Embarrasing Motion Capture coming!

The female model now is "rigged" -- which means it has bones. I am still pretty new to 3D, so all that "having bones" means to me is that it must be able to become... SKELETAL UNDEAD. But at least the undead will have hair. (Which just looks silly in most cases... undead warriors and their silly toupees!) In the picture below, Yergen has been working on the hair. On the right picture, we turned the mesh on so you can see the geometry of this hairstyle. Just like in AQWorlds, hair will load seperately so we can have an unlimited number of hair styles. Of course, this is trickier in 3D, because a single hair can consist of 5 different files (mesh, UV map, Normal Map, Bump Map, Specular Map.) Notice that the entire mesh is not filled in -- this is because the texture has transparency... allowing us to do some really creative things! (Like invisible hair?)

We now have a Green Screen Room at the Secret Underground Lab. Tomorrow or Friday we will be using it to do a motion capture test with a live actor to animate the female character. We were thinking Kiara or Beleen.... or perhaps, um, Thyton :-P  Then a GREAT idea popped into my head, "Hey guys! How about we film it and post it on the design notes! You know... so you can see the real person on the left of the screen and the 3D model mimicking their actions on the right!" At which point Kiara gave me a super serious dissaproving glance that made me reconsider my next request for dancing and doing jump backflips. To be fair, the green floor of the green screen room is 100% pure concerete. I would never ask anyone to do anything I would not do myself (except heart surgery, having babies, and taxes) so maybe I should injure myself in an attempt to push mo-cap to the limits too?  What do you think -- should we make a video?

Friday the 13th is THIS FRIDAY!

It is weird that the "superstitiously unluckiest day of the year" (which is happening 3 times this year) is one of our gaming communites most celebrated holidays. You guys are so strange! (Good to be with you.) We have special events taking place in both AQWorlds and DragonFable. I wonder how many people know how this whole thing started... and how it created Chuckles? Would you like to hear the story? If so -- how much caffine would you like me to consume BEFORE telling the story. (Choose 1 for one cup of coffee. Choose 2 for a 5-hour energy and a cup of coffee. Choose 3 for a design notes post from the Hospital.) Please post your vote "on the Twitters"!

World premiere of the song!

...and I thought that Japanese TV commercial I posted in the upper right was strange! O_O Just wait until you see the full FRIDAY THE 13TH release at AdventureQuest Worlds this Friday!

Today at the Lab, we had voice auditions for the voice of the Evil Teddy Bear Deady. It was between Cysero, Warlic, Oz, Galanoth, and me. We did the voice recordings, and sent them, without labels (So he would not know who the voices were) to Voltaire and asked him to choose one. Last time Deady was voiced by Michael Sinterniklass -- best known as the voice of Leonardo from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Dean Venture from the Venture Bros. For this event, one of us needs to "stand in" for Deady's voice -- and frankly, we are all scared to death to be picked. Who wants to try to be a stand in for Leonardo!? Oh no... Voltaire just sent back an email with his pick. *gulps*

Writing code to "merge armor, skin, and items" together

Zhoom really has his hands full today. He is writing code to make the 3D game put the skin on the character, then merge the armor over the skin (with transparency), then merge any additional items (belts, gloves, boots, etc) on top of the armor. I would have thought there was something built in to do this type of thing automatically... I guess not. I looked at the code on his screen in horror as it is some of the most advanced image manipulation code I have ever seen. I wanted to post a full shot of the female in armor today, but based on your feedback we are re-doing her hair and making it more life-life (Good call!) Check back tomorrow and I should have a screenshot of the female in armor for you -- maybe we can get that oversized sword textured too!

Return to Akiba

I missed you! It is great to be back at the lab working on the games. For the past two weeks I was in Japan. For most of the adventure, I was in the town of Akiba (Akihabara), which also known as "electric town." Imagine a city dedicated to, and overflowing with buildings dedicated to anime, arcades, robots, games, music (vocaloid!), comics and cosplay.  I was so inspired by the town, that upon returning home from my first visit two years ago we created a place after it AdventureQuest Worlds ( /join Akiba ) . During this trip there, I spent my time studying design, trying out the new games, hanging out with a long time player, TravelingTom, and coming up with fresh new ideas for the future our gaming community. I also infiltrated several Vampire lairs. More about this later... today, I want to talk about... girls!

