• In order to clearly indicate unit size and movement, we utilized a traditional grid structure. To properly accommodate for the iPad’s touch interface, though, the on-screen grid had to be big enough to allow easy and accurate finger-control.
• Short-bursts of gameplay are great for handheld devices, so we made our maps relatively small. As a starting point, we settled on a 20×15 grid to match the iPad’s 4:3 aspect ratio.
• Maps that scroll require additional input and brainpower to keep track of all the units, so we decided to squeeze everything into one screen. This went hand-in-hand with our small maps approach, and had the added benefit of giving off a boardgame-like vibe (which is also perfect for potential multiplayer modes).
• In order to set ourselves apart from other tactics games, we went with a fully 3D environment. This allowed us more flexibility with the level design, but presented the rather large issue of camera position/angle. Although we’re committed to an orthogonal projection, we’re still messing around with traditional top-down vs. isometric views, and some hybrid ones as well.

Below you can see the early evolution of Trudy’s test map:

The initial layout of an area in the sewer-like Underworld.

A superimposed grid detailing the map's composition.

Early texturing pass for a dimetric view. Although it makes for some interesting shapes, it also wastes a ton of screen real-estate.

Conversely, the top-down view uses every inch of the screen, but still looks much flatter. Ambient occlusion would help it pop a bit more, but not nearly as much as a skewed camera angle.

A perspective view of the test map. It's not properly lit just yet, but it already utilizes diffuse, normal, specular and glow maps.

We’ve stress-tested the map with the maximum number of units and got a pretty good frame rate. Of course it’s expected to drop once we add shader and particle effects, as well as HUD pieces, but we’re pretty confident we can lock it at a steady 30 FPS.

Throughout the game, the player explores various regions of Alberta and builds a network of pipelines to properly extract, transport and sequester carbon pollution. The gameplay combines exploration and resource management, with a handful of minigames that give a clear, scientific view of the numerous steps involved in the sequestering process.

Below are some of our early concept pieces created by Abel Oroz, as well as a few preliminary in-game screenshots.

The initial designs of the Bruiser and his plated armour had too much of a medieval look.

The Bruiser's final form with accentuated shoulder and shin pads, perfect for absorbing damage and bowling over enemies.

A booby-trapped chest.

Early sketches of the Corsair and his mechanized saw-sword.

An explosive steampunk barrel!

The original Miner sketch with no hard-hat and a hand-held drill-lance...

...and the finished Mechanic, complete with an attached drill and a powerful nailgun.

]]> http://www.incubatorgames.com/index.php/20100820/trudy-concept-dump-2/feed/ 2 http://www.incubatorgames.com/index.php/20100816/trudy-mechanicals/ http://www.incubatorgames.com/index.php/20100816/trudy-mechanicals/#comments Mon, 16 Aug 2010 17:03:09 +0000 Radek http://www.incubatorgames.com/?p=521 The setting for Trudy’s Mechanicals borrows heavily from various Steampunk tropes, but focuses on two aspects that are not widely used in the genre: the effects of “Steampunk-tech” pollution, and mechanization as a punishment rather than an empowerment.

The first point was born of pragmatism. When we were initially kicking around ideas for a new project, we wanted to limit its scope to make sure we could actually execute on it. The preference was to set the game in a single city, preferably a floating one to clearly define its borders while creating a cool aesthetic. Since I’ve always loved world-creation, I quickly butted-in and ran with the concept.

Steampunk seemed like a natural fit as its works are filled with giant, floating airships, but I wanted a concrete reason as to why our dirigible was stuck in the skies. The answer came fairly naturally: the plethora of side-effects that come with coal-burning technology.

Early variations on our ramshackle floating city, Trudy.

Lots of early steam-powered inventions were fueled by coal, so I imagined a world where the practice became common place for the entire populace. Not only did electricity come from coal-burning power plants, but every horseless carriage and household servebot relied on coal as well. Over time, the practice led to a critical mass of pollution, and any attempts to reverse the process only make it worse. The few who were quick enough to spot the irrevocable hazards of the acrid fog and rain embarked on a skybound exodus, settling on a immense airship nicknamed Trudy.

