Next Gen 08/12/15

Animation
At the city center campus of Sunderland University, we were invited to have a look around the design center and to have a head start of using 'After Effects', by showing us about 3-4 weeks worth of content in under 1 1/2 hours. After the 10 min tour we were given instructions to use 'After Effects'. The first part went very well, such as moving, rotating and scaling the object as well as using the fps to my advantage, then we went to Photoshop.

I personally need extra help with Photoshop, I cannot use it very well. Half way through using the program I got completely lost and that is what probably screwed up the final image. The background and the first two layers went well. Then it proceeded way to fast for me, so I could not catch up. So the final 25 mins of the lecture did not go so well for me.

Industry
We were trying to find different versions of work hours and contracts that people in the gaming industry take for a salary. Some of the were part-time, freelancing, internships and voluntary.

Modeling
After the process of UV mapping out the model vending machine I finally began to texture the polygons (after taking the UV map into Photoshop 4 times because some of the polygons were too small to work with in Photoshop).
I also began working on some models of the scenery, including: hedges, trees, shrubs, and bushes.

Next Gen 03/12/15

Modeling
The progress I have made in modeling this week was fairly miniature compared to other weeks. I have fully UV'ed the model of the vending machine (which consisted of far to many polygons than I thought) and beginning to texture the chest model. However the save file for the texture was wrong and so the texture had to be restarted. Another point is that I have been watching a few tutorials from 'Igor Aherne'; his tutorials have taught me a few extra tricks to use in 3ds Max (such as combining objects together, making objects with moving doors (such as chests and doors) and moving insets and extrudes on polygons).
Coding
For coding, the program we use (c#), was not currently working. However with the online tutorials given to us I have recorded some of the code required to make the classic game 'Asteroids'.
Industry
For the industry, we were taught to use terminology in our work, such as: Ngon (a polygon that contains more than four edges), Edge (a line that connects two vertices together), Bump Map (a grey/white/black image that gives an illusion of depth by manipulating the geometry of light on the object) and topology (the flow of edges,vertices and polygons around a model).

Next Gen 26/11/15 Presentation Overview

Over the last few days the group has been working to finish 'Lost Dog Simulator', the Unity project. Yesterday it was ready for presentation. We (like the rest of the class) presented the game in front of everyone to get feed back and as a trial before 'Stephen Hay' for EA arrives today.

The things that I contributed to this project was some of the programming and some of the models that will be used in the final game. The programming that I did was the mini map in the corner of the map and creating the enemy AI. The AI is not that smart but it will follow the player and aggro in a certain range and try to kill the player unless the player gets to a certain distance. The models I made was the original version of the dog and a few models found throughout the world such as the broken down bus and a basic hedge. The other ting I tried to create was an objective way-point but that proved much more challenging than I thought and it was not finished. Caitlin was programming other things, Edin was the Lead modeler, Robyn was lead Artist and creative director, Connor was  in-charge of gameplay and putting the assets together and Daniel was in-charge of Level design.

The first presentation went pretty well (defiantly better than our first presentation in October) although some improvements could have been made. My criticisms were that at the end of my speaking part I was caught of guard and fumbled, then walked off. So basically do not do that fumble again.

After the first run through some of the slides have been improved, more lines have been given and more time was given to rehearse what we have done. However Caitlin left us to do the presentation with one less member. We will have to improvise with what we need to say and who will say it.

*Update: From the response that was given to us from Stephen (the executive from EA) and Matty after the presentation it went really well, no flops occurred from anyone and the concept was well received (I'm glad I did not fumble like last time).  Some of  the criticisms that we had were that: the audience for the game should be aged at a elder audience (40 upwards) because these days kids have technology; pets would be more relatable to this audience and the fact that the game did look rather bland compared to other presentations.

As a side point Matty asked us to make a basic model and texture it, a lot of the group still has problems with texture. As for me i decided to make a chest model. I have UV mapped it and are currently texturing it, but having problems with using this model with the low Polly art style that my team wants to use.

Another point to make is that before the presentations the team had me work on a way-point system for Unity. However it did not get finished (no where near), so it really fizzled out fast. It was easily the most confusing thing in coding i have looked up yet.

Gaming industry jobs

1. Programmer
Game programmers are the ones who create a code base for the game to work with, programs required to use with the programmer can be JavaScript, C# and C++.
Skills required for this role are to: know the process of developing the game from start to finish,
The wages for this role is between £25,000 to £50,000 per year, depending on your experience with the job.
An example of a programmer is Jeep Barnett, who worked at valve to create the basis of Portal.

