Changes to the brief

As a group we had a meeting with  mark to discuss our outcomes for the project. After telling him we were considering creating an animation he suggested that it would probably be the same amount of work to make a level in a game engine with better outcomes. We thought about this  length and decided to try and make a level for the character to walk through entirely in 3d.

From this our roles naturally became more noticeable. I am now the lead concept artist. I will be creating all the concept work in BA8 as well as texturing 3d models. Jarvis will be the 3d generalist. He will be creating all the 3d assets that need to go into the game. Ollie will be the graphics designer, which will consist of creating the UI, posters, logos, titles, menus etc.

The pipeline will be as follows;

I will create the concept art for one of the subjects such as characters, Jarvis will then take these designers and create a 3d model. He will then give me these models and I will texture them. During the while process ollie will be creating decals for the characters such as armour logos, or textures. He will then give them to me when I have finished with the texturing. I will apply Ollie's designs and send the models or UV's back to Jarvis. Finally Jarvis will insert these asset into the gas engine. This process will repeat with each different asset that we create.

My process in more depth;

I need to start the concept work before Jarvis starts to create any models because his work needs to reflect mine. To make this process work, during BA7 I will be creating concept art while Jarvis is learning the process of a game engine.

When I need to texture an asset I will either paint it in a 3d package or take the UV's and paint them in photoshop depending on what they are. For example if I need to texture something with round edges I will need to texture it in a 3d package such as Zbrush or Mudbox. If the object has sharp flat edges then I can use photoshop.

Research will determine my success so I need to have a strong understanding of how to digitally paint using  3d package and become as fluent with it as photoshop. I will also need to research how to use the basics in a game engine because I will have to contribute to this at the end of the project. I will also have to use Maya to extract UV's.

The game engine that we will be using is UDK because it is simple to use for beginners and it is available at university.

We have also decided to create a blog for the group which will contain all our research as a group for the project. This will help us reflect on each others research.

seeker robot

I based the seeker robot on one of the silhouettes I created.

I chose this design because of the characteristics the robot needs to have. It needs to be fast to find the player but it also needs to be quick bulky to drag the speaker around. I think the body shape fits this. Also the use of a wheel rather than legs suggests speed due to it referencing an automobile.

I used the same process with this robot as i did with the seeker robot so I will not show the development.

The player must know the robots uses, the large lamp that the seeker carries shows this. I tried to make this look as interesting as possible so it would stand out and be easily visible. I connected the two robots with a  chain, In the game I thought it would be effective f the chain dragged along the floor so the player knows they are coming.

I am happy with the speaker design but not the seeker. I think this is because of its static pose isn't dramatic enough. I will redesign this in ba8 but for now I will have to leave it.

If this design goes into the design document then I will redesign the background to enhance the piece. The one that is there presently was just a mock up to enhance the tones of the robots.

speaker robot

I created this design for the speaker robot. This design was a development of the silhouettes I had created previously. I decided to put the speaker on the arm. I think at the moment it looks like a bell so that will have to be changed.

here I began to texture the robot. Originally I was going to leave it at this stage which is why parts are not finished to the same standard but I started to like the look of the textured areas so I continued to build up detail on the rest of the body. I applied a gradient as a multiply layer in two shades of brown. If this was not here then the robot would be grey.

one benefit of using a multiply layer for the gradient means I can change the colour easily. Here are some quick tests to see what the robot would look like in different colours.

This is the finished concept without its arm. I will have to create the seeker robot before i can design the arm because they will connect to each other. I am thinking of either creating a cord or chain that joins them.

professional game documents

As a group we are starting to consider creating parts for the game document. I thought I would start by researching what goes into a professional game document.

Chris found a website called gamepitches.com. This has several game documents in their entirety. It is very useful seeing what would be represented in the industry. Certain things we thought needed to be in there weren't and others that were we didn't think of. 

Fallout: Brotherhood of steel 2;

This game document is quite old so the main use was to see the headings and what it consists of. 

machinarium

I chose to look into machinarium because it is a puzzle based game where the player interacts with the environment. In this sense it is similar to what we want to create. I also wanted to research it because it is painfully beautiful. The aesthetic has a clear theme that it does not deviate from and yet the environments do not appear boring.

When looking at the aesthetic, the hand drawn style is quite original. It seems like this is paired with elements of 3d which creates uninteresting look. Light and colour is used efficiently to break up different areas of the game. 

