Tuesday 26 April 2011

Environments, or, 'Space'!

A Basic Sound Environment.... Research:

1. Starting at the father of all videogames, my first example is 'Pong' by Atari (1972):



The sound system used for pong is called 'Monaural', which has a very handy explanation from wiki!:

Monaural or monophonic sound reproduction (often shortened to mono) is single-channel. Typically there is only one microphone, one loudspeaker, or (in the case of headphones and multiple loudspeakers) channels are fed from a common signal path. In the case of multiple microphones the paths are mixed into a single signal path at some stage.
Monaural sound has been replaced by stereo sound in most entertainment applications. However, it remains the standard for radiotelephone communications, telephone networks, and Audio induction loops for use with hearing aids. A few radio stations, particularly of the talk radio variety, choose to broadcast in monaural sound, as a monaural signal has a slight advantage in signal strength over a stereophonic signal of the same power.

The gaming interface is set up in 2D, birds-eye view, with simplistic sounds this game is a perfect example of basic environments with limited sounds.

2. My second example is from a game I played as a child; 'The Lion King' produced by Virgin Interactive (1994), I played it on the computer, however it was also available for, SNES, NES, Game Boy, Sega Megadrive/ Genesis, Amiga, Master System and Game Gear. Although a long jump in production date, this game uses elements of the Atari game 'Pong'. For example; the game features 2D side scrolling technology, although significally increased in graphical detail, this game is still 2D! The graphics were produced by actual Disney animators, the background music is MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), in other words electronic music, usually produced using a synthesiser etc.

The Lion King Coverart.png


3. Another basic example of game environment is the original 'Prince of Persia'! (1989), developed by Jordan Mechner for the Apple II:



Prince of Persia 1989 cover.jpg

Prince of Persia was produced using 'Rotoscope' techniques, another wiki definition is needed;
Rotoscoping is an animation technique in which animators trace over live-action film movement, frame by frame, for use in animated films.[1] Originally, recorded live-action film images were projected onto a frosted glass panel and re-drawn by an animator. This projection equipment is called a rotoscope, although this device has been replaced by computers in recent years. In the visual effects industry, the term rotoscoping refers to the technique of manually creating a matte for an element on a live-action plate so it may be composited over another background.

The original POP had only sound effects (sounds of jumping and gates rising etc.), it was a pinacle game, it started the 'non-scroll' levels and superior animation compared to anything that had come before!

4. My last example for simplistic sound and environments is the second 'Final Fantasy' developed by Square (the company now called Square-Enix!) made in 1988:

A man with white hair covered with a bandanna holds a red sword in his right hand horizontally across him. A swirly teal border surrounds him except for the upper left, where a stylized "Final Fantasy II" logo resides. The Japanese version of the name, ファイナルファンタジーII, is overlaid across the bottom of the image.



The game is a 2D pixel made game for the Family Computer and has been remade for Wonderswan Color, Sony Playstation, Japanese mobiles, Game Boy Advance and PSP. The music was, of course, made by the legendary, Nobuo Uematsu- Sama, and is MIDI made.

An Immersive 3D Environment.... Research:

I thought I'd start with an environment that led to the fully immersive environments found in modern gaming! So, yet again I am using 'Final Fantasy 7' (1997), my personal favourite series and game in the series.

Ffviibox.jpg


This clip gives us images of both in-game and also the FMV sequences. The animation in this game was the start of the 3D age! Made for the Sony Playstation the game was ahead of it's time. It used 3D technology for the interactive environment and for the characters, and 2D graphic artwork for the distant background work. Again, the music was made by Nobuo Uematsu and produced in MIDI form by a synthesiser, the 3D technology used in this game made Squaresoft (as named then) one of the leading Japanese video game developers and allowed them to continue developing the 3D graphics for the next games to the present day and probably for a long time in the future.

2. Continuing with my decision to build up to present day technology, my next subject is from the good old PS2 era or what is now known as vintage! (-_-''). Therefore I have selected one of my favourite games from the PS2, 'Shadow of the Colossus'!

