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

Question title and new concept idea

The question I have now chosen to do for the 3D environment is based on the education theme. The question is ' How can an interactive 3D environment be used to help teach young children basic reading?'

My idea is a game in which it teaches young children how to read. In this 3D environment, the player would be able to move around the learning world of books and go up to certain books to activate simple reading sentences. The child would read out each word that is highlighted in which the program would regonise the word the child said. Once the child has finished reading the sentence correctly they would get congradulated. If a child had trouble with reading a specific word, they would be able to move their crusor over the word and click on it to get help. The game would help sound out each letter and word until the chil understands it.

Another idea is that it would teach the child the alphabet. The player would move around the 3d environment and come across each letter with and animation and a sound clip saying that letter eg. The player would come across the letter A and a small animation of apples would play and the computer would say 'A is for apple' when the player interacted with it.

Reading educational 3d environment idea

Another idea for a learning game for young children would be a learning to read game in which the player would go through the land of books to learn their abc and how to start reading. Here is a sketch of the idea:

Question topic

In our module, we are to come up with a question that helps us to define how we create our interactive 3D environments. The question I have chosen is:

How can an interactive 3D environment be used to educate young children in (reading/ simple maths)

I have yet to decide which of the ending choices I will chose.