Smooth Aiming Animations For Star Wars-Inspired Unity Game

Titled Project 1313, this fan game developed by Reddit user Dr_DankinSchmirtz draws inspiration from the canceled Star Wars 1313, which was supposed to revolve around young Boba Fett's adventures as he navigates the underground levels of Coruscant. Dr_DankinSchmirtz revealed that the choreography style for the aiming locomotion here was heavily influenced by Max Payne 3, with the animations being motion-captured by the developer themselves.

By loading up Max Payne 3 daily, recording, and analyzing all the movements, the developer noticed that spamming different directions caused "floaty" movement, indicating that the transitions were driving the animation rather than motion matching.

Dr_DankinSchmirtz discovered that simply copying the choreography of the movement using their Vive trackers for motion capture actually works without the need for motion matching, as long as you set up some interruption transitions as well. For example, a Turn 180 L can blend right into a Turn 180 R, but the back turns will continue to play until Max is facing forward relative to the camera again.

As Dr_DankinSchmirtz explained, these are mechanim target-matched transitions (the turns), created with an additive layer in mind. The turns and transitions were first edited to integrate seamlessly with these additive animations, and then a final layer of IK was applied to precisely point to the target. This setup allows for more fluid and responsive movement, with the idea of being able to move around and shoot at any angle.

The developer clarified that this project is obviously not a full-scale production meant for official release due to IP infringement. While certain assets were compensated for, both Dr_DankinSchmirtz and the artists involved are using the project as a way to create portfolio pieces for their personal websites. Project 1313 also serves as a means to introduce gameplay systems to the public before they are incorporated into the developer's main game in progress.

Dr_DankinSchmirtz has planned five levels to showcase. The goal is to finish the project as a fan depiction of what Star Wars 1313 could have been, combining developed gameplay with environments that aim to highlight the talents of the artists involved, with the hope that it will also support their growth in the industry.

See the original Reddit post here and check out more screenshots from this game. Also, join our 80 Level Talent platform and our new Discord server, follow us on Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Telegram, TikTok, and Threads, where we share breakdowns, the latest news, awesome artworks, and more.