{"author_link":"\/users\/leadphalanx","author_name":"leadphalanx","author_uid":"leadphalanx","comments":[],"epoch":1619973935,"event":"LD48","format":"md","ldjam_node_id":255891,"likes":5,"metadata":{"p_key":"157487","p_author":"leadphalanx","p_authorkey":"1104978","p_urlkey":"377734","p_title":"Art Team - Lessons Learned from LD48","p_cat":"LDJam ","p_event":"LD48","p_time":"1619973935","p_likes":"5","p_comments":"0","p_status":"WAYBACK","us_key":"1104978","us_name":"leadphalanx","us_username":"leadphalanx","event_start":"1619222400","event_key":"109","event_name":"Ludum Dare 48"},"node":{"_collation":{"body_sanitizer":"TextUtils::SanitizeHTML via existing importer","event":"LD48","removed_author":false},"_superparent":233335,"_trust":1,"author":104978,"body":"This Ludum dare is the second I've participated in - the first being Ludum Dare 42.  As with last time, it was a duo with Daniel heading up the programming side and me on the art side.  This time we used the Godot engine.  Since LD42 I've learned a good deal about Blender and Substance Painter (certainly still not a pro). That being said, there were a lot of shortcomings with my workflow that LD48 revealed.\n\nIn our LD48 entry [**Aquatic Cave Assualt**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/48\/aquatic-cave-assault) we decided on a submarine shoot-em-up similar to games like the StarFox and R-Type series. Near the beginning we decided on a PSX-era graphics style.\n\n**First lesson learned:** Don't spend too long on less important assets!\n\nSo I started out working on a Torpedo - a submarine game definitely need those.  I spent a lot of time working out kinks with baking a high-poly model down with rivets and all that, making sure stacked UVs were set up right, etc. (since I had recently learned how to do all that).  Of course, I hadn't thought of how tiny the thing would end up looking on-screen, so largely a huge waste of time (It came out nice though I think).\n![2021-05-02 09_52_22-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/42035.png)\n\nAnother example - The propellers.  I had a rather frustrating time trying to model the shape of propeller blades, I kept starting over and before I knew it I spent a few hours on it.  Again, could have been much less detailed and been just fine.\n![2021-05-02 10_07_53-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/4203a.png)\n\nI spent a decent chunk of time on the submarine itself, but I suppose I feel less bad about that since it's a pretty central and visible model. \n\n**Second lesson:** Consider how set pieces will be reused and fit in with the rest of the level\n\nThe doorways ended up looking decent, but they really did not work well when using them in many situations.  The concrete supports I modeled into them look nice in caves - but will stick out of any somewhat flat surface you try to put the doorway in.  If I were to remake this particular doorway, I would keep the concrete supports separate.  Also, the geometry surrounding the doorway being square limited the scales they could be placed in the caves - if they were round or reached out a bit farther the opening could be smaller and set to one side of the cave to provide more of a challenge.\n![2021-05-02 10_03_50-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/4203e.png)\n\n**Third Lesson:** Level design workflow\n\nAnother mistake I found myself doing was getting bits 100% modeled and textured before uploading them to get them integrated.  What I should have done was get to a point where the basic structure\/path of the segment was modeled so Daniel could throw it in the map and start integrating the sub path through it, place mines, etc. To bring this back to the first lesson, I really should have also made use of shared basic materials rather than giving this room a unique texture:\n![2021-05-02 10_26_17-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/42045.png)\n\nIn the end however, we were very happy with what we accomplished.  We learned a lot, especially about how to work with the Godot engine.  