NOIZESTORM CONCEPT BOARD

Today I finished the concept board for my 3d game Noizestorm. I used Photoshop to edit what I origionally had. A big thing I wanted to complete today was a concept character. For this I got a picture of a Killzone 3 Helghan sniper and cut out its mask. I then got a picture of a man in a hockey mask and cut off his head. I then added the image of the head to the sniper character and moved it and tansformed it to the correct fit.

Next I resized the columns of my Board. I changed the sizes of the Main Header and sub headings. I also rescaled the map in the middle. All of these edits definately added to the overall visual appeal of the board. I am very happy with it. What do you think? Its posted below

Today in UDK (15/12/11)

Today in udk we added Lightmass Importance volume to our 'worklights' this allowed us to create some really interesting shadows. We also added Immersive light for static lighting. This allowed our static lights to illuminate and light up the room. Next We added a spot light. This was done in the actor classes menu then spotlights.

Also today we added a sliging gate into the whole in the middle of the level. First we used the existing brush and edited it to extrude into the wall to make a groove for the gate.

we then inserted the static mesh into place.

Next we added a trigger to the gound beside the door. Then we used Kismet for the first time this was used to make a mtinee in the matinee we created the animation for the door to slide.

Here is the images of the gate, kismet and the matinee menu.

Concept Board For NOIZESTORM (stage 1)

Today i started making the concept board for my 3d game using photoshop. Over the last few days I have been downloading images and designing the layout for the concept board. Today i started by installing the font i wanted to use. I then changed the colour of the background to a nice Teal colour. This makes it seem like a calm game. But all the writing on the board will be black which has a sence of illrest or mystery.

I devided the page into 9 sections for each of the section I have added a heading and relative images that i previously edited. Here is a picturte of my work so far on the concept board.

Over the next week i plan to finish the Concept board using many different photoshop tools.

Today In UDK

Today in UDK we started to use Materials and Static Meshes. We first use materials to decorate the floors walls and ceilings of the map. We the alligned the materials to look more profesional.

We then used static meshes to create pillars and a beam accross the room. Here is a picture of the pillars. Created using many different static meshes together. here is a picture of them

Next we used static meshes to create 2 big doors and panelling around it. The meant alot of duplicating was needed. Here is an image.

Next we used static meshes to create shelves and crates on them. There was no static mesh specifically for shelves so this lesson showed us that we can use other meshes to create what we need. Here is an image.

I look forward to learning more with UDK.

3d Game Pitch (NoizeStorm)

This post is the pitch for my 3d Game 'NoizeStorm'


After an experiment in a russian lab fails. The victims of it escape. You play Wolf (no one knows his real name) Wolf fled to a forgotten Nepali town called 'Taboot' Here he has piece and quiet. Wolf decided to stay here because the monks liked to keep the town quiet and be one with nature. This suits him perfectly. The military and scientists have managed to locate you, they want to capture you to be used in war or killed.

This is a reference for the background setting of the game. Snowy Mountain Range

The enemies are from the russian military. They have deep russian accents and an evil feel about them. There are small medium and heavy enemies. Like in other games. The small move fast but die easy. The meduim are all rounded and the large do alot of damage but move slow.

You must fight off the enemies invading the town using whatever weapons you can find. You must also save the people of the town by bringing them to secure locations. You have an incredible sense of hearing, a side affect from the experiments. This can be used to your advantage against these enemies.

As you navigate through the village you will have to avoid hazards and obsticals while fighting enemies. Hazards like fire and falling rocks and ice. Obsticals like blocked roads and enemy traps.

Tibet

Architecture Reference


Continue to kill enemies to build your score the higher your score gets the harder the enemies will be. The objective is to try get the highest score. The longer you last the more you will learn about 'Wolf' through his horrible flashbacks

For every friendly you save they may reward you with score or weapons or other powerups.

The name noizestorm refers to the characters hearing and the stormy weather setting in the town.

Collect weapons, shoot enemies, save civillians, and escape Taboot. A list of things you will do to complete this epic first person shooter 'NoizeStorm'.

First Day Of UDK Tutorials.

Today I looked at 4 Tutorials in UDK for making a simple level.

