iestyn.net » 3d

Whiplash Slash and Burn – My Second Unity Game

Iestyn — Thu, 06 May 2010 13:37:20 +0000

My second Unity game has now been launched: Whiplash Slash and Burn. You play the part of Whiplash, destroying cars on a circuit. This is a promotional game for Paramount,

From Flash to Unity: My first Unity game – Iron Man Upgraded

Iestyn — Fri, 02 Apr 2010 10:23:31 +0000

Unity has been on my radar for a few years now, but it was only when it was released for PC that I started to get involved. Over the past few months I’ve been working on a number of prototype games, and this is the first game that’s now live. So here we go! It’s called Iron Man Upgraded, and it was produced for Marvel by BAFTA-winning Brighton studio Littleloud.

Play it in your browser now!

Moving from Flash to Unity has been a fantastic experience, and the one thing that sticks out the most is that it’s so much fun! There’s also a huge wealth of Unity resources on the web, and the community is incredibly helpful. With the choice between JavaScript, C#, and Boo, it’s not difficult to move from making Flash content in ActionScript 3 to producing exciting projects in Unity. Did I mention there’s a free version of Unity? Go and get it. Now!

Unity has to be the hottest technology out there. With version 3 – out in summer – you’ll be able to export for PC, Mac, web, iPhone, iPad, Android, PS3, Wii, 360.. it’s stunning, and it’s a far cry from anything that could be produced in Papervision / Away3D.

I have a session in a few weeks at FlashBrighton called ‘An Introduction to Unity’, if you’re local it would be great to see you there! I’ll answer any questions I can.

I’ll also be posting tutorials on Unity, on here and www.unitybrighton.com – so stay tuned!

Introducing UnityBrighton

Iestyn — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 12:37:50 +0000

I’ve been watching Unity for several years now (thanks to James from Futurlab), but the fact that it was Mac-only was an instant turn-off. Earlier this year they released a PC version, which piqued my interest again, but I was unable to devote enough of my time to the free trial to actually learn anything. However, as of October 28, 2009, they’ve scrapped the Indie version of Unity and released a free version!

This is great news for anyone who’s been interested in creating content in Unity. Not only is the plugin just over 3MB, but it’s an almost seamless install in all the browsers I’ve tried it in.

What’s so great about Unity? Excellent 3D support, and you can use either JavaScript or C# for development, which makes transition from programming Flash games quite attractive.

Check out the island demo over on lab.iestyn.net

So, this leads me to UnityBrighton.com. Back in March I registered the domain, but did nothing with it. I’m guessing there will be renewed interest in Unity, so I’ve finally got round to setting it up. For now it’s a basic Wordpress blog and a Google groups mailing list. If you’re interested in Unity, please join and say hello!

F.A.S.T – iPhone game

Iestyn — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 06:50:49 +0000

F.A.S.T (Fleet Air Superiority Training) is a dogfighting game for the iPhone that I downloaded a few weeks back. It’s got some pretty good visuals for an iPhone game, and the controls seem to work reasonably well, using the accelerometer for movement.

However, I’m really really bad at it, and regardless of how many times I play it, I just can’t seem to stop getting blown to smithereens by enemies missiles. God alone knows how you’re ever meant to get close enough to fire the cannon.

Ah well, it does seem like a good game, if only I could get past the 3rd level. I’d say this is mainly due to my incompetence, rather than bad game design or controls

It’s currently on the appstore for only £1.19 – definitely worth it if you like this genre.

TechCrunch reports it’s earned $1,000,000 in the first 6 weeks. Impressive going, SGN!

Star Defense – iPhone

Iestyn — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 07:56:54 +0000

If you’re a fan of tower defense games, then I can highly recommend Star Defense for the iPhone. You know the drill: Different types of turret, upgrades, waves of different enemies – it’s not deviating from the standard formula at all, but it’s presented nicely, seems quite balanced, and the 3D graphics are quite impresive for an iPhone. It’s definitely worth £3.49 – and it absolutely kills train journeys.

LEGO Unity game – The quest for R2 D2

Iestyn — Sun, 17 May 2009 09:27:14 +0000

LEGO.com has the best looking Unity game I’ve seen so far.

Blurring the line between console and browser

Currently there’s just one level, which is split into multiple areas. It’s a fairly simple 3D platformer – run around, collect gems, jump onto platforms, attack enemies. It won’t win any awards for originality, but graphically it’s very impressive. Try playing full-screen.

Unity can also support USB 360 controllers. I tried playing this fullscreen with a 360 controller just now, and yes; it’s almost indistinguishable from a console game from a few years ago. Really impressive work Three Melons and LEGO!

LEGO have announced they’ll be releasing a full version in August 2009, with 15 levels and 4 selectable characters.

Thanks for finding this Ed

[update] Three Melons have more on their blog.

Generative art application – project screenshots

Iestyn — Mon, 04 May 2009 16:54:27 +0000

Since being inspired by Matt’s generative art session at Flashbrighton a while back, I’ve been occasionally working on a personal project. It’s a Flex application where you can generate interesting abstract images and animations. It’s tricky to describe exactly what it is and what it does, so you can see for yourselves when I release it.

It was initially a simple idea of mine to see what something looked like when manipulated in a certain way. After playing around with it for a while and adding more functionality, I began finding myself entranced by the things I/it was accidentally creating. When I’ve added a bit more functionality I’ll release it and see if anyone else finds it as intriguing as I do

If you’re interested in helping me alpha-test this, then let me know.

[Edit: By the way, it's using Papervision]

Here’s some screenshots:

Red

Lines

Rainbow

Distribution

Browns

Paper Moon – another great Unity game by Blurst

Iestyn — Mon, 04 May 2009 15:54:06 +0000

Blurst have released another great Unity game called ‘Paper Moon’. It’s a 2D platformer with a slight 3D twist to the gameplay: Pressing Space ‘pops’ bits of the scenery either in front or behind the plane of the character. If you or an enemy is in the way, then you die. It creates some interesting puzzles.

I haven’t tried it, but apparently you can plug in a (wired) 360 controller. Nice touch.

Puzzlebloom – good Unity puzzle game

Iestyn — Sat, 11 Apr 2009 13:49:34 +0000

Puzzlebloom is a good looking, fun puzzle game made with Unity. Lovely cel-shaded 3D graphics, and fun too. You play the part of a sort of tree-spirit that posesses dumb creatures and robots, and the aim of the game is to turn each dull grey level into one that’s full of life.

I’m getting more and more impressed with what Unity is capable of, and more concerned that Adobe are really losing out in the web 3D space..

Play Puzzlebloom here.

Blush. Stunning Unity game

Iestyn — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 14:58:18 +0000

Check out the stunning 3D Blush game by Blurst:

It’s a beautiful Unity game where you play a jellyfish that collects eggs. There’s a number of enemies you need to lash with your tentacles, with some great effects when they die. Check out the sea dragon for a good example.

Blurst also have a number of other good games. I quite like Minotaur China Shop.

I’m really impressed with what Unity can do. I’ve got to get a copy soon!