SHINDY LEONG - A2 - Game Design and Construction

Assignment - Game Design and Construction

SHINDY LEONG

Week 1

21 January 2020

Team Blog

Current game using WEBGL

The first week was planning and setting up everything such as Unity project, Drop box, team blog and individual tasks. Doing a playthrough the Simple 2D template [1] we made some notes which areas could be improved within the game:

Player turnaround - Left, right, back and front
Assets moving/animation, such as grass.
Import User Interface Menus, pause menus etc.
Playet - Faster movement
In-game interaction - such as interact with items "Press E to pick up"
Signposting
Audio

I will be importing my UI menu into the Unity project, this is just to have the basic layout to work with. The next meeting I will be asking for team feedback and which parts of the UI's we should change and also include their UI from last semester.

Puase Menu script - timescale set to 0

Pause Menu

I used my UI project and downloaded the 2D simple template where I imported my pause menu into the 2D simple template scene. I decided to do it this way as it's more efficient and would cause less issues with navigating with the buttons.

Issue - Player not moving on Pause

I dragged the Pause menu canvas to the 2D simple template scene. When I pause the player can still move when the pause menu is activated.

Fixed - In the Pause Menu script I set the time.TimeScale from 1 to 0, time scale 0 means it pauses all the functions. Time scale 1 continues everything. This was a similar issue I had from last semester with the main menu animation.

______________________

Issue - Pause Menu buttons

The button in the Pause Menu doesn't work when pressing them. I think I will have to add the scene to the build scenes and look at the "On Click ()" section.

Fixed - The issue wasn't anything I mentioned, all I did was create a new canvas in the same scene and everything worked again.

The reason was because I dragged my Pause Menu (canvas) to a new scene (2D simple template) which won't create an event system. The only reason it didn't function the way it did was because the event system was missing from the hierarchy the whole time.

Week 2 - First Delivery

28 January 2020

Team Blog

First delivery - Level design

"The main character is scared of the dark. When he gets put in a locker by bullies, he finds himself in an alternate universe where he must fight his phobia. He must venture through the school and find 3 torches to flash at his alternate self. Teachers try to put Sammy detention. Nice teacher takes all collected keys."

Redesign Brief

Going through the first delivery game with the team we took out som keypoints. Starting off with taking out the important part such as main character, enemies, goal, setting etc. I found the level design confusing , why the keys was needed and why the nice teacher takes all the keys. Although we figured out that might be something we could redesign ourselves and change.

The main character Sam is in a alternate universe in school where he must collect keys and batteries for the torch to progress to the next level. To defend himself his abilities and mechanics are the torch and other objects to fend off enemies. If he can't access those objects he can hide under or behind objects.

There will be enemies all over the map; bullies, teacher and a janitor who will reset the collactables to its original place Sam has collected. Without the torch the school will be dark which will deal damage, therefore it's important to have a torch all the time. Otherwise this will lead to game over, detention. The goal is to find and flash at his alternate self, Sammy.

Main character: Sam

Abilities (fend off enemies): Laser pointer, Slingshot, Pencil and Torch

Collectables: Keys to progress in the game and batteries for the torch

Stealth mechanics: Hide under and behind objects

Enemies

Bullies (3)
Teachers (5)
Nice Teacher or Janitor who steals all collectables by resetting and replacing them to its orignal places

Mechanics and levels

Darkness mechanic: Deals damage overtime

Different levels: Each level will have different enemies. and harder. The final level will be set in a chaos room with the alternate self, Sammy.

Game Over: Detention, failure condition or other penalty

Goal

Defeat his phobia (nyctophobia) by collecting all torches. Sam must collect keys to open locked doors and must find batteries to recharge the torch.

Assets:

Lockers, classroom stuff, wall clocks, keys, torch, batteries, laser pointer (?) and pencil (?).

Moodboard

Discussing about the style and mood in semester one we actaully aimed for something stylised with a dark colour palette. I could see the type of artstyle and mood in this game, as we all discussed about it we agreed to it. Although we might also go for high levels of contrast in the colour palette. Since the main character has nycotphobia, the games such as Limbo and Inside colour palettes and mood would suit the game we are making.

