Overview I will be creating a cutscene for my Killer Klowns game. The cutscene takes place in small prison in the town of Crescent Cove, the town where the Klown attack took place in the film. This cutscene reveals that Mike (the protagonist of our game and the film) has been locked up for a night due to alcohol drinking/public intoxication, and each of the levels has been one of his dreams. He's been drinking because people don't believe that the Killer Klowns are real. His cell door has been knocked down, the prison is a mess, and when Mike reaches the reception of the prison, he runs into a Klown. The cutscene then ends.
Objectives The objective of this animation is to reveal the back story of the game to the player, and to help them to understand the content in the levels. E.g. why the health packs are displayed as wine bottles, and why the locations of the levels are quite random. Target Audience The target audience for our game is teens aged 16 and up, and primarily fans of the Killer Klowns film. Specifically, the target audience for this cutscene is people who have played the game from start to finish. Available Materials For my cutscene I will need: Prison level/building Main character model (Mike) Cell bed model Cell door model Light bulb model Chair model Desk model Overall Style/Look Our game in general has a fairly photo-realistic art style/look. This cutscene won't be any different. The level will be quite dark, and ambient sound will be used to make it quite creepy and tense for the player. First person perspective
Critical Analysis of Resident Evil 4 What is Resident Evil 4? Resident Evil 4 is a survival horror/action game developed by Capcom and originally released for the Nintendo Gamecube and PlayStation 2 in 2005. RE4 received critical acclaim, was extremely influential, and is known as one of the best video games ever made.
Analysis of Game Components Graphics When Resident Evil 4 was released, one of the things it was praised for was it's graphics. For it's time, I think that the graphics were amazing, and in general they still hold up now. I use the term "in general" since there are many different versions of the game on different platforms, and some look better than others. You can tell that the original versions are fairly old, as they run in 480p resolution and some of the textures are quite low res. The graphics still don't look terrible though, and the models are pretty good. They are just missing some modern features such as more realistic hair and skin. The newest version that was released on Steam in early 2014 is the version I have been playing recently. It claims to be the "Ultimate HD Edition" even though the textures are pretty much the same. I still think that the graphics are decent, and if you take the games age into account it's pretty amazing.
Two guys, Cris and Albert, are working on a complete HD overhaul of the games textures. Lots of the game has been completed already, however they still have a lot left to complete. Below you will see some images from their site re4hd.com, comparing the 2014 Steam release textures to their HD remake.
As you can see, the RE4HD textures look a lot nicer, but the original textures could be worse.
Sound
Resident Evil 4's sound is still very good in my opinion, especially on the 2014 Steam release, where all the sounds have been upped to a higher quality. The older versions of the game seem to have a mixture of low quality sounds and higher quality sounds. For example, the item pick up sound is quite low, but the weapon sounds are higher.
Overall I think the sound design is pretty spot on. The guns sound clean, crisp and powerful. Enemies are constantly making noise and shouting to one another. This paired with stereo sound results in quite a creepy experience since you can hear people sneaking up on you etc. The games soundtrack is excellent and each of the tracks fit really well with the enemies/levels they are paired with, and makes the experience much more tense and affects the players emotions.
For example, the music for the first Ganado encounter (Ganados is the spanish name for the enemies in the game) is very loud and fits with the level since you are being attack by a huge mob of enemies. If you listen carefully it has chainsaw sound effects mixed in. This is because the mini-boss of this area is a man with a chainsaw, who is very powerful and is a huge threat to the player. These sounds could have been added to the music to make the player paranoid, and maybe become confused.
The loud and scary music in the game is then contrasted with the track "Serenity" which plays when the player enters a safe area. Hearing this makes the player feel relieved, especially if they have just completed a scary of stressful segment. It also has a slight eerie feel to it, which keeps the player on edge and let's them know their journey isn't over yet.
