U49/Game Jam DnD game
For this assignment, we were given a scenario to create a Lego themed game in Unity and had to meet certain objectives to complete the task. We had to create concepts and 3D models for a Lego themed 3D scene containing interactable objects. We used a combination of 3ds Max and Blender 3D to create the models and then imported the scene into Unity 5 and coded interactive elements into the scene such as the ability to pickup items such as keys, opening a chest and killing the enemies. The player can switch between a first person perspective and third person perspective to play the game. It can be controlled using the keyboard and mouse or a controller.
When coming up with the idea for the project, we decided to go with the theme of Dungeons and Dragons which we believed would be a unique theme that would make our project stand out among the class as we believed nobody else would use this theme. We also thought it would be suitable for this assignment as the theme allowed us to create a closed environment; an underground dungeon.
During the creation process of this game, we took a lot of inspiration from the DnD books and monsters that dwell within the many worlds within it to design the monsters we would use in our game. One monster we were most inspired by from the books was a creature called the Beholder, a monster that is very well known in the series of Dungeons and Dragons showing up in many titles like Doom. They have been around since the earliest editions of the game and we thought adding them into the game would be a good homage to DnD's history. When the time came to create them in the Lego style trying to find examples of them proved very difficult so when the final modal was done it was more stylised to fit the Lego theme.
Another monster we added into the final project were skeletons. Skeletons carried swords and would have acted as melee enemies. They would have chased after the player and attacked them, but this mechanic was not implemented for the final piece because we ran out of time. We also had ideas for a ranged variant that would have shot flaming arrows at the player. We added some skeletons with swords on the upper floor to mark where the ranged skeletons would have been placed.
One of the monsters we were originally going to put in the game was a creature called an Eye Stalk that Greg had drawn, but it didn't make it into the game due to time constraints so we decided to leave them out. Eye Stalks look like hovering eyes and would have shot projectiles at the player that they would need to dodge or block so as not to take damage. It would have added an extra dimension of chaos to the game if they had been introduced.
One other monster that did not make the cut was a ghost. The ghost enemy would have floated around the area, particularly in dark areas. Once the player walked in range of the ghost, it would have charged the player in a straight line. (Like a bull charging at the Matador) Unlike the other enemies, the sword would have been ineffective on this enemy and they would have been defeated with the torch. Once defeated, the sheet would burn off and it would turn into an unarmed skeleton. This skeleton would behave similarly to the ghost except that it would charge on the ground instead of the air.
After creating concepts for the monsters, Sammy started modelling and texturing the skeleton enemy in Blender 3D. Meanwhile, Peter and Greg started coming up with concept ideas and maps for the environment that would ultimately be used in the final project. They also created a list of all of the assets necessary for this room. Greg designed the first two concepts to visualise the general shape and layout of the dungeon. He and Peter created a third concept where they simplified the room's design so that the idea was easier to understand. However we decided that the concept was too simplified and combined elements of the second and third concept to create the final environment. Sammy drew the final concept. Peter and Greg idea of what the dungeon looked like was inspired by the underground scenes in the first Lord of the rings film, while Sammy's idea of the dungeon was more arena like.
Peter modelled the pillars, chest, key and torch in 3ds Max. MecaBricks was used to create the knight and sword due to time restrictions. Greg modelled the Beholder in MecaBricks and Blender 3D. Sammy modelled the environment and the skeleton.
Greg used the game jam to complete his model of the Beholder. Peter quickly created the knight and sword in MecaBricks to act as a temporary character in Unity. We were unable to replace the temporary character with a finished model because we ran out of time. Sammy used Blender 3D to build the final environment that was imported into Unity. Sammy used the in built physics engine in Blender 3D to create the debris. Sammy and Peter then built the scene in Unity and decided the placement of the objects in the room. We attempted to create our own player movement from scratch but neither of us understood enough coding to do that. So we ultimately ended up using Unity's in built base first person controller. Once Greg finished the beholder, we imported it into the scene and begun working on the lighting of the environment. A level 3 student provided us with the tool Playmaker, a visual scripting tool and helped teach us how to use the program to implement the mechanics of the game and interactive elements such as the ability to kill the monsters and the key and chest.
Below are some images and a video showcasing the final result of our project.
