Isometric Project

Isometric Project

Here are some examples of isometric games that gave me and my group an idea of what sort of game we are aiming to achieve:

Hades

Information about Hades:

Zagreus, the son of Hades, as he attempts to escape from the Underworld to reach Mount Olympus, at times aided by gifts the other Olympians bestow on him. Each run contains a random series of rooms populated with enemies and rewards. The game features a hack and slash combat system, the player uses a combination of a main weapon attack, a special attack, a dash ability, and a magic ability to defeat enemies while avoiding damage to progress as far as possible.

This shows us the game has a end goal and a finish, Zagreus is trying to escape the "underworld" that is crowded with enemies. This gives me an idea of a survival where you have to escape somewhere dangerous.

Age of Empires

Information about Age of Empires:

It is a action packed game, as well as the first major release from Assemble Studios. It was one of the first history-based real-time strategy games made, utilizing the Genie Game Engine. Game Spot described it as a mix of Civilisation and Warcraft The game gives players a choice of 12 civilizations to develop from the stone age to the Iron age The expansion pack, The Rise of Rome.

This gave an idea of making a game a blast from the past. I want players to be reminded of the good old times they had in their past. The players will feel nostalgia run down themselves. This makes players have a deep connection with our game.

Isometric video game graphics are graphics employed in video games and pixel art that use a parallel projection, but which angle the viewpoint to reveal facets of the environment that would otherwise not be visible from a top-down perspective or side view, thereby producing a three-dimensional effect.

Project Setup

   My role of the project is: 3d modelling and managing the concept.

My mood board:

First model: A Platform for the level

Here are some Ideas that have gave me some inspiration.

                            1st step, adding a cube, scaled.                                                                          

          2nd step, assigning material using hold right mouse button and then clicking "add new material", I used green to make grass.

                 3rd step, equalising the platform, using the scale tool                                                

  4th step, adding extra details, using more cubes and expanding them using the scale tool, this is the front / entrance of the island. 

        5th step, Expanding the back of the platform to give it more detail and a more realistic look.

Following the 5th step.

adding more extensions.

Making the island bigger and more detailed, starling to see more resemblance to the examples.

starting to make the island bigger for some more space.

Island is now more spacious, this makes it easier for more models to fit onto the island.

finished island, its very similar to the example below, I chose this example because I really think that it suits the theme of our game the most. Its simple, there's a lot of space, its nice and bright, the the most highlighted is green which is popular in isometric games.

Problem solving:

I struggled with how I was going to make this island

similar to my examples, I overcame this problem by having my example displayed on my 2nd monitor. I also struggled with making enough space for trees and plants, I got over this problem by selecting the whole model and making it bigger with the scale tool.

    Second model: paddle boat

             Examples of a paddle boat:       

                                                      

 I chose these examples/models because they are simple, match the island, its efficient.

 

Modelled using cubes, Edge loops and scaling.

I first start with a cube and made it bigger to give it shape, I then used more cubes

on the sides and used to the copy and paste tool followed with the move tool so I can make

a symmetrical outer shell of the boat.

Next this was approached with more cubes. moving, scaling and some

looks and comparisons of the model and the examples. The model and the example are 

very much a like. Simple and accurate.

was really easy to model, only took some scaling and using an amount of cubes. The only challenge of this was to rotate all these cubes and make the shape of the boat accurate to the examples.

Problem solving:

The challenges were resolved, the examples were put on the 2nd monitor to compare and inspect every inch of it to see how It can be accurate, learned from the island model.

                                                                        

             

Here is a barrel I made for another project, I am going to reuse this to make matters easier for our group to make surrounding models. I structured this by using primitives, edge loops, extruding.

Here are some of my ideas I got from the web:

Cylinder to create the shape of the barrel

I started to to select some faces so that I can begin to use edge loops

to create the metal bars that keeps the barrels shape,- this adds realism.

I added Edge Loops to manipulate the shape and to give it more of an appearance of a barrel. This gives the players more of a hint to what they are looking at is

in fact a barrel. The middle of the barrel has been expanded to give it even more of a realistic and pleasing appearance.

