End Sprint 3: Apple, Updates, And Paperwork

So with Sprint 3 coming to a close, there have been a few things that've happened this week.

Not exactly what I would've liked, but I'm going to roll with it.

Let's Start With The Apple

I recently updated my Macbook to the latest OS version (10.11 El Capitan) and it's been playing havoc with my pipeline. Mostly because it has effectively made the drivers of my Wacom drawing tablet completely redundant and it was causing a lot of trouble for people. 

My first work around was a flop, however, I've got a better workaround for now. With any luck, I can get back on track with actual work.

The Update

The tablet works again now. 

And The Paperwork

Seeing as most of my time this week was spent looking for a way around the driver problem, I spent a lot of time refining the visual style of the project starting with the characters. For Inspiration, I turned to my staple for fantasy visuals in games, Fable.

Redesigns for the Templar and the Viking.

In the end, this style works much better aesthetically than what I was using before. The silhouettes are much more defined and you can more easily see who they are as characters and how they will move and play in-game. The Templar is obviously more tanky than the Viking, so I (to quote an XCOM post mortem discussion at GDC) 'Chunkified' the armour and shield. The same thing was done to the Viking, just to his arms to emphasise his offensive playstyle.

TL;DR, it's looking much better than it was before.

Other than that, I got a quick rig done on the old Templar model using mixamo, which also has some basic animations that you can use. I haven't exported those yet, but I do have this one horror shot.

Just imagine he has a sword and shield and it'll be fine.

That's pretty much what's going on with this pipeline. It's had a couple of hiccups but it's still going.

Moving On

I know not much happened this sprint, but get some basic assets out for sprint 4.

To do in Sprint 4:

1. Export basic Templar with Mixamo rig and animations so that some gameplay can get going.
2. Work on basic environment assets for testing purposes (with substances attached)
3. Some proper digital artwork for this project such as:
1. Mood art to capture the feel of certain levels
2. Character paints to help with the design of player characters and enemies

I figure I started out on the wrong foot getting back into this project out of the pantomime, that and hardware issues. The exporting of the basic stuff will give my partner, Alex, something to work with for actually building the game's core mechanics into something fun. I think what I need to really focus on this week is getting something out that I can easily build momentum from. 

Now that the hardware issues are behind me, I can actually start on getting something good out.

Also, I'll be posting extra drawings to my Facebook page so that it actually has some art on it rather than just being a signal boost for this blog so keep tabs on that.

See you in 2 weeks!

Jason.