Motivation and Time Management

Motivation and Time Management can make a big difference in peoples careers. Good time management can ensure that you make the most of your day, but without motivation, then it is useless. Sure you can have a timetable set up to ‘guide’ you through your day, but if you look at it and go, ‘ugh, boring, ooh so and so is on the TV’ why bother. Motivation is a key factor in life and without it we wouldn’t move forward.

Let’s look at time management. Not long ago I recorded all my time spent to see how well, or should I say badly, I spend my time. Here is what I ended up with over the duration of a week:

15 hours lecture time

22 hours self directed study

31 hours gaming

62 hours sleeping

18 hours eating, cleaning, random crap

20 hours unaccounted

As you can see I really aren’t using my time very well. The main problem I have is the fact it is very easy to get carried away. For example, whilst playing Team Fortress 2, I’ll say to myself, “right, just one more map”. Now, a map will usually take about 30 minutes until the server changes level, once you get going it is very easy to get carried away. “Just one more”, “ooh love this map” etc. Before you know it I’ve spent an extra 2 hours playing without realising. It also doesn’t help when you are playing with friends. Another similar situation is with sleep. At this age, we only really need about 6 hours sleep to function properly, but when you wake up and you are nice and warm in your comfortable bed it is so easy to fall back to sleep without realising. I say to myself, “just 10 more minutes”. Minutes quickly turn into hours and before you know it is 1 o clock in the afternoon. I find that putting my alarm on the other side of the room helps.

On the other hand, I always feel that I have done more work than I have. I look back on what I have produced in the last x amount of hours and realise I haven’t actually been work constantly. When I think about it I have wasted half of it due to distractions.

Having a good working environment ensures that you can make the most of your time. The trouble today is most work is done on the computer, which also have games, the internet, chat programs, music and more. Any of these can keep a person distracted for hours at a time without them realising. What I have done to prevent such distractions is this, deleted all the game shortcuts off my desktop, as well as signing off of chat programs to prevent more distractions. Some people I know have to have something going on in the background such as music or a TV program as they cant stand the silence, personally I don’t mind having some peace and quiet once in a while and can happily sit there working in silence, just as long I am enjoying the work. That’s another thing, passion.

Being passionate about your work will make a big difference to your motivation. You will find that if people are given a tasking based on something that they are passionate about the outcome will probably be of a higher quality compared to something they aren’t interested in. As for myself, I will happily sit down and model a vehicle in 3ds max simply because I enjoy it, ever since I was a young child I have been interested in vehicles. On the other hand, if I am told to model a character I find it much harder to concentrate on the task, become easily distracted due to the fact I’m not interested in characters and become bored. Another example would be this; during the summer I went to beaulieu for the mini cooper register. After looking around I sat down and drew my friend’s mini, which took roughly 4 hours. I enjoyed every moment simply because minis are something I am passionate with. Also the weather was pretty much perfect which helped. When we are told to go out and draw people in the streets of Leicester it is a different story. Drawing people quickly has also been a weakness in my abilities so the fact I find it difficult does help.

I feel that having breaks is important. Some people like to work for several hours at a time non stop until they have finished what they had planned to too. Personally, I have to take small breaks every hour or so, otherwise I can become bored or frustrated. I also realised that even though I think I have worked for say, 4 hours straight, I haven’t, I’ve probably worked for about 2, maybe 3. Sometimes I ‘hit a brick wall’ when modelling, simply not knowing what to do next, or how to overcome something. Having a break helps me to relax and clear my mind. I also find that having two or three projects on the go at the same time can be useful. If I get stuck with one or fed up with another I can switch to a different project, and then come back to the original one, now that I have relaxed. I tend to spend up to 3 hours on a project until I call it a night or switch to another, any more and I tend to lose interest. One thing I have learnt is to never play games whilst taking a break. Do this and time may fly by without you realising until it is too late.

Right, well im not really sure what else to put as of yet so i do a quick sum up. To make the most of each day I need to cut down on games and sleep big time. Ideally I should have about 42 hours of sleep a week, about 6 hours a day, as this is all you really need. As for games, simply uninstalled the majority of them will help, along with removing the desktop shortcuts to any remaining. The hours saved can then be spent on self directed study. Having a timetable will also help plan out each day, otherwise I could easily sit there wondering what to do for an hour.