Selection and Construction of Content
The main campaign is made up of chapters and acts, going up to chapter 5 act 4 (5-4.) The game is paced really well, and the player moves through three big main areas during the game. The village (chapter 1-1 to 2-3,) the castle (chapter 3-1 to 4-4,) and the island (chapter 5-1 to 5-4,) each building up to a big boss fight with a main character at the end. There is technically another chapter after 5-4, which is the final boss, however it isn't listen as a conventional chapter like the others.
Upon completing the game the following content is unlocked:
Professional difficulty for the campaign
Infinite rocket launcher for purchase in the main game
The first set of special outfits for Leon and Ashley
Assignment Ada (30 minute mini campaign) Completing this will unlock the Chicago Typewriter (infinite ammo Tommy gun) for purchase in the Separate Ways campaign
Separate Ways (2-4 hour mini campaign) Completing this will unlock the Chicago Typewriter for the main game, and the second set of special outfits for Leon and Ashley
New title screen image
New round (players can play the game again on the same save, keeping all their gear and upgrades.)
Mercenaries (time/score based minigame taking place on different levels relating to the campaign) Getting a 5 star rating with all 5 characters on every level will unlock the Handcannon for purchase in the main game.
Due to all the unlocks, the game holds lots of replay value.
Narrative Structure
After the events of Resident Evil 2 where Leon S Kennedy survived the Raccoon City zombie outbreak, he was hired by the President to protect his family. When the Presidents daughter Ashley Graham is suddenly kidnapped on her way home from college, Leon is sent on a rescue mission to get her back. He is sent to a rural part of Spain, where Ashley is apparently being held. When Leon reaches the village, it turns out all the villagers are hostile, and Leon ends up in an intense battle where he has to fight for survival. Leon continues on through the village encountering different characters, such as Luis Sera, a researcher who was working for the group before turning against them. Bitories Mendes, a tall, strong man who is the chief of the village. And Ada Wong, who saves Leon from his first encounter with the chief and appears as the game goes on.
It is revealed that the group is called the "Los Illuminados," and each of them carry a mind controlling parasite known as the "Las Plagas." Leon and Ashley find out from Saddler that they have both been injected with the parasite, and his plan was to send Ashley home and cause the parasite to spread and cause havoc for America. Leon and Ashley are now racing against the clock to remove the parasite before Saddler takes control of them.
Leon moves through the village, fighting through hordes of Ganados, and eventually killing Bitores Mendes. He then moves on to a huge castle, owned by Ramon Salazar, a once normal Castellan who has been influenced by Saddler and has joined in with his evil plans to spread Las Plagas. The castle is full of creepy Cultists that all worship Las Plagas. After killing Salazars right hand man and fighting through a tower full of Cultists, Leon reaches Salazar who reveals Ashley has been taken to an island. Leon kills Salazar and travels to the island by boat with Ada.
The island is quite different when compared to the other areas, since it is like a military base. The enemies have more powerful weapons and the architecture is a lot more modern. Leon moves through the facilities fighting new types of enemy, and ends up encountering Jack Krauser, his old comrade. Krauser is now working for Saddler and he tells Leon that he is the one that kidnapped Ashley. They have an intense knife fight, which eventually ends due to Ada appearing and making Krauser run away. Leon fights U-3, a disgusting creature created by Saddler, and shortly after kills Krauser. Leon moves through waves of Ganado military and is helped by Mike, a guy in a helicopter sent to back up Leon.
Shortly after Leon and Ashley are reunited, and escape a dangerous encounter with Saddler due to Ada saving them again. They find a machine that removes the Plagas from them with radiation. Leon then confronts Saddler, and with Adas help kills him. Ada takes Saddlers Plagas sample from Leon at gunpoint due to orders from Albert Wesker. She tells Leon that he should leave the island quickly since she has armed bombs around it. She leaves in a helicopter and Leon and Ashley escape on a Jet Ski, seconds before the island explodes.
What Do I Think of the Story?
I think the story is really good. The characters that are introduced are very interesting, and some of them are quite mysterious. There are several surprises during the game, such as Jack Krauser working for Saddler even though he is Leon's old comrade. You also find notes throughout the game that give you further information about Las Plagas, and how it was resurrected.
