Nearly There

Starting to get to the pointy end!

On Thursday afternoon we had some non-AIM'ers come into the studio to do some user testing of the game. The results were generally positive. Everyone was able to play the game, thought it looked pretty good and found some of the challenges ''challenging''.  The testing also help us to find some problems such as:

• some of the terrain challenges were a big too ''challenging'' - the falling teeth came too suddenly for a first time player, the last climb up the mountain was almost impossible
  
• the start of the game was poorly designed - user started with a black screen because they were facing the wrong way by default
  
• the puzzle rooms were confusing, tho mainly because there are still no fully working puzzles
  

We also found a lot of technical problems with the game freezing and crashing. So far, one possible reason for these is that some of the models have very poor collision meshes that the engine cant handle. We will fix these meshes and hope thing will run more smoothly.

We will be running more tests in the next few days, and will be getting in more outside users on Tuesday and Wednesday. 

The sound guys have been in a couple of nights in the past week working in the studio, and they have started implementing audio into the game. So far level 2 has had sound put in.

The cinematic pieces are nearly finished. The trailer has been completed on our end, and is just waiting for some audio. This should be ready on Monday and will be available to view online.

The game launch is coming up on Thursday May 22. Invitations to the launch have started going out - via email and through Facebook. It will be held in the AIM studio, at 6:30pm.

Week 4 progress

Wow.... only about a week left!

There was a group meeting with the executives yesterday, where everyone got a chance to let off a bit of steam. We firmly established the fact that this project has been a big battle with technology. Our main problem has been, and continues to be, tackling the engine. Issues include:

• Being the first year to use the Torque game engine
• Large amount of coding and modifying the engine
• The lack of technically skilled people in the group
• The lack of resources and support material available for Torque
• The instability of the engine - tendencies to crash, poor error handling
• The lack of computers in the studio
• The integration between other programs (Maya, Constructor) and the engine

We have been working consistently at solving the problems as they occur, but because of the limiting resources a lot of bottlenecking occur at the engine stage, which then passes back up the production line and halts the whole project.

That being said, we are making progress. At this stage our results are:

• All the levels have been set up and we have been able to run around in certain parts of the space. However, there are problems with loading them all in the engine and unexpected blockages to pathways
  
• The concept team moved on to help with the production team over a week ago, and now the production team is moving on to help the engine team. Everyone is working closely and cooperatively with each other
• Adjustments to textures are being made
• Lighting have been put in but need to be adjusted. There are problems with lighting the Maya objects
  
• Objects that are problematic have either been removed or prioritised to be fixed according to the amount of work involved and their importance to the game
• We are still implementing and fixing the puzzles - working out the mechanics, adjusting textures, putting them into the game
• Need to install the teleports, puzzles and NPCs
• We have problems with creating the character and the NPCs, as it involves a lot of coding
• The terrain and the sky textures need to be modified
  
• Most of the game sounds have been made and are in the process of being put into the engine by the sound team - the sound guys have been making some great sound effects and coming into the studio to work with us. They have been working closely with Chris and Ziig, and have been taught how to implement audio into the engine
  
• The opening cinematic is finished, and the end cinematic and death sequence are in production

At the moment our number one priority is to load all the levels into the game, put in the puzzles, the teleports and the NPCs.

Also, we have been planning the launch night. We have created an identity for the game, designed the invitation for the launch and a web page for the game. There is a trailer for the game being produced at the moment.

This project has been a continuous problem solving exercise. There are still quite a bit to be done over the next week, but we'll get there!

Fixing the Models

We cannot stress enough about the importance of good file naming and file management. We've had dedicate a small team of people today to go through the Beta Testing folders and rename all the files to a uniform format because there were issues with the models and textures not linking up. Good news is that all the files have now been renamed and the links fixed. There are now people checking through the models to fix up any errors. We would have preferred to have avoided all these fiddly bits, but as they have happened all we can do is develop a system, make it a part of the process and keep on moving forward.

New images are available in the gallery of some of the models with textures.

Eureka!

HORRAH! The lighting problem is solved! Thanks to the brilliant minds of the Engine team!

