Final Prototype Images

Butterfly catching game

Cherry Subtraction question
Acorn trigger event 1
Acorn piles

Leaf sign for flower platform game

Flower Platforms (5X tables)

New Models and flowers in the final prototype game

Here are the new model assest that I imported into the game

I decided to add two more flowers to the platform game and a sign explaning what to do.

Additional models

I decided to add a couple more flower platforms to the game as I thought the ones I had where too few.





When Modeling these flowers, I used the same base flower model file and created different textures applied it to the base model and exported it as an FBX file while not saveing the original base flower with the new texture so I could use it again.

Acorn Interaction Counting

When Looking at my interactive environment, although I had the flower models lighting interaction working, I felt the game needed to have at least some more interaction. This was then I came up with the count acorn game idea.

As you can see from this image, The are 4 piles of acorns each representing the visual amount of the numbers from 1 to 4.

I then decided it would be a good idea to show the symbol next to the pile of acorns stating the amount in each pile. Instead of placing the model symbols next to them, I decided to create a triger in which when the player went near each plie of acorns the number would animate and appear when entered the trigger's radius. When they moved away from the acorn the number would disappear.

Here are the images of acorns 1 and 4.

I wanted to show the number symbol and the visual amount of the number so it would help the young players who would play this game to get a better understanding of numbers. The acrons are also in order from 1 to 4 when you move along side them you are counting up.

New Features to the game (Cherry subtraction)

Now that I managed to get the flower lights working, I decided to add in sme new features to the game. One of these was a model of a subtraction question using cherries.



This is only mesh with collision and has no interaction. It is mostly to show the visual subtraction of items. As you can see in the image, there are 6 cherries minus 2 cherries which equal 3 cherries instead of the number symbols themselves.

For this I modelled one cherry, one leaf and one minus sign and moved and duplicated them around the scene. At first I pilled the cherries ontop of each other in a random heap, but then looking at the question in game it was hard to make out the number of cherries on each leaf. To fix this I placed them in this way so that it would be easier to see the amount of cherries.

More Models made for UDK

Here are some more models that I made to be implemented into UDK

New grass Models

I decided to smooth the grass models I made as it looked too sharp and blocky before. I also put grass around the borders of the environment to wall of the open area so that the player doesn't walk off the edge of the map.

Butterfly Models

These are the modesl for the butterfly adding game that I have made. The idea of this game is that the player would be able to catch them and put them in the circle to get the correct answer. So far these are on still models. If possible I might try to animate the butter flies fluttering around.

Adding question model

In my envrionment, the player would be able to come across adding or subtraction questions, in which they would have to catch the correct number of butterflies and put it in the circle to get the correct answer. Here is the model I made for one of them and what it looks like in game.

More textures and grass models

I have now managed to import and properly save textures, more flower models and grass into UDK with collision. I have started on trying to create trigger lights for the flowers.

Importing textures into UDK

Today in class I learnt how to properly import textures into UDK and apply them to the model. I first had to figure out what image file format that would be compatible for UDK. This is a BMP file format and the file size has to be sized to the power of 2. This ment I had to save my images to the size of 256 *256. I then learnt how toapply them to the mesh as well as correctly creating and exporting into udk.

Here is a image of the textured flowers with collision.

More models for interactive environment

Getting some test models into UDK

After alot of errors I final manage to get the flower models into UDK with collision detection. These are some images of the basic platform idea for the times table flower game. The next step is to texture them and add fuctions in which when jumped onto the correct platfrom a green light will illuminate, and if the wrong flower is jumped on a red light will illuminate.

Modeling game parts

Here are the models I have made so far in maya to be imported into UDK, unfortunatly I am having trouble trying to import them and save them with out losing them when I close the file.

Problems with modeling and importing into UDK

While modeling the the different assets needed for my prototype game I decided to try and import some models into the game to get and idea of how things would look. This ended up being alot more difficult than I had first thought. The modeling package I have chose to use is Maya as I am more familiar with how it works. After looking up many tutorials of how to import and create collision detection in maya I realised that I would need to install ActorX in order for the model to import with the collision attached to them. I then downloaded ActorX for my maya at home and saved them as the appropriate files. When putting them into UDK computers at Uni, they manage to import with the collision. However when I tried to save that file every time I opened it up it would lose all the models. My theory as to why it doesn't work is that because the computers at uni dont have actorX installed in them it doesn't recognises the models saved into the package and so does not appear. In oreder to get round this I might have to download UDK for my computer at home and ask the lecturer for help.

Image research

Here are some pictures I found on google to help me witht he environment design of the maths game:

More sketches and game functions for insect based maths game

Another idea I had for the the maths game was to use butterflies for an adding game. There would be a 3D maths question eg( 2+2 ) with a = sign pointing to a large red circle. Away from the question there would be butterflies flying around. The player would have to catch and place a number of butterflies into the circle to get the answer which would light up the circle once correct ( so it the question was 2+2 the player would place 4 butterflies into the red circle). This would alos work for subtractions, but instead the player would subtract from the butterflies from the circle to get the correct answer.

Reseaching educational games for children

While working on my education game, I had a look into what kinds of education games are made for young children. Many of them use well known childrens characters (eg winnie the pooh or the penguins form madagascar) to capture the interest of the child. The games alos include lots of bright colours and child friendly images (lots of round friendly shapes, never harsh shap shapes). One of these brands of education games is Leap frog which is designed as a hand held console game in which a child can use a stylis to interact with the pictures.

This shows that education games are designed to captures the child's attention while trying to make learning as fun as possible (or even disguise learning as a game).

Coloured version of reading land sketches

Sketch for reading game idea