DEADEYE FMP PROJECT
PLANNING - CONCEPT
Rationale
Throughout the course, I have slowly learned how to use more and more features in Unreal engine, such as how to add assets to a level, landscape a level, make materials and import images. At the beginning of the course, I only knew about Unreal Engine from video games I’ve played in the past, and I had no idea how to use it. I am now able to produce better levels compared to what I would’ve produced during my first year of the course. I learned how to landscape and add assets to my level at the beginning of the course, around a month before my first project (which is the abandoned project). I learned how to import images during last year’s FMP, and how to create new materials during the recent 3D CV project. I chose this course because I would like to get a job as a games designer, and this course has allowed me to see a completely new perspective on how games are produced, since now I am now aware of how much knowledge, money and effort must go into producing a good video game. I’ve done very well on most of my projects so far, so I believe I’m going to secure a good grade for this FMP as well.
Project Concept/Proposal
I am planning to produce a 3D, third person level set in Chinatown, Birmingham, based on the missions of a character named Deadeye that I created. At this point in the story, Deadeye has been sent to Chinatown, where his objective is to assassinate the son of a mafia boss after he escaped arrest for murdering a classmate. The is the goal of the level is to kill a mafia boss’ son, named Kai Treadman, as quickly as possible and as stealthily as possible. I anticipate to produce an unreal level based on the plaza in the middle of the Arcadian, situated
in the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham, and I have placed a google maps link to this plaza on my WIX website. The plaza has an entrance with a massive red gate and has multiple Asian-speaking shops on either side, and I am aspiring to recreate some of these shops and the giant red gate using Blender. I also plan to use Blender to produce assets for Deadeye and Treadman. I’m hoping to put an elevator system in the level leading up to the penthouse where Treadman is staying. The level will also contain a loading bay and drug packaging area where the player can infiltrate the penthouse building to get to the target, as well as the main penthouse door. I plan to produce some form of concept art using adobe photoshop at the beginning of the project to represent the plaza that I hope to produce, and some concept art for Deadeye himself. There is also a level from the game Hitman: Absolution (2012) that is set in the Chinatown district of Chicago, Illinois, and I can use some aspects of that level to influence my Unreal level if I feel the need to. I plan to add music to the level and menu, but I’m currently not sure what software I’m going to use to develop it.
For the menu music I’m going to see what I can produce using the British drill sound pack on Groovepad, but I’m not sure what I’m going to use for the actual level music since Groovepad’s sound library is very limited and I still haven’t grasped how to use Cakewalk. I’ve decided I’m going to use Bandlab to produce background music for the actual level. I also plan to make a menu for the game, featuring four buttons, one to start the game, one to select a mission, another for the options and another for the credits. I’m hoping to produce some art for Deadeye’s logo for the menu background, and I plan to use adobe photoshop to produce it. I also plan to add a timer to the level that will count each second and minute spent in the level, and the player will have to complete the level as quickly as possible.
Evaluation
Small Plaza in the center of the Arcadian, within the Chinese Quarter of Birmingham. When I designed a floorplan for the level when I was around 15 years old, using pen and paper, it was based on this plaza. It wasn't accurate at all since I was going off of memory instead of using Google Earth's street view and satellite imagery like I am using it for this project.
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Main entrance to the Arcadian plaza seen above, giant red gate followed by an array of colorful, Chinese-speaking shops. I hope to base the shops in my level off of these ones.
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Large Chinese restaurant complex opposite the Arcadian block. I plan to base the architecture of the rest of the level on this restaurant, with the detailed emerald green roof and the minor red detailing.
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Chinatown Square from the 'King of Chinatown' level in Hitman Absolution (2012). The entire plaza is brightly lit up by many paper lanterns, with a massive pagoda at the center.
I plan to use the reflective log template that was made for me by my tutors at the beginning of the project to keep track of and evaluate my progress during the project and reflect on the decisions I make. The template allows me to keep track of multiple details, such as the date and time, location, targets for the session, a brief description of what I have achieved, what went well in the session, what could’ve gone better, what else I would like to learn and why, and visual evidence (usually in the form of screenshots) of my progress. I will also probably be doing a written
evaluation at the end of the project to reflect on my work overall, just like I’ve done with most of my past projects. If I log most of my behaviors on the reflective log, then I can use that for reference when I’m writing out my evaluation.
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I also happen to have a blog page here on my WIX website, and I can use that as an archive for OBS recordings of my level while it is work in progress. I plan to record an OBS walkthrough of my level at least once every two weeks and type out a caption explaining the progress I’ve made since the previous OBS walkthrough. I’m also going to make voiceovers for these OBS walkthroughs and add them to the videos using Powerdirector on my phone.
Harvard Referencing/Bibliography
Hitman Wiki. 2012. The King of Chinatown. [online] Available at: <https://hitman.fandom.com/wiki/The_King_of_China-town> [Accessed 15 March 2022].
Roadmap and Contingency plan
Roadmap A:
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25/4/2022 - Start planning concept art for the Chinatown main square using Adobe photoshop.
26/4/2022 - Use the specialized drawing computers in room A108 during Chris P.'s lesson to develop the concept art.
28/4/2022 Make the menu system for my Unreal level.
29/4/2022 - Finish the concept art and add it to the background of the menu on my Unreal level.
Roadmap B (Contingency Plan):
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25/4/2022 - Start planning a top-down view of the Chinatown main square using Adobe photoshop.
26/4/2022 - Use pixel art online to develop a top-down view of the Chinatown level.
28/4/2022 Make the menu system for my Unreal level.
29/4/2022 - Add the final touches to the top-down view art and add it to the background of the menu on my Unreal level.