1000 Word Reflective Post

Throughout Semester B I have been aiming to improve the speed at which I create 3D assets and the efficiency of their implementation within Unreal Engine. I have been identifying techniques environment artists within the games industry use to streamline their workflows. 
 
Using modularity within game environments is an essential technique of creating large levels quickly. I successfully utilised this method during the production of my Rewind project to create assets that were repeated throughout the environment. Beyond constructing the level in a modular fashion however, there were techniques that I either wasn’t aware of, or wasn’t utilising in the most efficient way.

After studying the work of Thiago Klafke a senior environment artist at Blizzard Entertainment, I found that he both explained in great detail the process of modular environment design but also expanded the concept to new levels that I hadn’t considered. Techniques such as using trim sheets to simulate details across multiple assets, not only saves time but offers a lot of customization and flexibility with the assets further down the line. I was eager to learn this concept and apply it to my own workflow, as when it comes to the creation of my assets I have been using a custom texture per model which has often limited the asset to a set look. If I want to make changes to the texture I would have to go back into Substance Painter and edit it there. The goal of me wanting to utilise trim sheets, is to skip this process and have a set of pre-built textures that I can apply to any asset with confidence, thus saving time and allowing a greater freedom to change the look of objects on the fly.

I found an example from Insomniac studio at the Game Developers Conference in 2015. Artist Morten Olsen gave a great overview of how trim sheets are designed to work. He was able to break down the concept and explain each step with example images from the production of Insomniac’s Sunset Overdrive (2014). I feel that standardizing my environment art workflow in a similar way could boost my production speed. The only problem is I don’t feel I have the time to invest setting up a consistent workflow during the production of my major project.

In light of my recent visit to Rewind Studio and the feedback I received from the team, I have been aiming to make my environment art stronger through the inclusion of visual storytelling in my work. I have been examining games at the forefront of the industry and one title in particular that inspired me to change the focus of my major project was Nintendo’s The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild (2017). Originally I wanted to recreate the Brighton Pavilion in Unreal Engine and whilst I felt it was a challenge to model, I couldn’t help feel like I was playing it safe. Once I watched Nintendo’s presentation at GDC in 2017, I knew I wanted the scope of my project to be bigger. Hearing the developers talk about all the changes they had introduced to the Zelda series with the latest installment as well as all the risks they took to break from tradition, made me want to shoot for something special with my project. 

With The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the games story takes a backseat to gameplay and exploration, the player can choose to traverse the giant landscape at their leisure and tackle problems in any way they choose. I found this game to be a tremendous source of  inspiration as the environment immerses you completely into the experience. This was something I felt I was lacking with the Brighton Pavilion and why I ultimately changed my idea for the major project.
 
With an emphasis on atmosphere in mind, I examined first person exploration games such as The Fullbright Companies Gone Home (2013) and Bloober Team’s Layers of Fear (2016). These games do a superb job immersing the player into a story rich environment despite the lack of what is traditional thought of as gameplay. It was these facets of their game design that led me to try and convey story and meaning through the environment art of my game. As an environment artist, the highest honor I can think of is successfully conveying a message simply through how I present my level to the player. Whether I achieve this or not, it’s something that I want to try and aim for with my major project.

I feel that my skills in relation to Unreal Engine and Substance Painter have improved over the course of the module. These are the programs that I have wanted to develop my skills in since Semester A. By Using Substance Painter for the Rewind brief I was able to create some nice texture maps and use hard surface transfer techniques to simulate detail. The area I would like to improve in, is how I then used the texture maps from Substance to make materials within Unreal Engine. I didn’t experiment much with my material settings and simply loaded in the relevant maps to the desired material attributes. I believe this lack of customisation led to the environment looking rather “gamey” when I was aiming for a photorealistic result. I believe this paired with my lack of experience at lighting scenes within Unreal, stopped the environment from being better than it was. 

With the major project I am aiming to incorporate physically based material setups as well as improved post-processing settings to create a realistic looking final scene. I have been looking at the breakdowns of physically based materials from artists and notice the node setups are quite complicated when compared to my own.

On the whole I feel I have broadened my knowledge this semester but there is still a lot I have yet to master. I feel like I finally have a strong grasp on the basic principles of game environment creation I just need to refine my process so that I can be consistent and efficient.

References

BLOOBER TEAM. (2016). Layers of Fear. [Video game]. Austin: Aspyer.

GDC (2017) Breaking Conventions with The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild. [Online Video] 
Available from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyMsF31NdNc [Accessed: 29th March 2018]

KLAFKE, T. (2010) Creating Modular Environments in UDK. [Online] Available from:
http://www.thiagoklafke.com/modularenvironments.html [Accessed: 18th April 2018]

OLSEN, M. (2015) The Ultimate Trim: Texturing Techniques of Sunset Overdrive- GDC 2015. [Online] Available from: https://gdcvault.com/play/1022324/The-Ultimate-Trim-Texturing-Techniques [Accessed: 19th April 2018]

THE FULLBRIGHT COMPANY. (2013). Gone Home. [Video game]. Portland: The Fullbright Company.

Looking at the Promotion of Indie Game Development

The intention of my major project was to create a short game where the player will be exploring an abandoned mansion and piecing together clues that they find to fill in the story. The ideal goal was to have the game completed by the end of semester C. Unfortunately this goal may have been too ambitious to complete within the time limit. However creating a short game experience is something I would like to continue working on after I finish the course. I have looked at how independent game developers go about marketing their projects, building a fanbase and the methods they use to disseminate information about their brand.

I looked at the upcoming 2D platformer from indie game developer Cardboard Sword, The Siege and the Sandfox.

At the top of their homepage they have listed all the platforms the team are using to disseminate their product. Consumers can use these platforms for a variety of purposes. Whilst most fans may use multiple platforms to access information about the game, some are designed for a specific use.

Whilst all the platforms provide consumers with information about the project, they each serve a distinct function. I have tried to identify how the team has used each platform to broaden awareness of their game and build up a strong fanbase.

• Custom Homepage - This serves as the hub with convenient links to all the other outlets. Major updates are posted here.
• Twitter - Both minor and major project updates are posted here as well as events the team have attended. It also hosts comments from other developers on their impressions of the game. This presents information in bitesize chunks in a concise manner for quick dismmination.
• Reddit - This has multiple fan pages to generate support, interest and general discussion on all topics relating to the game and its development. This platform makes it easier to find specific topics relating to the game as all posts are organised into subsections.
• Twitch - Here the team can post live development videos showing their workflow and project updates. This lets fans actively engage with the project and see the game develope in an organic way with their participation.
• Facebook Page - This is a more casual way of sharing information, allowing people to share project updates with friends and others who might be interested.
• YouTube - The youtube page uses a rigid structure for posting content. The team have included weekly updates and occasional developer logs.
• Discord - The discord server is a place where people can actually talk in-person to the developers. The level of engagement is high and gives a sense you are part of the team.

Just by looking at the multitudinous methods of dissemination Cardboard Sword are using, I can see how the project has gained traction and cultivated a strong fanbase. Of course all of these platforms are in service to the fact that the team is producing stellar content, but even so the importance of building a brand and generating an audience for the game is crucial. 

In relation to my own work I am aiming to expand this blog and start posting my work across multiple platforms. As the major project continues development, I think this will be crucial in garnering attention from professionals in the industry and receiving valuable feedback.