Today I asjusted kismet and my level for the last time. I added a light volume around the level to reduce loading times and improve performance. I also reduced jump height via the console command action, to add a more realistic jump height.
During the course of designing and developing this level, my knowledge of UDK and kismet has increased considerably. Infact if I were to redesign my level now knowing what I do now, it would be ALOT more ellaborate and complex.
UDK to me seems like a programme that is easy to pick up, insanely hard to master, but oh so worth it.
Overall I am pleased with the level. It definately could do with more puzzles and a more fluid level design, but for my first attempt I am happy. I will take the skills gleaned from this and start looking into material and particle effects to really increase the immersion factor for the next game/level I build.
Tuesday, 12 April 2011
Monday, 11 April 2011
Designer Notes
Ok so I have made alot of progression recently. Firstly I have discovered that toggling the HUD off will also hide text displays so I must either find a work around for this (deleting HUD file from UDK) or leave it displayed.
On the subject of logs, it turns out you can only display 35 characters on the log before it is truncated. For the storyline of my game, I had to break the text down into many smaller strings and present them in delayed log actions-
On the subject of logs, it turns out you can only display 35 characters on the log before it is truncated. For the storyline of my game, I had to break the text down into many smaller strings and present them in delayed log actions-
Thursday, 7 April 2011
Designer Notes
Level construction is virtually completed and alot of the kismet is sorted. I just wanted to share how I set the materials to allow a photoshop file (in this case a letter) to appear over an existing material.
Saturday, 2 April 2011
Designer Notes
The floor layout was finished today. The roof will remain off untill all the matinee sequences have be created and static mesh decorations added.
A few ajustments have been made to my initial plan. Firstly I will not do an ingame tutorial. For such a short game, I feel it will subtract from the experience.
Secondly I will not record voices to implement. I would like to focus on refining the mechanics at this point.
Lastly I have scrapped the stairs from my plan. For the stairs to get to the desired height along the z-axis, coupled with the short y-axis in which i designed to do this causes UDK to crash. Instead I am implementing a slope.
I also discovered when making a static mesh and setting collision type to Block All wasnt enough. It turns out preset static meshes have a collision model attached to them. This is added by double clicking the static mesh in the content broswer and clicking and selecting collision.
A few ajustments have been made to my initial plan. Firstly I will not do an ingame tutorial. For such a short game, I feel it will subtract from the experience.
Secondly I will not record voices to implement. I would like to focus on refining the mechanics at this point.
Lastly I have scrapped the stairs from my plan. For the stairs to get to the desired height along the z-axis, coupled with the short y-axis in which i designed to do this causes UDK to crash. Instead I am implementing a slope.
I also discovered when making a static mesh and setting collision type to Block All wasnt enough. It turns out preset static meshes have a collision model attached to them. This is added by double clicking the static mesh in the content broswer and clicking and selecting collision.
Tuesday, 29 March 2011
Week 10
The main piece of information that strikes me when comparing CPU to GPU usage, it is the GPU that causes the bottleneck of information. It seems wirth quad core technology we have the ability to push games to another level of graphics, we are just lacking the technology with the GPU to do so.
During the tests conducted for Aliens Vs Predators (AVP), 3GHz quad core and even the 4GHz are a definate inprovement to single or dual, however a single core runs the game well, but the GPU is running at almost full capacity.
Alpha Protocal is slightly different. Although the GPU is running at a high capacity, its not as high as AVP but the CPU usage is much higher (Single core in this case is not enough) Obviously this game has more game mechanics than AVP, but slightly less graphics.
Battlefield: Bad company 2 is different to the others, even with quad core CPU and GPU running almost at maximum, it is the GPU lacking for this example with poor framerates as a result.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 responds really well to CPU performance. There is a dramatic increase in framerate when we move from single core to dual-core. (Strangely quad-core lowers framerates very very slightly, possibly due to the data exchange lag between the cores).
GTA4 is by far the most demanding game trialed. It utilises almost all of the 4GHz CPU and GPU usage for less than 50 fps. Further testing shows upgrading the GPU did bump this up to 64.1 fps.
