With the inclusion of the transmedia element the second level appeared to be a good fit into the story so with the decision of the group to do this we tried to find the connection between the two. The group decision in the end was that the ex nasti moon member called black dog has come to a museum which contain a mining equipment.
Due to him stopping here then moving on we decided that after the repercussions of the leeds attack mission the marauders split up which causes some to go one way while the others are coming to the museum. With the others coming to the museum the resistance decide to take them out. which leads to the second mission being in the museum after Black dog has long gone and the Nasti Moon are annoyed after missing him a fight begins.
The full connection between the two has not been made but the transmedia element will also be affected by the first level which has not been written yet but will be a element that affects the story. both will be tweaked as me and Tim write the pieces and will be adapted as well.
Thursday, 27 March 2014
Ideas of Camera
Due to the problems with the camera i have looked into more real time strategy games to work out how to make the scale fit this has led me to believe that i will need to half the scale of the world so the scale is 1:2 or i increase the size of the mech which while testing seemed a better idea so the environment is viewable.
I will need to test this with an actual model due to the cube replacement may not be the best representation. the truth of the matter is that i think if the world doesn't shrink and the mech doesn't grow maybe the camera should zoom in and the assets shrink.
I will need to test this with an actual model due to the cube replacement may not be the best representation. the truth of the matter is that i think if the world doesn't shrink and the mech doesn't grow maybe the camera should zoom in and the assets shrink.
The camera
Though one of the key elements this is a section i unfortunately did not check sooner which is the camera which tracks the character during gameplay. Although attaching the camera is easy the main problem is the distance of the camera since due to trying keep the details on the mech the world becomes too big which causes the mech to look like a mouse in a Snes game.
Keeping the camera further away caused the same effect to the mech which made the world look fine but the mech look tiny. When looking over this i found that i will need to tweak the scale possibly by half to allow the character to be visible as well as keep the world at a good scale compared to the mech.
Keeping the camera further away caused the same effect to the mech which made the world look fine but the mech look tiny. When looking over this i found that i will need to tweak the scale possibly by half to allow the character to be visible as well as keep the world at a good scale compared to the mech.
Creating the game space
When it came to blocking out the level i had to use google maps due to the easy accessibility to the distance for the path that me and tim discussed. When blocking out a perimeter i tried to keep in mind the mechs needing more space round the canal as well as the size of buildings that potentially would have the mechs enter them.
The canal ended up looking good except for the size of the body of water which was far to big and caused the player to be too far away from the other shores which gave a scale problem for the player in the form of perspective as well as the distance of the camera and the level.
When i do my second block out i will address some of the issues that i found while laying it out which mainly was that the huge mech was just too small.
The canal ended up looking good except for the size of the body of water which was far to big and caused the player to be too far away from the other shores which gave a scale problem for the player in the form of perspective as well as the distance of the camera and the level.
When i do my second block out i will address some of the issues that i found while laying it out which mainly was that the huge mech was just too small.
Looking at scale
While think about the level design I needed to look into the scale used for the mechs compared to humans due to it affecting the rest of the measurements in the game. Andy measured out the average mech being 4 metres which i used as 4 units in unity which made the measurements easier.
Knowing that 1 unit is a metre i looked into existing factories for measurements and when measurements were not available i used the next best thing which was to use the google maps route planner to work out distances and length of such buildings and then used average measurements of houses for smaller buildings which ranged in length when needed.
This is for me a easy and quick way to get good measurements but i believe it may not help others in the same way since you still need to convert the measurements to meters.
Knowing that 1 unit is a metre i looked into existing factories for measurements and when measurements were not available i used the next best thing which was to use the google maps route planner to work out distances and length of such buildings and then used average measurements of houses for smaller buildings which ranged in length when needed.
This is for me a easy and quick way to get good measurements but i believe it may not help others in the same way since you still need to convert the measurements to meters.
Gears of War 2
Gears of War 2 is a third person shooter that reached critical acclaim due to it's violence and scale of missions ranging from in a giant worm and a mountain trail in a tank-ish jeep. the game itself uses what feels like very large spaces but due to good design the realism of it is that the space loops back on itself which gives the perspective of really long levels as well as the clever use of switching levels after cut scenes or checkpoints. When it comes to the design of the environment it is always fitting the scenario of the mission such as the mission to enter a science facility it keeps large ceilings for rooms such as where the experiments are being done and low and long corridors between the sections which along side giving a certain feeling when walking round it also tells it's own narrative.
My favourite chapter to look into is the mission to go though Jacinto since some buildings are still upright while some are destroyed or on their side. The roads are in one piece but covered in wrecks while some sections have giant holes. In the end of the day the scenery and level design can tell as much of a narrative as the story.
My favourite chapter to look into is the mission to go though Jacinto since some buildings are still upright while some are destroyed or on their side. The roads are in one piece but covered in wrecks while some sections have giant holes. In the end of the day the scenery and level design can tell as much of a narrative as the story.
Dawn of War 2
With Dawn of war 2's level design it is set to follow a certain format due to the game being an real time strategy. The setting of a rts limits aspects of the design which can be a positive. Due to the game keeping the same camera distance the measurements and scale are set even if you zoom in to a unit which means all levels can be measured to be the same scale and tweaked after.
