As we approach the final week of projects, it's time for me to go into a reflection mode, seeing as I'm almost legally obligated to whenever I reach the end of a course. Regardless of how annoyed I might be getting at doing it over and over again, I am doing this time on my own accord. Overall, I believe that we did the best job we could considering our level of experience in the field and our time to work on the game. While it may not be the finished and polished experience that we would have liked, the fact that it exists in some facet is an accomplishment in and of itself. I believe that we all contributed quite a lot to the project and should walk away proud at the end of the day. Was it perfect? No, we never expected it to be. Despite that, the experience that we got out of it is likely the most important thing to take away from this assignment.
Anyway, I'm tired... Plan for the week... Monday-Wednesday: Wrap up loose ends.
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Seeing as my week was cut short by a positive COVID test, not much else is to be said about what happened this week, so I'll provide an overview. The team objective is still to produce a submittable product, which is closer than ever with the creation of a functional prototype. This did involve fixing plenty of programming bugs and fixing the occasional sprite issues, but progress is being made nonetheless. I will be out for the beginning of the week as I wait for a negative test, and I do hope that the team stays on track until then. My (predicted) schedule... Monday: Out sick. Tuesday: Teacher workday. Wednesday: Team brief and catchup. Thursday/Friday: Tie up loose ends before final exams.
Hey hey everyone! It's check-in time. This is going to be a very brief check-in seeing as my activities last week were more or less the same as the week before it, and most likely will be this week as well. The biggest difference seen this week was resolving creative differences between different team members, which I hope to see less of moving forward, considering the little time we have to polish everything to a certain degree. I at least have to count myself lucky that such issues have been minimal up until now but let's at least hope to keep it that way. Regardless, the plan remains the same for me, and I am now more confident that we can put something together that is worthy of submission. The hard part of that plan is making sure it goes over well with the rest of the class, seeing as turning in an unpolished product can be seen as a bit unsatisfactory. But this is senior year after all. Plan for the week... Monday: Team check/brief Tuesday/Wednesday: Animation work Thursday: Speaking with 3D modeler and programmer for scene construction Friday: Departing tasks for team
Here we are once again, checking in as the deadline for the final product closes in. Seeing as the deadline has now been pushed to late May rather than the beginning of the month, we now have much more time than originally anticipated. While this may not be enough to create a full and polished game, it does at least give us more time to add as many features as we would like within the timeframe. Aside from this new info, the original plan has remained the same for me, which is to continue animating and providing as many assets as possible for the rest of the team to work with, which can in turn help our final product in its final appeal. This continues to be a long process as we move through the weeks, but I simply hope to work through it as we approach the deadline to wrap this project up. Plan for the week... Tuesday: Team Brief Wednesday/Thursday: Further animation Friday: Team checks before weekend.
The previous week saw some much-needed work on the animations for the final boss, which I ultimately find myself quite proud of. With the final animation being by far the longest sequence that I have made in class. Regardless, I will have to continue to make animations for this character before the deadline arrives, which will take even more time than the initial ones that I made this week. Because of this time crunch and mix of responsibilities from other classes, it is safe to say that all of the teams currently working will likely be unable to make the type of game that they originally planned for, which I think we were all aware of from the beginning. Meaning that we'll all have to turn in what we have and plan to prove our design process along the way.
A short check-in for a simple week! Plans for this week: Monday-Wednesday: Further animation Thursday: Final brief and planning period with team Friday: Final planning before review. Unlike last week, I was able to make some very significant progress this week, which is a welcome relief in the face of an approaching deadline. The particular animations that I managed to crank out this week are probably some of my best to date, which is equally as rewarding amidst the crunch period. As mentioned last week, it is guaranteed that cuts will have to occur, which will evidently take a large load off of the backs of everyone involved. My current plan to present to the team is that the game will be restricted to a single boss battle, and a difficult one at that. This boss battle will also have a timer, meaning that we could potentially see a competition for the fastest time to beat the boss among the other members of the team. I'm actually perfectly fine with this plan, as it could be quite fun and ultimately serve as the main pull of the game. Seeing as we have a maximum of 3 weeks to produce a working product, these cuts will be essential in meeting that deadline on time. I also know that my team would not be the only one making those decisions, as I have heard similar problems from the other team leads.
