Progress

It's been just over a week since being given the group project and i think that on the whole it's going well. Thanks to some helpful advice i feel we are on track to getting this done hopefully on schedule. At the moment we have a complete white box of our level. Nothing too ambitious, just a modest portion of the queens building with a few extra breakaway walls and modifications to add interest. The white box plays well, even though it is just a base i enjoyed running around it.

Looking back at the previous years work we are undecided somewhat on the scale of the thing. Laura built a basic white box model off of the blueprints in 3ds max which i then used as reference to make the level in UDK and finishing off the level layout. However whilst we already scaled it up a bit to match the massive unreal characters we can't decide if the rooms are too small. I should mention that they are more or less the size they appear to be in the building itself. The question is, when creating a game level should strict real world room sizes be adhered to? We have considered upping the scale slightly so it doesn't seem so cramped but this can be done quite easily at any time so we'll see how it goes for now.

Personally i think that by having it to scale from the blueprints we wont be left with loads of unnecessary space without anything to fill it.

So far a good amount of the assets have been completed. There are tons to go yet, but for the first week we are off to a good start. We have tried to split the asset list in terms of smaller assets which might only take an hour to complete compared to larger assets such as the statue in the courtyard. We have also split up the work of creating the tileable textures between us. This is so that we can each focus on one and make it really good. I feel that if we get good tileable textures with convincing normal maps onto the BSP early on we wont feel as if we just need to cover up the horrible bland walls so much.

We had our first group meeting today in one of the syndicate rooms in the library which i felt was very useful. It was a good opportunity to make sure that we were all on the same page. As it happens i think all of our general visions for this level are relatively similar which has aided us in being able to just get on with making it.

Well that's all for now, hopefully by next week we might have some tiling textures on the white box and be starting to bring in the assets we are gradually accumulating.

Group Project

Well we've just been set the group project and personally i'm feeling quite optimistic about it. At first i was a little apprehensive mainly due scale of the thing but after thinking about it a bit i realised that with proper planning it's just painting by numbers.

As a group we have decided to spend the first week solely doing concept paintings. The idea is paramount to the resolution of the project. There is no point still designing part of the game world whilst trying to make it. The more solid the idea, the more solid the plans, the more smoothly the building of the assets will go.

With this in mind hopefully we'll get all the assets built in good time and be able to spend time implementing them into Unreal and making sure that everything works.

Some key points to consider i think are -
The size of the level
The art style
The time frame
Scale of assets.

To produce the concepts we are going to be painting over photos taken of the queens building. This will enable us to focus on the design rather than creating a game space from the ground up.

Year 2 Semester 1

So the presentation was yesterday. I feel like that went well although i probably sped through everything a bit too fast. Didn't have much to say about it to be honest. I didn't prepare anything to say seeing as it's my own work so i figured it would be fairly easy to talk about in a spontaneous manner. But then when it came down to it i realised there wasn't much to say. Nonetheless i always like to think my work speaks for itself anyway.

Personally i think semester 1 was a disaster. Having a job this year has really impacted the amount of time i spend working. Last year i spent every waking moment sat at my desk working give or take the odd break to eat. This year although i keep up that routine i annoyingly have to break for work 3 nights a week - because of this i got quite severely behind although i managed to catch up just fine. The good thing is i am now accustomed to the workload and the time frame, so in theory, semester 2 should be a much smoother ride.

My goals are to continue with painter and familiarise myself with the program more. It's soooo much better for colour work than photoshop. I literally cannot use colour in photoshop for some reason.

To conclude, semester one was OK, i like a few select things from it, but on the whole I'm rather unhappy with my progress and work in general.

I MUST DO BETTER.

Game Engines

Economising on game engines by reusing and adapting them to produce different games is common practise in the industry. Once in a while a developer may feel that they want to develop their own engine as none of the available ones suit their needs. This is all good and well except this is time consuming and costly. However, once made it can be licensed to other developers recovering some of the original costs.

When choosing which game engine to use, it is worth considering all your available options. The engine provides the core functions of a game including - graphics, sound, scripting, physics etc. The best way to choose an engine would be to look at what games it has produced in the past, outline the key functions which make each engine unique and to then compare this with key requirements identified in the game you are making.

