Games (PC) Jurassic Extinction (Released)

Heres a SS of level 3 These are the changes to the level, and whats there:

• Replaced cargo ship with a fishing boat, this way my protoraptors can be on the ground.
  
• Im not adding the flyers (pteranodon/dimorphodon) to this level, they will be in a different level more suited for them.
  
• Dinos are (from right to left) protoraptors, oviraptors, troodons, and t-rex.

Weekend has just started, so more videos and info soon, its back to work for me

 

Level 3 is now 80% done!, and looking great (tropical environment), and performance is 90+ FPS. Next is adding AI/behavior/motion on the dinos, for the next few nights. By this next weekend ill be starting on level 4. Heres a quick run through video:

 

Ive decided to re-texture Trex, this is a light brown shade, which blends in very nicely. Its actually lighter shaded color of the protoraptors texture, and it looks so much better:

 

Hey warthos, great job on level 3 update video. The walk and sprint animations are smooth. Were there any footstep sound effects? My volume was on max but couldn't hear any. Also a few weeks ago you mentioned a story line was in progress Jurassic Extinction. Is it complete? I would love to read.

 

The footstep audio is in there, just not assigned. Once the level is done, they will be turned on I have the story line all written out, ill post it soon.

 

I worked on Trex tonight. His behavior, and animations are done, still need to do movement, but looking good as a base. Bubbling lava and steam has been added.

Dont disturb him when hes eating, and this is why you dont bring a knife to a gun fight, lol (dmg, weapon not set, and pick up crate not stocked, will be shotgun):

 

Finished up the Trex area, and finished his attacks, etc. Very little left to do to level 3, so tonight i start on level 4 terrain. Love how this area came out, my new desktop background:

 

Here is the intro to the game story line, welcome on the roller coaster i call my head, lol. Seriously, the whole story is written out, with encounters, strange events, anomalies, time warps, etc., but this will get you started:

Your name is SGT John Paul Dupree, a Army officer on a flight back to the states from Japan, you served your duty, its time to go home. On the flight is your best friend and commanding officer MAJ Stephen Keys, pilot Scott Tailor, and journalist/photographer Willy Santana.

A sudden storm appears, and a big bang is heard... (pilot scott tailor): "you better jump, engine 2 is out and we're going down!". You, steve and willy decide to grab parachutes and bail, as you open the cargo door, a freakish bolt of ligtning hits you...thats the last you remember...

You awake to find your in a strange place, with what looks to be a tropical type environment, but not one you have ever seen before, something is different. (you): "where the hell am i?", wonder if any of the others landed here?", only 1 way to find out".

As you walk towards god knows what, you are startled by the sound of something, you have never heard before (a dilophosaurus call). You stop, and look, and what you see, you cant believe...(you): "dinosaurs?" "what the hell kind of place is this?". You have a knife, and pistol with 1 clip. (you): "Well this isnt good".

With quick thinking and well aimed shots, you kill the 2 dilophosaurs... (you): "Ya know, i just wanted to go home, damnit"... As you progress you come to a skeleton, wearing a distinctive pistol holster. (you): "Steve!...it, it, cant be?, we just landed an hour or two ago, how can you be decomposed already?", (you yell out loud): "What the hell is going on?, where am i?"... Welcome to Jurassic Extinction...

 

Tonight after class, mike and i were talking about classic games, one in particular. Duke Nukem, the 1 "liners" were great, lol ("i came here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, but im all out of bubble gum").

And it got us thinking about JE. He said i should take the main character, and make more of a 1 or 2 "liner" type dialogue. And i like that idea, simpler, whitty, and more direct. So once voice/cut scenes are being developed, it will be set up this way. Ill come up with some good 1 or 2 "liners", and add them in, lol. It will spice it up and make it more fun

 

Sorry for the late update, but i took a long weekend off from all work, but i have alot of great news. Level 4 is coming along great, ive also been working on a few of the dinos. Theres also a new addition to JE...the Acrocanthosaurus. So im looking up the data on him (speed, scale, diet, behavior, etc.) and will work on him tonight.

Also level 4 is a different level, as this is where (story line/roadmap) you will encounter the 1st living human you have seen since the start. Im currently working on that senario and set up. Well after my small vacation im excited to get back to work on JE. Heres a test SS of Acrocanthosaurus, he looks great stock:

 

Wanted to show the scale difference between Trex and Acrocanthosaurus, as a comparison. The only dino bigger than Acro is the Spinosaurus (final boss). You can see the difference in look also, so ill be working on Acros textures/mats to get him in shape. Ill have video of the 1st area of level 4 this weekend:

 

Wanted to show a WIP SS of the 1st area of level 4. This is where you meet Shawn Roberts, a survivor on the island for 10 years, he and his boat went missing in the devils triangle, and ended up here, like you.

