Roads and video games are two very different things with very different purposes. Video games let us play in a different world and roads get us from one place to another in the real one. However in this essay I will look at one aspect in which I believe they are very similar, design.
Both roads and video games need a thoroughly planned out blueprint for how they will be made. Dealing with roads these are quite literal blueprints, in video games these come in the form of design documents. During the building process these blueprints need to be split up and distributed to the team. If a plan cannot be met, due to regulations, guidelines or just harsh reality, the design must change, whether you are dealing with cement and metal or code ad pixels.
The type and purpose of roads and video games play an important role in their design. Is it a street? Highway? Freeway? Is it a platformer? Shooter? RPG? What is the goal? Should the player/driver have a lot of choices? Are there a lot of traffic lights? Are left turns or u-turns allowed? Can the player jump? Is it as simple as a straight racetrack with one purpose and no speed limit or as complex as streets in a big city? The streets in GTA4 are unique because they use actual street designs from New York to create the free roaming feel of the game and relate the player/driver to the map.
There are other factors that should be considered in design. For roads the sizes of the vehicles that will be driving on it are important, height/weight limitations, size of lanes, bridges and tunnels with games the size of the characters and other objects relate greatly with the overall goal and efficiently. Thinking of the paths and destinations of the player/driver is crucial, how will they get there? How long will it take them (average playtime)? How far do they travel? Is there parking (save points)? How many?
The results of the design decisions made will relate directly to the efficiency and popularity of the roads/games. If the roads are hard to navigate the driver cannot make it to their destinations, they will become frustrated, similar to having bad camera controls in a game, and have to take out their anger by playing a game like Road Rash or Burnout. However if the choices were thought out and implemented successfully then when the driver is cruising down the street they do not realize that they are driving, similar to how a great game submerges the player into the game.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Sunday, November 22, 2009
Resident Evil Degeneration: An Overall Analysis
The makers of Resident Evil: Degeneration wanted to make a movie that felt like the game series and kept its animation style instead of live action as with the previous movies. Although the movie has some issues with voice acting and lighting it is able to stay true to the Resident Evil culture. With a plot all too familiar in the movies, animation that makes the viewer feel as if they are there and special features, Degeneration is a nice addition to the series.
The plot follows the same structure as most of the movies and game. Terrible accident, virus spreads, evil people who work for big companies have mysterious motives. So the ones who have dealt with this madness before are sent into the company’s headquarters, which looks like a level in a video game, the virus breaks out there so they must blow it up and escape. Even the trusty advice from the games, “Destroy their brains, shoot em’ in the head” , is present to make the viewer feel more like they are playing the games.
The animation in the movie is visually pleasing and makes the movie really feel like the game. The scene when an airplane crashes into the airport looks extremely realistic. The undead creatures kept the same feel as they did in the game. However since it is a movie they were able to show more personality and wilder actions. The movie tries to keep the dark feel of the games but some scenes feel as if they are too dark and what you are suppose to see is not very clear.
The voice acting is nothing spectacular for a movie but is up to par with most voice acting in games. Some lines do not seem to align with the characters’ lips perhaps due to the translation from Japanese. The dialog also seems a little dull for movies but in the same ballpark as games. The dialog of the little girl in the movie seems very mature for her age and makes it clear that the actress playing her voice is an adult.
The special features on the DVD are loaded with interesting material. A “making of” short film, interviews and trailers let the viewer get deeper into the movie. Voice bloopers are ridiculously funny and are a nice humorous extra. The character profiles give the viewer more insight on the backstory of the characters of Resident Evil and a preview of Resident Evil 5 gives hardcore fans a little extra.
The makers of Degeneration wanted to show that Resident Evil the way it is can be good enough to be a movie. The understood that the hardcore fans would be expecting a lot from them and they did their best to give them what they wanted, more zombies more action and more story to continue from the game world. As a movie Degeneration is nothing special but as a part of the Resident Evil saga it is a very nice touch.
The plot follows the same structure as most of the movies and game. Terrible accident, virus spreads, evil people who work for big companies have mysterious motives. So the ones who have dealt with this madness before are sent into the company’s headquarters, which looks like a level in a video game, the virus breaks out there so they must blow it up and escape. Even the trusty advice from the games, “Destroy their brains, shoot em’ in the head” , is present to make the viewer feel more like they are playing the games.
