RESEARCH
Genre / Theme
The theme I have chosen to base my final project about is grief, and more specifically the feelings of loss. It's an emotion that is universally felt, though it's counterpart anger is easier to portray and make light of - whereas grief, loss, is ugly and foreboding, it's the unexpected waves that hit you at times you least expect. If you're angry all the time for no reason you're a hot head, have anger management issues; are easily provoked. If you're sadder than you normally are, you're depressed, just need to give it time; at worst get over it.
The concept of grieving, or loss, is not limited to that of a loved one. I want to explore all the various ways that loss effects people, of innocence, of a friendship, of a secret. Things that can be lost can also be taken; I wish to explore this aspect as a concept for the enemies within the game. The tone of the game is going to be dark, melancholy, but hopefully with an air of acceptance; this isn't a singular plot where of course you know it's sad blah, blah, blah. I want to breathe life into the game with a different take on grief, it'll explore how it effects the character with a secondary arc of the character's acceptance and ability to deal with the loss.
The name for my game is Lacuna, which means an unfilled space; or a gap. I like looking up obscure words (generally because I'm a bit weird) and I really loved the way that the definition fit with my game, in a metaphorical sense it's a description of the physical feeling of loss.
I consider myself a pretty good expert of loss, so some of the gameplay will be based on my own personal experiences. Throughout my research, I will also look into the books, games and music that help me through my own grief, and the reasons they are so influential.
Games Review
Night in the Woods
released 2017
Night In The Woods was well received upon it's release, winning some awards for Best Narrative and Best Indie Game in 2017. People praised the game for it's aesthetic art style, beautiful soundtrack and engaging characters. In this market, for story driven games - especially if they're single player - to succeed they must be mini-masterpieces. Some people liked the main protagonist, Mae, and others disliked her for being insensitive and selfish. That's the magic of good story writing, though, because if the character wasn't dynamic and her interactions fluid, there would be no discussion.
The game itself holds a special place for me as it was the first game I played after moving back home. It covers themes of mental health with ease and grace, with the signs and phrases evident in the way Mae conducts herself. I resonated with Mae, a college drop out, struggling to meet her parents expectations while juggling a band of diverse friendships; all the while building the existential dread we all face in her dreams and a murder plot taking over the town. It's a satisfying story, that looks and sounds beautiful, which makes it everything I want to achieve in my own projects. I want people to play this game and see the parts of themselves that make the character more important to them, more real.
Night Lights
release date TBC
Night Lights is currently under development but promises to be a charming, well executed puzzle platformer. What first intrigued me about this game was the lighting mechanic, which effects the environment, the player and certain objects. I love that people are still finding different ways to create puzzles and change the player's experience.
The soundtrack is fitting and the art style adorable, all as important aspects as the mechanics of the game. I only know about this game at all because I watched Markiplier (Youtube) play it. This shows the importance of when marketing a game, sending out demos to popular YouTube Let's Players is a great way to get people talking about your project.
Unravel
released 2016
Unravel is another great puzzle game that also works well in 2-Player CoOp. The character design is especially interesting and it works well with the background/foreground artwork. This game is joy to play, although the controls weren't necessarily the easiest. This is something I will keep note of if I intend to have two controllable dogs and the player controls - they can't be too complicated/un-intuitive.
Concept Art Research
Concept Art
Concept art is a form of illustration used to convey an idea for use in films, video games, animation, comic books, or other media before it is put into the final product. Concept art usually refers to world-building artwork used to inspire the development of media products, and is not the same as visual development art or concept design, though all three are often confused.
The process of a concept artist requires a lot of preparation and vision to create the design ideas for characters, objects or environments for a media product. The artist must be familiar with the key fundamentals of art: line, form, perspective, light and value. With these key concepts in mind, the artist then produces many thumbnails, preliminary sketches, colour keys and more for the idea. It's a fascinating process to watch, and all the small decisions the artist makes influences the later product.
Concept art is cool to look at because it's the first glimpse into a world, whether that be animation, comics, games or anything else. The artists set the tone and the initial ideas that create the final product later on. It's like a deconstructed diagram of a heart, you already know how it works and what it looks like, it's just amazing to see all the parts.
I found a lot of helpful tips on Creative Bloq, some of which I have included below.
Concept Art = Concept + Art
It's artwork that grows out of a design process, well rooted in an idea that supports the story. The concept artist must balance what the story needs first, and then provide their design wants as long as it focuses on enhancing the story.