2.Concept Artist
A concept artist is creates the early representation of what the game should look like, from the character and landscape to simple mechanics. Most of the concept art however will not be used in the final game as time passes. The work load can change between each company that can't equalise the work with other artists. They can be asked to give a pitch for their ideas and usually work along the lead artist and the design team. Most of their work is done in a 2d perspective but this can change for what is required.
The skills for this role are that: you are a versatile and creative at drawing, knowledge in standard art software (such as Photoshop and 3d Maya) and able to produce continually quality art pieces.
The wage for this begins at $56,000, but with experience this will rise to $110,000.

4. Lead Artist
A lead artist is responsible (from a visual stand point) to ensure that the game doesn't fall flat in its development. It is very similar to a creative director.
As well as a portfolio to show the level of your experience with software programs (that will vary from animation to 3d modelling), it helps if you have a degree in arts, graphics or animation. You will need at least five years experience in the gaming industry to apply.
The average payment of the is job is between £45,000 to £70,000; it varies based on experience and if you are full of part time.
An example of a Lead Artist is Aaron Garbut. He was the lead Artist for RockStar games such as GTA4,5 and Manhunt. He is situated at RockStar North.

5. Technical Artist
A technical artist ensures that assets for the game make it into the game without sacrificing the artistic vision or extruding the technical limits. They act as a go between for the artists and programmers.
To be a technical artist you must be able to: work with minimal supervision, think creatively to solve problems, able to use 3d software, knowledge of art packages and finally use good managing skills to mentor others.
The wage for this job varies on the company you work for but averages out at around $80 per hour.
An example is Bronwen Grimes, she is a technical artist working for Valve.

6. Animator
An Animator is responsible for the portrayal of movement and of behavior in the final game; not just for the characters and vehicles but also for the environment. These are used not only in-game but also in cut-scenes. Animators work closely with programmers and artists to have a balance between the smoothness of the movement and the performance of the platform. Animating is a tedious process, so animators usually reuse past animations and have to keep a library of movements for the animation.They are also responsible for process of "skinning" the characters by using a skeleton and attaching the skin to the appropriate point it makes the process much easier.
Skills need for this job are to: have knowledge of full motion video, to be able to work under strain and the production deadlines, to have patience to work out all of the issues with the animation and have knowledge of both 2d and 3d animation techniques.
The general payment for this role $40,000.
An Animator example is Sarah North.

7. Designer
A game designers role is to devise what the game consists of and how it plays, they also influence the assets that will end in the finished game.
Skills that would be useful in the role would be: understanding the capabilities of different hardware,work well under pressure to achieve deadlines, be fluent in multiple uses of 3d design software as well as drawing and modelling capabilities.
A designer is not required anything to gain entry for the role, however most employers look for graduates of  of games design, not only that but people who have been in the gaming industry for some time (with a portfolio of relevant work).
An average wage for this job is around £20,000 to £35,000; for lead designers it could rise to £55,000 at maximum.
An example of a game designer is Matthew Armstrong, he worked at 2K games to develop Borderlands.

8. Level Editor
A level editor is the role to create the environment and make it interactive as well as creating the characters and certain events that occur in the level. They imagine the level, try it out, work out the game breaking bugs and think of extra ideas and new assets.
Skills for this role that are required are: good IT knowledge and use of editing tools, knowledge of different gaming platforms, able to use 3d model programs, communication skills, creativity and special awareness.
This roles however are not usually taken as a first role in the gaming industry.
The average wage for this role is usually around £80,000 per year.

9. Producer
A game producer is responsible for getting games on their deadline and the quality of the game.
The game producers' roles are: negotiate contracts and licensing, arrange for localization and testing groups, oversee creative art and technical design and finally pitch games and ideas.
The wages for this role can be between $41,000 and $130,000.

10. QA Tester
A QA tester tests the game in a current state to test for any bugs, glitches and make suggestions to ensure the game is quality and playable.
The skills required for this job is: understand how the games are made and different elements contribute to the playing experience, you can be analytical and evaluative the game against other competition, able to identify any problems in the game and understand what could be causing the issue and how to deal with it, able to be patient to sit through the whole game to test it out and finally have good communication skills with the rest of the team to relay any issues.
It would help for this role to have program knowledge and some English  Language skills.
The average wage for this role is £28,000. However most contracts they receive are only short term.
An example of a QA tester is Ryan Mckindle, he worked for Traveler's Tales games for a while before creating virtual racing systems and then to Ubisoft in Newcastle.