I like the dome shape created by the empty space. This being black creates a high contrast to the environment making it stand out. 

One technique that is very good in the game is the use of space. In the image below the focal points of the game are off centre. 

As the level develops more of the map is shown. This is a clever way of showing different rooms while staying in one. It also creates an interesting aesthetic that the player does not expect. If these ideas were not used the overall look of the game may become repetitive. Ultimately the player may lose interest due to the theme of the game. 

The player losing interest int he game because of its aesthetics is an interesting view to research. I believe this to be true when considering certain themes. If the theme is bleak much like 'Oddworld' and 'Machinarium' then artistic inventions need to be considered much like the one above. 

As I played the game, I found the puzzles far too hard. I researched this to see if I was just being stupid however there have been many people saying the she thing. Often why the game wants you to do is not obvious. Finding the items I needed to complete a task was often impossible because I didn't know what to look for in the first place. The hand drawn artistic direction made finding these objects even harder. My main issue with this game was knowing what was possible and what wasn't. I would think Oh i won't try that because it won't be possible, but often it was, and the opposite. If the game had different difficulty settings this would be excusable but until then I will not look forward to playing it again.

I think as a puzzle game it has elements that will be worth considering for our own game such as the use of the environment to help the character but on a smaller scale. This combined with our idea of making interesting ways to disable an enemy would make in my opinion a more satisfying gaming experience. 

Oddworld: Abe's oddysee

Oddworld was a game franchise that I remember from when I was young. I would play this game on my playstation 1. when looking at the game mechanics, they seem very similar to new arcade games such as machinarium which, as it stands is the genre of game that we will be producing. The game was a great success when it was created and was credited to be 'a platform game for people who are tired of platform games'. (gamespot)

I have chose to research this game even though it is quite dated now because the game mechanics and general ideas are similar to what we are trying to create. The game is very simple which I believe is its best quality. For a game this old it is visually stunning and I believe I can learn a lot from looking at it in detail.

Abe's Oddysee was set in a bleak, futuristic factory environment. This is similar to the theme that we will be using however it will be represented in a different way. Considering the game was made in 1997 it is still visually pleasing.

Abe was a slave in the meat-procesing plant. The character is an alien which even to todays standards looks rather original. The basic narrative for this game is that the factory uses Abe's kind to create a new food. Abe finds this out and tries to escape the factory taking as many of his kind as possible. This s quite an original concept for a game even though the basic premise of escaping an environment and trying to take your friends wit you is a generic concept.

When considering the enemies, there are four different kinds. Each type of enemy has different characteristics which must be understood to defeat them. The player must adapt their playing style to fit the enemy. For example the parasites can be distracted if the player throws meat for them to eat. The game developers referred to the creature AI as A.L.I.V.E. (Alive Lifeforms In a Virtual Environment). These different character traits makes the gameplay more exciting and helps create a realistic game world.

The colours in the game change to create variety in the environment. This was necessary to keep the game exciting without changing the bleak theme. The image above shows sepia tones with the characters in silhouette which creates an amazing aesthetic considering this is a ps1 game.

The sounds in the game are interesting if not a little too simplistic. There seems to be an engine room noise throughout the game creating a sense of reality in the game world. The character makes disapproving noises if he trips or bumps into other characters which I think is a nice touch. The sound plays a large part of this game but it is subtle so the player will often not notice it is there unless they look for it.

Even to todays standards the game mechanics are simple but effective. The game could easily be represented tomorrow as an IOS game and not be laughed at as a pitch. The game consists of puzzles that interact within the environment such as switches and traps to get from point A and B which is a similar concept that we have for our game.

reflection on group work

I have noticed several differences in a group project compared to working on my own. This is a large gamble to work in a group for my final year of my degree because I have never worked with these two students before.

One thing which is harder when working in a group is creating ideas. The benefit of this is that when we come to a decision with an idea then we know everything about it because we have been pitching it to each other. The negative however is that everything takes longer. On my own I would create an idea for a character and produce sketches for it. When I'm happy with this stage I would create a final image. In a group I would first pitch the idea to the other members then we would discuss elements that we liked and disliked. I would then change these parts to create a better design for the group and have them critique it again. Then I would produce a final piece and have the group look at this and make several changes again. This is a lengthy process compared to working on my own, however this is a more realistic process when considering how the industry works and I will end up with a stronger portfolio at the end of the project because I am forced to critique my work more often and I have the resource of peers looking at my work constantly which is a huge benefit.