Representation of Characters
Main Characters
Leon S Kennedy: Leon is the main character and the character you play as. He is represented positively since he is a good guy, and is trying to stop Saddler's evil plans.
Ashley Graham: Ashley is the Presidents daughter and the person that Leon is trying to rescue. She is constantly getting kidnapped throughout the game, and Leon has to keep rescuing her. This follows the typical vulnerable damsel in distress stereotype. She is represented both positively and negatively, but it depends on how the player feels really. I personally quite liked her, and felt sorry for her because of the things that she goes through. However lots of players found her quite annoying because she's always getting kidnapped and calling for help. "HELP ME LEON! HEEEEEEEEELP!"
Osmund Saddler: The main antagonist who leads the Los Illuminados. He is represented negatively since his only intentions are evil. He does follow some villain stereotypes, such as having a goal of world domination, having a creepy accent etc.
Ramon Salazar: Salazar is another main antagonist who is working for Saddler. He also has control over the Plagas parasite. He is represented negatively and is a horrible man. Under his villain shell however, he is quite clearly a coward, and often acts like a child by almost throwing a tantrum. The fact that he always has a right and left hand man protecting him at all times also shows that he is vulnerable on his own.
Side Characters
Luis Sera: Luis is a researcher who was working for Saddler to help him resurrect and spread Las Plagas. Luis leaves notes throughout the game that the player can find. They explain how Las Plagas work, and sometimes prepare Leon for new enemy encounters. Luis betrayed Saddler and instead tried to help Leon and Ashley. I find Luis to be a very likeable character, since he's quite charming and funny.
Ada Wong: Similar to Luis, Ada appears at certain points of the game and helps Leon, despite working for Albert Wesker who is a villain. She's very mysterious, and when Leon first encounters her he doesn't actually get to see her face or know who she is. She is also very vague with explaining things to Leon, and often only talks with him for a short amount of time before disappearing again.
Despite technically being a villain, Ada is represented positively a lot of the time since she helps Leon. She also ends up betraying Wesker after the events of RE4.
Jack Krauser: Krauser was once Leons comrade, however in RE4 he is working for Saddler. Towards the end of the game Krauser is sent by Krauser to eliminate Leon, and it is revealed that Krauser is the one that kidnapped Ashley, because he wanted to gain Saddlers trust. After Leon kills Krauser, Saddler reveals that he didn't really trust Krauser anyway since he was an American, and that Leon would be a better partner after the Plagas takes over his body.
He is represented negatively throughout the game since his only goal is to kill Leon. We can also tell that he is easily influenced since he was used by Saddler.
Resident Evil 4's Target Demographic
Resident Evil 4 is aimed at people around the age of 16 and above since it includes mature content. The game doesn't really include much blood and gore, however. Resident Evil 4 starts a new adventure and can be played by anyone, even newcomers to the series, since everything is explained and it doesn't really link to the older games that much.
How is the Audience Addressed? Resident Evil 4 addresses the audience as though they are new to the RE series. The backstory is explained at the beginning of the game, which talks about the events of the first RE game. New enemies and characters are introduced throughout the game making it easy for a newcomer to play it. Since the developers were pretty much reinventing the franchise, they wanted anyone to be able to pick up the game and enjoy it without feeling lost or confused. Analysis of the Survival Horror Genre Resident Evil 4 completely changed the way that Resident Evil games play. The first three games used static camera angles, and the gameplay was much slower paced. Ammo and other resources were also much harder to find, and you had to use your ammo wisely. Resident Evil 4 was in development for quite a long time, where at least four versions of the game were scrapped. In the end, Shinji Mikami (one of the games writers/directors) took over and decided to shift the Resident Evil series to a new gameplay system, since he felt that the previous system was "more of the same" and that the development team were getting bored. The game used full 3D environments, and had a camera angle that followed the player over their shoulder, instead of being in one set place. There was a bigger emphasis on action and shooting, and things such as ammo became much easier to find. Lots of the games levels put the player against overwhelming odds, which is where the shooting mechanics really came into play. Despite shifting towards action, the game still kept it's thick and extremely well crafted atmosphere, along with terrifying enemies and tense situations. This meant that it still resonated with fans extremely well. The developers kept things that the fans liked, but made enough significant changes to make the series feel fresh again. However, since Resident Evil 4, the survival horror genre and the franchise in general has gone down hill. The next main instalments of the RE series were even more action oriented and almost completely disregarded the survival horror roots. The genre and RE franchise is getting back on track however, with the recent release of Resident Evil 7. The franchise has returned to it's survival horror roots, with powerful enemies, constant fear and much slower paced gameplay.
