Audience project

Environment Project

AAA Game Analysis

Target audience: What age group the game is aimed at.

High expectations: Most AAA games have a large fan base, most of which have high expectations for a game.

Concept/initial ideas: It is almost impossible to make a game without working on ideas and concept pieces.

Atmosphere: A games atmosphere is one of the most important things to get right, its responsible for most of the immersive aspect of a game.

Storyline: A game needs to have a captivating story line that keeps the players attention throughout the entire game.

Audience Project

Research into games with educational value


Spooky's house of jump scares

Although this game is not Education,it has lots of puzzle solving
it’s the style that interests me, as the further into the game you get
the harder and scarier it gets, as I am planning on doing a scary
historical game, for Primary school students I plan to keep it clean
and simple, taking the historic factor of the other games I have
researched and take the cute spooky style of course
(from the beginning of this game) and combine them together.


Valiant Hearts

Valiant hearts is a game that takes place during the great war, it
involves puzzle solving that is relatable to the real trials that men and women of the
great war had to overcome.
This game really does give you the feel of taking part in the Great war.
There is also an Educational factor in this game that people don’t really
tend to notice, the game features many Political decisions that took place as well as life
outside the trenches.
I think Valiant Hearts would be great for people of all ages, to learn about The Great War.


Sid Meiers Civilization

Sid Meier’s Civilization is a game that puts the player in charge of a nation, That is led
by a real life ruler or iconic person from history, the choices you make for your nation are
not historic at all, but the random events that occur and the time they do e.g. the creation
of the radio, the first mode of transportation are all true to history.
Even though you can start wars and forge your own history, I found it quite educational
during my time playing this game.




Game Ideas: 



1. Time travelling educational game (chosen game idea)


The game starts in a history classroom before a test.

You as the player has to go back in time using an old pocket watch, to the
moments in time to find the answers to the questions.

The further you get through the questions, the more it changes through
time.

The game features key/revolutionary moments in time e.g. the Great War,
the invention of the Television.

The way you find the answers to the questions is by finding key
objects/people during the different scenarios through time  (click on them),
doing so will provide a fact/info on the object/person that helps you
answer the question.

The questions will be given to the player on a very basic/boring
looking test paper.

There will be an icon of a pocket watch in the bottom right, clicking
this will bring up a list of dates, using the question, the player will
need to determine which date to travel to using time travel.

To get back to modern day it’s as simple as using a return icon in the
same place that the pocket watch icon was.



2. History quiz 

This idea is much simpler than the previous, as it features less game play and focuses more on questions and visuals.

There are less game play mechanics, but this game is intended for younger children 3-6 years and features more simple bright colours.

The questions in this game will be multiple choice,



Mood Boards

I decided to look at very simplistic art styles of games, as this is for a younger audience.
I took a liking to the art style of Valiant hearts (bottom right) as it had a good way of expressing different characters/objects. though it is too detailed for my game idea, I thought it was good to look at none the less.






















Here are some of the items I thought I might be including as my assets, I looked at things that most people would turn a blind eye to in history e.g. phones, TVs.




Genre research


Fantasy

The fantasy genre has been one of the most popular genres since the beginning of videogames themselves.
The sort of things you will see in a Fantasy game would be mythical monsters, magic, most games that use this genre tend to be based in an alternate reality, mostly based in the medieval time period.














Science Fiction (sci-fi)


Also another popular Genre, most games that incorporate the Sci-fi genre are set in outer space or the distant future, and feature spaceships, laser weaponry, robots.
Some games don't use these examples, instead they use other fictional forms of scientific marvels, such as airships, large machines, these would be known as Steampunk.

Here I am just looking at different shapes/textures of books that I can use as reference materiel for when I come to make my assets.
I looked at old, damaged books.

This is the type of school desk I plan on making as an asset, the lid of the desk will be animated.
I plan on making it clean, as the art style and colour scheme of my game idea, will not allow me much room to make it look weathered.

Some simple shelves to hold the books I plan on making, I am trying to limit most of the things I make to very simplistic shapes, as my skills in 3D modelling are still in need of improvement.

Plain Bookshelf, I kept this nice and simple as most of the detail was going to be put into the books, as they will add colour/detail to the bookshelf (this is not an asset by its self)

These are the books that are going on to the bookshelf, both of them combined will be one of my assets.

School desk (closed)

School desk (open)

Bookshelf with books

 An old television set

Evaluation

What I did well: 
I didn't go with very detailed models as I wasn't very confident in my 3D modelling abilities, if I went with detailed models then I wouldn't have had enough time to develop my skills far enough to complete the task.
I am proud of the simplistic art style that I adopted for my models, I feel it really works for a game with that certain age group.

What I could have improved:
I should have focused on capturing the 3D model creation piece by piece.
I could have widened my selection of research, I feel like I limited myself by looking at a particular time period.

Presentation published in comic sans

Positions in the games industry

There are many positions in the games design industry, here is a list.

Animator

Being responsible for for the key animation in a game, making best use of the game engines technology.

Assistant producer 

Working with a game's production staff to ensure the timely delivery of the highest quality product possible.

Audio engineer

Creating the soundtrack for a game, including music, sound effects, character voices, spoken instructions etc...

Creative director

Being responsible for the overall look and feel of a computer game.

Viewing over high level decisions that affect how the game plays, looks or sounds.

Ensuring the quality and style of the gameplay, artwork, music and audio assets.

Lead artist 

Being responsible for the overall look of a game.

Developing the games visual style and directing the production of all art throughout the games development.

Managing the art team and animation team.

Level editor 

Creating interactive levels for a segment of a game, including the landscape, buildings and objects.

Marketing Executive

Marketing Executives promote their employers products or services or raise peoples awareness of a

message.

Presentation skills

When Presenting a piece of work for example, you need to have a clear idea of what your talking about, and be confident in the work you have produced. Make sure you are prepared to answer questions from peers. 

Having good presentation skills can build confidence, but in order to have confidence you need to be organised and prepared to present your work in front of others. 

Preparation: Rehearsal is one of the best ways to prepare for a presentation, as if you know what your going to say and when your going to say it, there are going to be better results. 

What not to do: Don't just stand there in a static pose and read off the word with your back turned to the audience. Don't ramble on for so long that the audience loose interest, you need to keep them interested.

Top 5 things to do:

1. Rehearse 

2. Body Language 

3. Confidence 

4. Stay calm

5. Keep the audience interested.

Communication skills

Communication skills are one of the most important skills you can have, allowing you to hold a good conversation, or in a debate, you would be able to convince people that your point is valid.

A quick list of the different kinds of Communication:

Spoken/verbal: Face-to-face or via telephone or other ways you can verbally interact with people.

Non-Verbal: This can be done via body language or gestures.

Written: Letters or via e-mail, any written form of message.

Visualisations: Logo's, graphs and other forms of visualisations that communicate messages.


Many of these communication types are needed, for example someone who is deaf, and hasn't had the chance to learn to speak, can use sign language which is a form of non verbal communication. Many large companies, can't talk to everyone at once in the means of advertising their product, so they use things like logos and billboards to get a message across to people, this would be using Visualisations.


Communication skills come in very useful, especially when it comes to finding a job, or in interviews. Employers are more likely to employ someone with a good communication skill rather than someone who doesn't.

Interview skills

Interviews are important, as they allow an employer to see meet the people applying and get to know them, as well as seeing his/her skills and qualifications. Most interviews go well and if multiple people applied for the same role/job then the one the Employer feels was better would get the job.

Before going to an interview, you will require some form of work or an example of previous projects, such as if you went to college, it would be a collection of your best work. A C.V is also required as it has a list of your strengths and qualifications.

For an interview dressing smart and professional, is required as most interviews are pretty much over before you even sit down, you have to impress the employer and show that you have the skills and requirements to work there, being nervous is fine in an interview as it shows that you care. Using good communication is also a must, as well as asking questions about the job.

In an interview you are expected to act professional but also just be yourself this allows the employer to get to know you. The employer is going to ask you questions, for example, why you want the job and what previous experience you've had in this field of work. You are also expected to shake the employers hand, the handshake needs to be firm and confident, but not too strong that you break there hand, but that is obvious.

Utopia

UTOPIA

Theme and Origin 

The name Utopia is the greek translation for not Place, making it clear that a Utopia is an imagined place where everything is perfect especially in a society. Most countries especially in medieval times and BC times in particular, strived for creating a Utopia though this was practically impossible due to human corruption and dangers such as natural disasters that where impossible to prevent. e.g. the Soviet Union's attempt in a Utopia was equality, but due to corrupt government and many people ill minded about the idea is inevitably never worked out.

Good examples of popular Utopia's that arguably don't exist, Heaven, said to be where you go if you die, mainly when you have lived a pure life with no crimes or sins committed. Atlantis, an underwater city known in Greek Mythology it translates to Island of Atlas. The Garden of Eden, Known in the Bible as the garden of God, known to house no evil, just good.

I am going with a Sci-Fi / Futuristic theme with my Project so the type of environment would be bright, clean cities with the most advanced technology and Architecture.

Dystopia

A Dystopia or in Greek known as not a good place, is the opposite of a Utopia known to be an imaginary place that is undesirable or frightening. There are many places in the world that are close to a Dystopia, where corruption and crime rule and there are not many safe places, safe from crime and disease.

