Blender Project

Blender Survival Objects 

Intro -

For this task, we have been asked to create six 3D objects for a survival game of our own. The game I decided to go with was a situation where the banks have failed for the last time and everything has turned into chaos. It has turned into every man for himself and the city is crumbling.

Idea Generation -

Before creating my survival objects I first brainstormed a few ideas of what I would like to include. My main priority was being able to defend yourself in an open world full of people trying to kill you, therefore, I decided to focus on weapons that would be used to harm possible enemies such as knives.
I brainstormed what would be inside of a survival game first like radios, weapons, vehicles that would be added.
Below is the mind map of my ideas of what to create.

Mind Map -

From the mind map, I then drew six sketches which I will then create in Blender.

Torch sketch - 

I want to create a torch using torus' and cubes. I will stretch the cube and add a screw modifier to create the base for the torch, I will then have torus' wrapped around a cylinder to add effect and then another torus on top to create the head of the torch. There will be a light inside the head of the object to give it an effect of being lit.

Hatchet sketch - 

My next object idea is of a Hatchet, I would make it using three objects. The first would be a cube which will be used as the handle for my hatchet. I will use the subdivision surface modifier to create a rougher edge to it. I decided to keep it flat instead of smooth. The second will also be a cube and will be where I connect the two other objects. Lastly will also be a cube and will be stretched to create the head. 

Ice pick sketch - 

The ice pick I have drawn is very simple but works as a weapon or a very functional tool in case the environment the character is in has turned hazardous and the character is in need one one. I will only use three objects, the main one will be a cone which I will make longer and use it as the knife part. the cylinder will be the handle and lastly a torus to wrap around to add effect on the handle. 

Knife sketch -

The knife I designed is very rough and doesn't have much detail but works as a survival item. Both my primitive shapes will be cubes and for the handle, I will make one of the sides jagged to make it appear as some sort of handle and for the blade part, I will pull the point together to create a point to make it seem like a knife.

Radio sketch - 

The radio would also be another important object of the game. it has a very simple design idea but would work create, it is basically a modified cube with a few objects on top that represent an aerial and buttons to change the channel. I will probably decide to colour it all black and maybe add a texture to give it a rougher feel. 

Dagger - 

The dagger again seems like a very easy weapon to create. The sketch I made is very simple and would mean I would only need three objects, a cube, cylinder for a handle and a cone for the head. I may decide to add a leather texture for the handle. 

Final chosen designs -

Torch -

I decided to follow my sketch and create a torch from that. For the handle on the torch, once I added the screw modifier I changed the colour to black to give it an effect, for the mid part, the torus around it and the head, I used the same grey colour and the switch part, I created a button using a cube and just changed the colour to red. This could be implemented in a game for when the scene is dark and you can't see anything without it.

I used box modelling using primitive shapes to create each part of my asset. The handle specifically (as mentioned previously) was made with a cube and once i had the correct size and length for it i chose the screw modifier to give it more of a handle effect.

Hatchet - 

Again, for this object I based the 3D model straight from my sketch, I worked out as well as I thought and my only problem was trying to make the axe sharp and adding texture. To sharpen the axe I went into edit mode, subdivided the cube and pulled the points together. Instead of smoothing out the hatchet handle I decided to keep it flat to try and give it a rougher look as if it has been quickly put together. This object would be used in either a situation where the character has to defend himself or if they need to chop something like wood.

Ice Pick - 

The ice pick was one of the easier objects I made. I decided to leave the cone on top on the handle grey for a little bit of an effect, but I changed the cylinder brown and also the torus which is wrapped around the cylinder brown but with a leather texture (this doesn't show on the picture). The character would easily be able to craft this on the go in the game, therefore, making it a simple but very useful object. If I the game I created, there could be a blizzard in which everything freezes over and this would be useful to the character/player. 