Do Dynamic Research
Research helps to improve the authenticity of the creation. Whether it's photography, archaeology, art, all the samples and examples can help to increase how real the designs look.
Design Loosely
There's no need to bog down one idea and waste the time on it. A good concept sketch for a character, for example, would first go through rigorous research, at least ten thumbnails for poses, more thumbnails for clothing/hair and finally two or three final designs. In the initial stage, it should be narrowing down ideas, but not limiting them by putting in lots of detail.
Understand Composition
Composition more than just the arrangement; it is perspective, value, staging and colour arranged harmoniously, to tell the story or idea more efficiently.
Perspective/Perception
Different perspectives can influence how we view the character; from above implies weakness, at eye level is considered normal, familiar and a high angle implies strength or power. Perception allows the artist to control where the viewer's eye goes, or what they perceive from the design. Perception is also linked to how the shot is staged!
Concept art books
My collection of 'The Art Of' books is ever growing. I love to look at the differences in the art styles, the familiar characters or levels that are stripped back to the many different variants they could have been. The first art book I ever received was a gift from my best friend, The Art Of The Iron Giant. It's in my top 5 films of all time, and is one of my favourite animations. I have fond memories of this film, and it was incredible to look through all the artwork that went into it. Since then, I began to buy the books for my favourite games, Halo, Destiny; I keep them with my comics because although I love to read, I also enjoy just being able to sit back and flip through them for inspiration.
I keep my more recent purchases by my computer for reference when I'm drawing. The Pixar art book is a collection of the colour keys used in all the different films; the consistency is so impressive and so important to establishing the themes and tones of the movies.
Spider-Man Into The Spiderverse had the best animation I've ever seen. It was so fluid and alive, so crisp and well done, that I literally cried for most of the movie because the art was just... So... Good. I brought the book the day after, and it's been a joy to look through. The style of the art is modern and fresh, it suits Miles' universe perfectly.
The gaming books are better suited for studying character/environment concept art. As you can see with the Bioshock examples, there are many iterations before they were happy with the final design. Similarly, there are multiple pages for Elizabeth's hair, clothing, facial expressions, etc. The more variety there is, the more interesting it is to look through.
There are many ways to publish games yourself, but there is a greater focus on 'Indie Games' now more than ever. Xbox has shown it's support for smaller developers, and Steam makes it easy to publish your games to the masses. The indie games often offer unique experiences; some have become wildly popular, such as Inside & Limbo. Five Nights At Freddies became an internet phenomenon, also showing the potential for up-coming developers to make a brand well known.
Having such esteemed game art surrounding me makes me feel more comfortable with tackling the idea of becoming a concept artist. There is so much work, so many hours and decisions within these pages; it is invaluable to be able to flip through them for inspiration.
writing game scripts
Step 1 - The Overview
This is the most important step of the writing process. Games today are more complex than ever; rather than advancing screen to screen on a linear path, games are required to have backstory, depth and meaning. (Not always, of course, there are plenty of simple games that are created, but for a large endeavour these methods are required.) In the overview, the whole story should be complete, including every major situations all the way to the end. This is what could potentially get a game developer to develop the game. No pressure.
Step 2 - World History
Game designers can't begin to visualise the game without knowing the history. When is the game set? What influence does a government, war, population, planet have on the environment. All of the backstory will make the game feel more authentic, and give players a reason to be interested in all the design decisions.
Step 3 - Flow Chart
As the story progresses and increases in size and scale, it gets hard to keep track of what the character is doing and why. Using a flow chart, the different paths and decisions are easier to manage.
Step 4 - Sub Quests
Each sub quest that is put in the game tells it's own story, otherwise there would be no point including them. An overview, therefore, has to be written for each sub quest too.
Step 5 - Character Bios
The aspects of all the major characters also needs to be decided before a game design can create it with what you want to envision. Personality, body build, flaws, motivations - everything, both physical and mental needs to be outlined for the main characters that are going to appear in the story.
Step 6 - NPCs
Non Playable Characters help the world created feel alive, rich and believable. Whether it's someone you pass in the street making a remark or someone that the player needs to interact with, they have to have a reason to be there and be able to respond.
Step 7 - Cut Scenes
A cut scene should help to enhance or describe what it happening in the story. It supports the events leading up to/after a major plot point in the game. A cut scene can also be considered a reward to the player for achieving something or advancing that far in the story. The short animation/movie that makes up a cut scene can really add to or take away from an important moment, which is why you have to get it right.
