Game Engines: I Just Want Stuff To Look Pretty

I've been a little busy lately so... here I am, back again.

There are so many Game Engines. Don't believe me, check out this wikipedia page that literally just lists all of them.

You don't really realise that when you play video games. Or at least, I didn't. Since starting this course I've only had a small amount of experience Game Engines. Unreal was first. Since then I've had a little more experience with Cryengine but that's just the tip of the iceberg. There are hundreds of different engines that all have different advantages and disadvantages. Some are free, others are proprietary, owned by specific companies and only used "in house" but they all do the same job.

They let you put together your game.

The first thing I said when I used UDK was "this is just like playing the Sims" and it really is to some extent. You get to place all these assets you've lovingly crafted into an exciting environment and you feel very accomplished. Until you realise that the time you've spent making those assets is literally a fraction of the time that you need to be spending in the engine. Scripting, lighting, post-processing effects, triggers, particles. ERGH. So many different areas to focus on, so much stuff to do.

The reason there are so many different engines is, I suppose, because each engine has it's pros and cons. Some engines will be better for lighting, other be better for rendering realistic materials, some will pride themselves on the ease with which you can use them.; it all depends on the engine. I've only had a little experience with two engines so much of this will be my own personal experience with these engines, but I've done a bit of research so, so far this is what I can tell.

Pros:

• UDK has a wealth of tutorials for aspiring Game Artists. Seriously, youtube videos, support forums. You name it. It's incredibly simple to get help with any issue that you're having. 
• Kismet. It's not something I've had a lot of experience with but it is essentially a scripting tool that is set out in a flowgraph within UDK. It makes it easy for game artists which little scripting experience (like muggins here) to create triggers etc. within the level. It's incredibly useful and is set out much like the material editor so the interface is relatively simple to use. 
• It gives a very professional look. In terms of rendering, it has a multi-threaded rendering system called Gemini that gives you a 64-bit HDR rendering pipeline. "The raw power behind Unreal Engine 3’s rendering system will push your creations to new levels. Your work has never seemed as alive as it is with Unreal Engine 3" says the Unreal site and I'd have to agree.
• It's incredibly flexible with a heavy reliance on the user inputing the exact settings they want. 
• Many AAA games use UDK and look unbelievably fantastic. There is a long list but the notable ones are (at least for me) Mass Effect 1 and 2, Mirrors Edge and Enslaved: Odyssey to the West. 
• It's also used for some great mobile games, meaning it's got a lot of functionality within the industry, Infinity Blade being the big one.

Mass Effect

Mass Effect 2

Mirrors Edge

Mirrors Edge

And of course

• IT'S FREE (for free games)

Cons:

• I really don't like the interface. I'm going to be entirely honest, I'm not a fan. I'm not a big fan of the Material Editor or the Content browser and they are a little confusing for beginners.
• Light Maps. Again, it's all personal preference, but I really dislike making light maps for everything and it means that my workflow takes longer.
• It's complicated. The big reason why there are so many tutorials is because it's incredibly complicated when you're a beginner. You open it up and there is a block in the centre of a floor. "What am I doing?" was my first reaction.

Huh?

Now, on to Cryengine.

Pros:

• It is my favourite engine. (This is a matter of opinion, but seriously I love it)
• It's real time lighting system is beautiful. Seriously. It also means you don't have to waste your time with light maps and baking lighting (I'm looking at you here UDK...)
• It is ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. The Crysis series is the best way to show this. Cryengine is an absolutely beautiful engine. It boasts itself as the "fastest, high-end renderer in the world" according to their website.
• It's interface is lovely. It's sleek, easy to use and the flow graph system they have, at least in my opinion, is easier to understand than that of UDK.
• Cryengine has a much faster workflow. Many of the tools are ready made and created to cut down the time you spend messing about with settings in engine. This means quicker results.
• It is also, at the moment, $10 cheaper than Unreal. That helps.

Crysis 2

Crysis 2

Crysis 3

Cons:

• It's not as flexible as UDK. Although it has a quicker workflow, UDK wins out over flexibility. 
• There... isn't that much support for new users. There is a lot of documentation but it's so painfully out of date that it hurts. Scrolling through you can see that buttons are referenced that no longer exist.
• There aren't nearly as many tutorials out there either so looking through google page after google page is a little tedious.

