Munkey Warfare Official Thread

[henzy190]

ORIGINAL POST:

I'd like to announce the development of my first project. It is intended to be a first person shooter where the player controls comical monkeys with oversized weaponry. I part took inspiration from the game Worms and have made it my own (and hopefully better.) It will come in 3D and with all the rendering glory of UE3.

I think the project shouldn't be to hard to pull off as I have the right software (Max, Photoshop, etc.) and that UE3 was designed to be for shooters (ie Unreal Tournament.)

Please check out the site at www.munkeywarfare.weebly.com - hopefully I'll have a proper domain soon. Please bear with me as this site is only a few days old.

Any suggestions? Comments?

NEWS:
Weapons are well underway.
Jobs required, specialist thread will be created soon. See post #44.

[KazeoHin]

I'd say the idea is cute and has real selling power, but even small games need more than one person to develop. You are going to have a tough road ahead if you plan on doing this by yourself. If you are preparing to recruit a team, or already have one then the road may not be so rocky. Either way I wish you good luck.

[UnspoiledWalnut]

I'd say the idea is cute and has real selling power, but even small games need more than one person to develop. You are going to have a tough road ahead if you plan on doing this by yourself. If you are preparing to recruit a team, or already have one then the road may not be so rocky. Either way I wish you good luck.

Not really, you just have to know how to do everything. I'm developing a game by myself, it's not that bad.

There's not much information to go on to make much of a judgement. Is it intended to be multiplayer?

[Piranhi]

I thought this said Monkey Island when I first read it, don't ask my why. Sounds like a cool idea though, I'll be watching!

[Geona]

Monkeys are REALLY ORIGINAL you know!

[henzy190]

Thanks for your comments guys!

A few questions answered...
I may make it multiplayer though I haven't heard anyone say 'how.' I've heard it involves scripting a server setup. I'd like to make it multi because Team Fortress 2 is on similar lines and the multiplayer is immense.

I also work alone. The problem is that I'm 13, just old enough to even legally be able to post on this forum, and if I'm honest, the only people I could hire would be my friends. And how many children develop games and know how to use state-of-the-art 3D software? Not many.

[UnspoiledWalnut]

Or legally get it....

[henzy190]

Just a note: new screens out on game! Check them out on
gallery->screens->development
this is on my first level named construction. Keep in touch as I am very close to getting more screens of the finished product!


Also can I ask for some advice. Is there any good tutorials about how to make skeletal meshes in 3ds max as I'm getting close to that point.

[henzy190]

The more observant of you may have noticed that I haven't posted in quite a while. This is mainly because I have been very busy recently. Particularily with the first level. I can tell you that this first level is based around a construction site, and so far, as a teaser, I have created 3 out of 4 tower blocks, a basement, 2 operating lifts and a building hut. I hope to release screens and maybe even a video walkthrough VERY soon*.

*Next few days

[JohNLA]

The links in your sig do not work without copy and paste

[UnspoiledWalnut]

Just a note: new screens out on game! Check them out on
gallery->screens->development
this is on my first level named construction. Keep in touch as I am very close to getting more screens of the finished product!


Also can I ask for some advice. Is there any good tutorials about how to make skeletal meshes in 3ds max as I'm getting close to that point.

Why not just make an IK Chain?

[henzy190]

Sadly my links don't... anyone know how to get them to work? I'm a noob lol

Also what is an IK chain?

[UnspoiledWalnut]

You're using 3DS Max right? It uses IK chains and Bipeds for rigging and animation, I forget what it's under though.

[henzy190]

I know what you mean now, its under the create tab... thanks for help will check it out

[UnspoiledWalnut]

Rigging's not much fun. You'll basically have two options: Physique and Skin modifiers. Physique modifiers will attack the mesh to the bones or IK Chain using a kind of binary system where the vertices will either be on or off, you should be able to set a strength onto it (like highest strength will move the vertex where ever the bone moves, medium strength will pull it but not as strong so it'll get left back a bit, then off obviously doesn't move it); physique is usually a bit faster and easier once you figure it out, but it doesn't give very good results. You'll probably end up with an overlap unless you spend a lot of time with it, because if you say, move the leg up, where ever the last attached vertex it'll just stop and the deformation looks weird.
Skin modifiers work a bit better but take more effort to do. They use a kind of sphere of influence thing that you move around, and it looks a lot better when it's done but it can be a pain to do. Both have quite a few tutorials around on how they work.