Waiting for the IT people to come around and install the Maya plugins, which they had assured us will be ''by the end of the day''. This will ease up our current blockage and speed thing along greatly.

Week 3 Update

Hi all

We're half way into week three and things might be getting a little tense. Lets all try to breath and be focused.

Here's a summary of the progress to date.

Concept:

• All tasks of the Concept team are now completed, team members have moved on to help with production.

Production:

• All models are now complete, the only thing left now is to split up the puzzles.
• Textures are almost add defined - models will all have rough textures by the end of today

Engine

• The engine team has done a lot of research and solved a lot of problems, like importing files, sound, etc
• Part of the engine team has started setting up the levels to be ready for upload of the assets

Problems we're currently facing are mainly relating to the engine side of things.

• Need to solve the workings of the puzzles
• Need to solve lighting
• There is a bottle neck at the exporting of files from Maya to be placed in the engine as we can only perform this on one computer - need RMIT IT admin to install plugins on to the computers
  
• Testing in the engine has been hindered by the lack of ready for import models
• Refinement of models and textures are also held back as the production team is waiting for feedback after the testing

We are currently working at resolving these problems and have decided on two possible solutions. A decision will be made in the next 30 minutes:

1. Hassle the IT admin further to get the plugin installed, and find a solution to the lighting problem. If this is not achieved within the next half hour, then move onto point 2
2. Models for level 1 need to be remade in Constructor, which will be more work on production but can solve the lighting issue and ease the workload on the exporting of files from Maya

Stay tuned for the exciting outcome.

By the way, the image gallery has been updated with images of concept art and work in progress models.

There is an animation class tomorrow morning with David, can everyone please take this into consideration and put in more time this week to work on the project. I will be collecting everyone's intended working hours for Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

THANKS!!!

Week 3 Schedule

Welcome to Week 3!

You should have received a copy of the schedule for this week. There is about 20hrs of scheduled THOR work time for this week, which is actually below the quota. You are each expected to put in at least 5-8 additional hours. Please work out your extra hours and let me know today. If you're unable to do all the hours scheduled, please also make sure you reschedule your time with me and that I have a record of those changes. We will be recording your scheduled work times and checking them against your timesheet.

Attendance is important! We need everyone to be in the studio working everyday. If you are going to be absent you need to notify your team leader. From now on the producers will be ticking off attendance at the start of each day. Keep in mind that at the end of the project you will be marked by everyone else, so not being in the studio and working as a group will not be good for your mark.

Overall, everyone is being very productive. Some of you are exceptional! The producers are very aware of how everyone's coming along. Keep up the good work!

Tonight is Pizza Night! We will be working til about 8pm and enjoying pizza.


Finally, some important notes for the Production Team:

Make simple models!

Details can be added on using textures, keep models as simple as possible with minimum poly counts.

Use square shapes rather than circular shapes to keep poly counts down

Regularly check you poly count: Display → Poly Count

There should be no more than 300 polygons for large models.

DO NOT:
• Delete faces – use extrude faces instead
• Use NURBS, only use polygons – use the Create Poly Tool
• Use BOOLEAN

Be aware of where in the game the objects are placed, be aware of what the player can see – no need to be details for object that are in the background, in darkness or not close to the player’s view.

Ask Engine team for help if you’re not sure.

End of Week 2

We're almost wrapping up the second week! Only 3 more to go! Ideally our goal would be to have everything done and dusted by the Monday of the final week, so lets try out best to work towards that! This has been a very productive week! You guys all work so hard and produce amazing work. Thank you!!

Monday morning 9:30 will be a group meeting. Team leaders (or appointed representatives) will each give a quick presentation on their teams progress. This is expected to happen every Monday.

Marco - our sound man, will once again be attending. I have also arranged another sound producer to help out, and he will also be coming on Monday. So Concept team, please make sure you have sound design clearly defined and in a document that can be passed on. Engine team will need to be on top of the engine's capacities of handling sound files and be able to give clear instructions.

Engine team, a reminder: run through of terrain is on Monday.

Team leaders: remember to complete and return you team's production schedules to Kathryn or I asap.

I will be in on Friday and Sunday, and possibly Saturday (life? what's that?). 

