This week I worked at the inventory and item system, adding new items and building up the mechanic of re-use enemies without using the data model behind build using Machine Learning. We discussed how the item systems would work; we detailed the player interface and started introducing the 3D models to the game.
Group contributions: difference of perspective and work in progress
The overall climate of the team interaction this week was different from the previous iteration. We were more severe in general, and I believe it might be some reflection of the past week. Despite the uncomfortable feeling, I moved more my tickets to the Jira board and added the features that we discussed previously. We also continued to discuss the scope of our project. We started to remove or replace some features in alignment with what was described by the story.
After I presented the prototype of the inventory system and the different weapons that I had implemented, we discussed the first weapon, the nature of the other weapons and the combat system in general. We decided that a melee weapon was an initial weapon based on an energy system. I compromised myself to try to implement a secondary energy system to be more aligned with the story.
We agreed to use the recipe and ally system, and I added it to the final build. However, the icons related to the dropped icons were out of our discussion because they would demand additional effort from the rest of the team.
The game also started to get much more enjoyable with the usage of the 3D model provided by Luke. Now I was able to make the player run and have some better reactions to their actions. Again, the player model applied was something interesting to present.
Another progress was towards the adoption of a camera shader that pixelated everything. At the start of the project, we planned to use a 2D/isometric view, and now we saw it working. It was an admirable achievement; however, I don’t feel it contributed to representing the game’s theme.
Personal development: inventory system, camera, gameplay and 3D
This week I spent much time on activities that looked simple at the end but took a lot of effort. For example, the inventory system and the introduction animation using a 3D model were a challenge in my practice. However, I’m pretty happy with the results.
When I started by reviewing the inventory system, I imagined that I would need only an Array of custom Game Objects that the player actions could use. Although, in essence, it is just that simple with many different complicators, from the usage of an Item to their representation at the inventory and the game, it was time-consuming. The result was a mix of using a third-party plugin and a customised set of items.
The introduction of a 3D model also brought me a new learning curve. I found it particularly useful; it helped me learn to use 3D assets that I was avoiding without a particular reason. The principles are the same as 2D assets, with some specificities of the format. The introduction of the player models was an activity easy to accomplish.
Conclusion: managing conflict and resolutions
From all mistakes I made in the “720’s” the scope’s definition was the most dangerous. The end of my project was frustrating because I had to move out a lot of ideas in the direction of what I was able to accomplish and not in the order of what I would like to do or envisioned. I felt this week that I would make the same error when we agreed with the melee system and energy system without the compromise that I needed to finish it. I firmly believe that we have some playable prototype that needs the levels to be testable, but I think this is a reasonable effort to accommodate the story.
Our team discussed some of the topics presented in the Spry Fox talks since Week 6 ; we kept talking about playtesting but until now weren’t able to pursue this activity. I feel that is more likely if we are running together pursuing different goals.
References
References3D Modeling for Unity: The Complete Guide 🕹️ Game-Ace (2019) Game-Ace |. Available at: https://game-ace.com/blog/3d-modeling-for-unity/ (Accessed: 13 October 2021).
(6) How to Animate Characters in Unity 3D | Animator Explained – YouTube (no date). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vApG8aYD5aI&ab_channel=iHeartGameDev (Accessed: 13 October 2021).
(6) Simple Inventory System in Unity (Store, Use, Stack and Drop Items) – YouTube (no date). Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2WnAOV7nHW0&ab_channel=CodeMonkey (Accessed: 13 October 2021).
Create an Unity inventory: Part 1: Basic data model | by Yone Moreno Jiménez | Medium (no date). Available at: https://medium.com/@yonem9/create-an-unity-inventory-part-1-basic-data-model-3b54451e25ec (Accessed: 13 October 2021).
Creating a Character Inventory System in Unity (no date) Unity Learn. Available at: https://learn.unity.com/project/creating-a-character-inventory-system-in-unity (Accessed: 13 October 2021).
Technologies, U. (no date a) Unity – Manual: Animation. Available at: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/AnimationSection.html (Accessed: 13 October 2021).
Technologies, U. (no date b) Unity – Manual: Art Asset best practice guide. Available at: https://docs.unity3d.com/2020.1/Documentation/Manual/HOWTO-ArtAssetBestPracticeGuide.html (Accessed: 13 October 2021).
Unity Tutorial: How to Use Animator Controllers and Triggers (2016) Studica Blog. Available at: https://www.studica.com/blog/unity-tutorial-animator-controllers (Accessed: 13 October 2021).
Lucas Souza 