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Games [WIP] TransBot Project - Classic Sega Shmup Remake - Playmaker Learning Project

Discussion in 'Works In Progress - Archive' started by KJHawkinson, Jun 15, 2017.

  1. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Title: TransBot Project
    Category: Side Scrolling Shooter (Shmup)
    2.5D


    I've been working on recreating a classic Sega Master System game called TransBot (aka Nuclear Creature and Astro Flash) in an effort to learn the Playmaker visual scripting addon for Unity. I had been messing around with using Playmaker to create small prototypes and decided I would try creating a full game with it. I don't know any actual programming so this is my first foray into creating game logic. I chose to recreate a really simple shooter because I didn't want the additional burden of designing a game while I was trying to learn to use Unity and Playmaker.

    I actually started the project in late April so it's been in progress for about a month and a half so far.

    Here is a video (though not of the most recent build) that shows all of the enemy types I've created.



    This will be released for free as a fan game when I'm finished with it.

    I've been keeping a running video diary of my progress for anyone interested (there is some footage of the original game in this video for reference)... here is the first entry :

     
    Last edited: Jun 15, 2017
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  2. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    I've recently added the transition that will take you to the Base level once you've collected 4 keys... there are special green and black colored enemies that drop the keys, one of which can only be destroyed with the 'D' weapon... right now the transition just restarts the first level but once I have built some new background assets I'll put in the actual Base level.



    Some smaller additions I've added include feedback from the UI elements for when you get hit or expend 'arm' for a given weapon... also, added dust particles for when you are close to the ground... Extra life functionality has been added for when you reach 40000 points and subsequently 80000 points and preliminary enemy spawns for the entire first level and subsequent level loops has been added.
     
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  3. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    This looks fantastic! A perfect blend of the old and the new. Very clean colorful display. You really did a superb job. I wish the AAA games looked more like this (or maybe not I guess because this is something Indies can do).
     
  4. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Thank so much! Much of the way it looks is born out of the necessity to keep it simple so that I can actually finish it :)
     
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  5. DanBarreno

    DanBarreno

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    I want to play this, keep it up. ;)
     
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  6. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Will do, thank you for the encouragement!
     
  7. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Tested running the game on a 10 year old PC... I hope that it'll be easy to run on low end computers. This PC does have a stand alone video card so it does have that advantage... though it is also 10 years old.

     
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  8. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    People and all of their mobile games... this is the way games should be played. :)
     
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  9. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    I've added a first pass version of the Base level... this is where you will eventually face the endboss. I haven't redone the enemy spawns yet so this is mostly just a change in level geometry.

     
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  10. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    I've added a video update for the project... it covers the addition of some special fx, enemy spawning and shows the transition to the base level.

     
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  11. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    I've created the geometry and animation rig for the end boss called Elgramzon. I'll be animating and integrating the end boss in the coming week. It's going to require some transitioning in the level to get him to work properly. Here is a video showing the model and rig.

     
  12. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

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    It looks like the purple rock background is only a texture applied to a 3D plane in the Unity scene - but the orange lighting coming up through the rocks are animated. Really cool looking - and I'm wondering how it is really set up. Is that really an animated texture applied to the plane, or maybe that is a collision object?
    Really interesting progress - I've enjoyed following. Long live Playmaker! :D
     
  13. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Lol,.. that would be a smart way to handle it but everything is full 3d... even the mountains in the distance. It's not likely this would ever run on a cell phone :D
     
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  14. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Started on animating Elgramzon...

     
  15. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

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    How many polygons are scenes averaging?

    Have you experienced and slow downs due to high polygon counts?

    Just as important as a learning topic maybe you could detail how much design / pre-development time/effort you spent before jumping into actual development.
     
  16. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    I think around 100k to 300k average... but no special filters and few materials so those aren't getting doubled up and there aren't too many draw calls. Most enemies, as well as Transbot, use the same texture and material. I didn't really spend any time in pre-development since I'm copying a game in a really simple genre... but that was the whole point... I just wanted to start super simple to learn more about it :)
     
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  17. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Here is some work-in-progress of the end boss, Elgramzon. I still want to add some additional FX.

     
  18. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Here is some more detailed information about the final(ish) boss fight...

     
  19. theANMATOR2b

    theANMATOR2b

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    Really smooth and believable animations, nice work. I also like the audio transition into the boss fight - it makes me remissness on early Castlevania tracks, though with a sci-fi twist.

    The only thing that looks odd is the dust that is constantly billowing up from his feet, even when he is stationary. Looks odd.

    Really nice update. Interested in why you broke up the sequential idle animations like you did. If they are all sequential wouldn't it be better just to combine them in 3D and export? But maybe the reason is for future versions will have different patterns?

    Are the animated glowing lights representing his health - animated emmisive material/shaders?
     
  20. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    Thank you! The music was done by the talented Ryan C. Meyer.

    ah, ok... I was wondering if that would come across right. I guess not... thank you for the feedback. I might just have poofs of dust come up when he steps instead.

    So, the idle is broken up so that I can decide how long I want him to idle for... I could also have done it by looping the idle and giving it a timer... I just did it in the fasted way possible though since he didn't really need any more complex behavior. So , the glowing lights are just using the emmisive functionality of the standard unity shader... I just have to animate the emmisive color with a 'set property' action in Playmaker.
     
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  21. KJHawkinson

    KJHawkinson

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    I've added a city background for level 2

     
  22. GarBenjamin

    GarBenjamin

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    Been a while since you updated. Have you completed this project? If so is it available someplace to play?