SECRET KEEP - Dev Video 19 - "Knight / Guard - Locomotion Base Layer"

A little Dev Video about tackling Character Animation in Unity.

I'm trying to get my head fully around how to use Root Motion versus In Place animations, setting up good motion and blending on animations, etc.

Character Animation really gets into this vortex of where models, animations, AI, behaviours and logic all come together!  It's complex!

Making some progress...  :D

MUZTEK Base Game: v1.2 (Unity Foundation Project)

 This is the "MUZTEK Base Game" v1.2!

I have added a basic SAVE & LOAD system, which saves and loads the gamestate to a file.

It will save the exact game state of all entities in the level, like a traditional Quick Save & Quick Load system in a shooter game.

This will probably be the last update on the MUZTEK Base Game for a while, as it does all the core things I wanted this project to do, for now. You can download the MUZTEK Base Game v1.2 project for Unity here.

Here's a video talking about the updated version.

MUZTEK Base Game: v1.1 (Unity Foundation Project)

This is the "MUZTEK Base Game" v1.1!

I have added Audio Option Sliders, which are saved & loaded to PlayerPrefs. You can download the MUZTEK Base Game v1.1 project for Unity here.

Here's a video talking about the updated version.

MUZTEK Base Game: v1.0 (Unity Foundation Project)

I've started building a Unity Foundation Project called MUZTEK Base Game.

This will form the foundation of my own next game, "Secret Keep", but I also wanted to build something simple, generic and light that could form a solid basis for anyone to use as a Unity project!

You can download the MUZTEK Base Game v1.0 here.

I made a video to explain what's in it, and how the parts work.

This is just an early release (which I wanted to share with a friend of mine!), but still has a few more things to add, such as Options Volume Sliders, and ideally a simple Save & Load System.

But I figure it's ready now, the way it is, so feel free to give it a spin.  :)

Note: This version was built in Unity 2018.4.9 LTS.

7DRL 2020: Broken Signal - Challenge complete!

I've finished the 7DRL Challenge for 2020!
BROKEN SIGNAL is now available to download and play. 

Get Broken Signal on itch.io now!

https://muzboz.itch.io/brokensignal

Broken Signal - 7DRL Release Trailer

• Jetpack & Overclock your way to the top of the radio tower and Break the Signal!
• Unlock 3 difficulty levels, with increasingly tough towers to overcome.​
• Super explosive, super fast paced, super hard.
• ​See if you can beat all 3 modes!

7DRL 2020 - Broken Signal - Dev Vids 5 - 9 (Day 2)

Dev Vids 5-9 cover my development on Day 2 (Sunday)

• 5: Making towers of variable width, depth and height.
• 5: Spawning the Radio Tower (goal) at the top of the tower.
• 6: Explosion Bonanza!  (A particularly explosive snippet of gameplay).
• 7: Destructible Crates, Interior Walls, Rotated Rooms.
• 8: Building the tower shape based on desired total rooms.
• 9: End of Day 2 - Guaranteed path to the top, playtesting mayhem.

7DRL 2020 - Broken Signal - Dev Vids 3 & 4 (Day 1)

On day 1, I get straight into Procedural Level Generation!

• 3: Level generation basics -> Building a fixed dimensions tower out of room prefabs.
• 3: Floors, Walls, Lights, Barrels, Enemies, Pickups.  
• 3: Playtesting!
• 4: Quick playtest of the end-of-day build!

7DRL 2020 - Broken Signal - Dev Vids 1 & 2 (Day 1 Preamble)

I'm doing the 7DRL (7 Day Roguelike Challenge) for the first time!

I've decided to use an existing FPS project called BROKEN SIGNAL, and make it into a Roguelike(ish) game!



I've been making some Dev Log videos as I go, to track the progress, features, playtesting and thoughts along the way.

Dev Vid 1: My plans & intentions for the jam!

• Making procedurally generated towers to jetpack up.
• Player must reach the radio tower at the top to win.
• Action packed gameplay - more of a Spelunky-like than a traditional Roguelike.
• Think Quake-meets-Spelunky, but going up instead of down.  :)

Dev Vid 2: We examine my existing Broken Signal project

• Existing FPS project with slow motion, jetpacking, some AI enemies, key and locks.

