I found this project very enjoyable.
I learnt a lot and it was really nice to tie the project in with one from another class. It synergised the whole process and actually gave purpsose to what I was creating.
It gave me great insight into how the process works industry and it was nice to fully complete the process. It cleared up many grey areas in my knowledge. Those grey areas troubled me somewhat before embarking on the project so now they're resovled I feel much better as a games designer. I'm confident that I could tackle bigger projects now.
I'm not particularly proud of the work I did, but I'm proud of what I learnt throught the project. I'll be able to apply it to many other projects that I embark on.
Friday, 19 April 2013
Beauty Shots of Modular Assets
These are some example shots of my assets in engine.
Overall I'm happy with the assets however, I don't feel that the texture work was as good as it could have been. This is something that I feel I really need to improve on.
Especially in light of recent events and research in which I discovered that being and Enviroment Artist may be the career path that I want to take.
Tuesday, 16 April 2013
War Variants
We came up with several variants of War that might make the game more interesting, rather than broken.
1:- Deck is shuffled and divided evenly between players- Players take top 5 cards from deck, these are in the players hand- players have a choice of 5 cards to play each round- Highest value card wins, both cards on go to the bottom of their deck -Each round the player takes a new card from the top of their deck so that they always have 5 cards in their hand. However if the player doesn't 'own' 5 cards then all the cards they have will be in their hand - The winner is the player to get all the cards
1:- Deck is shuffled and divided evenly between players- Players take top 5 cards from deck, these are in the players hand- players have a choice of 5 cards to play each round- Highest value card wins, both cards on go to the bottom of their deck -Each round the player takes a new card from the top of their deck so that they always have 5 cards in their hand. However if the player doesn't 'own' 5 cards then all the cards they have will be in their hand - The winner is the player to get all the cards
2:Deck is split into multiple piles (2 or more)- Players draw a card from whichever pile they want. Highest card wins, winner of round takes both cards and puts them in a "win" pile. - The winner is the player to get all the cards
3:- Each player is dealt 23 cards each.
- The remaining 6 cards are placed into the center as 'reinforcement' cards.
- Before each turn of play the players can check the top card of their deck.
if they so choose they can play a card from the reserve deck by saying "reinforcements"
- If the Player 1 uses a reinforcement card and wins they win both cards. Player 2 must replenish the reinforcement deck with a card from the top of their deck.
- If Player 1 uses a reinforcement card and loses, Player 1 must surrender both cards to player 2 and replenish the reinforcement deck with a card from the top of their deck.
- If both Players call for reinforcements in the same round they draw one card from the reinforcement deck and one from their own. The sum of both cards determines the winner. The player that wins takes all 4 cards. If it's a tie all the cards used are added to the reinforcement deck
- If either player runs out of cards but there is still reinforcement cards on the table the following rules apply;
The reinforcement deck is shuffled.
The player with cards remaining must "battle" the reinforcement deck to the best of 3.
Tied battles fall in favor of the player. All of the hands played in the best of 3 battle must be placed to one side.
If the player beats the reinforcement deck they win they win the game.
If the player loses to the reinforcement deck then all 6 cards played in the battle are added to the reinforcement deck and given to the other player as there new deck.
From this point on the game is played with normal war rules applied.
- Each player is dealt 23 cards each.
- The remaining 6 cards are placed into the center as 'reinforcement' cards.
- Before each turn of play the players can check the top card of their deck.
if they so choose they can play a card from the reserve deck by saying "reinforcements"
- If the Player 1 uses a reinforcement card and wins they win both cards and player 2 must replenish the reinforcement deck with another card from the top of their deck.
-If Player 1 uses a reinforcement card and loses player 1 must surrender both cards to player 2 and replenish the reinforcement deck with another card from the top of their deck.
-If both Players call for reinforcements in the same round they both draw a card from the reinforcements deck and from their own deck, the sum of both cards determines the winner. Which ever player wins takes all 4 cards. If it's a tie all cards in play are returned to the reinforcement deck and play continues as normal.
-If either player runs out of cards but there is still reinforcement cards on the table the following rules apply;
The reinforcement deck is shuffled.
