Games (PC) Jurassic Extinction (Released)

They are from the Tropical Forest Pack by Baldinoboy/CTI on the asset store. Great pack has LOD's, Billboards, Colliders, and a few cool extras (sounds and scripts).

Thnx for the info, ill check them out , in these videos i have Eviro (fog, etc.) shut off during dev work.

 

The 2nd new addition is...Baryonyx, theres 2 in the area. They replaced the Brachys, still need work, but in game and lookin cool Ill be working on the 2 new added species for the rest of tonight. Heres the new vid:

 

Alot of AI (EmeraldAI) work done tonight:

• Behaviors have been set up.
  
• Factions have been set up.
  
• Detection radius set up, done.
  
• Confidence levels set.

This means, all dinos and NPC's/soldiers are targeting YOU...you are the enemy!

 

Well, while on crocs this is not so much obvious, but definitely dinos turning need be more elastic, rather than plastic fantastic.
At current state is almost like moving plastic soldiers (figurine) (stiff as on the stick), but they wave tail and legs
Just saying

 

Yep, and what im doing is tail animations 1st, then body/spine animations, then head turning animations

 

Small update, i have 1 area left to finish (trees/plants) then the whole island will be done! (thank god, lol), was a very big phase. After tomorrow night all foliage will be done and time to continue on to the next phase: props, finish up AI, and begin game-play

I want to start setting up supply areas (ammo/med packs/weapons), add in the UFPS controller, set up weather to the camera, and get it set up, and start play testing and adjustment. I know i still have to finish dino animations/textures, but its time to work forward

Just to show how much work has been put into foliage, heres a SS of the Pteranodon area complete:

 

Planting the very last tree was sweet, (you see it coming up then its like "YES!")lol. Ive been working on some of the dino tectures (WIP), heres a shot of the Carnotaurs (LODs, gpu instanced), loving the detail (still needs work), For example:...the mouth is horrible color, or lack there of.

 

You can see the difference, darker skin, mouth/teeth, sharpening/hue, textures done These are 2048 x 2048, id love to use 4096 x 4096, but its too demanding, plus im not done yet, theres alot you can do with 2048, Gimp is my hero....on to the next dino! .

 

Things are going great:

• UFPS controller added in.
• Now using CloudsToy asset, instead of my particle effect for clouds, more control, minimal impact.
• Textures for all dinos adjusted (see above SS comparison).
• Fog adjusted, looking good.

Video to follow this weekend, currently adding in props (health packs/ammo packs/weapons/etc.), also spine animations is planned for this weekend, going to be a long weekend, lol.

 

Tonights short update video, but looking real good:

• Damage is shut off (on player to dino) for now.
  
• Fog/rolling fog, in (needs to be slowed down).
  
• Cloud shadows added.
  
• Directional/ambient light decreased.
  
• Basic combat animations for all dinos done.

Weekend just started, alot more to come

 

give it a nice story, I'll play it - -

 

Once upon time, there was young dino, called ibby. It got lost deep into the jungle. Its mum calls was heard for kilometers away, echoing from nearby mountains. The team of the park and the corp. new the importance of that youngster, hence decided arrange search and rescue immediately. However, their got little resources for disposition, at given moment, yet time was pressure.

First mission went without positive results. For the most, they took casualties, as too much disturbance was caused into environment, by organised yet clumsy group. Leaving creatures didn't like that. Yet again, they could not afford to loos such important asset. Therefore, they decided to send very reduced team size, as it will be easier to sneak into the jungle and between other living animals.

However, little they knew that ...

Disclamer: Any potential similarities of used names and living creatures, are purely coincidental.

 

I Think the creature is mostly dead, by now, The Only thing that remains is the treasures, it Managed to Dig up, Lying Scattered on the Ground, For posterity - --

R.I.P., So long - -

Also, the Rescue team was really vampires and, Had no intentions of saving the creature, Just to Abandon it And, Let it Die, So There - - Good story, Well told

The Good thing is, as much as People can despise and, Deride each other, For no Reason, at Least we can all Sit down and, Look at the Facts And, Knowledge together, Which Doesn't really pick sides Or, Allegiances - - It's just facts, For What-ever purpose Or, goal - - Good luck

Facts Don't pick Side, They Just are - - Best, Of luck - -

 

Sorry guys, family emergency, should be back to dev on tuesday. Only had 2 hours this weekend before this happened, Was working on UI, didnt get too far, but progress will continue.