About 7 blocks of arcades, cosplay, games, music, cosplay... otaku heaven!

Meet Poly. She is a Countess. (a... um... Poly Count-ess!)

The 3D girl pictured below, is the current low poly count, ready for game play, female character model. I spent today working with Dage and Yergen on the art. They say the eyes are the gateway to the soul. So, I believe the secret to creating girl characters... is the eyes! Ours still seem a little blurry to me, but Xero said we can dedicate more space to them to give more detail and shine - making her more human. If you are not already a guru of 3D creation, you might be wondering, "What is that weird box with the stretched face to the right of the girl?"  That is called a Diffuse Map. That is what we paint, and then stretch around the 3D model. The diffuse map for the body even looks weirder... which I will post for you tomorrow. So please come back to check it out!

(Actual Game Play graphics)

It is pretty crazy that we are making this all from scratch -- for the team's first 3D game I feel we are off to a great start!

Comment Question: What do you think? Other than, "WHEN CAN WE PLAY!?"

This week's new game releases

AdventureQuest Worlds
In the return of Lore's most egg-citing holiday, we've got an egg-streme Grenwog battle which drops epically sweet gear! Go on Cabdury's hunt; it'll have you hoppin' all across the land, and for tasty treats that you can only get this time of year, you'll need to /party up with friends to take down well-known enemies that hold the clues for how to get the most egg-cellent equips in AQWorlds! And don't miss out on all the new gear in the Player Suggestion shop and the Treasure Chests!
www.AQ.com

EpicDuel
The Bionic Battalion Saga continues! While the Bunnies are preparing to rescue Lepus, other citizens around Delta V need your help! Be sure to visit citizens all around the world for new missions and new rewards for players of all levels! Also make sure you continue to collect the mysterious blueprint scraps. No one knows what they're for yet, but they look VERY important!
www.EpicDuel.com

DragonFable
It’s a bad Hare day!  The Grenwog hare has been all over lore, seeking out the best hiding places for his eggs.  This year he’s decided that what would be fun is an egg hunt!  It’s a non traditional egg hunt this year as you must collect the eggs for a merge shop, allowing you to select the weapon or helm of your choice!  One problem; the Grenwog Hare can’t remember where he hid everything.  You will need to search all over lore for the places where he has hidden the eggs in order to complete this event! You will want to work together on the forums to find all the hiding places! Good Luck!
www.DragonFable.com

MechQuest
It is the time of year for Spring Holidays - Chickees, Eggs and Bunzillas. The seasonal rares are coming back along with the quests from years past. The shops will have a couple of NEW weapons this year - a brand-new Head and a Back Arm!
www.MechQuest.com

HeroSmash
Head over to the Fairgrounds and check out Pyotr Rabbit and his carrot cache for a healthy and delicious springtime snack! You'll also find awesome Easter items, but for a limited time only so hop to it! The Easter goodies will be going live on Easter Sunday.  While you're at the Fairgrounds, make sure to get your seasonal goodies from the Fool's Day Shop before it leaves for a year on Sunday!
www.HeroSmash.com

AdventureQuest Classic
Loco has returned to cause havoc for another April Fools Day in Battleon! Now he looks to possess you and turn the entire town against you through malicious pranking! PLUS: The Incendiary Bow has been added to the Limited-Time shop!
www.BattleOn.com

AQ3D
Artix will have a lot of interesting things to write about on Monday (AQ3D updates, stories from his adventures, etc.). It's definitely going to be a post you don't want to miss!
www.Artix.com

Artix is back in the Underground Lab!

He actually arrived on a plane, not in the box that he addressed to himself and shipped to the office (as some of you suggested). That was a relief! If he had been in that box, he would've only been about 2 feet tall or VERY compacted. Also, he probably would've suffocated by now.