World Generation Project - Screenshots

Here's a few nice screenshots from my progress on the World Generation Project in Unity.

World Generation Project: Exploring generated islands on foot

Continuing work on a World Generation Project in Unity!


I've got it to the point now where I'm fairly happy with the basis of my world generation.

It's generating X number of islands on startup, grabbing from a randomised selection of Biome profiles I've made, so some might be Jungles, others full of Medieval Buildings, some with Cottages, another with Autumn Trees.

I've also got some basic wildlife happening, although they don't have much in the way of AI currently.

World Generation - Exploring a variety of generated islands on foot!

World Generation Project - Generating Islands at Runtime

I'm working on a World Generation Project in Unity!


I began working through a bunch of tutorials and information about creating terrains in Unity with code, instead of by hand.

I then got that code running as co-routines (somewhat) so that it could generate them at runtime, before your eyes, rather than only in the editor, or all in one frame (freezing up the realtime aspect while it did so).

Here's a video of my island generation working in realtime for the first time.

"World Generation in Unity - Generating Islands at Runtime"

Real Time Strategy - Experiments & Prototypes

After my unsuccessful funding application for Broken Signal, I wanted to try a fresh set of challenges and learning.  

I wanted to learn to make better looking Unity scenes, using their Terrain system, but without having to painstakingly craft everything by hand.

I spent quite some time learning as much as I could about the Unity terrain system, grass and details, splat textures, etc.  (This is an ongoing process!)

For this terrain, I was just getting started experimenting with things like:

• Loading in heightmap data from a "height data texture".
• Applying splat maps (textures), grasses and trees based on height and slope information.  

(It doesn't look that great here, but I've since taken that a lot further!)

I then worked on having characters be able to move around and respond to player-commands and such.  




I'm trying to get a broader and deeper understanding of more programming concepts, and this little RTS project taught me some new things.

This video just shows the basics of being able to select units, and tell them to move or attack.

Enemy units then attack back in response, targeting the person who attacked them.

I've since experimented further with IK systems for the units to look at their target, and have their feet align to the normals of the terrain.

And I've also made it so the enemies have perception, and if they sense you approaching, they'll target your units and attack on their own.

I want to experiment with this further, along with my terrain generation project, to experiment with more of a living medieval fantasy environment, where units can go about their daily business, and respond dynamically to changes in the environment, such as buildings being built or destroyed, and altering their behaviours based on their needs and the changes in the world.

Broken Signal - An Action Immersive Sim (Prototype & Funding Application)

I got my game prototype "Broken Signal" to a pretty good stage, and applied for funding around the October 2018 Film Vic funding round.

But I found out a few months later that I didn't get chosen for that round.

Here is the game video I put together for my prototype submission.

I was hoping to get Pre-Production funding, to develop the concept, world design and concept art, and a core set of gameplay features developed.



I was happy with where I got the game to, but I don't think I would want to try to develop it further without being able to pay the people who I wanted to start contributing to the concept art and world design.

So I've put it on hold for now, but the elements of this game are definitely going to move forwards to one degree or another into my future projects.

And I may very well come back to this specific game concept to finish it off at some point!  :)

Audio Visualization - Koch Fractals

I completed another great Audio Visualization tutorial by Peer Play about Koch Fractals.

Here are my personalised results, using a song I recorded a few years back.


This has been really fun and interesting.

I'm really excited to dig into this more some time, and making a more customised visual composition choreographed to a specific song.

One day!

Audio Visualization - My first experiments

Today I followed a cool Audio Visualization tutorial by Peer Play, to learn the basics of how to get an application or game responding to audio in realtime.
Peer Play's tutorial can be found here, and you can support him on Patreon to continue his interesting tutorials and works.




My video shows the major steps of going through the tutorial, and my resulting experiments.

I'm using some music by Guney Ozsan (tracks from the game Rad Skater Apocalypse that I made), and some of my own music as well. :) 

I've always wanted to play around with music visualisation, so this is really exciting! :) 

I might try to incorporate elements into my next game, whether it ties directly with the gameplay, or just spices up the menus or something.