 

No stress. Take a time you need.

 

Ok, back in the saddle. I had some time to update the operations center (lighting still needs to be done), Will be working on combat animations tonight for the dinos And i visited the taxidermist before i started this update, lol:

 

Lots done tonight:

• All base combat animations done to all dinos.
• Game UI is now set, but wont see it till just before release.
• Hit effects/Blood particle now in for all dinos, they now bleed when you damage them! (had to use "base transformation").

Tomorrow night will be combat animations and blood particle effects for the guards and omar. Theres also still some texture work to do, as well as spine/head animation on dinos, which will be done by weekends end.

 

Wanted to share the fun im having, lol. Tonights work is adjusting the blood particle effect, and i have damage shut off on the dinos (to the player) so i can set things up (they attack/push the player around), but its fun as hell, lol. We are in the game play/fun phase, and so far im ahead of schedule, and the game should progress faster. Heres the current progress (tested out on sarcosuchus):

 

Tonights work was on adjusting the blood particle effect (length, speed, color, etc.), and adding it to dinos. Each dino has a different offset for the effect, as their bodies are of different size. So i have to do this to each dino, one by one, lol.

 

Working with Emerald AI, so far has been just awesome, and with UFPS, been great As far as the blood particle effect: I have added them by specific name, example (carnotaurus (1)_bloodeffect) so that certain species can have their own blood particle effect settings. Now to set them all up, lol

Should be an interesting weekend...

 

New sound effects added (EmeraldAI/Animation Event), fog adjusted, need to tweak, but looking/sounding great!. My view in game (with player untagged):

 

If you could add some purpose to live of dinos, that would be nice.
I know movement of dinos is limited to the designated area, but instead dinos walking about, let them do something.

I mean, if you have herbivores grazing, or drinking water I think that easiest part to do so.
But when you have carnivores walking circles, it looks a bit odd.
It may be suitable for a game. But I would like see them, some kind of hunting, resting, drinking water, playing, or some of sort.

Don't get too obsess on that point however. Just a suggestion, maybe for future

 

I have thought about that, as in a past update... i talked about removing "pure herbavores" "not fun for the player" senario. All dinos have attack abilities, As "pure herbavores" dont attack. Hence the current changes..

Now...2 choices, 1) Add in "small animals" to feed on.
2) Have species Attack/Kill, near-by species....

 

Hey Warthos
Clicked through the pages and nice progress you are making. My biggest critic would be the too uniform terrain and vegetation grass and the stereo loud ambience.

Terrain: atm at least judging by the screenshots and the videos you only rely on a heightmap and therefore your hole terrain is "smooth" even in the more narrower valley like sections its all smooth, you are missing rockformations/cliffs to beef this up and also get away a big from the "gold course" look you often have in the screenies/videos. Get some terraces into the enviroment break it up some more. There are a lot of free rock assets on the store u could use here.
https://assetstore.unity.com/?free=true&q=rocks&orderBy=0

if you scroll down a bit you see some examples how such rock structure can break up the "smooth" slightly monotone landscape https://forum.unity.com/threads/rocky-hills-environment-pack-development-thread.381438/

Foliage: all your foliage has one height, you could and should changed that up in the foliage brushes u are using. So the same kind of grass sometimes grows higher and lower. Atm it looks like someone cut the grass with a lawnmover because everything is at the same height. Play with the scale a bit to give it a more natural look. The same goes for the trees, it lookls like they are all 1:1. Scale em

Sound: As for the ambience sound. At least juding by the videos they are way too loud and in stereo which is odd. You should use the 3d sound capabilities avaiable and place for example the birds in the tree areas so when you step out into a wide grass field they get quiter and maybe place some cricket sounds in the taller grass parts etc. so while you walk around you create a diverse atmo that reacts to where you go. The same with the Dinos, it sounds like they are also setup as 2D sounds so they are always the same loudness no matter how faar you are. But maybe thats the video? Not sure.