As we settled on the Steampunk setting, our thoughts were filled with images of flintlock rifles and chimnied mechs. This was where our second point of focus materialized.

I had a bit of an aversion to typical empowerment associated with any type of “mech fiction,” including Steampunk. I mulled over how we could change this formula without sacrificing the iconic imagery, and one fateful night I hit on a suitable solution.

Concept sketches for the Mechanic unit. The caterpillar-tracks were a prevalent feature in all his designs.

I was leaving work rather late, and seeing a streetcar pulling into its stop, I made a mad dash for it. As I ran up to its doors, the driver looked at me and closed them. He definitely saw me, but slowly pulled away from the platform as I was ready to get on. There was no reason not to let me board, and missing the streetcar meant I’d have to wait another 30 minutes or so before the next one came (hopefully before the subways stopped running).

As I seethed in my rage, I fancied that the perfect punishment for the driver’s smug power-trip would be to make him perform this menial job for the rest of his life. I pictured him fused to his chair, forever pulling the rusty vehicle while envying its passengers that could get off at any time.

And so the Mechanicals were born; industrial workers sutured with heavy machinery rather than soldiers or adventurers so prevalent in the genre.

The finalized version of the Mechanic.

These Steampunk cyborgs are still physically imposing, but their abilities can be neutralized by the armaments of “normal” law enforcers. What’s worse, they represent the proletariat, the poor working-class, and are stigmatized for their decision to sell and mutilate their own bodies. The Mechanicals are indigent and kept segregated in their own underground district, but their plight is also a large driving force behind the game’s storyline.

I guess if that streetcar driver ever got assimilated by his vehicle, I’d have some sympathy for him after all.

The first piece of concept art created for Trudy's Mechanicals: three versions of the main character, Valerjan.

The finalized Valerjan.

Some early sketches of the sewer-based Underworld district.

A few different versions of the Miner's head, along with an up-close view of his drill.

Environment art for the cramped and rickety Warrens district.

A couple of different takes on a vault-style door, a chest and an explosive barrel.

Three different versions of the Corsair's lower body...

...and the finished Corsair himself, complete with a mechanized saw-sword stored in one of this legs.

]]> http://www.incubatorgames.com/index.php/20100731/trudy-concept-dump-1/feed/ 2 http://www.incubatorgames.com/index.php/20100721/trudys-mechanicals/ http://www.incubatorgames.com/index.php/20100721/trudys-mechanicals/#comments Wed, 21 Jul 2010 05:55:10 +0000 Radek http://www.incubatorgames.com/?p=390 We’ve kept it under wraps for a few weeks, but it’s now time to finally announce Trudy’s Mechanicals, our steampunk-themed tactics game in development for the iPad!

The main cast of Trudy's Mechanicals.

So how did the project come to be? Well, here’s a short list of the points that led us to it:

• With the recently released iPad, we saw a chance to tackle a new platform with its own unique set of features. Many iPad games we checked out were simple, upscaled ports that didn’t really take advantage of the hardware, and we thought it’d be a good area to explore.
• As fans of tactics games, we were interested in creating a title that maintained core genre traditions while streamlining the interface and throwing in a few new ideas.
• The concept of “Steampunk” itself is filled with very rich and powerful visuals, and we wanted to pursue its darker, grittier side. Tatsuyuki Tanaka was a major influence, and ReJean Dubois has done a great job of working with that style while bringing his own flavour to the designs.
• After doing a ton of research, we were eager to experiment with a new (for us, anyway) business model and do some self-marketing. Only time will tell how it’ll all work out, but we’ll be sure to document the results here on our site.
• Actually creating the game would mean developing tools and expertise vital to Tribes of Mexica and our future work-for-hire projects.
• And, most importantly, we just thought Trudy’s Mechanicals would be fun and rewarding to make!

Concept art for "The Underworld," Trudy's densely populated sewage system.