Reference Images

Week 3

4 February 2020

Mark of the Ninja - Hide behind objects [4]

Working on the game level we looked at different game plays, we decided to add fungus scene to introduce the game for the player as it makes it clear. I will be following the tutorial from first year where I have saved the tutorial links such as the flowchart and creating the character: The flowchart and Creating Characters [3]. We decided to go for Hollow Knight for our art style as it's simple, flat and neat which is suitable for everyone when it comes to the art skills. Although we are still waiting for the next delivery.

Working on the prototype we have a few more ideas for the game play mechanics, relevant pace and to make the game interesting. Setting up a basic level design to guide the player through the game, this should be a short tutorial of how to use items/controls. The first level will be in one direction which prevents the player from getting lost, during this process they will learn the mechanics. It will get more difficult as you get to the higher levels such as different directions. Below is a list of game ideas:

Intro - Fungus scene to introduce game
Mood - Dark colours but not black and white, make it not too dark/bleak.
Difficulty - Make it hard enough to be entertaining/fun, this makes the player see the enemies as an actual threat and not just some obstacle they can just walk past.
First Level - Keep the start simple with only one direction to advance in. This prevents players from getting lost and it gives them time to learn the controls. Make it more complex by adding different directions to go in as the game moves on.
Style - Style could be cartoon with big outlines and flat colours, this is an easy style that everyone could create. - Hollow Knight
Collectables - Batteries slowly run out as you use the torch, this makes players want to find more. Collectables have a glowing light around them to make them stand out and to show that they are interactive.
Enemies - Roaming enemies could have a visible cone shape in front of them signifying their field of view. They could walk in randomly generated paths (bouncing off walls) instead of backwards and forwards, this makes them unpredictable/challenging.
Darkness - Makes the screen shake lightly, get darker and zoom in while slowly dealing damage to the player. These effects show that the character is afraid of the dark and it warns the player to be cautious around it.
Pop-up windows about items/controls as example
Circle of visibility (Fog of war) around the player when in dark areas. Torch could shine light in a cone shape.
Hide behind objects (see GIF below)
Torch could make certain enemies run away or get stunned. The light deals damage to the final boss. Boss needs special item(s) to be defeated.
Could have 3 keys you need to collect to enter the boss room.
Main collectable that is tied to overall completion of the level, or perhaps they could be a side thing that could unlock some sort of optional weapon or tool
Enable/disable torch

Setting up fungus scene

Following the tutorial I added in the flowchart, description test and characters. Once we have recieved the art delivery we can replace those sprties and develop the fungus scene.

Week 4 - Second Delivery

11 February 2020

Refining the text above:

Teachers have a random cycle
The bully part is a cut scene
The tutorials is when your objective is to go to the canteen followed by cut scene 1 (bully)
When you get caught by a teacher (not nice teacher) you go back to the last cabinet you were in
You can hide in slitted (or, big) cabinets to have teachers not see you
There is a cut scene at the end -- you achieve your goal. Dark Sammy splits apart into light

Setting for locker to get the perspective

This week's second delivery was mainly clarifying the game mechanics and include cutscenes to the game. This is a good idea since my idea was to have a fungus scene in the beginning of the game. I set the basic layout for the fungus cutscene where Tuomo will write the scripts.

As everyone got individual tasks, I will be making a quick simple design for the objects which can be placed on the game level design. This is to help and get a better idea of our team game.

Blockout of objects

Keys (3)
Batteries
Locker
Plants
Bookshelf
Table
Small props on table (paper)
Window
Bench

Objects for game level design

I created a couple objects for to make the game level design layout easier and give us a better idea of the level. The colour choices might change as I will ask for feedback from the children and the team. Although this is just a prototype at the moment, since there is light in the environment the objects will appear darker in the scene.

I will also add in the 'auto order layer' scripts to create a prefab of the objects.

Preview of the assets in the scene

I imported the sprites to the scene, I personally think the perspective looks fine but the wooden sprites needs to have a darker value as it's too bright for this environment.