The style of certain factions in the game also effects the scale in the level due to most factions having set building styles and buildings which normally follow conventions in the world for scale and size. The game tries to keep open spaces for combat when possible and normally use buildings in either strategic locations for combat or just for aesthetic means.
Dawn of War 2 proves when i was researching that you could have a large open space and can still fight but you get more immersed and enjoy the level more when there are changes such as a drop, a building or a ruined vehicle or just a nice looking level aesthetically.
The style of certain factions in the game also effects the scale in the level due to most factions having set building styles and buildings which normally follow conventions in the world for scale and size. The game tries to keep open spaces for combat when possible and normally use buildings in either strategic locations for combat or just for aesthetic means.
Dawn of War 2 proves when i was researching that you could have a large open space and can still fight but you get more immersed and enjoy the level more when there are changes such as a drop, a building or a ruined vehicle or just a nice looking level aesthetically.
Game Layouts
With one of my jobs being game level design i needed to do research into how to lay a level out. Fortunately due to my gamer background i have alot of experience into how to lay a level out depending on it's needs such as:
Lost Planet 2
The idea of all the stages is that due to the enemies being so large in size and the use of mechs the levels are large in scale but still keep the more interesting stuff in the center to keep the player on the assigned path.
Batman Arkham asylum
The space used in Arkham asylum are large due to the island and the use of the island but it also has enclosed and smaller areas in logical areas such as prisoner check in and security check points. The idea of multiple sized levels is the best setting when designing a game since it is closer in setting to real life since though there is a conformity in design size still fits function.
Lost Planet 2
The idea of all the stages is that due to the enemies being so large in size and the use of mechs the levels are large in scale but still keep the more interesting stuff in the center to keep the player on the assigned path.
Batman Arkham asylum
The space used in Arkham asylum are large due to the island and the use of the island but it also has enclosed and smaller areas in logical areas such as prisoner check in and security check points. The idea of multiple sized levels is the best setting when designing a game since it is closer in setting to real life since though there is a conformity in design size still fits function.
Animation test
Due to me looking into the animation for the project i started to do tests for how i should make the mech move.
Alot of the concept art are dog leg based which if looking online at mechs you can find alot of examples but what i wanted to do is try to get a feel for the weight of the mech as they move. While testing i found that the dog leg mechs though quite common and basic in most series they worked well to deliver the movement across to the viewer.
I also tried a hydraulics type mech which led to the problem of making the thing walk using a rig mainly due to the moving parts. though i think after a long period of time i would be able to make it fluid and look appealing i need to also thing of what is time efficient and also less stressful since alot of pieces still need to be done.
Alot of the concept art are dog leg based which if looking online at mechs you can find alot of examples but what i wanted to do is try to get a feel for the weight of the mech as they move. While testing i found that the dog leg mechs though quite common and basic in most series they worked well to deliver the movement across to the viewer.
I also tried a hydraulics type mech which led to the problem of making the thing walk using a rig mainly due to the moving parts. though i think after a long period of time i would be able to make it fluid and look appealing i need to also thing of what is time efficient and also less stressful since alot of pieces still need to be done.
Development of story
With the characters being designed i continued on the story. Due to me not designing the history by myself i need the history designed by Tim to progress in creating the story but with some of the info i have started writing key moments in the story listed below:
Rugby
The start of the story due to sarah just finding a note book and writing in it while camping out near the road. This is when she starts to talk about the groups origins mainly her own.
Leicester
The group needs to refuel by nicking some fuel for the mech and the truck which leads to running into a family of criminals.
Derby
Runs into group of nasti moons and are taken alongside ricky until Black Dog saves them. ricky's backstory is revealed.
Sheffield
My trail is damaged and needs to be repaired so they go to a mining museum and repairs the mech while Black dog's backstory is revealed and the setup of the second stage begins.
Due to these just being key scenes i will need to work on the story to make a good fluid connection between the them and also allow the setup for the second stage not lacking in the build up that it deserves.
Rugby
The start of the story due to sarah just finding a note book and writing in it while camping out near the road. This is when she starts to talk about the groups origins mainly her own.
Leicester
The group needs to refuel by nicking some fuel for the mech and the truck which leads to running into a family of criminals.
Derby
Runs into group of nasti moons and are taken alongside ricky until Black Dog saves them. ricky's backstory is revealed.
Sheffield
My trail is damaged and needs to be repaired so they go to a mining museum and repairs the mech while Black dog's backstory is revealed and the setup of the second stage begins.
Due to these just being key scenes i will need to work on the story to make a good fluid connection between the them and also allow the setup for the second stage not lacking in the build up that it deserves.
companions
Name: Ricky 'RickJaw'
Physical Description:
Appearance: Ricky is 5ft 3, 14 year old boy with a ectomorph body type. He has a black fauxhawk and brown eyes. On the right side of his face he has a scar above his eyebrow and under his lip from shrapnel.
Character Traits: Due to his scar he has problems eating and also issues due to the scar being so easily seen.
Clothing: long sleeved tan shirt with rolled up sleeves and a black waist coat, Dusty brown suit trousers with black shoes and a worn blue jacket. all pieces of clothing are hand me downs that are to big for him.
