Data-Drain-Boss Battle Gameplay Trailer

Final trailer for the boss battle assignment. I collaborated with a partner to create the levels, meshes,etc. to use for the trailer. Hope you enjoy!

DFA: Workshop Isometric

Isometric drawing of my medical ward idea I'm going to be using for my 3D workshop.

Boss Battle Analysis

For game design we had to choose a boss battle, play it, and analyze it to figure out its mechanics and what makes it tick. I went with one of my favorite old school bosses from Ocarina of Time for Nintendo 64, the Phantom Shadow Beast Bongo Bongo from the infamous shadow temple.

We encounter Bongo Bongo when you enter the boss's lair at the end of the Shadow Temple in the Ocarina of Time. Link, the main character that the players play, falls down a well and onto what appears to be a giant drum. From here giant hands ominously start a war beat while a disturbing cyclops like head and chest float into visibility. This is how Mr. Bongo Bongo enters the scene.

Besides it's obviously heinous appearance, Bongo Bongo is a devious boss to fight. The mechanics used in his fight though are fun though.

When the player, Link, first enters Bongo Bongo's lair you get the usual Zelda boss intro scene but after his introduction Bongo Bongo's main body turns invisible while his hands remain visible.
You basically play blind.

Of course the only way to fight this boss is to equip the Lens of Truth which uses magic to allow the player to see the unseen, namely here it would be Bongo Bongo. While using the lens the player will need to aim with their bow and shoot at Bongo Bongo's eye in order to incapacitate him to land a blow or two.

While using the lens and trying to shoot at Bongo Bongo though the player will need to be careful as Bongo Bongo will use his hands to swipe and slam at the player. At some points Bongo Bongo will also make his way towards the player and body-ram them. This can be very harmful if the player is knocked off the edge of the boss's battle area, which is possible. If that happens they land in acid and must climb their way out.

Bongo Bongo follows a set of patterns though and his movements are very circular in that he'll move around the arena in a circular motion. This can get annoying as the player may not be able to keep track of Bongo with the lens to take aim and shoot before possibly being injured by an attack.

I picked this boss battle though because it's one of my childhood favorites and I enjoyed the mechanics of having to find an unseen enemy and shoot at them.

Basic fight mechanics:

• Must use Lens of Truth to see Bongo Bongo's main body. This is the main part of his body that you have to aim for and harm.
• Using the bow will be one of the few weapons that can properly take down Bongo Bongo. You have to be able to keep an eye on him, your magic, and keep up with him while aiming for his eye. Makes for a good fight.
• The hover boots Link gets from the shadow temple will help you in this level due to being thrown up in the air by Bongo Bongo's drumming. This adds a level of difficulty to be able to focus and aim for Bongo's face unless you run out of magic for the lens to see him.

By beating Bongo Bongo players are rewarded a new heart piece for their health meter and unlock one of the seven sages which play a part in the game's main story line.

Ecorche Progress

The block-out continues!

Toy Assignment Evaluation: "Spitfire"

"Once long ago in a land of fire and stone, there existed the mighty dragons and their adversaries, the golems. Both races fought valiantly against one another to regain control of the land but all was in vain as both were left with so few in number after so many years of fighting. Now, a young dragon by the name of Flint has discovered a group of golems encroaching in his territory. Action must be taken or they'll come for him and his nest of hatchlings. As Flint battles against the rocky foes however, they make off with his nest to his surprise! It's now a race against time as Flint must save his nest and destroy the evil golems who plague his land. So take flight and reign some hell fire from above."

Character Profile: Flint the dragon

External Profile:

1. Name: Flint
2. Species: Veil Valley Fire Drake
3. Basic Shape: Organic, round, and has some sharp edges.
4. Scale:W=5ft ,H=6ft ,L=6ft. Has a 14 ft wingspan.
5. Weight: 330lbs
6. Surface: Scaled, leathery, and has hard bone in some areas, especially around his horns.
7. Eyes: Orange and yellow.
8. Nose: Nostril holes on his face.
9. Ears: Simple holes on the side of his head since he's reptilian.
10. Hands: Three-clawed hands. Has one thumb, one index and one ring finger.
11. Feet: Small digitigrade hooves for climbing.
12. Gender: Male
13. Age: 228
14. Closest friend: No one
15. Biggest enemy: Golems, other dragons, and other large avians.
16. Extra Physical Descriptions: Has two horns which twist on his head. Scales are pink and purple hued. Can breath fire and can sustain major physical force/trauma without any affect.