Week 5

18 February 2020

Scripts for the sprites - perspective

I decided to create the torch and change the bookshelf sprite as the shape was weird and too saturated. Once I finished all the sprites I re-imported them to the group project, receiving some feedback the sprites were too bright in-game. From the 2D template they had a diffuse material which automatically adjusts the brightness to fit the game. I only did it to the larger sprites since the pick up items should be brighter and noticeable for the player. At this point I will be waiting for my teammate to finish the level design so I can work on the sprite layout for the game level design.

Refining all sprites

I refined the sprites by making them more simplistic, there isn't much difference but I added black hard edges to them to suit the Hollow Knight artstyle, at some point I wasn't really sure how to make it as the artstyle contains the base colour and 2-3 shades. Therefore I had to cut off some details and make it simple. Since it's a dark environment the sprites will mostly be seen as silhouettes.

Smaller adjustments I have made is adding the carry item script to the torch as well, this script was also used for the key. This is the exact same script, I didn't create a new copy as I wanted to test it first. When the player wants to pick up the key, the torch will drop, and key will get picked up. Maybe this could be some mechanic used for the game.

I also did some fixes with the enemy that disappeared behind random floors by creating a new layer. I think this is also something I need to inform my other teammates as they might not be aware of the different layers in Unity.

Sprite layout

Game level design

Here is a simple game level design, I got the file from Joseph but there weren't enough walls and there were too many open areas in the level design so I added more walls and use the lockers to fill out the area. There was also a directional light in the scene that I deactivated to create the dark environment, I also added different spotlights by the windows. The windows are just a quick blockout as Conor is making the floor, walls and windows. While doing the game level design I got other objects to import such as chair, clock, door and stairs. The stairs could be leading the player to the next level, although I want to be able to get the effect when the player walks upstairs. For the current sprites I will be making different angles such as back and side.

Preview in game

Week 6

25 February 2020

2D wall

2D and 3D wall

Wall 3d

Issue - Side wall

Importing the walls I came across an issue with the side walls. I used the exact same script as I did for the front walls, but the sidewalls keeps moving when I move the player. If I disable the script, the wall will stay but it won't create the perspective illusion. All side objects with this script will give this weird perspective rotation.

I went back to the 2D template and found that they had 2D/3D walls and tried this method. This method worked but the issue now is that the objects and walls perspective doesn't match, it looks like the lockers are floating.

But reciving some feedback about our game so far, they seemed to like the sprite layout and game level design. Especially how you have to walk through the corridor where the enemy (teacher) is, in this case the player must hide in the locker the pass the enemy.

I did the side and back of the objects once I sorted out the level design. I have also included some other objects such as clock, stairs and floor which Conor is doing.

Week 7

3 March 2020

Issue with layers - 2D and 3D

2D and 3D layer - Issue wall

The perspective worked better using 3D cube as walls, but another issue is that I can't make the 2D sprite layer go over the 3D layer. I tried creating a new layer but nothing seemed to work. I will be using the 2D wall sprite as the front and side will be 3D walls.

Door Animation

Door animation

The door script from the 2D template didn't seem to work for some reason, however I managed to find this tutorial where you can download the free script and asset. I did a quick door spritesheet of the sprite Conor created and replaced the original sprite. I think having this small animation for the door will have a huge impact on the game since we can include some sort of scary door sound.

Animated 2D door by Chris' Tutorials [5]

Week 8

10 March 2020

Feedback

Torch sprite - removed handle details

Feedback

Receiving the feedback there were quite a lot of issues, most of them are things we aware of that needs to be sorted and added. The issues were mostly the walls, character movement speed and the intro. I did some adjustment to the torch as it had a different quality compared to the other sprites.

Scene - torch and 2d walls

At the end I decided to go for the 2D walls as it creates less problem, although there is still some issue with the perspective. It might not be as noticable since the environment will be dark. We also added a light to the torch which will make the player focus on character itself rather than the walls.

I was considering trying out the tile maps since it would be easier and quicker to do the game level design and probably makes the walls be in place.