Background:
Family Background: Ricky was born and raised in Northampton with a family of two brothers and his mom and dad until he came to the age of ten. At the age of ten Ricky's family were all killed during a marauders raid which also left him with a scar across his face and while slowly dying in a ditch he met Black Dog who took him in and became a big brother or father figure to him.
Education:
He has been learning base mechanics due to black dog's influence as well as learning how to drive both Dog's truck and different types of mech. While learning mechanics he didn't know how to read and write so he is now learning how to do both.
Personality:
Personality traits: Narcissistic, Depressed, Fast Learner, Defensive, Grouchy, Good sense of humour, Childish, Broken, Talkative, Self reliant, Prudent, Hesitant, Loving, Curious.
Habits/Vices: lip biting, excessive throat clearing, cracking knuckles, interrupting, procrastinating, lying,
Mannerisms: Fidgeting due to scar,running finger over lower scar when defensive, clicking when impatient. Chewing bottom lip
Likes: Pork, guitar, Mechs, Harold's flatbed, Beef, Smell of Burning Rubber, Spiders, Sarah's Drawings, his compact knife.laying down under the sky.
Dislikes: Millipedes, Marauders, snobbery, enclosed spaces, Fire, smell of tabacco smoke, vain people. Doctors
Motivation:
What is their goal?: The eventual downfall of the marauders and protecting
How do they go about achieving this?: working together with his "brother" Harold to get to a safe location and giving resistance information as they move about the marauders.
Name: Sarah Hagen
Physical Description:
Appearance:Sarah is a 7 year old girl with a mesomorph body type. she has Blond Fishtail hair with blue eyes.
Character Traits: She cut her shin which causes her to put more weight on her left leg.
Clothing: Sarah wears a dark orange dress with a brown belt and a green fleece over the top. wears brown shoes with brown socks. all clothes are a bit dirtier due to travelling.
Background:
Family Background: Sarah lost her family due to famine and was taken in by a member of the marauders until that member got attacked by the sons of iron which left her alone again. Black Dog found her after which led to him taking her in alongside Ricky.
Education: She has an average knowledge in maths and literacy and is starting to be taught more advanced knowledge by Harold.
Personality:
Personality traits: Nervous, childish, impatient, excited, trusting, confident, observant, happy, good natured, good listener, Mischievous, Nervous, Lucky, Lovable, Loving, Inventive, Helpful, Honest.
Habits/Vices: badly lies when nervous, clicks tongue, pulls at threads on her bear.
Mannerisms: chews fingernails, speech pattern, Shifts around in seat when nervous, Licking lips, Twirling hair in fingers, clicks heels when sat down.
Likes: Her teddy bear, sweets, raw carrots, colour red, playing cards, spending time with adopted family, Drawing.
Dislikes: Bugs, loud bangs, fireworks, dogs, biscuits, smeel of alcohol, hats.
Motivation:
What is their goal?: to have a happy family.
How do they go about achieving this?: With meeting up with Ricky and Black Dog she will try to bring all of them together to create an adopted family that she can find happiness with.
With the two kids i tried to take influence from doctor who and how he interacts with his companions but i also didn't want to have the idea of a crazy guy travelling with a lass and the occasional lad as well and connecting the war feel in the story. The reason that i used kids is due to the concept of the London blitz were alot of kids lost family when they went into the countryside so i wanted Harold to become a father and allow ricky to show rebellion to his marauder past and the trauma that sarah had when the last marauder father figure died.
Physical Description:
Appearance: Ricky is 5ft 3, 14 year old boy with a ectomorph body type. He has a black fauxhawk and brown eyes. On the right side of his face he has a scar above his eyebrow and under his lip from shrapnel.
Character Traits: Due to his scar he has problems eating and also issues due to the scar being so easily seen.
Clothing: long sleeved tan shirt with rolled up sleeves and a black waist coat, Dusty brown suit trousers with black shoes and a worn blue jacket. all pieces of clothing are hand me downs that are to big for him.
Background:
Family Background: Ricky was born and raised in Northampton with a family of two brothers and his mom and dad until he came to the age of ten. At the age of ten Ricky's family were all killed during a marauders raid which also left him with a scar across his face and while slowly dying in a ditch he met Black Dog who took him in and became a big brother or father figure to him.
Education:
He has been learning base mechanics due to black dog's influence as well as learning how to drive both Dog's truck and different types of mech. While learning mechanics he didn't know how to read and write so he is now learning how to do both.
Personality:
Personality traits: Narcissistic, Depressed, Fast Learner, Defensive, Grouchy, Good sense of humour, Childish, Broken, Talkative, Self reliant, Prudent, Hesitant, Loving, Curious.
Habits/Vices: lip biting, excessive throat clearing, cracking knuckles, interrupting, procrastinating, lying,
Mannerisms: Fidgeting due to scar,running finger over lower scar when defensive, clicking when impatient. Chewing bottom lip
Likes: Pork, guitar, Mechs, Harold's flatbed, Beef, Smell of Burning Rubber, Spiders, Sarah's Drawings, his compact knife.laying down under the sky.
Dislikes: Millipedes, Marauders, snobbery, enclosed spaces, Fire, smell of tabacco smoke, vain people. Doctors
Motivation:
What is their goal?: The eventual downfall of the marauders and protecting
How do they go about achieving this?: working together with his "brother" Harold to get to a safe location and giving resistance information as they move about the marauders.
