Spike's Digital Media Blog

  Today we added aditional functionality into our Unity Projects. I admittedly like Unity much more now than after last session but generally still prefer unreal. We programmed guns/ projectiles, enemies, User Interface and scoring.  I also experimented with blender for the first time. (You can see my unholy creation in the container in the screenshot.) I appreciate learning how to add UI elements as I can obviously add scores to my game but I can also perhaps a counter or a lap count if I plan to go with my collect or racing game. I could also use it for making buttons and/ or adding credits.

 Over the past two days I have been introduced to the website OpenProcessing where code can be used to create visual/ interactive art. Having never properly coded before aaside from sessions in Unreal and Unity, I struggled a little at first, not knowing the logic behind creating effective code. Thankfully there were code indexes and libraries built into the website to reference and use in Scripts. I found that although it can be used for interactive projects, OpenProcessing is also good for randomised and looping animations, which is what I practiced doing mainly to get to grips with the essentials of OpenProcessing. The current project which I am working on, which is a culmination of all I had learned in those two days (3rd in the list) stilll has a few more features which need to be teaked or added.  1. Have the restart feature mapped to a key, rather than on a timer that resets every 25000th Frame 2. Have a pause feature for the animation, also mapped to a key 3. Alter the font tha

Today we experimented with multiple pages, interactive backgrounds, and reactive elements such as the logo. What I was shown shall definitely be the basis for my final poster, I will obviously change elements such as the design/ interactive background/ layout. I will obviously also have to consider the assets I will create for the labels/ pages I create which will be likely just as difficult as crafting the layout, the most difficult of these being the map, I wouldn't just like the image maybe an interactive cursor or buttons which perhaps go more in depth on a location when you click on it. https://ca-net.herts.ac.uk/~sp22aby/Poster/

  Today in Unreal we focussed on creating a useable gun and implementing two types of projectile, beams and physical bullets as well as making them interact with objects and the physics of the playable space, as well as damaging them. Generally, I prefer Hitscan beams to physical bulets as they are easier to implement and have functionally. Projectile bullets could be good for physics based puzzles however if it is my intention to add them.  I also experimented with lighting and discovered that it is very to make the screen turn pitch-black. Lighting on the surface to appear fairly simplistic but it is highly customisable and will certainly be a large aspect of the environment I try to build in my final project.  Also I found out how to make invisble walls but I would rather add colision to assets I create if/and/or/when/why/conditionally/unconditionally/epic/awesome/bozo/when I do.

You can see my second Adobe Animate attempt here: https://ca-net.herts.ac.uk/~sp22aby/Interaction/BugExample2.html My thoughts: Buttons are most likely going yo be essential to the animated poster due to the extra layer of interaction which it shall add. Although I will use clickable buttons I would like to experiment with rollover/ hover interactive buttons if at all possible to make interaction more seamless. 2 Iconic tech objects of the past: 1. The gameboy Vintage original Nintendo Gameboy working game boy 1989 Gray - Etsy UK Vintage Original Nintendo Gameboy Working Game Boy 1989 Gray - Etsy UK . Available at: https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/258812885/vintage-original-nintendo-gameboy (Accessed: February 8, 2023). Facts about the Gameboy: The Pokémon series originated on this console, being released around the world from 1996 to 1998. Five different but almost identical versions of Tetris were released on this console. The Gameboy was first released 21st April, 1989 a

 On January 27th and February 3rd I was introduced to programmiong in the Unreal and Unity engines, being shown how to code basic movement for characters such as moving in 4 directions, sprinting, crouching and jumping, also how to place and positon assets to create an environment. I think that if I had to choose an engine I prefer, it would be Unreal, programming movement was much easier with the blueprint-based coding, as opposed to the typing in unity, I found it considerably easier to figure out aspects on my own such as programing a toggle crouch in Unreal, I wouyld not have the first clue in Unity as I do not know the syntax, I think it would be better for that reason to use Unreal as I could spend less time figuring out how to code the game and more time refining other aspects such as models/ graphics/ level design. It is too soon to say which I will ultimately choose but this is my current thinking.