Reduxed Get Reduxed ...
by Steve Acaster · 04/16/2013 (6:17 pm) · 13 comments
Quote:
Yo Dawg! I heard you liked to redux, so we put a redux in your redux!
FFS ...
Anyhow, following on from a previously posted blog in Septemger 2012 entitled Make Simple Character Model Quickly ... 40 Days Later ... where I struggled with character limb deformations ... I have ... gone back and started it again from scratch.
And after 16 days, I can live with it ... which ... admittedly is what I said about the last effort ... but then I couldn't. Anyhow, it now deforms nicely, animates much better and ... probably looks exactly the same to the casual observer. But hey, it offended me ... and now it doesn't.
So with a fully, clean, base character mesh I can now get on with making all of the other troop types. I've also got rid of a few more of the engine's stock assets which I was using, making my own backpack ... which turned out to be an ordeal in itself for some reason ... an aidkit model and replacing the decal for moving to with a big black and amber X motif which spins.
I've made various tweaks and improvements to my scripts, and am down to just one post-it note of bugs, tweaks and balancing on the Main Campaign.
I've also redone the 4 jungle levels which I had designed. After receiving feedback that they weren't very jungly I've bent the tree trunks, added a skirt of transparent hanging vines in 2D, increased the number of said trees in the levels and created a new broad leaf plant for the groundcover, which helps to make the scenes much more crowded looking. In other words, more jungly.
I've also created 4 urban environment maps. This brings the total levels to the final tally of 20. There's a video below showing one of the maps - which just happens to be the one without any avenues of trees. I always try and give each level it's own theme such as highground, valley, rolling hills, etc, and this one is tight corners. The urban maps feature buildings - which whilst they cannot be entered directly - have ramps and bridges and crossovers. I was going for a sort of grand European architecture vibe.
So next up, an Ale Festival on Thursday! And after that, modeling the troops for the remaining 6 factions, sorting out the remaining issues with the Main Campaign, doing a whole load of finalized modeling and ... er ... stuff.
About the author
One Bloke ... In His Bedroom ... Making Indie Games ...
#2
More variation can be added if you expand the min- and max-size more and in addition I also use the sink method, maybe sink the trees from 0-2 meters into the ground, this way some will look smaller and some bigger in addition to the normal size variation.
And trees do not grow evenly seperated, they tend to grow in groups or in some special places, this also would add more variation and tactic elements, especially if you would add some medium plants, like bushes, so you have something that blocks the view on a medium level.
However, this all depends on taste, I would not totally change the style you have so far, but there are easy methods to add more variation, not just optically but also for tactics, because you would get more cover places and different conditions, so the game will be more interesting, then just playing on an almost blank map.
The most uncreative way to do that is to add crates, boxes, barrels and containers everywhere, but this should be avoided as much as possible, in spite of that, many games still do that and people seem to be ok with that.
I don't know how the performance is on your game, but I believe you can still stretch it out more and increase the number of objects, todays standards are pretty high. You should not downgrade your game just by being sparingly when it's not necessary.
I did not want to demotivate you, just give some inspiration from what I experienced so far.
04/16/2013 (8:00 pm)
The jungle looks better now, more jungly, anyway it looks like you still use the same one model for the whole "forest", I always try to make at least 2-3 variations. More variation can be added if you expand the min- and max-size more and in addition I also use the sink method, maybe sink the trees from 0-2 meters into the ground, this way some will look smaller and some bigger in addition to the normal size variation.
And trees do not grow evenly seperated, they tend to grow in groups or in some special places, this also would add more variation and tactic elements, especially if you would add some medium plants, like bushes, so you have something that blocks the view on a medium level.
However, this all depends on taste, I would not totally change the style you have so far, but there are easy methods to add more variation, not just optically but also for tactics, because you would get more cover places and different conditions, so the game will be more interesting, then just playing on an almost blank map.
The most uncreative way to do that is to add crates, boxes, barrels and containers everywhere, but this should be avoided as much as possible, in spite of that, many games still do that and people seem to be ok with that.
I don't know how the performance is on your game, but I believe you can still stretch it out more and increase the number of objects, todays standards are pretty high. You should not downgrade your game just by being sparingly when it's not necessary.
I did not want to demotivate you, just give some inspiration from what I experienced so far.
#3
Really quite exciting to see it all come together and really take leaps as you continue to polish it up.
As Duion has said some more variation here and there would be nice and I am sure you have thought of it too.
I suppose you could add some different maybe more darker and denser foliage as the terrain is in lower elevation.
But seriously that is scope creep that you don't need.
04/16/2013 (8:07 pm)
Steve, I am continually impressed by your work, reading your blogs on your game since you started has been an experience on the sidelines.Really quite exciting to see it all come together and really take leaps as you continue to polish it up.
As Duion has said some more variation here and there would be nice and I am sure you have thought of it too.
I suppose you could add some different maybe more darker and denser foliage as the terrain is in lower elevation.
But seriously that is scope creep that you don't need.
#4
04/16/2013 (9:50 pm)
So, about those buttons ... redux?
#5
04/17/2013 (4:38 am)
Richard, buttons were reduxed last blog post in "Additional Environments And Gui Redux 9000". ;) 
#6
especially since the whole theme fits.
the only thing would be your urban scene(s)
they really could use some color variation and some props here and there.
Atm it looks really static but i know its just a start for the layout.
And those buttons do not touch those :P
they fit great, like the whole thing and am excited to see some more.
04/17/2013 (5:59 am)
Sure there could be some things improved but hey at the end it doesnt really matter .... especially since the whole theme fits.
the only thing would be your urban scene(s)
they really could use some color variation and some props here and there.
Atm it looks really static but i know its just a start for the layout.
And those buttons do not touch those :P
they fit great, like the whole thing and am excited to see some more.
#7
Besides, Redux is freakin' awesome!
04/17/2013 (11:54 am)
Sure, but I was hoping for buttons more closely resembling that Google search you mentioned....Besides, Redux is freakin' awesome!
#8
04/17/2013 (2:43 pm)
Impressive, very impressive! 
#9
Nice job. I really like your art choices. Looks really great! (yes, the jungle looks more 'jungly' now :-)
By the way, don't touch the interface stuff....it fits nicely.
Ron
04/17/2013 (3:53 pm)
Steve,Nice job. I really like your art choices. Looks really great! (yes, the jungle looks more 'jungly' now :-)
By the way, don't touch the interface stuff....it fits nicely.
Ron
#10
04/17/2013 (4:25 pm)
What the heck does "redux" mean in this redux? Was there a redux conference I missed?
#11
04/20/2013 (10:54 am)
Great Steve! Thanks! 
#12
04/23/2013 (6:14 am)
very cool. The main character looks perfectly skinned and animated :) 
Torque Owner Kevin Mitchell
12 CatBlack Studios