In the upcoming weeks, I’ll be posting more info on the art and design of the game, while Dave and Tristan will be pitching in with articles on the technical side of things.

Stay tuned!

This is actually an Incan artifact, but virtually all Mesoamerican cultures had a fascination with masks.

First up were documentaries and educational TV shows, both of which were readily available on YouTube. Not only were these fairly credible — and the parts that were theoretical were clearly outlined as such — but they also focused on the details of everyday life.

How did the Aztecs dress? What did they eat? How did they store and transport goods? What sort of tools did they use? Et cetera. These tid-bits were rarely glamorous, but answering such questions is vital to making a world come to life.

Mainstream movies like the Maya-based Apocalypto were also a nice reference, although like any fictional works, they were taken with a grain of salt.

An excerpt from Jonathon Dalton's "Lords of Life and Death."

Google Books was a decent resource as well, although most of its content was fairly limited (a dozen or so preview pages per entry). What it did lead me to, though, were various Aztec-themed comic books. These were a great visual reference as they took place during the civilization’s peak, showing it as a thriving culture rather than focusing on its ruinous legacy.

Finally, I tried contacting some professors and Mexica enthusiasts, but my e-mails wielded few results. However, I had much better luck getting in touch with alternative history writers such as Chris Roberson and picking their brains as to what kind of research they did for their novels.

A map of Lake Texcoco, the heartland of the Aztec Empire, that I snagged from Aliette de Bodard's blog.

As things stand right now, the entire setting and story of Tribes of Mexica is planned out. Now how much of it actually makes it into the game is another matter, but I’d rather do an extra bit of homework than be completely under prepared.

The swanky Liberty Grand venue.

INplay is a kids media event with a loose focus on interactive products. Since most of our cash flow still comes from work-for-hire, I attended the show in order to meet potential partners.

Here are my notes from the 2-day event:

• Somewhat surprisingly, TV representatives were fairly lukewarm about funding game development based on their IP’s. My guess is that this was mainly due to a somewhat recent tendency to foster in-house studios, and the fact that everyone is still waiting to see where the chips fall from the Telefilm/CMF transition.
• Shaw has joined Bell, OMDC and the CMF with a small TV media fund, and individual TV producers (i.e., people who create custom teams to pitch for show concepts) were much more optimistic about the future. We received a few tentative proposals based on these funds, but they were obviously contingent on first getting the actual funding.
• Pretty much everyone I talked to had worked with Flash-based web games at some point, but was interested in exploring other platforms. The iPhone was still seen as mostly a marketing tool, not a revenue generating one, but Unity was making some headways. Most people knew what it was, and many were interested in trying it out or were in the early stages of actually using it to create content.

  Interestingly enough, the major hurdle for Unity didn’t seem to be the need for a downloadable plugin, but rather the fact that it would splinter an existing site’s portfolio, i.e., if all the games on the website were in Flash, broadcasters were hesitant to add other formats to the mix.

1-on-1 meetings by a fireplace. Told you it was swanky.

• We received some interest from broadcasters outside of North America, but it was all for smaller scale projects (under 50k).
• The US broadcasters and toy manufacturers still hold the biggest IP’s and are currently the only solid option for large, branding-based games.
• Funding for Flash games seems to have decreased on a global scale. Projects that used to cost 50k are now being pitched with 15k budgets in mind.
• There’s still a decent amount of buzz about alternate — or enhanced — reality games, but the interested parties seemed very naive about their scope and technical potential.

Hanging out by the entrance after I grilled Nathan of Capy and Damir of Big Blue Bubble on videogame agents.

• The most solid contract leads we received actually came from other developers who were either looking for outsourcing help or offered to pass on some work they declined.
• Everyone loved the iPad, but no one seemed to have a realistic plan of how to use it to actually make money.

All in all the conference was great for networking, but, at least on a local scale, we’re all going to have to wait and see what happens with the CMF before we get a better idea of the funding opportunities out there.

Mike Nguyen, artist extraordinaire, greeting me to the 2010 TOJam.

