port blockout

 

New layout idea

I came up with another layout for the main island as I had an idea in my head but couldnt get it to paper when I first did it:

I think that the layout for the this island is what we need as it lets you explore a variety of different areas (some that need to be unlocked). You will start on the beach and after solving a puzzle will be granted access to the forest and small village area. After solving another puzzle the player will then have access to the temple area to find out what the village people have been keeping from the rest of the world.

Speedtree & Landscape tools - UDK

The following images are the result of playing about in Speedtree before moving onto UDK and trying out the landscape tool, really quick job but I've learnt alot or ways to potentially speed up production of the environments in the game!

Some concepts...

Here are some quick photoshop concepts, hopefully they contain some elements that will hopefully be useful towards the final designs:

 

 

And I decided to make a 1080p wallpaper with the concept art to help promote the game! xD

Enjoy!

- Mike Rowntree

Ships scale/progression

  - Jesse Davies

environment development

 After looking at Ryan's initial island concepts, I begun to take it further with this rough piece. Next job will to be some close up environment sketches to get a better feel for things such as foliage.

Creating a custom vehicle

I've started putting together a tutorial for vehicle creation in UDK, parts 1 and 2 available below:

Part 1 - Script Framework - http://www.scribd.com/doc/110755175/Tutorials-Mike-Rowntree-Creating-a-Boat-Script-Framework-Part-1


Part 2 - Asset Creation -http://www.scribd.com/doc/110755239/Tutorials-Mike-Rowntree-Creating-a-Boat-Asset-Creation-Part-2


Part 3 - Implementation into UDK (almost done)

Heres a couple of testing screenshots for how the FluidSurfaceActor responds to movement from a vehicle class extending UTHover:

And a couple of videos of the above.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7svt3WwpHs8&feature=youtu.be

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A1nbN5C1MAc&feature=youtu.be


    - Mike Rowntree

Island layouts

 Here are some layout ideas for the island that the player will be doing the main quest of the game:

I personally like the one with the volcano in the middle but it will be a group decision on what layout we will use. If we use any of the ones shown here or I may have to draw a few more.

Work Time Table

Here is a time table of the work that needs to be done between October and December:

We may be adding stuff as we go along... Maybe.

Studying Colour - Real Island

After studying the colour scheme used in games such as Far Cry, which are almost always set in beach/jungle/island environments, I decided to take a look at the colours seen in real island environments. Needless to say, the colours used are very near identical, which has confirmed my idea to follow real world reference when designing our game.

Islands!

After recently purchasing the original Far Cry on Steam, I decided to go around taking screenshots to further look into island layouts, I feel what I've found will benefit the development of our own island environments.

Second project supervision form

Here is the second project supervision form:

Actions before the next meeting:

Cinematic Identity

Thematic Identity

Sort individual jobs for each person

Vehicle files setup

Mike and Jesse set up the files for our vehicle today, basing it on the manta. The next thing to do is begin designing the boats for the game.

Studying Colour - Farcry 3

Here is a small look into the colour scheme used while designing the environments used in Farcry 3. I feel that taking this into consideration is important, as our game will potentially make use of similar jungle/beach environments.



image source: http://www.creativeuncut.com/art_far-cry-3_a.html

Treasure Map Mechanic

So being a pirate game we are going to have treasure. Aaron decided early on that he didnt want to have the usual "Walk 50 paces then turn right at the palm tree" thing so I came up with an idea of having the player use the environment and map to locate treasure. Let me explain in comic format:

The player locates a treasure map that has holes in it. As you can clearly see by the white parts on the map.

The player will have to then look around the environment for a shape that matches the holes on the treasure map.

Matching the map to the palm trees in the environment will allow the player to then dig under the tree. As you can see the holes on the map now fit perfectly with the palm trees in the environment.

The player will then dig under the palm trees and locate the treasure.

Using this form of puzzle instead of the usual "50 paces..." forces the player to explore the environment and enjoy all the hard work Mark is going to do with  modelling the environment and yes I did rip off "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World" with the crossed palm tree thing.

character collage

deviant art collage of characters

This is a collage of images I found on deviant art. Areas that will help development of a main character here are the faces and clothes.

Reference images: Ships

This collection of images will help when designing the ship for the game:

 Fig 1

 Fig 2

 Fig 3

 Fig 4

 Fig 5

 Fig 6

 Fig 7

 Fig 8

 Fig 9

 Fig 10

 Fig 11

 Fig 12

Fig 13

Ships - Brian Levery - Published 2004 - Dorling Kinderley ltd.

Fig 1: Puerto Bello Captured - Page 122-123

Fig 2: Ships - Page 81

Fig 3: Ships 2 - Page 108

Fig 4: Ships 3 - Page 109

Fig 5: Ships 4 - Page 136

Fig 6: Ships 5 - Page 137

Fig 7: Ships 6 - Page 138

Fig 8: Ships 7 - Page 139

Fig 9: Ships 8 - Page 154

Fig 10: Ships 9 - Page 80

Fig 11: Steering Wheel - Page 123

Fig 12: Wonders of the World - Page 68-69

Fig 13: World Map, 1574 - Page 78-79

Reference images: Maps that Made History

These image will help when we have to design the maps that the player will use to find treasure:

 Fig 1

 Fig 2

 Fig 3

 Fig 4

 Fig 5

 Fig 6

 Fig 7

 Fig 8

 Fig 9

 Fig 10

Fig 11

Maps that Made History - Lez Smart - Published 2004 - The National Archive

Fig 1: Botany Bay - Page 82

Fig 2: Coastline of West Africa - Page 60-61

Fig 3: Colony of Virginia - Page 66-67

Fig 4: East Coast of Australia - Page 78-79

Fig 5: El Dorado - Page 172

Fig 6: Endeavor River - Page 83

Fig 7: Garden of Eden - Page 174-175

Fig 8: Islands of California - Page 168-169

Fig 9: Mythic Mountain Range - Page 173

Fig 10: Spice Islands - Page 72-73

Fig 11: The Great Sea - Page 179