Name: Sarah Hagen
Physical Description:
Appearance:Sarah is a 7 year old girl with a mesomorph body type. she has Blond Fishtail hair with blue eyes.
Character Traits: She cut her shin which causes her to put more weight on her left leg.
Clothing: Sarah wears a dark orange dress with a brown belt and a green fleece over the top. wears brown shoes with brown socks. all clothes are a bit dirtier due to travelling.
Background:
Family Background: Sarah lost her family due to famine and was taken in by a member of the marauders until that member got attacked by the sons of iron which left her alone again. Black Dog found her after which led to him taking her in alongside Ricky.
Education: She has an average knowledge in maths and literacy and is starting to be taught more advanced knowledge by Harold.
Personality:
Personality traits: Nervous, childish, impatient, excited, trusting, confident, observant, happy, good natured, good listener, Mischievous, Nervous, Lucky, Lovable, Loving, Inventive, Helpful, Honest.
Habits/Vices: badly lies when nervous, clicks tongue, pulls at threads on her bear.
Mannerisms: chews fingernails, speech pattern, Shifts around in seat when nervous, Licking lips, Twirling hair in fingers, clicks heels when sat down.
Likes: Her teddy bear, sweets, raw carrots, colour red, playing cards, spending time with adopted family, Drawing.
Dislikes: Bugs, loud bangs, fireworks, dogs, biscuits, smeel of alcohol, hats.
Motivation:
What is their goal?: to have a happy family.
How do they go about achieving this?: With meeting up with Ricky and Black Dog she will try to bring all of them together to create an adopted family that she can find happiness with.
With the two kids i tried to take influence from doctor who and how he interacts with his companions but i also didn't want to have the idea of a crazy guy travelling with a lass and the occasional lad as well and connecting the war feel in the story. The reason that i used kids is due to the concept of the London blitz were alot of kids lost family when they went into the countryside so i wanted Harold to become a father and allow ricky to show rebellion to his marauder past and the trauma that sarah had when the last marauder father figure died.
Lead
Name:
Harold 'Black Dog' Reidy
Mech Name:
My Trail
Physical Description:
Appearance: Harold is a 5ft10 32 year old man with an mesomorph body type muscular build.He has dark brown high and tight hair with anchor facial hair, hazel eyes.
Character Traits: An injury on his left shoulder causes him to stretch his left arm constantly.cut on the back of left hand causes pain in the cold so gloves are needed.
Clothing: Sleeveless, Black, worn suit jacket with metal plates around shoulders and orange stripes on sides. dark red short sleeve shirt with a black string vest above.studded red belt, with orange stripped pouches. worn black combats. black combat boots with yellow laces, fingerless dark yellow gloves with metal armband attached to it.
Background:
Family Background:
Harold was raised only by his mother in Milton Keynes which caused hardships for him growing
up, although he didn't have a father he found a father figure in a soldier located in the local barracks which after his mum died when he was six took him in until he joined the military.
Education:
With his "father" being in the army he started learning the skills to be able to join when he grew older. When he was old enough to join he put all other recruits to shame due to his skills in engineering, survival tactics, markmanship and maintenance of weapons and mechs. his skills have led to him now being able to travel the UK with his own personal mech on the back of his flatbed truck.
Personality:
Personality traits: Aggressive, Analytical, Brave, Clever, Charitable, Compassionate, Reliable, Trusting, imaginative, fatherly, Caring, Dependable, Motivated, Present- Oriented, Realistic, Resourceful, Self Reliant.
Habits/Vices: Smoking, Swearing, Being Critical, Drinking scotch, stock checking
Mannerisms: rubbing thumb and inner finger while thinking, bites knuckle when nervous, crossed arms when defensive, legs crossed when sitting
Likes: Newport Pagnell brand scotch, handheld pipe pickaxe, tobacco, gammon, Beer, 1914 enfield rifle, smell of burning wood, his flatbed truck.
Dislikes: Rum, turnips, canal boats, smell of burning rubber, heights, civil war, foolish pride, Anita Tearwinter
Motivation:
What is their goal?: To find a safe place for the kids to live without the constant threat of the war and his marauder allies and to start a new life.
How do they go about achieving this?: By living a separated life from his old marauder allies and by travelling with the kids to different locations around the UK. he will do anything to get his goal for them and himself.
Harold 'Black Dog' Reidy
Mech Name:
My Trail
Physical Description:
Appearance: Harold is a 5ft10 32 year old man with an mesomorph body type muscular build.He has dark brown high and tight hair with anchor facial hair, hazel eyes.
Character Traits: An injury on his left shoulder causes him to stretch his left arm constantly.cut on the back of left hand causes pain in the cold so gloves are needed.
Clothing: Sleeveless, Black, worn suit jacket with metal plates around shoulders and orange stripes on sides. dark red short sleeve shirt with a black string vest above.studded red belt, with orange stripped pouches. worn black combats. black combat boots with yellow laces, fingerless dark yellow gloves with metal armband attached to it.
Background:
Family Background:
Harold was raised only by his mother in Milton Keynes which caused hardships for him growing
up, although he didn't have a father he found a father figure in a soldier located in the local barracks which after his mum died when he was six took him in until he joined the military.
