Final Reflection

CLO.1 : Demonstrate regular and consistent reflective practice addressing your proficiencies, processes and people skills 

Throughout the trimester, I took weekly notes on the class topics. I also made sure to keep an updated glossary of terms and a list of weekly concepts. Last tri, I found that information got lost in the magnitude of weekly pages in my Learning Journal, which meant that I couldn't quickly find anything. My approach this time has made it significantly easier to go back and find specific information, such as the lessons of Patch Quest (Week 3). As well as these notes, I wrote all my project reflections more or less on time, complete with correctly referenced sources. 

LO.1 : Explain and implement programmatic solutions to pre-defined game behaviours and interactions in an appropriate middleware package 

Using Visual Studio Code in conjunction with Unity, I was able to create code for behaviours such as player and camera movement. I worked on my minigame, 'Fame Trap', as best as I could, even though coding is difficult for me. I watched lots of tutorials and asked for lots of help, but I managed to put together a game that works and is fun. Unity's inbuild animation functions allowed me to do the animations for my game on my own, and then to help my team-mates do theirs. The link to Brief 2, where I did most of the animation, is here. 

LO.2 : Identify and describe tools and techniques used in the construction and implementation of common game assets and features 

For this project, the primary tools I used were Unity Engine, Visual Studio Code and the website Pixilart.com. We didn't get a choice in using Unity, but I didn't have any reason to resist so there was no problem. Visual Studio Code was a blessing as it works in tandem with Unity and isn't massively complex in itself. Pixilart.com is for creating pixel art, which was the visual style of our project. I created spritesheets to use in animation rather than try to manually animate each method of movement of the various versions of our main character. As a group, we used Google Drive extensively as a method of organising our project files and sharing amongst ourselves. 

LO.3 : Use, configure and implement game assets and features to support pre-established game development goals 

One of our key goals, right from the beginning of the trimester, was to have each game transition into the next with a teleportation animation. As the narrative is that of a space and time travelling scientist, we wanted to really immerse the audience in the feeling of being flung between bodies and having to adapt to the new circumstances. To further this, I designed the character - Dr Michael - to have a consistent and recognisable form throughout, but still be customised to fit each specific minigame. For instance, in 'Top Gun' he has a little plane that he flies. 

LO.4 : Evaluate and apply appropriate methodologies to deliver games projects on time and within project constraints 

We used HacknPlan quite extensively to monitor the tasks that still needed to be done for each milestone, as well as how our progress was tracking. This and our weekly team meetings helped us keep on top of our time management. Our overall Game Design Document was done very early on, and I filled out another for my minigame during the course of Brief 2. We chose to structure our project slightly differently to what was suggested; for Brief  1, we wanted to have our flagship game, 'Soldier Boy', functional and the planning/wireframes for the other games done. Brief 2 would see us polish 'Soldier Boy' and get functionality into the others. By Brief 3, we have managed to get all four games finished and playable. 

LO.5 : Evaluate the appropriateness of industry standard tools, frameworks and procedures for a creative media product 

I am familiar with Unity in a games context (as opposed to cinematic or artistic), so using it for this project would've been the obvious choice even if we had other options. A simpler form of Visual Studio came with the Engine when I downloaded it at home, which I then upgraded for the improved bug-fixing functions. The other reason was so that my project would run and edit exactly the same at home as it did on campus, as I don't yet have the experience to identify bugs on my own. Pixilart.com was useful because it's relatively add-free and is easily available, but I found it a bit tiresome to use sometimes. It is clunky and the save function doesn't always work properly, so next time I have to do pixel art I will consider other options. Google Drive gave us lots of space to upload and share our files, so it was extremely useful. 

LO.6 : Reflect on your experiences to inform career planning 

I really enjoyed Asset Production this trimester and I'm really proud of a lot of the work that I did. Incidentally, my interest in 3D modelling is how I heard about SAE in the first place, and what prompted me to change my degree. I think I want to specialise in environment art and production, but I also enjoy making scene props, so I'll see where this course takes me. To get started, I need to first get some work experience or some form of internship - preferably in Perth, as I don't want to relocate entirely just yet. After that, I've been thinking of either freelancing or setting up an indie studio to get some games made. The end goal is to work for a big studio such as Ubisoft as an artist. As it were, I've already begun building a portfolio on ArtStation and hope to upload some 3D models to SketchFab soon, in the hopes of gaining some exposure while I study. 

The specific skillset that I want to work on is my competency with visual software such as SpeedTree and ZBrush. Unfortunately, tools like these are not cheap. I asked if they were available on campus and if I would be allowed to use them over the holidays for personal projects, but after some research I think it will be easier to just fork out for the software at home. I'm especially keen to use SpeedTree because it would save me from having to model out dozens of trees by hand. Also, I'm watching a long learning series on ArtStation about Environment Production. It's focused more on the workflows involved than the actual tools and step-by-step creation process, and is helping me to get a better understanding of how to approach a project. I will just need to mindful, especially when working on solo and personal projects, that I don't get caught up in the details too early. As much as I try to keep a "broad to specific" method in my art, I know that I thrive on detail more than having something fully formed. 

The discussion in Week 13's class was informative in terms of study specialisation. I was concerned that I wouldn't get an opportunity for professional guidance in learning the specific software I explained previously, because I feel that tutorials can only take me so far. However, Matt explained that it will be a case of choosing a project role and then asking for tutelage as required. I'm not sure how I feel about this yet but it's good to know that there will still be chances for me to learn art-specific processes and practices.