Keep it up, good luck and have fun

 

I don't agree. It may be fun to walk around large herbivores, if they don't treat player a a thread.
Give dinos ability to learn, if player attack herbivores species, they will next time see player, react accordingly.

Generally herbivores get spooked and run away with herds. That mechanics could be actually utilized in fun game play / story.

However, just as an example
https://listverse.com/2010/01/10/top-10-herbivores-you-probably-want-to-avoid/

 

@macish: Thanks for the crit, appreciate it. Yea ive been meaning to fix the foliage/trees, they need to be randomized, really should get it done. You are right about adding terrace/rock formations, thought about it, just havent found what im looking for yet, but i will, very good point.
Sound wise, your right, the ambiance sound is a bit loud, and last night i added in all combat and non combat sound for the dinos, and they are all 3d, not 2d, (as with 2d the sounds will always play at the same volume), had to adjust the min and max, so trail off happens faster. I also added in reverb. I like your idea of seperate bird sounds in certain areas, going to look into that idea
@Antypodish: Hear what your saying, and ive struggled with that for awhile. I removed all (brachy's and para's) of the pure herbavores as they dont have any attack animations, as herbavores really dont attack, they flee. Just thought "well that aint any fun, shooting/killing a dino that just runs away".
There might be a place/senario for that, let me see what i can come up with

 

Try keep up first with running dino. Specially when player is on the foot. That may be a challenge

I doubt you want allow to kill some large heavy skinned dinos, with some low caliber gun.
So is not like they are vulnerable. Unless you make Rambo, with full ammo stack available all the time.
Discovering which dinos are neutral, or even taking cover under / near some dinos, when player is under the threat, could be fun mechanics, if executed correctly.

I am not saying it is easy to implement. Probably would need some tinkering. But you got Emerald AI. Sure you could figure out something.

Also, having quite wandering among / near dinos, withouth being chased every time dino is spotted, could be welcome, as it gives a bit of time for reflections.

Simply, don't give player capabilities, to kill every leaving creature they face in your dino park. Make sure, resources are spent wisely.

Optionally you can look into MMO mechanics. For example World of Warcraft, where higher level player is, lower level monsters become less aggressive. So player don't need to fight all the time, with some annoyance, which gives 0 experience.

 

Worked on the grass tonight, and put a new plant in, lol

 

I think be nice with really big insects then - - maybe a big mosquito, a leech or, a beetle, something that can kill - - aggh the lizards are big, omg lol lol the bugs and insects are big too and, last the fish might be a bit big, so a carp can eat you and, even the birds, so it's just hell and, big every-thing - -

 

lol, gotcha. But admit it, thats a good surprise!. Carnivore type plants (like venus fly trap), strategicly placed around the island... They dont go away till you kill them..., and they disappear (regain HP), and pop up to attack, lol

 

I would probably make a big plant, that looks like ground or, dirt, when you step onto it, it closes in, maybe it's 5 meters wide, Big venus fly-trap or, some vines, that look harmless but, when you get close, they lash aggressively and, poison you - - people haven't seen that Ha ha

 

Well, 1st off a carnivorous plant would take on its surrounding color (flora/fauna), to blend in for attack, so being a ground color doesnt work. Now size, no problem. What your proposing is something that would "stick out like a sore thumb". Im NOT trying to draw "attention" to myself as a plant...

That thing is a PITA..watch the video...(you have to watch out you dont aggro the other dinos while fighting it)...

 

No, I mean, if it was a plant, sitting on the ground, with it's petals following the ground, like a flat flower, Really big, you see . . so, it's roots go deep beneath or, a big plant, that looks like a cliff or, rock and, sits on a cliff wall, when you get close, it snaps shut - - so, it's camouflage, to look like mud, or rock, depending on the surroundings - - like, a lotus sits on the water right, imagine a flower like that, but sitting in the dirt, on ground - - it's really big - 5 - 8 meters across and, it's leaves are flat, on ground - - it almost looks like mud but, is hungry plant - - it could also sit on cliffs or, rock - sides and, look grey and, like stone - - but, it's really a camouflaged flower, clinging to a surface, some-how - -

 

so, it looks like this, but it isn't on a stalk, it sits on the mud, real flat - -


and, it has teeth, like a big venus fly-trap but, they're hidden . . it looks brown or, muddy, when you step on it, in the middle, it closest shut as, Venus fly-trap - - it could sit on ground, look like mud or, be on rock surfaces and, be grey and, camouflaged - - when you get close, it eats you, Standing there - -


like, a Land-mine - --

 

Terraced sections added, and trees re-scaled, looking alot better (WIP):
Brachy area:



Entrance to "the vally":



Brachy entrance:

 

Just thoughts, do you have any river or steams streams there yet?

