idea

I started my game environment idea by looking into kit bashing as a method of creating the environment. Kit Bashing is where you take pre existing objects or parts of pre existing objects and put them together to make new things. After talking to Phil who point me in the direction of a few animals that kit bash, as well as suggested to think of 3/4 environments that could be used within the game.

 

So looking into animals that use things to build other things, I looked at beavers, ants, birds and caddis flies. All these animals use items in there surroundings to build with. Beavers with building dams if the water is not deep enough to keep them safe from predators and their lodge entrances ice-free. The fire ants which are found in wetlands, sort of kit bash using them self link together to build living rafts to keep the colony afloat during floods. The larvae of the Caddisfly use silk to make protective cases, which are often strengthened with gravel, sand, twigs, bitten-off pieces of plants, or other debris. They have also been used be artist who have given them pressures materials to build their cases.

Beaver dam

 

Caddisfly case (made of stone)

 

Putting all this together am looking to push the aspect of kit bashing being part of the game. The bases of the game would be to select a race and a starting area.At the moment I've landed on 3 environments, a forest, a beach and a juke yard. Each area has it's own advantages and disadvantages. For example a forest area will have lots of wood to start off with, animals, fresh water, vines, ect. Where as a beach area will have sand, stones, fish, shells ect. To win the game you have to collect resources to build up your base and defences. Once ready you would have to destroy the remaining teams.

 

I am now looking into survival techniques of ways to create shelters, fire, water storage, trap ect, that will give me some examples of way of objects found around to can be put together to create useful things. So I started looking into how to build shelters in different environments such as the desert, forest and snow environment.

So looking at the how to build a shelter in the desert, you started by finding an area that has a natural dip in it. If this is not possible you have to dig a rectangle hole down a few 3/4 feet, a size that you can fix in laying down comfortably. While digging down place the sand you dig out on 3 of the sides, leaving one of the smaller sides open. This adds height to the hole through creating banks around it. At this point you would need either some cloth or a tarp that you can place over the hole, as well as some rocks that you could place on the cloth/tarp on the outside of the banks to keep it in place. When reading about this I was thinking the hole and cloth shelter could be adapted as a possible hiding mechanisms. By building multiple shelters in a big hole and building a support structure, wooden planks could be place on top of the supports and covered with sand for camouflage. This could also allow defences to be place on top of the planks. I also looked into how to get fresh water in desert like conditions, not too sure if it will be involved in the environments yet.       

Desert survival shelter

 

There is multiple ways to build shelters in a wooded area. A lot of these basic shelters are built like bird nets, using sticks and branches through weaving them together to make the structure. One of the most basic shelter is a built by weaving sticks and twigs together to make two A shape frames, which is tide together alone one side of the A. This allows the frame to lay on the floor with two sides giving support and the sides connected together is facing up wards. Then by weaving more sticks and twigs that have leafs still attached on to the A frames to build up the walls. The walls can also be built by getting larger sticks, a placing them onto the side of the frame to give even more support and more sticks for twigs to go around. This method is really effective and can be used to create other shelter shapes.      



 

 

Leaf hut



Major - Model progression (kitchen)

Major - Model progression

At the start of the major project I've been working my way through the crime scene house, adding more detail to the block model.

 

Kitchen block model

 

 

 

 Added detail

 

Minor heading into Major

So at the end of the minor project heading into the major I have to take a look at what I said I wanted complete, as well as what I want I got done and what I thought I would be doing for my major project. At the beginning of the minor project I wanted to have;

• Story
• Voice over
• The complete block models of all scenes
• Finished scenes for Barbara's rooms (including textures)
• Pre-vis with voice over
• Art of pages for Barbara's rooms

With this being my target for my minor, what would be left over to do would be for my major. So my major project would consist of;

• Finished scenes for crime house (including textures)
• Pre-vis (if needs changing)
• Finished animation
• 'Art of'

