[AnTBD] 11 Day Level Design - Summer

[AnTBD]

Hi Guys!

This looks like a great contest!! I'm not sure if I will have time to complete the challenge to the standard I would like due to my day job but I will give it a good go...it is a challenge after all!!

My plan is:

Day 1- Idea, research, floor plan, concept sketches

Day 2- Blocking out main playing field with simple meshes

Day 3- Model any necessary assets

Day 4- Model and texture my own assets

Day 5- Finish textures and import static meshes

Day 6- Import and position assets + create custom materials

Day 7- Lighting

Day 8- Adding game play elements - weapons, enemies, spawn points

Day 9- Add FX, Play testing + making adjustments where necessary

Day 10- FX + Final touches

Day 11- Final touches + Release

Will get on with some research and concept sketches and post back later today for day 1

[AnTBD]

DAY 1

Spent the day looking at what people have already produced for the challenge and there are some great maps out there!!

I think that the left for dead maps provide great assets for this challenge but unfortunately as the deadline is creeping up I do not have time to learn the engine but I will definitely get involved with it once it is over!

I am going to produce my map in Unreal and try to go for something a bit different. The first things that come to mind when I hear the words 'rural summer' are fields of hay, farmyards, broken sheds, rusty equipment, hillbillies and the like...

What I would like to do is combine the rural farmyard feel with a futuristic edge. I have taken inspiration from the Eden project in Cornwall and architecturally my design is hugely inspired by the Atomium that I visited when in Brussels.

My idea is to have this great glass structure set in a empty sandy/rural environment (with a few broken buildings) then have separate climate controlled pods each containing a different rural environment.

Hopefully this will give some excitement to the game play with the varying areas

Below is a mood board of reference images and some concept sketches of my design.

(sorry about the poor image quality I had to use a camera as I no longer have a scanner)


By antbd at 2010-08-22


By antbd at 2010-08-22


By antbd at 2010-08-22


By antbd at 2010-08-22


By antbd at 2010-08-22


By antbd at 2010-08-22

[Reanimated]

It looks like your image links are broken.

[AnTBD]

Sorry about that .... the image links are now working.

Also I apologise for not posting on here for the past two days I have been working twelve hour shifts at work so not had a chance to get any of my own work done so I will be busy today and post up my progress later.

My plan for today is to get the main structure of the game finished with simple meshes and hopefully I will have time to sort out the lighting. This will leave me tomorrow to start creating my own custom meshes ready to input.

[neoatomium]

Atomium :love:
I can't wait to see the results

[Nexusdog]

Perhaps this may help with your work?

Silent Running



Image search 1

http://www.google.co.uk/images?um=1&hl= ... =&gs_rfai=

[AnTBD]

Hey! Thanks Nexusdog that's a great reference image that I never came across in my research. I will take some inspiration from the structure of the pods in my own design.

Oh and thanks neoatomium, glad you like the concept!!

Day 2

I spent yesterday getting the main area fleshed out and I created a custom glass material which currently covers the whole sphere for the moment but during development I will create a more solid framed structure.


By antbd at 2010-08-23


By antbd at 2010-08-23


By antbd at 2010-08-23


Now that I have a rough setting for my environment I am going to concentrate on filling out the level with detail and spend the rest of day three (today) filling out all the playable zones and creating my own custom meshes.

[AnTBD]

Day 3 -

I Spent the rest of today fleshing out the playable areas and planning how many assets I need to create myself and prioritising the what models are definitely required for my design and what I not really necessary. Below is a screen grab of one of the corridors I'll post back soon with the individual pod environments. I have also been adding fog to the environment, I plan to create 4 different rural/summer environments for the player to run through. These will be contained in their own climate controlled pod. I had planned to go out and take a load of photos for further reference/texturing of a farmyard near me but as it has been torrential rain all day (which is typical for an English summer!! mmmmmm maybe I will add this to my design also? :idea: ) I haven't dared face the outside world..hopefully tomorrow will bring some nicer weather... :roll:


By antbd at 2010-08-24


By antbd at 2010-08-24


By antbd at 2010-08-24

[AnTBD]

Day 4 -
Luckily I got out and back in time before the rain started again today!!! Also managed to avoid the angry farmer before he could ask me why I'm taking photos of his land. So got the photos I need to create my textures and models today so been busy with Maya and photoshop to create my own custom tileable textures and models. I will continue creating models tomorrow


By antbd at 2010-08-24


By antbd at 2010-08-24

[ZensDeath]

AnTBD, I got to say you are pretty gutsy. Not only are you creating 4 separate rural areas but you are making custom models and textures yourself?! Not to mention the 11 day time limit. I'm having a hard time with 1 area! Hats off to you bro if you can pull it off.

Keep up the good work!

[AnTBD]

Cheers ZensDeath,

I feel like I may have been a little too ambitious in this challenge as I am not even going to get the full 11 days due to work but hey I do like a challenge

[AnTBD]

Day 5 -

Still getting stuck in with Maya and Photoshop... Also added more structure to the main building and been working on creating a different style/feel of a summer environment within each Dome


By antbd at 2010-08-26


By antbd at 2010-08-26


By antbd at 2010-08-26

Here are two of the Domes...Still need some more work but getting the next two sorted first then will go back and add to them later

[Nexusdog]

You've got yourself one epic project going on there mate, but for the sake of time, I would concentrate on the area which hits the challenge criteria as your primary goal, perhaps continue the project after the deadline as it's excellent, unique and I gotta see how this ends.

Awesome work though, I have to hand it to you.

[AnTBD]

Day 5 & 6

Thanks nexusdog!! I totally agree so I have put hold on the animated assets I wanted to include in the game and focused on getting the level finished first. I have now completed the tropical climate dome and the farming Dome and the corridors leading to each area. Just two more domes to go. I have been doing the lighting as I go so I can get a real feel for the environments.

I have also worked on giving the glass domes a more structurally correct design and and given them a slight crystal maze feel!!

Animated chicken on hold untill further notice!!


By antbd at 2010-08-27


By antbd at 2010-08-27


By antbd at 2010-08-27


By antbd at 2010-08-27

[neoatomium]

Looks totally awesome