Group Project Blog

Group Project Blog
The group projects are over now. It is a relief although I did enjoy the experience of working with different people. It gave me an insight into the world of work and what the industry is like.

The journey with the group has taught me how to communicate well as we used the blog, forum and texting as sources of communication so we updated each other with our progress. At the beginning, we discussed as a group which part of the queens building we should build and came to an overall decision of building three floors starting from the very top. We attended regular group meetings to ensure we were all on the same boat with concept ideas and the overall look of the layer. Aby and I were the art directors and we kept close contact with the colour scheme of the level. We created various colour palettes and concept ideas that the whole group could vote on the best colour set, we then provided a colour palette for the amount of grime to be used to keep the consistent flow of grime. We wanted to go for an overall claustrophobic and dark grimy feel to the level, hence the lack of lack, therefore the player is more likely to explore around the level and come across the details such as writing on the walls we included.

It was a challenging effort for the group as we chose to build such a large level but we were happy with the final outcome in the end. From the first reviews we were told to include more assets as the level looked empty due to the size, therefore our group attended a meeting and discussed assets we could include to make the level look busier, enough for the player to feel that an event has occurred. I’ve felt I have definitely improved in 3D max as I am now building assets much faster than before and texturing them just as quick. As for the Unreal engine, Mark made sure the assets imported correctly and worked with the effects we had. I had a hard time using Unreal to begin with but got used to it after working at it in 2 days and now I enjoy using Unreal and feel I know enough to start using it in the third year (hopefully I’ll make it to the third year.)

Overall, I enjoyed the group work and would definitely consider working as a group again, especially with the ‘Spaazm’ members I was with. We all got along well and avoided any friction by communicating well and solving any issues as a group.


Future goals
Where do I see myself in the future? To be honest, I don’t quite know yet. Since the group projects, I’ve learnt how to use Unreal engine and add effects to improve my work. As for 3D max, I enjoy and use it very well but I’ve still got a lot to learn in Unreal engine and bonus skills in 3D max. I may end up in the gaming industry, but I need to work very hard to get there, which means avoiding unnecessary distractions. This isn’t easy, but with improving in time management, I shall hopefully get there. After coming this far and completing the first and second year, I really want to complete this degree and move on in my life to use my skills in the world of work.