Critical Report ALCHEMISTS HOLLOW. Joseff Griffiths

Transcription

1 Critical Report ALCHEMISTS HOLLOW Joseff Griffiths

2 CONTENTS INTRODUCTION 3 VISION STATEMENT 3 TECHNICAL DISCUSSION 4 PIPELINE 4 CHALLENGES 5-6 IMPORTING ASSET ISSUE 5 ASSET SOURCING ISSUE 5 TEXTURING ISSUES 5-6 LIGHTING ISSUES 6 MILESTONES 7 ORIGINAL MILESTONE SCHEDULE 8-9 REVISED MILESTONE SCHEDULE ACHIEVEMENTS 12 LEVEL DESIGN 12 EMISSIVE/PULSING MATERIALS 12 VIDEO MATERIAL 13 ASSET CREATION 13 IN FUTURE 13 VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF PROJECT FLOW 14 ORIGINAL CHART 14 REVISED CHART 14 BIBLIOGRAPHY 15 2

3 INTRODUCTION This report contains a critical analysis of the development processes for the UE4 level Alchemists Hollow, it s a level designed with the intention of capturing the essence of a cyberpunk bar. The report will detail every aspect of development in a transparent fashion, every aspect will be analysed and discussed in an appropriate manner. (Presentation of artefact can be found on Moodle) The term Cyberpunk originated in 1983 when Bruce Bethke coined the term by naming his short story so, unbeknownst to Bruce the term would still be used today (Bruce Bethke, 2010). It quickly picked up traction and was appropriated to the famous works of William Gibson most notably Neuromancer, considered ground breaking and the archetypal cyberpunk work (Lawrence Person, 1999). This novel became the first novel to win the triple crown - Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick awards - and, in the process, virtually single-handedly launched the cyberpunk movement (Larry McCaffery, 2000). Although many consider William Gibson the father of cyberpunk others argue against this as many of the trait that are uniquely connected to cyberpunk can in fact be found in the previous works of multiple authors. Many of the people who argue this point refer to the works of Philip K. Dick, William S Borroughs, J. G. Ballard and a few others (Paul Brians, 1994), one of the main points used to support their case is the fact that many of Philip K. Dick s have recurring themes that include AI (Artificial Intelligence), the blurring of lines between objective reality & subjective reality and social collapse (Paul Brians, 1994). Even the movie Blade Runner directed by Ridely Scott released in 1982 (Kevin Striker, 2001) was based on the the Philip K Dick novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (arguably the first cyberpunk story) was released before Neuromancer was ever written. There have been various incarnations of cyberpunk games over the years but it all began with the RPG (Role- Playing Game) Cyberpunk 2020 made by R. Talsorian Games (Travire, 2006), this particular game was designed with William Gibson s writings in mind and therefore many of the settings resembled his works (Travire, 2006). There were many similar games although Cyberpunk 2020 stood out as the most beloved of the bunch. As video game consoles development advanced so did the games, from this came the birth of the modern cyberpunk games that we are all familiar with, introducing such franchises as Metal Gear, System Shock and Deus Ex, with the latter being the one that is most associated with cyberpunk. When Deus Ex was released in 2000 (Steam, 2000) to critical acclaim most player had nothing but great thing to say but it was in a later sequel Deus Ex: Human Revolution that received the greatest reception from cyberpunk fans with arcade saying Deus Ex welcomes you into its huge cyberpunk world (Adam Volk, 2011). From then Ewido s have continued to develop and expand this world of cyberpunk and are soon releasing their newest incarnation Deus Ex: Mankind Divided which looks like the most immersive cyberpunk world we ve ever seen in a game (Sacha Ramtohul, 2016). VISION STATEMENT In the proposal document the vision statement was outlined as so Set in a futuristic cyberpunkesque universe, this UE4 level will allow you to enter a club and explore all of its contents. Aimed to display the vast contrast between the high tech low life aspect of society, basically a highly futuristic dystopia. The bar will showcase as much detail as possible to truly show the grungy underworld that resides in the depths of a super future city.. As the development process went on I tried to adhere to the vision statements outline, occasionally this became hard to fulfil as there is only so much that you can do to display the low life aspect that is so important to the cyberpunk aspect. This problem arose when I realised that only using objects placed throughout the bar to hint at the low life aspects of society could be too obscure for many. Other than this I believe that the level fully explores every aspect of the vision statement, even though some aspects would take a little more thought to ascertain their true meaning. 3