ROMERO - Dev Video #10 - Post Processing V2, Explosions, Stealth

OK!  I've upgraded the project to Unity 2018.2, and gone through and cleaned up the code base, and upgraded things that were either deprecated or dodgy.



Post Processing V2
I've deleted all the Image Effects of old and moved to Post Processing V2, and it's great!

You can set up a Post Processing Volume, which can be applied to the gameplay camera globally, then have another global volume for "Slow Mo" effect, which can be "weighted in" as needed, using a lerp.  Quite easy once you get your head around how it's all designed to work.

I went a bit crazy with the effects...  just a bit.  Added lots of bloom, grain, vignette, and dirt on the lens.  Shall tone that back in due course.  ;)

Explosions
Reworked my explosions so they are triggers instead of colliders.  (It was super stoopid before).  Now enemies get hurt if they touch an explosion trigger, and take damage based on how far they are from it, and also a killing explosion will add force to the player based on direction and distance.  (Feeling like I'm getting better at working with Vector3 math these days!).

Stealth
Upped the stealth values so they come into play properly again these days.  Player can now hide in the shadows, but once they trigger an enemy's attention, their alertness values go higher, and they will now spot you in shadows, and you'll have to run away and hide for a bit to lower their alertness levels back down again.


THE FUTURE

Cleaning up!
So, I'm feeling pretty good about having cleaned up the project, ready to start on some new features.  There's still some things to clean up, like...

• Making the enemy pathfind smoothly even if you are currently out of reach - they are a bit jerky at the moment, sorta stuck between two states.
• Making the drone fly around with drone sounds, and tilting into movement, and rotating smoothly at all times - generally making them look and feel more physically believable.
• Turning the effects down to a reasonable level!  :D

What's next?

Looking further into the future, my design goal are to...

• Play around with another 3 or 4 systems / tools / mechanics - get a core set of things into the sandbox that feel fun, and work together nicely, and create something a bit more unique.
• Then build a single level that really puts all those elements to the test, together, in context.  Give the player an objective, and have it balanced to be a challenge to use all your wits and abilities to reach that goal.

ROMERO - Dev Video #9 - Putting it all together

A quick video showing some highlights from putting everything together in the level.

I added some collections of glowy screens / window-lights.




So there's the baddy cyborg froods, the slow-mo ability, and the drones flying around, along with keys and doors.

It's all a bit clunky currently, and I need to go through and clean up / smooth out the keys and doors, the way explosions look and feel, and how explosions react with enemies.

Gotta get drones flying around a bit better, with sounds and tilting.

Lots of tweaking and cleaning up to do!

ROMERO - Dev Video #7 & #8 - Drone AI

I've started working on a new AI type... a DRONE!

It's inspired a bit by the "manhacks" from HL2, at least in terms of getting it moving.
It may be a meany, or it may be friendly. Maybe some of each.


In the first video, I've just got it doing basic hovering movement.

I'm looking to do AI in a fashion that lets them navigate spaces dynamically, as I'm considering procedurally generated levels.

I'd also like my humanoid enemies to be able to jump, climb, etc, so I don't really want to just be tied to a NavMesh.


The second video steps through some more stages of progress with the Drone.



I got it moving to a position in space, which I'd move around by hand, just to get that working and visible. Then I got it moving to random points around itself.

Then I made it so that if it sights the player it moves to random points around the player, as if tracking/following them. Next up... I want to start adding "vibe" to it, though tilting into movements, and having cool sounds that match it's motions. It needs to be smoothed out and made more fluid, and also to only move to points that are comfortably far from the ground and walls.

ROMERO - Dev Video #6 - Doors, Locks, Keys

I've added a basic system for DOORS, including the ability to have them LOCKED and openable with a specific KEY.

 

I still want to tidy it up and make it more versatile, so doors can be activated by one or more triggers (invisible, or physical buttons), and to improve the inspector interface, so it's easy to make a variety of custom "doors", like extending platforms, etc.

ROMERO - Dev Video #5 - Slow Mo / Bullet Time (the basics)

Put in a basic Bullet Time / Slow Mo system! Currently just toggled on & off with a button press.

But gonna link it up to a power source, so it is limited.