Production Blog 1 - Guilded Fletching

Hello! My name is Tyler Munstock and I am the Producer for Guilded Fletching. This is our team's first Production Blog and we can't wait to show off all the great work we were able to accomplish this Sprint! But before we get into our work, let me first introduce the team, we are a group comprised of twelve CAGD 495 students all attending California State University, Chico.  Under the current circumstances, we have been working remotely from home; however, despite the world's struggles, we are all still coming together via Discord to create the absolute best game we can! 

Now, let me tell you about Guilded Fletching, Guilded Fletching is a first-person puzzle platformer that gives the player a unique set of specialized arrows to solve environment-based puzzles and take on the local population in engaging combat encounters. The player will adventure through a forgotten temple to regain the secrets of the lost. 

Now that we have gotten through the formalities, let's check out all of the amazing work we were able to accomplish this Sprint!

Programming: 

This Sprint our programming team had produced a great deal of work, in these first two weeks. They were able to create a working Player Camera & Controller, a firing mechanic that will fire an arrow at varying speeds depending on how long the firing key is pressed, an outstanding interaction mechanic that will be used on any interactable objects that are implemented in the future and they were also able to get one of the four different arrow types functioning, the Bramble Arrow, which is able to stop moving objects or bind enemies when shot. Below will be examples of all of their great work!

Level Design:

For our first Sprint, our Level Designers had been tasked with creating an annotated map key, as well as various annotated maps and blockouts. And they went above and beyond when creating these, it was absolutely amazing to see them produce work of this level. First off, the annotated map key is extremely detailed listing everything from moving platforms, doors as well as every difference in the map's height, ranging from 1 to 8. Their annotated maps were as detailed as can be and provided a great sense of flow for players to experience our game. They were also able to create a blocked-out version of their annotated map for one of the tutorial levels! Check out all this great work below!

Movement Tutorial Annotated Map

Movement Tutorial Blockout 

3D Art:

For our Sprint our 3D Art team had created some great models, we had tasked them with creating various tents, stone pillars, as well as stone walls, and the player hands that be seen throughout the entire game. The 3D Artists understood the art style and direction given to them by our Lead Designer Alex and hit the ground running creating such great models, moving into the next Sprint our 3D Artists will be moving to texture their finished models to bring them more to life. Below are their amazing models!

Tents

Stone Pillars

Player Hands

Stone Wall

2D Art:

In this first Sprint, our 2D Artist created some outstanding Concepts for the Player Character, their hands, as well as the bow the player will be holding. Seeing this work was absolutely amazing and made myself as well as Alex happier than ever to see. Concept Art of the Player will be used in promotional pieces in the future, the hands were impervious for our 3D Artists as this was their reference piece when modeling and creating the hands seen above. Because these are what the players will be seeing throughout their entire gameplay,  we really wanted to nail the concepts for the Player's Hands and of course, the bow will also be seen throughout the entire gameplay as the Player will always be holding it. Check out these great concepts below!

Player Concept

Player's Bow

Animation:

Throughout the first Sprint, we wanted to hit the ground running in terms of animating and getting practice early to ensure the animations on our Player Hands and Bow will appear smooth and clean. We had our animator research different methods and practices to animating hands in relation to different Player actions, for example, we will need idle, running, and shooting animations (bring up and down hands with the bow) for the Player Hands. After sufficient research was done we had found a practice model and rig for our animator to begin practicing creating an idle animation. Check out the great animation that was made below!

Practice Idle Animation

Throughout this Sprint, we were able to complete 29 cards and 39 points out of a total of 46 cards and 55 points assigned. For our second Sprint, we plan to have a functional and playable build to test our game's core gameplay loop as well as the mechanics. We also plan to have the Player Hands to be complete with textures, a rig, and animations. A big thank you from everyone on the Guilded Fletching team for checking out our game, reading our DevLogs, and being apart of our development journey! We can't wait to share and show you more of the team's progress in the near future!