An Update....

We are now working on Level 4 and are about 1.2 finished with the game.

Building Houses...?

Building Houses...?

I love telling people about my progress and listening to them say to me, "You haven't finished the first level, yet?"

I ask them, "Have you ever made a video game?

They reply, "No."

"So you have no idea what goes into a video game."

(the 'I just stuck my foot in my mouth' look on their face is priceless)

"Have you ever made a house?"

"No. But, what that go to do with anything?"

"Simple. Dig this analogy.

Systematically speaking, making a video game is just like building a house.

Before you make a single room and lay a single square inch of carpet, you have to lay a solid foundation of concrete upon a level surface of dirt, plumbing, and primary electrical outlet which provide the house a horizontal basin, clean water, and adequate electricity. All of these things have to finished and the concrete dried before any of the framework can be erected.

And since I am a one man crew (with a part-time artist drawing the aliens) cutting the wood and assembling the framework has to wait until all of the previous work is finished.

And let's think back even farther, before doing any physical work, all the materials have to be purchased, all of the permits have to be in place and the permits are not going to be granted if my design is lacking. Thus, the design has to happen, first. Most likely, the design will go through several changes and modifications to fix any errors or oversights.

Now given this analogy I would not make a single level or a room without all of the prior work conceived, labored upon for several days (maybe even weeks), double checked, and finished."

I just love when people jump to conclusions about a topic for which they know nothing about... It's gives me a chance to share information :)

Simulating Reality in Video Games

The term 'gaming realism' might come across as a contradiction, but in terms of enjoyment, many gamers prefer realism. It's an often unspoken truth that most modern game designer's aim for realism.

 

From the perspective of fictional genres like role playing or adventure or non-fictional genres like sports and simulators all games improve when the environment, music, and game play have a psychological effect on the player, such that the player literally forgets that he or she is playing a video game.

The best example of entertainment is always that which the viewer forgets that he or she is being entertained and simply enjoys the moment.

While a lot of games are fun to play, addicting, and deceptively easy, some games go for that extra mile...

Example #1:

The first Unreal used cutting-edge graphics and choreographed music to pull the player into an alien world.

 

At the beginning of the game when you leave the prison ship and find yourself on a alien world, the music and the extreme beauty of the surrounding area pulls in the player. Then after you venture out and become relaxed by the music and at ease with the paradise-like surroundings you are attacked by two huge aliens with rocket-powered handguns. there was no time to think. It's fight or flight!. Personally, I was running for my life...

 

Then in the next level after much exploring, you are in a cavern. The lights go out one-by-one suddenly you are face to face with a knife-wielding monster. After you die or after you kill him, you breath a sigh of relief and look about the room you are in (outside the game) and you remember "this is just a game".

Example #2:

The blood and guts routine of the first Diablo game may have been too much for some players, but for me it was a breath of fresh air.
I have always had a disdain feeling for movies where an army of zombies or a league of demons would kill 99% of the world's inhabitants then be mindful enough to remove the dead bodies from the streets and sidewalks. At the moment, the movie ended for me. I was no longer 'took in' by what the characters were doing.

 

Whereas in Diablo 1, the player is in pursuit of a band of demons who kidnapped a group of people, ransacked a church, and killed everyone inside. We 'the players' of this game knew that everyone died, because their bodies were scattered, all over the place. Hanging, from ceiling, shoved into walls, half-eaten, ripped to pieces...heads and limbs were used a décor. That is realism.

Example #3:

The Dragon Age Saga is one set of games that sought realism through relationships, both personal and political.
These relationships affect gameplay and the ability of the player to beat the game; much like real life. Some relationships are constructive and empowering while other relationships are destructive and harm our advancement.

Example #4:

Another such games is "Eternal Darkness: Sanity's Requiem", wherein the game designer's used sanity effects and real-world sounds to mess with the mind of the player.

Sanity effects:

from----

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eternal_Darkness:_Sanity's_Requiem#Sanity_effects

The game's standout concept, patented by Nintendo, is the "sanity meter", a green bar on screen which is depleted by various events, generally when the character is seen by an enemy. It can be restored by such actions as performing a "finishing move" on an enemy or casting a restorative spell. As the bar becomes low, subtle changes are made to the environment and random unusual events begin to occur, reflecting the character's slackening grip on reality. If the bar remains empty, further damage to sanity decreases the player character's health.

