BASIC INTERACTION
I Developed core player interaction mechanics including movement with WASD, jumping with Space, and picking objects up with “E”.

These mechanics are the absolute baseline for navigating and interacting with my game world.

Interactions with objects and NPCs are designed to trigger events or dialogues that influence the game world.

These mechanics rely off collision boxes that  wait for the “player” tag to collide with them. When it does, the trigger will now wait until the player has pressed the interact button before proceeding with the interaction of my choosing.





BASIC INVENTORY


I created the baseline mechanics of my inventory system.

This activates a simple square container when the player presses “tab”. This is drawn using a UI canvas. When the player picks an item up, the image for said item is enabled in the inventory and the key is true bool is enabled, allowed changes to occur in the game world.




TIMER SYSTEM

I implemented a sixty-second countdown timer shown via a UI canvas holding a TextMeshPro.

The timer starts when the player exits the trigger zone in the spawn room, and flashes once reaching 0, adding an emphasis on one of the core gameplay elements. (time management)




INVENTORY UI DESIGN

I designed the inventory UI to resemble a homeless man, which the player is in control of.


The UI is also designed to display all of the items that the player is holding/wearing.


I plan to create a modern, humourous user interface while supporting the 'zero to hero' progression.






PIXELATION METHOD


I experimented with various pixelation methods to achieve a PS1 aesthetic for my textures.

I found the website Pixel It to be ridiculously user friendly and powerful. 

Practically all of my game’s textures were ran through Pixel It at one point.

https://giventofly.github.io/pixelit/




ITEM CONCEPTS

I brainstormed and designed items specific to New Zealand, like the $50 note, an AT hop card, and a bottle of clean skin wine.  
These items play a significant role in progressing through the game's sixty-second intervals.




ITEM DEVELOPMENTS
I pixelated and alligned the items to their correct positions in photoshop, also making the backgrounds transparent.





INVENTORY UI DEVELOPMENTS


I created a text representation for each item to reinforce what you are in possession of.

I decided that instead of titling “inventory”, the player was having a “fit check” because thats literally what it is..

I also got a gorgeous pixel graffiti font..



INTERACTABLE NPC W/ SUBTITLES

I implemented a basic dialogue system for NPCs.

It indicates when the player is able to interact with an npc (with a mouth icon), once the plyayer presses “e”, voice sound effects and live subtitles appear on a UI canvas.

This allows players to interact with NPCs and progress with the game's narritive.




INVENTORY UI IMPLEMENTATION
I successfully implemented the inventory UI into the game.

This allows players to access it without any issues during gameplay.

The system updates based on the items collected and reflects the player's progression.





GAME WORLD BLOCK-OUT


I completed the initial block-out of the open-world Auckland environment. 

I had to establish the layout and scale of key locations, making sure I provided a coherent flow for the player to explore the city within the sixty-second time limit.





BLOCK OUT -> ENGINE

I transitioned the block-out into Unity. For this step I simply imported the blender scene, then I added basic collision detection for early playtesting.




EXPERIMENTING W/ PLANT LIFE AND INTERIORS
I experimented with the integration of plant life using 2D sprite textures in attempts to make them transparent, I also messed around with interior collsion within the game world.





FIRST TEXTURE ATLAS


I developed the first texture atlas to streamline the texturing process for multiple objects.

This allowed for efficient UV mapping and consistent visual style across different game assets,

only having to apply post processing effects to 1 material is huge as my game will rely heavily off them to achieve the look i’m envisioning.




HOW I CREATE ALL OF MY TEXTURES

This method is EASY and it’s SO FUCKING FUN,
 this turned life into a video game for me:D
 
STEP 1: Take any photo with your phone camera
STEP 2: Bring it into photoshop
STEP 3: perspective warp that bih

 

Select what you want to texturise



And stretch the corners to turn anything into a perfect square texture that can be pixelated and stylised.



PRE PIXELATED


POST PIXELATED

MAKING TEXTURES TILE CORRECTLY
I worked on ensuring that certain textures tiled seamlessly across different surfaces, ESPECIALLY FLOORING.

avoiding visible seams and maintaining the illusion of a continuous world was very important to me.

