So I finished the terrain and brought in David with his animations.
Do you think that went as expected?

I decided to do all my modeling via blender this time, so that I could work on my models at work and at home. Seemed like a great idea at the time.

Apparently not only can you not export particles into an FBX file in Blender, you can do soft bones either.  Unity just doesn't recognize them.

Which is funny because Unity recognized my animations with MakeHuman when I used 3D Studio Max. So to all the kiddies out there who want to model just remember...

MakeHuman + Blender + Unity =

MakeHuman + 3D Studio Max  + Unity =

So where does that leave me now?  I will have to go back to MakeHuman re-export him out with a different rigging system... probably the one that is used for 3D Studio Max.  I'll have to re-do weight painting and all his animations.

Are you wondering about the sheep and leopard?
Well the lamb was what I was anticipating spending extra time on.  I was going to use the Hair Factory 1.0 to get his wool in, but now I don't have time for that.  Also, when I brought the lamb into Unity he was laying on his side. 

One of my actions has him laying on his side, so it magically translated all the animations to him being on his side.  Now I could have the lamb running around on his side...
It would be a cross between freaky and freaking hilarious.
That's an easy fix...
What isn't though is converting the model into a sheep.  Re-Mapping and texturing him. 
Pass.  I just need a generic sheep.
So Unity has an asset store.  I decided to act like the professionals and just purchase a generic sheep with animations.

Well, while I'm at I might as well get a lion too.

Setup Actions

So I'm running slightly behind.
I was supposed to have the terrain done.  That won't take long though, so I'll be caught up today.
Let me tell you about my modeling woes.

Where should I start?
David.
David's rigging system is setup through MakeHuman, so accessing the bones to weight paint is complicated.  I used an alternative route of duplicating his mesh to extend past his body and then using that to deform the clothes. Here's the tutorial for that

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BucNKZuO6z8&list=FLYWkLjPlHSn6kn4uMzTpP1w&index=7

Do I recommend this technique?
No.
It's better to save your character without clothes.
Then have a separate file with the clothes joined and then weight paint.
When polygon count is high this technique will lock up blender and cause you to do this...

Either way for unity you set up his animation by using the action editor.
He has 7 actions setup in blender, let's hope it transitions well to Unity.

• Attack with Slingshot (PITA I had to do this 1 frame @ a time)
• Attack with Staff (Same problem)
• David Heal - This became a serious time delay where I realized that using MakeHuman's rig plus the deformer technique was going to be a serious problem. David couldn't bend and have his clothes deform properly.  One day I'll redo the whole thing, but there's no time. This animation is so lame.
• David Lookout - Just David standing watch
• David Run
• David Walk

                                                                                                                                                            

Next the sheep. The model I got online.  Remember how I said getting free models did  not always mean simplicity. 
Most of the time I spent with the sheep was on research. I do a lot of research for all my characters.
The problem came after I decided to  make the lamb look like a sheep by adding wool.

Nice huh? 
Well...  apparently you cant import fur or hair into Unity via fbx file.
The most I could find out was that the hair has to ported over as a separate mesh.

I haven't attempted it yet.  There was a suggestion to download
Hair Factory 1.0 by MajorNightmare
http://www.blendswap.com/blends/view/48987
I think he named himself this when he found out he couldn't port his hair into a gaming program, realized he would have to create a program to do so... bet that was a major nightmare!
With my luck their webpage was having issues, so you couldn't register for free or paid.  You just couldn't log in.  You can't download if not logged in. It finally came back up on Sunday.
So I haven't tried it yet. 

Otherwise, the sheep actions are setup.

• trot
• grazing
• collapse
• stand

                                                                                                                                                            


Alas, the leopard.  Let me just put it this way, I should've just redid the lion.
First of all the model is mediocre.  It looked presentable at first.  But the original modeler did not join the mirrored mesh.  I couldn't tell until I went to UV texture map him with problems up the ying yang.

Based on this pic, you're probably thinking I'm nuts because he looks good.  The reason I say the model is mediocre is because the modeler didn't pay close attention to the shape of the animal, especially around the haunches. When the leopard run his body doesn't expand correctly.  He looks like Garfield the Jaguar running out for more food.  

Was that the only problem with the leopard?  No.

I decided to use the leopard as backup after the lion incident since tigers are not in that region.

In the game I originally wanted to use lions, wild dogs, or hyenas. (And will do so eventually.)

Part of me was hesitant on using the leopard, but I couldn't place why.  After researching Jaguar movement I soon discovered why.

Leopards are solitary cats.  In the game there will be points when several leopards run out to attack the sheep. Leopards don't hunt in packs like my first choices.