Sotc boxart.jpg


Released in 2005, 'Shadow of the Colossus' is a 3D game developed by Team ICO (creators of the great game 'ICO'). The game boasts incredible graphics and the music was developed especially to ensure the player would feel alone in a world that is exceedingly vast, the emotional effect being that the audience feels the character's desperation to save his loved one, but feeling so small compared to everything in the world! The colossus add to this effect! Although the gameplay in the landscape of the world is silent, save for the character's sound effects, when the cut-scenes play, or a battle starts (and throughout the course of the battle) the music changes to orchestrally recorded soundtracks that immerse the player completely into the fight.

3. My third choice is 'Batman: Arkham Asylum', for PS3, Xbox 360 and Windows, released in 2009 by Rocksteady Studios.

Arkham Asylum.jpg


This clip is from the boss battle of my favourite villain, 'the Joker' and displays the immense graphical technology and quality of both gameplay and music. To make the gameplay graphics smooth, 'Wildstorm' built the character 'rigs' and Rocksteady animated the characters actions. It runs on Epic Games Unreal Engine 3. The music was composed by Nick Arundel and Ron Fish, and is completely orchestral based, allowing the gamer to focus on gameplay and not on lyrics etc. ensuring the experience of play to be focused and as though the player is in the game. Although the player is 3rd person the game still has a very strong depth to it's gameplay through good graphics and traditional orchestral soundtrack!

4. Finally, -Drum Roll- the final game in this post, I chose; 'Fallout 3'! Developed by the now infinately renowned game developers Bethesda Studios (rightfully so...), Fallout 3 was made on PS3, Windows and Xbox 360 and released in 2008.

Fallout 3 cover art.PNG


Fallout 3 was a game made to suit any gamer, the choice of 1st or 3rd person, the choice of music etc. lead the player to become immersed in the game extremely quickly. The original two Fallouts were developed by Black Isle Studios, however development was transferred to Bethesda (developers of 'Elder Scrolls') for the 3rd game, after a failure to complete the original version of Fallout 3 (a demo of the original Fallout 3 was released however). The Bethesda team did an incredible job working on the graphics and gameplay and created a legendary game even without the music, however, it was the music that swept it up the podium to one of the greatest games ever made! The music during gameplay was from a score written by composer, Inon Zur specifically for the game and builds tension with ease putting the player on the edge. In addition to this wonderful score the player has the choice of listening to the fallout radio transmissions! Galaxy News Radio, provides music that survived the blast and ranges from the 'Ink Spots' to the 'Andrews Sisters' (my particular favourite being; 'I don't want to set the world on fire...' by the Ink Spots!) and the other radio station in the game; the Enclave Radio, with it's stereotypical American Patriot's marches etc. The defining feature of this game is choice, from your character's appearance, conversation choices, music preferance and even gaming perspective (3rd person etc.), this game gives the player the opurtunity to play the game they want, making this my chosen most immersive video game!

Gothic Research For My Doorway:

Gothic Doorways:






These doorways combine arches and intricate gargoyle decorations, therefore I have decided to utilise gargoyles in my door design.

Gargoyles:



Gargoyles in general look quite 'impish', I have decided to use the imp and make it have the body of a dragon, this way I have combined both 'ideals' of your average gargoyle!

-Drawing Stage-

Several hours of brainstorming and rough drawings later, and I produce my final design:



I have combined arches, gargoyles and intricate carvings into my design. I may unfortunately, have to dull down my design, due to my lack of experience in creating maya poly models and texturing in mudbox.

