Maya – RALPHY GETS ANIMATED..?

Week 2.1 – 4th February. 2022

By the end of this 2nd week for IGO720, we are encouraged to look into the following areas;

Identify game design principles.
Analyse existing games in terms of game design principles.
Apply game design principles to create original game concepts.
Evaluate the scope of a game concept.

How to start the game design process?

We are asked to research one of our favourite games, and analyse it, as though we were creating a Game Design Document for it.

This encourages us to get familiar with creating Game Design Documents, and understand the processes involved, when working with a new game concept.

During Lobb’s video on; “Starting the Game Design Process“, he discusses numerous ways of developing your game, from the initial concept, using different prototypes, such as; paper prototyping, and digital prototyping, to working on the general mechanics first hand, and testing.

Mechanics – Fun Curve…

Whilst reading further into Scott Rogers book; “Level Up: The Guide To Great Video Game Design,” and specifically chapter 12; “The Nuts and Bolts of Mechanics“. I found a fantastic quote, which reminded me, to think about my own reason for wanting to play certain games, and what makes me want to keep playing, what is so appealing? Scott Rogers quotes;

“My key to keep players from “going over the fun curve” is to create ramping gameplay. A designer must build one gameplay system upon the last, teaching players a new move and how to master it against mechanics and enemies.”
(Rogers 2014, p361.)
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I started to list what makes me drawn to my current games…

Castle Story – Phone App

Really nice colour of artwork/ well drawn/ and detail.
The imaginative journey you are taken on.
The task of making buildings, where you then need other objects to make other buildings/ which leads to upgrading.
Plus the idea of expanding the kingdom.
Plus characters that are cute, and speaks some text… to help get you more involved.

Although these are all positives, in my personal opinion, there are a few things which discourage me.

a) The time it takes to make certain items.

b) The amount of lives or health.

c) To much text.

I compared this game above to one, recently downloaded…

Lilys Garden – Phone App

Really nice colour of artwork/ well drawn/ and detail.
The imaginative journey you are taken on.
The task of improving your home design and garden, then you know you have to play the mix/match game grid again, then you get a reward/ incentive .
Plus the idea of reviving, redesigning and discovering new areas of house and garden, and a secret past of her aunt who left the house.
Plus characters that are cute, and speaks some text.. to help get you more involved.
Not to much text. Plus more free incentives.
Gameplay time increased… rewards that make you have unlimited time of your 4 lives.

The games I have briefly analysed above, are both really good at the point Scott Rogers highlights, that it is important to; ” build one gameplay system upon the last“, this helps me to re-focus on creating a detailed character, and re-drawing the character as a whole, from the front view to the side view, and once 3D modelled, to work on one mechanic at a time.

Note; to keep in mind: A clear idea of how my character looks and what she can do, and to think more about the mechanics that would match her personality and the story/ adventure of the game, as a whole.

Digital Prototyping…

Last week, I began the module, with a focus on speed, an aim to create a good story, which I already have, then a 3D character in Maya.

However the last character I created was low poly, and this time around I wanted to experiment with making a smooth 3D model, following a tutorial, as I displayed in last weeks images/ screen shots, and references. But problems arose.

From the image below, you can see I kept checking the head of the character from all angles, but in the front view, when I was trying to move an edge that was already part of the polygon, I wasn’t able to do so, and as I was using a apple magic mouse, I then began trying to add an edge loop, this is when finally the edge I wanted, become available to drag out to the required position.

Problem – Edges

The images below show the extra edges that was created, and when the next step was to cut the head shape in half, selecting half was fine, but deleting half was not so simple. The polygon, left so many stray edges, which not only effected the shape of my head, but also the shade and colour.

Solution!

After some more research on 3D modelling tutorials, I have chose to follow a new professional, called; ‘Animator Artist Life‘, which are small tutorials less detailed and is helping me to create models in Maya, following the best practices.

First part is to create my front and side views of the whole character, ready to place into Maya. But it is very important, that they are exactly the same size. This may have been part of the problem, when also trying to model the head. The size was slightly smaller on one of my planes.

These small differences make a huge effect with your development time, and for your model to be made correctly, with a smooth finish, as I have recently found out.

Game Feel

In Steve Swink’s book: “Game Feel; A Gamers Guide to Virtual Sensation“, and his chapter on; “The Game Feel Model of Interactivity.“ Steve Swink quotes;

“Experiencing game feel is feeling out the game world, making additional distinctions, and learning skills, concepts, and generalisations that make coping with the unique world easier.”
(Swink 2009, p65.)
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He continues to explain that a game world should be simpler then, the real world. My understanding of, “feeling out the game world“, means, making sure I know the reason my character does, “what” particular action, “why“, and to embody the character.

I shall do this by acting out the movements, creating a voice for her, imagining the world she is in, what her emotion is, what she may be feeling, and picture what I might do, and my reaction, as if I was in her shoes.

This is how I hope to make the player “feel” my story, by doing the above and transforming those actions in Unreal, and adjusting the animations, to fit my character persona, with the animation blue print, and a blend space.

