Polaris-13,
Team Absolute Entertainment
Software used in the project:
Unity 6
Autodesk 3ds Max
Adobe Substance Painter
Adobe Photoshop
Github
HackNplan (Project management)
Description:
You and three friends are the crew of Polaris-13, an evacuation ship stranded in deep space after a journey to the North Star is abruptly compromised. Survive, explore and fight your way across the cosmos, uncovering the mystery behind your desertion. Can you plot your course back to Polaris?
Polaris 13 was showcased at GameX, a degree show held by the University of Gloucestershire, where the game was awarded the best stand award and stood out as the only online multiplayer game at the event.
My Responsibilities - 3D Artist / Quality Assurance / Level Designer
Game designer responsible for the initial creation and direction of the project.
Responsible for keeping design documentation and information to aid future development and specifications.
3D artist responsible for the creation of the main ship “Polaris 13” (images below)
Assisting in backend engine development, working with the programming team to develop game mechanics.
Working in a QA role to thoroughly test the the build and diagnose issues with performance and bugs.
Ensure textle density remained fluent throught project amongst the project during development
Using diagnostic tools within the Unity game engine to identify performance issues.
Reporting bugs with replication techniques and solutions via the DevOps platform Hacknplan.
Presenting the game publicly at the GameX venue held by the University of Gloucestershire.
3D Models
The models produced for Polaris 13 were constructed inside Autodesk 3ds Max, textured in Substance Painter, and assembled in Unity 6.
The Main 3d model developed as part of my responsibilities within the project was the ship itself; this was, in theory, a mobile level requiring complex modelling techniques and texturing strategies as a result of its size and required performance limit as a result of the physics engine limitations inside Unity 6.
Responsibilities as a 3D artist:
Optimising the models to be as low poly as possible while maintaining a strong visual appeal that matches the game’s visual style.
Creating tiling textures and PBR materials for use within the game.
Creating decals inside both Photoshop and Substance Painter for use within the Unity game engine.
Maintaining a clear game object hierarchy between game objects and modelling software
Optimising material UV’s to be shared across multiple game objects.
Other models include the radio, Goober UFO and fabrication table, rigged and animated to react to player inputs.
Development Vlogs
These videos were taken during development to showcase progress, talk about the current stage of development, and suggest areas to move forward.
Final Trailer of the Project
Unfortunately, development was eventually cancelled for the project; however, the skills this project provided were undoubtedly invaluable and will continue to stay with me throughout my career as a designer.
Before watching the video below, please remember that my main contribution was the external layout of the ship’s surface, as well as backend development and some characterter related interactabe 3d assets.