TeamTopHat Development Update 4 - New Level & Migration to a New Render Pipeline

Hey everyone! We have some exciting news to share today, along with some big changes to the game that will improve its performance and aesthetics, we will be explaining the why's behind those changes and what it means for the rest of development going forward!

New Render Pipeline:

Within the latest build of Mad Mansion, we have been experimenting with a new render pipeline within the Unity game engine, the name of this new render pipeline is the Universal Render Pipeline. This will make the lighting and effects much more detailed which will add to the atmosphere the game is striving for. This required a lot of tinkering and the conversion of older assets/textures, we found it to be worth the trouble and be a major improvement! While we still need to tweak a few settings, this is the direction we will be heading towards until the end of development.

Here is an example of the new render pipeline in action within the Library level, compared to the previous blogs showcase of the Library, we also added the inclusion of fog, which helps show the size and density of the rooms you are exploring. More screenshots of the new lighting system can be found on the home page.

Post Processing Upgrades:

Included with the new render pipeline and lighting improvements, we also upgraded the post processing of the game, which will allow for a smoother experience and better gameplay flow. While this would've been a guaranteed feature regardless of when and where it was implemented, with the game becoming much more demanding, the sooner we implemented it the better it will run, helping both the in-game experience, game development in the scenes and the various testing we perform.

Revamping of Old Assets/Textures:

To compensate for the new Universal Render Pipeline changes, textures made in the old pipeline were now outdated and wasn't compatible with many of the new features the new pipeline provided. This change in texture wasn't too hard to figure out, however doing it to every existing asset did take time.

To continue with this development, we wanted to go back to old assets and improve them through new designs, clean up the polys and develop more higher quality textures with the help of Substance Painter, which the team have been practicing with for months.

Development of Sounds:

As mentioned in a previous blog, we hired a sound designer for our game and since then, we have developed various sounds mainly for the player character and horror sound cues. This will make our game much more atmospheric, setting the tone and realism well. More sounds will be developed over the course of development.

Development is still going smoothly, with no signs of slowing down production, thank you for your continued support and following of Mad Mansion and expect more changes over the coming weeks!

TeamTopHat Development Update 3 - New Additions & Testing Session

Hey all! Today we want to share the development progress we have made since the last blog post, as we have made a major gameplay change that will make the game flow better, as well as do some internal testing sessions and finally, a change to the logo which represents brings out the best in the team.

Internal Testing Session:

To start off with, we have been initiating various Internal Testing Sessions with our peers and been provided valuable feedback that will help drive the course of the game. During the testing, we wanted to ask our peers questions relating to specific features in the game and receive their opinions on them. This was met with important points that we didn't consider when designing or testing the game ourselves, as such there are some features that will change over the development. As well as peoples written opinions, we used a number system to deter peoples thoughts on a topic, as it could be better turned into valuable data that can be organised with their consent of course. Overall, testing went very well and will be noted, kept tracked of and considered throughout development.

New Inventory System:

A new inventory system was developed in order to better track the amount of items you pick up in the game and would be displayed on the player Hud as we found it important for the player to see what they have at all times. While some bugs are still present, this will make the game flow much better and are very proud of how it turned out!

New Tool for Voice Line Placements:

A new tool was also developed to ensure a quicker and easier way of implementing voice lines, which was very useful for one of members who directed the voice lines but was unable to implement them. This tool makes it easier for any us to implement voice lines if needed. From the results, it works very well and saves a lot more time, especially during later development as we all have our set tasks.

New Logo:

Lastly, we developed a newer logo that is much more neat and has much more of a personality to it. Addition to this, we made other variants that can be used in any situation, i.e. one with black text for light backgrounds, white text for dark backgrounds, a style with just the logo and no text and a variant in which the text is on one line instead of the Team & TopHat being on separate lines. Here is how they look:

Conclusion:

Development is continuing at a steady pace and are excited to share more development updates over the course of development. Thank you for continuing to follow us, we appreciate it a ton!

TeamTopHat Development Update 2 - Testing & Development

Hey everyone! In this blog we will be talking about the updates we have made over the past two weeks, along with a bit of information on our testing methods, as well as any other tid bits that help towards development.

What has been developed?

During the game's early prototype, we included a Library level greybox that mainly served as a testing area. When moving onto the next development phase, we wanted to build upon the Library to ensure a more enjoyable experience. The end result was met with fairly well responses to the aesthetics and functions of the platforms, however more development is needed, but as it stands, we are quite satisfied.

Furthermore, we developed tons of new assets for the Library Level, incorporating new techniques and technologies to provide the most detailed assets and fit the theme of the game. This will be made into an asset pack and implemented within the levels over the course of development. To add on to this, we intend to use these assets in other rooms too, as we felt they would fit in and the assets are too good to be used for one specific area.

This is how the Library looks currently with the completed layout and the inclusion of the assets:

As well as developing the Library, our next goal was to hire a Sound Designer and/or Music Artist for the game, which would add more to the atmosphere of the mansion. During this period, we were offered to do a presentation for the students studying that subject, which we ended up taking up on that offer. In the end we ended up with a Sound Designer who would become an integral part of development.

Development Testing:

To ensure the game has no major game-breaking issues we actively do tests on each new build we develop, write down any bugs or noticeable details we overlooked, as this will ensure for a greater gameplay product by the end of development.

Conclusion:

Overall, progression is going smoothly and have managed to keep a consistent development process over the past few weeks. We will ensure to hit the deadline with a fully functioning game, with no major issues present.