COMP 50 Game Design LESSON #11: Digital Playtesting & Introduction to Character Animation with Mecanim

1. Digital Prototype Testing/Sharing 3. Unity 3D Animation Pipeline: TODAY: 1. Digital Prototype Testing/Sharing 2. Team Meetings 3. Unity 3D Animation Pipeline: Animation Clips, State Machine, Components, and GameObject -parenting.

PART 1: DIGITAL PLAYTESTING SET UP (10 minutes): Teams Choose Tables Set up game digital prototype on 3 laptops. Decide initial Observers (1-2) and Players. Discuss: 1-3 points/instructions to share with visiting players? Write them down!

PART 1: DIGITAL PLAYTESTING PLAYTEST ROUND #1 (20 minutes): Observers stay to manage playtest, Players find other games to play. If team chose 1-3 instructions, give them. Players attempt to play prototype (5-10 min). Observers take notes! Players fill out questionnaire (5 minutes). Time permitting, discuss answers.

PART 2: TEAM MEETING (10 minutes): Convene at your team table to discuss observations and questionnaire answers. Discuss Production goals for the next week (next top priority Backlog items, potentially influenced by tester experience/ observations) and divide work equitably.

PART 3: 3D Animation Production: CREATE MEEPLE: PNG textures

PART 3: 3D Animation Production: ANIMATE MEEPLE: Select object and hit [s] to add keyframes. Turn on Auto Keymode Toggle, change time and transform object to set more frames.

PART 3: 3D Animation Production: ANIMATE MEEPLE: Create 3 motions: Idle (10-40) Walk (50-70) Jump (80-100) The provided FBX has these motions ready to import into Unity3D.

PART 3: 3D Animation Production: EXPORT MEEPLE: File/ Export Selection

PART 3: 3D Animation Production: EXPORT MEEPLE: 2. Turn on Bake Animation. 3. Export!

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: [A] SET-UP: Create Ground Plane or Box. 2. Add Directional Light (with shadows) and Point Light to illuminate from the opposite direction. [B] IMPORT MEEPLE: Add the FBX and PNG to the Project. Add the Mesh to the Hierarchy

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: Select Project FBX, in Inspector define clips for 3 motions (enter time ranges. Idle & Walk loop!).

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: In the Project, RightClick to create a new Animator Controller. Add the Animator Controller to the Hierarchy mesh (leftClick drag it onto the Hierarchy mesh).

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: DoubleClick the Animator Controller in Project to open the State Machine.

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: Drag Animation Clips from Project into the State Machine

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: Add parameters: Bool “walk” and Trigger “jump”

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: Next we add components: Physics/Rigidbody, Physics/Box Collider, C# Script ….

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: Next we add components: Physics/Rigidbody, Physics/Box Collider, C# Script BUT do NOT add them directly to the Animated Mesh! The result will be an object that always returns to the origin.

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: INSTEAD, create a new Empty Game Object, locate at the origin, and add all 3 Components.

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: Then move the Animated Mesh to the origin and parent it under this Empty GameObject.

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: Be sure that the script reference to the Animator in the script refers to the child!: void Start(){ anim = gameObject.GetComponentInChildren<Animator>(); }

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: To play the animation, use If Statements and refer to the animator’s parameters: if (Input.GetKey ("w")) { anim.SetBool ("walk", true); rigidbody.velocity += transform.forward * speed; } else if (Input.GetKey("space")){ anim.SetTrigger("jump"); rigidbody.AddForce (Vector3.up * JumpSpeed);

PART 4: Unity Animation Pipeline: … and don’t forget to end the animation AND velocity: else { anim.SetBool ("walk", false); rigidbody.velocity = new Vector3(0, rigidbody.velocity.y, 0); } Save & play! [W], [A], [S], [D] to move, [Space] to jump. NOTE: If the animation does not play, be sure you dragged the Animation Controller from the Project onto the mesh in the Hierarchy (under the Empty GO)!

Production Scheduling: Course Milestones Due Week 8: Paper Prototypes: “Fun” Due Week 9: Digital Prototypes: “Quantity.” Due Week 11: Full Playable Prototypes: “User Clarity.” Due Week 12: Revised prototypes: “Fun.” Due Week 14: Prototype Complete: Multiple levels populated, bugs fixed, full Art and Audio. Final Presentations: Playable Game and Marketing materials: Trailer, Website, Press Release, Icon.

Due Next Week: HOMEWORK #11: A FUN Game: 4th Digital Prototype with revised play, more levels, some more art, & audio TEAMS: Divide Unity/Art/Audio production equitably. Meet with your team at least twice to discuss progress, solve problems, and consolidate build. Test clarity with at least two NEW players. Submit fourth digital build to class next week. Individually: Progress Report #4: Submit typed page: What you agreed to produce, what you accomplished, self-evaluation/related screenshots.

Have an Phenomenal Week! And don’t forget to email us with questions: Instructor: JASON WISER JasonWiserArt@gmail.com Available an hour after class and daily email.