Internal Profile:

1. Lives by the following morals or ethical imperiative: Lives by the Golden Rule and is slightly Hedonistic.
2. Dominated by Logic or Emotion? Mostly logic. The area he lives in is dangerous and so he needs to be aware at all times.
3. Greatest Strength: Incredibly stubborn, very protective, body's scales are nearly impossible to tear through, very strong pair of wings.
4. Character Flaw: Prideful and arrogant at times.
5. Sees themselves as: The protector and defender of Veil Valley. 
6. In seen by others as: Full of himself and very territorial.
7. Biggest secret? Loves eating vegetation.
8. Greatest ambition or passion? Protecting his nest and making sure that no golem or non-dragon sets foot in his homeland.
9. What does the character want? To protect his young and the home he lives in.
10. How far will the character go to reach his or her goal? He'll do anything to protect his family and home even if it means major collateral damage.
11. What does the character need to learn? To control his sense of duty and arrogance. He can't just fight everything that comes near his home.

Object Profile: Dragon and Fireball

External:

1. Does the object exist in fictional world and/or does it resemble a current day or historical analog? My object exists in a fictional world and resembles a fantasy based element.
2. When was it made? It was made a very long time ago in an ancient fantasy land.
3. What is the nationality or cultural background of the entity that made the object? The entity is from a race of ancient fire breathing dragons.
4. How was the object made? Through fire and magic with a touch of science.
5. Is or has the object been valued for its aesthetic or functionality? Both. It looks nice and functions as well.
6. What does it cost to make or purchase? Nothing. It's a living thing so unless you can catch it, it's not for sale.
7. In the context of the setting, does the spectator view the object as a necessity, nicety or luxury? A necessity and nicety.
8. In the ecology, what function does the object serve consumer, producer, decomposer? It acts as a consumer in its ecology.
9. Is the object being used for it’s intended purpose or has it been repurposed? It's being used for it's intended purpose which is to shoot fire at things and destroy objects.
10. What function does it serve in the set design? Denotation, Punctuation or Embellishment? Embellishment possibly?
11. Does the object perform a function?  How does the form support the functionality? Yes, the object shoots fire ball and flies around. It's form suits its function as it has wings.
12. Does it use energy in its function?  What is it’s energy source? How is it powered? It doesn't really use energy when it shoots fire. It can constantly shoot fire for a good amount of time.
13. What is the object called in this world? is it’s name a scientific name or a brand name. Flint the fire drake.
14. What are the objects surface definition(s)? Scaled, leathery, winged.
15. What is the condition of the object? It's endured a lot of action in its time.
16. What is the size of the object? It's around the size of a small car.
17. How much does it weigh? It weighs 330 pounds.
18. What is the durability of the object? It's able to last for a while
19. What does it feel like? Feels like leather and scales.
20. What does it smell like? Burnt rock and leather.
21. What does it sound like? Sounds like a large bird that growls loudly.
22. What does it taste like? Meat? Fleshie?
23. What does the viewer’s intuition feel about the object? The viewer would want to keep their distance form the object.
24. What are the object’s greatest strength and flaw? It can fly fast and shoot fire. it can't make sharp turns.
25. How does the object support the visual sophistication of the world it is placed in? It fits in with the fantasy like world it lives in.
26. What is the stylistic look of the object? It looks like a fantasy creature from a story or game.
27. How does the object support the mood, genre, theme and decor? It fits the fantasy theme due to its appearance and abilities.

Internal:

1. What is the importance or purpose of this object? It navigates the level and is the main character.
2. What were the reasons for it being created? It is the character as well as the tool for the player to use to navigate the game space.
3. Is the object expected to be found in the world setting or unexpected? and why? Yes, it belongs in the fantasy world that the gamer plays through.
4. Was the entity that created this element dominated by Logic or Emotion? Logic mostly.
5. What are the reasons the object is wanted or unwanted by the main character? It can be very dangerous.
6. What is the importance of this object? It's one of the only ways to navigate through the game space.
7. What is the history of the object? It's been through a lot of fights due to its age,
8. How was the object first attained? It was created in the world through fire and magic.
9. How does the object supports the experience and where and when it takes place? Its shape and functions help to support the experience.
10. How does the object support the narrative? It is the character the game's story revolves around and it also has the abilities needed to traverse the level.
11. Does the object posses metaphorical or symbolic reasons for being in the world? If so what? Yes, it has a symbolic reason for existing as its the "fire" of the land and is sent to protect it from any foes.
12. How does this object support the goals of the character that possesses it? It has the abilities to help navigate through the level.
13. How does the object enhances experience? It makes the game experience more fun and adventurous.
14. What is this object greatest strength and flaw? It can't make sharp turns, and can only shoot so many fire balls.
15. What information does the object reveal of the world’s or character’s narrative? The world is fantasy based and large.