Scripts notes

Once finishing the game level design I included the door, levers and door keys. The images are just to help me to remember for next time how to connect the door script with the key, or how to connect the lever with the door. The lever just gets dragged into levers element. The key_index must have the same value as the door script and key script to work.

Door and lever scripts connect

Door and key script connect

Extending the game level design I thought it would be more reasonable since the game level design from the children included different levels. The first level is more of a tutorial of the functions, once the player unlocks the door it will become more difficult. I included the lever to make it into an easy puzzle game as well, the lever must be switched on to enter the room where the key is. The green circle are pick up items such as key, batteries and 'levers'. The red dot is the start and green is the finish.

Week 9

17 March 2020

Feedback

Sorting issues - Feedback

I've gone through the feedback and tried to sort of most of the issues we had with our game project. I also added more functions to some objects such as enable and disable light torch, fix walls, any incorrect sprite perspective and added sound.

Enable and disable light

C# Enabling and Disabling Components in Unity! - Beginner Scripting Tutorial [6]

I added a simple script to enable and disable the torch when pressing space. This function could be useful to prevent the enemies noticing you, but at this point the enemies don't have this ability. Although it could have been an idea if we developed the game further.

I will also try to include some pop up menu to inform the player how the controls work for the torch as example.

Enable/disable flashlight

Script

Door animation changes

Door spritesheet

Door animation adjustment

I refined the door animation to match the perspective of the walls and increased the speed as it opened too slow nefore . The door animation from week 7 was just a quick test animation using a template. I also created 2 more layers to make the animation appear smoother.

Sound effects

The bold texts are the sounds I have added to the game, I can't include the three bottom ones yet as the scripts aren't imported from the team yet. However, the ambient sound has a low frequency and low background noise, for me it made me feel isolated in a cold environment. I also added footsteps to trigger any action or emotions. The sound, game design, mood and everything brought everything together. I feel like the sound has made a huge difference even if this isn’t the final project.

Asking for some suggestions for the team they had ideas such as:

Pickup sound
General UI navigation sounds
Foot steps
Background music - Creepy ambience
Door sound
Alert sound when seen ??
MAYBE checkpoint metal hitting sound ??
Damage audio

Sound - Pick up Item

I have been struggling a lot with this part as I only wanted a sound for a specific object, in this case the torch. I will be adding this to the key and battery as well. I tried several tutorials and couldn't find any script that would work even though this is a quite simple. But I managed to use the same script from my first-year group project where I used a shooting sound for a gun, and this is very similar as it binds to a specific object. [7]

The Audio Manager allows me to add all the audio I want in the inspector with different settings (volume, loop etc.) which must be a Sound script. I created an Audio Source component in the Torch and added my "Pick_up item" audio. Choosing the carry item script wrote "AudioManager.instance.Play("Pickup_item"); instead of "FindObjectOfType<AudioManager> ().Play ("Pickup_item");" as the tutorial says since it has a better readability. Doing this will make the Audio Manager enable the Audio Source.

Sound - Footsteps

Foot step - script

Step sound simple [8]

Week 10

24 March 2020

Audio in animation

Door sound

Using the door template, I replaced the sound with an open and close sound. However, I noticed the sound didn't work in the audio source in inspector. The sound turns out to be in the animation window with the sprites. This could be useful as I can use the same script and implement a unlock door sound in the animation.

New sound:

Door_close
Door_open

Adding shadow

For the sprites I used the shadow sprite from the 2D template and applied to the objects. The shadows gave the objects a more defined position and depth, without the shadow it would look like the objects were floating.

Shadow added to sprites

Prefab hierarchy shadow and sprite

Material shadow for character

Doing smaller changes, I changed the material to Sprite Diffuse which is also used for all other sprites. The character was too bright for the environment which I didn't notice until now. The Sprite Diffuse material adjusts automatically to the different lighting in the environment, which is also important since it's the main character and it's something the player could easily notice.

