Evaluation
In Unit 70, I aimed to learn the development process for designing interactive 3D levels. I set out to learn the fundamentals of 3D environment design, including the processes and tools used and the narrative and aesthetic elements. To demonstrate this, I was to take my own ideas through this process and create my own 3D game environment to as good standard with ludic design in mind. This project was useful as I learnt many new skills that I can develop more and take into the games industry. I created a blog listing some of the new tools I learnt to use.
It was fun to learn the landscaping tools and see how to create different environments. Creating and using heightmaps was also completely new to me, it looked complicated but it wasn't too hard to understand once I gone through the process a couple of times. I didn't use a heightmap in my final level as I found it difficult to find a cityscape that worked well - but I could get other terrain like mountains. I think what I would prefer to do for city levels is to either leave it how it is, or add some buildings around the outside of the map that can't be accessed by the player but are just there to give the environment depth. I saw this used in the Spyro Reignited Trilogy and it looks effective - I think it is a good technique to use if you don't want a lot in the background, just a few buildings, rather than a huge expanse (heightmaps would be better for that).
I developed on my existing 3D modelling skills, and I think I have improved a lot by creating my models for this unit. I'm particularly happy with the fountain and tram stop. I think some of the building models could do with some more work, I think they look okay for background buildings but don't look as good when the player gets up close - if I were to make them again I would add more detail on the doors and windows, I also think I could have put more time into creating textures for the buildings - as the textures for some of the buildings look better than others. I found learning the spline tool was really helpful, and was a good way of creating the road (a lot quicker than adding road meshes), I think I will definitely use that tool again in the future.
Overall, I am very pleased with the 3D environment that I created. I feel that it is stylistic and has the intended narrative and ludic qualities to it - there is a lot to explore, and there are indications which way the player should go , e.g. roads, pathways, but there is plenty room for the player to explore and isn't punished for leaving the path. I am especially pleased with how the park turned out. There are some things I could improve on - using better and more complex materials and adding more details on my buildings. I will work to improve those skills. I enjoyed this unit and look forward to creating more 3D environments.