Step 8 - Writing The Actual Storyboard Script
The previous steps make the writing of the actual script possible, as they provide all the bones to pack a story into. As each scene of the game progresses, all of the necessary accompanying information has to be included. An example template for a scene would be:
Scene 1:
Location - Describe the location of the scene, and where the characters are positioned.
Music - What tone is going to be set, and what music is appropriate for the scene.
Characters - Which characters are going to be present (Main and NPC)
Player Goal - What is trying to be achieved in order to progress to the next scene?
Action - What interactions/actions must occur in this scene?
Flowchart - List the decisions that are made and the impacts they will have on the next scene/ if they fail to do something
what are the consequences
Notes - Any additional information to help give the scene context, and explain what the scene is about.
The most important thing to remember about script writing (that I hadn't considered before) is that you're not writing so much for the future players, but so the game developers have a complete picture on what you're trying to create. It's not just a story that's being written, but a world, the tone of the game, sounds, characters, subplots and more.
Other Influences
This game very easily could have been based off my experience with cancer, but I realised that you can't really make a plot out of someone dying and someone becoming self destructive for years after. Also, I don't think she'd appreciate that her final touch on me would be the crippling sensation of loss. I try not to use my past experiences as excuses for why I turned out the way I did. It's not anyone's fault but my own; all the decisions I made, at least in the last ten years, have been of my own volition. So the tone of the game will also be touched by the previous losses I've had, Lady just seemed to be the final blow on a chapter of my life 'before'.
That being said, I have been influenced by so many things during this time that have a tremendous effect on the person I am now. And no, we're refusing to look at the years of obsession with Supernatural.
Instead, it was my Nan who got me into reading. We'd go to the library a lot when I was younger, and often even well into my teen years when I could have been dousing my body in CoD, I would sit and read with my Nan. I owe that woman more than words can ever say. It was through this encouragement to read that I discovered what would later become one of my favourite authors. (Age ratings never really held much ground, anyway, they always said I was bright for my age.)
In truth I read Cats Cradle first, but Slaughterhouse 5 is my favourite book possibly of all time. Kurt Vonnegut's humor is cynical and writing style so unique, and it's one of those weird things that just sticks. When I turned 18 my first tattoo was 'so it goes' on the back of my neck. It was a tribute to my Nan, something that was for me and her memory only. In the book, the phrase is written every time someone dies. To me, it means that people die and it's awful, and it'll break us, but we get back up because we have to; humans do. My Nan was one of the strongest people I had the privilege to know. I love the way Kurt writes, and how he shows his view on the world in these crazy Sci-fi stories that coalesce into huge moral statements.
A lot of my time in 2014 was spent listening to Welcome To Night Vale. I downloaded it on a whim, after seeing it on tumblr and Twitter. It helped me an incredible amount through long hours, the voice of Cecil calming and the problems of this very problematic society going about it's business while I felt stuck, encased, was comforting to listen to. I caught up on all the episodes in weeks, and listened to my favourite ones again and again. The writers did an amazing job of creating the world and, although I was only a listener, I could imagine all these crazy situations and characters interacting with each other.
Describe your image
Describe your image
This one really goes to my best friend, who has been through some of my worst. She loves to read, and it was like having someone curate books for you - I was pretty useless at it once my Nan stopped going to the library. Patrick Ness is an amazing author, and his books are still a big part of my life.
A Monster Calls was one I hesitated to read. However, as I mentioned earlier, I was on a self destructive path and when I was hurting, I wanted to hurt. My first stint at college was a week after my Nan had been buried and I was a mess. I had alienated myself from all my close friends, and endeavoured to do what I always did - keep my head down and get good grades. I used to go to the town library on my breaks (less likely to see people I knew there) to work or to read. Or to sit and not be disturbed.
In the corner of the library I read the whole book, and I have a no crying in public rule that was blown out of the water. Everyone experiences cancer differently, and everyone is effected differently, and even though the protagonist is years younger than I was, inside I felt his pain and his sadness in heaps. Also, the illustrated version? A masterpiece.
I was lucky enough to meet Patrick Ness almost a year later; it was cathartic to thank him in person.
Animator research
YouTube (well the internet in general) can either be an amazing place, or a place that breeds hatred. I found a few YouTuber's when I was in my early teens and struggling hard that I still watch today. This video was animated by a fan of GameGrumps and that concept in itself is so exciting because there's so much opportunity and material to create from now, it's amazing to see so many talented people get recognised.