 

Or ice / glaciers?

 

I think about water streams, as they add nice feature to the scenery. Also, they can act well as beautifying feature and as well natural barrier. Specially if deeper or wild river is involved. Waterfall would fit to such scenery as well, near mountains / high grounds.

I am not convinced that would fit to tropical flora / fauna.

Imagine you run away fro dinos in pontoon
And you avoid touch water with bear foot, to avoid being bitten by water creatures.

 

Maybe, yeah, ice might be too cold.
How about caves to explore, find some prehistoric creepy crawleys down there.

Will you have the extinction part too, big fireball of a comet comes down and destroys everything, fire everywhere? The big final bang , game over

 

@Antypodish yes, i have 2 streams and a small lake, do have a spot for a waterfall too.
@khos i too was thinking about an end like that, lol

 

I remember lake of course.

But I forgot that you had stream too

 

Yea.. on the mid-east coast, it comes in and splits, and i can extend/change it easily, then rebake navmesh. Was thinking of linking the river to the small lake, then per your idea, add evil fish (prehistoric paranna, pleisiosaur, etc.). to the water, maybe

 

This is a ariel shot of the island, on a "test version" of JE. Now youll see the river is now linked to the small lake. The only logical place for a waterfall is where i marked. Now the above the waterfall you need another source of water flow, BUT, its in a area where the player doesnt have access to. I can just add it to the expantion list, as i have at least 3 planned expantion areas

 

The added makes sense.
Only problem I have, is with localization of waterfall.
Is on Crossroad
It feels unnatural, to all streams met in same place.

I have three propositions:

1. Either make that link between "Just Added" and "Water Fall" man made canal, with maybe water locks. But that may be more work, and not sure how it will fit to the rest.

2. Remove that link between "Just Added" and "Water Fall", leave just added part to lake, and extend stream from lake, to west side of island, into the sea.

3. While waterfall may be nice to see, maybe just dump the idea

Regarding small lake (if waterfall is to exist) there could be fine, just for aerial shots and for logical purpose.

 

I agree, good points, but there is one more spot where waterfall is possible, and i just tested it with a waterfall particle effect. Put the small lake feed on the terrace, and have the waterfall, fall into the lake (SW of the just added). Its not bad, the waterfall sound will be in 3D, so i can adjust the trail off-to-distance.

 

Concept footage, of what i see, for that area, we could also do as you suggested, make a channel going west to the coast:

 

Yep, if you make nice cliffs, or maybe even foliage on top/sides, with improved waterfall effect, this could look really nice.

 

I really want to take a minute and thank the Unity Community Members that have stopped in, people like: macish, Antypodish, jbb1979, khos, MagiSoftworks, BHS, and owlhowell, that gave their opinion and crit.

Its so appreciated, just look at this latest SS of the brachy area, its night and day compared to what it used to be...simply amazing, all because one of you stopped in and gave your thoughts. I cant thank you guys enough, im amazed every time i boot up the game and look/hear the progress. Love you all:

 

Tonights work has been adding in terrace sections and tree/plant scaling, its looking awesome. I promise a real good video of progress this weekend, as i want you all to see what i see and hear, its great!.

I will be adding in water based creatures this weekend (plesiosaur, paranna, etc.), the water wont be safe, and NOT a place you want to be, at all. If you go into the water = death. The waterfall placement is on hold status, as i have multiple locations for it, and will decide by weekends end where it will be placed. Heres a SS of the t-rex area done tonight:

 

New resident added tonight, while working on trees and terraces, i put in the Plesiosaur Still needs some work but hes in and working great: