Blog 14 – Water in the Sewer

Here’s a post about another important new piece of interaction, environmental ascetic, and gameplay for my level, Water. Water being placed around the level and swimming was my goal for this level

Here is the beginning of the level and a clear view of the water which how it looks mostly throughout the level.



Here is water going through two split passages.



Here’s very shallow pool of water before descending to a lower level.



Here’s one of the final rooms of the sewer that has water it them. There is a pool of water that the player will have to avoid taking a swim by jumping onto crates to get to the other side.



This surface water actually moves when it’s shot, step upon, and etc



Under the surface a water volume is placed so that the water is swimmable and that the player will start taking damage when they stay under too long. I’ve made the water blurry for the player as if they’re really submerged under water.



Special thanks to raven67854 (Raven) for the helpful tutorial.

Next Post, I’ll demonstrate keys and locked doors within the level.

Blog 13 – Destroyable Crate

Here’s a post about another new piece of interaction and gameplay for my level, Fracture Meshes. Destroyable static meshes (3D models). When the player shoots the model it will explode into pieces depending on the setting.

Here is the static mesh that has been converted into a fracture mesh in the static mesh editor which is a crate.



Here is the crate which is now a fracture mesh during gameplay.



Here’s the crate being shot and is exploding. I chose a simple small explosion as the destroyed effect.



Here’s the aftermath of the crate being shot and blown to pieces. I want to thank Hourences for their very helpful and new Fracture tutorial.



Next Post, I’ll display water throughout the level.

Blog 12 – Mover for the Door

Here’s a post about a new piece of interaction and gameplay that I’ve always wanted in my levels, actual moving doors; doors that open and close. It opens when the player touches it and closes when the player steps away from the trigger volume invisible to the player during gameplay. I used an InterplacerActor (InterpActor) Mesh and the Unreal Matinee to animate it.

Here is the Unreal Matinee window. I made it used three key points to animate it. I used three positions to make the animation a little smoother than the recommended two keys. The Unreal Matinee animates the rest after the keys are set.




Here’s the kismet (programming) for the door. I‘ve added another new aspect to my level, sound. When the door opens, a door opening sound effect will play and when the door closes, a door closing sound effect will play. A safeguard trigger has also been placed to ensure that the player doesn’t get stuck inside a room. I want to thank Hourences for their very helpful Movers tutorial.




Here is a shot of the door in the editor. I’m just showing how this set up works. The InterplacerActor mesh is there with a trigger icon next to it. The green box is a TriggerVolume box used for the safeguard.



Here’s an in-game shot of the Door moving in action.



Next Post, I’ll display fracture meshes which is for destroyable static meshes.

Blog 11 – Level and Assets Textured

This is a post of all my 3D models fully unwrapped, textured, and placed in my level. The level and all assets are in UDK 2010/08 – BETA. I’m relatively satisfied with the textures in the level. It’s just that texturing on cylindrical surfaces is not recommended, but I still wanted the sewer to have the cylindrical feel for the level. I’m still working on a fix for that though. I think it’s just it’s the test lighting that makes it look weird. We’ll see. Only the future will tell. We’ll know when I get to the lighting process of the level.

Here’s the Sewer Pipe. This is the entrance to the level and there’s also one at the end of the level. It’s really damaged with rust and scratches.





















Here’s a Metal Door. It has a peeling paint texture and each door will be at every door entry throughout the level.





















Here are several Crates which are dirty and they are abundant throughout this level. I plan to make these destructible to house items.




















Here’s a lunch room which contains Chairs, Tables, and a Trashcan. Chair and Tables has scratched and damaged metal on them.




















Here’s a close-up of a trashcan.





















Here are railings that are mostly rusted out.




















Here’s a walled light fixture. The glass is transparent which I got achieved through an alpha map.




















Next Post, I’ll display movers with a door.

UT3 to UDK

Transition from UT3 to UDK

I’ve noticed a change in my features (or lack thereof) in my usual engine of choice, Unreal Tournament 3 (UT3). There are a few actions I cannot perform anymore. At first, I thought I lost my touch, but when I look in my notes, look up tutorials, and finally mess around in Unreal Developmental Kit; I could suddenly perform the actions I wished to do. Not sure why Epic Games is “powering down” UT3 (an engine people actually paid for) and made all features available in UDK (which is now free to everybody), but in order for me to progress and ultimately finish this level. I will have to jump ship and go from Unreal Tournament 3 (UT3) to Unreal Developmental Kit (UDK). I anticipate that this should be a minor setback, but I will have to make sure that all my efforts that I completed in Unreal Tournament 3 are recognized and transferred properly and safely in Unreal Developmental Kit.

Stay tuned for future posts. Thank you.

Blog 10 –Texture Asset List

This is the texture asset list for my level. These textures are to be applied to the environment of the level and the 3D models that will inhabit it.

- High Priority:

Concrete (Leaked or Water damaged)

Metal (Water damaged)

Wood

Crate



- Medium Priority:

Four to Five Different Types of Clean Metal

Faded or Peeling Paint off of Metal




- Low Priority:

Plastic

Leather

Rusted Metal

Glass


Next Post, I’ll display the 3D models fully unwrapped and textured.

Blog 9 – Model Imported

This blog post is the final step in this block–out process for this level. Most of the models from the asset list have been imported in my level. Now, it’s time to showcase my models in the Unreal 3 Engine.

Objects on the 1st floor

- This room is full of crates that the player will have to navigate to acquire a weapon or item.




















- A simple room for the player to navigate through a few crates to acquire a health or ammo.






