All I did to tile the textures was select the prefered half and duplicate + mirror it, if there were seams visable I used the content-aware tool to fix it.





BATCH 1


I created the first batch of textures.

This included textures for roads, buildings, paths, and even a bus :P




BATCH 2
I developed a second batch of textures focused on building exteriors and symbolic elements. These textures emphasise the satirical tone.




APPLYING TEXTURES TO SIMPLE GEOMETRY


I applied the newly created textures to basic geometry. This step involved testing texture alignment and scaling to ensure consistency but the results blew me away. I was jumping for joy



CREATING FIRST CHARACTER MODEL
I modeled the first character using low-poly techniques to fit the PlayStation 1 aesthetic. The character design reflects the homeless protagonist, with exaggerated features to allude to the the game's satirical tone.



RIGGING WITH IK
I rigged the model using the Auto Rig Pro addon because by the grace of the gods it was free for one weekend right when I was looking into rigging.

This rig features Inverse Kinematics (IK) to create smooth and realistic animations, which I didn’t even end up using.








NPC TEXTURE FARMING


I created textures for the first set of NPC models, ensuring they fit the game's visual style. This step also involved adjusting colors and details to make each NPC unique and memorable.







APPLYING TEXTURES TO MODEL
I applied the final textures to the first NPC model, refining certain details to match the aesthetic.




ADDING NPC MODEL TO GAME

I imported the textured NPC model into unity, This stage involved setting up collision and dialogue triggers.





NPC CREATION


I continued creating additional NPCs, each aiming to have distinct personalities and styles. These characters are going to add depth to the game world and provide opportunities for storytelling and humour :D





TEXTURED ENVIRONMENT + WORLD ANIMATIONS
I finalised the texturing of the environment and added animations like the bus driving on the street to bring the world to life.




CREATING ITEM MODELS
I modeled various items for the game, each item is designed to be instantly recognisable and to fit within the game's mechanics.




TEXTURING ITEM MODELS


I applied textures to the item models, making sure they matched the game's visual style.
 



CREATING MORE NPCS

I expanded the roster, introducing new characters that will contribute to the game's narrative and provide gameplay interactions.




GANG LOOKIN SHARP
I finished a group of NPCs designed to be a hype beast, mcdonalds worker, and three collage kids.

They are all shaped uniquely and have FUGLY faces which adds a humourous and exaggerated twist to their aura.

These characters play a key role in certain game events.





ALL NPCS COMPLETE


I completed the creation of all NPCs that will be in the first version of the game.

I made sure each one was fully textured, rigged, and integrated into the game world. 

This moment marks a giant leap towards creating the game's narrative.




GAME WORLD TEXTURES UPDATED

I updated the game world textures to include detail and New Zealand based locations such as Pac n Save and The Warehouse.

This included retexturing buildings, roads, and natural elements.




SPAWN ROOM
I designed and implemented the spawn room where players are teleported after the timer runs out.

The room is built to act as a hub for the player, with a trigger zone that starts the timer once they exit.

The current version of the spawn room is modeled using mostly my own real world possessions from my bedroom, except that gross ass bed hahahahaha, and the grass floor, and the tent walls.






EXTRA INTERIORS


I created more interior spaces for the game, adding to the list of areas the player can explore.

These interiors include shops, and other locations
relevant to the game's setting.


liquor land





Winz waiting room






Mcdonalds lobby



IMPROVING LIGHTING
I worked on improving the game's lighting by giving each location in the city a different coloured glow.

This took time to assign a distinctive hue that accurately matched the vibe for each spot, while fitting with the game's tone.





DEVELOPING GAMEPLAY LOOP
I refined the core gameplay loop, making sure that the timer, item collection, and interactions were fun and rewarding.

I designed the loop to challenge the player while maintaining a sense of humour.




ADDING EXTRA UI


I added additional UI elements to improve player feedback. 

An old scuffed up android to enhance the experience ;)

 This is now where the timer is located, just like in real life.




PSX POST PROCESSING EFFECTS

I implemented post-processing effects to replicate the PlayStation 1 aesthetic, including pixelation, color dithering, reduced draw distance, and vertex jittering on the z axis.

