" because it contains that neon sci fi feel that I want the level to contain. The colouring is the same in the level interface image above, because of its calming effect. The black background is used to make the neon stand out, and I stylised the buttons on the left to look like the F, G, A, and B keys from a standard keyboard.

Textures, textures, and tiling textures!

No game level is every complete without our beloved textures. To create what I'm after, I'll need tileable and mappable textures. TO GOOGLE AND PHOTOSHOP FOR TEXTURING! So we have a sci-fi building, and now we shall create a texture for it. I'm going to make something metalic, something dark... something... grim! I've found it a dark texture, now to allow it to be tilable.

Before

Neon lights on the side of buildings... GO!

After 20 tries, I landed with this

It's irritating to get textures to work... espcially since I have limited luck with photoshop.  So I crossed my fingers and made that blue neon (it looks dogy) texture from the neon Light texture

After I tweeked the glass

Before I tweeked the glass

Rock texture before

Rock texture after

Rock Texture 2 before

Rock Rexture 3 after

This texture I decided to use for most of the buildings. I didn't want something too simple, nor something too bland.

Alpha images, Particles Effects, sky boxs and Lens Flares

Ah, yes. The fun part! The one (make that multiple) thing that all games of the modern era contain is the beloved particle effects. Whether it be rain, fire or electrical spark, most games of the modern era have them. So... now to think: what am I going to do with you, my lovely particle effect. Well, let's make it rain, to give it more of a... darker and gloomier. This will create an atmosphere that is sure to make the level have the imagery and that emotion. I'll also utilise particle effects to create some laser beams.

An example of rain not using the level I'm making

A laser made purely from a particle effect... With a camera infront of it

Right... Alpha images, or in my case, jungle grass! That's right, grass. I've seen photos of grass all over the place, tough if you look in a jungle, there appears to be a limited amount. But non the less it does exist. I could pull off the ground off without the grass, but it wouldn't look one bit realistic.Though too much and your whole engine/computer can slow down unmercifully.

Ferns... pretty

Now for sky boxes, oh the fun and joy. Because it's set in a forest, I don't want the sky box to be heavily visible. So, aiming for something along the lines of say... a cloudy day, make the task a bit easier. Because of the rain, I'll use a overcast skybox to give a greater reason behind the use of the particle rain.

This is a skybox. If you are bored, find the edges. Reward: Your own satisfaction

Lens Flares give a sense of realism and a sense of being there in the game world. To make this game more realistic, I'd add in a sun based light flare. This should be a little more interesting due to the overcast sky, and you won't see that much of the  sun, nor are there going to be any shiny objects.

Modelling - 2

Okay... now for some more moddeling. HOnestly, I'm finding modelling for this level a bit too easy. Then again, I'm good simple with my box modelling and things a such. I fel calm when modeling everything for this whole area, and it took about 20 minutes to settle everything.

Just a few more models I didn't prepare earlier

I Felt a lot more satified with the modelling that I accomplished... but I feel like I can leave the rest to my texturing skills.

At bit more modelling, and a bit more poly



Insert rock 2 here

Another Rock







And so, that Is my modelling done, and now for a quick view of all the models minus the rocks

 Now let's get some textures happening!

Modelling - 1

Ah... the joys of modelling. It's a good way to relax on any day, even though my skills are limted and have a long way to go. I thought I might share with you some of the in-game object that have ben modelled and are to be texture to look impressive.

Rock... Alright... let's rock....

First things first, I need to priorities

A very dodgy hand scanner

From one box, I create a house... a pink drug lab house

Most of my modelling techniques revolve around modelling from one object, such as a box, or a cylinder, or maybe a sphere if I'm game. The hand scanner took short period of time to model, due to the size and the amount of chamfering and sacling. It would have had to have been the most relaxing of the models to create. Considering the tedious

There are more to come in the not to distant future.