Spongebob Squarepants: Battle For Bikini Bottom Personal Project Remake
I am currently in the early stages of this project, so far I have made a significant portion of Spongebob's house which is the first area you are able to take control of the character. Pictured to the left is Spongebob standing in the first room of the house you would start in.
All models were created in Blender. I am leaving texturing for a later stage of the development as iterations are still on going and could change UV maps or the overall shape of the objects, not to mention the amount of work that would be required to texture all assets with a stylized look would set me back for a while
In the video to the left is the rest of Spongebob's house. You can see my progress on the custom character controller built in C++ with the custom animations being powered by the animation blueprint. The Jump, Double Jump, and his Bubble Wand attack are all part of the Gameplay Ability System.
I have a simple lighting setup in the house for now, I'm planning on having a much more realistic lighting look than the original games, figured it would be an interesting look for a Spongebob game. There are other areas currently underway, but they aren't conducive to being shown off just yet.
What's Next For The Project?
Adding the rest of Spongebob's Abilities through the Gameplay Ability System - will also require animations and models(Viking Hat, Bubble Feet, etc)
Continue making the rest of the environments to have more of the game built out
Finish making interactables like the tikis, shiny things, and golden spatulas for Spongebob to attack and pickup
Finish adding Enemies into the game - will require animations, models, AI logic and states, etc.
Make music for more atmosphere - the original game's music does a lot of heavy lifting for the feeling the game provides
Eventually add some textures to the game - currently the game feels very gray with just the blockout grid material
And More!
Why Am I Doing This? - Why This Game?
I have a deep desire to make games. I want to keep these skills in use so I can keep doing what I love, making games. I have been able to acquire most skills needed for game development through my degree and personal teaching, like programming, 3d modeling and sculpting, music, material work, etc. so thankfully I am able to make most of what is required for a game.
Why Battle for Bikini Bottom? I know that it received its own remake just a few years ago, it was really well made too. The original had a pretty large impact on my childhood, it's still one of my favorite games. I just was wanting a project that had a very obvious direction that I could use to keep my skills fresh, this seemed like a great option for that. Not to mention that I have never truly attempted a stylized appearance like this, I tend towards realistic graphics, so this seemed like a great chance for jumping out of my comfort zone and challenging myself.