Evaluation of Unit 49
In Unit 49, I aimed to gain knowledge of how camera systems are used in games and gain the advanced programming skills needed to implement my own camera systems in UE4. I set out to research different camera and controller systems, how they worked and how they effected gameplay. After doing this I was to create my own level and create a variety of cameras within that level to demonstrate the knowledge I had gained from my research.
Having knowledge about camera types within games and knowing how to create them is very important for creating good games. The way a camera is used in a game can completely change the atmosphere and feel of a scene, and can also be used to guide the player into thinking a certain thing or doing a certain action. I personally feel that the use of camera angles/ perspectives and audio are two of the most overlooked aspects of visual media. What a person can hear and the way that they see things can subconsciously influence their thoughts and feelings so much, but people often look over these aspects in favour of other more obvious ones. A good game might have good gameplay, but a great game will also have a lot of careful thought and planning put into how the camera is used. It might not have been that way in the past with 2D games and the limits that it put on the camera, but with modern games, it can really affect the game and this should be taken into account.
In this unit I learnt a lot about the different types of cameras and their uses in games. Before starting this unit, I wasn't aware that the camera used in Super Mario 64 was from a 2nd person perspective (even though I've played it) and I didn't know anything about the use of isometric perspectives. I feel I have definitely gained a lot of knowledge that I will be able to use moving forward. Learning the programming skills of creating and setting up the cameras was interesting and will be useful for future projects. I found that once I had learned how to set up one camera, it was relatively easy to set up the others. I think in the future I will be able to be more creative with the types of cameras I used and their placement. I would like to experiment with more cinematic cameras and use moving cameras rather than only static ones.
I am happy with how my project came out, I think if I had the game mechanics of the key and the closing walls set up that it would be a fun level to play. When people were playing my level to give me a peer review, people seemed to be enjoying it and a couple of people commented that they liked how it looked, so I think I am on the right track. If I was doing it again though, there are a couple of things I would change. I would change the camera that shows the end door - I think where the trigger box is placed in the level doesn't really work and looks more like a glitch during playthrough than a planned camera. I would take that camera out completely and maybe have a moving camera that zooms into the door after the player has got the key so they know what to do next. I would also like to flesh out the level a bit more.
From my peer feedback, I found that the way the level looked and the materials I used were the most praised. Feedback I got from Tony about the camera showing the exit was that it felt like cheating, which I can understand because in practice that camera feels very off, I would definitely change that. I followed Alex's feedback about needing sections on my blog about different camera types, so I have now added in blog posts for that subject. Adam's feedback about exploring the perspectives and camera types that I want to use in 'Taking Back Okolina' is a good idea. While I haven't done that in this unit, I have definitely taken the advice on board and will be planning how I will be using cameras and perspectives in 'Taking Back Okolina'.
Overall, I enjoyed this unit and felt like I learnt a lot. With my background in film and photography, I already had knowledge about cameras but I really feel like I expanded my knowledge and learnt a lot about how they are implemented within the gaming industry. I have gained skills that I will be able to use again later in this course and hopefully in future endevors too.