Update #3 - The terrain

Onto the terrain itself. As mentioned previously Yucel created the heightmap following the data provided by my map, and here's a few shots of it -






Looks nice hey? It's got a really basic snow texture applied to it which I created, along with a skybox I made too, based off a default torque skybox. And speaking of textures, here's some more I did.



This is just for use as a basic snow covered road or something similar to that.



This is used for the fortress floor and perhaps some areas within the town too.



And finally this is the river, which when in motion gives the impression of a freezing, icy death awaiting you if you slip in.

Update #2 - The map

So, at the beginning it was decided that i'd work on the map. After taking a look at the layout of modern day Caerleon with Google Maps, and at an image found by our producer of the possible layout of a roman fortress/town, I decided to combine the two and came up with this -

It's incredibly basic. The fortress part is a fort, the village part is a village, and the river at the bottom is a river. The large, oval object at the bottom is the Amphitheater. After this I created a few more maps to give a better idea of where the player can travel and possible routes, and also one showing the patrol routes of a few guards.

It makes sense to me -_-

Anyway, after this I spoke and worked a lot with Yucel and he created the terrain for us within torque, featured in the next post.

Update #1 - The story.

Been a while. While i'd have loved to update as I went at the time I was actually working I was way too busy to be updating.

Since the last (First?) update, our game has gone from a basic concept to a full blown epic tale. The player must assume the role of Dwynwen, a young celtic lady, living in a world split in two. On one side is her tribe, the Silurians, and on the other is the roman army - The second legion Augusta. As a basic introduction to the level playable within our game is nigh impossible without at least a slight glance at the backstory here goes nothing -

--

It is 250 AD. The roman army has conquered the majority of Europe and has made it half way across Britain. Amongst the ranks, one veteran warrior has started to feel the strain and anguish of his acts throughout the past 7 years.

It is 250 AD. The roman legion - The second legion Augusta - has been stationed within the fortress of Caerleon (Literally Fortress of the Legion) for the past 180 years. While new recruits come and go the ideals remain the same - to conquer all that stands in their way.

It is 250 AD. Deep within the forests surrounding Isca, the tribesmen of the Silurians are out for blood. After years of viscious combat with the Romans, they are still standing strong and their will is not faltering. Within the clan, one young girl does not understand the fighting, instead being curious about the nature of her "enemy".

It is 250 AD. In a chance encounter, two cultures clash on neutral ground. The veteran soldier gets outsmarted by the naive welsh girl, as he is snared within a trap in the woodlands. Accepting his fate, he resigns himself to death, and has his ideals challenged when she attempts to start a conversation with him. Once he attempts to reply she is scared off, but this moment of insight into a people previously thought savage has a major effect upon the warrior.

It is 250 AD. The veteran has spoken out against his people. He has publically challenged his commander and their orders from Rome. He is tired of destroying the cultures of hundreds of civilizations, and is sentanced to life in the arena for his betrayal of Rome.

It is 250 AD. Using the innate talents gained from a life in the woodlands, the young welsh girl decides to investigate the fortress. Walls and buildings are no obstacle to the agile creature, and whilst exploring the compound she discovers the veteran held within a gladiators cell. This time, she does not flee when he attempts to speak with her.

It is 250 AD.

--

It's like i'm made of PR.

The mission itself is introduced by a series of narrative stills which give a vague outline of the events beforehand. As the mission is to be the centre of the game, major events happen both before and after it. At the end of the previous level, Dwynwen has discovered the commander of the legion has conspired to send the gladiator to his death within the winter solstice celebrations - The night the celtic village have designated as the night they will make a major attack the fort. Dwynwen wants to go and warn the gladiator, and if possible free him, but her father (The chief of the clan) denies her request. Speaking to the wise lady of the village, she acquires a potion which fuels her with energy and adrenaline, making her shrug off the cold, chilling winter air. Unfortunatly the effects of the potion only last for 20 minutes, and after that she must be within the warmth or she will freeze to death - This is a mechanic within the game, as the player only has 20 minutes to play the level.

The main focus of the level is simple. The player must reach the amphitheatre, by any means neccessary, within 20 minutes. However, obviously within the village there are guards, and citizens celebrating the festival, so stealth is required. While Dwynwen is agile, she is rather frail and cannot match the guards or citizens with melee combat, so the player cannot be caught or it will lead to imprisonment or death.

I'll go into more within the next post.

Introduction

This is my personal blog for recording the part i've had within my latest project. I was put into a randomized group consisting of -

Designers -

Myself,
Leah Betts (Lead Designer),
Lewis Ashill (Producer),
Aliks Hatherall,
Joshua Hodge

Programmers -

James Jones (Lead Programmer),
Yucel Karamanli,
Will Warren,
Aaron Hamlin,
Stewart Rice (Assistant Programmer)

The brief we were given was to create a historically accurate game depicting the town of Caerleon in 250AD, when it was under roman rule. The objective is to make a game starring a welsh tribeswoman who falls in love with a gladiator. It is an action/adventure RPG, and the entire brief can be found here - http://sites.google.com/site/cgd4production/Home/game-design-briefs/the-caerleon-game-from-synergy