Mapping

So, I need to get the levels made, so i have started on the most complicated. At least i think it will be the most complicated. The tube room, also makes sense as i have a firm design I can follow for it.

By using the tube models in the source sdk i have managed to align them all into a tube network. Very fiddly as they cannot be snapped together and as i have so many twists and turns it is taking a long time. The room at the moment is just a big rectangle, i will have to sort that.

Status

After my session with tom last. I now know I cannot show him my work in progress inside the level editor. This is really frustrating, as i means taking video's each week and means less creative input from tom. He has been very good about talking with the IT department to fix it though.
I've been working more on the tube room and I now intend to make a tutorial level as the first level of the game to introduce the player to the puzzles ahead. Still need to visualise the last puzzle.

Characters

I wanted to get into modeling by now, but time is flying by. I have got a basic sketch for an alien that i hope to use in a scene. I've decided not to worry about modeling the main character, as the player will never see it. Its purely first person, so thats just making more work for myself than needed.




I've also started the story, after speaking to Tom though he told me not to write a full story for the project as they wont read it. Only a synopsis is needed and info on any characters. Which is a shame as I quite liked the thought of writing a big story for the game to lead into any sequel plans. Will try get the synopsis up next week.

Steam

After trying to get steam on the college system we failed. Spent 20 minutes trying to get it working today with Tom. Looks like a major problem!
Will be speaking with IT to get it working. Will try to make videos in fraps for now to show tom my work.
Tom will be speaking to people to try and get steam working.

Synopsis

As promised this is a synopsis of the story. I also have looked at making a letter that will serve as an introduction to the story. The letter is written in the present and tells of the state of the world, which introduces what happens in the past. i.e. the game.


"The year is 1947, the world is still recuperating from World War Two. The UK is in economic crisis. India and Pakistan are granted independence. The cold war is brewing between America and Russia, the arms race has just begun. Charles Yeager breaks the sonic barrier. President Truman is president of the USA.

The player takes the roles of a character that was taken in the first abduction by aliens that arrived in orbit around earth in 1947. The main character is the subject of mental experimentation, testing humans’ mental capability. He is submitted to a battery of tests that involve puzzle solving that require detailed analysis and find solutions. He never knows where he is, only that he is trapped and wants to find a way out, unknown to him all the puzzles presented to him are projected into his own mind. These tests were to provide the aliens with the perfect data to enhance their genetic experiments on the human race, to be later released on the planet beneath them ten years after."