Education:
With his "father" being in the army he started learning the skills to be able to join when he grew older. When he was old enough to join he put all other recruits to shame due to his skills in engineering, survival tactics, markmanship and maintenance of weapons and mechs. his skills have led to him now being able to travel the UK with his own personal mech on the back of his flatbed truck.
Personality:
Personality traits: Aggressive, Analytical, Brave, Clever, Charitable, Compassionate, Reliable, Trusting, imaginative, fatherly, Caring, Dependable, Motivated, Present- Oriented, Realistic, Resourceful, Self Reliant.
Habits/Vices: Smoking, Swearing, Being Critical, Drinking scotch, stock checking
Mannerisms: rubbing thumb and inner finger while thinking, bites knuckle when nervous, crossed arms when defensive, legs crossed when sitting
Likes: Newport Pagnell brand scotch, handheld pipe pickaxe, tobacco, gammon, Beer, 1914 enfield rifle, smell of burning wood, his flatbed truck.
Dislikes: Rum, turnips, canal boats, smell of burning rubber, heights, civil war, foolish pride, Anita Tearwinter
Motivation:
What is their goal?: To find a safe place for the kids to live without the constant threat of the war and his marauder allies and to start a new life.
How do they go about achieving this?: By living a separated life from his old marauder allies and by travelling with the kids to different locations around the UK. he will do anything to get his goal for them and himself.
Above is the lead characters sheet which follows the same one used for the game characters so i am answering the same questions. the idea behind the character was to get across that Harold was raised in the war and fought for what he now feels is worthless. after finding the kids he changed his mind and although he already left the marauders i wanted to connect that as he travels with the kids he becomes like a father and starts to react badly to the marauders due to a new protective instinct that he has and while the story progresses he becomes more loving but also more terrifying.
Star Wars trans
Much like halo star wars has become a popular series that has been expanding due to the fans and creators alike be it in the form of animated shows, books, comics or video games and although some of the stories are forgettable most are designed to have a place in the world such as the example of Jango Fett.
Jango Fett appears in the second movie out of the blue and at first all that is known is that he is a bounty hunter, the father of boba fett and the template of the clone army. at first this character means nothing really to the viewer but after the movie a game came out called star wars bounty hunter which led to explaining that:
he is a mandolorian
he doesn't have a family
count dooku hires him for the emperor for a test/bounty
the reward for the test is to be the template for the clone army
he was rivals with zam wessel
he wanted the first clone(boba) unaltered for himself
the armour is standard issue for mandalorians.
Now this may seem like i am throwing info at you but the idea that you haven't looked into the expanded universe and then play this game you will learn alot of things that you didn't even know was connected in the story such as that the target komari vosa was dooku apprentice and wielded the light sabers that asaji ventress would own in the animated series. The reason i researched star wars and halo is just so i could get in the mindset as well as look at examples that have done it successfully to the point that it is the staple of the series. The other reason is that both these transmedia elements were not written by the creator of the series, so they are all created using an existing guideline which is the practice that i am trying to do for the written element to the game.
Jango Fett appears in the second movie out of the blue and at first all that is known is that he is a bounty hunter, the father of boba fett and the template of the clone army. at first this character means nothing really to the viewer but after the movie a game came out called star wars bounty hunter which led to explaining that:
he is a mandolorian
he doesn't have a family
count dooku hires him for the emperor for a test/bounty
the reward for the test is to be the template for the clone army
he was rivals with zam wessel
he wanted the first clone(boba) unaltered for himself
the armour is standard issue for mandalorians.
Now this may seem like i am throwing info at you but the idea that you haven't looked into the expanded universe and then play this game you will learn alot of things that you didn't even know was connected in the story such as that the target komari vosa was dooku apprentice and wielded the light sabers that asaji ventress would own in the animated series. The reason i researched star wars and halo is just so i could get in the mindset as well as look at examples that have done it successfully to the point that it is the staple of the series. The other reason is that both these transmedia elements were not written by the creator of the series, so they are all created using an existing guideline which is the practice that i am trying to do for the written element to the game.
Halo Trans
Now the second element i have to create is a transmedia story connecting to the world we are creating and although we are still working on the game i am working on the transmedia piece. Transmedia is a term that is also known as multi platform narrative which is the telling of a story connected to or influencing the main story that comes in a different format to the game and the example i will be talking about is halo.
The Halo series has become a huge franchise that has expanded it's world with the use of complimenting pieces to the games such as the books. Here are some examples:
there's ''first strike'' covering the period between halo 1 and 2, it focuses on how the chief and johnson managed to escape the destroyed halo, rescue the surviving spartan 2's and halsey from a partially glassed reach, blow up a covenant super base/several thousand docked ships that were heading to earth (leaving the prophet with only the handful he arrived there with in halo 2) and then the surviving members headed to earth for the start of halo 2 - knowing the covenant were on approach. Now this section in the book affects the games in the sense that if it wasn't for destroying the base the threat in the story of the second game would of been increased and would also affect the gameplay and while the player reads this book he is expanding on his universe and knowledge of the created world.
Forerunner trilogy basically follows a forerunner of the builder class who shames his family by being a bit of a free-spirited, independent thinker. not wanting to follow in his family's footsteps and instead sets out to explore some old ruins on a planet inhabited by weird human-like creatures, while on the planet he uncovers a tomb of sorts His presence causes it to open, from which emerges the didact (imprisoned for unspeakable war crimes against humanity during the human-forerunner war) the didact, this forerunner and 2 humans then travel to various places, discovering a precursor, a being that came before the forerunners
(and the species from whom it is heavily implied created the flood in order to get revenge on the forerunners for overthrowing them). At some point the forerunner undergoes some weird ritual and becomes a form of the didact (memories and appearance included) the main didact eventually ends up being imprisoned in the tomb thing you find him in in halo 4, the clone-didact meets the librarian on the ark (From halo 3) and is the one who is ultimately responsible for the activation of the halo array. These are all element that affected the story of the universe and also connects events in the universe together which is an element of good story writing.
The halo series have shown time and time again how to create interconnecting stories in the form of books, animated shows, live action shows and also creating a game set from a different angle of an event that you witness in the second game which is the glassing of new mombassa.
The Halo series has become a huge franchise that has expanded it's world with the use of complimenting pieces to the games such as the books. Here are some examples:
there's ''first strike'' covering the period between halo 1 and 2, it focuses on how the chief and johnson managed to escape the destroyed halo, rescue the surviving spartan 2's and halsey from a partially glassed reach, blow up a covenant super base/several thousand docked ships that were heading to earth (leaving the prophet with only the handful he arrived there with in halo 2) and then the surviving members headed to earth for the start of halo 2 - knowing the covenant were on approach. Now this section in the book affects the games in the sense that if it wasn't for destroying the base the threat in the story of the second game would of been increased and would also affect the gameplay and while the player reads this book he is expanding on his universe and knowledge of the created world.
Forerunner trilogy basically follows a forerunner of the builder class who shames his family by being a bit of a free-spirited, independent thinker. not wanting to follow in his family's footsteps and instead sets out to explore some old ruins on a planet inhabited by weird human-like creatures, while on the planet he uncovers a tomb of sorts His presence causes it to open, from which emerges the didact (imprisoned for unspeakable war crimes against humanity during the human-forerunner war) the didact, this forerunner and 2 humans then travel to various places, discovering a precursor, a being that came before the forerunners
(and the species from whom it is heavily implied created the flood in order to get revenge on the forerunners for overthrowing them). At some point the forerunner undergoes some weird ritual and becomes a form of the didact (memories and appearance included) the main didact eventually ends up being imprisoned in the tomb thing you find him in in halo 4, the clone-didact meets the librarian on the ark (From halo 3) and is the one who is ultimately responsible for the activation of the halo array. These are all element that affected the story of the universe and also connects events in the universe together which is an element of good story writing.
The halo series have shown time and time again how to create interconnecting stories in the form of books, animated shows, live action shows and also creating a game set from a different angle of an event that you witness in the second game which is the glassing of new mombassa.
HAWKEN
HAWKEN is a game that has recently come out as a mech first person shooter that has the main game play being multiplayer. now The first thing noticed about this game is that it is only multiplayer and although some games need this sort of set up such as payday and left for dead the game leaves a lot to be desired for someone like me.
The main reason i bought this game up is due to with the mechs, now although the mechs are new tech mixed with old tech in appearance the visual style of the mechs is really nice since they thought of the idea of roles in the mechs and allowed them to influence the design such as a heavy hitter mech will have a lot of armour and most likely a big gun. the idea of class of mechs is something we have implemented with the enemy factions in our game which also has the appearance dependent on group and although this doesn't influence what we already had planned to much it's nice to see a working format.
Now besides the mechs and unlimited ammo i don't have much to say about the game due to lack of playing it but as research material in visual for mechs it helped with the appearance and animations.
The main reason i bought this game up is due to with the mechs, now although the mechs are new tech mixed with old tech in appearance the visual style of the mechs is really nice since they thought of the idea of roles in the mechs and allowed them to influence the design such as a heavy hitter mech will have a lot of armour and most likely a big gun. the idea of class of mechs is something we have implemented with the enemy factions in our game which also has the appearance dependent on group and although this doesn't influence what we already had planned to much it's nice to see a working format.
Now besides the mechs and unlimited ammo i don't have much to say about the game due to lack of playing it but as research material in visual for mechs it helped with the appearance and animations.
Company of heroes
Company of heroes is a real time strategy game created by the game company relic who also created the dawn of war game series. The game is set in world war two and with a sequel follows the Americans and the Russians against the Nazi menace.
The visuals of the game are beautiful and follow the feel that is associated with the war which immerses the player even if they have a rts ui in their face. The game keeps with making sure the world is set in the right time period ranging from the farms to the city and even to the weather which is an influence that i will be using for our game especially for the war torn visual style that is connected with a recently occupied space.
The Animations range from soldiers to tanks and anti tank guns, the tanks and anti tank guns are a particular section that i found helpful for working out kick back due to the damage the weapons must do to their target and how the amount of force, kick back depends on what you are shooting so a anti tank gun has a lot of kick back due to the amount of damage to the tank it does while a apc has little kick back.the destruction animations is something that really helped working out our own due to how they don't just blow up.
The modelling of the tanks look good from up close as well as far away which is something that we should strive for even if the camera is at a distance from the player. The designs of the tanks definetly affected my input for the mechs in the sense of simple element that i thought needed tweaking such as mud guards or armour.
the game itself is fun and enjoyable but also was a good example of how to get the sort of game we want.
The visuals of the game are beautiful and follow the feel that is associated with the war which immerses the player even if they have a rts ui in their face. The game keeps with making sure the world is set in the right time period ranging from the farms to the city and even to the weather which is an influence that i will be using for our game especially for the war torn visual style that is connected with a recently occupied space.
The Animations range from soldiers to tanks and anti tank guns, the tanks and anti tank guns are a particular section that i found helpful for working out kick back due to the damage the weapons must do to their target and how the amount of force, kick back depends on what you are shooting so a anti tank gun has a lot of kick back due to the amount of damage to the tank it does while a apc has little kick back.the destruction animations is something that really helped working out our own due to how they don't just blow up.
The modelling of the tanks look good from up close as well as far away which is something that we should strive for even if the camera is at a distance from the player. The designs of the tanks definetly affected my input for the mechs in the sense of simple element that i thought needed tweaking such as mud guards or armour.
the game itself is fun and enjoyable but also was a good example of how to get the sort of game we want.
Star Wars 1
Due to the star wars franchise being a big part of my childhood i decided to look more into the mech movements in the form of the droids and the empire. The first thing that needs to be mentioned in the comparison is that one uses Cgi and the other uses models and stop motion animation to create their machines.
The AT-AT is a good example of how i think the mechs should look in movement due to the idea that they are limited by physical restraints not by a computer and the rig, The vehicle is a lot different in size so our mechs will move quickly and not be as heavy footed but the base principle of how the machine should move is their. A better example is the AT-ST thought still large it is treated as a light vehicle in star wars standards. The AT-ST is similar in design to the sentinel in Dawn of War the only difference is the size and how the thing looks. one thing i found was that the at-st has a smaller cockpit which looks like the thing has no problem balancing while the sentinel has a larger cockpit and feels more like a balancing act which is another thing that will affect the walking for our mechs i believe.
The droids run too fluid for the style i thing we want but their is one droid i have decided to research which is the spider droid. Now the main reason i like this one is besides the multiple legs the mech actually uses a system where the legs move up when they walk like sliding a pencil though a hole and the pushing it back though which i think is a good idea such that it feels like it is hydraulics based which also feels like it can compensate for it's surroundings and becomes more sure footed. the spider droid is one i love but will need to be judged upon by the group.
The AT-AT is a good example of how i think the mechs should look in movement due to the idea that they are limited by physical restraints not by a computer and the rig, The vehicle is a lot different in size so our mechs will move quickly and not be as heavy footed but the base principle of how the machine should move is their. A better example is the AT-ST thought still large it is treated as a light vehicle in star wars standards. The AT-ST is similar in design to the sentinel in Dawn of War the only difference is the size and how the thing looks. one thing i found was that the at-st has a smaller cockpit which looks like the thing has no problem balancing while the sentinel has a larger cockpit and feels more like a balancing act which is another thing that will affect the walking for our mechs i believe.
The droids run too fluid for the style i thing we want but their is one droid i have decided to research which is the spider droid. Now the main reason i like this one is besides the multiple legs the mech actually uses a system where the legs move up when they walk like sliding a pencil though a hole and the pushing it back though which i think is a good idea such that it feels like it is hydraulics based which also feels like it can compensate for it's surroundings and becomes more sure footed. the spider droid is one i love but will need to be judged upon by the group.
professional Animation examples
Due to my job being animation i decided to look into the workings of animations in video games mainly the use of machinery. The use of machinery in video games vary such as looking into gears of war which had no walker type machinery until the third game but still had impressive vehicles. now the reason why i looked into vehicles as well as mechs which are the main focus is due to firing animation which was also analysed in heavy weapons. the main reason i was looking into these types of animations was due to the kickback that firearms give off.
A game i looked back into for the appearance of different types of kick back were killzone as well as payday 2. The reason for looking into killzone is that the weapons aren't real so you use real life examples to influence you the same way as payday 2. My main grip on killzone's animations is that the machine guns feel realistic in their kick back which immerses the player and allows them to have a form of problem solving in the form of realizing how to fire and aim the gun effectively. The rockets feel less like this due to the player firing them standing up and not really moving much in the way of kick back on the upper body which for me is going to need to be addressed if we have rockets on mechs.
Payday 2 does really good animations for the small arms as well but also shows how much kick back you would get from an RPK which was a weapon i took influence from when looking into guns for the marauders.now the research into the firing animations will just be aesthetic due to the angle of game play but i still find this important for immersion.
Looking into walkers the main influence were games like lost planet 2 which has a large range in size of mech that allowed me to thing of weight by comparison and how that would affect movement in the mechs. the mechs in lost planet are alot heavier in appearance and movement so althought the weight in the steps is a good guide i looked into dawn of war for the actual walking cycles for the characters due to their dog leg appearance when needed. Star wars influenced me at first due to how fluid the movements felt but after a while of research i found that due to the tech level of our world they would not be that fluid and would be best compared with the at st and at at from the original series. As i progress the weight will need to be tested.
A game i looked back into for the appearance of different types of kick back were killzone as well as payday 2. The reason for looking into killzone is that the weapons aren't real so you use real life examples to influence you the same way as payday 2. My main grip on killzone's animations is that the machine guns feel realistic in their kick back which immerses the player and allows them to have a form of problem solving in the form of realizing how to fire and aim the gun effectively. The rockets feel less like this due to the player firing them standing up and not really moving much in the way of kick back on the upper body which for me is going to need to be addressed if we have rockets on mechs.
Payday 2 does really good animations for the small arms as well but also shows how much kick back you would get from an RPK which was a weapon i took influence from when looking into guns for the marauders.now the research into the firing animations will just be aesthetic due to the angle of game play but i still find this important for immersion.
Looking into walkers the main influence were games like lost planet 2 which has a large range in size of mech that allowed me to thing of weight by comparison and how that would affect movement in the mechs. the mechs in lost planet are alot heavier in appearance and movement so althought the weight in the steps is a good guide i looked into dawn of war for the actual walking cycles for the characters due to their dog leg appearance when needed. Star wars influenced me at first due to how fluid the movements felt but after a while of research i found that due to the tech level of our world they would not be that fluid and would be best compared with the at st and at at from the original series. As i progress the weight will need to be tested.
Weapons
For initial research i decided to look into weapons that were present during the time period that we are spanning. Although i kept in mind that this is our own world i tried to keep the weapons mainly between 1910 to the end of the second world war mainly due to the idea of the construction of the mechs.
One thing that was instantly established is that a lot of the guns that i researched are small arms if you called tanks big arms so the use of a Walter P.30 on a mech is just a silly idea but with the research as well as my own personal knowledge of weapons i was able to think of using certain segments of weapons since it is our designed world.
With the research i found that certain regions have certain appearances if you compare guns such as Russian fire arms and American fire arms you can see differences in the barrels which can be used in designing the guns on the mech.
With all this we decided to go to the royal armouries which led to me and Andy working out the design of an american minigun and how it was put together. The research we did here influenced one of the mechs to have a opening for the casings to fall out of due to the aesthetic as well as what would be the realistic threat of gun casings inside the mech.
I kept in the loop with concept art mainly due to the knowledge of guns which i could disperse.
One thing that was instantly established is that a lot of the guns that i researched are small arms if you called tanks big arms so the use of a Walter P.30 on a mech is just a silly idea but with the research as well as my own personal knowledge of weapons i was able to think of using certain segments of weapons since it is our designed world.
With the research i found that certain regions have certain appearances if you compare guns such as Russian fire arms and American fire arms you can see differences in the barrels which can be used in designing the guns on the mech.
With all this we decided to go to the royal armouries which led to me and Andy working out the design of an american minigun and how it was put together. The research we did here influenced one of the mechs to have a opening for the casings to fall out of due to the aesthetic as well as what would be the realistic threat of gun casings inside the mech.
I kept in the loop with concept art mainly due to the knowledge of guns which i could disperse.
The roles we play
The project that i am working on is a game project that is a isometric shooter which will be an original idea. The team for the project is me, Andy, Adam and Tim which though working together to create this piece is our main goal we all will have specific jobs that will need individual research as well as certain workloads during the project.
Although i am a writer i will not be doing writing for this project since that role is filled by Tim which alongside his producer role leads to him finalizing a lot of the final pieces of the story. the first stage of production is mainly concept based which due to my roles led me to be less involved with the making of the concept art and leaving my contribution to inputs on what i think of the piece.
My roles in the project will boil down to:
Animation
The main animations that i will be doing are the mechs ranging from walk cycles to movements while shooting. the possibility of animating the surroundings is there but a lesser importance when compared to the mechs.
Modelling
With modelling i will be doing mechs as well as assets for the world ranging from a beer barrel to a factory. the modelling although split between four is a main field that i will be working on during this project due to personal interest as well as the want to improve my skills.
Level Design
Level design is the one part of the game that i really wanted to do since it is something i have an interest with. the level design will lead to me doing research on scale and placement while research on the actual building will be shared between the group. I will be doing the mock ups as well and finalized mock ups which will lead to creating a good level as well as influencing modelling as well as how the game looks.
Although i am a writer i will not be doing writing for this project since that role is filled by Tim which alongside his producer role leads to him finalizing a lot of the final pieces of the story. the first stage of production is mainly concept based which due to my roles led me to be less involved with the making of the concept art and leaving my contribution to inputs on what i think of the piece.
My roles in the project will boil down to:
Animation
The main animations that i will be doing are the mechs ranging from walk cycles to movements while shooting. the possibility of animating the surroundings is there but a lesser importance when compared to the mechs.
Modelling
With modelling i will be doing mechs as well as assets for the world ranging from a beer barrel to a factory. the modelling although split between four is a main field that i will be working on during this project due to personal interest as well as the want to improve my skills.
Level Design
Level design is the one part of the game that i really wanted to do since it is something i have an interest with. the level design will lead to me doing research on scale and placement while research on the actual building will be shared between the group. I will be doing the mock ups as well and finalized mock ups which will lead to creating a good level as well as influencing modelling as well as how the game looks.
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