The main struggle I came across was keeping to a size scale for the models. With the style being realistic, the sizes of objects needed to be correct, so they don't look out of place. This was a massive time consumption that I did not fully take into consideration. With this and poor time management meant I only got done;

• Story
• Voice over
• Block models (still needs small object to make it feel like a home)
• Barbara's rooms (still needs small object to fill out the rooms and textures)
• Pre-vis with voice over (not polished)

With only reaching this point at the end of the minor, my major project will now involve;

• Block models (still needs small object to make it feel like a home)
• Barbara's rooms (still needs small object to fill out the rooms and textures)
• Finished scenes for crime house (including textures)
• Pre-vis (if needs changing)
• Finished animation
• 'Art of'

Minor - Crime scene house, block model

Crime scene house block model

Outer wall

 

Windows and doors

 

 

First floor outer wall

 

 

 

Roof

 

 

Stairs and skirting boards

 

 

Kitchen

 

 

Home office and games room

 

 

Living room 

 

 

 

 





Minor - Reflective statement

Reflective statement

At the beginning of this minor project I was excited to do project that I set the premise for. I knew what I wanted to do and where I wanted to be by the end of it. By the end date I wanted to have the story set out, block models and the voice over done. As well as the pre-vis and the UV's for Barbara's scene done. I feel that at the beginning of the project, I could push for this amount of work to be complete and that if I keep to a timeline, I could keep up with it. I feel like I was on track until half way through. Where due to poor time management with no fault but my own, work slowed down.

The main struggle I came across was keeping to a size scale for the models. With the style being realistic, the sizes of objects needed to be correct, so they don't look out of place. This was a massive time consumption that I did not fully take into consideration. With the work only getting to voice over, block models, pre-vis and slightly more detailed models for Barbara's scene. I Plan on setting out a more detail day by day plan to catch up on what needs to be finished and to stay on track.

Overall I've learnt a lot at this point, I feel my project is heading in the right direction. I just need to stay on top of it.

Minor: Someone's got to do it!

Someone’s got to do it! by JoshAudsley-Smith on Scribd

Interim Crit - Someone's got to do it!

Interim Crit by JoshAudsley-Smith on Scribd

Minor Project: Voice over artist

My voice over done by Katie Pritchard.

 

Minor Project: Building blueprints.

Front

 

 

Left side

 

 

Right side

 

 

Ground floor

 

 

First floor

Minor Project: Art of pages template

I thought I would start working on my art of pages. Working with a set theme of a case file.

 

 

 

 

 

Maya Tutorials: Legacy Active & Passive Rigid Bodies

 

Minor Project - updated script

Barbara  

 

FADE IN: 

 

EXT. HOUSE - DAY 

Camera moves towards the house. 

 

Barbara (narrator)  

My name is Barbara, but no one calls me that.  People call me Babs. 

 

INT. HOUSE – HALLWAY – DAY  

Door opens slowly and camera goes into the house, a messy hallway is on show. 

 

Barbara 

I'm a cleaner and I’ve been a cleaner for 18 years.  People say, ‘Babs, how can you stand it, cleaning up everyone’s else mess?’ But it’s like I tell them, ‘Someone has to do it.’  

 

DISSOLVE TO: 

 

EXT. BARBARA'S HOUSE – HALLWAY  – DAY  

Camera is pointed at a the front door pans down to see a handbag and cleaning supplies. Handbag open and items on show.  

 

Barbara 

Anyway, I like it.  I like things nice and tidy. Some people don’t like fish.  For me, it’s mess.  If I see so much as a coffee ring on a glass-top table, it’s got to go.  I keep wet wipes in my handbag just in case.  People laugh at me.  

 

Camera pans back to show a really neat and tidy hallway. 

 

Barbara 

 ‘Babs’, they say, ‘Sit down and relax’ or ‘Babs, leave it! It doesn’t matter,’ but it does matter.  It’s like mum always said, ‘Cleanliness is next to Godliness’ – now there was a woman with an immaculate hallway.  

