Game Production Year 2

In Game Production this year I've made more time to set my own briefs and complete work. I'm happy with the outcome of the projects I did. I wanted to do more but it's been a difficult year for me.

I was able to plan out what I set out to achieve. Not long ago I talked about solving problems that occur during production of a 3D asset or texturing and how solve them along the way. In Game Production it's important to have a good knowledge of the software you are using so when problems occur in building a game/level you can solve them immediately. the technical artist role is very significant if you ask me, because they are the ones you go to when you've got a problem because they should know the programs better than anyone.

Understanding the user interface is important as anything. I've basically had to follow tutorials on how to use UDK and persevere in trying to use and understand it. Just like in the making of Crash Bandicoot  when they were trying to create and animate water waves etc that was never seen before in the PS1, and I'll quote 'it took a lot of time and effort and a lot of preserving to achieve what we intended to create' (or something along those lines). Sometimes this is just the case, not just in creating game art assets but animation and programming too, Re-writing codes to gain what you want to achieve etc, even sometimes you may have to just restart from scratch as your ideas seem to not come to anything. A lot of testing and trial and error is involved, it's basically man vs machine when it comes to creating a game. You must crack the code that makes your ideas come to life.

Basically planning and concepting, I was able to first create my own concept images and follow them accurately.

We view the world in perspective, not orthographic.

Almost... but not quite.

As said before having a good plan is the key to developing and realising your ideas. I remember a story about a guy back in my old college who spent most of his exam planning what he was going to write, with about 10 minutes to go he writ up all his plans and passed with an A grade.

The Final Outcome.

If you can't quite wrap your head around how something works, write it down, in our case we draw it down so we can show how things work visually (I personally learn better visually), once drawn them ideas now exist. If you were to write a book you'd write the thing out but only the reader can visualise what you've wrote in their own unique way, whereas when you draw it, you immediately get the idea and thus words are not required because the image tells the story without explaining it to you. I think conveying your ideas visually is the key to creating a good game, if there's a story line and script the artist can produce and render what is written (illustrating it) and then eventually bring it to life in 3D.

Video games are one big process from point A (having the idea) to point B selling it (and making tons of cash 'haha'). I've learn that in this process the deadlines are very important and that you should not take them lightly, do the work as fast as possible and then spend your spare time tweaking it and improving it.

Looking good?