4 TECHNICAL DISCUSSION Programs Used Version Used UE4 V4.9.2/V Maya 2016 CrazyBump BT2 Photoshop CS6 Premier Pro CS6 PIPELINE ASSET CREATION Programs Used: Maya 2016 Created All 3D models (Building Pieces & Props), unwrapped Models. TEXTURING Programs Used: Photoshop CS6/CrazyBump/UE4 Material Editor Created textures using Photoshop and images sourced from the internet SOURCE. Created normal, ambient occlusion, displacement & specular maps using CrazyBump. Created Emissive and video materials using UE4s Material Editor. LEVEL DESIGN Programs Used: UE4 V4.9.2/ Built level using the assets created to meet the aspects described in the vision statement. Added lighting and particle effects to create the desired atmosphere. 4

5 CHALLENGES IMPORTING ASSETS ISSUE Once all of the assets were created they needed importing, in order to do this, I had to export each asset as a FBX file. After repeating this process for every asset they were ready for importing into the UE4 project, this is where the problem arose. After selecting the assets that needed to be imported and importing them UE4 would crash during the importing process. UE4 crashing is a common problem, I repeated the process multiple times but had no success. Upon doing some research I discovered that this was a common issue with the version of UE4 I was using (V4.9.2). The only way to overcome this issue was to use a newest version of UE4 (V4.11.2), once I updated and migrated the project to a version all assets imported with no issues. ASSET SOURCING ISSUE Due to the fact that I am not a true games artist my plan was to create the centre pieces needed to convey the level in the way described in the vision statement and then source prop assets from the internet. Whilst searching for free license assets online I quickly discovered that most of the assets available were inappropriate for the level that I was creating, this left me with much more modelling to do than I had previously anticipated. In order to overcome this issue, I had to create much more assets than I had originally planned on, this would prove to be very time consuming. In order to conserve time and improve efficiency I decided that creating modular assets would allow me to create a full and expansive environment whilst keeping modelling time to a minimum. TEXTURING ISSUES Due to the high volume of assets created I again ended up having to spend more time texturing, having to do this would mean that I would have much less time to spend on actually designing the level once all textures and assets were imported into the project. In order to solve this time issue, I decided to used CrazyBump to create multiple texture maps (normal, ambient occlusion, displacement & specular). This allowed me to only have to create albedo maps in Photoshop for each texture before importing those maps into CrazyBump changing the settings to meets those required and generating every other map needed to create a full texture. 5

6 Another issue that arose when creating materials came from UE4, once all the textures were created and had been imported into UE4 I had to then create Materials for each texture. To do this I would have to use UE4s Material Editor, when I opened up the Material Editor I was given a mass sum of errors in the message log stating that there was a Material Compilation Error. This should not happen as there was nothing in the new material so there should not be an issue, I decided to investigate this issue, so I opened up a material that was in the projects Starter Content only to have the same error messages. This was problematic as I could not create the materials necessary to texture each asset within the level. I decided to research this error online, after copious hours I d had no success. I then posted a question on the UE4 forum regarding the error and what I could do to fix the issue, after a week of not being able to work on the level due to the issue an employee of Unreal answered my question. The response let me know that the newest version of UE4 on OSX no longer used UE4 own metal compliers and instead used Xcodes, all I would have to do is install Xcode and then recompile all materials. The fix worked great but this issue cost me a large chunk of development time. LIGHTING ISSUES After creating the level, I needed to add lighting, I wanted to create a dark, dirty, low brow atmosphere. I decided on red spotlights that would highlight certain areas of the level, this is where the problems started. Once I had placed the spotlights where I wanted them I built the level and discovered that due to the emissive lights on some of the props within the level the lighting created strange patters on certain textures. After spending a large amount of time refining the position of each spotlight I managed to get the lighting perfect. 6