DFA Hero Prop

Finished up my prop design for DFA recently. The idea for my prop is that it's a circular hand blade tool which also acts an an impromptu weapon. I based the visuals of the design off of TRON, as per the requirement for this assignment, and I applied the details from the series to my idea. Came out nice though.

DFA Design Lab Part 2!

Here's the overall process work from my first DFA assignment which we recently finished up.

We started off with creating 100 silhouettes and 50 line doodles to pick from for our initial character designs.

Then we also had to choose 50 textures and make 15 designs from that. We also had to choose from and generate 15 designs from the silhouettes and the doodles.

Then we were given an animal, object, and adjective to create 3 force-fits.

Here's the final for Part 1 and 2 of the Design Lab.

Hex Character Progress 01

In 3D we're working on our character models finally! The aim of the project is to create a character which matches with the vehicle we previously made. I just started to sculpt out my dude in Zbrush but I have a feeling he's gonna come out pretty cool.

Programming:Destructible Part 2

Second to final part of my destructible asset. Unfortunately there appears to be issues with the trigger and the fracture material. The car can destroy the asset but the trigger doesn't seem to activate and the sound cue and particle effects connected to the fracture material seem to not be working!

3D Character Design: HEX

Here's the design for my vehicle's driver, Hex. He's a monster hunter who enjoys a good swig of jack and the occasional bar brawl. I have to block him out in Maya soon but once I get him into Z-brush I'm going to go nuts!

Programming:Destruction Test #1

Here's the first testing for my destructible asset. It appears to have some issues when a vehicle collides with it but breaks pretty well when shot at or hit. May have to also go back and adjust the fracture material since it appears that the asset doesn't make any noises or produce any particle effects when damaged.

3D Vehicle:1966 Impala SS

Due to some serious issues with Maya I'm deathly afraid of putting the more fixed-up version of my car into UDK, so here's the (just about) final vehicle for my 3D class. I'm not very keen of vehicles of any sort so modeling this has been a really interesting, and painful, experience. Can't wait to drive this baby around in our racing levels for my game design class though!

Here's the finalized model in Maya. The program has been hell for me this semester due to it destroying my model because of history issues or other but I came out on top in the end! We had a 50,000 poly limit for our cars and I managed to make it to exactly that...Of course I had to do some intense poly hunt down to get rid of any extra.

The textured version of my Impala. This will have been the very first car I've ever modeled and textured so I think it came out pretty decent. I'd love to go back and tweak it in the future though after this semester ends. Maybe I'll add some wacky thrusters or something to it.

Looking Back At Freshman Year

I learned a lot. No really I honestly did. I'd love to write about it all but it would take up a little too much space on this post so I'll just post pictures of various projects that I've completed from some of my favorite classes. Some of them are probably already on this blog but its always nice to get a reminder.

Traditional Animation:

Figure:

Perspective/Drawing II:

3D-Design:

Pre-Grunt Sculpt

So this is actually a little old but I had made this guy as a pre-sculpt concept for my Grunt before I got to my final idea for the actual project. He's about 4" long and 3" tall. While my Grunt project ended up coming out way different this was the original idea that ended up being heavily modified since it didn't fit the bipedal form that was required for our designs.

3Pt. Assignment: Trojan Horse

For our Trojan Horse assignment in Drawing 2. The objective was to create a scene where the main subject, the trojan horse, would be lead into the enemies' base. The theme I decided to choose to go with this objective was Angels vs Demons with the Angels bringing in the trojan horse which is a very nice and shiny box of potential death and destruction. Shame the demons have no idea what it is.

Old Value Studies and Other School Work

Dualities

Marker illustration 18x24 I did back in my first year of art school.