SCRUm Group Work

Tutorial videos that helped me through this project

UV Unwrapping Tutorials

Before I got started on the modelling, I looked into some tutorials to understand how to UV unwrap objects as this was part of the process I was going to go through on my models. The first initial video I looked into was by the name of On Mars 3D. Seeing as this was a complex shape, i looked more into basic shapes as my models were not going to be crazy. I found another video here by the name of 3D Wolf. These two videos helped me get a better understand of how UV's worked and what i need to do to start them. I never got around to UV unwrapping the models as i decided to go with Maya's basic colour materials to fit our game more but to also save me time on the models.

Evaluation

How well did your group find access and pull together relevant research on the mythology you selected and general game design?

Initially, me and my team looked through Wikipedia to gather information we needed. We didn't have a great idea of what we wanted but we did come across some relics such as the Ankh and the crook and flail which helped us gather a few initial ideas. Although Wikipedia can be great, it is not a credible source to use as online users can edit the page.

What sources did you use and how helpful were they?

The main source I used during the initial start was google as this source would help me gather information about relics and more about the mythology we were working with. Although this is basic, it helped me generate ideas from it and allowed me to understand what i needed to work with.

How clearly did you define the purpose, goals and target audience for your game?

We based our game around all age groups so that anyone can play it. We thought that this would be best as puzzles in a game can vary in difficulty, some younger audience may struggle but the older audience may find it easier and we like the balance of allowing people to give it a try. 

How effectively did you incorporate knowledge of the museum's needs and objectives?

A great way to bring this point across is the included facts that we introduced to our game. These facts will show up every time you collect a relic which will tell you what it is and how it was used. This would help people understand more about the Egyptian mythology and gather some knowledge while giving them something to learn from. Another point to bring across is the free roam that the players have in our game which gives that experience of looking around at your own piece and admiring the relics and Egyptian artefacts

How well did your group communicate and collaborate?

I think that the team as a whole communicated really well and introduced every bit of information necessary which allowed us all to understand what is being done. Another great point to bring across is how well we shared the work around, allowing Mitchell and Joseph to add work when necessary to the project as well as allowing me and Alex to look at the project and change what we need to.  

Were roles and responsibilities clearly defined and balanced between each group member? 

The roles were well organized in our group right from the beginning, splitting it in half with two of us coding and two of us modelling. This process then made it easier for us as we can then work on who is doing what specific role in the project. This made it clear for us all to get started on our own research.

How would you rate your individual contribution to the project?

I believe that I contributed a lot to this project, in terms of showing progression to my team to let them understand what I was up to and how far we were from completion. I strongly believe that I played a major part in the project seeing as I had to create the level for the game to make a functional level to run around in.

What working practices helped or hindered your personal progress?

Working habits that help me get started on a project like this would be creating trello's and miro board as these help me plan out what I need to do and research things that would help me gather information. Another way I get through things is to know what I am doing as this will help me understand what to start on and how to get further.

How successfully did your group organise work and meet deadlines? Were any deadlines missed and why?

Our team did a great job at organising work and creating deadlines for when things needed to be done. We created a trello board to write down everyone's roles and what they need to do so they can start cracking on with their set tasks. This allowed us all to tick off work when it was done so everyone knew what was missing and what was left to do.

What aspects of the game design and mechanics worked especially well and why?

The mechanics of the puzzle in our game came out really well and worked effectively as there were no problem with them. The button puzzle came across nicely with the buttons being pressed in a certain order. The game design came out great with the low poly style and the Egyptian tomb look as everything fits together with all the props and the relics.

What problems or issues happened in the development process?

A major issue we had as a team in this project was the lack of communication as there were some stages that went a bit wrong such as the button puzzle being tweaked and never having our original idea done for it. Another point to bring across was that some members were doing progress which was great but they would never inform us about it, so when coming to see the updates we were confused. To improve this for future projects, we should communicate more even if its slight tweaks as this would allow us all to know and nothing would be a problem.

What would we do next time?

Next time, better communication would play a major part if we were to improve as we wouldn't get stumped over some animations or puzzles. This would allow the whole team to understand who is focusing on what and knowing that, that is their role so no one else has to interfere. 

How engaging, educational and user-friendly is your final game?

Our final game is user friendly in so many ways as the game is simplistic which helps all age groups to understand what things are what and there is no sign of violence throughout the game as well as having torches which can comfort the player. The educational part of our game helps with facts that show up on every relic you collect, telling you about it and what it does. 

How could it be Improved?

For future projects it would be great to think more about the user friendly side, by including more interactions around the game whether the player can go up and inspect an item at a close view, allowing the player to see more of the product than at a glance.

Does it achieve the museums goals?

I think we did a great job as a team to achieve the goals set out for this project. We got an interactable game allowing the player to freely look around the place while learning more facts about Egyptian relics to understand what they were and what they did. This game would get people engaged if they love to gain knowledge about the mythology and learning the timeline helps understand the past and what was around when.

What skills did you lack going into this project that you struggled with? How would you improve on those next time? 

The main problem I lacked on in this project was working on my time management and not doing everything when it needed to be done. I would start off great, by writing down tasks that I need to do in this project and then I would lose track and create things when I felt like it. For next time I think it would be great for me to create a fixed timeline of what each week will consist of and stick to that plan so that I don't lose track of what was supposed to be done.

If you redid the project again, which role would you want to take on or try next time to continue developing new skills?

If I were to start the project again, I would like to do the animations as this is something I would like to learn and get good at for some future models of mine. This is something that I would love to achieve as seeing the doors animate open or the pyramid lid lift up would make me feel great about it.

What part of the game development process (graphic design, narrative writing, world building, 3D modelling, concept art, level design etc) did you enjoy the most? Would you want to specialise in it and why?

The game development process I most enjoyed was the 3D modelling as I enjoyed seeing the outcome of the models. The process of seeing the model come together inspires me to keep going which is why I enjoy it. I was drawn to the level design process as this is something that I would like to get into and improve at as seeing the level being built layers at a time makes me feel great and proud of what I have created. Focusing more on props  would align with my interests/skills in 3D modelling which would allow me to improve over time.