Skip to main content

Wheelhouse Progress

B

ack at the start of 2024, I dove into modelling the interior of the F/V Scully. To be honest, I was slightly intimidated at first. Excited, but apprehensive. I knew I was embarking on a long arduous journey. The time I would spend on the interior would likely be more than tripled compared to the exterior (not including UV unwrapping and texturing). While creating the interior seemed fun, I also recognised it would be a daunting task. However, I soon realized that I have been tackling similar challenges throughout the project for years!

Over the next ten months in my free time, I constructed the interior of the F/V Scully. I began by blocking out the general spaces, using the exterior model as a guide, and my deck designs (see here and here) as reference. Next, I connected all the decks together with stairs, doorways and hatches. Then finally, added all the detailing room by room. The first of these rooms I worked on was the wheelhouse. 

F/V Scully's wheelhouse is one of the most important spaces in D_ROGUE. Players would spend a significant amount of time here compared to the rest of the boat; so I spent a little more effort to ensure everything feels just right. I used numerous reference images from the TV show Deadliest Catch and meticulously researched all the navigation equipment so it was authentic to the late 70's. Although one or two pieces may not have been available until the 80's, their aesthetical appeal made them worth including!

Below are a few screenshots inside the wheelhouse. The first two showcase the stark contrast between it's inital and fully modelled state, with all the assets and gear in place. I believe that incorporating the full bells and whistles, not only enhances the immersive experience for players but also introduces unique mechanics that will make taking control of the boat during gameplay feel both realistic and engaging.


Jason Bartlett ©

Jason Bartlett ©

Jason Bartlett ©

Jason Bartlett ©

In the next post, I'll share screenshots of the galley interior!


Thanks for reading :)

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Crab Pot

For the next step of the modelling process of the crab pot, I was challenged with another huge hurdle ( to say the least). This stage was where all the painstaking problems crawled in again.  The rope. I thought making some bendy cords would be simple enough, but believe me, it was anything but. There aren't many tutorials, covering the whole modelling process to the end 'game ready' product, for rope. So, like previous obstacles I faced in the modelling stage, I used multiple methods and trial and error to find the best path.  Actually, creating a tube following a manually placed path, was the easiest part for me. I had picked this step up while at University. However, I had to manually place and move each Bezier path to form the guide lines, for yards of rope, in a natural and realistic way. Hundreds of them. I spent more hours than I would have liked, setting up the paths to guide the rope along. I kept asking myself that there must be an easier way to tie...

Render Tests

An important element in the conceptual stage is to not look at a problem from one perspective. It's always best to get multiple views to achieve a greater outcome. To reach an end goal is one thing. The journey to that end goal is something else entirely. One of my favourite quotes by Carl Friedrich Gauss states "It is not knowledge, but the act of learning, not possession but the act of getting there, which grants the greatest enjoyment". I totally agree with this and it applies to game development. Creating something big or small brings its challenges and the act to reach the finish line is where the magic happens. I hope to experiment in several styles, as would any other artist working early on in game development; focusing on diversity and demonstrating imagination. Jason Bartlett © I created the above image, of a  bow mast, using the toon shader in the render settings of Arnold for Maya. I really enjoyed creating the style, was simple to se...

New Project

Hello! Sometime while at University, studying Computer Games Arts, I had a vision for a video game. This idea, from 2015, would turn out to become a passion project where I mused, jotted and doodled on the sidelines of studying.  It wasn't for a further three years until I decided to actually put pen to paper (or pen to tablet in my case) and bring my idea to life.  As the quote goes, "A dream is just a dream until you decide to make it real" or "All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them". So in Autumn 2018, I did just that. Pursued my dreams. Now I wouldn't attempt to make a whole game all by myself. That would be silly and take literally years!  I lulled over the notion of asking fellow  graduates and  freelance artists  to aid in bringing my vision to life. This would be great but several factors including money and time played on my mind...alot. Then a marvell...