INB379/380 Animation Dev Blog: Week 12-13

Week 12-13

Game Description:

Graviators: Season 1 is a third-person brawler with the unique core mechanic that players can control and shift their own local gravity. Set in a future world where entertainment and reality shows have evolved to the point of gladiatorial combat. to save human lives and get a earlier TV slot, Robot gladiators have been substituted in for humans. Graviators intends to have a dynamic fighting environment that players must adapt to.

Critique:

The core mechanic of shifting gravity is a very disorientating thing for players, and thus the implementation of a smooth camera and fluid animations to give clarity where possible. The fighting mechanics still need a lot of work, and there is the possibility as suggested from playtesters that the core mechanic could work in a variety of other game genres like puzzles and action adventures.

Reflections:

What was your overall assessment of the process and the outcomes?

Overall I think the myself and the team did a good job implementing the mechanics and animations and scripts that were needed to get a working demo of a such a complicated game. there are still alot of issues and things need to be fixed, and getting our workflow pipeline functional was a challenge, but now that it is sorted, I expect our work processes to improve across the rest of the production.

What role did you play/tasks assigned that was least satisfying to you?

Animation testing and transition tweaking within Unity. I'm still inexperienced with Unity and needed to learn a lot of how it works. Sourcetree and Github also presented a challenge for me.

What were the tasks undertaken that used your skills and abilities?

Planning and animating the characters and transitioning and blending those animations together smoothly in the unity animation controller.

What were the lessons learned with regard to time management, task planning and team processes?

I learnt a lot of time management skills, and the need for strict deadlines in regards to such a collaborative workflow. I also discovered the need to be able to explain why I did or animated something in a particular way. As not everything will be clear to team members unfamiliar with animation concepts and the pipeline involved with that area of the production.

What plans do you and your team have for the next phase of development of your project?

We plan to polish and work on the core mechanic, including the implementation of a smoother camera and other combat mechanics like ranged attacks and ultimate abilities. we also plan to integrate two additional characters into the game. this will involve alot of animations for me, which I look forward to doing.