Actually, late last week we got a second box from Artix, also addressed to Artix. If he hadn't arrived on schedule, we would've opened both boxes just to make sure he wasn't inside one of them.

Yesterday we FINALLY got to open the boxes... technically Artix opened the boxes himself, but the stuff inside was for everyone at the lab! Inside were lots of yummy goodies, foreign CDs, video games, action figures, coasters, wigs, and lots of other really cool things! It's now official that if a package arrives at the Underground Lab, it has awesome stuff inside. This should become a written rule for the Underground Lab Official Employee Handbook. (Yes, the handbook exists, in case you were wondering... and it has rules in there about eating the last piece of gum from the DF table, also rules about [confidential information has been redacted].)

Artix really wanted to make a post yesterday, but as soon as he walked into the lab, he was buried under an avalanche of stuff that just sort of piled up while he was gone. He's slowly unburying himself and I'm sure he'll have a really good post for you guys when he can actually sit down at his desk to write it.

Artix's Statue

Earlier today, an AQW player sent Cysero a really cool video of an Artix statue that he built in Minecraft. Artix really liked it and wanted me to share it with all of you.

It’s Friday, and this has been a full week for us on the AQ3D team. Llussion has been hard at work conceptualizing and coming up with some amazing designs (like the ones in my earlier posts). Xero has been quietly pounding away creating wicked monsters based on Thytons concepts. Zhoom, Minimal, and I have been deep in these dungeons, and we have a good concept finished. Thyton, on the other hand, has been busy creating these…

These are some amazing concepts for monsters that could appear at some point in this game. Imagine fighting some of these bad boys. How many of your friends do you think it would take to take one of these creatures down? I’ll tell you what, if I had my Yergen Sword of Yergen, I would take them down in a good chop or two.

You All Have Some Great Ideas

I was reading through some of your ideas and suggestions you all have. These are some good ideas! Riding around on a dragon sounds really cool. Better than having a dragon riding around on your back as you walk around. Minimal, and Zhoom are working hard to make the best game possible. Yergen out!

AQ3D Questions

Thank you so much for answering the questions in my last post! It's amazing to see everyone come together and contribute such wonderful ideas. I'll be sure the 3D team reads all of your responses and considers them before making any important, game-changing decisions.

If there's anything else you would like to pass on to the 3D team, leave it in the comments and I'll make sure they see it!

Friday is RELEASE DAY!

Update on this week's game releases.

AdventureQuest Worlds
This weekend in AQWorlds, Good and Evil aren't always what they seem to be! What are YOU willing to sacrifice to save a life? Lions and poisons and burning, oh my! Members of the Alliance rally and two NPCs decide to battle side by side for the rest of their lives! Make sure to login Saturday at 10AM server time for the release of the newest Limited Quantity Shop, featuring the Zard, and Dragon armors! Nothing's happening Sunday. Honest.
www.AQ.com

Play through the storyline to get your very own invitation to attend the in-game wedding of Rolith and Alina on AQW's fourth birthday on October 12, 2012!

EpicDuel
The Bionic Battalion Saga Continues! Brachylagus and Capensis are not the only rabbits preparing themselves for battle: Myxoma will have her day as well. It’s come to her attention that little clueless Lepus is still in the Biological Preserve, and Myxoma needs your help in preparing a rescue mission for Lepus. Log in tomorrow and help save little Lepus!
www.EpicDuel.com

DragonFable
This week is about revenge! Warlic has been after Alex since he arrived in Swordhaven and Alex has had enough. Now he's looking for some revenge, even if it's not a direct confrontation.... This Friday, log in and help Alex decide exactly how he to get back at his rival!
www.DragonFable.com

MechQuest
The war with the Leprescythe and Lucky Warriors is nearly over - soon you will come face to face with a Lucky Chieftain and have the opportunity to open reward shops. Also some new weapons will be hitting the shops so stay tuned!
www.MechQuest.com

HeroSmash
Log in tomorrow to get your hands on the ultra rare Nightwraith Armor and Gear. They'll only be available in-game for one week! If you snooze, the rare set will be back for a single day in November, but after that, it will be gone forever.
www.HeroSmash.com