7 MILESTONES For this project I tried to stick to the milestone schedule as much as possible, during the development process the issues discussed above caused me to have to revise the schedule. For the most part I managed to stick to the schedules although weeks 4, 5 & 6 caused me the most problems which set me back, but with hard work I managed to pull the project back into a manageable timeframe. 7

8 ORIGINAL MILESTONE SCHEDULE MILESTONE 1 - PROJECT PLAN (14 FEBRUARY WEEK THREE/FOUR) Completed Tasks for Milestone 1: Vision Statement for Deliverable Risk Assessment on Technical Challenges Projected Asset List Milestone Schedule MILESTONE 2 - PAPER DESIGNS (19 FEBRUARY WEEK FOUR) Completed Tasks for Milestone 2: Asset Concept Designs Level Concept Designs MILESTONE 3 - ASSET CREATION I (26 FEBRUARY WEEK FIVE) Completed tasks for milestone 3: 35% of Game Assets Modelled Blocked-out Level MILESTONE 4 - ASSET CREATION II (4 MARCH WEEK SIX) Completed Tasks for Milestone 4: 70% of Game Assets Modelled 50% of Textures Created Blocked-out Level Tested MILESTONE 5 - ALPHA (18 MARCH WEEK EIGHT) Completed Tasks for Milestone 5: Alpha Version of the Game All Assets Modelled & Textured All Game-critical Assets Within the Playable Level MILESTONE 6 - BETA (15 APRIL WEEK TEN) 8

9 Completed Tasks for Milestone 6: Beta Version of the Game All Content Complete (Possibly Not Debugged) Video Segments Based Upon Game Materials (for Show-reel) Constructed MILESTONE 7 - MASTER (29 APRIL WEEK TWELVE) Completed Tasks for Milestone 7: Master/Gold Version of the Game Project Report Show-reel Segment 9

10 REVISED MILESTONE SCHEDULE MILESTONE 1 - PROJECT PLAN (14 FEBRUARY WEEK THREE/FOUR) Completed Tasks for Milestone 1: Vision Statement for Deliverable Risk Assessment on Technical Challenges Projected Asset List Milestone Schedule N/A MILESTONE 2 - PAPER DESIGNS (19 FEBRUARY WEEK FOUR) Completed Tasks for Milestone 2: Asset Concept Designs Level Concept Designs N/A MILESTONE 3 - ASSET CREATION I (26 FEBRUARY WEEK FIVE) Completed tasks for milestone 3: 35% of Game Assets Modelled/Sourced Blocked-out Level The amount of assets was underestimated, in order to get the desired aesthetics to create the desired atmosphere in the level I will have to revise the milestone schedule. MILESTONE 4 - ASSET CREATION II (4 MARCH WEEK SIX) Completed Tasks for Milestone 4: 70% of Game Assets Modelled/Sourced Blocked-out Level Tested No technical issues but personal issues have stopped me from completing as much work as I d liked to have done. MILESTONE 5 Asset Creation III (18 MARCH WEEK EIGHT) Completed Tasks for Milestone 5: All Assets Modelled/Sourced All Game-critical Assets Imported 30% of Textures Created 10

