Final Mech update

Final Mech Model. Textured and in engine. The tendons and eyes will now indicate the mech's state of alertness (i.e. green-unaware, yellow-cautious, red-target in sight). This will directly affect the combat as unaware mechs (green status) can be taken down with one hit, where as fully alerted mechs (red status) require substantially more hits.

This is a link to the latest video of the game:  http://vimeo.com/37944447

Sentry Thumbnails - First Pass

This is my first pass at the sentry's design. I'll be making a few more for good measure.

-David

New Mech Thumbnails

Starting designs on new mech. Here are the thumbnails. However, last meeting we discussed production time. Not sure about the feasibility of adding a wholly new character in the game, so we are gonna try for iterations on the original via different armor bits. Additionally, a new enemy type will be in the works: a camera sentry. I'll give those a pass as well.

-David

UDK Texture Test

Test screenshot of the mech's updated texture. Already seeing where I could improve. Damage spots could be placed in better locations and some kind of grime could be added in some places.


-David

Demo Day

Demo Day was awesome!

This a play through video:
http://vimeo.com/33377894

-David Woo

Update

Sorry for dropping off the radar. Got crazy busy a with few projects. But here's my update. Test model is built and rigged. Although not required, I was able to put on a temporary texture for the December Demo Day. Designs for the mech are still being revised and this model will be replaced, but its good enough to showcase "proof of concept" and will make the process for the final build much easier. Further, because of this model's modular design, the level designers will implement various parts of the model into the final level.

Weapon Concepts

David, if you can tell me if there's one you like, I will work on fleshing out that concept further for this week. Time: 3 hours.

Scanner issues

I have been encountering some scanning problems, I will scan in the work I did this week as soon as I get it worked out. I worked about 8 hours this week.

sorry!

Weapon Studies

First pass at Iris' weapon.

-David

Soldier Studies

There's are the Soldier concepts. The Art Director will do a final pass on them.

-David

Sniper Studies

Designs for the Sniper. I'll be meeting up with the USC team on Sunday to finalize the Foot Soldier designs. We gotta have a maquette of the basic soldier up an running.

Heavy Study

Trying to push the bulkiness in the heavy. It was decided at the meeting that the first level will be in the shipping hanger located at the bottom level of the low-orbiting space station. The first waves of machines the player will encounter will be multipurpose heavy bots, lower level foot soldiers, and snipers. I've been doing pencil sketches of the sniper and will be making Photoshop images soon. Further, Ryan and Adad will be teaming up to develop a refined design for this level.
The is a deadline to get as much mockette assets (place holders) in by December in order to showcase proof-of-concept at the USC demo day. Further refinement will continue after this, so this is NOT a release deadline. More like a milestone.
This will mean that I have to hammer out the final designs of the mechs ASAP so that I can create a scale model stand-in for the animators to work with. It'll be a "place holder" but the truth of the matter is that it will probably not change. It'll end up in the game somehow, so I gotta make sure the rig they animate is solid so that they won't have to redo all their work.
The body parts could be boxes, but the scale and proportions HAVE to be locked down soon.

Neta Logos

After many crappy 1st, 2nd and 8th drafts, here are some logo designs I think could be pretty fitting.

Props

Time: four hours

Mech Concepts - Heavy

Still got a lot of work to do, but here's some ideas I had for the Heavy Class. Although, some of them may work as a Foot Soldier Class.

-David

Mech Notes

These are my notes based on the direction I was given by the art leads followed by additional directions drawn up by Lindsey Laney.

-David

Logo Concepts

On the left, some logo designs. My favorite is the one at the very top. On the right are various prop concepts, security cameras/access stations, portable oil canisters, a pump station, and a bunch of random cool looking stuff, that could come in handy. Please please please pick what you like and what you don't, and elaborate. I need your opinions to take the design to a point where all members are satisfied.

Looking forward to some feedback so i can take some of these further.

Prop Concepts

Here are some exploratory concepts of crates/storage containers in three different styles.

Including research, it took four hours. 

Mech Thumbnail Designs - Round 2

Here's my latest rendition of the mech designs.