Week 11-13

31 march - 14 April (easter break)

During these weeks I have been doing some further adjustments such as reskin some assets from the 2D simple game. Since the key door and lever functions well with our game it would be useful to have it included for the game. This also makes the player navigate through the school trying to find the key and lever while trying to avoid the teachers. I have also done some further exploration with the flashlight timer, camera shake etc. There were some of the stuff I didn't manage to fix but it was worth giving it a try, it was difficult to find script as most of the were java script which unity doesn't support anymore.

Door and wall by Conor [9]

Reskin key door

Preview in unity - Key door

Sprite key door

I have reskinned the key door sprite from the 2D template game, I made it match with the walls Conor has done. And to define the keyhole I added the grey circle to exaggerate the look of it, so it's visible for the player. There is also an unlock audio added to it, luckily the 2d template script already had a script I could add in there. Adding the perspective would have caused issues since it's vertical in the game scene.

Cinemachine camera shake - Test

Camera Shake - TEST

Adding a camera shake to the scene using package manger Cinemachine. Although this camera shake is constant it can make the player dizzy after a while. I want to implement a timer for the camera shake is might shake every 30 seconds as example.

I have been trying to find a timer to set for the camera shake but can't find anything.

Issue script

Sound issues - Carry item torch and key

I have been trying to find different ways to add another audio to the torch using the audiomanager. For some reason the audio "Pickup_key" is overriding the "Pickup_item" audio and I have tried different carry item script with 2d colliders etc but nothing seems to function correctly. I think it could be because of a script "Character Hold Item" the character has, however this was already with the 2D template which is the reaason these smaller issues appear. At this point I'm not sure if I actually will try it another try as I have tried so many methods and nothing worked.

Flashlight timer - TEST

I added a flashlight timer, once space is pressed the light will be enabled and have the intensity decreased. The intensity will stop when I disable the light. The issue here it that I have a battery script, but when the player collides with the battery, nothing happens. At least I got the flash light working, but it won't make any difference if I can't make the battery function to charge the torch.

Lever from 2D template

Lever - Reskinned

Reskin lever

Since the lever functions well with the game I will be reskinning it. It will be a simple design with a red handle to make it more obvious for the player to see. I decided to go for a rectangular shape as the props have hard edges and would be more suitable for the environment as well.

Before

After

Perspective fixed

For some reason the perspective for the sprites got fixed, none in the team did anything. What I assume is the Cinemachine camera I added that fixed it, although I'm not completely sure. On the other hand, I will be able to import the other sprites from the sideview to fill empty areas.

At the end I managed to figure out the issue, I think. When setting up the animation for the door key, the Z-axis were further from the other sprites. This caused the weird rotation when moving the character. The below images are the correct way to prevent the sprite from moving. I'm also sure that the auto layer and fix offset script must have caused the issue as well. So, I think the script must have affected the Z-axis causing the weird perspective when moving the character. This is definitely useful and something to think about for future projects.

Week 14

21 April

Replacing line with light

Adding flashlight to enemy

Instead of the line of sight I tried replacing it with a light which was done the same way with the torch. I also tried to see what would happen if the player collides with the light, everything seems to work fine. This would make the game more playable and would make more sense if the teachers have flashlights instead. The line of sight is still there but it's invisible in the game scene. The team likes the idea rather than the line of sight and this was sort of an idea we have been thinking about as well.

Open locker sprite

Preview

Open locker and feedback

Reciving some further feedback, having an open locker would connect with the story better. Since the character gets put in a locker by the bullies, it would be nice to have it visually that he exits the locker and finds himself in the alternate universe. There could be several open locker used as respawn areas if the player gets punished.

Task: I have been trying out 1 and 2 in the other weeks and find it quite difficult to make it work. This is because some 2D template scripts such as "pick up key" is connected with the door key. But I will do further research and hopefully I can find something.

1. Torch flashlight recharge (if possible). Otherwise place several torches all over the map

2. Be able to carry multiple items

3. Try to make the torch connect with health bar - timer/health bar so it decreases slowly

Fade in - Effect

I added a simple fade in scene into the game when the game start, this is a small effects but makes a big difference. The fade in effects sets the mood for the player and gets their attention to play the game.