- This is a break room for sewer employees and a room where the player will gain possession of one of their first keys. This room contains a couple of tables, trashcans, and several chairs.





















- This is the room that has a large opening to store water. This room contains two different models that are very similar, but have a small difference. The railing end and railing connect that makes up a boundary for people not to fall in.





















- This is a room that contains another key. The objects in this room are seven chairs, two trashcans, two tables, and a crate.





















Objects on the 3rd floor

- This small room is full of crates. That might have something of interest between them





















- This small room has a single crate in it which may house an item.





















- This room has six crates in it. Mostly for serving as a landmark in a place that mostly looks the same.





















- This room has a sole crate within it that contains a key to further proceed throughout the level.





















Objects on the 2nd floor

- This at the bottom of the first floor pool. The models in this room are railing end and railing connect.





















- This little room is hiding an item behind all of these crates.





















- This room is a narrow walkway that will have some obstacles in the way, so that the player will have to use the crates in the water to navigate to the other side safely.





















- This room is occupied by a few creates. It’s covering a passage that leads to a descent down to a lower level.





















- Here’s one of the final rooms in this level. The player will have to jump from crate to crate until they can cross to the other side. Models in this room are crates, railing end, and railing connect.





















- Here’s a railing to keep the player from getting a short cut to the other side and prevent the player from falling off after making it to the other and starting all over again. There’s a way to get back up. A fallen railing end and a crate for the player to climb upon and return to the start of the beginning side.





















Next Post, I’ll make a texture asset list for all the textures that are going to be in my level.

Blog 8 – Model Pics

These are the models from the asset list for my level. I modeled several models that will be exported from 3DS MAX 2010 and will be imported in the Unreal 3 Engine.

These are the High Priority models

-This is a door

This model 162 is polygons




















-This is a crate

This model is 12 polygons




















-This is a Sewer Pipe

This model is 144 polygons



















-This is a Walled Light Fixture

This model is 69 polygons



















These are the Medium Priority models


-This is a Small Pipe.

This model is 72 polygons






















-This is a Medium Sized Pipe.

This model is 72 polygons




















-This is a Large Sized Pipe.

This model is 72 polygons



















-This is a Railing. This is an end piece to a series of railing that blocks players

This model is 111 polygons



















-This is a Railing. This is a middle piece to a series of railing that blocks players

This model is 111 polygons




















These are the Low Priority models

-This is a Desk.

This model is 248 polygons



















-This is a Trashcan.

This model is 233 polygons



















-This is a Chair.

This model is 186 polygons




















-This is a Table.

This model is 32 polygons




















Next Post, I’ll show off the models I created, but imported in my level, in Unreal Engine 3.

Blog 7 – Asset List

This is the asset list for my level. One of my goals for myself for this level is to spend the least amount of time modeling 3D models for this level to give myself more time to focus on the functionality of the level.

- High Priority:

Door

Crate

Big Sewer Pipe (Entrance and Exit)

Light Fixture (Wall)

Keys


- Medium Priority:

Sewer Pipes (Multiple Variations and Sizes [Small and Medium])

Railing


- Low Priority:

Desk

Trashcan

Chair

Table

Next Post, I’ll show off the models from this asset list for my level.

Blog 6 – Level Block-Out

This is the block-out of my level. The level has changed slightly with more accurate depiction of ascend and descending for the player to better match with my vision rather than the level map. This is a large scale level, so that is mind I can’t really show it all, but most of it is tunnels.

- This is just a distance view of my level to give you a general idea of how to large this level is overall.















- This is the beginning level where the player comes out of the sewer pipe that leads into this level which is an underground level sewer system.




















- This is the first of many tunnel-like designs for this level that I used all throughout this level.





















- Here’s a side room with a shelf in the room that connects to the major tunnel.





















- Here’s a close-up of the shelf.





















- Here’s a shot of the player being in area where water is going to be. The water goes under the pillars that hang horizontal.





















- Here’s a shot where the tunnel splits into different paths





















- Here’s a nice slope that I made for the player to easier to walk up and down also for water to slide down as well.





















- Here’s a room that leads to a lower level. The player will just have to go down the hole.





















- Here’s another room that connects to the tunnels of the sewer. I changed rooms to give a little distinction to the level and give the player a bit of change to keep their bearings and sense of direction.





















- Another shot of a different shape of room in a different part of the level.





















- Here’s a tunnel opening that leads to another important area and in this instance a pool of water.





















- Here’s the interior of the room that has the pool of water.





















- At the bottom of the pool is an area that leads to another way to descend to another area of the second floor.





















- Here’s the second floor after the player drops down from an opening that is at the bottom of the pool.





















- Here’s another tunnel that seems the same, but there is something blocking the path. This is a placeholder for a sewer gate. With these in the way, the player will have to find another way.





















- Here’s a room with a small pool that leads to the other side of the sewer gate that was seen in the previous picture.





















- Here’s a shot of a way that leads up to a way to ascend to an upper floor.





















- Here’s a room that player will have to cross a large body of water in order to get to the end of the level. More on that in a later blog post.





















- Here’s a room that is intended to have supplies before the boss battle for this level.





















- Here’s the room where the final boss battle will take place. There’s a tunnel that leads to the exit of the level.





















- Here’s a tunnel that splits into two different paths, but with a variation it from the first time.





















- At the end of one of those tunnels are two rooms that I plan on housing important items in them.





















- Here’s another room that has a couple of ways to get into.





















In this level I wanted to display my creativity and ability to make all kinds of different ways and paths with the relative same shape and still make it interesting to navigate.

Next Post, I’ll make an model asset list for my level.