      Selecting and using the extrusion tool, to make the bars.

I will later on add a metal texture to the bars, I also will add a wood texture to the barrel.

This is starting to look more and more like a barrel.

    I extruded some faces to expand the bars using the move tool. giving it the metal bars to show the detail of the barrel. As you can see the bars are extended out of the barrel,

this indicates where the metal bars are going to be placed.

  Here is a UV snap shot to show the shape and confident    build of the barrel. You can see the centre, top and bottom of the barrel.

My Barrel Texture:

As you can see their is metal for the bars and there is oak wood for the barrel.

Problem solving

I had a problem with the extrusion, it was all new to me,

I had no idea how to do it. I used YouTube and I asked

my lecture for some help.

The video showed what keys I had to use and what I 

had to select to extrude my barrel.

Base game, some cubes to make out some islands,

moved using the move tool and enlarged by using the scale tool:

Added textures and some models, trees, bushes and rocks. These models were made in maya by Lewis.

Here is a far away view of the level, It shows the islands, the trees, the water, the platforms, the rocks and the bushes.

A bridge made out of cubes and a wooden texture, made using the move and rotate tools. This bridge was added to add some life to the level.

Here are some examples of a low poly spider, This is the idea of the spider and how the spider is going to look. This will be made using shapes and some tools.

Here is a look of the enemy in our game:

Game Design DOCUMENT (GDD)

Game Name: Isometric Game                      

Genre: Isometric

                                     

           

Game Elements, Game elements are what the player will be doing for entertainment: Doing parkour, collecting objects and reaching the end.

Player, the number of players who can play the game: 1 person can play the game, it is solo.

Technical Specs:

Technical Form, There are 2d graphics (flat) and there are 3d graphics (form): There is 3D graphics

View, Camera view from which the player will experience the game: The camera view is 3rd person

platform, iOS, Android, Mac, PC: The platform for my game is PC.

language, C#, C++, Ruby, Java: C#

device, PC, Mobile, Console: The device is a PC.

Gameplay:

In this isometric game it is your goal to do parkour for your very own survival.

You must do the parkour level safely and carefully. Take in the atmosphere of the game and let it take you

to nostalgia, this game is very old school and entertaining to those who like classic games.

For your entertainment collect coins and dodge the enemies in your path.

Beware of the spiders!

Gameplay Outline

winning

losing

objective

parkour

end

finish

start

1 to 2

a to b

opening the game

All these component's are perfect points on why the game

is simple and suitable for those who are under 12!

It is a simple A to B game, you do not have to think a lot about your next moves or having to remember your steps. This makes the game friendly to players who don't like slow and boring games.

you are given a simple but clean START screen, this is an appealing point of the players interests.

Key Features:

A clean start screen

Simple gameplay

Simple story

Suitable for most ages

Parkour driven game

3D Platform

Currency collection

Design Guidelines

The goal of the design was to be a old school driven game with very simple game mechanics such as a W to move, S to move left and D to move right.

Games Design Definitions

You, the player are challenged to reach the end by finishing the course and reaching the end, to do this you must collect at least 5 coins, master the parkour and survive against the enemies.

Player definition:

100 health

W A S D and space movement

your weapon is to jump on top of the enemies and squish them

actions: jump, walk and run.

Player rewards

In the game the player will receive:

victory / you win! screen

coins replenish health faster

trophy at the end of the run

level up

    User Interface (UI)

W - move forward

S - walk backward

D - move right

A - move left

Space - jump

Shift - sprint

These are the most efficient and suitable controls in any game, the buttons are close together. You don't have to move your hand across the keyboard to press 1 button.

 The worst layout for example would be L, N,Y, Q and C these buttons are no where near each other and you will struggle to have fast reactions in the game. Stressing the player.

It is important to have a player hooked on to easy and reliable controls, to have your hand not move around absolutely everywhere is a huge convenience to have. 

Keyboards also provide the option to have macros. keyboards nowadays have dedicated macro keys, doing a series of commands to a single key press can have a incredible change in competitive games.

macro keyboard: