Thursday 28 March 2013

ADMIN BLOCK 01
Hey up sailors..!
Another update here, a sort of generic Administration Block that can be placed near to larger facilities like Research or Science Blocks etc as outlying offices to add variation and options to the layouts of areas. 
It's quite a challenge to create buildings like this, as they all have to be in the same world whilst offering diversity and visual changes and at the same time not be too unique looking as they will be repeated across the island, although at vast distances.
So, 50 percent of the time you see this, you'll see it with the bricks missing in the same place etc- just one of the limits of game design to an extent if you want the performance not to suffer..! 
I think it's a good trade off to take out some of the bricks and windows and dirty it up, and then have a massively damaged state one, so it's more or less completely exposed to the elements as the entire roof is missing or something with the textures changed to reflect its state. 


That's the plan anyway, each building should have it's damaged variation to an extreme in the final build if all goes to plan- again for variation and to fit the STALKER look...
I've also included an interior shots sheet, so you can get an idea of what these places look like inside. Bear in mind all these structures are the base units, there will be little details added to the interiors/exteriors to spice things up and enhance the decay- piles of rubbish, burnt out fires on the floor, bones and mattresses etc.

Lastly, here's a little tease of House_01 in the ARMA3 engine with the PAUSE engaged..! :)

Saturday 16 March 2013

WITCHES JELLY GROWTHS
Hello again..!
Here's another update, this time focusing on one of the Anomalies, the deadly Witches Jelly.
This one's a bit of a risk, but in trying to stick to Roadside Picnic and it's environment I have to adapt some of the ideas for the ARMA3 island.

For this, I've gone down the route of introducing a bit more of the horror side of STALKER into the design.
A few reasons for this, but primarily is because there aren't that many islands/themes in ARMA addons upto now that have this (As far as I know), and also it really fits the STALKER universe so I'll try to play on it in subtle ways that will effect your game play.

Anyway, these little beauties will be growing in basements, swamps and dark recesses of old irradiated factories and laboratories etc, and will give off a glow that can be seen for quite some distance away. They will be surrounded by a glowing miasma of gases which they expel, hissing and spluttering, completely harmful and fatal if exposed to for longer than say, 10-20 seconds... So you know to stay well away.
That being said, you won't really be able to walk up to these and study them for that reason- you'll have to give them a wide berth and study them from afar.
Ideally I want them to be breathing/pulsing slightly and slowly in the final build, as to give them a sense of life, like a tumorous parasite that should add to the feeling of repulsion hopefully.
Imagine being stuck in an old ruined factory at night, surrounded by Bloodsuckers, and you know there's a whole crop of these in the room next to yours...


Friday 15 March 2013

PILING DEFENCES
Hey up..!
Another update here- these ones are old rusty metal pilings that have been adapted by the Stalkers/Bandits over time to be a form of defensive shielding.
For scale ref, the small ones are 90 cms high, so it will also be possible for the player to "step" or vault over them too, and the large ones are 2 meters high. That should give you an idea of the size compared to a human.
I've added little bracing sheets of metal around the bases, so it looks like the Stalkers have welded extra supports onto the front and sides, but I didn't want to push this too much, like loads of spikes and chains etc, as I don't want it to go too Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome..! 
Also added are handles that Stalkers have welded onto them for ease of placement/carrying (It can also help break up the silhouette, and makes it more interesting visually).
It's difficult to resist the urge to add loads of little touches like that, but I think it'll benefit in the long run, seeing these objects ingame again and again- it's best to try to keep them almost generic.
Anyway, here they are:



Wednesday 6 March 2013

HOUSE 03
Hi all..!
It's been ages I know, but here's the latest house structure to be completed.
Sorry it's been awhile, but priorities come first- I've been doing a lot of RL work and also have got a few of my objects into ARMA itself and working now, which takes time.
Anyway, this new house is again modular in construction- so it'll be easy for me to make variations (The ever important variations!) to the layout and ruin side of things. 
As it stands, I'm probably going to have 8 kinds of cement/brick style house, and 4 kinds of wooden/log houses. Then, variations on all so hopefully there'll be a fair few differences scattered across the map.

Also, these houses are all just the "shell"- there will be little objects to interact with like lanterns on tables and fireplaces where you can light a fire inside the house. You can just make out the fireplace inside this particular house in centre image.
As I've modelled the actual chimney flue to go down to the fireplace itself, then in theory you should be able to throw a grenade into the chimney from outside, and if you aim is good enough, it should fall down the stack and explode in the fireplace, killing everyone around the fire..! What joy..! :D

Anyway, I hope to start on smaller objects again now, give the houses a rest for a bit so there should be more updates sooner rather than later...