Preview key and door

Pick up multiple objects, inventory and door changes

The 2D template caused too many issues with the pickup objects and door, the character would pick up the objects when colliding with it. This wouldn't allow the player to pick up multiple objects. And from the feedback, it would be better to be able to carry multiple objects which I agree with. Since the player need the torch to stay alive and not take damage. I followed the tutorials below which is a quite long tutorials,the player can now pick up max 5 items. Use the button E to pick up item and unlock door. I need to add a display text by trigger, when the player approaches the item there will be text saying "Press E to pick up".

Script for door - Interaction object (same script used for key)

Script for character - 2 scripts - "Player interact" and "inventory"

Script for key (same script used for door)

Pick up object by Scripting Is Fun [10]

Add an item to inventory by Scripting Is Fun[11]

Opening/Unlocking Doors by Scripting Is Fun [12]

Preview adding item to inventory

Inventory and pick up text on trigger

The player can now pick up the item and add it to the inventory. The left GIF is just a test, the torch will have a collider which will be held by the character. The key will get into the inventory. The reason I did this was because I didn't know how to make the player hold the item through the inventory, therefore I decided to have the old script for the torch. The torch is needed since the player needs the flashlight.

I also added made a pick up text appear when the player enter the box collider, this scipt was easy which is applied to the sprite. Once the player enters the collider the text will be set to true which makes the text visible.

UI script - pop up text

Using an Item From Inventory by Scripting Is Fun [13]

Adding Inventory UI by Scirpting Is Fun [14]

Week 15

28 April

Title Screen

Background exploration

I decided to work on the title screen as I'm more aware of the user interface we are using, since it's my user interface we are using. This is also because my team have other tasks to do so it would better if I filled in the remaining areas as the submission is close. To work more efficient, I used Conor's and my sprites to create the background, I think the long hallway would be the most suitable due to the theme of the game and game design. This gives a bit of an overview of the game such as the story and environment as well. I created three different backgrounds and the left and middle one looks too dull, the right one has a light coming through the doors. This could be the part when the player reaches the end as he sees the light.

Title screen - reference

Reference images

Looking at a couple of reference images, the most suitable for our game would be a dark blue theme. I would say the title screen will be simple and not too complex, the background will be blurry as it focuses on the text. The text glow and background lighting also give more feel to the title screen. Creating a few thumbnails, everyone from the team had very different opinions. At the end we went for the bottom left as it suits the game the most and due to the blue theme, we have for the game overall. The font and title arc gives the school style/feeling as well. The debris particles I will be added into the unity scene as it makes the screen more enjoyable and less blank.

Title screen thumbnails

Chosen title screen - Bottom left

Partcile system issues

Scene view

Game view

Issue and fixed

When adding the particle systems, I had some issues with the layer. The particles would appear in the scene view but not in the game view. The particles only appeared behind the background. I tried changing the layer too 2000 in the particle system render settings, but nothing worked. I also tried to change the timescale to 1 as it unpause everything, this didn't work either. Looking through different forums I found that it could be the mask affecting the particles [15]. Going to my camera I changes the culling mask to everything as it was set to mix. This would hide different layers.

Title Screen - particle effects

Particle system settings

Sprite - particle

Particles

Here is the final particle system, I already had an idea how I wanted the particles to be. The particles would seem like dust, the particles do change size, rotates, slow speed and goes to random directions. I would say I'm fairly pleased with it, it's not too noticeable either which is the way I wanted. The sprite is a very simple brush I used with a low opacity created in photoshop. I didn't have any issues with this at all since I have done some particle systems in first year, I would say this was more of a repitition.