Arin - the person narrating - is the one who is usually mad, skips the tutorials etc. People give him a lot of stick for it, because people suck. He's always encouraging about people learning about animation or art, and while being funny, he always comes across as genuinely passionate. This animation along with his narration was a change to the usual jokes he says, or to the crazy ways he is portrayed.
I love the simplicity of the execution of the themes in the animation. The characters are easily identifiable (if you're a fan obviously) and they show the key moments in his life. It's an exercise of knowing what you're capable of and who has your back, and how weary it can be to be alone with only your thoughts.
The lanterns were a really cool way to represent not life, but how you're actually feeling; all the breaks and wavers in the flame, the people who make that flame grow a little brighter. This video came out a while ago now, however I think about it often. When it came to my final project, I thought of the representation of the lanterns, how it was quaint and subtle and would translate nicely over to a game - and give the opportunity for some interesting lighting effects.
Although I have not fully visualised how my game will look, I like the idea of dark levels with the dogs with lanterns, and the character with a lantern as the main light sources. I contacted the person who animated this episode, Michael Nanna, and they got back to me! That feeling in itself was really, really cool. Hopefully I can take their advice and put a new spin on the idea, but generally I'm still pretty amazed about getting a reply.
Games That Deal With Tough Topics
That Dragon, Cancer
That Dragon, Cancer is a game created by the parents of a terminally sick child, Joel. The gameplay follows key moments from the parents lives of their time with Joel. It's designed to allow the player to experience the high and low points of their story, in a point and click style experience. It deals with the raw harshness of what they went through, and people praised it for it's honesty and emotional impact.
The name itself comes from how the parents explained that Joel was going to die to his siblings, saying that Joel was a brave knight fighting a dragon called Cancer. It's this authenticity and experience that drew people to play it.
The player is able to interact with other characters and make choices in the game, through fourteen small sections; it's the use of imagination and different ways to reconstruct the real situations the family went through. Ryan, the Dad and co-creator of the game stated to the Telegraph that with video games "you can create this world and ask the player to live in it and love what you have created" which is a really nice way to put it.
Hellblade Senua's Sacrifice
Senua's Sacrifice is a dark fantasy action-adventure game that was independently developed but is as good in quality as a AAA title. On the one hand, you're battling through to Helheim to save your dead lover and on the other you have to handle the psychosis of her remembering her traumatic past. It offers a unique perspective on the characters mental health and incorporates this with a variety of game genres.
Senua's backstory is revealed through the hallucinations you see through playing the game; delving deeper into the reasons for her strife throughout the game. It's a great way of story telling because it leaves the player to discover it.
Just like with That Dragon, Cancer the story the game tells would be unable to be reproduced in a movie or a book, because it removes the element of interaction with the player. A great story game includes the player, wraps the player into the twists and turns and allows the player to connect with the story in a way that is solely for them. With preferences in media, games, books and movies, the story itself allows itself to be whatever the player needs it to be - understanding, hardship, pain and resolve.
Life Is Strange
Life Is Strange is a beautifully stylised game that takes place in episodes. It explores the idea of the butterfly effect; the effects on the relationships the main character has and ends up having a crazy criminal subplot that I won't spoil.
In this game you live the complicated life of Max, going through school; saving the city. People either loved or hated Chloe, Max's best friend, who was self centred and imperfect. Such complex characters make for interesting gameplay with multiple options, as you undo conversations and actions at your will.
Millennials today live in a complicated world, where society demands simultaneously too much and gives too little.
Increasingly, indie story games explore the smaller intricacies, closer to home superheroes/villains, where the super stories make an effect on the town and the people you interact with. It's not a general consensus, because there will always be a need for senseless games too. Sometimes it's nice though, to kick back and enjoy a small story that has a conclusion.
video games as an expressive medium
Not all games get it right, and not all games need it, and for sure, most developers avoid it because it's just not as lucrative. That's not to say that story games aren't successful, TaleTale's The Walking Dead, The Witcher 3 and Journey to name a few; all of which are critically acclaimed.
Surprisingly, whether or not games count as expressive or even a media is still being debated. I think it should count, especially considering the flood of independent game makers; it's not limited to a big company anymore.