The thing about Game Engines is, and in my research through the internet this really holds true, you can argue for days on end about which is better, but all these different engines serve different purposes.

If you're looking for flexibility and full control of your project, Unreal is for you
Want hyper-realistic rendered environments and gorgeous lighting from the get go? Cryengine is where you're heading.
Unity is more useful for beginners and also indie developers too, so I've heard, but I haven't used it so I don't feel to comfortable talking about it because I've got no experience. 

Hell, there are a million different engines with a million different purposes. No one is really better than the other. It all comes down to what project you're working on (and what company you're working at, come to me Frostbite3, you beautiful thing)

Links used:
https://www.unrealengine.com/products/udk/
http://cryengine.com/features/visuals

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_game_engines#Commercial

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CryEngine_3#CryEngine_3

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Source_engine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unreal_Engine_3#Unreal_Engine_3

https://uk.answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20130522173235AAXRCWF

http://giacomovaccari.tumblr.com/post/18380022743/what-game-engine-to-use-a-beginner-game-developer

https://forums.epicgames.com/threads/729896-Pros-and-Cons-of-UDK

http://www.gamedev.net/topic/626395-udk-or-unity-the-best-game-engine-for-beginners/

http://www.worldofleveldesign.com/categories/wold-members-tutorials/petebottomley/udk-kismet-introduction.php

http://www.worldofleveldesign.com/categories/level_design_tutorials/recommended-game-engines.php
http://www.worldofleveldesign.com/categories/level_design_tutorials/what-level-editor-game-engine-should-you-use-how-to-choose.php

http://www.dsogaming.com/news/cryengine-gets-updated-for-next-gen-platforms-new-logo-gamescom-2013-tech-demo/ (image)

http://www.eteknix.com/first-ever-unreal-indie-bundle-offers-seven-games-for-20-14-99/ (image)

Sound For Games: I Have A Lot Of Feelings

I'll start this off by says that I have a lot of strong feelings about video games soundtrack.

In fact, it's taking a lot of restraint to not just post 50 videos of different soundtracks that I'm a little in love with. I could talk for hours about how much I love Inon Zur, or Jesper Kyd, or Martin -O'Donnel, or Mike Salvatori or Clint Mansell, or Jeremy Soule, or Jack Wall or Sascha Dikiciyan, or Cris Velasco , Hanz Zimmer or even Trent Reznor... Well, the list goes on. However, that's not going to answer the question "How is sound used in games?" At least not right now it isn't.

First we should take a little look at the history of sound in games. Chiptune. That's where it all started really.  It was common place back in the day because that's all we could afford to include with the technology we had. It improved with sampling and the introduction of MIDI in the 1980s but still, it wasn't up to the standard it is today. 

However, the limited amount of space lead to some of the most memorable pieces of music in gaming history, the Mario Theme or Zelda's Lullaby being the big ones. These themes are imprinted on the minds of adults and kids alike because they have such a strong melody; the tune gets stuck in your head. This isn't an accident either; these memorable themes were created to define the franchises they were a part of, helping them take up a big old chunk of video game history, along with Koji Kondo, the man behind most of them.

Link to the Past - Zelda's Lullaby

Super Mario Theme

You ask someone today to sing you Zelda's Lullaby, chances are they can and many musicians still sample these track and remix them, creating huge numbers of new songs on sites like OC Remix.

Zelda's Lullaby Remix - The Triforce Has Too Many Pieces

Nowadays however, the technology has improved so much as games have become more complex and very often cinematic experiences as well as games. This has lead to so many beautiful soundtracks of varying genres and styles, often rivalling film soundtracks in their quality. We've moved far away from the old days of chiptune, which could be seen as a negative thing because we tend to not have the solid themes that games like Mario used to have. However, we have something entirely different; the ability to evoke strong emotions and create incredible atmosphere within our games. 

Soundtracks, at least in my opinion, are very similar to the previous chiptune themes from the SNES era; they are brand identifiers to the people who play them. Let a person listen to a song from the any Halo soundtrack, chances are they know which series it is. This is done mainly using some kind of motive or genre.

 Seeing as we're on the topic of Halo, I'll use that as my example. Martin O'Donnell, the main composer for the Halo franchise, said in a podcast with Bungie "Master Chief is still green, Cortana is still blue, and so you're going to hear the monks and the cellos" on the topic of the Halo 3 soundtrack. He said he took a " orthodox, almost formal approach to the trilogy". Essentially, the first game was big on the orchestral pieces, the second game had more of a... guitar/rock theme with the help of Steve Vai (MJOLNIR MIX). The third game, however, combines these two to create something gorgeous. Like, O'Donnell says "you're still going to hear the monks and the cellos"; Those are the motifs. You can tell almost instantly what game it's from if you've played it. 

Halo - Orchestral Theme

Halo 2 - Mjolnir Mix

This is a recurring theme with game soundtracks. Each of the soundtracks for different games in the franchise tends to have some kind of underlying motif or instrument involved, usually with the same composer working on it. With Halo it's the monks and the cellos. In Dragon Age, both Origins and 2, Aubrey Ashburn is the vocalist used on the tracks and Inon Zur composes both scores. Her voice is fairly distinctive and there are similar hooks used in both soundtracks so, while they are different games, you can still tell they are from the same franchise.

Dragon Age: Origins - I Am The One

Dragon Age 2 - Rogue Heart

As well as being a brand identifier like those original chiptune melodies, sound is a huge part of what creates the atmosphere and emotion we feel when playing. Older games tended to have and overworld with different levels coming off of it and each one contained its own exclusive theme with its own unique atmosphere. Games like Pokemon also have this, with each town having a different pieces of music to set the scene. For example, LavenderTown famously has some of the most unsettling music with its own urban legend, involving kids getting sick and even committing suicide after listening to it. Each of these worlds had its own atmosphere that didn't change until you switched levels, so there tended to be one solid theme that would play throughout.

Lavender Town Theme - Pokemon Red

However, now that the way we make games has become more complex and we have better equipment and technology at our disposal we aren't stuck with one song per level. In fact, there are multiple songs per level and, in the case of open world games, the music changes all the time. Just look at Skyrim or Oblivion. Because games have become more cinematic now, often the music changes to help push the mood onto the player. In Dragon Age for example, you can be wondering around a forest quite happily until you're ambushed by a group of enemies. The music changes quickly; the contrast between the serene theme of the forest and the brutal, aggressive theme of combat is obvious and sets you on edge a little, letting you know this are heating up. The death of an important character in the plot or a sad/emotional moment will be accompanied by the music to emphasise that.

Well, I've rambled on about soundtracks long enough but I've missed out something important. Soundtracks and music are not the only part of sound design. Ambient sounds are just as important, if not more so in the case of some games. You can use sounds to lead the player around a level, to create tension and suspense and to scare them shitless. A lack of a soundtrack can sometimes be just as effective as a regular soundtrack. A good example of this is Slender. Almost no music involved at all, it's all footsteps, heavy breathing, heartbeats and ambient noise; it's terrifying. See, music doesn't follow you around in the real world so when you want to isolate a player and create that sense of suspense, silence is a great option. Music gives too much away. Then, when you catch a glimpse of the Slenderman, a great big sting booms through the headphones and you jump out of your seat and sprint the opposite way. It's clever and something that horror games especially take full advantage of. 

Slender Gameplay

One of the big things about sound that many aspiring and working game designers overlook (and I know I certainly did) is how INCREDIBLY important it is. The sound design can make or break your game if it's done poorly. After reading Gamasutra's article on Sound Design (which is a great read and way better than what I can write about it) I learnt just how important it is. Randy Thom, a big sound designer for films such as Star Wars V and VI, stated that "a movie must be designed for sound, rather than the other way around" and the same can be said for video games. Sound designers to be involved as early as possible to make sure that every part of your game evokes the right response from the player. In the next generation of consoles and games, sound design has such a huge potential to improve. We just need to work harder at incorporating and planning out the scores and sound effects parallel to the stories and levels; if we do that, we could create some truly incredible experiences within our games.

I said I was trying hard not to post all of my favourite video game sound tracks but... you know what. I don't care. I'm doing it. Listen to these, just to name a few:

Halo 3 - Tribute

Full Soundtrack

Dragon Age: Origins - In Uthenera
Full Soundtrack

Mass Effect 3 - Leaving Earth
Full Soundtrack

Mass Effect- Vigil (Extended)

Full Soundtrack

Borderlands 2 - Menu Theme

Full Soundtrack

Assassins Creed 2 - Family

Full Soundtrack

Hawken - Menu Theme

Mirrors Edge - Still Alive (Instrumental)

Full Soundtrack

Red Dead Redemption - Born Unto Trouble
Full Soundtrack

Final Fantasty XIII - Gapra Whitewood
Full Soundtrack

Documentation: FMPs Are Scary

F.M.P.

Three letter that have been looming over my head all year. There's a lot expected of me and a lot on the line. So, when asked to write a outline and technical specification as practice for the course, the ideas of what I wanted to do began to swirl around my head. They left me with only one thing being absolutely certain: I have NO idea what I want to do for my FMP.

So that's my summer decided.

Anyway, on with the practice. I searched the interest for some examples of design documents, and found Game Pitches, which had a few examples of design documents, although many of them had been removed. I browsed through the Metal Gear Solid 2 document and the Grand Theft Auto design document to get a feel for what I needed to write about.

So here we go.

Mock FMP Design Document

Project Outline

Personal Aims

The main goal I aim to achieve with this project is create an industry standard AAA environment along with a lead character, NPC and vehicle that will be used as a show reel piece for my portfolio. The concept will be a 1940's Hotel in New York City in a noir style. To fully realise this idea, I must achieve an interesting noir-style atmosphere with my lighting and textures. My secondary aim is to create the environment and vehicle with as much historical accuracy as possible to realise a fully realistic environment and characters that will fit within the period.

Learning Outcomes

- To improve my knowledge of lighting systems in Cryengine 3 to create an interesting and suspense-filled atmosphere

- To show that I can model and texture assets I have created to an industry standard, with a level of photorealism.

- To improve my portfolio with interesting characters that I have designed and fully realised in 3D.

Platform

The platform I am aiming for is the next generation of consoles and, by extension, high-end PCs.

Genre

I am hoping to create a 1950's noir narrative based exploration game, similar to that of Dear Esther or Gone Home.

Audience

I would like to appeal to a wide audience. However, some of the themes I wish to tackle with this project may lead to a more mature audience. Due to its narrative-heavy nature, it is unlikely to appear to the modern FPS fan.

Technology and Software

I will be using Cryengine3 as I am far more comfortable with the software and it's real-time lighting is a real bonus.

For my asset creation I will be using 3DS Max, ZBrush and 3D Coat for retopology.

For my textures I will use Photoshop CC, Crazybump, Ndo2, and Zbrush.

Technical Specifications

Lead Character

Female detective

35,000 triangles

6 2048x2048 texture including face and details (albedo with alpha if necessary, but kept to a minimum, bump, specular with gloss in alpha)

NPC

Male detective partner

Due to player interaction, similar specs to the player character other than the inclusion of LODs

40,000 triangles (LOD0)
1250 triangles (LOD5)

LOD0 - 6x 2048x2048 texture including face and details (albedo with alpha if necessary, but kept to a minimum, bump, specular with gloss in alpha)
LOD5 - 1X1024 texture (albedo)
Textures for each LOD should decrease, keeping them to a minimum. Only albedo textures past LOD2.

A Vehicle

The car itself will be a 1940s Dodge Deluxe Convertible and will be only featured at the beginning of the level.

60,000 triangles (LOD0)

1875 triangles (LOD5)

4x 2048x2048 textures (albedo with alpha if necessary, but kept to a minimum, bump, specular with gloss in alpha)

Textures for each LOD should decrease, keeping them to a minimum. Only albedo textures past LOD2.

An Environment

The environment will be entirely interior. Because of this, it will be built out of efficiently made modular pieces.

1000 triangles (maximum)

LOD2 if overly detailed

Textures will consist of either:

1x 2048x2048 texture detail (albedo, alpha if necessary, normal, specular with gloss in alpha)

1x 1024x1024 tilable texture (albedo, normal, specular with gloss in alpha)

Can be pushed up to 2048x2048 if absolutely necessary.

Will be a variety of these textures that can be reused repeatedly. Will need a list of the modular pieces to be entirely sure of the final texture specifications.

Props and Scenery

Basic props:

1500 triangles - MAXIMUM

LOD2 if overly detailed

1x 2048x2048 texture MAXIMUM (albedo, alpha if necessary, normal, specular with gloss in alpha)

Only albedo textures for LODs

Hero Assets:

Up to 10000 triangles MAXIMUM

LOD3 if overly detailed

2x 2048x2048 textures MAXIMUM (albedo, alpha if necessary, normal, specular with gloss in alpha)

Only albedo textures past LOD2.

I'm sure I'll look back at this next year and laugh at my technical specs, but then again, the likelihood that I'll be developing for anything next-gen next year is low. Still, this was incredibly informative and, you know what, I think I know what I want to do for my FMP now.

This has been a long post. Have a representation of how I feel when I have to think about my FMP in gif form.

Reference used:

http://www.guerrilla-games.com/presentations/Valient_Killzone_Shadow_Fall_Demo_Postmortem.pdf

http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=129384

http://kotaku.com/just-how-more-detailed-are-ps4-characters-over-ps3-char-507749539

http://wccftech.com/ryse-polygon-count-comparision-aaa-titles-crysis-star-citizen/

http://www.polycount.com/forum/showthread.php?t=118729

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/79761783?access_key=key-22pchn6eq45k7zytu9u4&allow_share=true&escape=false&view_mode=scroll

http://www.scribd.com/fullscreen/53563149?access_key=key-j8qtrjgdp2e0bzvly9i&allow_share=true&escape=false&view_mode=slideshow

Level Design: Getting From A To B Without Being Bored

Level design is a long, complicated process...

There's a lot that goes into level design that I think people take for granted.  It's a long and complex process that incorporates a variety of different areas that the designer needs to consider.

The primary aim of level design is to create a playable space that your player can navigate with ease to achieve a goal you designer has set out for them, whether that be get from point A to point B, or if it's a multi-player map in which you must hunt down your fellow players. Playability is key; if your player can't navigate the space then you've not designed a great level. However, there is a little more to it than that. You need to make sure that while the player is navigating, they aren't bored out of their minds. While designing a level, you need to continually think "what will the player think about this?" or "will the player be enjoying this?". The purpose of a video game is ENTERTAINMENT so make it fun or people won't be interested in your game.

Suggested workflow for Level Design -University Lecture

There are a few different workflows you can follow when designing levels. The one we learnt about at University is pictured above in flow graph form, but there are others. This article on World of Level Design really helped me understand a little more about the workflow needed when designing your level. Again, this goes back to the planning and concept stage we spoke about in an earlier post, but you need to have a level plan first. This will save you time in the long run and allow you to already have the paths you want your player to follow, and any alternate routes or secret areas you want to have present. After this, block it out in the chosen engine. This is called whiteboxing and in so useful for understanding the size and scale of the playable space, allowing you to figure out where your assets will go and where certain events will take place. It also means you can use screenshots to concept over, so you can visualise the space better. Looking through the polycount forums, a found an aspiring Game Designer by the screenname CurtWad who was working on a project called Argatona Station in 2011 and his whiteboxes are fantastic. I recommend checking out his project.

CurtWad's Argatona Station - Whitebox

CurtWad's Argatona Station - Whitebox


CurtWad's Argatona Station - Level Plan

It is a Game Art course I'm on so I'd best talk about the importance of visuals in level design as well. The graphical fidelity is obviously important, but there is more to it than that. REFERENCE IS EVERYTHING. You want your map to be relatively believable. Even in a fantasy setting there has to be something to ground it to reality. For example, even in games like Mass Effect, the environments and levels that they create feel relatively believable. whether it be the Normandy or an alien planet, they feel like liveable spaces.

A big thing that you should think about is the uniqueness of your map. Like I explained before, it's all about entertainment. How much is the player enjoying your level? If they've played something that looked exactly like it before, they won't be nearly as interested as they would be if you're giving them a unique experience. This can be achieved through gameplay, but more often than not it's achieved through the visual aesthetic of your level. This can be done with a hero asset, colour scheme or a particular style you've chosen to use your textures or models. Looking back to Mass Effect, you can see it in the Citadel DLC. The Silversun Strip is the new area introduced on the Citadel and the colour scheme is very vivid and bright with lots of blues and purples with neon signs and bright lights. Each area within Mass Effect has a different colour scheme and visual motifs and it helps keep the game fresh and interesting for the player.