Violence in Video Games Most of today's best selling games include violence, and for many years this has caused a lot of controversy. However, there are also positives to playing video games, however the positives are often hidden as the media shows video games in a negative light most of the time. Audience Theory
Hypodermic Needle Model The hypodermic needle model is a method used by the media to send a direct message to the public, that is received and accepted. It is called the hypodermic needle model because it is a way of 'injecting' a message directly into the receiver/recipients.
The hypodermic needle method is used in the gaming industry, and results in a game having an effect on the player without them thinking too much into the message behind it. An example could be games like DOOM, which centers around it's violence and gun play more than it's story and lore. When someone sees a trailer for DOOM of a gameplay video, they know exactly what is going on and what they're getting in the game; an extremely violent and gory, high octane action game, where to goal is so obliterate hordes of demons. Uses and Gratification Theory The Uses and Gratification Theory is a way of understanding why and how people seek out specific media to meet their specific needs. This is useful in the gaming industry and helps developers and publishers find out why people buy certain games, why they play them, and what their motivations are. They can then add things to the game that will help to make it more popular and appealing (achievement/reward system, co-op/online play etc.) Passive or Active Consumption Active consumption is when an audience discuss a media message that isn't made strictly clear. People may interpret the message in a different way and have different theories, and they won't be told what to think by that particular form of media. People engage with active consumption when talking about games that have detailed lore and things that aren't made clear in the game. Passive consumption is when the audience don't question the message that they are being told, and they just accept it. This means that the message is clear and easy to understand. This could be related to games such as Super Mario, where the objective and story is very clear. The Princess has been kidnapped by Bowser and you have to rescue her. Effects Debate Exposure To Sexual or Violent Content Are under 18's really affected by violent and sexual content? Should parents try their best to stop their children from viewing explicit material? In some extreme cases, it has been argued that violent content, especially video games, can turn people into murderers. There have been tragedies related to video games, such as the murder of 14 year old Stephan Pakeerah. He was stabbed repeatedly and beaten by his older friend Warren. The media and Stephan's parents heavily blamed the Rockstar game 'Manhunt' for the tragic events, as it was apparently found in Warrens room. Along with Jack Thompson, an american attorney who was fighting against violent video games, they failed to sue Rockstar and Sony as they didn't see a connection between the murder and the game. It was also discovered later that the game was found in Stephan's room, not Warrens. This is a good example of the media twisting the truth to show video games in a negative light. Personally, I disagree about video games being the sole reason for creating murders. They CAN influence people and play a small part, but they are usually deliberately shown in negative light. I think most gamers feel the same way. People like Jack Thompson that go against games and think they are the only thing behind teen violence don't actually know much about games or understand how gamers feel. Violent and sexual media does change our behavior in some ways though. As we take in more of it, we become desensitized, and what we see doesn't shock us as much as it did when we first experienced it. This was proven in a 2015 episode of Horizon, where they talked about violent video games and if they are as bad as people make them out to be. The majority of people who played a violent game were less stressed when watching a clip or real life, graphic violence, than the people who played a non violent video game. I can agree with this since I am a gamer myself. I have played so many violent games that I don't feel any sort of emotion when gunning someone down in a game (unless it's an important character in a story driven game.) However, playing games hasn't completely desensitized me to real world violence. I don't like seeing real violence and I can still become disturbed or stressed from seeing it. This is because I know the difference between a game and reality. Lots of other people do too, but some people may fail to see it.
