Proposal

Throughout this project, I will aim to focus my skill on 3D modelling, working on weapons and a little bit of the level design is what I plan on working on during this project. To push my limits further I aim to gain more skills in my specialism which is why I am giving myself the task of modelling guns and explosives. On top of this I aim to do a little bit of level design to further my skills in the section of 3D modelling. I plan on creating these models with perfect topology and great textures as i aim to improve my skills under UV's.

The reason for me wanting to 3D model is to improve my skills and continue with what i like doing, and the best way to do this is just by practicing and practicing to get better. I aim to challenge myself further than i could before by creating more complex shapes to get the knowledge of tools and modifiers in maya.

Since the start of the course, i have gained so many new skills and achievements that i am really proud of. I started out with no knowledge in 3D modelling, trying to learn the basics of bringing in a cubes to create the basics of structures. I have been taking in all techniques and skills required to improve my 3D models to ensure I come out with the best and complex shapes while understanding how to do that. Starting out from 3D modelling, to level design and animation, I have gained a wide range of skills under my belt that I have aimed to improve from the start. I have had a great experience in the course learning these different skill sets and understanding each one differently.

During the start of this year, i have aimed to refine and clean up my work to get it the best i can. I aim to improve even further and have that final step of adding the final touches to my work. The process from the beginning to now has been a big jump and now it is the process of stepping back and cleaning it up one step at a time. I have spent time looking into areas of game development that lean more to my liking and understanding what final details I need to finalize my progression. 

Since the start of the previous year, I have gained skills in a wide range of software's ranging from, 3DS Max, Maya, Blender, Unity, Unreal Engine, substance painter and Photoshop. These software's have helped me through the entire years of games development with animations, 3D modelling and level design. I have also learnt VFX such as creating particle systems to create pixelated fires and enemies damage effects.

This course has helped me understand what suits me best and what is my strength and what is my weakness. It has helped me understand the deep process of how games start out and how they progress further into their final stages. This part of the process, seeing the game come to life with the level design and the fantastic visuals has really pushed me to get through the struggles to be one of those that can be apart of the building process. The outcome of a 3D model of mine really motivates me to continue and carry on creating fantastic models.

Throughout this project I aim to challenge myself to be able to push my limits and break through the never ending loop that I have been in for some time. I want to be able to create unique models and use different techniques to keep pushing myself to limits I thought I could never reach. Although my 3D modelling is great I do believe there are loads of room for improvement and this is why i have challenged myself to create guns and throwables for this project. I hope to reflect on my work at the end and be impressed with my production during this project.

Looking back at the last group project I created, I do believe that, that was a part of my life where I gained more knowledge and skills in what I could ever do before. Working on a game with a few members and modelling really complex shapes such as the cars, have really motivated me to boost my skills even further which is why I am continuing to focus on more complex shapes during this project. Seeing the outcome of those models have really been a moment for me to take in and think about what I have achieved.

I do hope to continue further and be apart of those industries to work on big games with big companies as a 3D modeler. This thought motivates me to push hard and work for what i want at the end of this. Thinking about the smaller companies such as those indie developers is something that I would love to be apart of as this allows me more control over what I want in the game rather than be stuck in a company doing one target that they want. 

For this FMP, we, as a group, Joseph Bowman, Mitchell Whittaker, Alex Needham, Zak Annetts, and Kyle Williams, aim to create a detailed and realistic First-Person Shooter. The Players will spawn on the map and have to find advanced weapons to fight against their opponents. Play in teams of two to capture the enemy's base or go against each other in a wild, Free-For-All Deathmatch.

In this game, the player can switch between found weapons with six guns to select the best choice for the task at hand. The play time of a match will depend on the players, with a two-team match lasting anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes with three rounds. The Free-For-All will last however long it takes to reach a target of fifty eliminations.

There will be a simple main menu showing the map in detailed screenshots, fading from one to another. There will be a simple pause menu so the player can leave the game and return to the main menu. A UI at the top will show the top player and their scores when in a match. In Capture the Flag, it will show the team scores at the top. There will also be a settings menu allowing the player to change the in-game settings.

There will be music, but we do not plan to create it for the game. We will use copyright-free music from music sources. The game will have sound effects for aspects like shooting, explosions, and flash bangs. Visual effects in the game will include flashbangs, bullet holes, explosions, and more.

The controls will be simple and stick to the keyboard layout. The player will use the movement keys to walk around and run with the shift key. The player will be able to jump and crouch with space and control. The player will have areas to climb, including ladders and stairs. They will be able to climb onto building sides after jumping close.

We will have a single map set in an offside military base, with weapons strewn throughout the map. There will be warehouse buildings where the military used to operate. Throughout the map will be props like shipping containers, crates, and fences. The map will have a realistic style but will be simple to save time.

By the end of this project I aim to have modelled and UV unwrapped six gun models with great detailed materials on each model. I also aim to have modelled two throwables at the same standards as the guns to ensure I perform the best I can in this project. Another major section I want to be able to tackle throughout this project is being able to achieve some level design work at a great standard. This will include me modelling a building with crisp materials to ensure I give the best performance from my side of the project. All of this work I want to achieve will be down to me being on time with my time planner and ensuring I can maintain my time management throughout the project.

To reflect my work throughout this project I will first focus on doing weekly reflections. I would review each week in three stages, how well it went, what went wrong and how I can improve this. This will be assisted with team meetings to help us all understand what it is we need to be improving on and to ensure that everyone is on the right track. This will also help me understand individually how I can improve and take it all into consideration for the following week.

The other reflection I will be doing would be a final overall evaluation to reflect on the project as a whole showing what went well, what went wrong and how it could be improved next time. The reflection will cover the project from start to finish from time management to final production. This final evaluation will help me to understand what are my strengths and what are my weaknesses in this group project and if I am the one that is slowing the team down. I will aim to reflect my work as a whole to see if it is good enough for my standards and if I did the best I could and if I could improve for next time.

To log all of this work, I will create a log of all the weekly reflections along side my production work to show how well or bad each week went to understand what I am missing. I will keep a note of each team members performance every week to show how well they are performing as a team and if there are any concerns.

Through this project I am expected to start off some research with some primary and secondary research. To start off with I will focus on the primary research and to achieve this I will create three of my own surveys on google forms to help me gather some feedback. I will aim to create one at the start of the project asking questions about the guns and throwables i will be creating to help me gather a better idea of what and how many i need to be creating and in what style. I will then aim to create another survey halfway through the project to get some feedback on my progress asking how everything looks and if anything needs changing and/or if I could add anything else. The final survey would be created at the end of the project to help me get feedback on my final production, asking if it is good and if anything could have been changed or improved for next time.

For the secondary research I will look into credible sources such as videos, articles and documentations to help gather some research and allow me to find correctly what i am looking for. This will better me to allow me to get exactly what i want with a trust worthy source as this will back me up in my progression. Without these source I will not be able to achieve my goals throughout this project so it is important I can find the right sources based on the work I want to produce.

Another research process I will have to go over is the audience for the game as it is important we set out an age rating for the game as well as covering the cost for the game. This process will require looking into other small indie games as well as some triple-A games to allow a better view of what it costs for the two and allow us to settle down on a price. Another research point to look into is the platform we want this game to run on as this is important which will do better so its worth research the progression of console games and pc games to see what gathers a wider audience. The final research to look into is the length of the game and the gender break which will be looked into by researching into other games that have thought this.