Kristen Plogstedt's Art Process Blog

This is the top-down map that I did for my biome. It shows the different key moments that I will have in the story as well as where I would like the player to be able to explore. All the numbers are in Unreal units.

For my hero prop, I decided to go with a completely different idea than from what was in my last blog post. I took part of what I already had for one of my idea's. that being letter G, and expanding more on with it without over complicating it from a story and coding perspective. I decided to go with a sort of air pushing jet pack/ object mover. Mainly a device that is a mix between a mini gun and a leaf blower. This prop will allow the player to fly up to a certain height as well as be able to push objects, slowly, in order to move objects to a location that will allow them to get through the gating mechanism. The challenges with this will be to make sure that when the player fly's, they don't exceed a certain height so that way they do not fly out of the camera's view as well as when the player starts at a higher starting position. Also I have to make sure that the player doesn't push key elements of game play outside of their view and reach.] Here is my dra...

These are some thumbnails for our hero's prop.  These props will help the character gain entry into some sort of gate. For my idea, I am going for a horror themed forest that will have a broken abandoned workshop at the end of the path. The follow sketches and silhouettes are some of my ideas for the prop. This one is a bracelet that shoots little darts out. There is also a controller that will allow the player to either sent off one at a time or multiple at once. This one is a Frisbee in the shape of a shoe. The tech attached to it helps to stabilize in the air. This next one is a bug bug that allows the player to crawl and spit like a bug. These are hover shoes that will allow the player to jump over any obstacle in their way. This is a firecracker suit that allows the player to hold and store different little firecrackers. This is a tazing  flashlight that use capsules to recharge itself. This is a leaf blower that can als...

For a particle that I made, I needed a material that used just some simple white and black lines that I could change the color of as well as having those lines become distorted in a wave-like fashion.      In the image above is the entire material editor. To have there be something that distorts my original mask I used a cloud mask that I made in Photoshop. I then made a copy of that same mask so that I could manipulate the distortion better. For one of them I used a panner to have the cloud mask pan up diagonally. With the other cloud mask copy, I have it pan diagonally as well but this time it is going the other direction as well as a much slower speed than the first one. In order to give the cloud mask some more distortion, I decided to make one of the cloud mask copies smaller by having it multiply by 0.5 before the panner. This will help me down the line because once I connect the two cloud mask copies to a separate cloud mask that I have set up to just move...

This is a trailer that we made for our battle arena game. Mine is about a disco dance skate rink where the disco balls fall down and attack the player. There is also a huge disco ball in the center of the map that allows the player to fly right off of it in order to help them escape other tanks that try to destroy them. Here is the video:

These are some of the shots that I was thinking of having for my trailer for the battle arena's we created. For my trailer, I wanted to focus more on parts that the cars can do during a match, like getting crushed by a disco ball and flying off a disco ball. I decided that I wanted to focus my shots like this because I want my trailer to feel action packed and full of adventure.

This is my Battle Arena Game that I worked on for the past few weeks. This is the second version of my map and I changed my theme from a disco dance arena to a disco skate rink. I learned a lot about different ways that the player explores a wide open map and how to help them out without giving them everything. I learned a lot about how to prevent camping and how to make the level experience fun yet thrilling. This project not only taught me those things but it also taught me a lot in terms of programming. This includes the way that my main disco ball in the center works as well as the four disco balls that come crashing down and raise back up. Overall, I enjoyed this project even with the limitations that were given to us. Here are some screenshots as well as a video of me and one other person playing my level.

Here are some of the ideas that I have for a battle arena that will be multi-player. My goal with these was to keep the layout somewhat simple but to have added mechanics that make the players have to think and choose about what it is exactly they want to do in order to win. For this first one, I was thinking about having it be tape themed. The top and bottom parts for the map will act as conveyor belt and move in opposite directions. Each belt will have items that will move along with it. At each end it an instant kill for the player so they must be careful. In the center there will be bridges that allow the player to access the area but after a while the bridge will disappear. In each corner of that area will be jump pads so that players wont be completely trapped. In this one, I was thinking about having it be some sort of robot death maze where the players have to race to the end of the maze of obtain either a special item of be able to equip their weapon. On th...

     This is my gameplay of my adventure game. The story changed a lot since the last post but the story is that you are on your way to school and you are trying to avoid the monsters that live in the woods. Everything was programmed from scratch with the help we got in our Programming for Artists class.      Overall, I learned a lot with this project. I think the hardest part for me was getting the story across the entire game. I'm still struggling with that but not as much as when I started.      Here is a video of me playing through the game. The focus is more on the design and programming side.