Leopards are the only cat that use gravity to assist with killing.  They climb 20-30 feet up in a tree and then pounce on their victim to bring them down. Then grab them by the throat for the kill.

Splendid video here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LsZaD92ZryY&list=FLYWkLjPlHSn6kn4uMzTpP1w&index=1

They do blend well within the brush, which is a plus for the game. 

I considered for a moment coloring him as a mountain lion.  Unfortunately, mountain lions are specific to the Americas.

He has the following actions setup:

• run
• attack
• cower

Project Outline

Guided by the hand of God become David as he shepherds flocks, battles Kings and agendas, romances women, and builds alliances to become a great King.

Genre: Action-RPG

Theme: Ancient Middle East/ Egyptian

Target Market: Mature

Gameplay

Player reenacts the life of David based on Biblical accounts.  The player's choices influence the responses David will make and ultimately what type of person, but do not change David's future.  The choices can slow the progression to the next stages. 

There are four stages that the player must cover in order to become King.

1.       Youth/Shepherd

Starting as a youth he shepherds sheep and builds up his skills in fighting with a staff, the slingshot, playing a lyre, and commandeering sheep to safety.  It is also the player's job to gather Godly words of wisdom which are verses from the Bible. He also needs to meet people within the village and continue to build up a reputation. Final stage is when Samuel blesses him with the Holy Spirit.

2.       Teen/musician & water boy for the soldiers

As a teen he learns about his own personal charming qualities and increases these skills with the people he meets and influences.  He studies with the priests and learns the power of prayer and music. He is enlisted by Saul to alleviate his demons.  It will be David's duty to fight off these demons. The final battle is the fight with Goliath.

3.       Young Adult/ Soldier

He is enlisted in the army where he has to learn strategy, mapping and maneuvering new weapons (swords and arrow) to fight the Philistines, Moabites, Syrians, Zobah, etc. Final fight is a private battle with Saul. A lose, lose.  If player character is about to win then Jonathan's begs David to spare Saul. Then because he's attacked the king, David has to flee the castle.

If character loses, he is forced to flee castle.

4.       Adult/ Wandering Militant

He builds up skills in languages, stealth, and foreign diplomacy. He still is in constant battle sometimes between random foreign soldiers, demons, but mostly Saul's soldiers.  He must train his men to fight Saul's men without killing. In order to become King, player must make the correct alliances and acquire the right 5 women.  The game will allow David to charm and build relationships with all women, but he must max out the relationship of a particular 5. One should have been maxed out by the end of stage 3.

5.       King

As King he continues to battle, but the real war is demons and lusts that attack him. As David ages, certain skills show depletion and must be replenished in order to get to the final scene. [Power of Prayer, certain relationships and alliances] David dies of old age, but the game will end with the final battle between David and the sons of Goliath.

Story

The setting is Ancient Israel.

Player 1

David

NPC

Sheep

Enemy

Leopards

For the extended game (stage 1 only) this list will expand to include:

·         David's father and brothers

·         Samuel

·         Voice of God and Fire sprite

Competition

                Because Christian based games are rare it is hard to think of a competitor.

The environment and culture I want to be similar to Assassin's Creed I but with the immersion of Sky Rim or Oblivion.

The armor and weapons should be reflective of the time period and upgradeable. There is an extensive list.

Design Team

Team of one, but there are several other Christian developers out there hoping to promote a good Biblical game. The plan would be to get everyone together to work on the project. 

Budget/Income

Kickstarter.com would be a great way to fund the project, if I decide to acquire a Team. The money acquired would set the budget for the game.

If personal funding is used, I'm probably looking at:

$1500 Unity Pro + $500 for team license = $2000

Estimate about $1250 for Console add-on

Acquire PS3 certification to develop:

http://us.playstation.com/develop/

Use of Blender for models and animation and it's free.

Possibly Marvelous Designer, which for an annual subscription is $20*12=$240

                                                                Monthly subscription: $40 per month

                                                                Complete Basic: $400 Advanced: $550

Acquisition of Models:  archive3d.net/?category=545‎

 

Schedule

This Schedule is only for the portion I will be coding for this class.

Week 1		Acquire Game Engine. Acquire Modeling Software.
Week 2		Start Creating Models David and Clothing
Week 3		Start or Acquire Models for Sheep and Leopard
Week 4		Build Armature. Animate models. Build Terrain.
Week 5		Setup Models within Unity. Script Camera. Script Main Character Actions. Script Enemy Actions. Start Scripting NPC Actions.
Week 6		Complete Scripting NPC Actions. Script HUD, health counter, map? Setup Triggers and Zones. Test. Maintain.
Week 7		Test and Finalize.