Combat Update

Pathfinding update

Updating grid

creating colliders for temples

adjusting step size  and other areas

Multiple Unit Selection, Drag select, Shift deselect

Selecting units had to be redone to incorporate features like drag select and selecting multiple units.

Also required so that units can be selected and moved.

Unity Multiple Units creation with final models

Unity Level blockout progression

Blockout

Pathfinding

Unity Path finding User input progress

These videos show the progress of the path finding

Technical Specification for 3D modelling

To try and keep things organized across the board with the modelling everyone will have to follow these specs when creating their 3d models.

3D program - Maya 2014
Everyone should be using Maya 2014 to avoid any issues with files being changed in different versions of Maya.
Scale
To keep it simple when transferring models into unity set the working units in Maya to meters so that 1 Maya unit = 1 Meter

File Formats

Work files - For work in progress files inside Maya use Maya Binary(.mb)

Exported files for Unity - .FBX will be used, make sure it is set to FBX 2014 in the options menu when exporting.

A* Pathfinding Test

This is an initial test showing progress with A* pathfinding
Things to note

• This is a way point system that uses nodes to generate a grid of where the players units can move
• Good pathfinding when the target destination is being changed often and quickly

Gameplay Idea (darren)

Here is a quick post outlining a game play idea that I explored over the weekend to possibly solve the issue we are currently having with our gameflow.

Aim of Game


Each base has a cannon that in three shots destroys the other base but requires ammo to be placed for them to work.

Near each base is an undergroud passage that leads to ammo dispensers that make ammo available for each base every 10 seconds.

In the centre is an elevator which transports the ammo to the top level where the bases are which once used re activates every 5 seconds.

Once ammo has been sent up the player collects the ammo and takes it to their base for the cannon to fire.

Drag Selection Test 1

• When the LMB is held down it draws a marquee box from the origin point where the user first clicked to the current position of the mouse
• Currently only works on cubes in unity and changes there colour
• Need to connect it the currentlySelected states of the human players units

Implementation of Particle Systems for Unit Selection

• This is done by editing the Unit.cs script and adding a particle system when the state currentlySelected = true
• This can create a much more dynamic and visually appealing effect
• Provides a lot of options for customization inside the particle system

Unit Rally Point for Buildings

• The rallypoint is represented by a flag but could be replaced by any mesh or particle system.
• It works by enabling or disabling the mesh renderer for the object, enabled only when the building is selected and belongs to the human player.
• The user can then click the rally button in the HUD and select any area on the defined "Ground" plane to set the rally point. This is achieved by using raycast like that used by the unit selection.
• When a unit is created it spawns at the spawnPoint of the building and moves to the rallyPoint with the same attributes(movement speed, rotates speed) as defined in the units attributes.

Game Mechanics Outline

What needs to be coded

• Drag selection for units
• Marquee box implemented, need to connect the effects of selecting a unit to   Rect.Contains

• Unit movement on meshes that aren’t just planes
• Will need to make use of unitys built in pathfinding tools like navmesh
• Collision detection should also be implemented at this stage to stop units ghosting through buildings and also each other
• Create a test scene first then implement on a refined blockout of the level which contains the major obstacles
• Unit movement when selecting and moving multiple units needs to be tested as well
• Combat system for units
• Shooting mechanics for 2 of the 3 classes should include 3 main properties
• Range
• Rate of Fire
• Damage per shot (also look at damage per second)
• Will need to ensure that units can’t shoot through objects as a shortcut to attacking a unit e.g through the corner of a temple
• Melee class will be similar but without the range
• Other attributes like movement speed and rotate speed are already implemented but need to be defined for each class
• Ensure that units are balanced, START playtesting protocol
• Essential to create fun gameplay
• Will require extensive testing to make sure combat triangle is functional and no one class is overpowered
• Look into ways that the two teams can be differentiated without having and a negative effect on gameplay
• Implement capturable points that generate resources
• Will likely be done through triggers that require the player to have a controller within its radius for a certain amount of time
• Make units cost certain amount of players resources
• Define how much each unit should cost
• Determine whether all units should cost the same
• Refine camera controls
• Improve the camera controls to make it more smooth
• Look into some sort of battle camera (See Rome 2 Battle camera)
• See what is most easy to use whilst also giving a lot of control to players

• Implement population limit preventing players creating 100s of units
• Figure out of how many units would be to many for the map
• Make sure pop cap doesn’t unsettle balance
• Add fog of war
• Determine whether it adds or detracts from the strategic gameplay
• Work out how easy it is to implement with Line of Sight characteristics of units
• Implement basic AI
• Research into effective AI in Unity…
• Create a master AI that can make decisions like a human
• Implement master AI
• Master AI becomes self aware
• Master AI spreads like a virus and infects all interconnected computer devices
• Master AI determines human race as a threat and launches nuclear missiles at human populations
• Human race is decimated
• Only a few of us survive
• We are the resistance

Unit creation inside unity

Multiple units can be created from one building by adding the name of the prefab to the actions method in the buildings own script (In this case MechFactory). The prefabs also need to be added to the GameObjectList which keeps track of all the units and buildings within the game.

Unity - Core Game mechanics

Unit movement mechanics

• Basic movement for any worldObject with unit class script attached

Selection of units and buildings

• Raycasting used to detect if mesh collider is clicked on by the cursor
• Name of unit or building displayed in GUI

Camera Controls

• Camera pans when mouse reaches edge of screen, the extents of this can be defined in the resource manager
• Camera can rotate with RMB when left alt is held down
• The scroll and rotate speed and amount can be defined in ResourceManager script and can be later hooked up to a options menu GUI