harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

How The Show Went

With the show I think it really went well. I saw multiple people play and experience the game, at some moments I explained what is happening in the background of the game and why I decided to take that approach. I am glad people came to play and oversee the game project I created. I was conscious of how much space I was going to have, in the end I had two Mac computers to showcase my work, I did not know this, there was a bit of miscommunication between me and my lecturers. My original idea was nearly the exact same of how I wanted to show it at the end of year show. I wanted a Mac to show the game and have a feel of playing it, a long side having posters on the desk where you can see what the game is and what it could show and having a how to play sheet, showing the controls of how to play the game. The last thing I wanted was a Ipad or tablet to show video processes of assets and designs I have made.

What happened in the end is that I had two Mac computers to showcase my work to the public, so I scrapped the idea of having an Ipad or tablet to show my work. So at last minute resort I made a quick showreel showing the work I have made. I did end up using the posters at the back of the desk showing what the game is and a sheet showing the controls for the game.  

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Learning Stages: Learning How To Create AI in UE4

When it came to about adding AI to my game project, I did not really know where to start, so I started by looking online on YouTube and Unreal Engine Forums on how I could add AI. Once I got a gist of what to do and how to create an AI function in Unreal 4 Engine, I decided to test and create it. After I configured how to make AI run, I thought it was a bit basic and simple, so I decided to research on how I could make the AI follow you and move around, after searching online I saw YouTube videos and a forum post that showed me exactly how to do it. After I figured out how to do it I then carried on the process of trying and testing it out. With the outcome I was pleased with what I did, the AI was walking around properly and the AI had a sense mode for the game character and roams around while the game character is not seen.

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Learning Stages: Experimenting With The Foilage Tool in UE4

When I started to get a hand of things using the Unreal Engine. I found a tool called Foilage. The Foilage tool allows me to place multiple things like rocks, trees and grass all at the same time, and I started to get a hand of using it. When I was creating my project game, I was using the foilage tool for grass and rocks, but as my computer and the Apple Mac’s at college could not keep stability with the foilage, so after placing all the foilage I had to remove it all and then re do it and placing the grass and trees back in the same place it was individually. At that point it was a frustration because what I already did took some time, and then I had to re do it. After experimenting with the Foilage tool in Unreal 4 engine, as much as it is a useful tool to use for creating landscapes, I decided I would not use it for the project just beacause of the stability on the mac computer could not hold it. 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Learning Stages: Using The Landscape Tools in UE4

When I first came across using the landscape tools in Unreal 4 engine, I was unsure on how to use it. There is multiple tools that I could use to create a landscape. So firstly the first tool that I used to experiment with is called “Sculpt” the sculpt tool allows you to raise parts of the landscape to a height and length I wanted. Once I was comfortable with using the sculpt tool, I then moved on to using a tool called “Smooth” the smooth tooll allowed to get sculpt part of the landscape to a smooth standard for terrain and hill making. This tool allowed me to spread and clean sculpted areas of landscape so that I could expand and make it bigger. Once I was comfortable using the smooth tool I then moved to a tool called “Erosion and Hydro Erosion” these two tools allowed me to make the illusion where the sun and water has hit the landscape making hill, and having the effect of dampness where water has hit the landscape. From using these tools I have made landscape design fitting what I wanted, so all is good and learnning how to use these tools. 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Learning Stages: Learning to Code and Using Variables in UE4

When it came to learning stage of coding and using variables in Unreal, it took me a while to undesrstand the process of how it worked. So, I started to look online how certain codes worked, I looked at YouTube tutorials and on forums on how I could approach certain tasks. When I first started to code is when I first made the material instance for the landscape. I Started by getting the texture sample and then making a layer blend then linked it to the base colour so that it would show in the landscape, once I did that I added the feature of roughness and metallic. This allowed the texture for the landscape to be seen more rough and shine from where the sun would reflect on. 

The next big part where I started to code and use variables is when I was designing the tree wind. In this design I had to use a series of maths equations to calculate the speed of the wind. What I used mostly was the “Multiply” code function which multiplied the wind speed, and then added some “Add” code functions to get the right speed I wanted, then added a coordinate to the wind so that it could be found when the wind starts. 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Learning Stages: Learning How To Use Widgets in UE4

When I was first introduced to learn how to use and create widgets is when I decided to add a UI and HUD. Once I created a user widget it opened a box showing what I could add, for example it showed me that I could add text, images, progress bars and buttons. The first creation I made was the health bar system. Firstly I added a progress bar so that it would show when the health is taken damage it show indicies between 0 and 100. Once I made that I decided to add a Inventory system, with the inventory systme is mainly just using images with assigned pictures, so I made my own inventory bar and then added images to each box so that it would showcase what is inside the inventory bar. I learned how create and use widgets by looking on YouTube and forums to see what I can create. 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

River & Lake Research

I wanted to look at a variety of lakes and rivers because I want to know a vast range of them so that I can make my final decision of designing the lake in my game project. 