Social
isolation links in with excessive playing time, and when people play games too
much, they stop making contact with friends and family and end up spending a
lot of time alone. This is known as social isolation.
Cost
New games
are released all the time, and occasionally new consoles are released. This
puts pressure on parents because their children will want the newly released
products. It also puts pressure on gamers in general because they may feel like
they need to upgrade their consoles, games and peripherals frequently. As well
as spending money on the games, people also have to pay for their internet and
electricity etc.
Separation
from reality
Some gamers
become so immersed in their games that they think they are part of the virtual
world. This can be enjoyable for some people, but in some cases normally
passive individuals become violent. Some people have even committed murders in
the form of actions seen in games that they had been playing. Games should be
for enjoyment, and if they begin to take over someone’s life, it can be seen as
a problem.
Performance decrease in education and the workplace Video games have been known to distract people from important real world things, such as education and work. Playing games excessively can cause people to sleep less, resulting in them being more tired and performing worse in school or at work. Students have even ended up dropping out of education and have been left with lots of unpaid fees and debt.
Positives Video games don't just have a negative impact on peoples lives. In fact, they can also benefit people in lots of ways. Hand-eye Coordination Playing fast paced action games that require precision aim can improve hand-eye coordination. This is because you are relying on your fingers to hit the correct buttons while your vision is focused on the screen. Fast paced games can also improve your reflexes, and how you adapt to your surroundings. Simulation games have become fairly advanced and realistic, and are actually used to train people such as pilots and surgeons.
Thinking Skills Strategy games improve thinking skills, allowing the players to analyze their situation and react to it faster in game and in the real world. They can also help people to think outside the box more often and find different solutions to their problems.
Social Skills Most gamers play online games, and talk to strangers online. This can lead to peoples confidence improving and help them be more comfortable around people they don't know very well. Good relationships can also be made online, and while you won't get to talk face to face, I still think online relationships can be very important. Lots of people end up meeting their online friends somewhere down the line.
Brain Training Games can be a more effective and fun way of learning things rather than the traditional classroom learning methods. Games give players direct feedback and can feel very rewarding, which gives learners motivation and a more open mind towards learning things.
Should Video Games Be Censored? Maybe a good way of reducing the violence in games would be to censor them. Change dialogue to remove explicit language, remove certain scenes from the game, etc. Video game censorship is something that happens, and is something that can be both negative and positive. For the most part, me and most gamers believe that games are similar to other forms of media in that they are an art form. Violence and gore in games often plays a huge role in making the player feel certain emotions. If violence has a meaning behind it and is important to the game, developers should have every right to include it in their game. The people that agree with censoring are usually adults who are against violent games all together, and would prefer them to not be sold at all (Jack Thompson.) However, it seems that when censoring does occur, it is usually for other reasons. A good example is the censoring in Japanese games that are also sold in America and other countries. Japanese culture is quite different to the culture of western countries, and it's RPG's usually involve female characters in revealing clothing. Things like that are usually changed in the western versions of these games. This is another topic that people are split on. There are lots of gamers in the western world that get irritated at this censoring. Why should it be allowed in Japan but not in their country? Similar to the violence and gore, if the developer wants a character to look that way, it is up to them, and changing it is infringing on their creative freedom. A character with revealing clothing may not necessarily mean that there is sexually explicit content in the game, for example. Survey Results We conducted a survey about violence in video games and the effects it has on teens. We got 20 responses in total.
1. What is your gender? 1 person answered female and 19 answered male. 2. How old are you? 1 person answered 14 or under, 6 people answered 15 to 17, and 13 people answered 18+. 3. How old were you when your first played and 18+ game? 11 people answered 10-12, 5 people answered 13-15, 2 people answered 16-18 and 0 people answered 19+. 4. How many hours a week do you spend playing games? The average amount of hours per week was 21 across all 20 responses. 5. Do you play competitive games? If so, how competitive do you get? The majority of people (about 11) said that they are fairly competitive when it comes to online games.
