Just a general update this week, not really sure what to put
but I haven't done so in a while. Don't worry, I'll be back to doing my
coursework next week. Now I've caught back up with that a bit.
I was getting a bit worried, the visual design work was piling
up and I was still behind on my blog. I don't want to get bad marks like last
year. I really don't know how personal I need to make this blog, or if at all.
Anyway, completed my masters study painting, decided to go with Ivan Shishkin.
His art is so cool an detailed, I shouldn't have chosen him to be honest as my
final is nowhere near as detailed even though I spent a lot of time on it. I
also did a oil painting as well, but that turned out even worse.
The queens building project is still ok. It would be nice if
we were given some tutorials for udk, we've only had too and one was from third
years. Also there doesn't seem to be anything on blackboard to help out. It
feels a bit like starting out with 3Ds max last year, except worse. I know we
have to adapt and learn new programs, but it just feels like we could be taught
more.
This new Viking project in Visual Design, I'm not so sure
about it. I've got a feeling that people are going to go for crazy things like
huge warriors duel wielding giant battle axes. We had a choice, but the 1960's Paris
thing didn't seem appealing to me. I'm trying to take this in a realistic way,
but then it's difficult to make it interesting.
At first, arcade games had simple controls. You would usually
have a joystick, or maybe one or two buttons as well. Nowadays, with the
emergence of consoles as the main game systems, controllers that use many more
buttons and usually two analogue sticks are the norm.
One of the first things I thought of when starting this task
was this, the Nintendo power glove for the N64.
It sounds on paper like a good idea, controlling the game
with your movements. But it was so poorly executed that it just made the games
difficult to play. Each game needed a different code entered on the glove,
which was overcomplicated.
How The powerglove was ment to be
Currently, motion control has had a comeback. And once again
it was Nintendo with the wii console. This was extremely successful, as the wii
outsold other consoles on the market despite its lower graphical capabilities.
One of the differences could have been that the power glove is that the wiis
controls are easy to use and actually work. Most people can just pick up a
controller and go. However, some people have criticised that not all games need
motion control and that it is just a gimmick.
Both Sony and Microsoft have also brought out their own
motion control accessories. The move on the playstation 3 has been criticised
as being a rip off of the Wii controller. The Kinnect for the Xbox 360 is a bit
more inventive, as it uses the players bodies as the controller, but is still
now as wide spread as the games that use the wii remotes motion controls. The
real question is why. It could be because of a changing market, with a move
towards smart phone games. It is also possible that its because the wii has
gained a more mainstream following, with people who would not usually play
games owning this console. Or it could be a price factor, the wii being cheaper
than the other two motion control options.
There is also the emergence of 3D. A new type of 3D is used
currently, and 3D TVs have been on sale a while. However, even though some
games are compatible with 3D, the hefty price tag has dissuaded some gamers
from investing. There was also issues with the 3DS, with some players reporting
that 'the console had left them feeling
sick, suffering briefly with blurred vision and dizzy spells'. Personally, I
don't think 3D in games will last long.
Most people think in the future we'll have minority report
style computers, and that maybe that's what our games will be like as well. However,
I think that its possible that things could be getting too complicated. I know that
my mum can't use a playstation controller, it's something people that have been
playing games a while take for granted. If things become more complicated, then
it may alienate the mainstream audience.
The future
Another way things could go is that consoles become obsolete. Some people think
that playing games on smart phones is going to be the future of gaming. These
mostly use touch screen technology . Of
course, things could go all futuristic with guns and other specialised
controllers, but the problem is that these ways of playing can only be used for
one type of game. If you had a cockpit of a plane in your front room, then you
can't exactly play a plat former with it.
at this point you might as well buy a plane
Although I still hope they hurry up and build that computer
from minority report.
Sound is another elements of games, one that is often
overlooked. However, it is incredibly important. Successful sounds in games add
to the atmosphere of a game, creates tension, and adds believability.
Series of games will
often have a theme, or a recognisable style in its music. For example, the
metal gear series has its theme (I'm being biased, this is one of my
favourites) which is strongly orchestral.
As with other series, this theme has altered slightly
between games, but remains recognisable. Another example of this is the Elder
scrolls series, where the music is the same, but has been performed differently
to reflect the tone of each individual game.
Many of the current generation of games use an orchestra to
perform their scores, however, in the past this was impossible. The storage
space for games was minimal, as was the technology they were being played on.
This meant that composers only had a limited means of creating music. However, because
of these limits, some of these pieces of music are some of the most
recognisable video game themes. For example, most people will recognise this:
It shows that not all soundtracks need a huge orchestra to
be effective. Personally, I remember the battle themes from Pokemon to be very effective
at creating tension. Although I was a bit younger when I was playing them, I
still think they hold up today. (listening to this brought back a lot of
memories)
Some of the most successful soundtracks are actually the
ones you don't notice.For example, personally,
I find the Silent hill series soundtrack very effective in creating an
atmosphere. I don't think it would be nearly as scary if it had a different
soundtrack . Take this scene for example. if you watch it without sound, and its nowhere near as scary or threatening as
with the sound on.
It's the sound that adds that atmosphere. Without it the
game would not have the same effect, and this applies to all genres of games,
not just horror.
It's not just the
soundtrack that is important. The sound effects in a game can add realism and believability.
This can be the sounds of guns, footsteps, ambient noise, explosions, even
simple things like knocking a can over. If done correctly, the player shouldn't
notice these, but they really add to the emersion.
