planning
Proposal
One Sheet
Character References
Main Character
The game will be set in a cyberpunk-esque world, and the character will therefore have aspects and theme fitting clothes/design. Low poly style characters and settings will provide anonymity to the character and allow the setting to be interesting, but not distracting from the story elements. I love the low poly style, and would definitely like to build the world in the same way. The lack of detail in this style will give me the opportunity to amp up elements like the lighting and size of the maps for the levels, the only down side is that it removes the emotions and expressions available on a normal face; I will therefore have to compensate for that with music and body language in emotionally charged situations.
I have found several tutorials on character creation, however this one officially by Autodesk is the best to help me throughout the character process.
I can create several concepts for the character, develop the best one and then use the line work as the basis for the model. The tutorial itself takes provides plenty of information on how to get the final form, as well as details and aspects the of the character that make it interesting to look at.
Maya is compatible with Unity, so I can try out making the character and putting them in a game scenario.
The Dogs
The dogs in the game will feature in two different forms; cybernetic and normal.
Originally, when first coming up with the idea for my game, Lady was going to feature as a 'ghost' dog of sorts an ethereal, floating dog that had certain skills due to this. This is because I was going to have the story set in a relatively normal setting. With my research into the characters and environments, I realised that making a game in the reality would be awful in comparison to literally any other setting. I'm creating a video game, a world with it's own creatures, laws and characters. Why the hell would I base it in a reality as boring as this one? So instead of a ghost dog, it will be a cybernetic dog.
The other dog will be more basic in it's features, grounded as a real dog. This should help create an interesting dynamic between the two, and show their personalities in a different way. This is going to change how I originally planned for my story to be, but I think it'll make a more interesting game.
This is a very quick and basic tutorial on creating a low poly fox, which is good practise for when I go on to create the actual dogs for my game.
I like being able to see the process, as it makes it easier to spot how the different shapes form the final product early on. A lot of this modelling is creating and adjusting one side, then making sure the joints look right. Duplicating the side and then making a few adjustments will make the process a lot faster.
There are tutorials that will help me when actually making the product, but speed modelling is useful to get a better grasp on how all the shapes come together into form.
Character Profiles
Environment References
Environments
The cyberpunk-esque world I want to build will be in the same low poly style as the characters. There will be lots of bright lights, and I hope to create a giant map, with lots to do within the world - like a low poly, cyberpunk, GTA, minus some of the features. I do want there to be an emotional story, and give plenty of room for character growth; I also want the game to be fun, and for people to want to lose themselves in the place I create. There will be a full storyline, but I want it to be open world so the player can choose how/when they experience the main story, and explore the rest of the nuances that I put in to the map. I already know some key areas for the plot, a cathedral in the sand; the college building; the graveyard. The lighting effects will really make the setting pop; the world should feel busy, alive, and full of people.
Level Design
No Levels - No Loading Screens
Originally, this game concept was for a puzzle adventure game - like Not Alone or What Remains Of Edith Finch - but after the extensive research and more carefully thought out goals for this project, an open world game or a sandbox game will make it a lot more desirable to play. Open world games, when done correctly, make up most of the best video games of all time; Zelda Breath of The Wild, The Witcher 3 and Saints Row 2 to name a few. It does present other challenges though, as an open world game done poorly really is a disappointment. A good open world game should have meaningful things to do, character building, good amount of main missions and side quests, art style, and challenging difficulty.
Open world games have their advantages and disadvantages; there's a lot that can go wrong, and even more thought has to go into the depth of the side quests, the people you can interact with; what the player will find engaging about the city itself. Linear games have the advantage of focusing solely on how the player reacts to each segment, building the story as the player goes.
The Last Of Us was one of the best games of all time, and although being linear you
never feel like it's dragging - there's always a heart wrenching moment, darkness with
zombies to avoid or character growth evolving on screen. The hardest part in making my
game will be balancing the main character's motives and emotions, translating that into
a plot and also giving the player freedom when roaming the world. Everything must feel
purposeful, and the player rewarded for their perseverance. or a sandbox game
Map Released For Cyberpunk 2077
Map Design
With an open world game, there must also be a map so that the player can traverse the environment easily. The map should serve multiple purposes: to show the player the world, to allow the player to waypoint areas of interest, fast travel and explore.
The design for the map should fit the theme, and should look interesting so that people want to explore it. I will most likely design the map like that of We Happy Few or God Of War, so that it opens up an area once you've explored it. The game will be set in the city, but it will be almost like a condensed country, with beaches and sand dunes; stormy seas; dilapidated buildings and amazing sky scrapers. Every aspect of the map will have to be designed discreetly to aid the player and also include some added features that make it unique.
Core Game Mechanics
Lighting
The second greatest asset to creating atmosphere is lighting. From the dynamic city-scape I hope to create, to the people and dogs, the lighting in the game will all help to world build. The main side effect of this lighting will be the players ability to use it to change the environment. By shining a light or removing light, the player can move objects (maybe get some achievements/bonus XP) and find secrets with this mechanic. It would have a lot more use if I was still creating a puzzle platformer, but I think it works with the cyberpunk theme well enough to also be used here.
