Project Completed

So after a long haul the project is complete. Where to start with a discussion on my own work.

Well things that went well are always a nice start.

Things that went well

1.
 Considering my skills when I started unity work I feel I have massively improved. Basic skills like putting planes together and setting up rigid bodies were my initial skill set. I have learnt effective light useage, sound effects (and how to code them in when I want them to play), more advanced animation techniques and some small amounts of code that will be useful for future projects, especially the relationships between the code itself and the objects in game.
So overall I feel I harnessed my skills in Unity effectively, especially now I am part of a team who are creating a project from a brief set by an external source.

2.
Another area I feel went well is the Ai. Although I didnt quite get a monster into the game as such. I got a working enemy that chases the player (without falling over!)
The code I was taught early on but I think it worked quite effectively in the final product. I looked into the use of way points to send the enemy to patrol an area and when the player entered the area they got caught so everything went better than expected. The moment I said my game would have an AI I wasn't too sure myself but it worked really well to actually make the game interesting!

3.
One last thing I feel that went well is right near the end game. I have just discussed the AI, now I will discuss how well killing it off went. The most fun part of the game being where you pull the switch to lower the chandelier if you miss the monster sees you and you die, if you hit he dies and you win the game. I really enjoyed making this stage of the game and I really like the way the game finishes. The Death screen is even one of my favourite parts of the game!

Things that went badly then. Where do i begin on this checklist!

Things that went badly

1.
First off I feel that the code was abysmal. My timings on how long the code would take were thrown way out of proportion the moment I began.  I have never been good at coding and I dont really know what I expected to change. I worked my hardest on some of the problems and found quite a few things a bit easier than previously expected. However there were certain features, the doors and keys for example I just couldn't work out. Eventually I got a bit of tutoring and I got the code all working alright.

2.
Something that went badly was the organisation of the project files. I often find my organisation of the files to get on top of me however I kept the files relatively neat. It was only when I started to texture that the files started to become quite confusing. The naming was fine but unity seemed to create multiple materials for one texture. Then after a while they would just turn pink for no apparent reason. I believe its due to me changing over some files to another computer, the swap wasn't completely smooth however so this may be why.

3.
One last thing that didn't go so well... unfortunately I feel as if the player wasn't inclined to slow down all that much during play. I set the game to a few testers and they weren't always slowed down massively however they did get caught out by the monster a few times! It made for interesting watching as they explored. To see how the varying effects made them think about what was going on. In the future I would like to work more on the psychology of games, it is a very interesting study. Its a shame I didn't have the freedom to look more into it throughout  this project. I felt rather restricted by my own brief to be fair, with each room previously.


Overall I am happy with the outcome of the game! I surprised myself with the skills I had prior and the skills I have learnt from the project! Being able to manage my time and learn new skills is an invaluable experience I will take forward with me throughout life!

Death Screen and documentation update

Having implemented a way to die and set all the code for it, the underwhelming return to the main menu seemed horribly... well... underwhelming! So I have started work on a death screen. It is still a work in progress however.
I will be continuing work on it in the coming week. In the run up to hand in.

Gettit? Hand in...


Once I have completed this I think. THINK. I am nearly done.
I will be just ironing out areas and looking to improve some aspects.
Sounds is one I need to work on a bit.

I have also updated my documentation with the new tasks and the final deliverable. Hopefully this is sign of the run up to the end!

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Task Plan

List of tasks

Models

• Rooms – Hallway, Bedroom, Living Room, (More in Updated)
• Hallway – Desk, Lamp, Torch, Radio, Windows, Wooden Planks, Key
• Living Room – Table, Cupboard, Bookshelf, Locket, TV, Sofa
• Bedroom – Teddy Bear, Ball, Car, Blocks, Bed, Music Box
• Room 3 -
• Room 4 – Enemy, ceiling light

Sound Effects

• Lightning
• Rain
• Radio
• TV
• Monster
• MusicBox

Code

• Player Scripts – Run, Walk, torch, keys screen lock
• Doors and keys
• GUI – current key
• Pick Up objects
• Opening draws
• Follow AI Script
• Ai walking between two points
• Death of the player
• Scene movements (Buttons etc)
• Animations
• Cross-hair

Unity Compiling

• Rooms in separate scenes
• All models as above
• Sound Effects/3D Sounds
• Lighting in scene
• Coding together all parts

Misc Updates to task list

Models

• Rooms - Closing room, (Updated) Enemy chase room, Enemy defeated room
• Living room - Lamp, Draw
• Bedroom – Stacked rings, Rug, chair
• Closing room (Room 3)– Pedestal
• Enemy Defeat Room (Room 5) – Switch, Chandelier

Unity Compiling

• Animations and sound on Death Screen

Sound Effects

• Monster Punch (death screen)
• Monster Laughter (death screen and misc)
• Tense music
• Win Music

Code

• Enemy death
• Footsteps and breathing code

First deliverable

Working Rooms – Hallway, bedroom and living room

Player can walk into a dimly lit room, pick up a torch by walking near it, this will help them find the first key to the living room

Player then clicks the door into the living room. They walk to the front table where they can pick up the next key – to be hidden in the next set of weekly tasks (next deliverable)

The player then returns to the hallway and moves onto the bedroom where they find the next key.

Again the hiding will be in the next deliverable.

Mouse fixed to the centre of the screen with cross hair to show where you are looking.

Completed

Mostly a success except the ball physics (UPDATE – Fixed 3.4.13)

Lock and key currently not working (UPDATE – Fixed 26.1.13)

Second Deliverable

First set of rooms at a working standard, same as above, keys hidden (the key reveals itself in the hallway only after the player picks up the torch). In a lock box and under toys (for living room and bedroom respectively), room 3 added and player moves into the centre of the room and triggers an animation as the room becomes smaller. Living room has multiple places to search for the key (opening objects when you stand near them)

The player is then back in the hallway and can move to the next final room. The player can enter, get the key (currently unhidden) and then moves to the exit as the game ends.

The start and end is the main menu with a GUI for a button.

Completed

Again a success story, the only issue is with room 3, the walls can move through the player if positioned correctly.

When clicking the key in living room not always perfect collision detection. (UPDATE – Fixed 11.4.13)

Third Deliverable – Final (Update – 5.4.13 - 3.5.13 )

Fully textured and modelled rooms, keys all hidden to their final standard. Hallway through to room 3 as before, keys finalised. Scene changes now cycle through various hallway scenes (multiple copies of the same scene that have slight changes each time).

Spoiler alert - Once room 3 is complete the player heads to the Enemy Chase room – There is a short delay while the player is held to listen to the sound effect of the monster creeping up, the player is then released as all the lights begin switching themselves off. The key appears and once clicked the Enemy is released from behind the wall which the player is stood looking at. Sound effect Monster scream.

The player is chased through the room and has a choice at the end of the corridor. One door leads to a dead end, the player will get caught here and dies, the other door leads to a button which the player uses to drop the chandelier and if timed right kills the enemy. A key is left and the player uses this to go to through the next door and lives.

(Update 16.5.13)
Completed