In the first tutorial I learned: BSP means Binary Space Partician. CSG Brushes (CSG Add) are used to create solid geometry. Space Bar is used to change the translation Widget. I learned that you must build after any change is made if you want to see it. BSP is used to define primary surfaces and CSG cannot be changed. But brushes can be used to edit them.
Also in the first tutorial I learned some Guidelines.
1 Use Additive Levels.
2 Keep Brushes Simple.
3 Allign Brush Edges.
4 Allign Textures.
5 Static Meshes handle Detail.
6 Remember Brush Orders (Add First Then Subtract)

In the second tutorial i learned: Right-Click brushes to put in property sizes. F4 or Rightclick also opens properties. Right click also snaps to the grid lines. In order to edit the shape of a brush first turn on wireframe and then use geometry mode to rearrange vertices.

In the third Tutorial i learned: Hold down mouse wheel to take measurements. Rightclick a vertice in 2d view to add navigation widget to vertice. This also snaps to grid line. Alt + Drag will duplicate a brush.
The X axis is Red, The Y is Green and the Z is blue.

This is what i made today.

I look forward to learning much more in UDK

Modern Warfare 2 Game Review
Some people will say that the Call of Duty games change very little each year. I can understand this point but I do not agree with it. The games have the same controls and same mechanics. But maps change, guns change, graphics and feeling change too. Modern Warfare 2 is a first person shooter game. This mean you play from the eyes of the games character and shoot enemies. The Call of Duty franchise has redesigned the shooter genre with each of its titles. This time around it is no different. Modern Warfare is a great game and this review will show why.










First of all, story is not incredible. After Russian militants take hostages in a Moscow airport (and massacre them) and kill an American CIA agent, war kicks off. The American task force go to Brazil to find out who was in charge of the massacre. After this Russia declares war and invades America. I don’t want to give away any spoilers but that’s about all that happens and it’s up to you and your team to save your homeland. The story is enticing and exciting but I do feel like there could be a lot more added to it. The game is very tense and is very hard to stop playing. This is a problem because if you are just going to play the single-player elements of this game, I think you will be disappointed. Modern Warfare 2 is very easy and can be completed in 5-8 hours depending on the difficulty you choose and your experience as a shooter. I feel this shortness is a major let down and will hurt the final verdict. Overall the campaign is ok, it can be exciting but I would not recommend handing out €50 for what could be 5 hours of game play. Modern Warfare’s greatness comes from a different aspect, its multiplayer options. The return of CoD 4’s legendary multiplayer experience is a great feature we are happy to see back. This multiplayer will give you hours, days even months of fun (or frustration). There are many different game types in multiplayer from standard team death match to objective based games like domination and capture the flag. All of these games can be incredibly fun and very addictive. I found myself racking up an insane amount of time in matches online. As well as the competitive multiplayer, Modern Warfare 2 has a great new feature called spec ops. This is a whole bunch of co-op missions that can be played split screen or online. These missions all have a star rating. Depending on the difficulty you play on the more stars you get, the more missions you unlock. This is a great feature that kept me playing long after I was finished with the campaign and multiplayer.

The graphics in Modern Warfare 2 are good. The colours are bright and the animation is very smooth. The gun kick is another great graphical feature. This adds a sense of realism to this very unrealistic game. They have some very good points and some things that could be much better. MW2 is clearly a big leap from the first MW but it does not reach the same standard as the likes of Uncharted 2 and Killzone 2. There are some bad texture loadings and a feeling of grainy gameplay. Although I must say the level of detail in the environments is great. In the likes of the dusty afghan towns, the snow-capped mountains of Kazakhstan and Rio de Janeiro’s Favela all add an incredible sense of scale to the game. There is one point of the campaign where I found myself rocketing down a snowy mountain side on a skidoo and jumping a canyon in slow motion this gave the graphics a great boost and showed how good they really are.




There is no real learning curve to the game, but that’s not a bad thing. I can see the developer wanted the game to be epic all the way through and not just at the end. Instead of a learning curve the game just requires practice and understanding the game mechanics. It is not very hard at all. But if you learn how to play, it is hard to be good. This will require a lot of practice and learning of the 16 multiplayer maps.