The animation in the movie is visually pleasing and makes the movie really feel like the game. The scene when an airplane crashes into the airport looks extremely realistic. The undead creatures kept the same feel as they did in the game. However since it is a movie they were able to show more personality and wilder actions. The movie tries to keep the dark feel of the games but some scenes feel as if they are too dark and what you are suppose to see is not very clear.
The voice acting is nothing spectacular for a movie but is up to par with most voice acting in games. Some lines do not seem to align with the characters’ lips perhaps due to the translation from Japanese. The dialog also seems a little dull for movies but in the same ballpark as games. The dialog of the little girl in the movie seems very mature for her age and makes it clear that the actress playing her voice is an adult.
The special features on the DVD are loaded with interesting material. A “making of” short film, interviews and trailers let the viewer get deeper into the movie. Voice bloopers are ridiculously funny and are a nice humorous extra. The character profiles give the viewer more insight on the backstory of the characters of Resident Evil and a preview of Resident Evil 5 gives hardcore fans a little extra.
The makers of Degeneration wanted to show that Resident Evil the way it is can be good enough to be a movie. The understood that the hardcore fans would be expecting a lot from them and they did their best to give them what they wanted, more zombies more action and more story to continue from the game world. As a movie Degeneration is nothing special but as a part of the Resident Evil saga it is a very nice touch.
Original 3D Assets
"Crunktastic Bottle"
I modeled this bottle after the Olde English 800 bottle.
"Green Die"
"Hydrant"
I modeled this hydrant after ones found in New York City.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Game Design Fundamentals
I have just completed my first month at Full Sail last week. My first class was Game Design Fundamentals instructed by Michelle Wess with lab specialists Ian Davis, Chad Coup and Angela Patane. This class has been the most fun I ever had attending college. It is not to say that there was not a lot of work on the contrary we were assigned PowerPoint presentations, Design Analyses and even a Preliminary Game Document for a game we created in groups through the entire month. Because the material was what everyone was interested in, it was easy and fun to do the work
The lectures and labs were very interesting. We discussed story structure, character types, level design, player interactivity, marketing and working in the industry. The instructors and lab specialists were very helpful and explained things in ways that we, as gamers, would understand easily. They gave us great feedback and were always positive. They made us do many teambuilding exercises which would help us grow as a team. By the end of the class everyone felt like good friends including the instructors.
The guys I was assigned with are really cool and hardworking we did not have many differences in our vision of our game, which had to consist of 3 randomly assigned items and a random genre. On the last day of class we had to pitch our games to the class as if they were potential investors. Even though 1 of our members overslept and we had to go on without him we still got the majority of the class vote and won the contest (much to our shock). We were not mad at him because we all knew that even if we did not win we did a lot of work together and had a blast doing it.
The skills I have learned in this class have encouraged me to work on projects outside of school and have really allowed me to get a feel for the industry. I know I am cut out to work in games and this class has proven my worth to myself. Even though I am aware that the workload will increase drastically I am up to the challenge because of this class.
The lectures and labs were very interesting. We discussed story structure, character types, level design, player interactivity, marketing and working in the industry. The instructors and lab specialists were very helpful and explained things in ways that we, as gamers, would understand easily. They gave us great feedback and were always positive. They made us do many teambuilding exercises which would help us grow as a team. By the end of the class everyone felt like good friends including the instructors.
The guys I was assigned with are really cool and hardworking we did not have many differences in our vision of our game, which had to consist of 3 randomly assigned items and a random genre. On the last day of class we had to pitch our games to the class as if they were potential investors. Even though 1 of our members overslept and we had to go on without him we still got the majority of the class vote and won the contest (much to our shock). We were not mad at him because we all knew that even if we did not win we did a lot of work together and had a blast doing it.
The skills I have learned in this class have encouraged me to work on projects outside of school and have really allowed me to get a feel for the industry. I know I am cut out to work in games and this class has proven my worth to myself. Even though I am aware that the workload will increase drastically I am up to the challenge because of this class.
Original 2D Art
"Blocks"
I created this picture to show how manmade and nature interact with each other using simple squares.
"Colors"
I created this picture when I was playing around with colors and exclusions.
"Manhappy"
I created this picture to try and capture how manmade and nature coincide in Manhattan using simple squares. The face in the middle is suppose to be Central Park.
"Square Units"
I created this picture while playing around with squares and exclusions.
"Super Unit"
I created this picture while playing around with circles, exclusions and opacity.
"Wong Flower"
I created this picture of a flower using all 8 of Wucius Wong's principles of shape interaction.
Friday, November 20, 2009
de Blob: An Analysis of the Visual/Audio Interface, Level Design and Overall Effectiveness
Many developers try hard to make their game open to a wide audience, challenging and entertaining while still giving the player a good amount of control and freedom. The developers of de Blob found a fine balance by using every aspect of the game to meet these goals. Although de Blob has some minor faults, including a unique control scheme that may take some getting used to, no save feature within a level, some strange camera angles and small bugs that include a buzzing screen when trying to start a z-jump and barrels that sometimes sink into the floor, it never lets the player get stuck in a small space and prevails in visual/audio interface, level design and overall effectiveness.
The overall theme and gameplay of de Blob creates appeal for a wide audience. It is oppression of self-expression and the fight to take it back set in a comical cartoon reality. The bright colors and cartoon aspect appeals to young children. While the revolutionary and graffiti/urban aspect attracts a more mature audience. The exploration style of gameplay can be compared to Marc EckÅ's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. The humor can also be appreciated by both young and old audiences, at the start of level 3: Downtown, a cutscene shows an Inky news report about the coloring of the statue of Inky and a witness identifies Blob with a poor hand drawing, while words scroll on the bottom of the screen in the Inkies’ language which looks like barcodes. Even though the characters are not speaking any earthly language the player can still understand what is happening due their actions and tones. The way Blob interacts with his environment is simply by touching it, similar to Katamari Damacy. These things help make the player feel submerged in the game world regardless of age.
The challenge and reward system in de Blob is designed in balance. If the player completes a challenge on their first attempt they will be rewarded with extra color energy allowing them to progress through the level quicker. If they fail a challenge they can prepare and do better the next time. In the slums of Downtown in level 3, small streams of ink are set up just far away enough from water so when the player gets inked they will run out of health right before they reach the salvation of water, however they can acquire many lives throughout the level. The levels also have a time limit but by collecting time bonuses from completing tasks the player can increase their playtime.
Unique obstacles, increasing difficulty, powerups and mini-levels can increase the fun factor and keep the game from becoming repetitious. Ramps and pumps send the player flying through the air and into things to paint while floors made out of fire, electricity and spikes hinder the player’s progress. As the player goes through the game, levels will get longer and more difficult with stronger and more numerous enemies as well as tougher challenges. Placing water next to paint or many targetable objects next to each other also increases difficulty. Even colors can increase difficulty; it can be difficult to see Paintbots among Raydians or many Paintbots can be in close proximity to each other, this can result in a player obtaining a color the player does not wish to have adding a frustrating and intentional element of carefulness midway through the game. Secret missions (mini-levels) will also get harder and will require the player to not only use a variety of colors but also all the jumping techniques they have become familiar with, such is the case in the secret missions Miles O’ Silos and Billboard-o-rama.
From the start the player feels a sense of freedom and control. The player can scribble on the load, menu, pause and tutorial screens with the 7 colors present in the game. They can also choose the type of music, like funky or smooth, and color nearly everything in an area. Large environments and the ability to jump, wall jump, z-jump and climb all around allow the player to really explore the areas. Giving the player the option of when to finish a level, as well as the “Free Paint” and “Blob Party” (multiplayer) modes adds to this feeling.
The visual interface of de Blob is a big part of submersing the player. Mixing colors helps the player remember color combinations. The trail that Blob leaves behind him can serve as a reminder of where the player has already been as well as adding to the overall colorfulness. By jumping to high vantage points, like the top of the Financial District in level 2, allows the player to see if they have missed a spot. Colors can even have meanings, like when the player is asked to give the Raydians hope by painting the slums blue in level 3. Paint tankers let Blob become super colorful for a short period of time in which he will change color every 2 seconds and stay at one hundred paint point no matter what he does. He will also have some faded urban symbols (such as skulls) and bright lights of color coming out of him. The arrow that follows him will also change in color with Blob and grow bigger. The player is also rewarded with more color to feast their eyes upon giving them a sense of accomplishment, similar to Okami. When the player cleans all the ink out Chroma Dam in level 4, giant colorful fish start to leap all around. Even the levels in the level selection screen change from dull to colorful when a level is completed. Many color, map and pattern combinations make every screen shot and dramatic camera angle look artistic and unique.