River Tweed (Scotland) - 

Blackadder Water (Scotland) -  

The River Eden (Scotland) - 

River Thurso (Scotland) - 

Lake Superior (North America) -

Lake Baikal (Russia) - 

Loch Ness (Scotland) - 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Types of Trees

I wanted to look at types of trees to make sure what sort of tree design I wanted to make for the game design. Looking at various types of trees will be good so that I can get a good understanding of what I could use. 

Weeping Willow - 

Juglans Regia (British Walnut) - 

Paper Birch - 

English Oak -

Adansonia Digitata - 

Swamp Spanish Oak - 

Abies Alba - 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Types of Rocks

I wanted to look at types of rocks because I want to get a better understanding of what rocks I could design and create. Seeing what type of rocks there are can give me insight on what I could create.

Andesite - 

Basalt - 

Dacite - 

Gabbro -

Diorite -

Peridotite -

Nepheline -

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Game Posters

I thought I would look at game posters, so that I could make my game project feel more like a game when it has a theme or advertisemtent behind the game. So I decided to look at game posters, to get a feel of what it would be like if I made a poster for my game project.

Doom - 

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim -

Prey - 

The Last of Us - 

Halo Reach - 

Halo 3 - 

Firewatch - 

Limbo - 

Call of Duty - 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Games I Enjoy Playing

I thought I would post what sort of games I like playing and see how it would reflect on what sort of game project I have made. The games that I like playing have categories like MMO which stands massive multiplayer online, these sort of games are World of Warcraft, Life is Feudal. Indie creation games like Garry’s mod, shoot em up games like Arma 3 and Halo Reach. These sort of games I like playing. 

World of Warcraft -

Garry’s Mod - 

Arma 3 - 

Borderlands 2 - 

Far Cry 5 - 

Life is Feudal - 

Ryse: Son of Rome - 

The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim - 

Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood -

Total War Arena -

Halo Reach - 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

The Planning of How I Will Present My Work at The End of Year Show

For my first initial idea of how I could present my work for the show is having a Mac computer to show the game I have made and then have a tablet/IPad to show videos on my creations and designs I have done, along side with some headphones so that the user can listen to the sound effects in the game project at the show. 

My second idea is to have two Macs one to showcase the game with headphones so you can hear the game sounds, and the second Mac to have a showreeel of my designs and showcases of what I have done.

Between the two ideas I will have to see what comes at the time where if there is enough Macs to go around etc, I will have to wait closer to the end of the project to see what I can do. 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Problems I Encountered During The Project

During the project I have come across multiple struggles and problems. To start with my first problem was probably the start of the landscape design I made in Cinema 4D. I had an idea where I would create the landscape in Cinema 4D and then import it to Unreal 4 engine and create a game level from that. Once I created the landscape in CInema 4D it had problems where it looked too stretched out in the game engine and showed chips and holes inside the landscape, overall I was not very happy with it and how it looked. So to fix this problem I decided to use the landscape tool in Unreal 4 game engine, to save time and have a better variety of options on how I can approach on what to create.

I could say a part of issues I have had is using my time management. What I mean by this is that I was fixated on creating the landscape for the game project for a large chunk of the project. As the development of project carried through the weeks, I had several ideas and plans to make the game feel more like a game. For example I had an idea to create a main menu, once I got the idea I started to create the assets in Photoshop, making the buttons for the playable experience, for example the Start game button, options to change resolutions of the game window and exit game which would close the game window. Once I made these I put them into Unreal 4 and made a widget which would show the button menus. Once I added the game buttons I coded them so that they could be interactable and clicked to show the resolutions and to start to the game. So once you clicked play then see the play button and clicked it would not work, it would freeze for a couple of seconds and act like it was not pressed, every other button was working with the options and then changing the resolution and quitting the game. But I could not fix the play button for the game. I tried multiple ways on how to fix it but I just got the same outcome so I had to scrap the main menu idea.

Another struggle would be adding the code to the wind for the trees. When I wrote the code it took me around two-three days to figure out the variables and equations on how long and the speed would be for the wind. The first couple of days took me a while to learn and figure out how to code with maths equations on how fast the wind would go. But in the end after the several days learning how to code I got there, I originally learned from looking on YouTube  and Unreal 4 game engine forums to learn how I can code with variables and equations.

A big issue that I came across while building and designing in the game engine that it is very poor optimizable on Mac Computers, my game frame rate was very low and when it came to playing the game it was very poor and unplayable, also having the risk of crashes on the game project, which was frustrating as sometimes it would crash and did not save the progress I made at the time.

