Thursday, December 13, 2007
Module :- Games Scripting 2
Assignment Title :- Deep Space Supply Station
Introduction
We approached this project in a systematic way. I took on most of the level design tasks as I feel that is my strongest point. Tom dealt with sound design, as well as some lighting, as he is stronger with audio. The result is a deeply immersive series of levels that convey both the oppressive enclosed nature of a space station as well as the majesty of space itself. We worked jointly on the scripting and cameras, as well as the initial concepts.
Rather than describing the level and story, this blog entry is a list of the systems which were used in the process of designing the levels.
Level design
The level design called for a Deep Space Station. In an attempt to create a more memorable piece of work, I attempted to avoid using Shiptech textures or static meshes. The station was instead made using materials from Desp-sms and mechstandard packages.
Rather than create each level as a single piece, I made a series of film set type rooms in which the action take place. This afforded us greater control of the action.
To give some more life to the level I modified some of these textures giving them light reflections. This is something that I worked out myself, no tutorials were used.
The level also makes use of custom built scripted textures which show live action from areas of the level.
Particle effects
A number of particle effects are used across the level, including sprite, mesh and beam emitters. The skybox utilises what is probably the most visually interesting emitter to create a large nebula outside the station. This went a long way to making the space look more dynamic than a blank star field.
Custom scripts
I developed two distinct scripts that are included in the final project, the QuickStart and the KBSTriggered joint.
The QuickStart code prevents the initial game countdown from starting, providing the map is a death-match. It was based on a tutorial which was downloaded from UnrealWiki.
The second script is an extension of the KBSJoint actor, which controls Karma actors. The customised KBSTriggered script reacts to a trigger and destroys itself, freeing the Karma primitive. It also contains an option to react differently depending on which trigger, or which pawn activates it. In the final level design this functionality was not utilised. The KBSTriggered actor was modified from a tutorial from 3DBuzz.net.
Camera work
We utilised camera effects to create the credits and maintain the flow of the level via sub action triggers, as well as creating the cut scenes. I was able to use camera overlays to create a fade in followed by a fade out on the credits, by reversing the alpha channels on alternate overlays. This gave the level a more professional feel. The overlays were created in Photoshop.
Cameras were used to trigger music changes, actor scripts, particle effects and various movers in the level. The timing on these triggers has been refined to work precisely with the action.
Also worth mentioning is the inclusion of several scene managers which moved look actors, in order to create more cinematic panning shots and other camera movements.
Actor scripting
Me and my partner, Tom Gamwell, both worked on the actor scripts in various scenes. The scripts were kept as short as possible, to avoid conflicts and erratic behaviour.
Assignment Title :- Deep Space Supply Station
Introduction
We approached this project in a systematic way. I took on most of the level design tasks as I feel that is my strongest point. Tom dealt with sound design, as well as some lighting, as he is stronger with audio. The result is a deeply immersive series of levels that convey both the oppressive enclosed nature of a space station as well as the majesty of space itself. We worked jointly on the scripting and cameras, as well as the initial concepts.
Rather than describing the level and story, this blog entry is a list of the systems which were used in the process of designing the levels.
Level design
The level design called for a Deep Space Station. In an attempt to create a more memorable piece of work, I attempted to avoid using Shiptech textures or static meshes. The station was instead made using materials from Desp-sms and mechstandard packages.
Rather than create each level as a single piece, I made a series of film set type rooms in which the action take place. This afforded us greater control of the action.
To give some more life to the level I modified some of these textures giving them light reflections. This is something that I worked out myself, no tutorials were used.
The level also makes use of custom built scripted textures which show live action from areas of the level.
Particle effects
A number of particle effects are used across the level, including sprite, mesh and beam emitters. The skybox utilises what is probably the most visually interesting emitter to create a large nebula outside the station. This went a long way to making the space look more dynamic than a blank star field.
Custom scripts
I developed two distinct scripts that are included in the final project, the QuickStart and the KBSTriggered joint.
The QuickStart code prevents the initial game countdown from starting, providing the map is a death-match. It was based on a tutorial which was downloaded from UnrealWiki.
The second script is an extension of the KBSJoint actor, which controls Karma actors. The customised KBSTriggered script reacts to a trigger and destroys itself, freeing the Karma primitive. It also contains an option to react differently depending on which trigger, or which pawn activates it. In the final level design this functionality was not utilised. The KBSTriggered actor was modified from a tutorial from 3DBuzz.net.
Camera work
We utilised camera effects to create the credits and maintain the flow of the level via sub action triggers, as well as creating the cut scenes. I was able to use camera overlays to create a fade in followed by a fade out on the credits, by reversing the alpha channels on alternate overlays. This gave the level a more professional feel. The overlays were created in Photoshop.
Cameras were used to trigger music changes, actor scripts, particle effects and various movers in the level. The timing on these triggers has been refined to work precisely with the action.
Also worth mentioning is the inclusion of several scene managers which moved look actors, in order to create more cinematic panning shots and other camera movements.
Actor scripting
Me and my partner, Tom Gamwell, both worked on the actor scripts in various scenes. The scripts were kept as short as possible, to avoid conflicts and erratic behaviour.