In the words of Mark Brown, and his video series called; “Game Maker’s Toolkit” – he analyses a numerous amount of games, paying close attention to; game design, level design, and game production.

“making every lick of polish, speak to what the game is really about.”
(Brown 2015)
)

This is was my initial intension, and from here out I will show you my development, from character – 3D modelling – videos of my progress, importing into Mixamo – and manipulating the animations in Unreal Engine 4.

Week 2.2 – 8th February. 2022

Character Design

Below is my main character for my new game concept. (click on image to see each one)

3D Maya Development…

First part of the process – Planes both in place – adjusted to size 2 – feet on the line. Starting with a simple cube, and making sure it is aligned with both planes. Making sure to manipulate the shape, add more faces, move edges and vertices, to match that of the characters shape.

Continuing to develop characters Torso, shown below.

After more development…

References

Lobb, I. (2022) Starting the Game Design Process. [online]. Available at: https://learn.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/251/pages/week-2-game-design-process-and-principles?module_item_id=13014 [Accessed 4 February 2022]

Animator Artist Life. 2020. ‘Setting up image planes in Maya – 3D Modelling a cartoon character – PART 01’ [online]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asfhKxLUdOQ&list=PLIV47uRi3f2Ub9INK89HnmkLgmNYjvcL6&index=2 [Accessed 7 February 2022]

Animator Artist Life. 2020. ‘How to Model a Cartoon Character in Maya – PART 02 – 3D poly modelling the Body’ [online]. Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asfhKxLUdOQ&list=PLIV47uRi3f2Ub9INK89HnmkLgmNYjvcL6&index=2 [Accessed 7 February 2022]

ROGERS, Scott. 2014. Level Up ; The Guide To Great Video Game Design. 2nd edn. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

SWINK, Steve. 2009. Game Feel ; Game Designer’s Guide to Virtual Sensation. Morgan Kaufmann Publishers.

BROWN, Mark. 2015. Game Maker’s Toolkit – Secrets of Game Feel and Juice. [online]. Available at : https://learn.falmouth.ac.uk/courses/251/pages/week-2-game-feel?module_item_id=13016 [Accessed 7 February 2022]

Full List of Figures

Figure 1 : Norton 2022 Four View (screen shot from Maya)

Figure 2 : Norton 2022 Front View (screen shot from Maya)

Figure 3 : Norton 2022 Side View (screen shot from Maya)

Figure 4 : Norton 2022 Four View (screen shot from Maya)

Figure 5 : Norton 2022 Four View (screen shot from Maya)

Week 1.1 – 28th January. 2022

This module, we are required to work individually, and each need to build a single-player digital game prototype. This process is started by implementing and planning my game mechanics, then adding narrative, artwork, animation, level design and sound.

By the end we each should be able to distribute our game for user testing, and implementing changes based on player feedback.

To start the new module; IGO720, we are encouraged to look into the following areas;

Differentiate roles within game development.
Evaluate existing game development skills.
State goals for future learning.
Research and find learning resources.

What is the best game engine for your game?

I begin this week by reading an article, which helps you to take a look at the best game engine for you to use, dependant on; what kind of game you are aiming to create, the size of the game, whether its 2D or 3D, if you can code, and what your art skills are like? Overall you need a clear understanding, of what your strengths and weaknesses are before even going any further, with developing your game concept.

According to Kaizen technical director Philip Crabtree, he gives advice for, New Unreal Engine users;

“Kaizen’s Crabtree advises to experiment with a smaller idea, and move on to a bigger project once you’re familiar with the system: “Start with the templates, make little tweaks, understand how those systems work and then you can expand out of it.”
(Smith, C, K. 2020)
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After reading the article, it has reconfirmed a few of the points I already knew, however it made me realise, that I need to be more aware with using blueprints as that could be a reason, why my game could run slow…or possible crash.

Extra precautions will be taken, when adding the blue prints now.

Skills Chart…

After researching further into the engines, I have found Unreal Engine 4, is the best fit for me, due to my skillset.

Below is a brief overview of where I think I am, for my own personal game development journey.

(Norton 2022. Bar Chart for Game Dev Skills)

1) Game Design – I feel comfortable with – just the same as; 8) 3D Modelling with Maya which is just one thing I conquered from 740.

2) Programming/ for me would be Blueprints – I have started using them in Unreal, and would love to learn more and practice again for this module… However this is the area I have the least experience in.

3) Narrative Design – This is what I am most experienced in. Although I do write and illustrate children’s books, I feel that it is not the same for a game, because even if the story is emotional/action-packed adventure. You still need to make sure you focus on those ‘hooks’.

4) Art Direction – the same as; 7) Sound – I feel very comfortable with to, as I used to do it for my Ba In Theatre and Performance. I love doing voice acting, recording new sounds, and most recently making my own music for my game with my Novation MK3.

5) Animation – I also feel happy with, and have had a little practice here and there, so rated a little higher then blueprints.

6) Level Design – The one I rated higher then Game design, and 3D Modelling as I find it quite straight forward to make a level interesting…and attractive…but if I was able to add the extra blue prints to make it work, (if it was to be mechanical), that’s another question, or rather (how long) it may take.

