Glitch Out: Station Core Preproduction to Polish

Final In-Game Shot

The Station Core is the main power supply of the FSS Hemera. We knew we wanted the space to have depth and feel larger than life. Some of the gameplay mechanics for this area included freezing pipes, recharging the power core, and shooting the ANT bots. With those mechanics in mind, we started developing the space.

Concept

Initial Concept

The station core went through many iterations. In the initial concept the station core was cylindrical and too symmetrical while the overall map layout was too confusing. Having the player constantly rotate in a circle to complete objectives was not ideal as it would cause them to tangle themselves in the oculus wires. With the concerns in mind, we did another pass on the room concept.

Second Pass

With the new layout we managed to add depth to the environment and add interest without the player feeling overwhelmed. The areas indicated on the legend remained the same but the overall room design allowed for more unique gameplay mechanics.

Initial Concept

The Core itself was the 110% asset of the room. Because the game was for VR we were limited on what we could do in terms of screen space and complex materials. The core went through 3-5 design iterations before the final model was completed. With each iteration, we were able to ground the room to a final state.

Second Pass

Blockout

During the block out phase we wanted to test the space players would be interacting in. The mechanics are somewhat there but the environments needed a first pass read. Below is a video of our blockout gameplay.

Modeling

During the modeling phase, I would occasionally look at my colleague's model and our art style target to make the models look cohesive. On my second initial pass I grabbed a few basic shapes and started adding forms to one side of the room. This area needed to have some form of ventilation system so I started looking at different pipe placements. We also wanted some windows to add more depth to the space. Another VERY important aspect I needed to focus on was the overall structure of the room.

In game Test

The room was starting to feel boxed in and lacked any form of interest so I made another pass at the environment. I tried slanting the walls to make the room funnel inwards. The room didn't necessarily fit the art style at that point so we scrapped everything to rebuild the room from the ground up.

3rd Pass

Angling the room to remove the perfect box shape

Upon rebuilding the room, we managed to get the space to fit not only the art style but managed to hit the cohesion mark for each space. The core took up most of the screen space so I wanted to incorporate the core with the side walls as well. Before they were adjusted to meet future gameplay needs, the cylinder barrels in the walls were seen as a chemical storage unit that would infuse the chemicals together at the base. We started looking at the possibility of adding insulation to the room as well (a.). Something that would contain the heat inside of the core to prevent major cooling or overheating. Aligning the padding to the rim of the second floor felt a bit unnatural in game so, we turned our attention to the back side (b.).

a. Overall Room Shot

b. 4th Pass

The padding was a bit of a modeling nightmare as the first pass was done by hand. Yes a material could have been used but I didn't want a flat surface. The insulation was looking quilted like a leather chair and the overall design did not fit the art style.

Back Wall Insulation 1st pass

To get the padding detail we wanted, I used Marvelous designer. Marvelous is a bit clunky but the outcome was worth it. I was able to create a pillowed wall and used a deformer to bend the mesh along the wall. The padding looked natural and added more emphasis to the pillowing. After exporting my updated models into game I took my model screenshots and started working on materials and lighting.

Materials and Lighting

We all worked together to come up with materials to be used throughout the different levels. A majority of the materials needed to be made in Substance Painter. Certain materials were made for unique assets such as wall trims, cables, and hologram assets. Sung made a few unique materials that were used for the cables and wires

Cable Materials by Sung Ho Kim

Trim Sheet Material by Sung Ho Kim

As far as other materials went, we wanted to make a few insulations and sci-fi materials that would fit in the station core as well as the Escape Pod Bay. The padding that was modeled earlier was also repurposed in the escape pod bay as well.

Escape Pod Bay by Jarod Reizian

Station Core

As for the assets used for the space, each individual was tasked with different props to be used in the different environments. Some more than others. Such as, cargo containers, fuel/energy cells, and the A.I. robots.

Cargo Case

Terminal

Polish & 110% Asset

During the polish phase, a lot of optimization was needed to be completed as well as the 110% asset; The Station Core. Some vfx and A.I characters were causing a huge strain on the gpu. Another part of the polish phase was spent play testing for bugs and lighting errors during load times. The final look of the station core was developed after doing a few sketches to the overall design. We wanted something uneven but serve a functional purpose. Removing all forms of a cylindrical asset and turning it into a piece worth displaying.

Some elemental designs I wanted to play with were jellyfish and wacky robot designs. I also wanted to pull some elements of Rachet and Clank as that was our overall art style. The scale of the model was just as important. We wanted players to have a foreboding presence when they entered the room for the first time.

Final Asset

Accreditation

I would like to credit my teammates for their hard work and contribution to our project as well as the amazing faculty at Ringling College of Art and Design. I would also like to thank Flight School studio for the awesome oppurtunity:

-Team-

Jarod Reizian: ArtStation - Jarod Reizian