2D Group Game Sprites

I made the boss sprites for our game. The design of the boss we ended up using was spherical. I found this incredibly hard to animate as I needed segments of the ball to rotate around itself to give the illusion of movement. It took me a long time to get something I liked and I really think it works.

To distinguish between the boss drones, shield drones, and the main boss I used different sizes and colours. To add a bit of extra effect I made the shield have a lightning effect surround it. Here are all of the sprites for the boss.

2D Group Game Overview

So this project is creating a 2D non-sidescroller game in a group. Our group decided to make a singleplayer 2D pixel art platform shooter. We looked at different inspirations like Duck Game, Dungeon of the Endless, Binding of Isaac, Risk of Rain, and many other existing games. 

We spent a long time trying to figure out a style of pixel art for the game. We ended up all having different ideas for a long time before finding a mid ground between them all. 

The name for our game is WIP. It came out of an initial joke that our game was a constant work in progress. We toyed with other names like frostbite but WIP always kept coming back. It might make players feel like the game is unfinished but we like the name so decided to use it.

To start with in this project we used a Google document to throw ideas about between each other easily. However, the communication in our team slowly began to get bad. We weren't communicating enough and because of this our ideas began to conflict. Eventually we started communicating better again and the ideas all came back together but it was an interesting experience and I have learnt much about working on a game in a team.

2D Group Game Coding

I was in charge of the main bulk of coding and putting the game together. I also did the designs for the boss. This was a long process as my initial designs did not work out and proved too hard to code in the time we had.  

I found making a 2D game in Unity interesting. I have made 2D games before so I have had some experience. However, I did meet several challenges. Such as having to figure out how to do things in C# that I have done in other languages. 
The most challenging bit of code for me to create was the boss code. I initially made one script for 2 Boss Parts. The idea came from a hive mind concept that I came up with and I was just experimenting with code in Unity. I took a video of the initial prototype for the boss. It was pretty static and wouldn't have worked for the final boss fight. Also the small drones flew up if they were next to each other. This turned out to be because of a collision check recognising the drones as the ground. 
I made the AI using a state machine which I derived from the enemy behaviour script I had written previously. There are several states, IDLE, PURSUE, SHOOT, DEATH, SPAWN, FLEE, SHEILD, DETONATE. The detonate and sheild states are not used by the central piece of the boss. The spawn state is only for the central boss part. It spawns new drones and shields if there are less than 3 drones remaining and if it can see the player. It will not spawn new shields until there are no shields left. 
The boss in the prototype was very motionless. In the end the boss became much more agile and jumpy. I lowered the effect of gravity on it so that it could reach the higher platforms. It has a shield of small drones that circle around it which it cannot shoot through until the player destroys them. The separate drones that chase the player initially were just to get in the player's way. Now they explode after they hit the player. They also explode on death and take damage from the explosions which creates a chain reaction. This is because the drones only have 1 health. This caused me a problem to start because the boss spawns new drones when there are less than 3 remaining, and when they exploded as new ones spawn it creates a huge chain reaction of constant explosions above the boss. If the player enters this area they die instantly. I fixed this by making sure the drones take no damage from explosions for 0.2 seconds after they spawn. Now the problematic chain reaction no longer happens. 

I mentioned I made the enemy behaviour before the boss and derived the boss from that. My team wanted enemies that did were not fast and agile. However, we did want movement. So I made a script that made the enemy shoot when the player was seen, pursue in the direction the player was last seen and stop after a bit of time, and die when shot too many times. It was fun to figure out how I would do this and it took a little bit of looking up state machines and rigidbody velocity and addforce stuff. In the end I used a lot of what I already knew about code to make it. Unlike the boss I used a different script for each of the 3 enemies.

Here is a clip of the prototype of the boss.

Walking Simulator - Final Post

First off here is an image of the final game.

To achieve the light effect I used a volumetric Light script that I found. I had to edit it slightly to fit my needs but the final effect is really cool.
I haven't talked about the scripting but most of my scripts are very similar. I am most proud of the waypoint marker I added in. I used a GUI image that is positioned using worldtoscreen coordinates. It was a challenge to add because it would appear behind the player aswell. I fixed this by attaching it to an invisible cube that if it was not on the player screen would be disabled via code. It is an expensive line of code because it is in an update function but it works pretty well. Having previously worked with code I found it relatively easy to get to grips with C#.
I really enjoyed working on this project.

Walking Simulator - Unity

So I imported the map into Unity from Maya and scaled it to be the right size. Then I imported standard assets and added the FPSController. Initially I decided to keep the model as a grey colour. However, I realised that without a bit of colour I wouldn't get the atmosphere I wanted. So I created some materials and applied a colour to them. 
This is when I discovered emissive materials. I started creating the lights in the level and then created a cube at the source of the lights. I applied the emissive material to the cubes. There still wasn't a glow coming from them so I delved into lightmaps. After trying many settings I decided that lightmaps did not work in the level. So I settled for placing a light inside the cubes and making sure they don't cast shadows. To get the glow I added a bloom image effect to the player camera.
Now I decided to play with the image effects. I ended up adding Global Fog, Bloom, Vignette and Chromatic Abbrasion, Bloom and Flares, Colour Correction Curves, Antialiasing, Screen Space Ambient Occlusion, Contrast Enhance, Screen Overlay. I may have gone over the top but I like the overall effect.
Once I had done all this and edited certain aspects of the level I realised that the walkway that follows the wall of the main area had no supports. I did not want to go back into Maya and edit the map because of various changes I had made in unity. So I duplicated, scaled, and moved one of the walkway banisters. to become a ceiling support. After repeating this step many times I now had something which looked very similar to the concept art from my onesheet. 