6. What genres of violent video games do you play? 6 people answered fighting games, 18 people answered shoot em' ups, 9 answered horror games, 15 answered stealth, 15 answered survival, and 8 answered other. 7. Do you get frustrated at video games? 17 people answered yes, and 3 answered no. 8. Do you think that violent games affect your mentality when playing other types of games? 9 answered yes, 11 answered no. 9. Has a violent scene in a game every shocked you or caused distress? 7 answered yes, 13 answered no. 10. How do you feel about violence in video games? The majority of people said that they don't have a problem with video game violence, and that they can tell the difference between virtual and real world violence. Conclusion Video game violence if often blamed for tragic events and for making teens more aggressive. While this technically has been proven, it is not completely true. Whether a video game affects someone mentally varies from person to person, and their mental state before hand should be factored in. Most gamers know the difference between virtual and real world violence, and react differently/have different emotions when exposed to them. Most gamers love violent games, and will continue to play them because of this.
Concepts and Principles Concepts and principles relates to useful things you can do while working on a project. Some of these things are... Simplified Understanding - Trying to make things easier to understand. For example, if you were creating a blueprint in Unreal Engine for the function of a gun, you would try to make the blueprint easy to understand. This is important for the games we are creating, because it will make it easier for our tutors to understand it when they mark our work. This could also be useful if you're working professionally and need to share things with your colleagues.
Unreal blueprint.
Reusability, Efficiency, Maintenance - When creating a game, you will have to create assets. Assets are essentially objects, sounds or 2D sprites that will go into your game. In some cases, you could reuse assets. Keep them the same or change them a bit. This links in with the next two categories which are efficiency and maintenance. If you reuse assets, you are being more efficient and making the process easier for yourself. Also, if you have perfected something (such as a blueprint) and you reuse it, you won't have to maintain it much or tweak it, which also saves time. Real-World Modelling (RWM) - If you're making a game, you will typically want some things in the game to work the same way as they would in real life, an example of this is gravity and physics. This is basically what RWM is, making sure that things in your game are realistic, and match with the real world. Obviously some games deliberately go against real laws of physics and other things, so RWM isn't always necessary. Collaboration and Sharing, Communication - Assets and other things related to your project can be shared with people you're working with. For my Killer Klowns game I am working in a group with Josh and Kori, and we have each been working on different assets. Since we are working together we will be sharing assets and using them in our levels. I have been working on weapons, and Josh and Kori have been working on Klowns/character models. Working on different things helps with efficiency and is one of the perks of working in a group. This is also links in with communication, which is very important if you are working in a group. You need to share ideas and help each other out. Quality Assurance - Games need to be of high quality, especially if you are planning on selling them.
Game Objects Game objects relates to assets and other things that you put in your game. Some of these things are... Sprites - Sprites are 2D images that are used in games. They can be characters, scenery, objects etc.
A sprite from Terraria
Characters - Characters are the people within the game. Some games have a very detailed characters with lots of backstory, others have anonymous characters that the player doesn't know much about.
The boy from 'INSIDE.' An example of a character we don't know much about.
Weapons - Weapons are used for attacking enemies, or so that the enemies can attack you. Different games have different types of weapons. Call of Duty uses guns, but games like Skyrim use melee and magic spells.
Casting a spell in Skyrim.
Rooms - A room is the name used for a game level, which is like a giant room. The player enters from the previous level, completes the new level and then leaves to enter a new room. Rooms would most likely be separated by loading screens. Walls - Walls are used to contain the player and other characters within the level. They won't always be shown as a normal wall, and could be shown as giant mountains around the level that the player can't get past. There are also things known as 'invisible walls' which are walls the player can't see. These can be very annoying if used incorrectly but they can also make a level look nicer. Scenery - Scenery includes things like buildings, foliage, mountains etc. Some games such as Battlefield have destructible environments, which react to how the players act during the match. If a player shoots rapidly into a wall, it will be permanently damaged for the rest of the match. Buildings and vehicles can also be completely destroyed.