Wall design developed

I took the wall design and developed it into a stronger concept using the background I created. I recreated the wall drawing, using textures to create more detail.

game document background

After creating the robot silhouettes I moved them onto a paper texture with oil splatters. I then added a border and changed the values to make the silhouettes stand out.

I added a messy black background to the concepts to give them depth and then changed the drawings to subtract which I think makes them look like either a watercolour painting or an etching. I may continue with this design element throughout my design document.

Character design; Silhouettes

Iv started to create character silhouettes to get some ideas for roles for the game.

I started by creating these sketches. I created these by using a large square brush. I tried to portray a characteristic in each with as little brush stokes as possible.

I then duplicated these two drawings and changed areas to create different concepts. I like the character on the far left. The line down the centre of the face removes a personality in a sense. This makes it seem less friendly than if it had conventional eyes for example.

Wall-E: Character Representation

After using Wall-e for inspiration I thought I would look at how the character is given human characteristics because I will be attempting this myself with robots. The animation of Wall-e creates strong human characteristics that the audience can relate to. I believe this is the reason the film was such a success.

The design of the character has human qualities which portray a character that the viewer can understand and empathise with. The eyes are separate from the body which creates its head and neck. The eyes move up and down to create different facial expressions. His hands tap together when he is waiting for something, often showing excitement or anxiety, a trait the audience can understand. This all seems rather whimsical when its coming from a robot.

The size of Wall-e makes him seem less threatening, which was a necessity because his body shape could represent quite the opposite. Proof of this is shown late in the film where there are larger versions of himself which seem quite daunting to begin with.

Looking at the tank tracks he has for legs, usually the convention of this is for the character to be large and clunk, however this is turned on its head by wall-e being fast and reasonably agile.

Initial sketch - the wall

I started the concept stage by creating a quick sketch of the wall design. I think Ollie gave me the idea to have the robot increase in height when it was in position which I liked.

sam kemp sketch- wall robot short

sam kemp- wall robot tall

This design was partially inspired by the film Wall-e.

I wanted to add less human characters as Wall-e because the robot is only used for its purpose of being a wall. The player should not really relate to this character. 

Group meeting 2

We had a second meeting using Skype. We have recorded all of these meetings and I will be adding all of these to this blog.

During this discussion we decided what games to look at for research. We decided to research two games/films each to use as inspiration for the game concept. At this point I decided to look at 'Machinarium' and 'Oddworld'.

We have now thought of several different concepts for characters including the protagonist which has been a hazy idea from the beginning. All the characters including the playable character will be robots which seem damaged or have the appearance of 'quick fixes' such as a robot with a damaged arm was not repaired with a shiny new arm but a screw for example. This will add to the theme that has been decided for the environment.

The new character ideas;

Main character; (still unnamed)

The protagonist will look like a young robot but still look weathered, abused, slightly broken. The reason we wanted it to look young is so the character seems vulnerable often during the game when he faces the enemies. The ways of getting through the level will often consist of outsmarting the enemy not facing them head on and killing hem all. If the hero was much bigger than the enemies then the player would get the impression you could run in guns blazing and expect to kill all that stands in their way which will not be the case.

enemy robots: (all temporary names)

Wall robot;

The wall robot will be a large angular robot, much bigger than the main character. Its primary function will be to block off areas when the the player sets off an alarm. These robots will line up in a row to create a barrier.  They will also be positioned around the environment to stop the player walking into restricted areas.

Flying robot;

The flying robot will fly over the level with a large flashlight attached to its head. The light will shine wherever the robot i looking. This will act as a searchlight. If the player walks into the light from the robot  the alarm will sound.

Infantry robot;

These robots will enter the level when the player sets off an alarm. They are the robots which will shoot at the player on sight. They carry large projectile weapons. If the player faces these robots face on the hero will die. These robots will be dressed in a uniform to show their rank above the other robots.

Seeker and speaker;

the seeker robot is small and has a lightbulb above its head. This robot can see but cannot hear. Following this robot is the speaker. The speaker can hear but cannot see. The idea behind these robots is if they are separated then they are useless. The speaker is the only one that can set off the alarm. If the seeker sees the main character then it will tell the speaker to set off the alarm. If the speaker is on its own it cannot see the main character and will not set off the alarm.