Emotions
Along with health, I intend to incorporate an emotions gauge of sorts; the character will interact with the player and their mood will effect the amount of tasks that can be completed/XP that can be gained. It kind of sounds like something that would deter players on paper, because who wants to deal with someone's bad day, but I think it will provide a unique challenge and make the interactions with the world different for the player.
Skill Tree
Skill trees are a great way to keep people engaging with the game. It should be a challenge, and feel like a reward when completed, and also be beneficial to the player. The cybernetic dog will have a skill tree of it's own, aiding the player with things like sneaking, surveillance, searching and attacking. The whole point of the player exploring the city will be to upgrade these things, while certain upgrades will be linked to the main story line.
Intro Story Board
Setting The Scene
This intro scene could also be used in the trailer, as a precursor for the gameplay.
My initial inspiration for the introduction to the character/game was a montage of someone working at their computer. I wanted it to show the setting (futuristic, hologram panels, lighting etc) without giving away what the character is working on. The character will mostly be only shown in profile, with most of the shot focusing on what they're working on rather than the character.
The fades to black will be in time with the music; it will start off soft with a gradually increasing rhythmic thud. We then see a more close up view of the character's desktop/work station; the tabs they have open, applications and what they're watching.
It then goes to a timelapse (which, when actually animating will be fluid and have more variety). Timelapses are a great way to exaggerate a character's routine - I want people to know within the first 30 seconds of playing the game that the character is driven; sleeps irregularly; is focused wholly on what they're doing on the computer. The scene where she brings the mechanical dog carcass home will have a lul in the music, where it's uncertain, quiet, hopeful, before picking up again with the montage of them working on the dog.
Now the player will wonder what kind of world this story is set in. What is the purpose of the dog? The other dog's reactions will offer some clues as to what the dog is going to be - also affording me a sad scene in the timelapse where the dog has the ball on the table, where the mechanical dog is lifeless.
The character will become more agitated towards the end of the timelapse, getting angrier and angrier until they take the living dog and walk out. I like the idea of the camera shadowing them, at dog eye view, then, with what will hopefully be a smooth transition, the camera pans away from the characters and to the shutting door, before panning away and showing the city. I want the musical score to be largely instrumental, but at the first view of the city it would be nice to have some vocals of something poignant. At the moment I'm toying with the idea of having 'welcome to the machine' a Pink Floyd song, that describes what the epitome of life is: we're all just workers in the machine.
The camera pans to the characters from behind, swooping round to face them; the music swells as the camera gets closer and closer to their huddling form. As the music hits a crescendo, there are holographic/digitised forms of memories; they increase with pace and the cuts to black beat in time with the laboured breathing that has taken over the music.
These scenes are the emotional backbone for the character - key moments in their life and offers a reason why the mechanical dog the character had come home with is so important.
I may add scenes of the character running through the streets to get back home, the fade to black the door slamming in the camera's face, a homage to the earlier scene. The last frame could go directly into
gameplay, forgoing using the black screen again. In this case, the character will say the line and then the player can take over as the character. If I were to do this, I would have the player put their hand on the dog to pet it, again a throwback to the earlier scene.
The music will really help to sell this animation. I want the technology montage to look interesting; futuristic; like how I felt watching Iron Man 1 when I was a kid, nothing is impossible. The rhythmic beating in the music choice should mimic breathing, and set a resting heart rate that can then be exploited to amplify anticipation.
Intro Script
Music Ideas
Pink Floyd are one of my top musical loves. Their music has been a big part of my childhood, and there's never a time I don't want to listen to one of their songs. Welcome To The Machine immediately came to my mind when I thought about how the character is feeling. It's also a song notable for it's use of synthesizers; it's that metallic reverb that makes the song feel cyberpunk-esque to me. I also like the idea of having a soft instrumental for the beginning of the intro sequence, with a line like 'Welcome to the machine' right as the camera pans away from the character and to the sprawling city above.
~Edit~ When I started to think about an emotional outburst for the character I also thought of The Great Gig In The Sky, Pink Floyd, which is a masterpiece of musical craftsmanship. The lady singing in the background, increasing in intensity, with the mellow drum beat as the player pounds down the street to get back home, spliced with the character's losses; if I could pull it off as great as I imagine it, I wouldn't need to be on this course. So I'm imagining a cut-scene epic, but I'll likely produce a half baked potato.
I studied German in secondary school, and being just the worst that I was back then, I thought that I should listen to some German music to pick up on the words and phrases. This lead me to talking to my Dad about it, and he managed to make my niche nerd problem cool. I still listen to Kraftwerk on occasion; they're easy listening when you don't have to pay attention to the words, only hearing the inflections of a voice. Similar to Pink Floyd, Kraftwerk have a unique, futuristic sound. Not sure why my futuristic sounds like nuclear waste. This cover makes it sound even more robotic and foreboding.
One of my best friends is a phenomenal pianist, and should I make any decent video game, I will hopefully have the budget to get her to do the score. Throughout my almost a decade of knowing her, I know a few more pianists than your average houseplant. Beethoven is pretty basic b*tch when it comes to piano stuff, though a master of course in his own right. Moonlight Sonata has the feelings and emotion in it's melancholy tune that make this one my favourites of his. This is a synth version, again, to see if it matches up well enough with my theme; if I could possibly use some of it spliced with something else.
Game Design Document