11.Creative Director
This is a newer role in the industry, a creative director is responsible for the overall look and feel of the game, as well as the quality of the game and over sees any major decision for the games development. They over see almost all of the teams that work on the game, from programmers to the artists to the editors. A qualification that could help with this role is visual and technical arts.
Skills required are: able to make difficult decisions that influence the development, good at presentation and able to push the staff to create the best quality they can.
The payment for this role is usually around £50,000 per year.
An example of a creative developer is Matt Daroczy.

12. Audio Designer
An audio designer's role is to compose all of the sound effects in the game such as character voices, theme music, etc.
The skills required for this role are to have: knowledge of recording and editing software, ability to play musical instruments, sense of rhythm and timing and finally atmosphere appreciation.
Having a extra qualification in music is very appreciated to have a better chance.
The wage for tis role is generally £13,000 per year but increases with every contract the designer takes.
An example is Derrick Espino, he was the lead audio designer on Uncharted 3 and the Last of Us, as well as on God of War.

13. Community Manager
A community manager is a very varied job; mostly they deal with tasks such as: public reflections( media requests and creating relationships with other companies), Customer relations (offering support for the product), Social Marketing (managing and growing the companies presence) and content creation(writing blogs and newspaper articles).
The skills required to be in this position are good writing skills, interest in the gaming industry and willingness to work under pressure.
The wages of this job are from $111.74-$128,886.
An example is David Dague, he is Bungie's current community manager for over four years. His main roles are to manage the "Bungie weekly update" and to update Bungie on their social media.

 14. Marketing Executive
A marketing executive is responsible of the awareness of the game through advertisement and social media. They deal with distribution of the product, gaining sponsorships and able to plan how the game should be distributed.
Skills required for this role are: able to work under pressure, able to give pitches and get partnerships for the product and finally to have knowledge on how to get media coverage for the product.
The average pay is generally £18,000 per week for the amount of work done.

15. Business Developer
A Business Developer is responsible for growing the company and gaining partnerships with larger companies to produce the game. They prepare presentations, reports and over see the development of clients.
Skills required for this job are to: have good knowledge of gaming industry and marketing, have above average negotiation skills (moving projects forward), able to learn new concepts and technologies quickly, able to present and research subjects with little stress, able to be calm and diplomatic and finally work both as a team member and on their own.
The average payment is around £35,000 per year.

16. Product Manager
A Product Manager is the role that creates marketing campaigns to emphasis the awareness of the game and gets the advertisements into the media, from newspapers to advertisements.
The skills required for this role include having a track record of marketing in the past and having previous experience in the gaming industry; this role is more about experience than having skill. The main qualification that would help in this role is Business and Management. An average wage would be around $110,000 per year.

Next Gen 17/11/15

Coding

Today the group put the final touches on our simple Unity 3D games after doing the seven tutorials that were set for us. Unfortunately for me the game I made got corrupted and so what I used was nothing more than a prototype of what once was. The basic idea of the game was to get from the beginning to the end of the stage while balancing on the paths and avoiding the spinning obstacles. It still worked however some of the c# script did not,the collision detection did not go through so their was no restart for the level.

As for the current project of unity progress is going well but slower than we hoped. Also I did signed up for helping the hotel app side project with nine others. I should really look up more on how to design and create apps (exclusively for Ipad).

Next Gen 10/11/15

Yesterday was the first time that the pressure properly came down; we made a model of our choice under time constraints (70 mins of modelling, 30 mins of unwrapping the model and another 30 mins to texture the model). I choose to made a power hand drill. I originally choose a film camera however I am not good with circular modelling.

As you can tell from the model it could have been better modeled because the time constraint got to me. The unwrapping went alright however the texturing went badly because when the textures were applied it  looked pretty bad. The reason for this is that we get some of our textures from textures.com. You need a account for it and after I applied it didn't go through. So I tried again yesterday and the same issue occurred.
After properly looking at the model there were a few errors with the model itself, such as  I had to use simple tools in Photoshop to create the textures that looked awful and some of the polygons .  This model will be the first of a few projects to go in my portfolio to show I can use the program.

In other news, both new programs we have been issued (Unity 5.2 and Unreal Engine) have proved to be much more advanced than the previous programs; this makes them more complicated to use with more functionality. Still the coding for me is still an issue and have not seen much improvement, I have looked at  the tutorials for Untiy and it did explain the usage of the code you put in, but my problem is what code to put in and in what order for it to make sense.