The audio interface of de Blob helps the color paint a picture for the player. Whenever Blob paints something a musical element is heard depending on the color used, a “whamp” sound is heard if he is colorless. These sounds blend with and change depending on the music, red plays saxophone, blue plays guitar, brown plays scratch and breaks etc. Cymbals are heard at the end of z-jump sequences. When the player takes over landmarks, like the Church of Inktology or the Raydian Reeducation Center, they transform from boring black and white structures to funky colorful ones while bongos are heard and paint splashes the screen. When Blob gets inked, the music changes to a sluggish sound so the player will be inclined to seek water quickly.
The level design in de Blob also helps to submerse the player while giving them freedom and control. At the beginning of a level Blob pops out through a closed drain, looks at the screen and shows that he is ready for action. At the end of a level jazzy music is played and Blob does a victory dance before diving straight down into a drain and vanishing into the underground. Levels are big and are split up into different sections creating large and unique environments for the player to explore. Completing a challenge will usually lead the player to a new one. Levels are set up so the player who just wants to get to the end as fast as possible is able to do so, but the player who wants to collect all the Styles, color everything, complete all the challenges and liberate all the Graydians to achieve all the awards will find some of his ventures quite challenging. Finding a high point in each level to paint the blimp, finding and painting all the billboards and trees and figuring out how to paint buildings that are surrounded by others on all sides, like in level 1: Last Resort, all add a degree of extra challenge. This can lead to long gameplay and a frustrated perfectionist player, however unlocking all the extra features, like concept art and movies, does not require 100% completion of a level, just a gold medal. The player will always find a life when they might need it, before or after a tough situation, and they will find water near an area with enemies in order not to lose a life.
The developers of de Blob understood the challenge of making a well balanced game that can appeal to a wide audience while still giving the player freedom and control. Many developers have tried to pull this off, but the people at Blue Tongue and Helixe were successful with de Blob. Using colors, sounds, actions and level design to bring the player into the game they were able to keep the game challenging, entertaining and original from beginning to end.
The overall theme and gameplay of de Blob creates appeal for a wide audience. It is oppression of self-expression and the fight to take it back set in a comical cartoon reality. The bright colors and cartoon aspect appeals to young children. While the revolutionary and graffiti/urban aspect attracts a more mature audience. The exploration style of gameplay can be compared to Marc EckÅ's Getting Up: Contents Under Pressure. The humor can also be appreciated by both young and old audiences, at the start of level 3: Downtown, a cutscene shows an Inky news report about the coloring of the statue of Inky and a witness identifies Blob with a poor hand drawing, while words scroll on the bottom of the screen in the Inkies’ language which looks like barcodes. Even though the characters are not speaking any earthly language the player can still understand what is happening due their actions and tones. The way Blob interacts with his environment is simply by touching it, similar to Katamari Damacy. These things help make the player feel submerged in the game world regardless of age.
The challenge and reward system in de Blob is designed in balance. If the player completes a challenge on their first attempt they will be rewarded with extra color energy allowing them to progress through the level quicker. If they fail a challenge they can prepare and do better the next time. In the slums of Downtown in level 3, small streams of ink are set up just far away enough from water so when the player gets inked they will run out of health right before they reach the salvation of water, however they can acquire many lives throughout the level. The levels also have a time limit but by collecting time bonuses from completing tasks the player can increase their playtime.
Unique obstacles, increasing difficulty, powerups and mini-levels can increase the fun factor and keep the game from becoming repetitious. Ramps and pumps send the player flying through the air and into things to paint while floors made out of fire, electricity and spikes hinder the player’s progress. As the player goes through the game, levels will get longer and more difficult with stronger and more numerous enemies as well as tougher challenges. Placing water next to paint or many targetable objects next to each other also increases difficulty. Even colors can increase difficulty; it can be difficult to see Paintbots among Raydians or many Paintbots can be in close proximity to each other, this can result in a player obtaining a color the player does not wish to have adding a frustrating and intentional element of carefulness midway through the game. Secret missions (mini-levels) will also get harder and will require the player to not only use a variety of colors but also all the jumping techniques they have become familiar with, such is the case in the secret missions Miles O’ Silos and Billboard-o-rama.