Sum up of mortal engines projects

Now that i have completed all 3 projects based on the novel Mortal Engines, i think its time to look back and see what i can improve on, if i can i will probably make changes over Christmas after some feedback from the assessment .The first project was to create an environment from the book. I decided to go with Rustwater Marshes. The main part of the scene would be the large tracks sunk into the boggy marshes, created by a traction city. The triangle limit for this was 20000, which was more than enough. In the end my triangle count came to 15943, which was more than expected. Below is the final outcome:

Looking at it now i feel that the overall the composition can be improved. There are several areas that can be improved as they are rather empty. I also think that there needs to be a larger variety of colours, the majority of it is just brown. I am fairly happy with the way the tracks have came out, fairly simple design but it works, although the way the side and bottom connects could be improved. As for the textures, i am happy with the skybox, came out better than i had thought seeing as my photoshop skills are amazing. The mud texture was ok, the normals worked fairly well, but it could have had a bit more variety in colour. The main part i need to improve on the texture allocation. Heather said that i could have saved a lot more texture space with the bark and reed textures by the way i unwrapped it, and making the most of tillable textures. The material for the water turned out nicely, but it a bit too expensive due to using a raytrace material. I am going to try and achieve the same results using cubemaps instead.

The task for the second project was to design a vehicle which could transport at least 2 people under earth's gravity conditions. I decided to design a 'bug' the vehicles used on traction cities as a way of getting around. The triangle limit was 9000 which included both exterior and interior. Here is the outcome:

First i textured it as if it was new, and then i textured it to look rusted so it would fit in my scene.

Overall, i am happy with the shape of the vehicle, with a total of 6380

triangles used.

As for the textures, the new one needs more detail to help break up the blue. The rusted texture looks ok, and i have placed some joints where the parts of the body are connected with bolts. The normal map helped a great deal to help bring out the detail in the texture, especially on the wheel hubs. Below are some larger pics:

New Version renders : 1 2

Rusted Version renders : 1 2

The third project was to create a character based on the novel, an

d be a self portrait. The triangle limit for this was 9000, and i was also required to make a Level Of Detail model (lod) which had to be under 2000. As well as this the model had to be rigged. The triangle count came to 7128 and 1992 for the lod. For me, this was probably the most difficult of the 3, as i have only modelled 2 character beforehand, and have never rigged a character before. The biggest challenge was to get it to look like me, i spent quite a while working on the head alone, constantly tweaking it. The hair proved rather difficult too, especially the fringe. Below is the end result:

I am pretty happy with the textures, seeing as texturing is my weakest area. I also spent some time editing the normals and specular maps, which i need to do more of in the future.

Rigging wasn't too difficult, some areas were rather tricky, especially the fingers and the shoulders. The shoulders don't deform that great, i think i needed a few more edge loops, but everything works so its a start.

From these 3 projects i have learnt a lot, especially with the character project. It has also shown my strengths and most importantly my weaknesses which i can begin to improve on.

Violence stepping up a level

Well as I'm sure you are aware, the new Call of Duty Modern warfare has been released and has had record breaking sales. However, one area of the game has been highly scrutinized and has resulted in the game being taken off the shelf in countries such as Russia and Germany. This is the part where you are undercover as a Russian terrorist. You are sent to an airport and told to kill every innocent civilian you see. Now, there are many other games out there where you can kill as many random people as you wish, Grand Theft Auto being the obvious one, but in that you have the choice to do so. In this situation, you are forced to. If you don’t then the terrorists become suspicious and if you fight back, then you fail the mission. You do have the option of skipping the level in the first place, but then why put the level in the game in the first place, if you know that it will be looked down upon.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8NMnnMRWJ-0&feature=related

I think one of the main reasons it makes people shiver is the fact that you know that you are the good guy, but you have to act like a bad guy. When it comes to moral gaming, people will choose what they feel is right. For example, i have been playing a bit of Dragon Age Origins lately, in where you can decide how to respond in conversations. You can be a decent person, being kind and helpful, or you can be a complete arse. Now when i see some of the responses you can see which is the mean response, they do me me laugh a bit, but i still go with the kind option simply because that's who i am, and i will feel bad afterwards. People can argue that it is only a game, its not real, unfortunately it can affect some people and has done, kids acting out games which results in serious injuries or even death.

Of course the game does have an age rating of 18 and only suitable for adults, but this wont stop 10 year olds from playing it. At a younger age games can have a strong affect on children's minds, making them believe that because its only a game it makes it ok to carry out such acts. Personally i don’t see why people complain about the amount of violence or swearing in games, the age rating is there for a reason and the same can be said about films and even music. I guess what separates the games from the films and music is the fact that you actually control what happens, where as in a film it is already been done and is displayed to you, where you have no interaction whatsoever.