Next Gen 30/10/15

Over the past few weeks the only things that I have really done is continue with the modelling process of the 3D world we have begun to create (models that include the vending machine (finished) the quarantine section ( in progress ) and the completed back staircase, (however since no one else has taken the other stair models I will most likely do them as well).

The other thing is that since we will be getting 'Unity' the class will no longer need the coding software we were using to do any coding. As of now I will try to use other programs as well as unity to understand coding more; I will also do the same for modeling since I have noticed other uses of the program that I was not shown.

In other news, since we are going to be using unity (in a new group) we have come up with, basically dog simulator (even though we found a Indy go go version that we discovered within  two days after wards) and have been drawing out the landscape, the city you are in and the dog itself. We have been doing all of this in 3Ds Max. I was doing the dog, which has been the toughest model I have made yet  (to live up to the groups standards) and also began to model a broken down bus. As well as that the stair case has to be the most tedious model  I have made. Measuring stairs and taking pictures of the stairs has to be the most mind numbing thing I have done in a long time.

So far the group has been communicating well with each other, however the group still has not got an idea of what the final game should be since it is being constantly altered.

Also since this is now the half term Matty and Ant have asked for the models we have been designing to be finished, however the program '3Ds Max' is not applicable with my laptop (no idea why); and I have tried the computers in then Learning center and they are not applicable either. So I have no idea of how to finish the models (including the fact that the room I work in was of limits when I went there (28/10/15)).

As a side note they asked us to have a small post on what horror game is our favorite (Halloween). Since I don't play many horror games it would be either Dead Space (the first one) or Alien Isolation.

Being British (extra)

Today our work was put on hold because we were told to explain the value of being a British designer (in your opinion) and how games can be considered more British.

Firstly, to me, the value of being British boils down to: we have tolerance between most ethnicities and preferences, an ability of free speech, a democracy system and having privacy when we need it. Even though I do disagree with the Nations use of politics; it is better than a dictatorship. Unlike some other countries; in the UK we have the right to say anything we want to anyone we want. I feel that this can keep the nation moving forward, by challenging points of view and forcing people to continue to strive to constantly surpass what is expected of them. As well as allowing the public to vote in elections for who is most desirable to run the nation; even if it is the wrong choice we still have a chance later to rectify the decision.

The system of Britishness in the UK is to promote the development of  UK locations; depending on the characters, locations and other elements. It even allows for games, that are rated high enough, that are British to allow tax breakers from companies elsewhere.

Next gen 22/09/15

Today I finished four separate sketches of quarantine symbols and two smaller sketches of quarantine tape as well as getting a few extra images for how the areas would look. However some of the ideas I have been working on has been threatened to be excluded from the finished project; I am going to have to reason with the 'leaders' to include the idea, even if it is as minuscule as possible. Also the floor plan i designed has been slightly altered to make the project easier. After the sketches are finished I will begin to develop them further in 3Ds Max basically. Since most of the class was doing their own model and sketches it was a quiet day. My drawing skills do need some improvement compared to what it should be at this point in time. I did not get much of a chance on 3Ds max compared to the other class members.
On the 3Ds max modeling sheet I also choose to have (as well as the quarantine) the vending machine I have to take a few images of the machine first before I start work.

Next Gen 30/09/15

Today for the first flash game 'Heaven to Hell' the game is almost finished with the coding and the visuals; the main work that I did is that I completed a flow chart of the events ,choices and endings of the flash game. After I handed it to the programmers I mainly was doing work for the 3D modelling. After some time I have found out that I am the better at 3D modelling rather than flash coding. Mainly because even though I understand what the coding says ,I can't write the code itself because I have no true idea of how to put the code together without getting errors and are not sure what to put in the code for certain purposes.

After trying to code a coin flip I found multiple things difficult with it because I can't tell what the errors in the code are. Even though I did finish the coin flip process (either landing on either heads or tails and adding a scoring system) it took a lot of time and only was capable of completing the task with help of the class. Even though I did succeed in getting to the required point in the coding.  To combat this problem I will probably have to ask someone (online) to explain it to me because written explanations have not suck with me so well so far. My problem with coding is that I can read coding and understand what it means, however I can't write the code myself.

As for the 3D modelling I did have an attempt at creating the vending model without the use of any images or without a drawing to go off of. It did go as well as I thought even though it was only to see how it would be made in 3Ds max the model did get a bit broken and annoying to figure out tools to use in the program.