 

DISSOLVE TO

: 

INT. HOUSE – HALLWAY – DAY  

Camera moves down the hallway, camera rotates right and enters the room.  Camera pans around the home office. 

 

Barbara 

My big brother told me about the job.  He laughed at the time.  He said, ‘Babs, it’s right up your street. You’ll get to wear your rubber gloves.’ He was teasing me, but I didn’t mind. Mum was always so proud of him. He looked so smart in his uniform. ‘It’s not so different from you pushing the hoover around at home,’ he said, and he was right about that, more or less.  

 

DISSOLVE TO: 

 

INT. BARBARA'S HOUSE – BEDROOM – DAY  

Camera show table in bedroom, with all items lined up nice and neatly, camera pans around and lands on the lanyard hanging on the mirror. 

 

Barbara 

The cleaning company I work for is really big. I have to wear a lanyard with my picture on it. We get sent to lots of different places. Everywhere we go is a different job, so you need to be flexible.  Hand on heart, nothing surprises me any more.  I’ve seen it all.  

 

DISSOLVE TO:

 

 

INT. HOUSE – HOME OFFICE – DAY  

Camera leaves home office through the door it came in. Camera crosses hallway and goes into the opposite room. Camera pans around the games room show mess. 

 

Barbara 

I’m not going to lie.  It's upsetting, walking into someone else’s home and seeing how it’s been left, the state of it.  I think to myself, ‘How can people live like this?’  I mean there’s mess and then there’s mess – and sometimes… Well, I keep my opinions to myself.  I’m a professional. People sometimes ask me about it. They say, ‘But Babs, what’s it like?’  

 

 

DISSOLVE TO:

 

INT. BARBARA'S HOUSE – DAY 

Camera rotates away from the lanyard, showing a open empty suitcase and a sun hat.   

 

Barbara 

It's not a bad paying job, I suppose because it’s not for everyone. I get to go on holiday twice a year – I like the sun.  People say I’m a lovely colour. They’re always saying to me, ‘Bab’s, too much sun isn’t good for you,’ and I tell them ‘Trust me, there’s worse ways to go.’  

 

 

DISSOLVE TO:

 

INT. HOUSE – GAME ROOM – DAY  

Camera leaves through the games room door into the living room. Camera rotates around showing the whole living room. 

 

Barbara 

No, it’s not exactly fun. It's bloody hard work at times.  On really bad jobs, I get through it by listening to Elvis on my headphones.  Elvis was mum’s cleaning music, you see.   She loved him.  I once caught her dancing around the hoover to Blue Suede Shoes.  

 

Camera moves towards the kitchen and move around the breakfast bar. 

 

Barbara 

You’d be surprised. A lot of the places I get to work in are really posh, much nicer than anything I’m used to.  It’s been a real eye-opener, let me tell you and it just goes to show – it doesn’t matter where you live or how expensive your sofa, people can still make a terrible mess of everything.  

 

Camera moves back across the living room towards the stairs. Camera heads up the stairs and stops halfway to take another look at the living room and kitchen.  

 

Barbara 

My first job was the worst. I imagine everyone says that.  That was one of those nice houses – you know, big, lovely pictures on all the walls, lots of wood everywhere, flowers in vases, that sort of thing.  There wasn’t much to do downstairs. The furniture was knocked over and there was red wine on the carpet.  Some of the kitchen drawers had been pulled out.  There was cutlery all over the floor.  One funny thing I noticed was all the family pictures were face down. 

 

Camera continues up the stairs to the door right in front. 

 

Barbara 

I went upstairs towards the bedroom.  ‘In there,’ they told me.  I got to the door and put my mask on.  It was a real mess in there, but like I said someone had to do it.  

 

Camera goes through the door to show you the crime scene. 

 

 

DISSOLVE TO BLACK: 

 

END.