Mass Effect 3 - Citadel DLC Screenshot

Mass Effect 3 - Citadel DLC Screenshot

Atmosphere is something else you need to take into account when thinking about the visual feel of your level. Again, much like with the Citadel DLC, the colour plays a big part, but lighting is probably the most important thing involved in creating the atmosphere. The lighting and colours in the Silversun Strip and the asset placements and people that populate the area all create this bustling, flashy feel; wealth and excitement.

Mass Effect 3 - Citadel DLC Concept

Mass Effect 3 - Citadel DLC Concept

This is where your reference will come into play as well. Getting pictures of areas with the lighting conditions you want will be invaluable to you when creating your lighting. Especially in exterior levels. Depending on the time of day and the time of year, the lighting conditions will be different so your level should reflect that. It all adds up to creating that sense of realism. Atmosphere can make or break your entire level;  you're aiming for suspense but your level doesn't feel tense or scary, you need to go back and readjust.

Another important thing involved in level design is story. I touched on this when I wrote about environment design in my first year blogs, and reviewing it has made me think about Dead Space in terms of level design. Like I previous explained, within your level you can tell an entire story without using any characters. So many different games do this, from Left 4 Dead to Dead Island to Dead Space (a lot of "deads" there). It helps to create a more realistic, lived in environment and that will give the player, hopefully some extra entertainment  and something more to explore. As well as this, though, your level must convey they actual objective so the player can navigate their way through the map and they understand their purpose there.

Dead Space - Screenshot

This barely covers the complicated formula that is Level Design. There is so much more to talk about and people spend entire careers trying to perfect their abilities in this particular area.

I've been studying Game Art for a year and a bit. I'm no expert, so forgive me.

If anyone reads this and has and tips or interesting theories and workflows, please message me/email me or let me know. I'd be interested to hear any tips you guys have. 

References used:

http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/131736/beginning_level_design_part_1.php?page=1

http://worldofleveldesign.com/categories/level_design_tutorials/worklfow_dm-icyapex-unreal3/level_design_workflow_tutorial.php

http://worldofleveldesign.com/categories/level_design_tutorials/map_creation_guidelines.php

http://www.crydev.net/wiki/index.php/Introduction_to_Level_Design

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Level_design

Visual Composition: Between a Rock-Tree-Bush and a Hard Place

Ever looked at a painting and though "Wow, that looks awesome!" but you don't quite know why?

Composition.

Ever looked at a piece of artwork and thought "eh, something's not quite right here"?

Composition.

Ever played a video game and you walk through a door and look out over a vast landscape and were blown away?

Composition.

I think I've hammered my point home enough here. Composition is one of, if not the, most important thing involved in any visual practice. Explaining what it is is a little complex, but as Studio Codex defined it, composition is "how artists work with their judgement, make associations, and determine how to direct the observer’s eye".

There are so many different elements that you have to take into account when you think about composition. Usually there are 8 areas that you need to look at when it comes to painting:

• Unity - how well it all fits together
• Balance - Obviously, this is how your image is balanced. Symmetrical paintings seem to be more calm, where as asymmetry seems to be more lively.
•  Movement -This, again, is exactly as it sounds, adding movement by arranging the elements of your images; you lead the viewer through your painting.
•  Rhythm  - This is repeating colours, shapes etc. and how you arrange them to lead your viewer through the painting again. 
• Focus  - Of course the part of your image you are aiming to emphasize. This can be done with contrasting colours, colour saturation and also arranging shapes to lead the viewer to your point of focus.
• Contrast - The contrast between light and dark and colours in the painting. The tone can help lead your viewer around your image as well.
• Pattern - All about your the pattern, shapes and lines within your composition
• Proportion - All about the big and small, basically.

All of these different elements must be used together to create a great image and this isn't even taking into account all the other things that are important when it comes to visual acuity, like colour theory etc.

There are loads of other areas included in composition; arabesques and rule of thirds and lots quinstances and all that. They all help to make the image pleasing to the eye. You can see it in many images and there are some fantastic sites that break down these images. The best one I've come across is the Canon of Design. It breaks down paintings done by masters and even shots from TV shows  and explains how they've been constructed. Reading through it means that I can see how these images have been created and apply the techniques and rules to my own work.

The Rule of Thirds Killed Design And Left It For Dead Part 2 -
Locked into the Grid - Found here.

The Rule of Thirds Killed Design And Left It For Dead Part 2 -
Locked into the Grid - Found here.