 However when the images (these are the overall shots) were taken along with measurements of the object, its extruding points and with the basic drawing to explain some of the polygons, insets and extrudes that will be used; the model shows much more promise. Even though some of the modelling process is frustrating (such as finding the vertex's on the model that interfere with some of the functions) it proceeding very well compared to the coding. I have completed the overall shape and extras: such as the card scanner, the dispenser and the change dispenser. I have not started to texture however as well as trying to make bottles for the machine. I am also going to make versions of this were it is damaged to suit the environment the group is making.

As for the communication the spread sheet has stopped others from doing the models I have chosen, although there has not been much teamwork since we started to build the models, and there was not much attention to the time constraints we could be set.

Catch up blog

Catch up blog

 The idea I had for the first game was a arena based fighting game between monsters of the sea and pirates (somewhat resembles the ship mechanics of assassins creed 3 and 4). It did not get to far.

 The final group decision was made on the group game demo. With the monkey and the girl idea finally going through. Some of the group has taken up certain jobs for the certain of the demo. It is great that we are making some progress with the demo. Even though the team is very ‘Stubborn’.  I am happy I did get the main idea across to the team and I did get some concept sketches for the presentation.

Right at the moment I am more confident with the coding rather than the art that the game requires.

My work could use more accuracy and planning for sticking with an idea rather than going off on random tangents. The pitch I gave did cover a majority of points; however it did ‘slide’ from one point to another and could have had more description on inspiration and the game demo was not close to the idea that was presented.

I can try to have done more work and preparation without worrying about the outcome of the idea (whether good or not). I worry too much about going too far for impossible goals or doing too little. 

The team communication was more like everyone was trying to praise all of the positives and the negatives of the game ideas and were not frequently asking questions to try to help the other members; the feedback was appreciated but could have been better.   

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Started to create the first draft with the pitch with what information I had, as well as thinking of a few ideas to add if we have time and began to think of the designs that each of the levels will have.

However none of the work that has been set has been fully completed because of a lack of priority in the order of the tasks to create the game.

I could have had more work to do set by group because I was not doing too much in comparison to my teammates.

I have finalized the game controls and t finished the main points of the pitch. All of the work that I have set myself has been completed; now I am looking for additional jobs to help with the overall game and its presentation. I did help as well with some of the ideas for the sound design and the ending of the demo screen.

The time limits for the roles that all of the team took today were mostly finished (especially since it is a demo) the only thing that needs to be finished can be enemy animations the slideshow for the pitch and updating as much of the pitch as possible.

I have decided to constantly come up with new ideas ;so that ion the future I will be more prepared for upcoming project ideas and not to constantly fall back on other ideas that are not ready, or have been thought through.

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The pitch could have gone better than it did. The team did not do enough rehearsal and as such some of the pitch did go out of order; along with the slideshow. Another point is that some of the group did not say their lines with the right attitude that was expected, because some of them spoke over what the next person was to say and they got confused and baffled. As well as that I was not made aware of some of the things in the pitch (including the demo and not including the monkey).

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After using 3D modelling in 3Ds Max 2015for the first time it did go alright (for a beginner). I did however get stuck around half way in the process.  I am going to have to improve using this program.

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After using flash for the first time it seem like an advanced version of paint. The tools seem more fluent and come easy to understand. The task of making my own face did work pretty well, however it was not as good in comparison to other drawings that the other class members made. Plus the eyes was absolutely the hardest thing to draw.

Then came the coding of the shapes and colours with the coding did go well for the first part (following the instructions) however the next part was more challenging because even though I knew how to change the code in the right places I could not properly create another image because of the positioning of the images with the coding. Only after multiple times did I create another somewhat representable image.
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Today is when we started to come up with ideas to design a 3D world (first post) and why. I went with a Gothic setting of a street or a courtyard around 500 years ago. The other idea was an abandoned theme park, based on the Chernobyl incident. It did not go through and the class is working on a post apocalyptic version of the arts academy (the building we are based in). So far the contribution I have done the floor plan of the second floor and identified what rooms the group will design and what rooms the 'player' can and can't access (the finished image will not work for the blog). The floor plans were fully completed with full colour coordinated areas with a key to see what rooms and corridors should be used in the final design. As well as that I gathered a few quarantine ideas for the modellers to use (including images from dead space), they are used as a form of contamination deterrent and warning. Although it is unclear if the group will include the idea. 

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As for the  adobe flash game with half the class the progress for that was slow (epically for the second section). The idea was to make the game based on the idea was that some one had just ended up in purgatory; their choices would determine if they would go to either Heaven or Hell and what ending they would get with 'humanity'. However even though the designs were good and the idea was set the progress began to degrade. I gave the group points to finalize the story and add a few extra ideas that were not added; such as whether or not to heal or kill a puppy.