There is a lot of cross over between the film music world
and the game one. Composters that work in film or television often work in the
video game industry as well. For example Harry Gregson-Williams who has
composed for films such as X-Men Origins: Wolverine but has also made scores
for video games such as Call of Duty: Modern Warfare. Another example is Greg
Edmonson, who worker on television programs such as Firefly and video games
such as the uncharted series. These two professions overlap, because both games
and films need a good score to bring them to life.
It's the second year, and we've just started the dreaded Queens building project. Its not been going to bad, but it has introduced us to game engines. Whereas before we were simply making 3D models, now we can import them into the unreal engine and make a playable level.
The definition of a games engine is 'A game engine is a system designed for the creation and development of video games'. A game engine typically contains a rendering engine, a physics engine, sound, scripting, animation, AI, networking, streaming, memory management, threading, localization support. Basically, a game engine is where you can put all the different parts of a game to create the finished playable version.
It used to be that games companies would make their own engines, for example, the Scumm engine (Lucas Arts) and SCI by Sierra. However, the cost of making your own engine has got more expensive since then, and so companies started to create engines then sell them to games companies. For example, the unreal engine. It's simply cheaper and more time efficient for some companies to buy the engines instead of hiring more programmers to create one from scratch.
There are different types of game engine availed. Here is three major types. Firstly, roll your own game engines (low level). Even though it is more expensive some companies will want to build their own game engines. The advantage to making your own is that it gives the programmers a lot more flexibility. However, this takes a lot of time, and would be very difficult for beginners.
There is also mostly ready game engines (mid level). They are already built and allow you to change things around. The main advantage is the fact that you can just start the engine up and all the tools are there. The main disadvantage is that you don't have as much customisation, so you may not be able to get things exactly like you want. There are lots of engines that are like this because they can be used pretty much out of the box without limiting you too much. examples include Torque, Unreal, and Gamebryo. This is the type of game engine we use.
The next level up is point and click engines (highest level). These are very limiting and can only make one or two different types of games. They contain everythingyou need to create a game. The main advantage is that they allow you to create a finished product very quickly, without too much work. The disadvantageis that it is very limited and it is difficult to be creative with lots of restrictions. Examples of this type of engine include GameMaker, Torque Game Builder, and Unity3d.
The main thing now for me is to get used to using game engines, which I really need to have down for next year. This queens building project is a good introduction, as we are in a group so we can help each other out. Knowing how to use UDK is necessary for the final major project, and I don't want to be left behind.
The game is a cop game, based in near future New York. The main character is up against criminal gangs. The game is heavily action based, and is a FPS. It will feature mostly shooting sections with a little bit of interaction with ncps. It will be cross platform next gen, (playstation 3, xbox 360 and pc) and aimed at an audience of males aged 16 to 25. The style will be realistic and the game play will be fast paced. This game will need to use 3DS Max to build the assets and the level will be built unreal engine. Photoshop will also be needed to create the textures in the game, as well as other possible programs such as crazy bump to create normal maps.
Lead Character
The lead character is around 45 years old. He has short brown hair with flecks of grey. His eye colour is also brown. He is also fairly stocky, and not very tall. On his arms are scars from his service in the force. He has been with the police for a long time and it shows in his stance and his looks.
10,000 triangles
texture 1024x1024 x2 with specular and normal maps
rigged with a skeleton with no more than 25 bones
NPC
police officer, age 30, male. A squad mate of the main character. He is younger, with slightly longer hair, which is coloured blonde. His eye colour is green.
5,000
texture 1024x1024 with specular and normal maps
rigged with a skeleton with no more than 20 bones
Vehicle
squad car
a standard patrol car. Its slightly updated from modern day versions, with the insides featuring computers and other technological updates. It is slightly worn, with scratches and some mud spattering.
5,000
texture 1024x1024 with specular and normal maps
Environment
Club/ bar located in SoHo. The building is relatively old, and the club is up market. However, a fire fight has broken out between two rival gangs and the police have been sent in to gain control of the area. The club is in a mess, with the area covered in bullet holes and smashed up furniture. The bar has a heavy art theme and will feature some destroyed canvasses and lots of paintings. The style of the bar is modern, which clashes with the older style outside.
20,000 triangles
texture 1024x 1024 with specular and normal maps.
Prop
this prop is the bar. It is made of metal with a glass worktop, which is extremely polished.
Got the Queens Building brief yesterday, as well as the teams. It's going to be a survival horror, although I though beforehand that we got to choose what we could do with the building. It seems like it'll be ok, I've been working on some paint over's and floor plan ideas, which has been quite fun. Got some pictures of the building for reference too, although my photograph skills and equipment are a little lacking .
The main worry is that nobody that is in our group has had any experience with UDK, and I hope that we don't run into too many problems (famous last words). As long as we don't make the task too complicated, and try to do too much, then we shall be fine.
Well just got back from Christmas, So I thought I'd write a little update. To be honest, I have been very unproductive this Christmas holiday, especially with the 3D side of things. I have filled up a little sketch pad with drawings though over the break. I always have this feeling that I'm not doing enough, especially when I look at what other people are producing. I've continued doing some more speed paints, and hopefully it will help me with my painting. Gesture drawings, I need to get back to doing those. And I've been working on a personal 3D project of a house.
I've also started a separate art blog. This is so I can spam all my drawings up there, and hopefully encourage me to draw as much as possible. I've bought some marker pens in the sale and they are great fun to use, especially for quick sketches.
We're handing in all our first semester work tomorrow. I've got everything on disk and sorted, I'm just a little worried that nobody has been reading this blog, and that they'd think that I've not done anything for Critical studies.