Look up something called Puppetshop. It's a free tool that has a lot of biped kind of things already made for it, a bit easier to use than an IK chain if you have things that won't fit with a biped (like something with wings or an insect).

[henzy190]

Ok then I should be fine now on the skeletal meshes subject managed to get them sorted out... I'll use geodav's tutorials.

[henzy190]

I have just finished uploading the first video and screenshots of the level construction. It is still a beta and so the level has no normals yet, but the gameplay and general idea are the same as the end product. I am also still using the default UDK character. Just head over to the link below and then the gallery. Feel free to post comments below.

Edit: problems fixed the video took ages to go through servers

[UnspoiledWalnut]

The textures on the models look a little like they're stretched out and you can see the seams. You should make the images repeating and work on the UV's a bit.

[henzy190]

Yeah I know I bodged the textures a bit so that I can get a feel for the software I'm using... I didn't have a clue how games were made 3 months ago!

[henzy190]

I'm having a problem in Max that could do with answering;

Basicly, whenever I make a complicated model, the lighting isn't at all even. Each face just acts of its own accord and so it looks terrible. The shading isn't running smoothly at render-time and each edge is not working. I have uploaded a pic on my site (below.) It's obvious and on the homepage.

I'm sure there's a simple fix; but so far its evaded me.

[UnspoiledWalnut]

It looks like the edges are just sharp. If you send me the file I can tell you how to fix it for sure probably, I can think of several things that could do that. If the edges aren't welded together do that, and if it's still there then maybe tessellate it a bit or something. It doesn't look like the model is faceted, but the smoothing modifier isn't doing a hell of a lot so I'm guessing it's low poly as well, the angle might just be really weird or something.

[henzy190]

Ok then I'll try that; If I have too many problems then I'll try sending you the file. Thanks!

[henzy190]

Back from a holiday now and I'm re-starting my project.

Over this holiday I couldn't help think about future stages in development, in particular how I'm going to make/get music and sounds for my game.

Being a gamer I know how boring silence is (in fact I'm listening to music now) so does anyone know any decent programs/ways to get tracks+copyrights for game music and sounds that I could look into?

The kinds of music I'd want would be slower paced tracks for calmer, quiter bits and fast paced ones (ie. in UT3.) Also an intro track that is unique would really help. And for sound effects footsteps are dealt with in stuff that comes with UDK but gun noises will need to be homemade.

It's a long way off but it would help me plan financially and in a software perspective. If it helps I have Grade 1 Music Theory, Grade 3 Electric Guitar and Experience in Sibelius 5, so I'm not a total musical noob, so making my own music would be possible.

[UnspoiledWalnut]

If the music is copyrighted chances are you'll have some trouble using it if you're selling it. If it's freeware, I don't think many people will have too big of an issue with it, but you might try sending the owner an email.

Otherwise there are sound synthesizing software around, and lots of them. Although the goods ones have a tendency to get expensive....

[Winwarproductions]

Use these if you want to get creative. While playing use a recorder to record speaker audio. Then take it into soundforge or Acid to combine with your soundtrack, however you want to do it. Free trials everywhere.

Piano
http://electronic-piano.en.softonic.com/
Piano
http://www.bgfl.org/bgfl/custom/reso...iano/index.htm

[UnspoiledWalnut]

For the sound effects, you're best bet would be to just record yourself doing it. Well the cheapest anyway. There are sound studios that can do it for you, but those can be expensive, so we usually just take a microphone to somewhere quiet and record ourselves walking, for guns there are a lot of samples online, you can probably even take them off youtube or something and just strip the audio and work on it. I went to a firing range and just rented a bunch of guns and talked the guy into letting me set up cameras and microphones in my lane, but I'm not totally sure that they would let someone as young as you do that. For explosions, best bet would be to find audio samples online or something because it turns out blowing stuff up is illegal and you really shouldn't do that.

EDIT: Did you ever solve the issue with your model?

[henzy190]

Model is ok now, thanks for help, screens coming soon when I've done all the UV's. As for sound I think that Youtube and audio-stripping would be good and maybe looking into some sound-effects over the web would be solved with a long Google session. As for 13-year-olds with guns? Not a good idea as you pointed out, but I'm sure that someone 18+ may lend me a hand.