Good examples of popular Dystopias that exist in mythology. Hell, is probably the most well known as it is where you go when you die and have committed crimes such as murder and or have committed a Sin to your religion. Many games have been related to Dystopia too, such as Fallout, which is based in a post nuclear apocalypse where raiders and mutants roam free, and Bioshock which is an attempt at a Utopia, but corruption turned it into an under water city that is closest to hell you can get.

Plan

Here is a plan for the 8 weeks I have to complete my final major project.

Week 1: Start on the research for my final major project, and get some example images from the Internet.✓

I could have spent more time on the research as I finished my final piece a lot sooner than I thought.

Week 2: Begin to plan some initial ideas either digitally or in my sketchbook, continue with the research.✓

I should have done some work in my sketchbook as that would allow me to have examples of using different methods to complete my task.✓

Week 3: Finish the research and continue with the initial ideas/plan for final concept piece.✓

I could have done some more research into types of buildings, as that is what my final image consists of.✓

Week 4: Start my final concept piece, e.g line art/rough sketches, digitally.✓

I did not involve some of the ideas from the Initial ideas, that I drew up, this could have increased the quality twofold.

Week 5 - 6: finishing my final concept piece.✓

Could have used more of my initial ideas, and spent more time with the shading and colours.

Week 7 - 8: finalising all the research/initial ideas and finishing the Evaluation.✓

Here is a quick mind map of some of my ideas that I jotted down

Research

These are some artists that I have researched that are known for relating their work to Utopia.

David M. Bell: 

In his eyes, Utopia is not a Destination but a Direction meaning that it will take the human race some time to reach anything close to a Utopian society.

Here is some examples of his work.

He features, buildings and creations that show mankind's attempts at a Utopian Society, but he focuses on how far away we are from a perfect world.

I like this piece that he produced, it makes a lot of sense when you think about it, and shows that he has an interesting look on Utopia.

Robert McCall:
His take on a Utopian Society is more of a clean, beautiful scene.

This is a better take on a Utopian society, with bright colours and futuristic structures.

I feel that the two artists both have a different take on a Utopian Society.

One thinks of a perfect world where there are no problems, the other thinks of an impossible world where he would love to live.

These pieces of Utopian themed art are painted by Tristram Lansdowne, who is known for producing surreal sci-fi themed art, especially with a Utopian theme in mind, these images below are his idea of a perfect world. He paints these to take his mind off of a terrible future that he for sees.

This piece is called Ultra-High and in this Tristram shows that working with the eco-system instead of against it would lead to a cleaner better future, turns out he was right.

This image is called the weather station, in this image it shows that in the future, Tristram believes we will be able to control the weather, he mentions that the centre part of the image is a rainbow maker.

Clothing Styles in a Utopian/Dystopian society

These clothing designs really suit the idea of a futuristic Utopian themed society. the slick and clean design with the possible use of LED's make the whole thing shine and stand out.

In a Sci-Fi themed Utopian society, the types of clothing would be clean and simple, for example a drysuit or some form of overall that would be clean and suited for everyday life. this would be made out of comfortable materials and would consist of very simplistic and plain colours. 

Here are some designs for the type of clothing that people would wear in a Sci-Fi Utopian society, slick, clean and comfortable. These are the type of clothes that I want my character to wear in my final image. I would like to split the image with utopia as one half and the dystopia as the other, A rough leather jacket and torn trousers would look rather interesting and would fit the theme, maybe some armour would also work, indicating that there is some form of war that is taking place.

Rough designs and initial ideas

these are some drawings I did prior to the final piece that I did to get an idea of the terrain and landscape, buildings etc... I also have done some silhouettes of a male figure and a female figure, this is to determine the pose/sex of the character in the centre of the page.

These are the style of buildings I plan to use for the Utopian half in my final piece, I went for a clean/futuristic feel to them, and I thought that a light shade of gray went with a shade of purple, and they worked out rather well. I also have the male silhouette, notice that he is slouching on one side indicating which side is which, evil/good.

Here is a sketch that I worked on, this is the first attempt at drawing a female, character.

I personally prefer drawing male characters, so the character I will use for my final piece shall be male.

Here are some sketches that focus on the human, form/shapes, that I did to focus on the character on my final piece. I practiced hands using reference imaging, as well as drawing facial features and different head angles. Pretty much all the things that I would take into account when drawing a human character e.g the direction he/she is facing and what pose they are in, not to mention the different emotions.

I took all of this into account.

When I was drawing these ideas I realised that colour was going to be a strong factor of the drawing, so I experimented and found that these colours worked well with the appropriate theme Utopia and Dystopia.

Final Piece

This is the final illustration for my project, I used the combination of Utopia and Dystopia, to form a split image between the two. I felt that just a single character stood in front of a city wasn't enough, so I split the image to create two images in one, this makes it more interesting and more dynamic for the viewer.