It is interesting to read what some people believe to be the reason that action games are so popular: militarised masculinity. Following on from the physical toy war - where little girls got barbies and little boys got soldiers - there is an element of using the base impulses (although hopefully we're almost in a society where it can just be 'people who enjoy action games') to make profitable games. According to the authors of Digital Play (2003) the game industry transcends countries because 'Violence is a cultural idiom that requires no translation.'
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
Describe your image
This explains, then, why even within the story games, violence/action are key to grabbing the audience's attention. However, the playability of a setting within a game is heavily biased by the times that they were played in. Back when video games where starting out, so called 'militarised masculinity' became a main feature of most games, because the target audience were teenage boys who went to arcades. In today's world, the expectations of games are a lot different, and so then the socio-cultural environment also affects the gameplay.
This target audience is then also influencing the content of the game. A developer should structure a game with a 'model player' in mind, someone who may not be the best at the game, but who understands the strategy of the game. This player represents the aesthetic/ideal for what the game is actually designed for; this should not limit or exclude other types of players within the game's scope.
Expressive games adapt the game mechanics and how the game plays to appeal to the emotions of players, to entice them into the world without a primary objective. Other games generally adapt what general themes they need in order to focus on the playability/game mechanics, with strong emotions there to incite the player to act. This explains why horror games are popular to make, as the easiest emotion to make the focus of the gameplay is fear.
An expressive game will focus on the benign, on the everyday, but encourage the player to consider various ethical or moral decisions. They can used to make people think (To The Moon) or even highlight an important topic (Papers Please).
'You have to believe the world to enjoy the game, and to do that, you have to feel you are a part of it.' - GameSkinny
looking at game Trailers
Rockstar know how to do games - it's evident even in the trailers. Grand Theft Auto V has been in the charts since it's release, 7 years ago, and has made billions in revenue. This trailer is quite special even in itself, because it was made using in-engine footage, something that game trailers don't always have. The GTA franchise is well loved for good reason.
All the locations in the trailer immediately grab the audience and introduce them to the world they've built; it's a city that people want to rag around in. One of the best features of GTA is that it's open world, and GTA V boasts an impressive sized map. The music sets the tone, it's light but exciting, as it pans to the parody Hollywood sign. This game trailer gives you a taste of the graphics, city and the types of vehicles available.
TLoU Part 2 is my most anticipated game of the year. The emotional story and simultaneously satisfying combat make it voted the TLoU of the best games of all time.
The trailer starts by showing off the cinematic beauty as well as the symbol for the Fireflies which is immediately really important. Ellie, who's hands look older and is bloody, beaten, playing the guitar which sets the mood of the rest of the trailer off. The dilapidated room reminds us of the struggle of living in that environment, as we see fragments of Ellie but no her complete form. A zombie is lying across the floor in the room beside Ellie. Fans of the game were already asking where Joel was, and rather than having him immediately in frame, a shadowy figure begins
to advance through the doorway to the house where Ellie is singing. The camera pans low on Joel, showing that he has a gun and he's not bothered by the number of dead zombies, stepping over them and merely glancing at them as he walks through the house. The relationship between Ellie and Joel is very important, especially given the end of the first game; it's warming to see him so affectionate with her. Next comes the empowering dialogue that gives you the main driving force for the game, without music, then cut to black with music. It's the pièce de résistance for story based game trailers.
No Man's Sky was one of the biggest disappointments upon release - and kind of a redemption story in the latest updates. This trailer shows why it's important to not oversell a product or promise things that might not be possible; upsetting a client base can leave long term repercussions.
Despite the game releasing with a lot of missing feature from the trailer, you can see why lots of people were interested and excited for the concept. The colours and art style are beautiful, and it captures the wonder of space exploration. The world looks full of life and with so many planets to explore and creatures to find, it could be an amazing game. The music fits a futuristic tone, with a mood of anticipation of what's to come. (It's doing a lot better now, a few years on).
It's hard to believe that PlayStation even put their name to this game. Life of Black Tiger was originally a mobile release, but was ported to the PS4. The graphics look worse than some PS1 era games, and the whole game is so basic that I really have to wonder who thought bringing this to console for a mass market of gamers who are used to the likes of Uncharted, The Last Of Us, Spider-Man, was a good idea.
While the graphics are terrible and the game play borderline non-existent, the trailer itself is a warning not to play it. This is an example of a really bad trailer, but mostly because the game itself is bad. It didn't try to oversell like NMS, but it still fails to deliver in this day and age.