An example of this principle would be if you are making a first person shooter then it would be unwise to use a game engine developed for and primarily used for platform games. That isn't to say you should never consider it just that certain engines are designed from the ground up with different genres in mind.

FPS game engines have been notable for their continuous increase in technical power over the years and a common feature of modern engines is the photo realism that is now achievable. Many companies created engines years ago and simply upgrade them and release a new version as new technologies become available. Id tech 6 has been spoken about despite id tech 5 literally only surfacing in 2010. This is due to the developer planning to implement such features as mixing ray tracing and raster graphics once the hardware becomes available to do it.

The engine favored by this course is the UDK (free version of the unreal 3 engine) and from what i read i have gleaned that it's rather popular! Although i have yet to find anything detailing exactly why it's just so damn successful i can at least speculate for myself having just checked out some examples of games made using it. It looks to me to be incredibly versatile despite being geared mainly towards third and first person shooters. A game example on the Unreal site is called 'whizzle' which is a funny little 2d underwater type game. The graphics are awesome - it's that 3d 2d which is always good. Watching the interview with the developer below also gave the strong impression that it is easy to use and allows developers to focus on designing the game rather than the technical side of things.

I am willing to believe that it must be easy to use if it's been ripped apart and used for all sorts of games because of course those that have done this could have just used a different engine tailored nearer to their needs. But no, they have used Unreal and for the life of me i can only assume that is because it is versatile and easy to use as i have previously mentioned.

I guess I'll find out in semester 2. Hopefully i'll can report back positive findings. From everything I've heard it sounds to be quite accessible so hopefully i pick it up fast!!

Watch this space.

The Importance of Documentation

I'll be honest. As an artist, documentation is my nightmare. Fortunately if i ever land a job in the industry I'll hopefully have little or no input as to the contents of such documentation. Still, as much as i hate it, i recognise the need to produce documentation whilst on this course. In order to be able to understand and follow that which is outlined i should have experience creating those very reins.

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This will be a small scale project focusing on a specific scene. The scene in question is a market street in Paris. Though small, something with this much detail will still be a challenge. It is also important to portray as much culture as possible.

My personal aim for this project is to portray a realistic environment. A high attention to detail is crucial to achieve a photo realistic finish. There needs to be a special mention of the area where separate objects meet such as where the bottom of a building meets the street. Many games have a very harsh line where scenery objects meet.

This project will be released on the playstation 3. The reason for this being that whilst difficult to develop for, the additional power will allow the realisation of this artistic vision. This is not intended to be a stylised or low res project. The graphical level of detail should be inspired by the likes of uncharted 2.

The genre concerned here is a platformer, so as well as the visual elements, attention needs to be payed to the interactivity of the environment. Walls need to be scalable and as such will need sufficient geometry to do so. The market stalls themselves should be able to be climbed on top of.

This is aimed at the slightly older gamer. Although it is a platformer, the content involved is slightly more mature. The puzzles will require a bit more thought. As a rough estimate anyone between 15 - 40 should enjoy this game.

All concept work will be completed in either photoshop or painter with preliminary work being completed traditional.

3D models will be made in 3ds max with the texturing taking place in photoshop.

Zbrush will aid the making of normal maps, with xnormal being used to bake them.

Specs -

The lead character should not be typically heroic. Stay away from cliches such as tall and muscly. An average figure with a bit of a belly should be aimed for. Due to the lack of classical hero styling special attention must be payed to the outfit and silhouette to make the character iconic. The character will be wearing a waistcoat over a vest top as if it has been added as an attempt to look better dressed. Go for a warm but slightly dulled colour scheme. For the character's face make it interesting by exaggerating some features and creating a strong profile.
Hair should be slicked back and slightly grey.

The final model should be up to 20000 triangles with 2 x 1024 diffuse textures and additional normal and specular maps.

One level of detail will be required at 3000 triangles with one 1024 diffuse map.

This specific NPC should be dressed in an apron over a fitted top with vertical stripes. Many chains should be hanging from their belt. The face should be recognisably french looking.

The triangle count is 8000 triangles for the main model with the level of detail coming in at 2000 triangles. Both should be textured with one 1024 diffuse map. The main model should have additional normal and specular maps.