From the start the player feels a sense of freedom and control. The player can scribble on the load, menu, pause and tutorial screens with the 7 colors present in the game. They can also choose the type of music, like funky or smooth, and color nearly everything in an area. Large environments and the ability to jump, wall jump, z-jump and climb all around allow the player to really explore the areas. Giving the player the option of when to finish a level, as well as the “Free Paint” and “Blob Party” (multiplayer) modes adds to this feeling.
The visual interface of de Blob is a big part of submersing the player. Mixing colors helps the player remember color combinations. The trail that Blob leaves behind him can serve as a reminder of where the player has already been as well as adding to the overall colorfulness. By jumping to high vantage points, like the top of the Financial District in level 2, allows the player to see if they have missed a spot. Colors can even have meanings, like when the player is asked to give the Raydians hope by painting the slums blue in level 3. Paint tankers let Blob become super colorful for a short period of time in which he will change color every 2 seconds and stay at one hundred paint point no matter what he does. He will also have some faded urban symbols (such as skulls) and bright lights of color coming out of him. The arrow that follows him will also change in color with Blob and grow bigger. The player is also rewarded with more color to feast their eyes upon giving them a sense of accomplishment, similar to Okami. When the player cleans all the ink out Chroma Dam in level 4, giant colorful fish start to leap all around. Even the levels in the level selection screen change from dull to colorful when a level is completed. Many color, map and pattern combinations make every screen shot and dramatic camera angle look artistic and unique.
The audio interface of de Blob helps the color paint a picture for the player. Whenever Blob paints something a musical element is heard depending on the color used, a “whamp” sound is heard if he is colorless. These sounds blend with and change depending on the music, red plays saxophone, blue plays guitar, brown plays scratch and breaks etc. Cymbals are heard at the end of z-jump sequences. When the player takes over landmarks, like the Church of Inktology or the Raydian Reeducation Center, they transform from boring black and white structures to funky colorful ones while bongos are heard and paint splashes the screen. When Blob gets inked, the music changes to a sluggish sound so the player will be inclined to seek water quickly.
The level design in de Blob also helps to submerse the player while giving them freedom and control. At the beginning of a level Blob pops out through a closed drain, looks at the screen and shows that he is ready for action. At the end of a level jazzy music is played and Blob does a victory dance before diving straight down into a drain and vanishing into the underground. Levels are big and are split up into different sections creating large and unique environments for the player to explore. Completing a challenge will usually lead the player to a new one. Levels are set up so the player who just wants to get to the end as fast as possible is able to do so, but the player who wants to collect all the Styles, color everything, complete all the challenges and liberate all the Graydians to achieve all the awards will find some of his ventures quite challenging. Finding a high point in each level to paint the blimp, finding and painting all the billboards and trees and figuring out how to paint buildings that are surrounded by others on all sides, like in level 1: Last Resort, all add a degree of extra challenge. This can lead to long gameplay and a frustrated perfectionist player, however unlocking all the extra features, like concept art and movies, does not require 100% completion of a level, just a gold medal. The player will always find a life when they might need it, before or after a tough situation, and they will find water near an area with enemies in order not to lose a life.
The developers of de Blob understood the challenge of making a well balanced game that can appeal to a wide audience while still giving the player freedom and control. Many developers have tried to pull this off, but the people at Blue Tongue and Helixe were successful with de Blob. Using colors, sounds, actions and level design to bring the player into the game they were able to keep the game challenging, entertaining and original from beginning to end.
Welcome
Welcome to my blog page, I have created this blog to post my ideas and opinions on designs and development. I am taking Game Development at Full Sail University in Central Florida. I have just completed my first month in the school and I am pleased to tell anyone who is considering Full Sail as an option for school that it is a great environment for creative hardworking people who want to get the education and experience they need to work in the entertainment industry. They have great outlets for students who are trying to get a head start such as Accelerated Programs, Clubs, Career Development, Workshops and Work Study. The students and faculty are friendly and professional. I will post some of the work I am doing as well as a review of my classes. Even if you are not planning to go to Full Sail, you might find the information on this blog interesting.
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