EVALUATION

What I could have improved:

I could have spent more time on the research as I finished my final piece a lot sooner than I thought.

as well a having done some work in my sketchbook as that would allow me to have examples of using different methods to complete my task. I could have done some more research into types of buildings, as that is what my final image consists of. I did not involve some of the ideas from the Initial ideas, that I drew up, this could have increased the quality twofold.

What I did well: 

I feel that the initial ideas that I sketched up where really well related to the theme and style that i finished with, same with the research I managed to add in some more research about different artists that use the Utopian theme for inspiration for their art.

I feel that I looked at the right artists, so this allowed me to get a very good overview of the different views on a Utopia.

I completed more than I planned with my proposal, although I did not stick to my plan very well as I was absent for a number of sessions, but overall more than I expected.

If I was to do this project again, I would spend more time on the final piece and make it the best I can, doing it before the research with a limited knowledge on the theme Utopia was a bad idea, but it turned out well.

Steampunk Project

The Theme "Steampunk"

Steampunk airship examples

A generic Blimp/balloon with the hull of a 18th century ship/galleon, the balloon is what I want my main fuselage to be based on, similar to the blimp below. in this specific image the main hull is made from what seems to be wooden planks, supported by iron beams. The main balloon is made from a stretched fabric that is relatively weak, but has enough surface area to lift the hull of the ship. The balloon is attached to the hull via ropes.

A larger Vessel consisting of many steam engines with lots of pipes/chimneys with enormous amounts of smoke pouring out I would like my design to have these features, but not so stereotypical. so I would not like to have so many engines and chimneys, but i would like to incorporate them. The materials that this ship is made from would suit my design, dim weathered metallic materiel, and damaged rusted old leather and Iron/Steel.




Large turbine, found on the wings of a commercial jet liner, this is the engine design that I am going for, except all the wires/pipes/cables will be concealed as they will take to long to create using maya. I plan to make it very rusted and weathered.

The cockpit found on the millennium falcon, is the kind of design I want to relate to my design, as I like the large viewing arc from which the pilot can see.

Initial ideas

The ideas that I planned, based on the images above. include a large variety of balloons and sails, similar to the generic airship, design, I included many different shapes and used lots of forms of kinetic movement e.g pistons, turbines and engines. A few of the designs featured a wooden hull, but I preferred a metal fuselage.

MY DESIGN

I went for a rather simplistic design so a plain balloon/blimp with steam powered turbines either side of the fuselage, with a main large cockpit at the front of the ship. The materials that I plan to use are lots of weathered metallic and dull colours, also the use of dark torn leather would turn out nicely.

Fins based at the rear of the ship are used for controlling pitch, even though the engines control the yaw. Chimneys on top of the ship 

The engines rotate to control the elevation and throttle of the ship. e.g up down forward backward. But the lack of technical advancement, the engines where prone to spontaneously combust.

I decided to go with a quad engine design using a similar turbine design similar to the one in my research, with the main fuselage as a blimp/balloon. the Cockpit took a more rectangular look than what I intended, but it still worked out none the less. I used less chimneys than I had hoped, but I think that it still gets the message across.

My design, dubbed the fat pigeon ^^^


PROBLEMS!!! and SOLUTIONS

I moved onto the texturing, and had a lot of issues come up, such as Textures not appearing, due to the file becoming corrupt so I had to use separate images for each section of the ship, otherwise nothing would work.

This caused most of the Texturing to go horribly wrong, I tried to use the most simplistic textures I could but some of the UV's where done incorrectly, so I had to make due and tried to make them as hidden as possible. I would have had enough time but I was absent for medical reasons for nearly 2 weeks so I had less time than most of my classmates. I managed to catch up with some of the work at home via independent study.

ANIMATION




Different forms of animation have been developed over the years, here are some examples.

Stop motion: Stop motion is created by using a series of screenshots/photographs and forming an motion with multiple images, e.g. clay figures being re-posed after every picture that is taken.

Computer Animation: This is the most common form of animation found in the modern era, with 2D / 3D and such things as flash animations, they are rendered out in frames, the more frames there are the smoother the final result is, similarly there are different dimensions for the render, the most common now is 1080p 60fps although people still use the lower 720p 30fps.









My animation was rendered at 24FPS and was 250 frames long, with 3 different camera angles, to give you a sense of the slow moving behemoth, and the  camera angles add character to the ship, by showing its movement.

Evaluation

The research that I did on the overall topic of steam punk, could have done with more information on the back story and origin of the theme, I focused more so on the materials and imagery that the steam punk era offers.

The UV texturing on my design was not done to the highest standard, but I made do by using very simplistic textures, even though the texturing was not done correctly I managed to make it work.

The animation was 10 seconds and featured multiple camera angles, but the motion path for the animation was very plain and didn't show much.