Epic Backlogging

My main objective this semester is to develop one of my game concepts from last semester, the chameleon texture/property blending game. My goal is to create some kind of basic working prototype using a game engine (likely Unity 3D). Having little to no prior knowledge of using Unity 3D before the majority of this semester will probably be practising and learning how the engine works. Besides that alot of reworking and details will need to be worked out including level designs, all the scripts and animations I’ll need, the mood and atmosphere I want to set for the game and obviously some visual design documents to accompany the prototype. It’s taunting because this project is really jumping in feet first, I have no idea how doable or difficult any of the above tasks will be. I have a feeling at some point I’ll need to scrap alot of my initial concepts.

Camoleon (now titled Ecotone) first needs its main character. The protagonist is the character which will incorporate everything about the game; the player should be able to tell what it’s capable of just by looking at it on paper. However, there’s a surprisingly amount of diversity in Chameleon’s as shown.

Picking the appropriate type of chameleon isn’t as simple as just picking a style I like, there a several important factors that will affect the style I go with. The first is my own limitation, there’s no point me trying in doing some amazing Pixar-esque cartoon chameleon with lip syncing. The second limitation is what mood/atmosphere I want to create in my game. If it’s a stylized cartoon world, full of colour and just a light hearted platformer or whether I want to appeal to a different audience. On top of that, I have little experience (or patience) for modelling software so unless I plan on commissioning someone else to model for me, it’s gonna have to be a very simple design.

The early sketches (above) show some of the working outs with the shape and position of the joints. I wanted the Chameleon to be somewhere in between cartoon and realist, but one of the important elements I want to get across is making him appear vulnerable and physically weak. My plan at the moment is for there to be no enemies in the prototype instead the enemy/obstacles are the environments and nature itself. The chameleon should feel weak and insignificant in the scale of the world so it’s important he doesn’t look or come across as tough or brave but instead frail and scared.

One the trickiest task’s I see ahead of me is deciding whether the chameleon is going to run on two or four legs. For simplicity sakes I imagine two legs would be easier to animate, but the chameleon will need to use all four legs when climbing anyway so maybe not. My MA tutor Josh suggested it could stand on four legs but run on two legs as it picks up speed which is a good idea, but it might be harder than it sounds.