Gameplay & Interactivity
With designing the level, after the initial map was made, I was happy to start modelling out the basic shape of all the rooms of the level. i did this in separate Maya files, then accumulated them all into one. That way it was easier to keep track of my progress in building the level up.
I constantly saved individual levels and level pieces/props into their own files so they weren't crammed into one. After modeling a couple of rooms and their individual props, i found that, despite my lack of experience with Maya, i was learning to model with ease and was enjoying it very much.
Granted, i did have to seek out some help at different stages if i ran into a complication with the program, but i wasn't having as much difficulty with it as i thought i would.
It was also at this time that i was getting to grips with the basics of working with Unity. Much like with Maya, although it seemed rather intimidating on the surface, once i started to practice with it and watch some online tutorials, things became a great deal easier to grasp.
I recommend both the free tutorials on Unity's website, and the paid tutorials of Digital Tutors (Plurasight).
I definitely reveled in the aspect of designing for something sci-fi themed.
I am aware that i may struggle more with soft surface things, like organic stuff, much to the same degree as i do in 2d design.
I had a largely basic but whole design. I Spent quite some time getting to grips with the coding.
some was easy to grasp, looking at the layout of the code with logic. However this is definitely something i want to work on. The coding aspect is essentially how to make it all work, and i see the various potential of learning that to a greater level. Plus, once i can make something actually work with code, its incredibly fun.
Time was spent on trying out variations of items and rooms. I had a number of variants for the control room. Its funny how the ,more i get into the design of the level, the more i want to do and create for it. A number of of Maya designs will be left out of the final piece, though i shall include them in the file structure when i hand the work in.
Playtests of the Game at a few different stages were very helpful and ultimately successful. i had a number of reviews, and the comments definitely improved the overall experience.
Once i had the game-play and designs nailed down, it was merely a matter of the feedback to the user. I had to implement text on screen, atmospheric music in the background and lights & animations that activated upon the users actions.
Overall, i am extremely happy with the level that i have produced. i will note that there are plenty of things i would have improved upon, had we had more time. things such as size of level (i.e. i would have added some more rooms and playable space to explore).