Game Trailer Do's And Don'ts
Game trailers show what the game is, and this is essential when trying to derive emotion and interest from people before they get the chance to actually play the game.
The structure of a trailer, regardless of the genre, largely is the same. It should have short, attention grabbing introduction, display some story footage with a couple of quotes and end with where and when the player can get the game - in roughly 90 seconds.
Do's:
Use Tools You Know Already
There is no need to buy a) expensive tools, or b) new tools to make a good video. I already have Photoshop, which I am comfortable using for text or graphics. OBS is an amazing screen capture software, with loads of settings that can be adjusted to capture the footage in the best quality possible. Blender and Maya are great for motion design and editing; although my knowledge is limited in these at the moment, I will be learning to use them shortly and professionals maintain that between them, they are the best for rigging/3D modelling, so they'll both be worth trying out.
Put The Spot Light On The Gameplay
The purpose of a trailer is to tell the prospective players what the game is about, how it feels and that's why it's important to focus on the gameplay footage to go in the trailer. In many ways the trailer for a narrative game is similar to a movie trailer; you want people to understand the main character, the motives, some notable events in the story, without giving away all of the good bits. A different genre of game may highlight other things, such as key mechanics that set them apart from their peers, amazing detail/graphics or amazing skill trees, even.
Write The Trailer's Story - Plan Your Work
To make a good trailer there has to a good plan, just like when designing the game itself. It makes the process more efficient as bad ideas can be scrapped quickly, without spending too much time on them. There are lots of questions that you have to ask yourself about the story when designing the trailer: what story are you going to tell? What are the strengths? What is the draw of the title? Asking these questions sooner rather than later means that all aspects can be covered to make the game as marketable as possible. The final step is to extensively research what other movie/game trailers for games similar to the one I am making. By studying successful trailers, I can look at the camera angles, music, amount of footage etc, which make trailer better.
Don'ts:
Edit As You Go
As mentioned above, before even starting the trailer there should be a plan or storyboard that has narrowed down the key points that need to be captured. Recording, then editing, then going back to recording is only going to get confusing; switching between programs constantly is a bad idea as you lose focus and make mistakes. This one is the simplest as it is common sense, collect all the resources needed (including music, voice over and video) and make sure it is more than necessary, it'll give more options when editing the trailer down.
Neglect The Sound
Music can build various emotions in someone when viewing a video, it can influence how they interpret the scene before them too. The audio and visuals of a trailer should be telling the same story; ramping up for action, or simmering down for a sombre moment.
deconstructing games
The above mind map shows, in it's most basic sense, what is needed to make a game.
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The genre, that will influence and make up the core gameplay mechanics.
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Graphics (well assets too, but they're made up along side the graphics) and similarly decide which platform to release on, so the settings can be optimised.
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The Mechanics, as in what the gameplay will entail and how will it make the game interesting to play
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Sound design; often overlooked but can be key in the overall polish of a good game.
When it actually comes to what makes a game, the most consistent response I have gotten is that a good game allows the player to make meaningful decisions; not in the 'my friends sure do mean a lot to me' sense, but as in this decision made has made a difference to the game system itself. In a good game, the decision should be interesting, difficult and the better option for the choice is left to be ambiguous.
In summary, a good game should:
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Have a continuous challenge - keeps the player hooked, leads on to more difficult challenges, short term goals that lead to a satisfying long term conclusion.
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Interesting Storyline - although this one is not essential for every game, I have included it as I intend to make a narrative game. A good plot is interesting and makes people eager to play more.
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Flexibility - different ways should be available to complete a goal, after all people plays games differently. Someone who is used to playing RPGs may notice something that someone who plays shooters will not. It will also satisfy people to think they have used their own strategy to work something out.
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Immediate rewards that are actually useful - don't make the player work hard for something and then leave them disappointed. The rewards for the challenges should encourage players to seek out more challenges.
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A game should be fun to play!
creating the Tone For A Game
I know I keep waxing lyrical about the importance of sound in a game, but here I go again. Sound gives the player instant feedback, provides cues to the player and is the best tool to drive emotion in the game. The sound design within a game works very closely with setting the tone for the player, so it's something that needs to be considered seriously.
I've found a couple of websites to look into for royalty free music and sounds: Incompetech and Pixel Prospector and well as the GDC sfx library which gets released every year. Free sound effects and music will vary in quality, but it's a start when it comes to finding the right music to set the tone.