-David

Design Driven Narrative

This is my written suggestions for Blink's world development. I just wanted to emphasize that these are merely suggestions that are specifically aimed at giving direction for the game's visual design. I feel it simple gives reason to the games original intentions and yet is still mailable and open ended enough to allow for the perfunctory changes the always happen during any game's development.

Blink - Design Driven Narrative

David Woo

Setting:

1. What’s the same - Futuristic medical facility in space. Purpose for facility is research in cybernetic enhancement.
2. What’s different - Purpose for facility is research in cybernetic enhancement AND teleportation run by government but disguised as a prosthetic research lab.
   
3. Reason -

• This would be an obscenely expensive facility to run. No private investor could afford this as a hobby. Government funding would justify such an elaborate set up. It would justify the need to develop such an expensive weapon (defend country from hostile aggressors).
• It is a secret facility (i.e. disguised) so it would justify why its beautifully designed and aesthetically pleasing. A military hospital is very different from, say, a prosthetic research facility run by M.I.T.
• Additionally, it would justify why there are certain areas the player cannot teleport to. A facility developing this technology would have safety measures to protect its valuable research, but in game speak: guide the player through the levels while still allowing them to roam and explore without accidentally falling off the game grid or prematurely advancing a level.

Antagonist:

1. What’s the same - He wants Iris. He’s an omnipresent being, like a dark cloud looming over you, always watching. His (personally, I would like it to be a her, but whatev’s ^_^ ) presence is known throughout the facility, like clues to a grizzly murder with his fingerprints all over but there’s nothing you can do, ‘cause he’s in control... for now.
2. What’s different - he’s a spy (from an opposing country with better technology, hence the need to spend so much money on this project) disguised as your ally. He appears to be helping you “escape” from this “prison facility” but is in fact trying to steal YOU, Iris - the secret weapon. He has hacked the facility, taken control of the automated service and maintenance robots, and cleared the facility of the HUMAN inhabitants (by trapping and locking them away somewhere).
3. Reason -

• This would justify why there are no other humans in the game. In order to successfully manipulate Iris, he would have to remove all the sentient beings and recognizable faces who could thwart his master plan. It would also justify why the machines are attacking all human targets as most normal humans would run and hide. But Iris isn’t normal now, is she?
• Additionally, this would justify why the robots look humanoid and have their delicate innards exposed and why the facility has more of them instead of actual people. The robots are like automated wardens and nurses; big enough to carry patients (like help them onto their bed) and yet vulnerable enough to be susceptible to melee attacks (a war machine would be bullet proof and have no visible weaknesses).
• Some robots don’t have to look humanoid, like maintenance droids who need to be able to climb up walls and ceilings to change light bulbs and fix air vents. (*Hint, hint. *Wink, wink. *Cough-Licker-from-Resident-Evil-cough.)

Protagonist:

1. What’s the same - Special agent. Professional, driven, kicks ass, acrobatic, victim of circumstance. Her motivation is to get out and blow up base. She is barely coming to understand her powers allowing for progression and development.
2. What’s different - She still thinks this is a evil experiment and must escape, but the reality is that she volunteered for this experiment and is being manipulated by antagonist via mind control collar (or something). She was infiltrated/assimilated at end of her final cybernetic upgrade so she is still not quite familiar with her abilities (even more so now with the mind control device). She comes to after the coup d'état (i.e. in medias res) unaware of the preceding events and under the influence of a controlled amnesia. Think “The Bourne Identity.”
3. Reason -

• This would justify why the character can effectively use the teleportation ability (as opposed to, like, accidentally teleporting herself inside out) and can control her super human strength/acrobatic/combat abilities (ditto, like accidentally crushing her head on the ceiling from jumping too high or ripping her face off when she wipes her nose) BUT still allow for her to discover new abilities and techniques.
• Design wise, this would justify why she has cool looking outfits that look like they were custom designed for her i.e. form fitting but maybe also that teleport with her, as opposed to accidentally reappearing in the nude. (Although in retrospect that sounds kinda cool. *Snicker, snicker ;)
• Also, this justifies why she can access/use cool and interesting weapons. A prison would have a sparse selection or, more than likely, only have weapons that are ineffective against the robotic guards.