Media Test - De-saturating the Environment

Now that I have decided to have my environment deteriorate throughout the game, I have decided to look into transforming materials and I have been looking at de-saturating them first.

I have spent a long time working on this and been through many tutorials but the one that worked best for me was this one:

https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/Rendering/Materials/ParameterCollections/index.html

This involves using a 'master parameter' to adjust the whole environment. First I followed through the tutorial using blank squares to test it out. I managed to get this to work relatively easily:

Here, the coloured squares de-saturated every time I held the right mouse key down. On release, they would return to their original colour. This was very pleasing to see as it had taken me some time to find a relevant tutorial to help me.

After I had done this it was time to apply this technique to my textures. An issue I had was that the coloured squares where instances of each other and so needed no editing, however, my textures would each need to have the required blueprint attached to them.

Finished Result

Once I had figured out how to work it I edited all the material blueprints and manage to get myself a nice effect:

Media Test - De-saturating the Environment

Personal Notes

When it comes to the final piece, I intend to use this feature through a trigger. When a player enters and then leaves a room - the environment will change - right before their eyes. Visually this could be very interesting for the player and provide an effective story telling method. Initial thoughts are having 5 rooms and therefore 5 stages. The next step for this test will be to ensure I can change from one texture to another.

Moving forward

It was highlighted at my last presentation that having the hotel hallway with empty rooms was pointless in the sense that in environmental storytelling - nearly everything should have significance. I started to consider just having all the rooms locked but then thought that just walking through the hallways would get a little boring.

I also thought that when moving onto the next level (Asylum) the contrast in environments would be so obvious and quick that it would perhaps leave the user confused and feel distant from the story as it would appear unrealistic and therefore loose its immersive qualities.

To Fix The Problem

A while back I had an idea of actually showing the deterioration of the hotel in becoming what it used to be - an asylum. I did not pursue with this as I thought I would not be able to manage this or have the skill set too do so.

However last night I discovered this video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a5Pw5KGi3Zg and realized that I could easily manage this with a little bit of practice. This video shows how you can change the material of an asset whilst in game, hence I could change the carpeted floors of the hotel into the ceramic style flooring of an asylum.

With this in mind I have decided to alter my project design into the following:

You find yourself in your room (in a dream/outer body experience). You here a piano being played in which you go to explore and see. As you walk through the hotel and explore the rooms, you encounter various different events from your memory and you see the hotel deteriorating into it's past self - a Lunatic Asylum.

Ideas

• Your room is main indication of who you are and why you are there - this is also highlighted throughout the level
• You are lead to each room through the sound of a piano being played
• Once entering each room you discover a memory of yours being convey through the environment
• Every time you leave a room (event) you notice that the hotel hallway keeps on deteriorating into an old asylum.
• Using extracts from book (diary entries etc) you find notes telling the story - which will also be told through voice via an old style record playing sound

Progress Presentation 3

Progress Presentation 3

Feedback on Project

• Look at Tzvetan Todorov - theorist, in relation to telling murder/mystery plots
• Keep looking at references and examples - games, films etc
• Too much focus on level design - since project is about environmental storytelling
• Look at what each asset/objects significance is to the story and how it is told
• For hotel level - what is the purpose of the empty rooms?

Personal Notes

This was a very useful feedback session for me. They were pleased at the amount I had done since last time and was interested in my story and how I came about it. The main concerns highlighted was my scope might be too big and I was focusing too much on level design. I need to bring my focus back to environmental storytelling and understand the significance of each object/asset I create for the level. It was suggested that if I was having empty rooms that can be explored in the hotel level that there should be more significance to them and how they convey some sort of story.

Where To Go From Here

• Finish hotel hallway - leave the rooms for now and start planning out the main story level - Asylum. 
• Figure out how to give the premise of who you are at the beginning of the level and why you are there etc
• Look into Tzvetan Todorov in order for planning events in the asylum that are communicating the story.

Scaling/Proportion Issues

It was noted that in my media testing from semester one, the hallway I created in UDK looked very squashed and proportionally incorrect. My supervisor recommended I fix this issue immediately before I go ahead and create more assets.

I managed to get myself Unreal Engine 4 and so now my final piece will be produced through that. Already I am finding the interface much more friendly and appealing than UDK was so I am very pleased with the switch. As for sorting the scale and proportion issue, I ran into some similar problems when trying to edit it in Unreal Engine 4:

Scaling Issue

Perspective Issue

Final Result

Looking at the final result I am happy with the change I have made. It looks a lot better in scale and I will now go on to creating a more thorough block-out of the hallway before moving onto the rooms.

One thing I have noticed is there is an odd perspective issue which I mentioned in the second picture. Things look oddly small from a minor distance but once up and close, it looks fine.

Supervisor Meeting - 02

Student Name: Christy McLaughlin
Supervisor Name: Ryan Locke
Date: 26.01.15

Agenda

• Inquire about the showcase form due 2nd Feb
• Discuss potentially using Unreal Engine 4
• Beginning my final piece using assets created in first semester

Progress Report

• It turns out that the showcase form is actually due in 13th Feb. Our next lecture will be discussing this in much more detail but I was assured it is an easy form to fill out and not to worry about it.
• I was told to definitely carry my project out in Unreal Engine 4. I was previously using UDK however I was in the process of applying for a free student version of Unreal Engine 4. I was granted it and have began becoming familiar with the interface and controls.
• I was told this would provide a great start by having a visually pleasing block out. Looking at it so far I think with some of the assets I have created, there is not much more work needed to enhance them. This makes sense as I did spent a long time on these assets in first semester. Of course there is lot's more to do but it's a nice start to my project.

Personal Notes

This meeting was primarily discussing what I was going to be doing in the next week or two. I emphasized that I am ready to start building my environment and want to have a relatively good block-out to show for next week. I also am interested in seeing my progress for next week in order for a more realistic judgment of the upcoming weeks ahead. It was also stressed that I should, 'record your learning & tests' so I will be making an effort to do that.

Moodboard - St. Columba's Lunatic Asylum

Moodboard - St. Columba's Lunatic Asylum

Moodboard - St. Columba's Lunatic Asylum

Moodboard - St. Columba's Lunatic Asylum

I emailed The Clarion Hotel asking for some help with reference images. I was happy to receive these back in return. These are images of the Asylum/Hotel during it's 'abandoned stage' before the hotel was eventually built. Sadly it's all they had. This would have been perfect if I was modelling the exterior of this building but as I am doing an interior it is not as much use as I would have preferred. However I am really thankful for the help the Revenue Manager gave me. I am hoping I can somehow use these images - perhaps as photographs within the hotel walls? At the very least, they portray a fantastic creepy atmosphere which I can try and imitate when  I begin creating the asylum part of my project.

Moodboards - Hotel Rooms

Moodboard - The Clarion Hotel, Sligo

Moodboard - Hotel Rooms (Google Images)

Like before, I have developed a couple of moodboard in efforts to gather some visual research that I can use and base my designs on. I will be focusing on The Clarion Hotel images, however my project does not necessarily have to be a direct replica as it is only based on this location and not a direct copy.

Personal Notes

With time being of an issue, my rooms (to begin with) will not be overly detailed. This is because it is not the main feature of my project and would rather develop detail and polish the environments, once I have the bulk of the overall environment complete.