Week 1:
Blog entry 8/01/20 (Day 1)
Today marked the start of the first sprint for our game project. In order to start off the first sprint, my group held a scrum meeting and discussed what needs to be done to start off our production – the meeting is posted below. Throughout the day I have been working on creating a series of T-pose sketches of my game’s main protagonist using the quick character design sketch that I had designed during the stages of creating my personal idea pitch. Below, you will find the series of T-poses that I spent the day creating, as well as the early character sketches that I created when designing this character for my personal pitch.
Before I began to sketch the poses, I remembered that I was requested by my team’s 3D modeller that I create two variants of the character, one clothed and another with clothes; this was to make the modelling process easier because you are able to create the base mesh and then later on model the clothes around it. This can be done either through using plains in MAYA and extruding them around the mesh or by using software like Marvellous Designer which allows a user to edit an Ncloth into clothes which are then vacuum packed to the character’s body.
I created the T-poses below using Adobe Photoshop and my Huion display tablet. When I began to create the series of poses I made sure to turn on Photoshop’s symmetry tool which acts as a mirror tool; this tool is extremely efficient and helpful when it comes to creating front and back views. I also spent the day correcting the proportions of this character in order to further help develop the look and the art style of the game – by experimenting with proportions, it can give a unique look to characters and the game as a whole. Once finished with these T-poses, I then had to cut them down and sort them into individual PNGs so that when the character is to be modelled these can be used as a guide which details the character’s dimensions.
Daily Scrum Meeting Documentation:
What needs doing:
Michael will need to set up a new Unreal Engine project and the begin to set up a basic functioning menu.
Olivia will be gathering reference to start production on environmental concept art. Richard is off due to being ill.
Nathan will need to begin preparing the T-pose sketches for the main protagonist, as well as further develop some existing character concepts that were sketched pre-production.
Group members not present:
Richard – absent due to illness
Blog entry 9/01/20: (Day 2)
Below I have documented my group’s second scrum meeting, which details what needs doing, the problems we’ve encountered or will potentially encounter. Through out the day I have been creating another set of T-pose sketches which can be used for when the modelling process has been started. Currently I am working on designing and creating the T-poses for the main quest giving NPC (None-Playable Character) which will be depicted below. As well as creating the T-pose sketches for the quest giving NPC, I have also been refining the original concept art that I did for this wizard digitally.
Before I created these poses and started to refine the wizard concept art, me and my group settled on which design out of the series of concepts that I created was best suited to be the quest giving NPC. We decided on the current one I am refining because it is most fitting to the art style and mood/tine of our game.
I refined the original concept art by lining over the sketch in black giving it an inked appearance, and then applied flat colour making it into a flat render. Before I began the pose sketches I worked on the wizard concept art and update it to ensure that I create an accurate set of T-poses. As was requested for the main character, I also created two sets of poses so that it would make the modelling process easier as well as the process of adding in clothing to the model.
I created these pieces using Adobe Photoshop and my Huion drawing tablet. To refine the original concept sketch, I scanned it in and then opened the image up in a new Photoshop document.
Daily Scrum Meeting Documentation
What’s been done:
Michael has set up a blank Unreal Engine product and has also created a basic menu.
Richard is unfortunately ill, and will not be able to being the modelling process until he’s recovered.
Olivia has been looking at reference images so that she can then begin producing environmental concepts.
Nathan has been working on and finished the T-pose sketches for the main protagonist so that the modelling process may begin production.
What needs doing:
Concept art for the quest giving NPC has been started by Nathan, and environment concepts were started by Oliva yesterday, however both the NPC and environment art need to at the very least start being to be sent off as soon as possible so that they can be forwarded to Richard in order to begin the modelling process.
Michael needs to set up multi-user access so that those working on Unreal within are group can work in and edit the project together. Michael has set-up a blank level in Unreal Engine, as well as set up the blueprints for a basic menu.
Problems encountered:
The problems that we have encountered so far are issues with setting up multi-user access within Unreal. This issue will hopefully be resolved by the 10/01/20 so that we can eventually start working together within Unreal. Although if this issue is not solved before the target date, it’s not that big of an issue because multiple people are not required to work in Unreal at this moment in time.
Group members not present: Richard Bloxham – absent due to illness, Olivia Christian – absent due to illness.
Blog entry 10/01/20 (Day 3)
I have worked on developing some concept art for an NPC that could be used as a shop keeper. This shop keeper should be large enough to be recognised by the player as a potential obstacle that would serve to obstruct them from completing their quest objective. The NPC that I designed should also, whiles still remining large and threatening, still follow the cartoony art style.
During creating this I took inspiration from existing characters like Gobber from How To Train Your Dragon to help the designing process. I also used references of medieval clothing to further help my designing process.
Daily Scrum Meeting Documentation:
What has been done:
Michael has been working on setting up multi-user access.
Olivia has been working on environment concepts, but is off ill.
Richard was off due to illness, but is better now.
Nathan has finished main protagonist T-pose as well as the quest giver NPC T-pose.
What needs doing:
Character model has started to be produced, base mesh is almost done. Concept art for assets are required to be started finished and sent off to be modeled. AI has started to be programmed.
Problems encountered:
The multi-user access is still not functioning as planned, however this should be fixed soon.
Group members not present: Olivia Christian – absent due to illnessPAGE BREAK
Nathan May Game Animation And VFX 