My Character in Unity

I added my finished 3D model to the unity engine by exporting it as an fbx file from Maya, and then adding it to the Unity files. I looked at the properties of the placeholder cube, and changed its mesh properties to match my 3D model. The model kept the same texture as the cube before it.

My next task is to rig my model and texture it.

Unity Progress So Far…

Immediately after my first hand-in, I knew it would be important to come to grips with Unity as early as possible. Therefore, I went back to the 2D gameplay tutorial that I started in BA7, and began to work on it further.

This tutorial gives you a work file and a pdf document. Last term, even though I followed the pdf closely, I still found myself with errors, such as the character respawning when he jumps. After researching, it was extremely simple to fix and I even got my character to respawn after falling down a hole. I then made a few platforms to jump to, and adjusted the camera.

Here are the things I learned from the Tutorial:

• Learned how to restrict movement to a 2D plane;

• Built level with tileable platforms;

• Set level boundaries;

• Been introduced to Gizmos;

• Explored the fundamentals of setting up a Character;

• Explored the complexities of setting the camera;

• Seen how to make a strict orthographic camera view;

• Learned how to place and make Rigidbodies;

• Used waypoint system to create moving platforms;

Also in the tutorial, I learned about “Skyboxes.” A skybox is a special kind of background which makes the level environment look bigger. The skybox’s image is made by cube mapping, which involves putting six different textures on cube faces.

Next, I wanted to let the camera follow the character more smoothly and closely. This is done with scripting.

Although I am quite new to scripting, the example workfile has notes in the script, saying what each piece of script does. This was greatly helpful, as it let me understand how every bit of script affected the game. Here is a part of the script for the camera.

Next, I wanted to add more mechanics into my game.

I firstly wanted to add enemies to the game which move around and destroy the player on contact. Since this mechanic was not on the 2D gameplay tutorial, I had to look up how to do this myself using scripting. The 2D gameplay tutorial only used Javascript, yet the coding I used for the enemy was in C#. I changed the enemy’s code from C# to Javascript using the script reference on the Unity Website. This was a very helpful resource, as it showed script examples in different languages. I used a simple sphere to represent my enemy. Fortunately, the mechanic worked.

I then tried to use some video tutorials to make my character use projectiles. The tutorial I looked at taught me how to make a kind of top down space shooter game. However, although some aspects of the projectile worked, it was generally very broken. Therefore, I will have to figure out how to do it on my own using scripting in Javascript.

Making My Game

I will now think which programme I am going to make my platform game with. I will consider all pros and cons of each programme.

Flash

My first option is Adobe Flash, a program that I am familiar with, as I have used in past projects. Many indie developers that create games to publish on the internet use flash because it’s widely available and fairly simple to use.

However, although I feel confident with flash, there are many reasons why I do not want to use it for my final project. For example, I think it would be hard to import 3D models into flash. Also, in the last year or so, there has been a lot of talk about flash becoming obsolete and that it may be replaced with html 5. Because of this, I feel that I should keep researching into something more relevant to use.

Although I may not use flash for my final project, I may use it to make a prototype to my game, in order to experiment with game mechanics and ideas.

Yoyo Game Maker

I also considered using “Game Maker” to create my project, as it is known for being easy to use. Its appeal is that it can make interesting games without having to use any scripting or code. However, there is a built-in programming language, so that the user can make more advanced games. In Games Maker can make use of both 2D and 3D graphics, and is free to download.

However, I am hesitant to use this programme, as I have heard from internet forums that it’s 3D support is poor.

Torque Game Engine

I have heard very good things about the Torque Game Engine (TGE) as it is a powerful engine, capable of generating good 3D graphics. There is a good online community for help and it has a built-in scripting language.

However, I think this programme would be too much trouble for me to use. TGE seems to be limited to only creating first-person-shooters and third-person-shooters. I would have to modify the TGE source code (in C++) if I wanted to make a platform game.

Unity

I decided to use Unity to build my game in the final term for several reasons. Firstly, I was drawn to Unity because of the fact that the program can import 3D model and animations from Maya. This leaves me with more choices of what I can create for my visuals.

I also like the fact that the Unity engine can process game for various platforms, including Wii, XBOX 360, PlayStation 3, Google Android or an iPad/iPhone/iPad App. Although I have not thought about putting this game on any devices, it is useful to know that I can.

Also, Unity’s interface is very simply laid out and easy to navigate. My only worries about using this program are using scripts to programme to game mechanics and characters. Therefore, I will invest some time into researching Unity further, until I am more confident in using the engine.

Finally, the programme is free so I can use it at home, as well as in University.