11 UE4 importing issue. MILESTONE 6 - ALPHA (25 MARCH WEEK NINE) Completed Tasks for Milestone 6: Alpha Version of the Game 100% of Textures Created All Game-critical Assets Within the Playable Level Textures time consuming due to volume. UE4 material compilation error. MILESTONE 7 - BETA (15 APRIL WEEK TEN) Completed Tasks for Milestone 7: Beta Version of the Game All Content Complete (Possibly Not Debugged) Video Segments Based Upon Game Materials (for Show-reel) Constructed Lighting issue. MILESTONE 8 - MASTER (29 APRIL WEEK TWELVE) Completed Tasks for Milestone 8: Master/Gold Version of the Game Project Report Show-reel Segment N/A 11

12 ACHIEVEMENTS LEVEL DESIGN I was pleased with how well this aspect of the development process went, due to that I had to create all of the assets, all of the level pieces easily snapped to the position that I wanted them in with no issue with overlapping objects. This allowed the level design process to be completed quickly and efficiently with minimal or no issues. EMISSIVE/PULSING MATERIALS I decided to create emissive materials for neon signs and other props in the level, I expected this to be a long and complicated process but to my surprise I found that by using a few parameters, constant variables and some math in the Material Editor I could create the desired effect and easily tweak them whenever I needed. 12

13 VIDEO MATERIAL In the level there are multiple displays/monitors, for these I wanted to have them display static as though they had been hacked or that their main control system had an issue. I decided to create a material that fit this purpose, I did this by using a simple static texture and then using the Material Editors panner system to quickly pan in the X & Y coordinates to create a movement effect. I then added an emissive glow to the material to replicate the small glow displays give off. I found this process to be a simple yet effective way to create the look I desired. ASSET CREATION Although creating assets was an arduous process I found that by creating modular assets I could lessen the amount of time spent modelling. I also found that my modelling skills drastically improved as I could quickly and efficiently create complex assets that would normally take me large periods of time to create. IN FUTURE Looking back at the development process I have seen various areas that could be improved upon in future endeavours. Firstly, I would concentrate on a smaller scale environment, by choosing a larger environment I couldn't achieve the overall detail that I would have liked to, smaller scale environments would also allow me to show off more of my skills. I say this due to that many of the minute details that I place in the environment are rarely seen due to the grand scale of the level therefore having a smaller more concentrated environment would allow users to see more of the little details that make a level interesting and special. It would also mean that the level would fit the timescale in a much more efficient manner, which would ultimately leave more time to refine the level. Secondly I would pick a theme that was less dependent on the user to discover the worlds overarching theme of displaying the high-tech, low-life contrast in the world. This comes down to the fact that many users might not notice the small details that indicate that the lives of the people within the world are less than reputable although they live within a hyper advanced technology ladened world. 13

14 VISUAL REPRESENTATION OF PROJECT FLOW Before the start of the project I created a Gantt chart that summarised all of the tasks that needed to be completed over the course of development problems arose therefore the chart needed updating in order to display the current situation correctly. As can be seen when comparing both charts more tasks were pushed back on more were created the closer I got to the end of development. ORIGINAL CHART REVISED CHART 14

15 BIBLIOGRAPHY Seph. (2012). What is Cyberpunk?. Available: Last accessed 12th Feb Bruce Bethke. (2010). The Etymology of "Cyberpunk". Available: Last accessed 12th Feb Lawrence Person. (1999). Notes Toward a Postcyberpunk Manifesto. Available: Last accessed 12th Feb Larry McCaffery. (2000). An Interview with William Gibson. Available: Last accessed 13th Feb Kevin Striker. (2001). Blade Runner. Available: Last accessed 13th Feb Paul Brians. (1994). Study Guide for William Gibson: Neuromancer (1984). Available: Last accessed 20 April Travire. (2006). Review of Cyberpunk Available: Last accessed 20 April Steam. (2000). Deus Ex: Game of the Year Edition. Available: Last accessed 20 April Adam Volk. (2011). Arcade Review: Deus Ex welcomes you into its huge cyberpunk world. Available: Last accessed 20 April Sacha Ramtohul. (2016). 10 Ways Deus Ex: Mankind Divided Enhances the Action RPG. Available: Last accessed 28 April