Production dev Blog 2

Hello everyone, I'm Daniel Lee, the Producer of Steel Spector. Thank you for visiting our second production blog once again. I would like to reintroduce Steel Spector on this occasion. Steel Spector is a fast-paced first-person shooter developed for PC. One of the key features of the game is the ability for players to hack into and take control of enemy bodies, thereby swapping weapons and abilities.

The goal that Lead Designer Leland and I set for Sprint 2 was to ensure that the core functionalities were working properly before we completed the Electronic prototype in Sprint 3. Since the previous sprint focused on movement-related aspects, this sprint aimed to program the game's most basic mechanisms such as Hacking, Shooting, and other interactions. Additionally, part of the goal was to implement these features into a model and test them in practice. The ultimate goal was to conduct a playtest of all these elements, but in reality, we were only able to conduct basic functionality tests. I introduce elements related to art and level design, such as level design, VFX, and animation. I will also detail the main issues that arose during the creation of the digital prototype in Sprint 2 and the feedback we received

Modeling/Animation

In the previous sprint, our modelers were unable to work on the main character models due to the lack of concept art, so they spent their time creating props. Therefore, this Sprint required more time to be devoted to modeling the main characters that players will control within the game. Dylan W modeled the body frame for the Light body type and the weapon for the Heavy body type, which is a Minigun. Jonathan modeled the complex and detailed full parts of the Heavy body type and a health cell.

Unlike Dylan W and Jonathan, Peter took on the task of creating modular walls for buildings located at the Tutorial Level. Therefore, he focused solely on producing modular pieces rather than creating body types. After completing all the modules for the Tutorial, Peter modeled a Shotgun. Keana, although an Animator, currently has no models to rig, so she took on the task of modeling a Monitor Arm and a Sci-Fi Crate, which were not being handled by the other modelers. She also added simple rigging and animation to the Monitor Arm, enhancing its detail for future use in the map.

2D Art

In Sprint 1, the focus was primarily on drawing concept art, so for this Sprint, there was a need for UI elements, icons for different body types, and images for the game title. Anthony created individual emblem icons for the light, medium, and heavy body types. These emblems visually distinguish the different models and convey that each body type is manufactured by different companies. Additionally, Anthony drew images for the HUD as requested by Dylan. These included a bullet image to show the remaining ammunition, an HP image to display remaining health, and hacking imagery to indicate whether shooting or hacking is in progress. Lastly, Anthony designed the game's title screen for its initial launch. He excellently captured the theme of hacking and an old-school retro feel using a shade of green, effectively conveying the game's aesthetic and thematic elements.

Level Design/VFX

In this Sprint, one of our team's level designers moved to another project, leaving Angel to handle all Level Design tasks. Angel improved the annotated map created by our previous level designer, Brad, and constructed the block out for the tutorial level. The overall flow of the tutorial level is designed to sequentially teach players movement, shooting, and hacking from sections 1 to 7. After mastering these elements, players are tested in a practical environment in sections 8 to 10, where everything they've learned is integrated, culminating in the completion of the tutorial.

Additionally, Angel enhanced the game's details by creating various VFX. She developed a range of effects, such as an energy shield that players can activate using their skills, steam effects from pipes that required visuals, and fire smoke that could be placed in various destroyed parts of the map. As a level designer, Angel strategically placed these effects throughout the map, significantly elevating the quality and immersive experience of the game environment.

Programming

In the last sprint, we developed the player's foundational movements along with the primary and secondary weapons. The goal for this sprint was to refine these features to the extent that they could be playtested. Chase focused on crafting the overall movement for the enemy AI, which adapts its behavior based on player actions. For example, utilizing Navmesh Integration, Chase enabled the enemy to detect and subsequently track the player once they entered its field of vision. If the player is spotted or initiates an attack, the enemy engages in combat through a dynamic damage system, enhancing the realism of the battles. Additionally, Chase was responsible for weapon-related programming and developed the firing mechanism for one of the primary weapons, the Shotgun.

Dylan worked on developing the game’s critical ability, hacking, which is essential when the player runs out of ammunition, has low HP, or wants to switch body types. Given these circumstances, players need to continually change body types. Dylan's system allows players to target an enemy and, after maintaining focus for a certain period, switch their body type with the enemy's. He incorporated a gauge from Anthony's 2D art related to hacking in the HUD, showing the progress of the hack with in-game animations, which helps players understand the status of their hacking attempts. Lastly, he developed the GameManager related to the tutorial's UI, enabling players to respawn at checkpoints, thus lowering the tutorial's difficulty and improving player experience.

Sound

Linus primarily handled the audio aspects of the game during this sprint. He worked on designing and producing the sounds needed for the game's main weapons: the Primary weapon, the Shotgun, and the Secondary weapon, the Laser. Additionally, Linus created the Pellet Impact sounds for when bullets from the Primary weapon hit an object, crafting the sound effects for these impacts.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1pybwvV3OLnTu7pDWsMvuzYPgGzvOGc1B/view?usp=drive...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18j6OuLpMXaedu9Wxj6mCDVHQ089eGAKG/view?usp=drive...

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Xz9P7sp0wo90JGFqP9PL_4D8OlS0D-3Y/view?usp=drive...

Conculsion

In this sprint, a total of 156 points were allocated, and we completed 89 points. Calculating the current velocity from Sprint 1 and Sprint 2, it stands at 63.5. The Ideal Velocity is 48.714, but we have set a goal to create more cards for the team members. The aim for the next Sprint 3 is to complete the Electronic prototype that other players can directly play. I am grateful to our Steel Specter team members who have done more work than in the previous Sprint 1. Changes among team members can cause confusion, and some cards lack detailed descriptions, so our goal for Sprint 3 will be to mitigate this confusion and maintain the project effectively.