The game runs at a very smooth 60 frames per second. I have to applaud Infinity Ward (developer) for this achievement. The gameplay is great. It is very immersive and addictive you won’t realise but hours will fly by as you play this game. The controls are simple the same as any other shooter on the market. Use the shoulder buttons to zoom and fire, Use the triggers for special and frag grenades, Use the analogue sticks to move and aim your character. The guns in the game feel really good. They are very accurate though. This makes it easier for the newcomers to do well. This is irritating to the hard-core player as there is less of a sense expertise. There is also a lot of kill streaks in the multiplayer of this game too. This also helps the weaker players do well, or it can help the experts mow down dozens of ‘noobs’ at a time. This can make the game very unenjoyable for the low level players.







I do feel that this game is targeted at teen boys and hard-core players as well as some adults. But from my experience I haven’t played with very many girls or women online, or even heard them talk about it. This is why I think the game is aimed at boys and men. Guns and gore seem to be what boys are into nowadays. I feel that the game is also aimed at players new to the first person shooter genre as it is very easy.
Modern Warfare 2 has a great replay value. You have to collect enemy Intel in the campaign mode. This unlocks cheat modes, allowing the game to be enjoyed in different ways. The multiplayer options give months of replay value.
The audio in Modern Warfare 2 is great. All the pre-recorded guns sound great, real, and different from each other. This time around there is also a lot more dialogue between your character and your allies. The allies can shout at you where the enemies are and where to go. This also adds to the ‘noob factor’. This helps the player through the game without scoping out the enemies.

Conclusion & Verdict
Which brings me to my conclusion? I feel that Modern Warfare 2 is a good game that should be played at least once by everyone in all aspects (single and multi-player). I also found that the story wasn’t as touching as it could be. Also one last negative point I feel that the campaign isn’t very believable and is a let-down altogether. There are some issues with characters walking in your view and slow loading textures. But the scenery is immense. The sound is immersive. The game overall is very fun to play. I would recommend this game but only to those who plan on playing it online or with friends. Purely because at a price of €50, the campaign feels like it should just be an add on pack for one of the older games. But the multiplayer options more than make up for it. I would even dare to say that CoD MW2’s Multiplayer are the only reason to buy this game and it is well worth it then.
Positive Points
-Very Immersive Multiplayer.
-Stunning Scenery and levels.
-Easy for new Players.
Negative Points
-Very Short Campaign.
-Slow Loading Textures.
-Too Easy For Hard Core Players
This brings me to my verdict. I am going to rate this game 75/100. But if you were to play solely multi-player add 10 and if you play solely single player, minus 20. I do recommend this game do go and buy it and do definitely play it online.

Mario's Adventure: The Review

Hello, This is a review for the game Marios Adventure on the website onlinesupermario.com. The game is not made the nintendo. But is still pretty great and lives up to what you would expect from a 2d mario game. The game fits into the genre of a 2d sidescrolling platformer and it fits perfectly ticking all the boxes.

The plot of Mario's Adventure is, as always save the princess as she has been captured (again..). Mario must make his way through tonnes of exciting levels to the castle and then progress through the castle, beat the boss and save the princess.....Simple, you would think. But then again this is a Mario game were talking about. The levels are filled with bricks, floating platforms, enemies, powerups and hitten items too.

The graphics of Marios Adventure are pretty good. I wouldnt call it perfect but they are good for an online game. The style is cartoony and colourful. This makes you feel that the game is aimed at children. But I beg to differ. This game can be very difficult at times. So this makes me feel like it is aimed at hardcore gamers in the form of adults or teens. So with graphics aimed at kids and a play style aimed at hardcore players where can you go wrong?

The controls in the game are simple. Use the arrows to move and crouch, and use the space bar to jump. These controls are all that is needed to navigate through the different worlds. The game has a nice feel to it and can be very fun to play. Although at some points it will make you want to pull out your hair.

The game has a great learning curve. It starts off very simple. It then gets slightly harder, and harder, and harder....until it's near impossible. But nothing is impossible said some wise man. But if you feel like this i reccomend you have alot of free time before you start playing Mario's Adventure. The game will drag you in and you will find it very difficult to stop playing.