Other sound designers recommend a large, varied and high quality sound library to be at your disposal; not all that easy for someone just starting out. I'll keep in mind however to ensure anything I do download is a minimum 44 khz / 16 Bit lossless audio file, and not mp3.
With limited resources, the most important thing I can deliver is the gameplay experience. Every interaction that the player has must be to the best quality, and feel polished to perfection. This includes designing a killer sound track with appropriate sound effects. The effects should blend seamlessly with the music, it should be a harmony, not a cacophonous mess.
By studying other games, the sound will be one of the first things I work on; getting feedback early will save time and hassle later on. It's also notable to test the volume of the music while the player is in the game, it shouldn't be overbearing (unless it's designed to be that way) but it shouldn't be a quiet afterthought either. Good sound design is a balance of background music, effects and volume, ebbing and flowing with the story.
LIMBO is the perfect example of how sometimes, less is more. The whole theme of the game is about death, and the almost oppressive silence that weighs over the start of the game is contrasted only by the harsh snaps and crunches of death. This game also blurs the lines between music and sound effects nicely, without over using them to ruin the urgency the game creates with it's setting.
Shadow of the Colossus is a striking game, that is still praised in all aspects. The gap between something being big and feeling big is surprisingly difficult to translate in a game, but not for the team behind this masterpiece. The crafted sound design makes every inch of the world feel huge and yourself tiny; the giants lumbering toward you all the more impossible to beat.
Game Design - Decision Making
Game design is basically a million decisions coming together to make a cohesive end product, but it can be easy to lose sight of which decisions really matter and which ones could wait for another time.
The 7 main decisions I've decided to focus on are:
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Theme – An objective statement or idea that the plot revolves around
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Tone – The author/designer’s feelings towards the Theme
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Mood – The emotional and experiential feel of the game resulting from the Tone
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Motif – The setting/universe that the game’s content and story belong to
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Core Aesthetic – The Player Experience Goals and primary sources of engagement
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Core Dynamic – How the Player is expected to play the game
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Core Mechanic – The driving mechanic of the game
Theme
This describes the base lesson or truth that is going to make the basis of the story and drive the main character. In my project, the theme is grief and I will therefore be creating the other assets around this central idea.
Tone
Tone is the designer's subjective view of the theme - this is where all the creative licence comes in. The art style, lighting and music will all make up the tone of the game, which reflects the original theme. For my game the tone will be sombre, then rising, as the character traverses and the environments become lighter and more interesting.
Mood
The mood is the emotional atmosphere that is created by the tone. Generally, this is explained in terms of emotions, each of which come into focus throughout different parts of the game. A game is a story and a journey, one that the player is taken on by the game designer. For example, while in the sad, lonely mood, I will use muted colours and slow music to illustrate it.
Motif
This refers to the archetype that the game is presenting, such as zombies or aliens, but is also associated with a specific Intellectual Property, like WarCraft or Call of Duty. While many of the other decisions will vary, the motif generally remains consistent between of the franchises. E.g. The Halo games have different themes or tones, but are all unmistakably within the same universe.
Core Aesthetic
A game's core aesthetic is it's primary form of engagement and form themselves as the emotional responses in the player. When the lighting is bright and there's lots of colour, the player will feel happy.
Core Dynamic
This represents how the game is supposed to flow based on the mechanics. When a character tells you to find 10 apples, you do it and bring them back for a reward. The dynamic explains the objective, whereas understanding the mechanics allows the player to follow through.
Core Mechanic
This is the central rule(s) that the gameplay is based on. The core mechanic overlaps heavily with the core dynamic, as they are symbiotic in nature.
resources & tools
These are some of the various resources and tools that I have come across that are going to help me in my final project. Some of the research I do will be on going as I move into the planning and production phase; these are the different sites that are going to be of use to me initially.
YouTube is one of the best places to go and learn anything. Whether I need a Unity tutorial, Blender hints and tricks, game play analysis, drawing workshops or just some background noise, there's virtually no end to how valuable YouTube is as a resource.
The many people who make making things easier for others are the best. I can watch interviews with game publishers and designers, watch Let's Plays for research and specifically learn a tonne about a program.
YouTube is going to be one of my greatest assets as I delve into Unity, Blender and Maya.
Skillshare is basically Netflix but learning. It's like YouTube, in that there is content provided in the way of videos, but at the same time it is drastically different. As for most things, paying for the content improves the quality of what is produced and Skillshare uses this to create a whole teacher base where you can learn to do anything creative.