Knife - 

I wasn't as pleased with the knives final look as I would have hoped, The handle was easier than expected, just pulled a few points inwards in edit mode. Once I did that, I changed the colour to brown to see what it seemed like but decided to go with a wooden texture for a more grounded feel. then the blade, I flattened and stretched a cube but then in edit mode, I then pulled the top parts together and one of the sides to give it a sharpened look. I will probably try and change it around if I was to try again, I would make the handle

Radio - 

For the final radio design, I think it worked very well once the object was rendered. For the main box, the cube has been subdivided and the bottom half has been slightly pulled together for a place to hold it, and where I have subdivided the top half, I used the extrude key and pulled them inwards to form a place for the character to speak into. For the aerial, I stretched a cone, flipped it upside down with a ball on top. Then the other two are cylinders with a modifier applied. This object would be used a lot by the character if they want to communicate with either other humans or a safe zone for them to go to.

Dagger - 

For the dagger design, I could probably have done a lot more than I did detail wise. For the hand I simply stretched and made it slightly smaller and then made it brown, for the cross guard, I flattened and made it longer then tucked the end in. This object seems quite rushed and not very good. I will probably go back and change this around, maybe add a texture and add detail on the cross guard. For the blade, it will make it look sharper possibly by using the edit tool. This object will be used in the game as a weapon to attack other people or defend themselves although at short distances as it is not very long.

Legal ethical issues - 

When creating a game like this you have to take into consideration that the game will involve violence, blood and gore. This will mean that the rating for the game will be higher than another game with less violence. I aim to make my game a PEGI rated 15, therefore, it can be open to a wide range of people but not too low so that I have to take out a lot of what I want to add. The PEGI rating is a universal thing and every game that is added has to abide by their rules when the game is being rated. When creating my own game I will also have to watch out for copyright claims, these can be little things that I  may have done by accident but it could cost me money if I don't spot it sooner.

Within the game, there may be sections that some people may find disturbing or not suitable for someone of the age of 15/16. This could be anything from having to kill another person to the choice the character makes within the game. This may affect the way the game is sold as it could end up being banned in some places because of the uproar among parent that the game depicts too much violence for their children. Video games in recent times have the fall to subject for when something bad happens to children and teenagers, people seem to turn straight to how 'video games affect their choices' instead of looking into how that child or teen has been brought up. The video games that are released for adults like GTA V seems to be one of the main blames for a supposedly increase in bullying, school/mass shootings and violence towards women however how can this be the factor? Looking at GTA V alone, it is rated by PEGI as an 18 on all platforms therefore unless the parents are buying these games for their underage children this can't be a direct link to the problems previously mentioned.

According to PEGI, once the violence  has the appearance that it is somewhat real life, they will up the age rating unto 16. Some companies will try and get around this by making it look different, maybe by making the artwork comic like and not like it is real. They will push the rating up to an 18 when the violence is gross which is classed as horrific way to bring injury or death to another person for example, in the game GTA V, thwere is an interactive scene where you play as Trevor and you are able to chose how to torture the man in question who is tied to a chair. However, in a 16 rated game, the developers will not have the ability to involve sexual activity.

For my own game, I will probably look at targeting teenagers to buy it, 16+. I will probably target males for this as the most popular gender to play video games is men and boys, therefore, a male target audience is fair. I do acknowledge that my game could have an impact on the amount of violence there is as my game has and encourages violence inside in for the characters survival.

Conclusion -

In conclusion, I have completed the task in hand and created 6 3D objects that can be used in a survival game. While creating these tools I have learned a lot more about blender than I previously did. I have started using the modifiers on my objects more to make them seem more detailed. With the new things I have learned I hope to carry on making more, better objects than could one day fit into a game.
While using the 3D software there were a few problems that i came across which were usually due to not spending enough time on the software itself but i overcame these by looking at what i did wrong and going about it a different way. One of these problems was adding textures, when i started my objects i did not know how to add them but i googled it and i can now add them into the objects i want.