To finish things off,  here is a picture of the next segment of the level we didn't have time to implement:\n![2021-05-02 09_56_21-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/42046.png)\n\n\n\n","comments":0,"created":"2021-05-02T15:07:32Z","files":[],"files-timestamp":0,"id":255891,"love":5,"love-timestamp":"2021-05-02T18:44:40Z","meta":[],"modified":"2021-05-02T18:44:40Z","name":"Art Team - Lessons Learned from LD48","node-timestamp":"2021-05-02T16:45:35Z","parent":245420,"parents":[1,5,9,233335,245420],"path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/48\/aquatic-cave-assault\/art-team-lessons-learned-from-ld48","published":"2021-05-02T16:45:35Z","scope":"public","slug":"art-team-lessons-learned-from-ld48","subsubtype":"","subtype":"","type":"post","version":786658},"node_metadata":{"n_key":"255891","n_urlkey":"377734","n_parent":"245420","n_path":"\/events\/ludum-dare\/48\/aquatic-cave-assault\/art-team-lessons-learned-from-ld48","n_slug":"art-team-lessons-learned-from-ld","n_type":"post","n_subtype":"","n_subsubtype":"","n_author":"104978","n_created":"1619968052","n_modified":"1619981080","n_version":"786658","n_status":"WAYBACK"},"source_url":"https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/48\/aquatic-cave-assault\/art-team-lessons-learned-from-ld48","text":"This Ludum dare is the second I've participated in - the first being Ludum Dare 42.  As with last time, it was a duo with Daniel heading up the programming side and me on the art side.  This time we used the Godot engine.  Since LD42 I've learned a good deal about Blender and Substance Painter (certainly still not a pro). That being said, there were a lot of shortcomings with my workflow that LD48 revealed.\n\nIn our LD48 entry [**Aquatic Cave Assualt**](https:\/\/ldjam.com\/events\/ludum-dare\/48\/aquatic-cave-assault) we decided on a submarine shoot-em-up similar to games like the StarFox and R-Type series. Near the beginning we decided on a PSX-era graphics style.\n\n**First lesson learned:** Don't spend too long on less important assets!\n\nSo I started out working on a Torpedo - a submarine game definitely need those.  I spent a lot of time working out kinks with baking a high-poly model down with rivets and all that, making sure stacked UVs were set up right, etc. (since I had recently learned how to do all that).  Of course, I hadn't thought of how tiny the thing would end up looking on-screen, so largely a huge waste of time (It came out nice though I think).\n![2021-05-02 09_52_22-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/42035.png)\n\nAnother example - The propellers.  I had a rather frustrating time trying to model the shape of propeller blades, I kept starting over and before I knew it I spent a few hours on it.  Again, could have been much less detailed and been just fine.\n![2021-05-02 10_07_53-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/4203a.png)\n\nI spent a decent chunk of time on the submarine itself, but I suppose I feel less bad about that since it's a pretty central and visible model. \n\n**Second lesson:** Consider how set pieces will be reused and fit in with the rest of the level\n\nThe doorways ended up looking decent, but they really did not work well when using them in many situations.  The concrete supports I modeled into them look nice in caves - but will stick out of any somewhat flat surface you try to put the doorway in.  If I were to remake this particular doorway, I would keep the concrete supports separate.  Also, the geometry surrounding the doorway being square limited the scales they could be placed in the caves - if they were round or reached out a bit farther the opening could be smaller and set to one side of the cave to provide more of a challenge.\n![2021-05-02 10_03_50-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/4203e.png)\n\n**Third Lesson:** Level design workflow\n\nAnother mistake I found myself doing was getting bits 100% modeled and textured before uploading them to get them integrated.  What I should have done was get to a point where the basic structure\/path of the segment was modeled so Daniel could throw it in the map and start integrating the sub path through it, place mines, etc. To bring this back to the first lesson, I really should have also made use of shared basic materials rather than giving this room a unique texture:\n![2021-05-02 10_26_17-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/42045.png)\n\nIn the end however, we were very happy with what we accomplished.  We learned a lot, especially about how to work with the Godot engine.  To finish things off,  here is a picture of the next segment of the level we didn't have time to implement:\n![2021-05-02 09_56_21-Window.png](\/\/\/raw\/21a\/91\/z\/42046.png)\n\n\n\n","title":"Art Team - Lessons Learned from LD48","wayback_source":[]}