From this review I have learned its only really worth upgrading graphics card if your GPU is running at full potential with the CPU running with low usage. If CPU is running at full power and GPU isnt, its the cores than must be upgraded.
During the tests conducted for Aliens Vs Predators (AVP), 3GHz quad core and even the 4GHz are a definate inprovement to single or dual, however a single core runs the game well, but the GPU is running at almost full capacity.
Alpha Protocal is slightly different. Although the GPU is running at a high capacity, its not as high as AVP but the CPU usage is much higher (Single core in this case is not enough) Obviously this game has more game mechanics than AVP, but slightly less graphics.
Battlefield: Bad company 2 is different to the others, even with quad core CPU and GPU running almost at maximum, it is the GPU lacking for this example with poor framerates as a result.
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 responds really well to CPU performance. There is a dramatic increase in framerate when we move from single core to dual-core. (Strangely quad-core lowers framerates very very slightly, possibly due to the data exchange lag between the cores).
GTA4 is by far the most demanding game trialed. It utilises almost all of the 4GHz CPU and GPU usage for less than 50 fps. Further testing shows upgrading the GPU did bump this up to 64.1 fps.
From this review I have learned its only really worth upgrading graphics card if your GPU is running at full potential with the CPU running with low usage. If CPU is running at full power and GPU isnt, its the cores than must be upgraded.
Friday, 25 March 2011
Week 9
Creative Commons Liscence (CCL) is very versatile and can be used for many formats digital or otherwise. It allows a liscencee to redistribute/edit material around the world for non commercil use.
GNU Public Liscence (GPL) is mainly used for Software. Again it allows liscencees to copy, edit and redistribute code, however the liscensee is allowed to charge for this service. This is soley on the basis the work is not greater than the requirements started in the GPL. Another difference is there can be no hidden aspects to the copyrighted code. It must be supplied with written copies of the source code, whereas with CCL, information can be witheld.
GNU Public Liscence (GPL) is mainly used for Software. Again it allows liscencees to copy, edit and redistribute code, however the liscensee is allowed to charge for this service. This is soley on the basis the work is not greater than the requirements started in the GPL. Another difference is there can be no hidden aspects to the copyrighted code. It must be supplied with written copies of the source code, whereas with CCL, information can be witheld.
Thursday, 17 March 2011
Atari 2600 VCS
Released in 1977 at the low price of $50, there are plenty of reasons why this console was a huge success.
Firstly the price, according to http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/ the value of $50 dollars, nowadays equates to $160 or just under £100 is a VERY low price compared to current console on the market. Considering many parents would be shelling out coins for theyre children to go to the arcade and play these games, naturally it would make sense to own them at home where they can be played for free.
The top selling toys of this time was "Slime" and Playmobile. Slime, although fun at first, is very restrictive as to what you can do. Playmobile had more options, but to change the experience, parents had to buy more sets leading to lack of space and funds. The beauty of computer games is each playthrough is varied.
Last of all, 1977 was the year of Starwars. Suddenly the world was thrown into a new galaxy, obsessed with computers and lazers, naturally the 2600 VCS would be highly saught after as it was the closest piece of technology to this!
Firstly the price, according to http://www.measuringworth.com/uscompare/ the value of $50 dollars, nowadays equates to $160 or just under £100 is a VERY low price compared to current console on the market. Considering many parents would be shelling out coins for theyre children to go to the arcade and play these games, naturally it would make sense to own them at home where they can be played for free.
The top selling toys of this time was "Slime" and Playmobile. Slime, although fun at first, is very restrictive as to what you can do. Playmobile had more options, but to change the experience, parents had to buy more sets leading to lack of space and funds. The beauty of computer games is each playthrough is varied.
Last of all, 1977 was the year of Starwars. Suddenly the world was thrown into a new galaxy, obsessed with computers and lazers, naturally the 2600 VCS would be highly saught after as it was the closest piece of technology to this!
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