Scout;

The scout is a robot that is used to follow trails if there is suspicion. For example if the main character is shot, oil will drip from him and leave a path that the player took. The scout will follow this path until it leads to the player or stops. When it finds the player it will sound the alarm.

Skype call 1

we have started using Skype to have meetings rather than meet in person all the time. Often there isn't enough time to have a meeting in person so it has become quite useful.

During this conversation we decided to focus on ideas for the core mechanics of the gameplay which would spur on ideas for the narrative and concept designs. Considering we had an idea of artistic direction I began to think of ideas for the mechanics which would relate to the idea of mechanical chaos. I liked the idea of a puzzle based game but to represent it in a different way. Someone suggested that the player has to get from one side of the map to the other. There would be obstacles in the way which are embedded in the environments such as large cogs turning that affect other areas. The puzzles would have the player interact with the environment to move mechanics such as walls, ledges, floors etc.

We all liked this idea and had strong ideas for environment design however this left little for character design. The idea then developed to have enemies as robots in the game. These characters had mechanical traits which created their personalities. For example one concept we thought of was a 'wall robot'. This robot would stop the player progressing by standing in the way. The personification would be for it to be big, slow and seem dim witted.

This stemmed into several ideas for the enemies which created a game concept. The player must get from one side of the level to the other without being stopped by the enemy robots who were searching for him.

We all felt comfortable with this idea and started to create sketches to represent our ideas to each other.

First meeting/presentation

After deciding to work in a group we had a meeting to discover what we all wanted from the project and to settle on a concept.

after a long discussion we decided to create a game concept that could be made for several different platforms, such as a 'triple a' or 'iPad/iphone'. The basic idea that we started with was an environment concept that consisted of an industrial decay. We all agreed that from a design side we could make some original designs. From this we started thinking of how this theme could relate to game play. I thought it was an interesting idea to show the mechanics of how things work, for example there could be a hole in the wall and inside there would be cogs slowly turning, or pistons visible on a car to she how it moves. This could relate tot he gameplay by the character solving problems by understanding the mechanics of the world.

After having a grasp on a basic direction that we wished to go when considering the theme we decided to focus on the presentation that we were to create for the following week. We all created a slide each saying why we chose this idea and the reasons why we wanted to work in a group and, collaborated on two two slides which contained reference photos for inspiration and the basic concept for us all to explain to the group.

It was decided that I would come up with a basic background for the presentation. I created this with a basic paper texture and some silhouettes of cogs to relate tot he theme we have thus far.

We found a website called dropbox which has become  great tool considering group work. Anyone can add an image or file onto a folder online and the rest of the group can access it on their own computer. This is great if we collaborate on a piece. Often I will use it to show the others a piece I am working on and get feedback from them to improve it. After uploading this file onto dropbox Ollie had an idea to improve the background and developed this image;

created by Ollie Hoff

I agreed this was a better piece than my own and decided to use it in the presentation. I was given everyones text for the presentation and created the document, deciding on the font, layout etc.

The presentation;

The presentation was received well but we all realised that compared to other peoples concepts we needed a better understanding of what the game play would be like and the concepts would develop from that.

BA7 brief

brief points;

1: We have to have an understanding of the pipeline in the games industry. 

2: I can work in a 'development team' for this project and apply production roles. 

3: Primarily i will be creating a body of research for a game document. (first part of the pipeline).

4: This blog will show my body of research and development through the project. 

5: I will be assessed on time management, organisation and planning of my project. 

6: I have be conscious that this project should benefit my portfolio and CV. 

Looking at the brief i think i could accomplish all these points easier by being in a group. If i worked with a 3d artist we could create a pipeline much like a studio would. This would also create production roles that we would have to fulfil.

On this basis I have found two other students in their third year on games art and design to work with. Our objectives are to create a game document that will allow all three of us to create concept pieces for our portfolios.

I agreed to work with these students on the condition that it would benefit my work and allow me to create a stronger final piece than i could create on my own.

I believe that working in a group will help develop my time management and organisation skills.

The group;

Chris Jarvis: 3d artist

Ollie Hoff: graphic designer

Sam Kemp (me) : 2d concept artist