This is the first part of the level. I added the support beams in using cubes made in unity. I did the same with the crystals and lamps. The arrows indicate the direction taken by the player. The player starts in a mine looking at glowing crystals. They make their way through the only available path to the elevator and pass a door that won't open. They discover it is not working and head back to the door they saw on the way to it. Then they see a sparking console and go to look at it. The dialogue tells them they need to find a fuse. They find one and place it into the console and then head back to the elevator. They pull a lever and off it goes.

This is the next part of the level. The player see rock walls until they fall away to reveal a huge room with a giant drill hanging from the ceiling. I wanted the player to go from an enclosed space to a huge open one to create a dramatic atmosphere. I think it works well. The player makes their way from the elevator to a lit door. They follow the path which is lit.

And here is the last. They see a vehicle waiting for them and make their way to the door of it. This is where the level ends. These screenshots are taken in screen view. The game looks very different in game view.

Walking Simulator - Map

So using the maps and onesheet I made previously I created the map for my Walking simulator in Maya. Here it is without the surrounding walls so you can see the layout.

The style I used for this was low polygon. The brief required a greybox prototype for a game so I decided that modelling low polygon would be the fastest way to get a level prototype completed. In the may file there isn't much sense of scale but when it is in unity and you see it from the viewpoint of the player you can see how large the map is.
I also had to create separate models for the map. The elevator, the generator, and a vehicle.

The walking simulator is required to be greybox so I did not have to UV map anything.

Walking Simulator Plan

The name of my walking simulator will be Rusting Metal.
Here is the onesheet for the game. I will only be making the intro. The final result of this project will be a grey-box intro to the game.

I have created some maps and a storyboard for this project. I wanted to check whether or not I could have an elevator in the game so I created two options just in-case I couldn't.

Then I found out I could have an elevator in the project and made a better version of the map.

So now here is the storyboard.

That is it for the plan of my walking simulator. I am now beginning to model everything in Maya and put it together in Unity.

Islamic Art Research

Today we have been given a randomly selected subject to research. I am going to be researching Islamic Art.

Description

Islamic Art is the term used to define art produce in areas inhabited by an Islamic Population. I have not found a specific definition of this art and from what I have read it is very difficult to because of the large amount of art that has been produced in many Islamic areas over an enormous time period. It does not just encompass religious works. However, it does encompass any art that uses art traditions found in Muslim Culture. One of these traditions is the use of calligraphy in art.
Calligraphy is a prominent art form because of its meaning to Islam. It has a meaning of high status. It has a popular use in architecture as a decoration. 
Islamic Art is supposed to express more than just form and physicality. It is used to portray meaning and the nature of the art.

(Islamic Arts Magazine, 2014)

A brief history

Islamic Art is thought to have began around the beginning of the religion of Islam. Most of the earliest art created was ceramics and architecture. As time progressed, Islamic Art was influenced by different cultures and the art from them. The art found its way into textiles quite early on. Silks were a very popular style. It was around this early period that Calligraphy began to be used in art, mostly in pottery.
In the middle ages as Islam spread, textiles, woodwork, glasswork, metalwork and architecture are just some of the popular art forms that became incorporated into Islamic Art. Gold works, while less notable, also had there moments of popularity. Book painting also began to appear in this time. Many new techniques were discovered and used in Islamic Art throughout this period.
Since this time all of these areas of art have advanced and textiles have also gained popularity, such as carpets.





(Tanya Singh, 2015)

My take on the art

From what I have seen so far Islamic Art is all about symmetry and repeating patterns. I noticed that a lot of Islamic Art incorporates nature, usually flowers, and calligraphy. Mosaics, textiles and architecture seem to be the most popular styles of Islamic art. There isn't much of a range of colour in the art. A quick Google of Islamic Art returns images that mostly consist of blues, yellows and greens. The majority contain yellow as a major colour. I can't say that I like it but when the art is put into partnership with the environment and architecture of Islamic areas it's hard to say it doesn't work. While I might not like the common appearance of this art, I do like some of the modern takes on this art. They have more colour variety and it is more varied in style, there is less symmetry but the basic rules and ideals of the art are still present. There is  a large amount of calligraphy used in the modern pieces.
The style of Islamic art is very distinctive and means that you can instantly recognize Islamic Art. I think this is quite a unique aspect. There aren't many types of art that can you identify from a glance. 




(Mitchell Owens, Photo:Gordon Mills/Alamy, 2012)

References

Islamic Arts Magazine.Šurković, K. (2014, April 10). 'Testimonial Verses', Islamic Calligraphy Masterpieces.
Retrieved from: http://islamicartsmagazine.com/magazine/view/testimonial_verses_islamic_calligraphy_masterpieces/

Artist At Work Productions.
Singh, T. (2015, February 21). Iconoclastic Islamic Art.
Retrived from:
https://aawproductions.wordpress.com/2015/02/21/iconoclastic-islamic-art/

Architectural Digest.Owens, M. (2012, March 31). The Aesthete: Exploring Geometric Patterns in Islamic Art.Retrieved from:
http://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/geometric-patterns-islamic-art