The player with cards remaining must "battle" the reinforcement deck to the best of 3.
Tied battles fall in favor of the player and the hands are put to one side. All of the hands played in the best of 3 battle must be placed to one side.
If the player beats the reinforcement deck they win they win the game.
If the player loses to the reinforcement deck then all 6 cards played in the battle are added to the reinforcement deck and given to the other player as there new deck.
From this point on the game is played with normal war rules applied.
Good Design Portfolios
http://www.mayvin.be/index.php
^^ This Portfolio was extremely inspiring for me, I found the enviroments that vincent had created were jaw dropping. I Also feel that some of the work in his portfolio matched similar briefs to what we've had at university.
http://www.littlelostpoly.co.uk/portfolio/
^^ Robert Brisco was an obvious choice when looking into level designers and enviroment artists since Dear Esther was one of the most beautiful games know to man. I have a huge respect for what he did with Dear Esther and how he helped it become what it is. This portfolio was good since it included Mirrors Edge work which was obviously built in UDK (The Engine I'm accustom to) So it's nice to see what a professional can do with it.
http://www.andersjansson.net/
Anders Jansson worked on the Bionic Commando remake, although I didn't particularly find the game that fun, I think the level design is highly commendable especially the way the designs accommodated the core swinging mechanic. This is a more pure 'level design portfolio rather than an Enviroment Artists Portfolio. This portfolio could do with being made to look better however I'm more interested in the content at this moment in time.
This gave great reference for where I see myself now, and where someone who's employed in the industry is. This is one of the most vital and important pieces of research for me. It gives me a milestone, a goal if you like to work towards, instead of some bewildering future of uncertainty ... seeing these portfolios defines what I need to do and where I need to be.
^^ This Portfolio was extremely inspiring for me, I found the enviroments that vincent had created were jaw dropping. I Also feel that some of the work in his portfolio matched similar briefs to what we've had at university.
http://www.littlelostpoly.co.uk/portfolio/
^^ Robert Brisco was an obvious choice when looking into level designers and enviroment artists since Dear Esther was one of the most beautiful games know to man. I have a huge respect for what he did with Dear Esther and how he helped it become what it is. This portfolio was good since it included Mirrors Edge work which was obviously built in UDK (The Engine I'm accustom to) So it's nice to see what a professional can do with it.
http://www.andersjansson.net/
Anders Jansson worked on the Bionic Commando remake, although I didn't particularly find the game that fun, I think the level design is highly commendable especially the way the designs accommodated the core swinging mechanic. This is a more pure 'level design portfolio rather than an Enviroment Artists Portfolio. This portfolio could do with being made to look better however I'm more interested in the content at this moment in time.
This gave great reference for where I see myself now, and where someone who's employed in the industry is. This is one of the most vital and important pieces of research for me. It gives me a milestone, a goal if you like to work towards, instead of some bewildering future of uncertainty ... seeing these portfolios defines what I need to do and where I need to be.
Sunday, 14 April 2013
Crytek - Game Designer Job Requirements.
Game designers are expected to concept, design and execute the core mechanics and user experience of the title, working closely with all departments to develop new features and maintain existing ones. Working solo or in teams, designers need to be able to communicate well and own the design process from concept discovery to ship.
Requirements:
- Minimum 2 years professional experience
- 1 or more shipped AAA titles on PC, Xbox or PS3
- Good written and spoken English
- Excellent sense for design and creating outstanding user experiences
- Excited, passionate and self motivated
- Excellent communication skills
- Must be willing to relocate
- 1 or more shipped AAA titles on PC, Xbox or PS3
- Good written and spoken English
- Excellent sense for design and creating outstanding user experiences
- Excited, passionate and self motivated
- Excellent communication skills
- Must be willing to relocate
Preferences:
- Prior game design experience
- Working knowledge of CryEngine Sandbox toolset
- Strong communicator, able to easily present ideas and information to the team
- Strong understanding of game design theory, practice, pacing and mission flow
- Working knowledge of CryEngine Sandbox toolset
- Strong communicator, able to easily present ideas and information to the team
- Strong understanding of game design theory, practice, pacing and mission flow
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
XB2178 - Scrapping of the ideas.