A few vehicles should be scattered around the environment but this particular one is a three wheeler. The rear is covered in mud so much that you can barely read the number plate. The paint is scraped so much on one side that it looks like its had an accident. Inside it has horrible seat covers - faded spots of purple and yellow. The car should tell a story, inviting questions. It is clearly not your average parked car. Perhaps this one is integral to the main story.

The tri limit for this car will be 9000 triangles and it will be textured with one 1024 diffuse texture and a specular map.

The environment is one street albeit rather long. To make it interesting lots of the buildings have arches and alleyways which add extra explorable space to this scene. The time of the year is festive so hanging above and across the streets are various decorations. The road should begin as tar but transition into cobbles as it gets further along the street. A main gutter should run right along the middle. Half way down the street between market stalls is a statue of french philosopher Jean Paul Satre. The market itself is basically a food market and should be stocked as such.

The tri limit for this whole street scene is 50000 triangles which includes the stalls and their main stock displayed as part of the stall. The maximum number of diffuse textures for this street scene are two 1024 maps. Additionally four 256 x 256 tileable textures can be used mainly for the walls and the floor. The same amount of normal and specular maps can also be used.

The main props in this environment will be cardboard food boxes and trash littered around. A lot of this will be able to be reused. A set of props totalling 2000 triangles should be sufficient to decorate the street. Include bin bags, cardboard boxes, bottles, paper, empty cartons etc.

One 1024 x 1024 diffuse maps should be used for all the textures. The objects are quite small and will not require a normal map but a specual map of the same size can be used.

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Well there you go, that's my attempt. I feel as if it is nowhere near comprehensive enough. But then again i imagine a lot more time would be invested in a proffesional design document. Having said that i did spend a reasonable amount of time trying to envision the whole thing and provide descriptions as well as the technical specifications.

I do think that was a worthwhile exercise just in terms of the scope. Although i have produced design documents for my game production projects they have all been for individual elements such as one character or a prop. Having to consider an entire game and all that it contains really made me appreciate documentation on a whole new level. I think i shall be spending a bit more time on my documentaion in the future if anything just to prepare for the FMP next year.

Level Design

Following on from the composition post, it seems logical to talk about level design. Before an environment artist even gets a chance to start making a scene look beautiful it will already exist as a white box in many cases. It may also use placeholder art. The purpose of this is simply to be able to experiment and refine the playability of a level without the art getting in the way. Stripped back to basics, a level designer can get to work. If it works well as a white box then it will work well as an amazingly detailed environment.

Although part of the level design process deals with the visual aspects of a level it is mainly left to the concept artists to create. An actual level designer is more likely to concern themselves with the playability of the level. This includes all manner of things such as -

• Laying out the map, considering how the player is directed through the level.
• Defining where/when key gameplay actions occur, such as set pieces
• Placing start points, NPC's etc
• Overall goals of the map relating to the gameplay for example a FPS map which is largely corridors would inspire use of short range weapons.

Level design is essential because it controls of the quality of the player's experience and their goals should there be any. Depending on how certain elements in a map are organized the whole genre of the game can be set. Also it’s not only the elements themselves but various devices which are used to direct our attention to certain elements.

For instance we could have two arguably identical maps, however subtle differences could make one a platformer and another a FPS. One of the ways attention is directed around a level can be the use of collectible items placed in a way to move the player forward. Other tactics include effective use of lighting and colour to make certain objects or platforms stand out. Another good one I always find helpful when playing is the camera angle. Even in a game where the user has full control of the camera, the default position has many times helped point me in the right direction.

As games have grown over the years so has the need for level designers however despite doing some research I’m not sure how someone would end up with this as a job. To start with it is both a technical and visual position requiring artistic knowledge as talked about in the composition post but technical knowledge is also a must because of the tools they use. A game engine will come with its own set of tools housed in a level editor that the designer must be fluent in.

In many ways their job is creating a balance between the visual and technical. This is not to be confused with a technical artist though who serves to mediate between programmers and artists. That is an altogether different beast.

Another key requirement I would imagine is experience - someone who has held a position working on games in the past. I highly doubt that a company would employ a graduate as a level designer unless it was in exceptional circumstances.

As an artist, 2d or 3d, my job would be heavily influenced by the work undertaken by the level designers, and it is simply up to us artists to make their work look good.