As for music, I've come across a good piece of software that from the right place doesn't cost much and just needs a keyboard to go with it, called Reason, from Propellerhead Software. Looks quite decent and I may try the demo to see how it feels.

All the noise that will go into my game could wait about a year before I'd really get desperate, but it's nice to plan and my budget is now a bit more set out.

[UnspoiledWalnut]

I don't have many audio synchs on this computer (they're on my laptop, which is somewhere else in the house and I can't find it. This is why backups are nice).

For the time being though I would just use free low quality things and switch them out, because it does get pretty boring to play a game without sound and it's kinda weird, I don't like it.

I think I had a gun when I was 13... I also lived in North Idaho and got a week off of school to go hunting though. Although we got a new principle at the high school who changed that my second year... I hated her. The school a little bit north of where I went actually closed for a week, I wanted to go there. I think twenty kids were in the graduating class and it was a record year.

[DuckSauce]

For music and sounds, here's two sites you may find very helpfull.
Most if not all of it is royalty free and you just have to put credits somewhere, no money required at all.

Music:
http://incompetech.com/

Sounds(and some music):
http://www.freesound.org/

[henzy190]

Thanks for the sites DuckSauce, particularily the second one. I will probably try to get sound effects over the web, but I'd rather make music myself.

[henzy190]

I'm now announcing the second level to my game! It is going to be a desert that is essentially an open valley with strategically placed ruined buildings. I hope it will take about 1 and a 1/2 months to develop, I would have said 1 but I have exams coming up soon. I still haven't fully planned it yet, so any ideas would be appreciated.

Also, how do you make a skydome material? I need a blue dome for the desert that has very few clouds.

[henzy190]

Wow, it's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it... I've just uploaded some screens of a cave. Well, actually, It's a mine in the middle of my new level, and it looks about done. I also think I'll ditch my first level Construction ... I'll treat it as an experiment and will try to attain the standard I've just put in the latest level because of a bit of experience.

Here's the link, try the four latest pics

[gausswerks]

Hey henzy, looks like you've got some good progress so far on your game. Can't go wrong with monkeys and guns. If you're looking to get a job in the industry, developing this game as far as you can in all aspects will really help you out tremendously. But more than that, making games is fun. I think I'm dating myself severely here, but when I was your age I would make maps and sprite replacements for the original Doom. You've got a much steeper climb for technical stuff to make a UDK game, but luckily there's a lot more info and helpful people out there now.

Keep up the good work!

[henzy190]

Thanks gausswerks, and developing is fun. I first got into it all messing around with files in Microsoft Flight Simulator and doing repaints, then next moved onto Sup Com maps. But I think I'm in the right place, because the community for UDK is brilliant and helpful.

[henzy190]

Well well well... the level, Desert, is about done. I've just today applied height fog, post processing and done some light builds. And it looks great. I've just put up 11 screens (here - after the first 8 pics) of the level so you can see for yourself how it looks. The only things that need doing are a collision radius round the level to stop players "wandering," the UVs on the meshes could do with tidying, some small detail rocks to be dotted about and some trees around the water hole. These will all come at a later date, but until then I'm going to do some work on the site (ie. replace dismal header) and then work on skeletal meshes.

[UnspoiledWalnut]

I like the last shot, reminds me of some old Stonehenge kinda village. If I were you, I would work on less detailed models so that you can get the gameplay aspect down using references, while working on the high poly ones. I mean, I'm using white boxes right now (I did, however, go ahead and make enemies green because I go all out like that) for pretty much everything except terrain details which I'm using mostly real world data and historic maps for so it's not that hard to do.

[henzy190]

Yeah, you're right, I think I'll try to look at the gameplay aspect a bit. I may finish my first skeletal mesh so I have something to play with, then maybe go into scripting and look at setting up how the game will play. But on the other hand, the Desert level has worked superbly as a publicity stunt as I now have ever-growing support from my finance team (aka parents) to cut down money issues.

[henzy190]

Ive just been upto some marketing; the game is now listed on ModDb which is good news for getting the word around.

Check it out here

[CptD1s4st3r]

Awesome but i'll be honest the reason i like it was because when i read the title i honestly thought it was a p**s take on MW and i was sold instantly

[henzy190]

In reality, it's a p**s take on everything.

Also the game is now on facebook.