I set out on this module with the intention of creating a 2.5D game based upon a chameleon called Mel. I was intially very enthused about this project and I had done lots of work for game.
However, mid way through the first semester I had realsised that the game was somewhat limited and I couldn't really innovate or be creative with the concept. Innovation and creativity is something I value highly! So I bit the bullet and decided to scrap the project and all the work I had done for it.
Although this sounds like a huge waste, i'm extremely glad it happend for 2 reasons.
1) I have learnt (early on ... whilst in education) the most valuable lesson I think I could have learnt, which is not to persue something that a) your not passionate about b) you're having far to much trouble developing and innovating for and c) something that doesn't inspire or impress your peers.
The game, despite my confidence in the concept at the start wasn't very good and didn't have much potential in the long run. I was so tempted to continue with it and push through the hardship however I chose to scrap it which resulted in the best out come.
2) I have ended up creating a concept and idea that has not only broadened my horizons as a designer but it's also allowed me to hone my skills in aspects of game and level design that are more suited to my skill set. It's also allowed me to develop skills i'll need to get a job as a level designer.
I had also planned to create a cheat sheet booklet for this project and my intentions when starting out were to do loads of research, then compile a booklet of tips and references that I can use for my projects. But yet again this didn't go to plan!
I found that as I was trying to utilise what i'd found from my research I was getting frustrated that the methods and techniques i'd found through research weren't working for me. I couldn't understand why and I hit a low point in the project where,
However, mid way through the first semester I had realsised that the game was somewhat limited and I couldn't really innovate or be creative with the concept. Innovation and creativity is something I value highly! So I bit the bullet and decided to scrap the project and all the work I had done for it.
Although this sounds like a huge waste, i'm extremely glad it happend for 2 reasons.
1) I have learnt (early on ... whilst in education) the most valuable lesson I think I could have learnt, which is not to persue something that a) your not passionate about b) you're having far to much trouble developing and innovating for and c) something that doesn't inspire or impress your peers.
The game, despite my confidence in the concept at the start wasn't very good and didn't have much potential in the long run. I was so tempted to continue with it and push through the hardship however I chose to scrap it which resulted in the best out come.
2) I have ended up creating a concept and idea that has not only broadened my horizons as a designer but it's also allowed me to hone my skills in aspects of game and level design that are more suited to my skill set. It's also allowed me to develop skills i'll need to get a job as a level designer.
I had also planned to create a cheat sheet booklet for this project and my intentions when starting out were to do loads of research, then compile a booklet of tips and references that I can use for my projects. But yet again this didn't go to plan!
I found that as I was trying to utilise what i'd found from my research I was getting frustrated that the methods and techniques i'd found through research weren't working for me. I couldn't understand why and I hit a low point in the project where,
Thursday, 28 March 2013
Good site for common portfolio mistake
http://astheria.com/design/my-last-portfolio-sucked-yours-might-too
Notes from Games Industry Mentor Ep07 Podcast
Portfolio's are hard to build in terms of what to put in in my opinion, it's a challenge knowing what to include;
Be it, pieces of work that are popular at the time.
Classical
as strong as weakest piece.
layout and navigation ... very easy
content easy to access
only best work
variety different type
job specific examples
don't have old school work
don't have work that your mates don't think is good ... piece 6 is no good ... remove or present in different way
It's all about initial impression.
tailor the work towards the job your after
Make best first
don't have sub categories
Smaller Studio, easier to move up if your good ... need to be a multi tool
Can find yourself in a small studio - you can develop yourself.
Middle Studio, you're less likely to move up ... specific skill is fine. You'll see best of the best.
Very little text. << Better
Obvious thumbnails**
Very easy navigation**
Make sure you don't need to download**
Web design skill is not at all neccesary **
Streamline the portfolio as best as you can **
Have a business card. for conferences.
How tailored should your portfolio be.
Know your top 5 studios ... Make stuff that's similar ... gives a variety of styles.
Work on stuff your passionate about.
Hyper-reaslitic style is the most marketable style at the minute.
Sleep on your level designs, have a friend or tutor look at it and make sure they're not gonna be trying to make you feel good. Ask for strong crit.