This is a simple UI with a few effects and animations, this it to keep an interaction with the player and keep it entertaining. All I did was re-skin the sprites, this was a lot easier since I already had the correct size images and not having to change the button navigation or create a new animation. The two sprites below are the beam light animation I used above the game title to lighten the scene, I did a simple animation for it were I lowered the opacity and put it back to high opacity, this isn't a looped animation either. The highlighted button is also an animation where the sprite appears, and text gets bigger when mouse is hovering on the button. I like the UI as there is a mood/theme for the game and suits the game. I could have done an animation for the back buttons or game title, but I feel like it would have been a bit too much as it should be more efficient navigating through the different menus than having a delay. I also edited the controls to suit the font and hues for the menus, I already had an old template from from last semester. The tutorial menu is still empty, but images and text will be added, however this is something Jospeh will be doing.

Beam light - sprite

Highlighted sprite

Start screen

I created two start screens, I used the same background I had for the Title screen besides that I adjusted the brightness. At the moment, the start screens look boring, but with the flashlight sound added (below) it made a huge difference. The sound also times in with the flashlight which makes the start screen interesting. I had second thoughts about making an animation locker and once the door opens the Title would appear. However, I feel like it would be a bit too much for a start screen.

I'm not really sure which one I prefer, I like there is a school hallway but it's too repetitive and the top one might be a bit too dark. But this is just a start screen so it won't be something the player will spending their time on. Deciding with the team we decided to go for the left one as it has more of a flashlight cone shape and gives the scary feeling.

FlashlighON.wav

Start screen

Critical statement

For this group project we created a top down RPG game were the player’s goal is to find and flash his alternate self. The game was successful as we managed to implement the elements for the game. which connects to the gameplay and story. However, there could have been a few improvements for the game.

My contribution for this project was creating a couple of sprites, set up the environment design, perspective, animation, audio and user interface. I’m pleased with what I have contributed, as my work is shown in the game. There were a lot that went wrong during my process such as the sprite perspective due to the 2D template scripts. After several weeks I managed to figure it out. Most of the sprites had different z-position which could be seen in the 3D scene, this caused issues in the game view as the sprites would overlap each other and rotate incorrectly when moving. Layering the sprites correctly is something I have learnt and will keep in mind for future projects. I was comfortable with the tasks given as I have created sprites, animation, audio and done the user interface before. It was mostly the scripting parts I was struggling with as I didn't have any knowledge about it.

Things we didn’t managed to include in the game was making the batteries function, screen shake, hide behind objects and make enemies run away due to the flashlight. My tasks were to make the screen shake, hide behind objects and make the battery function. I’m quite disappointed I didn’t manage to make them work as it would have made the game more playable. Although I’m satisfied, I gave it an attempt even though I couldn’t solve it since there wasn’t enough resources I could find. I guess I could have experimented and tried to find a solution myself.

The beginning of the project was confusing due to lack of communication with the team and our clients. As we were approaching the last few weeks we started to perform better as whole team by updating each other frequently. The artwork was quite balanced, although I think as a team, we should’ve planned the final art a bit better. Everyone’s art didn’t work perfectly with each other but it’s still very similar. Working with people who doesn’t have a lot of experience with art can be challenging. I think they did a great job, they put in the effort and improvements were made all the time by feedback they received. I’m pleased we managed to make the environment sprites work well with each other, such as the colour palettes and tone.

Throughout my whole process I have learnt to understand the top down perspective in unity and how it functions, work with lighting in the scene, inventory, make a functionable flashlight and improved my knowledge within scripting. My knowledge about these areas aren’t perfect but I have a better understanding of the process and what the function does. Scripting is still complex but as I have been fixing the errors, I have idea of what the errors mean. The most I’m pleased about it that I managed to make an inventory and pick up item as this was important for the game. Since the player could carry multiple items it was important to be able to make that function work. The torch must be held all the time to prevent damage and key is needed to get to the next level.

Overall. the group project has been up and down, but I still think we managed to achieve some areas we wanted. It’s my first time working with people I haven’t worked with before, I would say the beginning wasn’t very effective and there wasn’t enough communication in the team. Since everyone has different work ethics the project wasn’t progressing the way I wanted. But this is something I also need to get used to once I get into the game industry. As we progressed, I’m satisfied how everyone managed to figure it out and work as a team at the end. There could have been some improvements but I’m happy with the outcome.

Words: 693

Reference

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