These effects help solidify the game's retro feel.







NEW SKYBOX + SKYLINE
I created and applied a new skybox to the game, featuring a stylised depiction of Auckland's skyline.

The skybox adds depth, and a hazy glow to the atmosphere of the game world.








DYNAMIC FOG


I added fog effects to the game, which change based on the player's location in relation to objects in the distance.

The fog adds to the game's atmosphere and challenges visibility in certain areas.



CUSTOM FONT

I implemented a custom font to match the game's visual style.

The font is the same that is used across all UI elements,







BUS RESETS PLAYER ON COLLISION
I implemented a feature where the player is reset to the spawn room if they are hit by a bus in traffic.

This adds a funny yet challenging element to navigating the city.





SOUND DESIGN


I began working on the sound design, focusing on creating a retro audio masterpiece that complemented the game's tone using bit crushed fx.

This included ambient sounds, character voices, and item interaction effects.




SOUND IMPLEMENTATION

I added the sound to the game, syncing audio triggers with gameplay events.

ENVIRONMENTAL SFX

I added environmental sound effects, like traffic noise, birds, and wind, to make the game world feel more alive. These sounds react to the player's location and actions based on trigger colliders.

VOCAL SFX

I recorded and implemented the vocal sound effects for the NPC characters, adding so much life to the interactions. 

The vocal effects are designed to be funny braindead conversations that relate to what I have experienced in real life, I had so much fun voicing these with my brother in like an hour and bit crushing the hell out of them.







LAST TOUCHES

I entered THE LAST TOUCHES PHASE, where all of my game elements are finalised, refined, and cleaned up.

This included bug fixing, optimising performance, and making sure the game felt right.

PLANT LIFE

I added trees along the edges of the map to make the playable area clearer to the player.

I created a forest for the player to run through at the start of every round.

GAME END SCENE

I implemented the baseline mechanic required to make my end game scene.


  aaaaaand...

GAME DELETION

I spent 5 weeks straight learning how to code from scratch in order to create this project.

Unfortunately on the 11th of August I deleted it by mistake while clearing space on my hard drive. I was heartbroken.


For the next version I will make sure every system is improved upon based on my previous experience. I want to improve movement, NPC interaction, and UI significantly.


The very next day after this tragedy I purchased an external hard drive that is now permanently velcro strapped onto the back of my device so this will never happen again.









WHAT I HAVE LEARNT

HOW TO MAKE A 3D GAME

I cannot believe I devloped a full 3D game demo in the span of 5 weeks. Coming from someone that was absolutely terrified of programming,  I am IMMENSELY pleased in my progress towards my goals for the future!!!!!!

like wtf seriously how did I do that shit, I am so proud of myself.

I HAVE LEARNT HOW TO LEARN??

In the process of this game’s creation I found myself filling an entire exercise book with notes in only the first few weeks, watching tutorials during every meal I ate, every time I slept, when I woke up, every moment of free time spent in software, devloping the game on my laptop for portablity. I wouldn’t have been able to create this work without the thirst of knowledge and skill for my desired artform, and a very patient girlfriend hahahahha.

TO HAVE A BACK UP

I NEED TO BACK UP.

WHAT I WILL DO DIFFERENT NEXT TIME

ADD FIRST PERSON ANIMATIONS

I will add first person arm animations that change based on the players inputs, adding to the game’s feel.
I want swaying hobo arms.

INNOVATE THE INVENTORY UI FURTHER

I am thinking about creating an iphone esque inventory design to add to the ironic yet symbolic nature of the piece.

IMPROVE DIALOGUE SYSTEM

I will add system featuring mulitple dialogue options, branching conversations, and the game world being effected by what has been spoken.

CREATE BACKUPS AS I WORK THROUGH THE PROJECT

CREATE BACKUPS AS I WORK THROUGH THE PROJECT!!!!

thank you!!!!!!!

FULL DEVLOG VIDEO

THIS IS PART 1 OF THIS GAME’S DOCUMENTATION. TO VIEW PART 2...


CLICK HERE