Captain’s Log 3 | Addressing VR Animation Bugs in UNC: Pathfinder
We’re back with another behind-the-scenes look at development for UNC: Pathfinder. In the last entry, we took you through the steps of debugging some of the interactability issues in VR. We’ve fixed most of those issues — now, the objects in the game react correctly when the player interacts with them.
We’re back with another behind-the-scenes look at development for UNC: Pathfinder. In the last entry, we took you through the steps of debugging some of the interactability issues in VR. We’ve fixed most of those issues — now, the objects in the game react correctly when the player interacts with them.
Up next, we’re refining the animations in the game to make sure all the spaceships, action sequences, and bosses look the way we imagine them. Ready? Let’s go!
Debugging Challenges We’re Working On: VR Animation Issues
Take a look at this clip below from UNC: Pathfinder! Yes, that monster is freaking terrifying (and we’re patting ourselves on the back for that). But focus on its claws — they’re clipping through the ground, which shouldn’t be happening.
The problem
What’s actually causing a “clipping” issue like this? The ground should act like a solid object, meaning that the monster’s claws should not be able to disappear through it. Instead, the claws should “interact” with the ground by scraping along the surface.
Why is that not happening? The problem has to do with two things: procedural animation and colliders. Essentially, the procedural animation isn’t working the way it should because it’s not recognizing the colliders in the ground.
The solution
Yep, coding is fun!
The exact fix will change slightly for each animation that’s bugging. But in general, it’s about going into the procedural animation code and making sure that the colliders are set up properly.
And honestly, it’s a lot of trial and error — making a change and testing it out. If it works, great. If not, we change something else and try again.
What’s Coming Next
After we get all the animations sorted (read: looking cool as hell!), it’s on to sound. That means making sure the music from our partner artists is integrated properly into the correct scenes. We’ll also be checking and double-checking the voice recordings to make sure everything sounds great.
Yea, it’s a lot, but we can see the finish line, and we’re so excited. UNC: Pathfinder is almost ready for release, and we can’t wait to hear what you think of it! Don’t forget to wishlist the game on Steam so you’ll know as soon as it releases.
PS: Here’s a quick peek at the kind of music we will be having in UNC: Pathfinder; TopHouse, Sarah Copanat, Tejon Street Corner Thieves, and Zhaklina.
