Game Dev Blog

Area Tutorial Series Part 1

Did a tutorial series for the AREA this is part 1 or parte uno if you're Spanish!
http://area.autodesk.com/tutorials/fx_shot_process_with_david_schoneveld_part_1

So what's been going on? Well hey thanks for asking! I've got the main classes put together and plugged in with some of my content. I'm mainly working on the PollockPawn, PlayerController, GameType classes. I also have AIController, EnemyPawn, and I think another but I'm forgetting as I write this. Anyway. I also have a LOT of work to get the enemies ready even to put into Unreal. They need to be re-UV'ed and Textured, bound (they're rigged) and animated. Joy, so there's that. But as Far as PollockPawn goes I think he's just about ready. I mean its more flipping a few switches than it is writing any code. Yet, despite the simplicity of some of it, I'm still moving forward slowly. I'm trying to read through some classes, and re-read them again trying to get a sense of things and where things will be when I need them later. There's so much a LOT of sound controls, which I'll have to come back to. Anyway, its not working in game yet, actually I don't know exactly what it will look like when it is working in game. I've found that most tutorials that use Unreal Script don't really know what they're doing (I've seen a lot). If anyone knows of a really good one, I'm all ears. So I'm paving my way forward, steady and slowly.

Current PC Build Recommendation

My friend was building a computer so we went through a bunch of components to figure out what he should make. Here is the current list of what I think makes a great mid priced PC ($1600ish). Its not far from my current PC newer CPU, GPU and more power.

CPU: Intel Core i7-2700K Sandy Bridge 3.5GHz (3.9GHz Turbo)

Motherboard: ASUS P8Z68-V

Memory: CORSAIR Vengeance 16GB

Graphics: EVGA GeForce GTX 570 HD

OS/Software Drive: Intel 510 Series 120GB SATA III

Data drives (buy 1 or 2): Western Digital Caviar Black 1TB

Power Supply: PC Power and Cooling Silencer 910W

DVD/blue ray cheapest one, whatever you need drive

Case... its kinda up to you on how you want it to look. This is the case I have, cheap and works fine.
Antec Three Hundred Black Steel ATX Mid Tower

Unreal Scriptin'

Well not really. I started doing a tutorial for bot AI and I felt like I needed a bigger refresher on Unreal Script so I started watching the Eat3D Unreal Script videos again. I feel like I missed a lot the first time and am getting a lot more information this time than I thought I would. its good. I also made a playlist of SMU's Unreal Script youtube video's here. There are more tutorial videos these are just the ones I want to watch or re-watch, as I've seen a few already. Anyway going well, I'm going to push forward on the tutorials even if I don't know everything I'm doing, just to keep momentum.

Dragging my feet

Well right now I'm sorta dragging my feet b/c I know I need to write my own game classes and start really making this game. I got a bot working in my test enemy level, but its AI is Deathmatch so if I want more than one, they will kill each other. Sure I could spend time to get that to work, but the point is I need to do it right away. By right I mean make my own game type, and pawns. Its not hard, I just have to do it, and that means fixing my visual studio, getting back on the horse of Unreal Scripting. I even know what I need to write, and I can see lots of problems I will already have before my game is workable again. However when it is, it will be all but ready to level design it out and play, but more importantly I'll be making a game "right" and be better for it.

TO DO's:

• Get Visual Studio to "see" all the other class files in the src folder.
• Write my own game type.
• Edit PollockPawn to be a working class file.
• Write GuardPawn, SoldierPawn, EenemyPawn classes.
• Make a death/respawn scenario & end game conditions.
• HUD UI, working health and weapon ammo meter.
• Might as well make the controllers in code if I'm going this far.

A.I. Bot Trouble

Well I knew it wouldn't be easy, but it seems that all the tutorials 'n such online say basically the same thing and none of that works anymore in the current UDK. I've tried a bunch of different variations but so far, nothing fully working. I got an invisible guy to die and drop an item but that's not really useful.
Meanwhile I'm getting back into studying architecture and design theory to help in making more interesting levels. Got a few books I've started reading, 1 is the updated version of a great textbook from Architecture School in collage.

All Fixes Check

Fixed and updated my list last night. New Mesh & Texture, fixed collision/blocking models, testest vertex colors, and colored lights both working.

Now enemies/bots/AI.