For the sake of everyone involved, I hope these projects finish up as smooth as possible. Plan for the week: Monday: Team brief and restructuring Tuesday/Wednesday: Further animation Thursday: Full testing of controls and programs Friday: Weekend assignments and brief Last week was a period of much needed restructuring, seeing as the scope of our game needs to be significantly smaller if we are to meet the deadline. Meaning that the size and mechanics of the game have been cut down quite substantially, such as restricting the game to only 5 rooms and a single boss. I did expect this sort of thing to happen sooner or later, but that doesn't exactly make the process any less stressful. I hope to keep people on track enough that they understand where to be and how to move forward, meaning that progress can be made without my input at all times. Aside from these various concerns, I have turned my attention back to sprite animation so I can provide assets quickly for use in the game. This means providing every essential part of gameplay that falls under my jurisdiction. And hopefully in a fast enough manner that I don't lag behind the other people in my group. In summary: This is beginning to become as stressful as I expected it to, seeing as progress has been made at a slower pace than what is ideal. It will be difficult for me to take work home with the amount of time that my other homework already takes up, yet I hope to find extra time for the sake of having a playable version out by the deadline. Here is the plan for this week: Monday: Team meeting and further restructuring Tuesday/Wednesday: Sprite animation and whitebox testing Thursday: 3D Modeling check-in and planning Friday: Holiday
Seeing as spring break is coming to an end, it's about time that I provided another glimpse into my activities regarding the game. My overall activity has been a good bit slower over the break, seeing as I was quite busy with trips and other projects. That being said, my objective and current work remains the same, which is to finish the starting cutscene and help manage other assignments across the team. I've taken as much time as I can to work on the cutscene, but still have a long way to go. I did expect this to happen at some point, seeing as this is the only extended cutscene that the game has due to time constraints. I hope that it doesn't take up any more time than it already has. Aside from that, I do believe that the cutscene is coming along quite well despite the limited time, which is a slight comfort in the face of the looming deadline. The fact that I have run into very few issues also helps me manage my time more efficiently. And that concludes my very brief check-in, seeing as spring break took priority over my activities. Plan for the week: Monday: Team checks and planning period Tuesday/Wednesday: Cutscene work Thursday: Rethinking of game layout Friday: Story and mechanic planning
Ah, here we are again with the weekly checkup. Seeing as this will be one of the final posts I make before I hiatus on spring break, I might as well talk about the project that's been taking up the majority of my time. As of the past week, I have still been working on an opening cutscene for the game, which is a long and arduous process to say the least. This scene involves the creation of an individual frame for every line that I wrote down in a previous script. Let's just say that I wrote down a good amount... Regardless, this week was a bit slower due to my need to create a number of frames from scratch, as well as find an ideal size for the text. Luckly, the creation of this original frames means that they will serve as templates for future frames, which will make the process faster in the end, if just by a little bit. Seeing as this is the first complete animation that I have to make for the game so far, this was bound to take some time, but I hope to keep the gas on the project so that I don't end up falling behind the work of my teammates With the hope that my teammates stay busy, leaving me the chance to work on this without spending a week corralling, I hope to get the majority of this animation done by the end of the week. Allowing me to tie up loose ends on my own time and move on to animating for the main combat sections. Plan for the week Monday/Tuesday: Animation work Wednesday: Team check-in and planning Thursday/Friday: Animation work
The appeal of life is its short nature in the grand scheme of constantly shifting events. A tiny blimp in the ever vast and complicated typhoon of the void. Why is that so important? Are we simply a product of circumstance? Fated to exist for but a brief moment after what is a millennium of preparation and experimentation? The Maw in which we exist is a vast laboratory, comprised of nothing but an incomprehensible amount of energy, and an equally incomprehensible amount of nothingness. We float without aim or purpose as the writings of fate drag us all along. Waiting as our concept of time continues to tick without any discernable end in sight. In this Maw, free will is but a myth, and we are subject to the daily occurrences of the void, assuming it is within the realm of reason for our minds and bodies alike. But does reason have a place here? The answer to that is unclear. We try to look forward, to find and define a permanent "end". Is it truly so? This end we speak of refers to the moment that life within our grasp will cease to exist, that along with all activity that The Maw has to offer. This aspect is easier to define in our terms, which saying that alone comes with a level of irony. But what is truly "The End'? How can we ever know if we have not found "The Beginning"? Is this our purpose? To discover what gave us purpose in the first place? So many questions, and so little time. Are they worth answering? Will we be satisfied by the answer? Now that is a good question. The fear presented by these questions is also what leaves them unanswered, which in turn answers them, nonetheless. What is but a fraction of the annals of existence is the foundation in which we build our temporary legacy. Bound to The Maw and at the mercy of our own concepts. To ignore is one answer, to accept is another, and so is to search. Finding purpose gives us purpose, that and the curiosity many have been endowed. In this lies happiness, amidst the almost inherent sadness of The Maw. And there is plenty to go around. For our small ember is to be engulfed by a greater flame. Rip. Freeze. Crunch Rip. Freeze. Crunch Bang 22^9
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AuthorI have a passion for creating things, and hopefully one day those things will be video games. You can check over on this blog if you wish to see any updates on my work or other subjects. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are solely those of the author and do not represent those of Durham School of the Arts or Durham Public Schools.
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