Well, that's all about art and paintings but within a video game, it's a little different. Rather than painting a picture, the art work you create is a 3D space that will be inhabited by the player. The core ideas of composition are still the same, but there is a little more to think about.

When making a level you need to make the whole environment seem visually pleasing to the player and also lead through the level. This is where composition comes into play. If we take a look at Mass Effect 3, there are many compositional shots that also serve a purpose within the actual game itself, almost 4th dimensional. 

Screenshot taken from here.

This first image is of the Asari Temple on Thessia. You can see here there are a lot of compositional elements involved. The symmetry creates a serene feel, while the actual architecture within the temple all points you towards the central statue, the focus of the scene and also where the player should ultimately go to. The colour is light, contrasting the darker tones surrounding it. Triangular composition, known as an enclosure is also present here. Arranging shapes or elements into simple geometric shapes is usually most pleasing to the eyes, so the architecture and the statue form a triangle in the centre of the scene hence the "Rock, Tree, Bush Effect" is arranging an enclosure comprised of a rock, tree and bush to create a triangle, adding interest and variation. It's all used to lead the player to the focal point, but is also aesthetically pleasing to the eye.

Screenshot taken from here.

This image is also from Mass Effect. The construction of it is very similar, triangular composition, architecture pointing towards the focal point. However, in this image the focal point is actually the enemy and the red used helps to emphasize this point and show the danger.

Ultimately, composition is used in bloody everything but it's crazy complicated. There are so many different things to take into account and so many different techniques, from the rule of thirds to the inclusion of arabesques to the arrangement of shapes, enclosures and the relationships between then. Ergh, there's a lot.

Howeer, construction of images is important. It's also important to use within video games within a 3D space; it helps you lead the player around the level, draw their attention to focal points and also create a pleasing aesthetic. 

Basically, composition is awesome. 

-Hannah

Planning and Concepting: For Real, The Most Important Part...

NEVER UNDERESTIMATE THE PLANNING AND CONCEPTING STAGE.

Seriously. The whole project will crumble, you'll lose all your money, you'll have to live on the street and you will die.

Okay so that's a minor exaggeration, but there are a lot of reasons why both of these stages are important in the industry. From a creative standpoint, planning and concepting allows you to explore lots of ideas and get the best outcome because you've refined every part of your project. From a business standpoint, planning and concepting saves you a whole lot of money. It's  cheaper to get a guy to draw 20 variations of a person than it is to have a guy model and texture one person and then figure out it looks terrible and have to redo it. TIME IS MONEY PEOPLE.

There are lots of different areas of planning involved in Games Development. When you take a look at Wikipedia you can see the basic areas of pre-production are the high concept, pitch, concept, design document, prototype; all these are majorly important.

However, we are focusing specifically on planning and concepting, and they are what sets the visual style and aesthetic from the beginning. This gives you a guide to stick to for the rest of the development process. This is essential for keeping your game looking like a cohesive piece of work rather than a bunch of assets made by different people in different styles. A way to do this is through an Art Style Guide, which will contain information on the style which would be researched, your characters, texture details, interiors, exteriors etc. This should be followed buy everyone on the team for a cohesive feel to the style of the game. Some of the concept art that I love that has a very definitive style is from Matt Rhodes, who has been working on Dragon Age Inquisition.

Dragon Age Inquisition Concept Art

One game that I think, in terms of its aesthetic, is spot on when it comes to this is the Fable franchise and, in particular, Fable 3. Interesting choice, I know, considering the game was less than stellar. Something people don't necessarily know about me is that I adore collecting game guides, particularly the specials editions. One of the guides I own is Fable 3 and in the back it has so much concept art that when I first saw it I nearly cried with happiness; it has character designs, environment designs, meshes, models and information about each concepts. It's a game artists' dream, seriously. This means that... well... citing a source for this blog will be a little difficult but I'll link to somewhere you can buy it. Pick it up on Amazon.

Anyway, all of their concepts look as though they are part of a single world with a particular style and when you play the game you can see it carry over so well.  Say what you want about this game, it's style is fantastic and cohesive. Each of their designs relates to another one as well, to make sure that they all fit together. For example, the description of the Auroran City says that "with the continent - we were aiming for a completely different feel to that of the familiar Albion" [1] but they also mention "the visual style still retains Fable elements, the swirl motifs being familiar"[1]. They also explain about the stonework textures having a "similar saturation, but with a different texture feel, endeavouring not to be too contrasting or jarring"[1].  When you look at Aurora you can see it has an entirely different atmosphere to Albion but it's isn't like you're in a different game with a different style. That's why concepting is important.