One effect which is consistently used is a skewed camera angle accompanied by whispers, cries, and unsettling noises. The lower the sanity meter, the more skewed the camera angle and the louder the sound effects. Fourth wall breaking effects include simulated errors and anomalies of the TV or GameCube (one effect being a Blue Screen of Death); this does not affect gameplay unless the player misconstrues them as actual technical malfunctions and attempts to correct them. There are many different sanity effects, the length they last depends on each effect. Not all effects will necessarily be encountered during a given run through the game. A few more commonplace examples include sounds, such as footsteps, women and children screaming, doors slamming, the rattling of chains and the sound of a blade being sharpened; the player character finding him/herself walking upon the ceiling after entering a new room; walls and ceilings bleeding; the volume being lowered, accompanied by a fake television volume indicator on the screen; and the appearance of large numbers of monsters that are not really there, and disappear when attacked. Some sanity effects are character- or area-specific and reflect the individual's personal fears or experiences or take advantage of environmental features (such as a statue whose head turns to follow the player). When the sanity effect is finished, everything goes back to normal and the character often utters a panicked statement to the effect of, "this can't be happening!"

Rei Ayanami attempt #2:

My first attempt at drawing Rei Ayanami.

My second day drawing cartoons characters
My first attempt at drawing Rei Ayanami.
http://www.howtodrawmanga.com/pages/tutorial_rei

Newer Demo?

As you might have guessed, I am learning how to draw, right now.

I want my games to have an anime-styled characters in them.

Newer demos will have to wait until I am satisfied with my art.

My last shot at drawing Yuki Nagato...for now.

Literally, my first two attempts at drawing an anime character

 First attempt:

Second Attempt:

I was following this tutorial:
http://www.sketchheroes.com/account/blackbat66/how_to_draw/how-to-draw-yuki-nagato

I will do it again tomorrow, probably using Game Maker's sprite editor.

Model of the tower in the opening scene of Warrior Doll 0

The XteC and the DMSP are modeled!

The Assassin has taken shape!

The Pterodactyl has taken shape!

The Pterodactyl continues to develop!

The Pterodactyl is talking shape!

I am currently modeling the '3D version of the Pterodactyl for the 'OCTO FORCE: the Paradigm Experiment'.

The Silicon Sorcery Studios Website <----

Other works of art by Scoltt Montgomery can be found here.

Learning with Blender

I am making my first building for Octo Force.

This will be the capital building in Logan, the capital city of planet, Andor.

What a powerful piece of software!

I originally came across 3D Max in my late teens.

At the time I had already discovered that drawing was not a natural talent of mine.

And, I had a misconception that in order to use 3D rendering software like 3D Max you had to know how to draw and draw well.

And thus I never got into 3D animation or CGi art.

But like I said that was a misconception.

Software like Blender or 3D Max allows anyone of any talent level to create dazzling, movie-quality graphics and animation with digital tools and environments.

I am currently on my third tut and I already feel much more confident in my knowledge of 3D animation and CGi art.

In an hour or so I will begin my first trial project.

The last 48 hours

I feel like I have landing upon a major turning point in my success due to the crossroads I have tread in the last 48 hours.

I decided to Use Blender and Not 3D Max.

From what I have read in multiple posts Blender is very simple and easy

Blender is also supported by its parent company. They also made several great tuts on YT.

Whereas, I doubt Autodesk supports their older versions of 3DMax.
It does not make business sense that Autodesk would support their older versions if they want ppl to buy or rent the new versions of Maya or 3DMax.

Originally I was planning on using 3D Custom Girl and then upgrading to Maya.

Finding old versions of Blender and 3D Max changed in my life last night.

Two New Planes!

The Triple Shot:

The Tri Plane:

It's alive!!!

I got the Pterodactyl moving and jumping in mecha form. One of the legs move, but the movement isn't correct and the foot isn't attacked.

Once I get the legs working and the feet connected, I will try putting up a vid on YT.

complications....

Making the necessary adjustments to the player object so the sprite can transform is a bit complicated. This might take a few days.

Are you a GM newbie?

Take this advice someone who has already been down the GM tutorial path....don't use the tutorials in GM. They are ridiculously full of errors.

Use the tutorials from youtube.

I would start with Shaun Spalding.

https://www.youtube.com/user/999Greyfox

I have recommended Shaun to many other beginners.
Everyone agrees: Shaun is the shit.

Shaun made the game 'Another Perspective'.
It's for sale at his site.

The game was so good, that 'the game' got him a high paying job in the gaming industry. That is how good he is.

His tutorials are simple, straight forward, and step by step.
The sound quality is very clear and no awkward accent. Often these are major problems in YT tuts.

Introduction:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6v_7URcEGm8&list=PLPRT_JORnIurFYwHdWhLWR3bLH2nzChsm&index=1

Basic tutorial:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hzMNunoPd0o&list=PLPRT_JORnIurFYwHdWhLWR3bLH2nzChsm

Small update

Fixed the Sphere (boss) Animation.

Update will be included in next demo.

I am considering adding the Sparkle Shot weapon ahead of schedule.

New Screenshots!