I have learnt many new applications and skills in 740, and was very proud of the result. I just hope this can be achieved in this module too.

I am very enthusiastic, positive and determined… and can’t wait to start!!

‘We Are All Confident Idiots’

This article looks at an in-depth analysis, of how we think, and retain information of life experiences. It highlights that wisdom may not involve facts and formulas, but by allowing yourself to know when you have reached your limit, and recognising when you honestly don’t know, and cannot work it out. This could mean you are getting closer to an answer.

It reveals how when people are put on the spot, they usually don’t want to admit when they don’t know something. They feel under pressure and don’t want to look stupid.

According to Kendra Cherry, MS, an author and educational consultant, focused on helping students learn about psychology, the below’s quote explains how the Dunning-Kruger Effect begins.

The Dunning-Kruger effect is a type of cognitive bias in which people believe that they are smarter and more capable than they really are.
(Cherry, K. 2021)
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Causes of the Dunning-Kruger Effect

Incompetent people tend to:

Overestimate their own skill levels
Fail to recognize the genuine skill and expertise of other people
Fail to recognize their own mistakes and lack of skill

Dunning has pointed out that the very knowledge and skills necessary to be good at a task are the exact same qualities that a person needs to recognize that they are not good at that task. So if a person lacks those abilities, they remain not only bad at that task but ignorant to their own inability.

How can I relate to the Dunning-Kruger Effect?

I think from looking into the Dunning-Kruger Effect, that I am far from incompetent, as I am very aware of what I can and cannot do at the moment, in relation to Game Development.

I am aware of what I need to learn to get where I want to be, especially to help me start my new career. I also ask for others to give me their opinions, and put into practice.

I never for one minute overestimate my skills level, I always start from the beginning and, don’t try to “jump before I can walk”. If anything, once I have learnt something, I practice with it until I feel comfortable.

However the one thing I don’t do very often is question; “how this skill could be done in a shorter time“, or “is there an easier way of reaching my goal?“.

I think this is due to generally learning the basics of all the areas needed in game development, and once these skills are under my belt, I could start to research further.

How I will avoid the Dunning-Kruger Effect?

Keep learning and practicing. Don’t assume you know all there is to know about a subject, keep digging deeper.
Ask other people how you’re doing. Another effective strategy involves asking others for constructive criticism.
Question what you know. Even as you learn more and get feedback, it can be easy to only pay attention to things that confirm what you think you already know.

Week 1.2 – 1st February. 2022

My current shape…

Senior Agile Coach Yip, explains what it is to be a T shaped person, and how useful it can be in a work force. I currently feel more suited to the generalist, as I am a beginner to game development as a whole.

But the skills that come into game development, voice acting, narrating, story telling, illustrating, designing, and generally creating, I am a little more experienced in, though after this module with a focus on creating my own game, I hope to gauge a much clearer idea of where my skills lye.

New Game begins – Maya 3D character

As requested we are asked to follow the steps, in the order that you would, as a professional in the games industry. Whereby I first will be starting with planning and implementing my game mechanics, and creating a character from scratch using Maya.

I have began this process by, following a tutorial for; how to make a head model in Maya, and being introduced to a brief overview of, how each muscle should look, with a topology explanation to start.

One of the important parts of this process when modelling a character, is to always have a front and side view of your reference image, to aline your image planes with the model you are creating. This way you can keep referencing back and forth, if need be.

Below are some quick sketches for my new character design, and a few screen shots of how the head developed in Maya.

From here, detail of the facial features are to be added, and finally the body.

References

Cherry, K. (2021) The Dunning – Kruger Effect [online], Updated on August 06, 2021. Available at: https://www.verywellmind.com/an-overview-of-the-dunning-kruger-effect-4160740 [Accessed 31 January 2022]

Dealessandri, M. (2020) ‘What is the best game engine for your game?’ [online], gamesindustry.biz, 16 January. Available at: https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-01-16-what-is-the-best-game-engine-for-your-game (Links to an external site.) [Accessed 28 January 2022].

Dunning, D. (2014) ‘We Are All Confident Idiots’ [online], Pacific Standard, updated 14 June 2017. Available at: https://psmag.com/social-justice/confident-idiots-92793 (Links to an external site.) [Accessed 28 January 2022]

Heuer, S. (2012) ’Building Square-Shaped Teams With T-Shaped People’ [online blog], Agile Sean, 30 April. Available at: https://agilesean.wordpress.com/2012/04/30/building-square-shaped-teams-with-t-shaped-people/ (Links to an external site.) [Accessed 31 January 2022].

Trimit, K. (2019) Head Modeling Tutorial Part1 | Learn Maya [online]. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GigCYmV3Ups [Accessed 2 February 2022]

Yip, J. (2018) ’Why T-Shaped People?’ [online], Medium, 24 March. Available at: https://medium.com/@jchyip/why-t-shaped-people-e8706198e437 (Links to an external site.) [Accessed 31 January 2022]