Video:
I manage to make them patrol a waypoint route. But I’m not very satisfied with the results. It is because when using Mecanim system, the character is TOO DYNAMIC that sometimes they get really wild and wander off. However this is done without any custom script at all. Perhaps when we’re using custom script to control the behaviour, they will at-least behave and obey the rules that we setup for them. I really feel like I’m working with something that can think for themselves and the unpleasant part is that they are naughty. lol
The video shows only short experimentation I’ve done. I have at least 6 different scenes with different parameters and settings, and Mecanim is really hard to work with.
I guess I’ll leave all the “bugs” for awhile and continue the production. Here a priority list is important. You may not want to stuck in small bugs and delay the whole production process, especially when you are a “one man show”.
I’ll moving out from this prototyping scenes and will try to start a so called “alpha version”. I want to make the game finished soon enough. Regardless of how does it looks like. I can’t model, so I’ll use pre-made models.
I like it! Looks very natural! Even the giant walks like I would imagine it too! Good job!
That’s the power of a system in Unity engine called mecanim.
They all share the same “AI brain”.
But when placed on different body, different feet length, the animation as well change.
That’s actually really smart! I was thinking about going into Unity after I finish up with RPG Maker, would you recommend it as a game engine?
Yes, I would like to recommend it to anyone.
It’s capability to produce AAA game quality if it fall in the right person.
There’s many of UDK and CryEngine user switch from respective engine into Unity because of the flexibility, easy to learn and the best part is it’s FREE!
The programming are available in C#, Javascript and Boo but there’s many tools for visual scripting. Check PlayMaker for Unity for example. You only need to think logic.
You can make a 2D game too!
If you want to port your current game into multiple platform, it would be easy.
Develop in one machine but port into Mac, Windows, IOS, Android, and also Windows Phone 8.
That’s one of the reason I’m using it.
I really sound like a Unity evangelist am I? XD
Laying out a city in an open world game is not an easy task. A couple suggestions…
1. Add stubs for the main buildings you want to have the player enter and interact with. This way you have something early to work with that applies to the finished product.
2. Don’t bother with a lot of AI scripts until you have the actual working layout of the city, pathing bugs and other issues will cause you to rework these scripts and you don’t want to do the work over and over.
3. The exceptions are patrol routes (like the ones you’re working with), and NPCs who don’t move or aren’t moving for now (for instance I think you wrote something about a cashier in your other post). If you’re going to have a set of police in the city area you might set them up early. Moving patrol points is relatively easy and it can give you a feeling of a city early.
4. Remember when you lay out the art for the city that the larger your areas the harder it will be to fill them. Large areas will force you to do custom art and/or lots of NPCs (which can be a problem for the processor). It’s easier to take a slightly smaller place and stuff extra NPCs in the area to make it feel like a crowd.
There’s more, but hopefully that helps. I found laying out cities and towns to be a very difficult but (eventually) rewarding process during Skyrim development. Good luck.
Thank you for your advices, there’s still a lot I need to learn indeed.
I really wish to know how is it the big studio done their stuffs, and thanks again for some insights. 😀