whoo first blog post of year 3! and boy has it been busy,the works been pretty hectic thus far and now i`m onto pitch and crit week in what seems like too soon. luckily i`m up to snuff with the work load so i have nothing to worry about 🙂

for this class we are tasked with building a level using the unreal development kit. we have to build the level in maya and texture it also and then import it and then edit it so it`s ready for gameplay and interaction. for the actual conception part i was unsure since i had never used the software before and wasn’t sure of what it was capable of, however i followed a sequence of video tutorials whilst conceptualizing and i`ve came up with a very interactive concept.

here is what i`ve made in UDK so far,keep in mind this is just a test level and in no way indicative of my final concept.

also,none of the assets used were mine. they are all stock static meshes that come with the software.

some of the lighting and the interactivity behind the door was tricky but everything else in UDK is a breeze. it`s a lot easier to use then maya. even the act of importing textured models into UDK was quicker to learn then i imagined. the whole scripting element is really confusing however, i`ll need to follow the tutorials closely and get plenty guidance from my tutor.

for my own original concept it`s a small intimate room with a lot of interactive puzzles and a gravity based twist ending.

the player will fade from black in a small room facing a glass box with a key inside. they will eventually figure out that they need this key to exit through the door and will activate the puzzle. looking out the window the player will see a vast green landscape with a big blue sky.

if you can make out my badly drawn scribbles,that is the schematics of the puzzle of my game. if i not then feel free read on.

1.this box will contain the key to begin with.interacting with the sliders will allow it to drop down through the tube.

2.this switch will work in reversed ways so the player needs to toy around to find the right way to let the key fall through.

3.the key will then fall through a tube into the ground and reappear in the light bulb directly ahead.the player will notice right away because a giant key shaped shadow will be cast all over the room. there are three light bulbs and three respective light switches. by turning all the lights off and activating the next one, it will transport the key into it. you can only move it to the bulb next to it. by doing this one more time it will land inside the third and final bulb.

5.the metal panel connected to this bulb is loose and by interacting with it,you will cause it to loosen and swing against the wall and smash. the key will fall down a tube into the next part of the puzzle and a note will drop which will say “helf”

6.this is an extended version of the switch puzzle from earlier. nothing in particular to mention.shameless padding

7.the key will drop down into the bottom of a grandfather clock. sharp players will notice a irregular sound when the clock chimes at exactly 12 o clock. the little hand passing the big hand. the player needs to interact with the clock at this exact moment. it will stop altogether and then shake violently causing the vase on the shelf next to it to fall over and smash.

8.inside the vase will contain the word “skoob” this and the other note hint at the word “bookshelf” now at this point in the puzzle the player needs to go look at the bookshelf in the room. there is a new book on it with gold lining which is titled `key`. interacting with it will cause it to recede into the wall. the room will turn pitch black and loud rumbling will commence. after a few seconds the fireplace will light up, and the book will be laying on the ground in front of it with a key inside the pages. the player now picks it up and opens the door.

resident evil is the obvious influence as the room you play in with have a vintage decor and the genre is so obviously horror. there will the typical horror cliques like tricks with lighting and blood writing on the wall and maybe some sinister sound effects to unnerve the player.

specifically the blood writing will come in the form of notes which display hints and solutions to puzzles,and others will hint towards the nature of the ending “stay inside” and “don’t go out there” will be either written on the walls or cast as shadows in a surreal way.

the portal influence is minimal. the gimmick at the end is based around anti-gravity more then it is portals. but haunting atmosphere is something i`d like to imitate through use of setting and pacing. for the ending spoilers the player will finally solve the puzzle and exit the room.and once exiting the door,they wont walk onto the grass outside,they`ll fall upwards and land on a sky which is actually a painted ceiling and they`ll be able to look up at the house they just left. looking around they will find a skeleton at the side with fingernail marks clawing up the side of the wall. Jim careys “the Truman show” is also another influence for this. the game will shortly fade to black afterwards,signalling the end of the demo.spoilers over

all plot elements are quite open ended and i hope the players will make up their own conclusions about the story and what they think happened.

and that’s all i have for the module at this point. i`m almost all done with the tutorials and will then start creating assets for the level. i`m glad i choose to do a small room instead of a open area because it lets me focus on delivering a well crafted experience with solid puzzles and polished visuals.

more influences! because everyone loves pictures!