A destroyed building in Battlefield 3.
Instances - A game instance is a separate, private area that you enter to complete a specific task. For example, in a game like World of Warcraft, you and your party may enter an instance to fight a boss as a group, with no other players. Rewards - Games can reward players by giving them achievements or in game unlocks for completing certain tasks. For example, the recently released game Resident Evil 7 has rewards for the player finishing the game within a certain time and by completing the game on the highest difficulty. The player can get things such as infinite ammo by completing these tasks. Power-Ups - Power-Ups are items you can pick up in games that give you a brief buff (stat increase.) A well known example is the Star item from the Mario games. It gives Mario brief invincibility and increased speed, so you can run into enemies and instantly kill them.
Mario invincibility star.
Object Properties Colour - The colour of the object. This might change if it takes damage. Colour can be used to make things stand out, such as collectables. Size - The size of the object. This could also change during gameplay. E.g. Mario. If he takes damage after eating a mushroom he gets smaller. Speed - How fast the object moves. Might get faster if it picks up a power-up/buff. Movement - How the object moves in the game. Sounds - The sounds the object makes. Health - Health basically shows how many hits you can take before you die. It is typically shown as a red bar that depletes as you take damage. In some games such as Call of Duty, there isn't any health bar and instead blood appears on the screen when you take damage. The more blood on the screen, the lower your health is. In modern games health usually regenerates over time, but in games like Quake you have to pick up health packs.
Modern Warfare 2 low health indicator.
Lives - Lives show the amount of times you can die on a level before you have to restart it from the beginning. Mario is a good example of this. In the middle of a level you get a check point, if you die after that you respawn at the check point. However, if you die too many times and run out the lives, Mario will be sent back to the world map and will have to do the level again from the very beginning.
Mario x 3 lives.
Actions and Events Mouse and Keyboard Events - A mouse and keyboard event is something you add to a game that allows the player to play the game. For moving forward, you'd add and event and assign it to the W key. When the player enters the game and presses W, their character will move forward.
Create - When an object/something is created in the game. Destroy - When something is destroyed in the game, and example of this is Minecraft, where everything can be destroyed. Collision - Collision stops objects from going through each other, and makes things solid. If you put a wall around a level you need to make sure that it has collision events with the characters, otherwise people will be able to walk out of the level. The same applies for most objects. Without collision levels wouldn't function properly at all. Timers - Timers are used for timed events within the game (countdowns etc.) Scoring - As the player kills enemies in a game, their score will increase. Score puts a player higher up on the leaderboards or could give them certain rewards/achievements. Inheritance
Parent/Child - A parent object is a main object that you create. To be more efficient you can duplicate this object instead of creating another from scratch. The duplicated object is known as the 'child.' Inherited Behaviours and Properties - Features that the parent and child object share. Overriding Events - An overriding event is when and object has to react to a change in the game world. E.g. a bullet going into someone and creating a hole.
Intro In class we have been tasked with creating 3D models for our Killer Klowns games in Maya. Since I am working in a group of 3, each of us have been working on separate things. I have been primarily working on weapon models, and other assets for my level, whereas the other members of my group have been working on character models. Clown Rifle & Pistol I started off by making some weapons for the clowns in our game. Most of the clowns will use ray guns which is the same as what they use in the film. I got my inspiration/ideas for these weapons from the candy floss ray guns that the clowns use in the film. I also looked at other ray gun images online to get some ideas. Below is an image of my Maya model, and a ray gun from the film. As you can see, the original gun has quite a wacky and random design. Because of this, I didn't use any images in Maya for reference, and instead created the model off the top of my head. However you will notice some similarities in my model, such as the rounded body and barrel. The colour scheme is also very similar, however the colours on mine are solid and more vibrant. The colour of the weapons might change in the future depending on whether we give it to a regular clown, or a more important enemy. I chose random colours, because any bright colours will match with the theme of the clowns.
