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The Fire Hydrant project was one of the first big focused 3d modeling assignments that I’ve been given this year, and I was able to finally dust off my wings to have a go again at 3d modeling. Although I was slow to get back into it, I found it an enjoyable experience to recreate an object and have a clear reference of what I want. I was able to create the fire hydrant similar to the reference image and felt satisfied at the end of it, reigniting my fun with 3d modeling. I was unable to make a good uv texture for the hydrant and just ended up using a metallic red on it, because although actually putting it together is easy for me, I always struggled with laying out the map and editing an image to fit into it, making it look seamless and good on the eyes. UV modeling is one of my weakest points when it comes to 3d art. I will however, try harder to attain some form of fluency in creating good uv maps later in the year for our game, as it’s something I truly want to get good at.
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Unity Mission 2 was by far the most interesting of the topics I’ve learned within this class. Coding, albeit one of the most annoying, is my favorite topic in game design since it has such a range of possibilities you could do with it. With seemingly very basic code, you could create your own player controller, any way you want, without any limitations, you could create your very own game just by coding at home. I found the coding for the final assignment in Mission 2 extremely fun, I wanted to go all out until I realized that the 3 lines of code I added to a random script promptly had broken about 20 different regions of the game, whether it was the actual models or another script, it always found ways to break itself. Although I found it fun, it certainly is difficult remembering every function and every term, and I know I’ll have to continuously study that over the summer if I want any literacy with this new language. Even without school in the next coming weeks, I’ll probably be bettering myself with Unity to see if coding could be a possible next hobby for me, a fun and certainly productive one.
For the first time I’ve created a real video game on my own, however it wasn’t as easy and simple as I had thought it would be.
Given a simple idea of making an exploration game, I had a lot of ambition when creating an idea, but once I started creating the map I realized there were some core issues. I didn’t know how to code enemies or weapons, so automatically was unable to do that. I also couldn’t create the type of movement I wanted, but the high speed and maneuverability was sufficient. These realizations weren’t all that bad though, I came up with an alternative idea of parkour instead of enemies being the main challenge of the game. It also made me be more aware of what I’m capable of at the moment, and what to improve on in the future, which brings me to what I improved on while working on the game. Textures and paths were complicated at first, it didn’t want to comply initially with what I wanted it to do. If I put a rock texture on a small path it would stretch it beyond recognition, that’s where I learned how to work the tiling feature which was a lifesaver when it came to texturing the various objects in the game. Pathing, instead of being a bunch of copy pasted planes were now cubes that could stretch to conform to whatever path I wanted (and the hitboxes didn’t glitch out either.) I also worked with the Terrain too, which was a very interesting and reliable one to use as it allowed me to create mountains or small hills that could make the environment less monotonous or boring. Along with creating objects in Unity with tools like ProBuilder, for the end goal I modeled a small collection of squares which I rotated around to make it look interesting, which I then imported into Unity. It was as easy as I expected, all I had to do was drag it in and it was there, and even had its own hierarchy for the individual shapes. Although not a copious amount of practical skills were learned creating this game that I hadn’t already known, it was my first taste of creating an actual game and provided me with a lot of wisdom to help me on my future projects. Flow is a state of mind in which a person is completely immersed in whatever they’re doing. For this assignment it applies to players and their enjoyment of the video game they’re playing. It’s important on the part of game developers to catch their fanbase in a state of flow so they can retain players that will either buy more into their games or attract more attention to it. While on the other hand, for players it’s more about having fun and then being pulled into a state of flow by the game, meaning they’re really enjoying it. Reaching a state of flow is a great indication that you’re enjoying the game, if I were to be constantly checking my phone or being drawn to other, more interesting things midway through a game it’s a clear sign I’m not having fun.
Ultrakill is a game that’s really caught my attention recently. The indie fast paced platformer is a perfect mix of new and classic games, sporting the style of early 90s games but with the ultrafast advanced mobility of Titanfall and Doom. Personally, when it comes to video games I am a very stubborn individual, if someone/something beats me in a game I’ll throw myself at them until I beat them or get bored of them. This game scratches that itch perfectly, throwing increasingly difficult boss fights every layer that make me feel I’m just there. Cerberus, one of the first truly challenging bosses had me frustrated at first, I was almost thinking I had wasted money on buying the game. It was until after countless tries as an inexperienced player the joy of seeing the stone statues crumble reminded me as to why I find these challenging games fun; The sensation of pride after winning a challenge not everyone is willing to start. Victory is not the only fun this game provides, the sheer satisfaction of watching the point menu tick as you destroy hordes of demons is just as gratifying. Completionism is a given when it comes to indie games and Ultrakill is no exception (though I doubt I’d ever 100% this game). Arsi “Hakita” Patala, the sole developer of Ultrakill, succeeded in making players like me achieve a state of flow. I often find myself playing the same level “just one more time”, multiple times, in trying to P-Rank (or Perfect) the level. Human-Game interactions are vital to achieving flow. Once you get used to the rhythm of the game and know the many meta moves, your hand will dance across the keyboard while playing the game, following the rhythm without needing to stop and disrupt the flow. The simplistic UI also gives players a greater view of the area, yet also provides important information for completionists, who will also be pulled into a state of flow trying to get full S ranks on the level stats. The flow chart for Ultrakill provides some of the most notable moments in-game. Half of them are boss fights which taught me different skills in how to play. Swordsmachine, a self-upgrading robot with, as the name implies, a sword, taught me that I have to keep my distance and be constantly aware of incoming damage. V2 taught me to play aggressively and not hold back when it comes to certain engagement. V2 was an especially difficult boss for me, taking 2 days for me to beat while not even getting a good score when I finished, I was still extremely satisfied with beating him. Unlocking the full arsenal allowed me to compete in the Cyber Grind, an endless wave mode that caught me glued to trying to beat my high score. Not to mention the absolutely glorious soundtrack kept me hyped up for the next round. Finally Gabriel and V2’s rematch were some of the most difficult fights in the game, however frustrating they were, I was still glued to the screen positive I could beat them. Ultrakill is a great game that mastered the art of flow. |
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My name is Mario, and am currently studying Digital Design and Game Art in DSA. This is my class blog Archives
January 2023
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The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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