Anyway, gone off at a slight tangent. Usually, games such as GTA don't bother me at all when you can drive around knocking people down at you own will, shooting endless cops knowing you are in the wrong, but for some reason it doesn't affect people as much as CoD:MW2 has. I suspect it is partly due to the realism of the event. The animations and the screams and cries of innocent people, its something that looks like it could actually happen.

Infinity Ward, the makers of MW2 are in the process of making a patch that will remove the mission altogether, until then, it wont be available in Russia. This could be a valuable lesson for game developers, they may think that with the technology available they can create ultra realistic games, but sometimes people can go too far.

Meet the Spy

This video by Valve is simply awesome. Enjoy.

 

End of year sum up

I really can't believe 24 weeks have pasted, I can remember the first day as clear as anything, I can even remember my interview as if it were yesterday. It truly is scary at how quickly time flies. I guess it’s true what they say, 'time flies when you're having fun'. I have really enjoyed my first year on the course and look forward to the challenges of the second year.
At first everything seemed a little daunting, what with having 50 people on the course, rooms were a little crowded, but hey, it gave me a chance to get to know people easily. It was a shame the computer labs weren't ready by the time we had arrived, I thought they would have been done during the summer. It didn’t bother me too much as I got Photoshop and 3ds max on my computer here in my flat.
I like the overall structure of the course, having projects set for a week or two allows us to get into the habit of working with deadlines, something that is crucial to meet in the industry. The trips out to places with Chris was a nice change to college, just sat in a class room all day, it is certainly nicer and more effective drawing from life. I have certainly learnt a lot over the past 24 weeks in all areas. I enjoyed the Wednesday sessions too, although i am a rather quiet, shy person, I found everything Mike had to say very interesting and inspiring. Every time I left the room I had something to think about and has helped me realise things that I wasn’t sure about before.
3d studio max seemed a little scary at first, I think a lot of people found it hard and still are getting to grips with it. As for myself, I really enjoy using 3d software and spent a lot of time at home messing around with it. Plus Heather's tutorials were a great help for the projects we have covered.
There really weren’t any bad points over the past 24 weeks. Oh and facebook is working well I think, it’s good to see the 2nd years work too so we can see what to aim for next year.
All in all, jolly good show chaps.

GDC

The GDC is a pretty big event that happens each year, consisting of conferences from visual art to management. I was having a look around the website http://www.gdconf.com/index.html and found some things that i would love to attend. One that stood out to me was the conference about how the landscapes in Farcry 2 were created. I've always been really interesting in level design; I’ve even made a few maps for Team Fortress 2, one of which is being used in a league soon.
Anyway, I’ve always wondered what process is used to create such vast landscapes such as the 50 square km world in Farcry 2. It must be almost impossible to create it in 3ds max. I can’t even image what it would be like to texture. I guess the same situation applies for a lot of rpg/adventure games such as oblivion and fallout 3, even though fallout 3 probably on had one texture, just grey and gritty.
I remember many years ago using a world editor for Command and Conquer Generals, you could deform the ground with a simple up and down tool, with different settings. I should imagine something similar could be used for Farcry, although a lot more time and effort would be needed, as the player is on the ground, not flying above it.
I reckon I would find this conference really interesting as level design is my favourite area of games and I would love to learn the techniques used.

What am I going to get out of three years at University

So, what do I really want out of my 3 years at uni? Of course a pass in the subject I’m doing would be nice, but it doesn’t mean it will secure me a job afterwards. I think quite a few people jump to this conclusion, if they go to uni and get their degree then they can just go out and get the perfect job. Life isn’t like that I’m afraid, especially at the moment, with more and more companies going bust, thousands of employees being made redundant. University is a big investment; you have your accommodation costs, course fees and generally outcome for food etc. You really have to make these 3 years count to really make the most of it.
Personally, I see university a chance to learn and develop new skills which you will need in the near future, to help you secure the job you are after. Sure, you can learn 3ds max in 2 weeks, by paying a couple of thousand pounds, but you don’t get the experience out of it. A lot of people who I have spoken too, who themselves went to uni, say that is has been some of the best years of their life so far. For me, it is the first time where i have become fully independent and I’m enjoying it.
Another thing I plan to get out of uni is a strong portfolio, which is vital when applying for jobs, without it you won’t be going anywhere. I should be able to build up a nice bulk of work ranging from drawings and sculptures to 3d models and digital paintings. Another good thing about the time hear is that we get people in from the industry itself, who can give us valuable advice on what to do and how to go about it.
With all these facts taking in to consideration, my 3 years at uni will be well spent and push me that little bit further to being part of the games industry.