Untextured model
To create the model I used basic polygons such as the sphere (for the body,) square (for the handle and fins on the gun,) pipe (for the barrel and rings around the barrel,) and a cone (for the end of the barrel.) I edited the subdivisions to add more faces and edges, which allows me to edit the polygons more. For example, on the handle of the gun I created finger indentations by selecting and dragging faces inwards. I used the smooth tool on the main body of the gun and the handle. The smooth tool applies lots of faces and makes objects much smoother and less jagged. To colour the gun I added a lambert material to all of the polygons, then changed the shape. Objects with lambert applied to them have a matte finish. After adding a material to something you are able to change the colour to whatever you like. The clown rifle is extremely similar to the pistol as it uses the same polygons. It is just a lot bigger/longer. Lots of ray guns seem to have smaller bodies and extremely long barrels, and you can definitely notice this with my rifle. On the right is a good example of this. The rings around the barrel also seems to be a recurring theme with ray guns, so I used that as well.
Baseball Bat
The player in the game will just use basic melee weapons. The first one I created was the baseball bat. This was quite an easy model to make and only took a few polygons. I used a cylinder for the top half, increased the subdivisions and moved the faces inward at the bottom. The top half has a light wooden texture, which I found online, applied along with the lambert material. The bottom half/handle is made from a smaller cylinder, and also uses the lambert material, however has a solid grey colour applied to it. A torus (ring) is used for the bottom of the handle. The last thing I did was smooth it.
I used a proper wood texture for this model because our game has a fairly realistic style. With the clown weapons we are able to make them look stupid, because they match the enemies that will be using them. However, since the main character is Mike (a human) he needs a more realistic weapon/something that anyone can use. The player (Mike) will obtain the weapon at the start of the game, and will be able to use it to attack clowns throughout the game.
Balloon Dog
Similar to the film, the balloon dog in our game will be an enemy along with the clowns. You could also refer to it as a weapon that the clowns use. I went with a traditional and recognisable style with the balloon dog, and used an image of a metal statue by a man named Jeff Koons for reference.
The model is made up of 12 spheres that I have resized and stretched, and I used a small cone for the end of the nose. Since a balloon dog can be any colour, I just decided to make it blue. Along with the colour I applied the blinn material which gives the dog a shiny effect, and makes it look like the light is reflecting off it. I also changed the transparency to make it look more realistic.
Log Cabin
Since the level I have created takes place in a snowy environment, I wanted to create some houses that would fit in with it. I am currently using houses from the Infinity Blade: Ice Lands pack, however they will eventually all be replaced with my own.
To create the model I first created the base by using a flattened and stretched cube. After that I built the walls. This was quite simple and I was able to be quite efficient by copying and pasting cylinders in groups. Each of the cylinders had their subdivision axis upped to 13 to make them a bit more smooth, and after I had finished placing them all I merged them together. When things are merged they all become one object. The roof is quite similar to the base and is made from 2 flattened cubes, put into a triangular position and merged together. I later decided to add a chimney at the back of the house which is made from 2 cubes that have been merged. I increased their subdivisions so I was able to edit them more.
I plan on adding a wooden texture to this model, and a cobblestone texture to the chimney at the back.
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Evaluation
Overall I am fairly happy with how my models have turned out. I haven't got much Maya experience but I managed to create what I was aiming for. Things that I want to improve on are texturing and details, and this is something that I will work on before these models go into the game. I think the ray guns look okay with solid colours, but I really need to get some wood textures on my log cabin. The baseball bat texturing is ok, but could definitely be improved. The balloon dog definitely turned out great, however the creation process was quite simple.
Feedback from Kori: "Overall good designs. Something you could improve on is texturing, and you could use realistic textures and details instead of solid colours."