Following another analysis overview, I am back with another prepro but this time it is for an adventure game.      The idea I have for this game is about helping your friend pay for their blog website. You hear about this from your friend once you get to school and you decide to go on a journey to help them out. After going through an unknown trail you end up at this mysterious place and by going to this secret building you find that there is a locked chest. This chest has enough money to help your friend but in order to open it you need a key. After going through a trail in order to get to the secret building, you now have to go through this unknown place in hopes to finding the key. Once you do and obtain the gold you then have a choice. You can keep the money for yourself or you can go back to school and give your friend the money. Here is the map as well as some drawings of the two characters and the enemies that the player encounters. Here are also some o...

For our next project we are creating a top-down adventure game. So in order to create a great level I am back here to post about another level analysis.      For this analysis, I picked the game Space Jammers ! In this game, you can either play single player or multiplayer. Your goal is to destroy enemy's, collect gold and not die.      Here is my paper map that I did:

For my Programming for Artist class, we made a spiky block that would fall downward and kill the player. For mine, I did a guy wearing a top hat and put some coins on top to show the player that his head is safe. I decided to do this because I thought that he would look better if he was wearing a top hat instead of nothing. Also I named him Steve but sometimes I will call him Dave!  This code is for when the player touches the spikes. The death function was made by my teacher, Scott Carroll.  This is setting the vector for the block itself. I only needed to do the block because I have it as a parent to everything else on him. This is the entire BluePrint! I mainly use a timeline node in order to keep everything together and in time with everything. The top half is for his eyes changing color. The middle is for unreal to know where his new relative location is after the timeline ends. The bottom is the sound effect I have for him as well as the cam...

I have finished my platformer for my Game Design II class. Overall I enjoyed creating our own platformer and having the creative push from the teachers.      My platformer is about the player being at a parkour facility is search of becoming a parkour master thru some tests. These tests include swings, jump pads, moving ladders and moving spikes. If the player completes all of these challenges, they are rewarded with a big pile of gold! I tried to stick to my level layout somewhat closely. If you want to see it check out my previous post! Most of the things that I changed was due to how difficult the game was as well as not making certain areas. Here is a video of me playing thru it:

For my own personal level layout, I wanted it to be some sort of parkour type of level where at the end the player would be rewarded with a giant pile of gold. I call it Scaling the Towers .      The story for this level is that you are trying to be a parkour master and your are scaling different building while avoiding different traps and such in order to keep people, like yourself, off of the roof tops. The goal in the game is to overcome all of the obstacles and collect your earnings as you work on becoming a parkour master.

For my 3D for Games II class, we have to design a vehicle with a weapon attached to it set 200 years in the future. Mine is called the Mobile Death Incinerator!      For the vehicle, I was thinking that it could be some sort of tank but with the mobility of a cheetah which is why I gave it such big wheels. The geometric shapes are going to be either steel plates of some sort of new material that is discovered. The beams going around the weapon will be used to hold it as still as possible in order for the bullet to stay on target. Speaking of which, the bullet will be this cone shaped object with a little ball inside of it. This ball will be creating neutrons as it is flying in the sky and will stop once the shell casing breaks off of it. Once it hits it target, the ball will break in half which will release the neutrons, causing the neutrons to mix into the air, creating a new explosive element. The weapon itself is like a rail gun, using the force from the magnets and ...

In order to get a great understanding of what a platformer game is, I believe that it is important to look at how other people have created their games. The game that I decided to examine is Battle Block Theater. This game offers a great tutorial level in the form of simple yet understandable. The layout of the level helps the player to understand how the basic mechanics work as well as teaching them new mechanics like double jumping, standing on clouds and jumping on lava rocks. The short yet sweet level throws these mechanics at the player right as they are thrown into the game. The type of obstacles that the player is presented with are the cat enemy's and the cloud blocks. The cloud blocks are helpful due to the fact that you can jump through them as well as land on top of them. The game ramps up the difficulty by introducing the cat enemy, the cloud blocks and the teleporters. These objects help to teach the player the many different ways that they can get around in future...

These images are all from my level that I have mentioned in my previous posts. These shots show only three of the many areas that are contained within my level. Some of these other rooms can be seen in my trailer, which is in my previous post. I did all the set dressing and lighting as well as some of the pieces used in this level. I put this level together and adapted on the idea that was voted on in my 3D for Games I class.