This area will be done this weekend, and will move onto the next area. From this point on the story line will play a big part in the game:

 

Sup guys, level 4 area 1 came out nice. There will be a cut scene or dialogue event here. Heres a short video of the area, and currently working on area 2:

 

Have you ever seen this? You might like it, it looks just like the movie (apart from some animation issues lol).

 

Yea, its been around for a while. Its good, what makes or breaks that scene is the water/effect on the vehicle windows, its real good. The T-Rex model is a high quality model (not cheap), but the vehicles and props...not so much.

Theres also a fan game made with UE4 (jurassic dream i think its called), no dinos (boo), but you can drive the jeep around the park, and the visuals are stunning. To date there isnt any real good fan made game out there. Why? simple, IP. You cant sell it, so many wont take up that challenge, as it would be alot of work for no kick back.

Another is animation/movement, not an easy thing to do, as im like you, i look at animation 1st in any project. Look at time frame 1:10 and on, you can see the feet are "skating". Once all my levels are done, ill be dealing with animation/movement, ill be using Final IK, and spine/tail animators. (oh joy, lol).

 

Yeah I own Final IK too, it's very good. The Grounder component takes no time to setup too, so the feet are placed properly on the colliders - good for terrain and steps.

About that T-Rex "skating": I've had many problems like that, usually involving Generic rigs and root motion. I can usually solve it, but every single time I forget how I solved it haha.

 

I wonder if puppetmaster and final IK combined will make the dinos in this project behave even better, with the ragroll physic controlled like I think it could work quite nicely. Thoughts?

 

@Deckard_89 ive done that too, lol. I can solve the "skating", with mine its due to animation speed and navmesh/base speed. Have to adjust them just right, so the animation speed isnt faster/slower than the navmesh/base speed.

@khos PuppetMaster and Final IK work together real well (i have them both), the only thing PM would add is the ragdoll on death, better look, but Final IK is where the actual motion/animation comes into play. Ill be testing both ways pretty soon. Ill let you know what i find.

 

Ok, as usual this next video is already old, lol, as all the dinos are now animated, and area2 is finished, and working on the 3rd and final "boss" area (Baryonyx x2). Ive also added in the underwater effects (wet lenz, etc.). In the video you can see them up close. Level 4 will be done in the next day or so:

 

Roadmap Update:

Just some side notes from todays work (which has been alot, as level 4 is now complete). The new dino Acrocanthosaurus (previously shown), didnt pass the Warthos test, and wont be used in JE. But not to fret, i have 2 back ups/additions to choose from (yes i have alot of dinos).

Acrocanthosaurus is the same as Gigantosaurus, which i have, as well as Allosaurus. Both of these dinos are big (but not as big as the king...Spinosaurus), they are between 30-40 feet long. So as planned, the later levels will have pretty big bosses, which will be alot of fun

 

Finished level 4 tonight, came out great! I had fun deving this level. One thing i noticed was the baryonyx dinos, stock they move really good, lol. I havent touched their animations or anything yet, but their movement is damn close. Weapon here is shotgun, 6 shots to kill each one (may change later). Ive set up the terrain for level 5, and onward we roll. Here a SS of area 3, ill post video later on:

 

Ive been asked on the official website, whats my favorite SS of Jurassic Extinction?...Here it is, and is my personal desktop background. How can you not love the smiling faces at lunch?, anyone for dilophosaur sushi?, lol.

 

Heya, let me explain this next SS. This is my "dino lab", where i mod, and experiment with bone structures, textures, animations, etc., before they go into JE. On the left is a creation ive been working on...MegaRaptor (real dino, look him up) 25 feet long, lol, and on the right is a equally scaled ProtoRaptor (both at 0.6),. This is for comparison. Youll notice these things in the SS:

• Head on mega is not as wide, is taller, and set lower on the neck.
  
• Forelimbs are more forward, and arms set higher, for better use of them.
  
• Toes and claws scale is bigger, megaraptor used its feet to more dig into the ground for faster running (30+ MPH).
  
• Tail is longer and thicker, as for his scale, you would need it that way to balance better during running.

Still a WIP, but looking better all the time. The custom texture is killer good, love the look, major detail. I have Allosaurus and Gigantosaurus models in the lab, more on that later:

 

We have a new member of JE, the Styracosaurus. Looks a bit like a Triceratops, but is half the size. Fully tested and modded, texture has alot of detail, and will be in level 5.

Ive been spending alot of time in the dino lab, testing out new dinos, textures, animations, mods, etc. Ive also been playing with physics, and effects on the dinos. Not easy to do, these arent normal bipeds/quadrapeds, so things like ragdolls, is a pain, lol:

 

Ok, got some good roadmap updates. In level 5 your 1st encounter will be with Pachycephalosaurus (when attacking, he lowers his head to align with his spine, and rams you with his dome shaped head, which by the way is 10 inches thick).

