What a crazy two weeks since our last update! We have to admit that building an eLearning game during a time when remote learning has become the current world standard is a really interesting endeavor. In addition to building the game, most of the team have kids of their own so we are all getting adjusted to having multiple people in the house on video conference calls simultaneously. Things are hectic in that respect but our value proposition has never been clearer so we would love to get a beta into your hands as soon as possible. Interestingly four people applied to work on the project this week so it looks like we are starting to get noticed within the developer community. Hopefully we can speed up our Closed Beta and Early Access!
As far as the team goes, let’s start off with our recent 3D efforts. Eric completed Magmadon’s animations (above) and moved on to creating the baseline facial features of the player’s face (below). This face (when finished) will be the starting point during the character creation and customization process. Eric will soon add “morph targets” to different areas of the face – this will allow our players to use sliders to create one of a kind faces for their digital avatar!
Here’s a list of intended sliders that we hope to implement next week:
Eyes
• Epicanthal Fold
• Eye Width (Vertical)
• Eye Width (Horizontal)
• Eye Distance (Horizontal)
• Eye Height (Vertical)
• Eye Angle (CW/CCW)
• Eye Protrusion (Forward/Backward)
Mouth
• Upper Lip Thickness
• Lower Lip Thickness
• Lip Roundness
• Mouth Width
• Mouth Height (Position)
• Underbite/Overbite
• Mouth Protrusion (Forward/Backward)
Nose
• Nose Tip Length
• Nose Tip Width
• Nose Bridge (Concave/Convex)
• Nose Bridge Width
• Nostril Size
• Nose Height
• Nose Width
• Nose Angle
Ears
• Ear Size
• Ear In/Out
• Ear Pointedness (Elf Ears)
Jaw
• Jaw Height (Vertical)
• Jaw Width (Horizontal)
• Jaw Sharpness (Round or Squared)
• Jaw Protrusion (Forward/Backward)
Chin
• Chin Height (Vertical)
• Chin Width (Horizontal)
• Chin Protrusion (Forward/Backward)
Brow
• Brow Protrusion
• Brow Height
• Brow Angle
• Eyebrow Fullness
• Eyebrow Angle
• Eyebrow Height
• Eyebrow Taper
In other 3D news Caleb finished up the model and animations for “Nado,” one of the Kerhonkson critters that players will be able to battle and collect. Nado is a more complex character because she requires heavy particle and shader work to complete the overall look. Here is what she looks like so far, but stay tuned for a big upgrade in appearance when Etch gets a hold of her someday soon:
Caleb also got started on some of the player’s starter clothing options, here is an early look at leggings, a sweatshirt and one of our hats. Users will not only be able to select various combinations of clothing during the character creation process but they will also be able to choose clothing colors as well:
In non-3D news, Etch has been cleaning up various User Interface assets including the Title screen, the Squad Management screen and the general Overworld UI. The User Interface (or “UI) is what allows the player to interact with the game itself. Here is an example of how the character customization UI concept currently looks:
Next, we’ll take a look at some of the programming highlights from the past week. The team has covered a ton of ground refactoring the “third person controller.” This is the system that allows the player to control their character by using the mouse and keyboard on the PC. They also completed the services that will automatically download specific assets and data that the player will need as they progress throughout the game. More work was also done on the Battle Trivia system which is one of the main ways that we will deliver educational curriculum.
Last, and certainly not least, everyone’s favorite composer Bill Bressler completed the Kalapana Battle song. That means that all 9 of the game’s songs have been completed and we can start working on getting our soundtrack onto the typical streaming services and digital stores!!
Okay that’s it for this update, see you in two weeks!!