Weapons Test and Some Creepy Fun

Its been a goal of mine to get a custom weapon to work in UDK and I have finally done it. I haven't created my own effects for it yet, but the mesh is mine. I modeled and rigged a third person mesh, a first person mesh, and an ammo pick up mesh. I need to tweak the placement a bit more on the first person view. Its where it is now so that the player can see the meter on the back. I might model a hand or something to make it look like someones holding it or just adjust the angle so it doesn't look like its floating so much.

As you can see in this video I also started creating my own game type and custom maps. Having to be both artist and programmer is a pain but it eventually worked itself out.

Here's what it looks like in 3rd person as well but its hard to see around that giant robot:

Also, my monster's silhouette passed the Nosferatu test of creepiness. Not quite the style I'm going for with this game but a style I like none the less. 

I've also got some greatly improved story ideas that I've been working on. I'm writing a final script and will probably draw out some thumbnails soon. 

Monsters with pretty faces

working on redesigning 'This'

and giving the damsel a face

Less talk, more images

Here is my progress thus far. I have been jumping around a lot doing pretty much whatever I please because its summer and if not now, when? So the result of working that way is I have a lot of different things that are all unfinished. I'm going to try to update more frequently so I don't have to put so much in one post.  These are separately in order from oldest iteration to newest.

The U-92 Atom Ray-volver

Just fyi, the glowy part in the center revolves, I'll  make a gif of that or something and put it up here eventually.

Currently working on getting this to work as a custom weapon in game. 

The girl

These are the rough image planes I've been using but I've been fixing anatomy issues as I've been modeling.

The ride car

beginnings of the theme park block out: Atomic Funland *working name

Dave's Double Feature Ride sign

On the technical side of things I set up my own game type in UDK and will be starting to block out the actual maps I'm going to be using.

Until next time.

The Beginning is the End is the Beginning

It is summer time. I am in between my junior and senior years and Ringling College of Art and Design. I passed preproduction for my Game art and design thesis, though not without argument and controversy, but the important part is the passing. It is in my opinion that any idea worth doing is worth fighting for, and a project that doesn't stir up at least a little controversy is not worth doing. So here I am, ready to work, create, push myself and most likely struggle through until the end.

I decided to start this blog so that I would be able to show the process of my thesis to people other than those I go to school with, but still keep that list pretty exclusive.

The idea I'm trying to get across is a playful satire on a somewhat dark subject matter. Many films and video games have taken ideas and inspiration from the atomic age because it was such an interesting time in our country's history. What interests me most about it is the hype surrounding nuclear technology that was created by advertisers and eaten up by consumers. Such as the way people envisioned a bright future with nuclear powered cars and less dependency on natural resources, and children played with Geiger counters, atomic ray guns and science kits that came with uranium. On the surface it seems like such a simple and optimistic time, but along with that optimism came fear. Eventually all of our bright hopes for a nuclear powered future went up in the smoke of a mushroom cloud, leaving behind a fallout of unrealized dreams of progress and regret.

I want to create a piece of the world that was left behind. A playground of nuclear fun left to decay in the harsh reality of the future that actually came to pass.

Another thing that really interests me about this period is the proliferation of the themes of monsters of our own creation and the pitfalls of science in film and television. What I would like to get across in the final piece is the kind of feel shows like "Tales of Tomorrow" and movies like "Them" and  "The Creature from the Black Lagoon" created.

The best place to start I guess is to post up the video of the outcome of last year's preproduction course. Its sort of a game pitch, sort of an animatic, and sort of a gameplay test. I have already made a lot of changes from what you will see here, but that is always a side effect of the creative process.

To be honest, this 'animatic' doesn't really get any of the above across very well at all, but it is my hope that I will be able to clarify my vision as I continue on.

the password to view this is: landisrules



My next post will be everything I've accomplished so far this summer, which is an amount I'm pretty proud of considering how much I normally accomplish in the months of May and June.