Week 3: Version Control & Into Unreal

THE FOURTH STEP

The first workshop of this study block covered the basics of setting up Version Control (using GitHub and Fork) What initially appears to be a confusing system does appear to be understandably invaluable when working with as many files and people as is demanded of by the games industry.

“Are you an indie developer? Or you are employed by one of the game giants - Ubisoft, Tencent or King? Whatever project you are involved into at the moment, you may come to the point when you’ll need to deal with more teammates, run more tests, and fix more bugs. Version control software is an indispensable part of your game growth”[1]

Version control is a File Management system used to store, track and control any changes made to a project. This is done as it allows multiple people to simultaneously work on aspects of a game in an organised method whilst always having that secure backup you can revert to at any time! It also means files do not have to be constantly moved and manually dragged around (having gotten far too familiar with GoogleDrive, OneDrive, etc being able to access your files wherever you are is invaluable when it comes to working efficiently)

I found one such article by BetterExplained that described it in a clear way:

“Version Control (aka Revision Control aka Source Control) lets you track your files over time. Why do you care? So when you mess up you can easily get back to a previous working version."

"It’s why we use “Save As”. You want the new file without obliterating the old one. It’s a common problem, and solutions are usually like this: Make a single backup copy (Document.old.txt). If we’re clever, we add a version number or date" [2]

Having been guilty of having a vast amount of (_.FINAL, .FINAL2, .FINALFORREAL) files this system will be invaluable to learn and implement into this project's workflow where being able to swiftly move between iterations and push changes is going to be incredibly important, all while having a safety backup to resort to if everything goes wrong.

The Universities Version control system of choice is GitHub so having stored my required game files into the repository template I will be able to pull and push them using Fork from wherever I'm working.

First Unreal Screenshot: Modelled and rendered in MAYA:

Notes about that

Shop Feedback:

I also collected some feedback from various sources (Lecturers, other students etc) to see which of my shop designs were the most impactful for people. This is a key aspect of any pipeline involving creative/ artistic choices as taking in more opinions other than your own will help you make informed decisions that will overall improve the quality of what you create.

Shop Design No:1 Feedback

"Plants would be lovely and adds a rustic charm. However seems more like a regular everyday shop."

"Not my favourite as it has the least fantastical elements."

"She's a classic"

"Most room for making it quirky and wonky, believably ramshackled and lived in"

"It's nice but not exciting, I would want to live there though"

"Classic whimsy"

Shop Design No:2 Feedback

"Number 2 is my Favourite the Orb on top makes a clear statement, plus is fun and memorable. The sun and moon emblems are a nice touch on the windows. Quite compact/squished."

"Top would be cool, only if it spins I also love the middle section, its an interesting shape and could have something cool there"

"2 feels like it would be at home in Diagon alley, it's whimsical and wizardly"

"You can tell 2 is space themed, and has an overall balanced design"

"The sign section in the middle looks like a challenge to translate into 3D but would be a cool secondary focal point"

"Magical eye-catching"

Shop Design No:3 Feedback

"I'm not sure you'd find a tower like that in Diagon alley."

"3 has a good asymmetry to it, with the tower and separate sections"

"There's a balance on number 3 which does use the space in an overall more interesting way, it's not just a box"

"Doesn't necessarily read as Victorian but I do like the doors the most"

"Secretive Wizard"

Shop Design No:4 Feedback

"The windows get a bit confusing, you've got a normal building then what looks like a small block of flats in the middle"

"The star and moon window designs are cool!"

"I like the tower at the top, and it does feel the most Victorian of them all"

"Functional"

Shop Design No:5 Feedback

"Oh this has the same top as the other, I really like the telescope"

"Number 3 is one of my favourites, however the top section is quite tall, I do like the decal on the bay window"

"Makes more sense than 4, but it still doesn't feel balanced, it's too top heavy."

"The plant in the window boxes are a nice touch"

"Functional and quirky"

Overall my second shop design had the most positive feedback and intrigue, mostly stemming from the Astrolabe on the roof and more obvious celestial decals around.

I will take this feedback on board and consider it when moving forward with my iterative design process.

Required Life Drawing Session

KEY INFORMATION from the week:

Version Control whilst confusing at this stage will be a real valuable tool to learn.

Taking on board my feedback I'm continuing with designs 2 & 5

[1] www.gridly.com. (n.d.). Version Control in Game Development: 10 Vague Reasons to Use It | Gridly. [online] Available at: https://www.gridly.com/blog/version-control-in-game-development/ [Accessed 4 Feb. 2024].

[2] betterexplained.com. (n.d.). A Visual Guide to Version Control – BetterExplained. [online] Available at: https://betterexplained.com/articles/a-visual-guide-to-version-control/. [Accessed 4 Feb. 2024].