Fable III - Aurora Concept

Fable III - Aurora Concept

Fable III Screenshot - Aurora 

Fable III Screenshot - Aurora

Fable III Screenshots - Aurora

Applying this to my own work is difficult for me to do because it requires some SERIOUSLY good work ethic and the ability to plan and plan well. This is harder than it sounds. My work ethic is... lacking. My whole school life I'd been writing essays the day before hand-in, no problems. Game Art is not something that can be treated the same way.

Improving my work ethic is the biggest problem I've encountered on this course and I'm slowly building it up and getting better. There is nothing more satisfying that seeing all your work come together after you've gone through all the hard work to achieve the end result; it gives a buzz that I'm starting to crave a little more.

Link used:
http://uk.ign.com/articles/2006/03/16/the-game-production-pipeline-concept-to-completion

http://www.slideshare.net/Kelvis2000/game-development-preproduction - So unbelievably interesting to read through. 

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[1] Fable III Limited Edition Strategy Guide pg 416

Second Year Starts: How Did I Get Here?

Well... how did my first year go?

That's a very good question.

How will my second year go?

An even better question.

You're always taught to look back on what you've done. Whether it's at school, at university or at a job, you should always be looking back at mistakes, at victories, at everything; it's how you learn. So I suppose it's probably what I should do with my first year of Game Art.

In all honesty, my first year of Game Art was... okay. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't great; average is the word I would use. I did my tasks, I completed my projects, I did presentations and that was that; and that's the problem. It was so average.

In the Games Industry, individuality is everything. You need to be able to stand out from the crowd to get a job. Who do you think a company is going to take on after a portfolio review? The girl who has some run-of-the-mill university projects or the girl who has spent time and effort on interesting side projects as well as having exciting new takes on her university-set work.

It's a no brainer.

Anyway, I'm getting ahead of myself.

First of all, it's probably a good idea to look at what went right in my first year. Let's take a look.

First of all: LIFE DRAWING

Easily my favourite part of the year. Life drawing is one of the most calming, yet useful parts of this course. Taking some time out to examine anatomy in detail and work on shading and tone variations while gathering some great images and poses for reference later. I always put in 110% effort in life drawing. It's all about expression as well as accuracy so it didn't always have to be completely perfect.

I just really like life drawing.

Secondly: 3D PROJECTS

 When I came onto the course from Sixth Form, I had absolutely ZERO experience with any kind of 3D software. I'd come from a completely art based background and had no idea how I was going to get to grips with the 3D side of the course.

Turned out I really liked it.

First attempt modelling and texturing. What a joke...

Remodelled and textured in 5 hours in the second term. Looks INFINITELY BETTER.

First year introduced me to the core principles of 3D modelling and texturing and I think I picked up on it fairly quickly.

Picking a favourite 3D project from the first year is easy; the transit van project. It was so much fun. Previously we'd really only made things that were very straight, like buildings, bins etc. However, the transit van was a nice departure from this with a little more skill required to make a good model. It was a lot of fun and a real lesson in fixing n-gons. While the model took a while to make, I'm fairly confident that actually remaking it wouldn't take all that long; a day if that.

There were many other things in the first year that I enjoyed as well. The presentations we did for critical studies and the journalism that we looked in to really helped me come out of my shell and it turned out that I really enjoyed presenting, something that I would rather have killed myself than do a year or so ago.

If you want to read my Dragon Age: Origins review that I did for Critical Studies last year, check it out here.

However, not everything was a total success. My biggest problem in first year can be summed up in two words.

TIME.
MANAGEMENT.

It's something I've always struggled with. In school I did essay based subjects which I could always bash out in a night and hand them in the next day to get an A. Game Art is not like this and never will be. It's hard bloody work. It requires dedication and time, something that I really underestimated at first and it cost me.

So, after all this, what can I take away from it?

WORK HARDER. Seriously. That's my main goal this year. Just keep working and keep working hard. Practice makes perfect, as they say, so the more I do, the better I'll get. Right?

Well, I'll let you know how it goes...