Mario's Adventure has a pretty good replay value. Because the plot is so simple it allows you to keep playing. It doesn't matter if you know the ending or not this game will always be fun as you play through the whacky worlds.

The audio in this game is not amazing. I mean its not terrible and it suits the game but to me it just doesnt cut it. Games nowadays need a soundtrack that adds a sence of atmospere and anticipation to the game. The sound track in Mario's Adventure doesn't reach this standard. It just really adds to the childish appeal of the game and its fun factor, Which is not a bad thing. I just wouldnt have chosen it.

Which brings me to the conclusion. Mario's Adventure is a great game. But it has some fall backs. I feel it is aimed at adults but styled for kids. This is great for the developers but not so great for the player as both kids and adults will feel that the game is missing important elements. The music could be better and it would be more enjoyable if it wasn't so frustratingly difficult.

Positive
-Fun Game
-Addictive
-Free
-Lives Up To Expectations

Negatives
-Very Difficult at Times
-Time Consuming
-Poor Sense of Atmospere
-Game is having a mid life crysis (adult or child)

For These Reasons im going to rate this game as follows:
Rating. 55/100

RAG DOLL AVALANCHE 2: THE REVIEW

Hello, this is a written review of the game "Rag Doll Avalanche 2" I am going to write about the games plot, graphics, genre, scoring, audio and more. I will the sum up the game by giving it a verdict and a few positive points and negative ones too.

First of all, the Genre. I found it very hard to fit this game into a Genre we frequently hear of. It's not a shooter, adventure or a puzzle so the only way i can explain it is that the game is a dodging/survival game. The objective of the game is to keep your character alive as long as you can. The character is a white, stick style rag doll. As you play the game there is spikes falling from the sky. These spikes will cut of your limbs. If you lose anything from above the knee or elbow you lose the game.

The game is very easy to play even though it is frustratingly difficult. You use the arrow keys on the keyboard to fling the character around the play area (or summersault) You do this to dodge the spikes and keep the character alive.

The scoring in the game is simple. Each spike you dodge equals one point in your score. When you receive your score the game insults you on how you played for example. "The weed must have been good" and "Tip: Look at the screen while playing". These insults make the game even more addictive. This makes the player want to keep playing the game to beat their high scores. As the game goes on the spikes come more frequently and at higher velocity. This is a nice and simple learning curve implemented into the game. These factors give the game an incredible replay value. Although it is so simple it is very hard to stop playing.

Next up, Target audience. I think this game is directed at anybody. It is very simple and can be played by people of all ages. Although had I not played it extensively myself i would have assumed it would not be aimed at hardcore gamers. but now that I have played i can say that is wrong. The game has a great feel to it and is very fun to play. I do feel that this game should be played by everyone.

The audio in the game is simple, Just like the rest of the game. There is a high tempo techno track in the game. This adds to the frantic, fast paced feel of the game. Also the noise made by the spikes hitting the character (a slice and a squelch of blood) is disturbing but very satisfying. The game is enjoyable in all aspects, it can be played correctly or you can just mess around and let your character die and the game will always feel rewarding.

Now My Conclusion. I feel this game is a great representation of how games to need ultra realistic graphics and deep stories to woe players. The game is simple, difficult and very (and I mean VERY) fun to play. The music is slick and suited to the game. The game is very replayable and the scoring is rewarding.

There are two negative points I have about this game.
1. It could have a power up system. If the player picks up an item they can move faster or shrink their character or slow down the time. I think this would really help this game to be a perfect ten.
2. I think the game could have an online scoreboard so players can compare scores with each other.

Verdict 8/10. This is really a must play game. Try it out.

From designing my 2d scratch game i have learned many things.

Firstly I have learned about Scratch, I learned that it is a great piece of software for people like me starting off in the Games Industry. I learned it is very Important that all the game graphics are made to the best of my ability before i start programming. This will save alot of time in the production stage because if I am switching between scratch and Photoshop iu will get confused and waste time changing things.

I have learned it is Very Important to follow the design process thoroughly, the design process gives the game structure and can act as a To-Do list. This to do list can then be broken into section and deadlines can be formed this helps time management too.

