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To go along with my "Aliens" environment i decided to start modeling the xenomorph queen. Ive started modeling a low polygon version of the head. (The image was rendered using nurms)  The shape of the head is actually very complicated. Even IF i use the texture pages to simulate some of the creases and stretched skin, the model is complicated.  Also, the model just doesn't look correct at the moment because i havent gotten to model the teeth yet.  The Teeth seem to be very integral.  After I finish off the head and maybe part of the neck i want to take what i have through the rest of the pipeline to make sure my texturing methods will give me the results i want.  I'm going to try to keep it low poly and utilize Xnormals, Zbrush, and hand painting to make the diffuse map

 
Given more time I would like to continue this project but i as it is it still has lots of visual apeal. There are still some issues with the detailed texturing. Also the resolution im working in isnt really allowing me to put detailed alpha trees on the distant peaks.  They are so distant that they dont really change the feel of the environment.  Even if I make them slightly emissive they have negligable effect on the overall scene. I need to work more on the pagotas as well, they don't stand out against the rest of the environment.
When i continue working on this i will have to find a way to overcome the lighting and increase the saturation of just the architecture in the scene.
 
Its been a long week and i didnt get to finish my game like I intended to.  I still made a lot of progress though.  I finished off the dialogue avatars and game them some shadows.  I also made a character sprite for the captain even though he has no powers. 

I was starting to try and make the intro and ending screens.  Health prevented me from actually getting them in this week, but I have models and animations for a number of planets and planet bombs as well as the yamato ship itself. 

I was having trouble getting them into game because they had to many frames.  Im sure I can work  around this and make the game not lag but I just couldnt get it working  in time for this week.
 
Ok, so the main part of the game is completed, minus a little art replacement.  AND the latest play-tester failed to break anything YAAAAYYYY

left to do:
intro and ending animations
a few avatar replacements
fix the menu screens

Assuming nothing catastrophic happens, it should be finished on time by text week


also, the latest video lagged when recorded, game works fine to my knowledge
 
New video test for Starblazers!!!

Till a lot of glitches to fix, number displays that don't always pop up, animations that need to be added, avatars that need to be changed

BUT

Ive been adding battle animations because that was the next thing people were complaining about.  Ive also added quite a few sound effects.

 

Reference

WIP

My next environment I'm working on will be a little challenging for me.  I don't have a lot of practice on natural objects.  So far Ive got a good base of unwrapped object that i think can be duplicated to make a majority of the scene.

Ive also started playing around with the lighting

However almost all of my textures are just place holders at the moment.  They are all to harsh at the moment and don't have that soft quality that the reference image has.  I hope to remedy this soon.

Also I actually vertex painted moss on the rocks but you cant see it at all.  I think i might get the right effect if i change the moss material to be slightly emissive.
 
Well, i cant get construct 2 installed at school today so i wont post any video of the game but i have finished:
  • The console sprite going all the way around the bridge
  • simple flashing lights on the consoles
  • gave Nova and Sandor consoles for crew moral and shield
  • tweeked some more of the sound effects
  • started trying to get battle effects to work (which they don't yet)

The next things i need to work on are:
  • Model fighters
  • Animate fighter attack
  • Fix battle effects and sounds
  • Draw and finish more avatars for dialogue (Venture, Sandor, Wildstar, 2 new Novas)
  • Ending animation
  • Intro page and movie
  • Fix menu art?
 
Lots more to do but its getting hard to post static images instead of video to show the progress im making, so here is a video.

Again lots of assets and art left to add but at least its starting to feel like a game instead of a grouping of menus and squares.

Below are the closeups of some of the avatars im using for the dialogue.
I hate how nova turned out, head to big and shes not tempting enough, her avatar will be changed.  Next I want to finally get the consoles in.
 

Ive started in on the art.  started modeling out the ship with 3ds max and then adding thicker lines to the rendered images in photoshop to give it a cartoony look to match my chibi art style.

Thick lineart should connect all the components stylistically

Im starting to phase out the reference image and starting to do the animations.  Now they cheer when they get troop moral or health.  All the healthbars are active now as well.  The basics of the battle system and attacks all work. Its hard to tell they are working sometimes since i dont have the art to illustrate things happening in variables.  There is still a ton of art and animation to do.

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In order to expand some of the cramped features i made a descending view screen for any dialogue.  I decided to leave the menus as individual elements because there was so little info on them, it didnt look visually pleasing to have two buttons floating around the huge screen.

I also got the programming working so that the game takes turns between the enemy and the player.

At this point i THINK all the programming is done at least in the basic form.  So unless i find something broken or come up with something to add, it should be just adding lots of content: animations, background, character images for dialogue, and sounds
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Finished up the Undercity WOW environment.  Never got the lighting quite how i wanted nor the perspective quit the same as the reference image but overall im quite happy with the overall effect. 

Its fully navigable in UDK engine


i also finished making a portfolio page for it in the environments section and will add a short video fly-through soon