Alex Counsell Meeting Three - 11th February 2009

Another meeting was organised with Alex Counsell, as there hadn't been one since December. Not much had been done in the time, so the group had practically nothing to show.
It was proven that Simon's level he created could not fit in the mocap room, as the area was too big, and this was not thought about when he created it. It may be possible to use the level, if we can get the level to move around the character, but that is something we will have to research.
Since the MOCAP room is only 9 x 5, the area is really quite small, and basically impossible to work with when creating levels.
Alex suggested the idea before, but the idea came up of a moving level, where the level moves around the character, and we were going to use this concept with a mine cart level, where the character was to duck, and move left and right, avoiding obstacles and steering the way. We thought that the concept could also be used to create other moving levels, where the character stays still, then moves left or right, whilst the level is moving a steady pace. Obstacles would come towards the character and they would have to avoid them by moving left, right, ducking or jumping. The concept could also be used on a moving platform, the character moves onto the moving platform at the right time, and is taken further, hence giving us more space to work with.
Our next plan of action is to create a simple level in Motionbuilder so we can work with the default model for all levels, then we know the space that we can work with. This can be done just using simple blocks for obstacles. Once this is done, we must import the character in, so we can resize it, and create a relative size, so the character fits in with the level environment. If necessary, we can just use a block for the character, and attach ROM data to that, so it can easily be tested without the need for our character model. Alex Counsell told us that the character cannot be rigged until it is the right size, as once the character is rigged, it is almost impossible to resize.
Once the basic character and levels are tested, then more complex levels can be added, and puzzles can be implemented.
Once we have got a working example of a level and character in Motionbuilder, we must show Alex Counsell, and this MUST be done in the next couple of weeks, otherwise we have a chance of failing.
Motionbuilder must be researched so we know it inside out, and this can be done by using relevant tutorials that come with the software, and internet tutorials. The sooner this gets done, the more confident we will feel about our performance. Alex Counsell told us that Motionbuilder 2009 features are still being tested.
It was said that there is only 10 weeks left for us to finish, which gives us little time, and we have hardly achieved anything, so the next few weeks will be a MASSIVE push to catch up.