There are so many courses and options, with industry professionals and structured lessons that mean you can make the most of what they're offering. The internet is incredible because anything you want to learn is out there, you just have to go looking for it.
Coursera is a step further than Skillshare. Here you can enrol on courses that come with certificates of completion, all the way up to graduate level.
This isn't really all that useful in terms of my current project, but it is something that I am keeping in mind. The idea of having a recognised certificate to say that I've done a course could never hurt in the future.
Sound:
The above link is to a reddit post containing all the previous GDC SFX package dumps that Sonnis have released for free. These are years worth of professionally recorded audio files and it's an amazing library to already be able to curate.
primary research
I haven't fully narrowed down the art style I want to make this game with yet, as I'm currently focused on absorbing as much information as possible. However, having narrowed down the theme and the tone for my game, I am thinking of something with dystopian/cyber punk influences, which would also provide a unique way to incorporate the lantern idea I had. I love the idea of the contrast in technology of a cyber punk world for the character, with the crushing emotions that they're facing; no matter how far the world advances we're all just people, with too many feelings and not enough outlets.
For the dogs, I will be basing them off my two girls. Lady, ghost pup - or robo pup, which sounds like a cool possibility - will be represented in an ethereal manner, ghostly and sent back to puppy form because all dogs deserve that much energy and happiness again. Oreo will be more tangible, normal sized and by the player's side always, whereas Lady is going to be a guide with unique abilities. I hope to invoke the amount of adoration the last photo brings to me in the players; the dogs should have as much personality as the characters within the game.
I have considered using the audio from some videos I have of them, talking and barking. Unless I edit the audio, distort it a little bit too, I think it will be too dissonant, what with how much they both loved to shout.
Logo Research
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For the 'studio' I'll be working as, and hey I might found it one day, I've gone for Lone Wolf Studios. Now, I'm not entirely dense, as I am aware that it takes a great number of good people to produce a game - while it's just me, I think it works, and if I ever expanded it, it would be a stupid joke I could make.
I'll Bite Off My Own Tail Before Anyone Else Can
It's also an understanding that I've come to terms with within myself, I'll be on my own for a lot of design processes because that's just how I deal with things. I can barely trust myself to do a job right, how the hell am I supposed to delegate to a whole team? I can't, at the place I'm in at the moment. So, I'll just lone wolf it.
The art style needs to be modern, and I like the geometric half wolf idea. I also want the logo to be a wolf biting it's own tail, in case anyone doesn't get the picture.
unity as an engine
There are three main game engines in today's market: Unity3D, CryEngine and Unreal4. They all come with their pros and cons, however due to budget and ease of access, I have already predetermined that I would create this project on Unity.
Unity Is Free - Sure you can get the paid version, but the free edition is jam packed with features and tools; for a novice such as myself, I wouldn't understand half of the stuff in the paid version anyway.
It's Multi-Platform - whether I was producing a mobile game, for PC, Mac, PS or Xbox and so on, Unity has me covered. Although the considerations for each platforms can't be overlooked, Unity makes the process of porting a lot easier.
The Asset Store - Unity comes with a store with just about everything, which is nice when finding assets can sometimes be troublesome.
2D/3D Development - Unity does not limit you to either a 2D or 3D game, you can make either. This makes it a very versatile tool.
Multiplayer! - The games that do the best often are multiplayer. Unity has a great, established, community and tonnes of tutorials to set up a multiplayer game.
Ease of Use - Unity has been said to be one of the best engines to start game development on. The interface is clear and understandable, with it's features all patiently explained in tutorials both on Unity's page and beyond.
The Tutorials Available - See above.
maya or blender?
The two main 3D modelling software's available are Blender and Maya. Blender doubles up as all sorts of video editing, rigging etc, where as Maya is purely for modelling, rigging and animating. So which should I use?
Based on my research, and recommendation by my teacher, I will be using Maya to create the 3D models for my character and the two dogs. Maya is easier to learn, with a less steep learning curve than Blender. It is also considered the best for 3D modelling and animation, putting it ahead of Blender in a technical sense. Although Blender is considered to be better for smaller studios, due to it being free, I think that Maya will be the better option because my focus is going to be on the concept and characters themselves for this project. I haven't got the time to explore each beforehand, so I will be taking the advice of industry professionals.
The Pitch