The last issue that I came across that I would say  which came unexpectedly towards the end of the project. It started when I was loading up the game project on a Mac computer at college making sure that it would run capable, until I saw a notification that a blueprint variable could not be found in the HUD blueprint. So I came to check it out and to see if the variable was there, I saw that the variable was somehow missing or deleted by accident, I was unsure if it was by me by accident or it was at a earlier phase of the game project but it was confusing as I still had the blueprint of the head up display there so it could of not been that. Anyway I remade the variables in the FIrstPersonGamemode so that it would be linked to the HUD blueprint. Once I did that I still got the error message that said there is no variable called “ ItemSlot1” even when I just made that variable in the “FIrstPersonGameMode” blueprint. When I saw this I was confused on why it was doing this, so to try and resolve this problem I went on redoing the whole HUD blueprint  to try and fix the variable not finding it in the “FirstPersonGameMode” blueprint. Unfortunately I still had the same error that showed there was no variable called “ItemSlot1” which bugged out the inventory system which would not show the sword in the inventory when a sword was picked up. So for this problem I could not fix, but I do have screenshot and video evidence shows that it did work and had no problems at all. Sometimes things go wrong, at this moment I just did not know how to fix this problem.

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Donnie Darko

“During the presidential election of 1988, a teenager named Donnie Darko sleepwalks out of his house one night and sees a giant, demonic-looking rabbit named Frank, who tells him the world will end in 28 days. When Donnie returns home, he finds that a jet engine has crashed into his bedroom. Is Donnie living in a parallel universe, is he suffering from mental illness - or will the world really end?”

I thought I would look at Donnie Darko because the film has some relevance to my project. The main protagonist Donnie Darko does not know what is going if he is stuck in a parralel universe or is hurting from a mental illness, which he sees a rabbit which says that the world will end in 28 days. I wanted to talk about this because it is something I could approach in my project that the character could be stuck in the parralel universe collecting artefacts and weapons, and has to do the same thing forever on a loop. I think this idea is really good that the character could be stuck in a time loop paradox where he has to collect artefacts forever.

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Timecop

“When mankind perfects time travel, the government establishes the Time Enforcement Commission to thwart criminal attempts to alter the timeline. Police officer Walker is recruited by TEC Cmdr. Matuzak, but soon finds his investigation of Senator Aaron McComb being thwarted by elements within the government. When Walker's wife, Melissa, is attacked, he must travel across time to rescue her and save the future.”

I thought I would look at a range of time travel films and see what is the nature and decision behind peoples decision on why they would time travel. For this case in Timecop the main protagonists wife gets attacked and he would time travel back just to save her from a death that has already been written. So you can see what sort of choices people would do to travel in time. I wanted to study more in to this on why people would time travel. My character in my game project can have multiple choices why he would want to time travel back in time to collect artefacts and weapons, it could be for greed, or to help a probable cause. 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

12 Monkeys

“12 Monkeys story plot is, In the year 2043, scavenger James Cole has been recruited by a team of "Project Splinter" scientists led by physicist Katarina Jones, to travel back in time to the year 2015, and stop the release of a deadly virus by the enigmatic organization known as the "Army of the 12 Monkeys". In Cole's original timeline, the virus caused a plague that resulted in the death of seven billion humans in the year 2017, and its on-going mutations will mean the eventual end of the human race. In the 2015 timeline, Cole will meet and enlist the help of brilliant virologist Dr. Cassandra "Cassie" Railly; the two are brought together because a recording mentioning Cole, that Cassie made after the viral outbreak, is uncovered by Jones in the future timeline, prompting her to select Cole for the mission. Cole will also encounter a seemingly unstable math genius named Jennifer Goines, whose father Cole has been tasked to kill, Cassie's ex-boyfriend Aaron Marker (Noah Bean), and the dangerous high-ranking members of the Army of the 12 Monkeys, "Pallid Man" and Olivia. In the future timeline, Cole will also have to deal with his best friend José Ramse, and a man named Theodore Deacon, who leads a brutal pack of scavengers from which Cole and Ramse fled. Meanwhile, Cole and Cassie will try to unveil the identity and whereabouts of the mysterious leader of the Army of the 12 Monkeys, who is only known as "The Witness", and is always one step ahead of them.”

I thought I would look at 12 Monkeys because it has some relevancy towards my project. The time travel theme in 12 Monkeys is about going in time to eliminate plans made by the 12 Monkeys organization to show any threat in the future. I just wanted to look at this because it is a different theme approach in the same concept. I also quite like the idea of an organization is making plans and then people go back in time to stop those plans to threat anything in the future. 

[harrisonwelfordyear2fmp-blog]

Men in Black 3

“Even though agents J and K  have been protecting the Earth from alien scum for many years, J still does not know much about his gruff partner. However, J soon gets an unexpected chance to find out what makes K tick when an alien criminal called Boris the Animal escapes, goes back to 1969, and kills K. With the fate of the planet at stake, J goes back in time and teams up with K's younger self to put things right.”

I thought I would look at Men in Black 3 because it has a perculiar scene where agent J time travels back in time with a device where you jump off a building to time travel back in time. I thought this was really odd and original so I thought I would write about it. Also the story concept behind why agent J time travels back in time to save his friend and partner from an unexpectedly death. I just thought this idea was really good and wanted to write about it. In some way I could relate this to my project if I wanted to making my own sort of story something like this.