It is important to make to-do lists for every sector of designing the game, if you dont set yourself goals you wont accomplish them and therefore get less work done.

I also learned that Research and Brainstorming are alot more important than I thought. I learned that brainstorming helps structure the game and leads to to do lists of ideas that nead to be developed.

Second half of today (20/10/11)

In the second half of today i put the intro scene into my game and its now programmed to play the scene and go straight to the functioning main menu. I re programmed the buttons so all the menus work together.

I spent some time on photoshop creating a cut scene it shows a grave yard fading to a big dark church where inside the main characters brother is being held captive.

I also created some enemies. I used looney toons 'Rocky And Mugsy' as regular enemies you have to kill in the levels.

I made a gun that the enemies will use


I also designed the 2 levels on paper. They need to be edited before i use them in the game.

I made a stage with a road and path and a few simple building sprites to ad to the city feel of the game. While the green and black background hangs over the actual base of the game.

Scratch Game Update

The most recent work i have done to the game is
1 Make an intro in photoshop (animation)
2.I have designed enemies
3.I have made a stage for the first level and i have made a few buildings for scenery in the game
4.I have been writing code to make the intro play before the main menu.
5 I Plan to get alot more done today.

Today In Games Design

Today in games design i spent alot of time using photoshop and scratch. The first thing i did was finish off the Menus. Now including a help screen. I also changed my mind on the main character ans altered the story a little bit. You no longer play as a Detective fighting gangsters but as a Gangster Fighting Gangsters.

In photoshop I edited the gun out of the characters hands (using Magic Wand Tool) and filled in his body where it was using the Clone Stamp Tool. I Made 5 different costumes to make a cycle for walking. Using the Polygon Selection Tool.

This is the new main Character.


In Scratch I Made Codes For walking with the main Character. A code to make the Gun point to the mouse pointer to a certain Amount to allow the player to aim.

This Shows the code for walking with the main character

This image shows the codes for how the gun works. As you can see its a Thompson Sub Machine gun. A favourite on the crime scene in the 30's


I also made a red dot to be used as a target for the Shooter. It sticks to the mouse pointer.

Scratch "City Of Avengence"

Using alot of photoshop and scratch today. Started making sprites and Costumes (For walking) I based my main character around Rorschach from Watchmen. But i gave him a tommy gun and a guy faux mask.

this is the main character.

In scratch i was making scripts for walking. As well as learning how the scrolling system works

Scratch Game "PItch"

This post is the pitch for the new game im making using Scratch.

Genre: The game is going to be a 2d sidescrolling shooter. I want to base the gameplay heavily on one of my favourite of this genre, Its called WpnFire. I want there to be a big emphasis on the guns, I want the screen to shake everytime one is fired to convey the power that guns have and had especially in the time the game is set.

Story: You play as detective 'Tony Biggs' The year is 1930, Alcohol has recently been banned in the city of Chicago. But there are still underground bars selling alcohol. Your brother Johnny doesn't come home one night and your mother gets worried. The story will be dark and deep to keep every player 'addicted'. Fight with the vicious Turks gang for revenge and for justice in "The City Of Avengence".

Narrative: The narative plays from the main characters point of view i dont want the player to know much about what is happening but will find out gradually as the character learns too.

Style: I want original style of graphics. I want to make it cartoony but slightly realistic. Blood and gore will be hugely emphasized as it will add to the dark feel of the game overall. I want to go for plain coloured graphics (White,Grey, Black) With added neons (like illuminous green) for some colour and originality.

Name I have settled on the name "City Of Avengence"

Sample Image I made wth photoshop. I Will use it for the background image for the main menu.

Legend Of The Samurai

http://sploder.com/?s=d00293ll

Legend Of The Samurai is my new sploder game. It has actual structure and proper leels this time. From making this game ive learned alot about 'The Design Process' 

The design process consists of 10 steps: 

1. Analyse The Brief.

2. Identfy Key Requirements.

3. Research.

4. Brainstorming.

5. Development of Ideas.

6. Production.

7. Testing.

8. In Situ Review.

9. Evaluation.

10.  Redesign

Check out the game and leave lots of feedback.