Definitions of 'Space' and 'Representation':

Space:

Noun

  • S: (n) space, infinite (the unlimited expanse in which everything is located) "they tested his ability to locate objects in space"; "the boundless regions of the infinite"
  • S: (n) space (an empty area (usually bounded in some way between things)) "the architect left space in front of the building"; "they stopped at an open space in the jungle"; "the space between his teeth"
  • S: (n) space (an area reserved for some particular purpose) "the laboratory's floor space"
  • S: (n) outer space, space (any location outside the Earth's atmosphere) "the astronauts walked in outer space without a tether"; "the first major milestone in space exploration was in 1957, when the USSR's Sputnik 1 orbited the Earth"
  • S: (n) space, blank (a blank character used to separate successive words in writing or printing) "he said the space is the most important character in the alphabet"
  • S: (n) distance, space (the interval between two times) "the distance from birth to death"; "it all happened in the space of 10 minutes"
  • S: (n) space, blank space, place (a blank area) "write your name in the space provided"
  • S: (n) space (one of the areas between or below or above the lines of a musical staff) "the spaces are the notes F-A-C-E"
  • S: (n) quad, space ((printing) a block of type without a raised letter; used for spacing between words or sentences)

Verb

  • S: (v) space (place at intervals) "Space the interviews so that you have some time between the different candidates"
Source: wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Representation:

Noun

  • S: (n) representation, mental representation, internal representation (a presentation to the mind in the form of an idea or image)
  • S: (n) representation (a creation that is a visual or tangible rendering of someone or something)
  • S: (n) representation (the act of representing; standing in for someone or some group and speaking with authority in their behalf)
  • S: (n) representation, delegacy, agency (the state of serving as an official and authorized delegate or agent)
  • S: (n) representation (a body of legislators that serve in behalf of some constituency) "a Congressional vacancy occurred in the representation from California"
  • S: (n) representation (a factual statement made by one party in order to induce another party to enter into a contract) "the sales contract contains several representations by the vendor"
  • S: (n) theatrical performance, theatrical, representation, histrionics (a performance of a play)
  • S: (n) representation (a statement of facts and reasons made in appealing or protesting) "certain representations were made concerning police brutality"
  • S: (n) representation (the right of being represented by delegates who have a voice in some legislative body)
  • S: (n) representation (an activity that stands as an equivalent of something or results in an equivalent)
Source: wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

Tuesday 22 March 2011

Defining Technology, Creativity and Culture....

Technology:

Internet Definition: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=technology

Noun

Oxford Dictionary Definition:

Technology: N. (Science of) practical or industrial art(s); ethnological study of development of such arts; application of science; hence technological: A. ~IST.

Creativity:

Internet Definition: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Creativity

Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new (a product, a solution, a work of art etc.) that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs. What counts as "valuable" is similarly defined in a variety of ways.
Scholarly interest in creativity ranges widely: the relationship between creativity and general intelligence; the mental and neurological processes associated with creative activity; personality type and creative ability; creativity and mental health; creativity in education; and ways of fostering creativity through training and technology.

Oxford Dictionary Definition:

Creative: A. Creating; able to create; inventive, imaginative; showing imagination as well as routine skill; hence ~LY adv. ~NESS, creativity, ns. f.create+ -IVE.

Culture:

Internet Definition: http://wordnetweb.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=culture

Noun

  • S: (n) culture, civilization, civilisation (a particular society at a particular time and place) "early Mayan civilization"
  • S: (n) culture (the tastes in art and manners that are favored by a social group)
  • S: (n) acculturation, culture (all the knowledge and values shared by a society)
  • S: (n) culture ((biology) the growing of microorganisms in a nutrient medium (such as gelatin or agar)) "the culture of cells in a Petri dish"
  • S: (n) polish, refinement, culture, cultivation, finish (a highly developed state of perfection; having a flawless or impeccable quality) "they performed with great polish"; "I admired the exquisite refinement of his prose"; "almost an inspiration which gives to all work that finish which is almost art"--Joseph Conrad
  • S: (n) culture (the attitudes and behavior that are characteristic of a particular social group or organization) "the developing drug culture"; "the reason that the agency is doomed to inaction has something to do with the FBI culture"
  • S: (n) culture (the raising of plants or animals) "the culture of oysters"

Verb

  • S: (v) culture (grow in a special preparation) "the biologist grows microorganisms"
Oxford Dictionary Definition:

Culture N. 1. Tillage of soil; rearing, production, (of bees, oysters, fish, silk, bacteria); quantity of bacteria thus produced. 2. Improvement by (mental or physical) training; intellectual development; particular form, stage or type of intellectual development or civilisation (the two ~S, literature and science); ~vulture, person eager to aquire culture. 3. Hence cultural a. relating to culture of mind or manners. 4. v.t. Cultivate (bacteria etc., or fig.) esp. in p.p.pr. -cherd; ~d pearl (formed by oyster after insertion of suitable foreign body)

Modelling for Game Interfaces...

Low Poly Models v.s. High Poly Models:

Examples of characters with low and high poly models:
Male Characters Examples:

Cloud Strife Final Fantasy 7
V.S.

Dante Devil May Cry 4

Female Character Examples:

Lara Croft Tomb Raider 1
V.S.

Jill Valentine Resident Evil 5

Other Character Examples:

Crash Bandicoot
V.S.

Yoshi Mario Winter Olympics

Tuesday 22 February 2011

The Endless Forest- Recieving Information from the Creators!

I got in touch with the designers of 'The Endless Forest' (Tale of Tales) via 'The Endless Forest' Forum pages, they replied to my original post enquiring after the roles of the production staff and about their software:

ORIGINAL POST:


Hi, I would like some information about The Endless Forest for my degree if possible?
I need to know how many people were involved in the making of the game, what areas there were in the design process (character design etc.)? What software did Tale of Tales use to create the game? And where do you begin when creating a game?

Any information would be greatly appreciated, thankyou for your help. Smile

REPLY:

The software we used is Quest3D.

The first thing we created was a prototype with temporary assets. Then we decided to produce the game in stages and raised funding for stage one. The important aspect of stage one was to finalize the game and publish it so people could play it, even if it was very minimal.

CREDITS:

DESIGN & DIRECTION
Auriea Harvey & Michaël Samyn

CHARACTER DESIGN
Lina Kusaite

3D ARTWORK
Auriea Harvey
Ringtail Studios

ANIMATIONS
Laura Raines Smith

SOUND
Jan Verschoren

MUSIC
Gerry De Mol

PROGRAMMING
Michaël Samyn
Ronald Jones



THANKS TO
Ferry Marcelis for excellent technical support
Steve Clement and Marc Morocutti for taking care of the server
Diego Cadenas for the Bass audio interface system
Nicolas Fouarge for technical advice
Deer DuDes Guild for French translation
Sebastian "Mafutrct" Heuchler and Susanne Laws for German translation
Picy for the Hungarian translation

SPONSORS
Musée d'Art Moderne Grand-Duc Jean
Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds
Design Vlaanderen
Entropy8Zuper!

Tale of Tales site: http://www.tale-of-tales.com/

Video Game Companys

The make up of a video game company:

1. Publishers: In charge of funding and checking ideas for possible copyright infringements.
2. Design Team: Includes developers and artists who create initial concept artwork and animation rigs etc.
3. Production: Designs the tools etc.
4. Retail distributors: These people work with marketing the game and releasing it to the retail industry.
5. Hardware: Works with the software, converting to platforms, like the iphone or consoles.

Within the company sections there are sub-sections, people who are specialists in the more precise areas, for example; game designers, level designers, character artists etc. Some company section workers break off from the team, creating their own companies or transferring to a different company, the most prominent example probably being the Activision workers that created their new company, Atari. The UK is the 3rd most prominent software designer in the world, after Japan and America. It houses 23 of the 100 most successful design studios in the world, it is a country that created Tomb Raider, Grand Theft Auto and Fable. A game designer has a certain amount of work to complete within the deadline, if the designer does not complete the work within the allotted time, the whole team will be let down and the game will be delayed further.

Charcter Designers in the West, do not have this title originally taken from the Japanese (Tetsuya Nomura etc.), instead, the closest job titles would be; Concept Artist, Character Artist and Art Director.