Dont forget to do your timesheets. Label and name everything carefully.

Have a great weekend!

More updates for Week 2

The THOR server is ready! The team leaders are in the process of creating the appropriate folders for each team, we will give you login instructions first thing tomorrow (Thurs) morning.

A few things to note:

• Team leader meeting Thurs (30/4) 9:30am. Please arrive on time as David will be conducting a class in the morning so we need to be done before that.
• Team leaders need to complete a production schedule for his/her team with milestones planned.
• Please make sure you're following the file naming conventions when you save your files.
• We now have another sound producer on board and hopefully more. They will be attending the group meeting on Monday - Concept and Engine leaders be prepared to brief them
• Every Monday morning will be a group meeting at 9:30am. During which we want each team to do a little show and tell and update everyone on their progress - visuals are important.
• If you're experiencing any problems or have any issues, please raise them early and seek solutions. Communication is the key! Approach your team leaders first, then the producers and/or director if it cant be solved at the team level.
• Each morning's team meetings are important for everyone to raise any questions, plan the day's tasks and goals, and collate common issues.
• Minute takers from each team are also responsible for documenting - write down all the questions and problems the team have, as well as the answers once they're provided. This should be the first point of reference for the future.

Once again, a big fat GOOD WORK!!

Full Speed Ahead - Week 2

Hi guys

I come bearing slightly bad news - we are running too slow!

So this week is going to be a real push to get things on the ball. Kathryn and I will be putting up a breakdown of daily working hours and a list of tangible results we expect from each team.

We know that everyone have other work to do too, but please remember that the next 5 weeks is essentially group project time, which means you'll need to manage your other work around the project schedule.

This is the schedule for Tuesday 29th. The rest of the week's schedule will soon follow:

• Morning: Script writing class
  
• Lunch: 30min
  
• Afternoon: The Room Project
• Rest of the day: project work

Expected Results

Concept:

• Hand over flow chart and map to the other two teams
• Half of Concept team - sketch up elements of the game with size, colour & texture information, to be passed on to the Production team
• Other half of team - work on design document DUE NO LATER THAN THURSDAY

Production:

• Start with texture of large generic elements such as sky, ground, etc
• Model more detailed elements once sketches come through from Concept team. Create UV maps
• Create textures based on UV maps

Engine:

• Half of Engine team - mock up of terrain for rough block testing. RUN THROUGH TEST WEDNESDAY
• Other half of team - help Production team with modeling

The Executive Producers will be in on Wednesday expecting to see tangible results. We will need the block test ready, the document near completion (if not already completed), a significant amount of drawings and some models and textures.

Please make sure you keep a record of everything you discuss: meeting minutes, brain storming, rough sketching, scribbles on post-its & napkins, sudden brain waves at 3am. Don't rely on your brain to remember every thing, put it down on paper!

And one last thing. From now on at the start of each day will be a quick team leader briefing with the Producers, followed by a team meeting for each group in which you will plan the day's tasks, establish goals for the day, address problems, and just make sure everyone's on the same page. And remember - keep a record of EVERYTHING.

Hope I haven't made your brains explode. I know its a lot to take in, but we'll get there!

LETS GO!

Hi everyone!

Welcome to T.H.O.R project blog! Its going to be a very full on 4 and half weeks ahead.

Firstly, Please check the blog, the Google Calender and the white board in the studio regularly for updates and upcoming agendas.

Things to note:

• The blog and the calendar will be accessible and updated by the director and the producers.
• We have a Google account, which we will use for file storage. Files may be downloaded by everyone.
• The Google account is also access to the calendar and email, so please take care when accessing the account. Files may ONLY be uploaded/deleted/changed by the director and producers, and likewise the email and calendar should only be access by these three people.
• You are required to keep a timesheet of the hours you work. These must be submitted to your team leaders every Monday for the previous week. Team leaders will then submit to the producers. A template of the timesheet is available in the document section of the Google account.
• Each team is required to hold regular meetings and take minutes, which will also be submitted to the producers on a weekly basis. Minutes template is also downloadable via Google.

Good luck and happy project making!!!