AdventureQuest Classic
The last Energy Orb quest is here! With the energy orb in your possession, it is time to lure in the numbered beast known as the Thunder Stalker! Plus: Get the Incendiary Bow in the Limited Time Shop!
www.BattleOn.com

AQ3D
Check back tomorrow for another update from Yergen!
www.Artix.com

Yergen here! So this week the team has been hard at work. I mean REALLY hard at work. We are busting butt to get a working phase 1 dungeon put together. Some key elements we want to see in this phase 1 is a base player (currently we just have the female, but don’t worry, there will be a male too.), running around in a dungeon with monsters in it that animate and attack you. Xero , and Llussion created some amazing dungeon pieces inspired by designs by Thyton. My task has been to take all those pieces and layout the dungeon rooms.  At first I was like “No problem. Easy-peasy”, but then I started getting into it and my tune changed. When creating a background for one of our 2D games you create one view. Our artists are amazing at creating that one view, but in the 3D game, you can run all around that one view, so the candelabra against the wall has to look good from all angles. And the view from one way may look fine, but when you turn around, the whole thing looks empty. I could tell right away that I had a lot of work to do… However the more I started getting into it, the more fun I started having. Then when you start adding lights to the room it gets even better. Then comes the part that could almost never end… Details. Deeetaiiiillls! Details in these dungeons really give it life and character. They tell the story, without “telling the story”.  The more details you add the more life the room gets. Unfortunately you could add detail till the end of days, at some point you have to say “Save… and done!”  The bigger the room, the more details that are need, and we have some pretty big rooms! Adding all this stuff has been a blast to do. I’ve always enjoyed adding details to everything I do. It’s funny; I had someone read my stars about 20 years ago, and said that I am a Saggitarious with a Saggitarious rising. Then they said that I enjoy making worlds. Pretty crazy huh? That is EXACTLY what I am doing (and enjoying myself).

THIS IS CONCEPTS!!

I promised some concepts, and I am delivering one massive piece. Llussion created this to show the scale of a kingdom. This piece is beautiful, and big! Llussion said that from wall to wall is around 700 meters (in game)

The original was so big he had to scan it in four parts, and then stitch it together. Best word to describe it… Epic.

Well more dungeons to populate, so back to the grind stone.  Yergen out!

AQ3D

I checked in on the 3D team today and...  wow! The game is coming along nicely. It's hard to believe that just a few months ago we had nothing, not even a single 3D pixel. The team has been working extra hard following self-imposed deadlines and all of their hard work really shows. At this rate, they'll have the game finished in no time!

Yergen and Thyton have already come up with an incredible storyline (the first of many) for the game, and now the team is starting to think of the finer details and they need your help!

How do you feel about voice acting in our existing games so far? Would you like to see more voice acting in the 3D game? Would you like someone famous to voice act a major boss or are you happy with anyone as long as the voice acting is done well?

Which are you looking forward to more: questing with your friends or by yourself? (This is just a curiosity question. You will be able to do both, of course.)

Are you looking forward to discovering hidden quest lines and secret areas in the new world?

What do you think is missing in other games that you would love to see in AQ3D?

King of the Pyramid-Mountain

The war isn't over yet, not even close. We received another image from a different source a few hours ago. It's incredible how many undead there are. This invasion is possibly the greatest invasion the world has seen in many years, but I'm very confident that Artix will be able to crush it.

Today we tried out motion capture software to see if we could streamline our animation process. Thyton was the motion model and it was quite a bit of fun watching him jump around and play fight. Once we plugged it into the model – oh, did I forget to say that he was doing this for the FEMALE MODEL. HA hahahahaha! *wipes tear from eye* Anyhoo – Once it was “plugged in” to the model the test was pretty successful. It really captured his movements. The body, and legs were pretty much spot on. The arms needed some work, and we are going to try to add another camera to get a more finely tuned capture. Imagine if we put Artix in front of the mocap camera?? Well, that’s it from me today… no new concepts today, but I’m pretty sure I’ll have some on Wednesday. Yergen out!