Next area will be a "cave complex", a very cool idea, you will encounter Compsonagthus (compy's), and a surprise boss...Gigantophis, a giant snake!. Will be a interesting level to dev, and alot of fun Pachy left the dino lab, and is now in game. The texture has changed, came out nice, and base animations are damn good:

 

Level 5 is almost finished. Been working on it all weekend, but wanted to show the Gigantophis (giant snake). Ill be finishing last minute adjustments and additions, then will be starting on level 6 this week:

 

My game plan has worked out perfect, and the workflow is just plain fun. Im now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Plan was for around 7-8 levels, im now starting level 6, so progress has been great!. Im more excited for the other half of the game dev, which will be:

• Dino animation/movement.
  
• UI/beastiary.
  
• Sound/audio.
  
• Cinematics/dialogue.
  
• Ending scene.

Once the last level is complete, i still have those to do, and should be fun. Also forgot to add, promotional material (video/SS, with official logo, etc.). The back-end of game dev will come into play, and theres always time for improvements to the levels. Once all the levels are finished, now we can modify, adjust, add, etc. (fine tune). Oh, Gigantosaurus was imported to the dino lab, and is currently being worked on:

 

Sup guys, had to work the last 2 nights, as well as take a lesson each night. Had time to finish up some things on level 5, and outlined level 6. The weekend has just started, so good things to come. This is a test video i did while updating the dmg to ammo rate (assault rifle) for Gigantophis, you have to keep moving when fighting him:

 

Ok, some info on a nagging prob im working on. Flyers...(pteranodon, and dimorphodon). Creating ragdolls for these guys is insane, lol. They are not normal, because they have more bone/skeleton structure than a normal biped...a biped with wings, and wing membranes in the bone structure.

That means custom ragdolls, which ill create myself, as unity's ragdoll wizard, and most ragdoll assets, wont work with these guys. Ive also played around with death effects (shatter, explode, fracture, etc.), so im going to spend some time on that issue, and see what i can come up with. Heres a SS of the compy cave (the area before giant snake), will be done by tomorrow:

 

Heya, have some good news, 1st of all got internet back (lost it for a bit), and have a great idea for level 6, that ive been testing. Idea is for an area thats under water. Now i know UFPS v1.7.5 doesnt have a swimming addon, but has been working out really cool without it, lol.

Theres no breath timer, but you do have to watch your ammo, or youll be going back out of the water to get more ammo. Im now adjusting camera effects, and adding in dinos AI. If this works out, ill also be adding under water plants, rocks, etc. More soon, when i have everything tested

 

Hey I'm not sure but it looks like when a t-rex or something big bites you, you still only die after a few attacks. Is that just for testing or something or is it supposed to be like that? Shouldn't a t-rex be able to kill you in one bite?

 

Its for testing, he is currently set up for 2 bites @ 50% per bite.

 

I have returned from my yearly vacation, and it was a great one Glad to be home, was itching badly to get back to dev work! But, was a good thing to be away also. Had alot of time to think about it all, talk things out with some friends, and enjoyed the ocean.

I got home, and booted up Unity, and i played a few levels of JE, im impressed, as i havent seen JE in over 2 weeks, so it was a fresh view of the game, and i loved it! Makes me see that i have done some good dev work, makes me feel real good.

With that said, im back to work, im testing a few ideas for level 6, more info and media will follow soon, got to get back in the saddle

 

Ok guys, this is Kentrosaurus, known as the "spiked lizard". They will be the 1st encounter in level 6. Ive already worked out the animations, and currently working on the textures/mats. Funny fact about them as i was looking up data, is their tail swings at 80 MPH, thats gotta hurt! Ill be finishing them up tonight and adding them into the 1st area tomorrow night

 

Quick update, heres a WIP SS of Kentrosaurs area, keep in mind this will be a tropical environment, so i have lots of foliage to add next, and get the AI set up for the dinos:

 

Heres a short vid of the updated kentro area, got most of it finished, need to add pickup crates, weapons/ammo, and set up combat AI, should be done by tomorrow night:

 

Heres a WIP SS of the 2nd area, here will be Dimorphodon. They are a small version of Pteranodon, and they fit perfect with this area. They tend to stay/fly at around ground level, as they prey upon small dinos/animals. Ill be adding in the tropical plants tonight. Dimorphodons will be added in tomorrow:

 

Ive decided to put Styracosaurus in area 2, instead of dimorphodons. They are in game, textures/mats are all done (brought out alot of detail), and basic AI done. Still have more to do, and the boss of this level (exciting) is Gigantosaurus!.

