Bug Fixes

The Far Cry engine and tools used are finalised, this means that most of the bugs I had to deal with related to the design and ergonomics of the level. With years of QA experience I am able to spot and fix issues these issues during development, so they are dealt with by the end of the iteration process. The key areas for bug fixing were:

• Removing obstructions that prevent the player smoothly traversal across the space.
• Optimising object use to ensure good final performance whilst maintaining visual fidelity.
• Making fractional tweaks to ensure the cover was correctly placed by algorithm.
• Reviewing the position of each object to prevent floating objects.
• Checking the navmesh to ensure tight spaces are navigable by the Ai.

Steps taken to polish

I finished the level by smoothing out the experience, without making any material changes. Some examples of the steps I took are:

• Improved the composition of the environment when seen from the entry point of each encounter.
• Blended objects into their environment using mud textures where they joined the ground.
• Reviewed the art assets used to ensure consistent art style.
• Created mountains outside the playable area to give the player the experience of being in a vast mountain range.
• De-cluttered the main path by reducing the number of objects, creating a cleaner, clearer, environment.

Visual polish by stages

Spawn Point

First Encounter – Outskirts

Second Encounter – Temporary Camp

Tunnel to Encounter Two

Third Encounter – Headquarters

Temple Extraction