The TOJam event has been going strong for quite a while now, and, having doubled its attendance since last year, shows no signs of slowing down. All three of us were interested in attending, but the date fell on one of our project milestones. I still managed to drop by on the last day, though, and got a chance to check out some of the finished entries.

While at the event, I ran into a few old coworkers and some other colleagues, but the majority of the crowd consisted of (some very enthusiastic) students. It reminded me a lot of my own week-long crunch to start and finish a full game for a contest back when I was in school. The atmosphere was great, and everyone I talked to found it a positive experience.

One of the 4+ classrooms where large groups of people probably spent a little too much time. All for a good cause, of course.

TOJam also received quite a bit of media love, and I’m definitely looking forward to its next iteration. And if we’re once again unable to participate, then we’ll at least try to sponsor some of the food and drinks!

It's finally finished!

Kelvin’s Space Ranch is a time management title developed for Science Alberta. The game revolves around running a futuristic farm and a processing facility, both of which require close care. The animals on the farm must be regularly fed, watered and cleaned, while their produce must be properly treated using various machines at the processing facility.

Here’s a trailer of how it looks in action:

Kelvin’s Space Ranch was developed using Unity and can be freely played at the Wonderville website.

In order to document some of the details of its development, we decided to post a short case study on the project:

The Overview

After doing some consulting work for Science Alberta, we were approached with an offer to create a full title. The game was to be developed using Unity and would need to focus on educating the player on a variety of topics. Its timeline was set at roughly 3 months, and its budget at under 1ook CAD (about 25% of which we earmarked for the art assets).

The Challenge

The project itself came together roughly a year before we came on board, but there was no concrete design for it.  It was up to us to create a game based on the desires of the sponsors — Alberta Egg, Alberta Milk, and, to a lesser extent, the space industry — and tie them closely to the province’s grade school curriculum.

Our original concepts for Kelvin, Science Alberta's unofficial mascot, in space.

The base game needed to be available online via Unity, and we were also instructed to make it as portable and scalable as possible for potential iPhone and PC stand-alone ports.

Finally, the title needed to be visually stimulating and engaging, and seamlessly integrate gameplay elements alongside various educational topics.

The Solution

The development began with a relatively lengthy, 5 week pre-production period. The parallels between the needs of Alberta Egg and Alberta Milk led us to propose a time management game that required the player to take care of multiple animals on a farm.

In order to showcase more aspects of the school curriculum, we extended the gameplay to include produce and the science behind the machinery that processes it. Finally, we chose a futuristic space ranch for the setting in order to give ourselves a bit of creative leeway while opening the door for concepts important to the space industry.

The finalized in-game setting.

As we continued to discuss the game’s design with the all parties involved, we also scheduled a few rounds of concept art creation. These allowed us to carefully weigh our options and eventually settle on a whimsical and eye-catching style.

Due to Unity’s limited 2D support, a big part of our development process was creating a custom 2D graphics layer. This wrapper allowed us to quickly design numerous minigames while providing the ability to painlessly change the resolution and aspect ratio for porting purposes.

During our design phase, we also made sure that all the gameplay elements were based on the desired educational information. This created a system where the player absorbed the subject matter by gradually learning how to play the game itself.

Additional educational tid-bits that didn’t fit into the core gameplay were presented in a bonus round that appeared after each level. This bonus round was completely optional and took on the shape of a simple board game. Completing a level rewarded the player with a single key, and these could be used to open any of the doors on the board. Each door revealed either a “secret” piece of knowledge, or a certain number of free keys.

The bonus round of Kelvin's Space Ranch.

A completion percentage accompanied this bonus game, encouraging the player to beat every level and open every door. The board game not only gave us the ability to squeeze in specific bits of information that the sponsors desired, but also allowed us to present them as something of a reward rather than a forced text dump.

The Results

Kelvin’s Space Ranch was successfully completed with all its features fully implemented. Immediately following the last deliverable, Science Alberta hired us to do an iPhone port of the game and offered us a third contract for a brand new project.