We are getting down to the last few levels, and as i promised the big boys are coming out. Giganto is almost ready to leave the dino lab, so this weekend will be good. Heres a video of the styracosaur area WIP:

 

Heres a SS of the big boys of JE (left: spinosaurus, middle: gigantosaurus, right: t-rex), Trex is already in game, the other 2 are not yet. Giganto is boss of level 6, and spino is the end boss. Spinos mat/texture has changed, ive added a darker brown (like forest floor or tree bark) to accent the dark green (bush and plant environment). It looks alot better, and more adapted to surroundings. But look at the scale! and they are all correct scale, these guys were big! Giganto is 45-50 feet long:

 

I have to post this so everyone knows the workflow. Im almost done building the levels, now after the levels are built is where the fun comes in. I now can tweak dino animation/movement, textures/mats, behaviors, gfx and more, but on a game wide (all levels) scale.

That was my mistake on other prototypes, trying to build a complete/finished level at a time. Wrong. My teacher pointed this out and said "just roughly build all the levels, then do gamewide tweaks/changes/adjustments, its alot faster". Hes right.

So once levels are done (im down to level 6 and 7 left), expect to see overall big changes in dino movement, look, and behavior, as well as gameplay set up and environment tweaks.

P.S. would like to thank community members, as well as my teacher mike, for the input/comments. As a few have said "give yourself more time". Well with the pandemic and unrest, i have some extra time, and ive used it well. I will not rush to release JE in a time like this, even big studios are pushing back release dates right now.
As i always say: things can only get better...

 

Sup guys, well i finished the textures/mats for Gigantosaurus, got AI roughed out, and brought out some good detail and hue, he looks great! Heres a SS WIP of the boss area of level 6. This area and level will be done begining of this week, and video to follow

 

As promised, video of Gigantosaurus WIP, at the end he actually pushes me to the side with his tail, lol. Area is 90% done, giganto's animation/movement/behavior will be done with all the dinos, once levels are finished.

I did get his walk down real good, but still needs: turn animations/adjustments, tail animation adjustment, shorter idle animation time, and a behavior pattern. The texture/mat came out with good detail, but its missing something, almost like Smoothness in the material, or emission:

 

Heya, heres the last 3 species, of the last/final level. (left to right) Spinosaurus(1), Acrocanthosaurus (2), and Orthros(1). Remember, spinosaurus is over 50 feet long, and the final boss.

• Spino: is the king lizards. Very big, but not really slow either. New scientific discoveries are now showing proof that spino was actually a water dino, a swimmer predator.
  
• Orthros: is a very different dino, an evolutionary mistake, or genetic abnormality. He has 2 heads, is a quadraped, so he moves fast, and can bite you with either or both heads.
  
• Acrocanthosaurus: is actually alot like gigantosaurus, but smaller, and more streamlined. Its jaw design is very different, unlike a t-rex or carnotaur.

Ive already started work on level 7, and working on some terrain/area ideas. I expect this last level to take about a week. Ill be updating with progress:

 

After some work on level 7 tonight, i decided... "hey, i havent played or seen all the other levels in weeks". So i played all the levels, and it was so good to see all my dinos, and how good the levels are. It really looks good, and its so nice to have all the levels made, so you can make what i call "final passes" to them (audio, dino movement/animation/behavior, gfx, environment, UI, cutscenes/dialogue, etc.).

While playing, i can see how its going to look with all the final passes done. Like, alot of the dinos are already very close with their movement/animation. Also while playing, i can see some environment changes (foliage, rocks, trees, etc.). Performance is insanely good (80+ FPS in all levels, higher most times).

Ive been so involved in deving JE, that it was just nice to stop working, and just play it. See what you want to do, with what you see. And of course, how can it be better. Add it to the workflow, and make it happen. Im most excited to get to the dino animation/movement/behavior pass, cant wait to see the dinos looking great, as someone here once said, "they are the stars of the show, make them good, take the time".

Hope everyones projects are going well, AND your having fun doing so

 

Sup guys, heres a WIP video of Orthros, i just got him in, and basic AI done. He will need alot of animation/movement work later on, and just started environment, but you can see what he is, and how he moves. He also needs texture/mat work, Area should be done in the next few days (video to follow), then onto Acrocanthosaurus area:

 

Love that tail movement.

 

Heres a SS of the orthros forest area done, only have 2 things to put in. Ive also updated his texture/mat, looks alot better. Ive already started on the next area, and the last 2 areas will be tropical:

 

Heres the 2nd area (acrocanthosaurus) WIP. Ill be adding AI tonight, and still more work on environment to be done:

 

Sup guys, started work on the final area, and set in Spinosaurus scaled. This is more of a close up shot. You can see the detail and hue work ive done. He really is the "king of lizards":

 

For those of you wondering performance, heres a video with stats window open. This is area 2 of level 7. Now, this area is done, alot more rocks, dead trees, trees, and stumps added...and this is the current performance, i havent updated OC or done any optimization, or anything, yet, now this is good: