Emrys: A Journey Through Creation

This page is dedicated to Emrys, a thesis project for Cat’s final semester at MICA.

IDEAS SET OUT

What player activity am I prototyping here?

• Creating a walking simulation where players can enjoy walking, running, and floating around as a gemstone being.

What game verbs am I investigating?

• Chilling
• Relaxing
• Picturesque
• Nostalgia

What kind of experience does this player activity produce?

• The primary goal is to provide a fun and enjoyable experience.
• Encouraging players to immerse themselves in the scenery.

What tone or mood does the player activity have?

• A dream-like, longing tone.
• Emphasizing a relaxing and soft ambiance.

What interesting gameplay and story things can I do with this player activity right now?

• Focusing on exploration and interactive animations.
• Light on storytelling, with the narrative gradually unfolding as players explore the world.

How much could I do with this player activity if I had the time to devise different situations and scenarios in which to use it?

• Possibilities include interaction with NPCs, choice-driven cutscenes, and optional boss battles.

What question am I trying to answer with this prototype?

• Does the environment within “Grey Garden” evoke feelings of relaxation and melancholy?
• Does the player character resonate with the player?
• Does it inspire curiosity to explore the surroundings?
• Is the UI/UX intuitive?

Week 1: Concept Art and World-building

• Character Sheets:

  • Player Character:

  • Random Talkable NPCs (e.g., Foo the Froggo by DuyLong):

• Unity 3D 3rd Player Core Setting:

  • A reference for core gameplay mechanics:

• Testing Render:

  • Experimenting with a toon shader for an artistic look:

• Spread Effect:

  • A unique effect resembling drippy mold, adding an intriguing touch:

Week 2 Update: Environment and Visual Effects

• Skybox Idea:

  • Galaxy and star-shooting fantasy-themed skybox:

• Material Design:

  • Crafting materials to achieve the desired visual style:

• Graybox Planout:

  • Mapping out the world in graybox form for level design:

• World Map:

  • Creating a map to visualize the game world:

• Toonshade Terrain:

  • Applying toon shading to terrain for an artistic touch:

• VFX Waterfall Modeling:

  • Designing a waterfall effect for visual impact:

• Lightmap Unwrap Model:

  • Preparing models for use in a particle system:

  • Aligning textures with the X-axis for subtle water flow effects:

• Material Development:

  • Experimenting with textures and materials to create visual effects:

• Skybox Enhancement:

  • Improving the skybox for a more immersive experience:

Week 3: Player Controller and Animations

• Focusing on enhancing the player’s interaction with the environment:
  • Implementing post-processing effects to improve world aesthetics.

Week 4: Character Model Refinement

• Addressing issues with inverse faces in the character model:
  • Resolving by enabling Normals Face in Edit mode for a consistent look.

Yet another issue arises for which I find no remedy other than the necessity to close Blender, initiate a fresh session, access the hair files, and proceed to seamlessly copy and paste the hairbrush into the model file.

Week 5: Fully model update.

For this week, I focused on making my character texture by unwrapping UV, to make sure the character design blend well with the environment inside Emrys. The idea of the main character is She (he), player can choose any pronounce for the character since the main character is a humanoid gemstone.

The main palette for this world, following closely by the concept of “Dream” and “Longing”, a touch of black and white is my top choice for the character which players are, it also has detailed to show that, this world players are in is not a realm of living.

These detail that on the character are:

• Spider lilies
• White long arm sleeves coat
• Black dress
• Waves patterns.

These tiny characteristic textures I choose to represent that this character is specifically refer to an unliving world, as in East Asian culture, these things can be found inside a funeral.

  Coat Texture

Dress Texture

The end result for this week is a fully texture and suitable for rigging character. Front view

Side view

Back view.

Week 6:

Blender to Unity 3D.

As I mentioned above, I made my main character for Emrys in Blender. Blender is a powerful open-source 3D modeling program, which I used for this thesis.

After having my model finished, time for the process to make it “playable” inside unity.

Unity humanoid character controller require a full body rig and a T-pose model base.

Follow that requirement, I used blender add-on called auto rig to make animation controller for my character after I skin the mesh with its bones.

Rigging process require matching up bones (humanoid bones parts) with the mesh and then skin it, which is attaching the mesh with the bone structure. After that, skin weighting until the movements of the character feels right.

Fully model rig: See through mesh with bones attached in T-Posing.

Full body mesh with controller for animation.

Moving on from that, a game model require different from an animation, that is it has to have the automation interaction between body and clothes parts intertwine physic.

Automation testing, the legs should be able to interact with the dress.

Physic on hair and clothes rigs. I make the physic work with another Blender add-on called Wiggle2. The idea of this is surprisingly simple, it’s chains physic. Imaging a chain of bones, put weight on plus gravity point each bone, different effect could be achieved.

Week 7:

Animations.

For this week, the goal is to create 4 different animations for Idle, running, jumping and falling down.

Certainly, creating satisfying game physics and character movement is a vital aspect of game development. It significantly contributes to the overall player experience and immersion in the game world. Here’s an enhanced explanation of this concept:

In the realm of game development, achieving a delightful and immersive player experience involves meticulous attention to game physics and character movement. The visual and tactile aspects of these elements play a crucial role in defining the “feel” of a game, which is essential for player engagement and enjoyment.

When players control a character within a game world, the way that character moves and interacts with the environment can greatly impact the player’s connection to the game. Gamers have come to expect a certain level of realism and responsiveness in modern games. This means that the physics governing how characters move, jump, run, and interact with objects must be finely tuned to provide a lifelike and satisfying experience.

While a more rigid character movement can be used creatively to emphasize specific character traits or unique gameplay mechanics, many players today prefer a higher degree of realism in their gaming experiences. Realistic character movement not only enhances immersion but also helps convey the sense of authenticity within the game world.

Therefore, game developers must continually refine their understanding of physics and character movement to create games that not only look impressive but also “feel” right. By achieving the right balance between realism and enjoyable gameplay mechanics, developers can create experiences that captivate and engage players, making for a more compelling and satisfying gaming journey.

Second project link down: update soon.

Stay tuned for it and peace!.