In Progress #6

We're getting there, slowly. Rough outline is there, right now I'm just refining it to look more ship-shape. Get it? hur hur. 

In Progress #5

I've been modelling the exterior of the ship, so far I've got the base of the whole thing done, I'm just working on making the front look nice before I do any of the rest.

The mesh has gone slightly wonky in places, which is something I'll have to fix. It's difficult adding extra geometry to a curved mesh as it is, and as I do I tend to warp other parts of the mesh. It's unfortunate, but it's fixable.

Modelled from a box, strangely enough! Thank god for Free-form-deform!

In Progress #4 -- interior frame modelled

I didn't get around to finishing the Captain's Quarters yesterday, something more important cropped up so I didn't get time for it. However, today I managed to finish off the last part of it and start the bridge, which is nearly there. Bear in mind this is just the frame, without props, so it looks bare. I might add some more detail to the entrance wall, as I feel it's a little sparse. 

Anyway, here's the bridge;

In Progress #3

Today I almost finished the Captain Quarter's framework. I made some changes to the area on the fly, as I felt it didn't feel grounded enough. Generally speaking I've expanded the corridors that surround the rooms and eventually lead to the bridge. 

I wanted to finish this room off today, but I've still got to throw in some windows. I haven't eaten yet so I'm gonna call it a night now.

In Progress #2

Today I modelled the interior framework of the Dining Hall, and the connector that joins it to the Lounge. There's a few things I'd like to change and add to the sections created so far, but I'm going to keep pressing forward so I can make progress.

Oh, and here are some UDK screengrabs. This is why, at this stage, I'm not throwing it in engine, other than to check the scale :D

Edit: Oh! I forgot. Originally you were going to leave through a broken window. As in, a huge window. Like a stained glass affair. But, no ship I've looked at has such window, so I decided to make it a regular door. Then I thought that was kinda lame, so now you crawl through a broken (regular-sized) window. Hence the one window along the side with no bars. I've tested this in UDK with collision and it works perfectly fine, so I'm sticking with it for the time being.

In Progress #1

Originally, my plan was to make the exterior of the ship first, then make the interior. By make, I mean finished, as in put in engine and textured. However, recently I've been questioning this plan. First I shuffled it around, instead planning to make the interior first so the exterior can fit around it.

I've been talking to people and it seems like the smartest idea to make the core of the interior first, i.e everything but set dressing, and then make the exterior around it. I'm anticipating some trouble getting both sections to fit together properly, so this way I can make sure the core of the level is done before I start putting in props.

And on that note, I've started modelling the interior segments..

It looks very bare without the props - barstools, lounge chairs, tables ect. - but it works in engine and is to scale, so I can use it to make sure the exterior lines up properly.

More as it develops. Back to you, studio.

Expanded Whitebox

I decided to rework and expand upon my white box for two reasons; to create a base for some concept work, and so I could better preview the final level. Through this reworking I've drastically altered the scale of  areas and the height, meaning everything should now feel roughly the right size. In addition, I've repositioned some elements to better fit both a new layout and a more believable layout.

Currently, the segment connecting the Grand Hall and the segment connecting to the Bridge deck are bugging  me, as they feel too incidental and not like they're part of the ship. Part of my task tomorrow will be reworking these to make them feel like they are part of the ship rather than a connecting piece in a game level.

(Note, I took a wall out for the render.)

You may have noticed that the Grand Hall has changed. I had an epiphany regarding this area. To do the idea justice, I'd have to do a truly grand hall, with a big staircase and curves everywhere, but this would take a lot of time to do well. So, in the interest of progress, I swapped it out for a similar and more achievable room. This was inspired by a room in Ghost Ship that was a dining room with space for a playing band; 

So hopefully this replacement will still carry the grand feel. It's sharing the same visual aesthetic as before so I've lost nothing but a whole load of stress and worry about getting the area to work.

The bridge is pretty straightforward and will be overlooking the deck, for a sort of groovy view of the storm. In comparison to the rest of the ship, which will feel almost pretentious in it's grandeur, the bridge will feel cold and functional. It's not there to impress, it's there to work. 

The Captain's Quarters weren't originally planned, but they snuck in and have remained since. I've worked them in some way or another in every layout. I just like them, it'll be nice to do a small little room with plenty of story hints. 

Gonna do some paint-overs of these areas tomorrow in a similar fashion to the Lounge image I made yesterday, to solidify a theme/colours. After that, I'm going to start planning out my asset sheet.