I figured a light source would be good for staging this scene so I built a lantern and baked out some quick textures for it. I think I’ll take a shot at a proper texture tomorrow.
Lantern Started
November 13th, 2010Fable Style Scene
November 13th, 2010This is a new scene I started up this weekend. It started out as an “old and broken” kind of theme but as I got working on it I started to feel something more like a light fantasy/Fable kind of vibe so that’s where we’re headed here. I intend to attempt some hand painted textures here although how successful that will be remains to be seen. At any rate, I’ve been cranking out meshes and here’s where we are so far:
It almost has a “shopping mall at xmas” feel right now. Might be an interesting path to take!
I should note here that none of the blocking in meshes have lightmaps on them so this is all vertex lit, which explains the janky look to the lighting. That will all get addressed once meshes get closer to final shapes and I can justify unwrapping the UVs.
Halloween Challenge 2010
November 13th, 2010I entered into the Halloween Challenge 2010 over on World of Level Design and won! They get a lot of participation over there so I’m going to be entering as many of their challenges as I have time for. Here’s a look at my entry. This was done entirely by me from the meshes to the textures to the design. Rendered in UDK:
3DS Max And The Like
November 13th, 2010I’ve been learning like crazy for the last 5 or so months. I’ve drifted back into PC land since I got a new machine and am now starting to learn my way around 3D Studio Max and Mudbox as a way of expanding my skill set. I’m going to start posting progress shots of things that I work on here as a means of keeping this blog alive but also as a way of documenting things.
Hope you like it!
The Internal Struggle
June 19th, 2010I had a realization today. I kill my own fun.
Now, wait, hear me out.
Recently I tried out Left for Dead 2 and I was totally gangbusters to start developing content for it. I played it for a few hours and then dove into the level editor and started hammering out buildings and figuring out entities and how everything works. This led to my wanting to make a survival map which has blossomed into my wanting to create a campaign which has led me to my inevitable destination – a partially built level and waning enthusiasm. I see how much work I have completed but I also see how much work lies ahead. Blech.
I realized that I’ve almost forgotten how to have fun with games. I’m so eager to jump into content creation now that I don’t just appreciate the game for what it is. I don’t have the patience for magic anymore; I NEED to see behind the curtain and I need to tame it.
So with that knowledge I’m now going to start getting back in touch with games and just playing them for the fun of it. I’m going to stop tearing off the hood and resist my inner temptations to know how everything works right off the bat.
The level designer in me wants to know what’s under the hood. The game player in me wants to put the top down and just drive. I think there’s room for a good balance here.
L4D2 : The Horde Has Me
June 13th, 2010I’ve taken a real interest in Left for Dead 2 lately. Something about that game has utterly grabbed me and I think that it’s a few key points.
- Zombies.
- The look of the game. I really like the art direction and the cohesive look to everything.
- The Director. The idea of an AI system that spawns monsters automatically to challenge you is very appealing. It means I can focus on the level structure and flow and not have to worry about when to spawn specific monsters.
- Hammer. I really like the Hammer editor. For games like Half-Life and Left for Dead, it’s ideal.
So, I dove in and started making L4D2 levels and met with dismal failure. The scale was wrong. The areas didn’t connect well. Everything was just – wrong. So I decided that what I needed to do was to take a step back and do some research first.
This research consists of two primary things:
- What do the various entities in Hammer do?
- What does proper geometry feel like in L4D2?
- How do you create geometry that is easily editable and maintainable in the context of this game?
That last point may sound funny but it’s really not. It’s the difference between your staircases meeting the next floor properly and your doors and windows feeling like they’re in good positions – or not.
I found this great post over on World of Level Design that allowed me to get a grasp on the specific dimensions that L4D wants to use.
I then saw this reference link posted for ‘art deco’ style architecture around the USA and it got me to thinking. A lot of those buildings look like they would work in a video game. So let’s do that!
My current project, before trying to create a real L4D2 level, is to just create geometry. By referencing those photos as inspiration, I’m going to create a series of buildings in Hammer that feel good in the game. Once I do a few of these I think I’ll will be on a solid footing to create an actual level.
So, here’s my first attempt. I saw this building and was immediately interested:
Working from those shapes I came up with this:
The signage is obviously just temporary as the building could be anything you wanted it to be. I just liked the way it turned out, even with the basic developer textures on it. The shapes are what is important here, not the visuals.
Now, which picture should I work from next…
Blueprint Experiment – Done
December 20th, 2009Yeah, so that looks like a failure to me! A month later and I haven’t had any motivation to work on it in weeks so I think it’s dead. It was worth a try but obviously this strategy isn’t going to work for me. I’ll try something else next. Blueprinting was clearly not enough for me to maintain momentum – try and try again!
Blueprint Experiment – Day 5
November 15th, 2009I think I’m nearing the end of these blog posts. I know where I want the level to go from here and, as I said, it’s a small level so it shouldn’t take too long.
I’ve begun texturing some areas so I definitely feel like my brain is satisfied with the general structure at this point. Looking forward to finishing this layout!
Blueprint Experiment – Day 4
November 11th, 2009I’m torn on how to post screen shots these days as the level progresses. I want to show how the level is moving along but at the same time I don’t want to give it all away before you even play it. I guess I’ll focus on tighter 3D shots from now on but go full monty on the orthographic view.
We’ve moved just over 700 brushes now and I think the end is in sight. As I said, this level won’t be huge or complicated – it’s just an experiment. 
Blueprint Experiment – Day 3
November 8th, 2009I’ve started to flesh in some combat here and there as I see a good scenario emerge. This doesn’t seem to conflict with the overall goal here as the combat is emerging from the blueprint process and the blueprint isn’t being compromised for the sake of it. It’s nice to have the two things feed on each other.
As an added bonus, I think I see what I want a large part of the level to be, thematically speaking. I also have a large chunk of the player path worked out in my head. Just gotta lay down the brushes.
You’ll also see some textures in the newer shots. I’ve decided that I’m going to texture any entities that are in the level. This allows me to see at a glance what is interactive in the level. This is having a cool side effect where I find myself wanting to add more entities because the area seems too static. Even if it’s busy work, it’s always cool to see something moving rather than a completely static environment.