Get feedback from people you trust throughout the process.. too much feedback can be bad. \Filter the good feedback.
check in once a week after applying for a job. Send and E-Mail ... don't call. Tell them when you're gonna call if you do call or when you're gonna re-email ... ask when you should follow up or tell them when you're gonna follow up. Always ask a question if they're on the phone.
The interview will be mainly about what kind of person you are. too see if you'll fit in they've already seen how good you are through your portfolio. Still be prepared to answer technical questions and know your field. Keep in mind how you work under-pressure, because you will be ... so try not to be an A-Hole.
Be it, pieces of work that are popular at the time.
Classical
as strong as weakest piece.
layout and navigation ... very easy
content easy to access
only best work
variety different type
job specific examples
don't have old school work
don't have work that your mates don't think is good ... piece 6 is no good ... remove or present in different way
It's all about initial impression.
tailor the work towards the job your after
Make best first
don't have sub categories
Smaller Studio, easier to move up if your good ... need to be a multi tool
Can find yourself in a small studio - you can develop yourself.
Middle Studio, you're less likely to move up ... specific skill is fine. You'll see best of the best.
Very little text. << Better
Obvious thumbnails**
Very easy navigation**
Make sure you don't need to download**
Web design skill is not at all neccesary **
Streamline the portfolio as best as you can **
Have a business card. for conferences.
How tailored should your portfolio be.
Know your top 5 studios ... Make stuff that's similar ... gives a variety of styles.
Work on stuff your passionate about.
Hyper-reaslitic style is the most marketable style at the minute.
Sleep on your level designs, have a friend or tutor look at it and make sure they're not gonna be trying to make you feel good. Ask for strong crit.
Get feedback from people you trust throughout the process.. too much feedback can be bad. \Filter the good feedback.
check in once a week after applying for a job. Send and E-Mail ... don't call. Tell them when you're gonna call if you do call or when you're gonna re-email ... ask when you should follow up or tell them when you're gonna follow up. Always ask a question if they're on the phone.
The interview will be mainly about what kind of person you are. too see if you'll fit in they've already seen how good you are through your portfolio. Still be prepared to answer technical questions and know your field. Keep in mind how you work under-pressure, because you will be ... so try not to be an A-Hole.
Level Design Portfolio Two
Through looking at more design portfolio's I noticed a few individuals including tutorials on their website. I think this is an excellent idea. It will show potential employers your workflow and how you complete the design process as well as giving back to the community and helping people that are below your skill level. It may also highlight small nuances in your process that could help existing and renowned designers and artists also.
A good example of this can be seen in here - http://www.isaacoster.com/?page_id=275 - This is a written tutorial, and a good one at that. However if I were to do a tutorial to include on my website for employers to view I'd probably video my process. This would not only show my workflow but it'd also demonstrate the speed in which I work which will allow them to judge if I'm suitable for what they require.
I understand that no-one will watch a 2/3 hour video on level design so it would have to be condensed into a smaller 5/10 minute video.
A good example of this can be seen in here - http://www.isaacoster.com/?page_id=275 - This is a written tutorial, and a good one at that. However if I were to do a tutorial to include on my website for employers to view I'd probably video my process. This would not only show my workflow but it'd also demonstrate the speed in which I work which will allow them to judge if I'm suitable for what they require.
I understand that no-one will watch a 2/3 hour video on level design so it would have to be condensed into a smaller 5/10 minute video.
Level Design Portfolio
I've been researching into what's required for a good level design porfolio that will get you a Job in the Industry. Through my research I began to notice that many of the good Level Design Portfolios feature levels from existing games. This is something I feel that I should start work on since it gives people a good reference point too judge my design. It will enable studio's to see how I've utilized existing mechanics and assets to create interesting levels and designs. This will be more akin to the type of work i'd be doing in a studio also which will be good experience for me.
A good example I've seen of this type of work has been done by Lukas Van Daele with his Mirrors Edge level design. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-sb2SVm1KyE
A good example I've seen of this type of work has been done by Lukas Van Daele with his Mirrors Edge level design. http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=-sb2SVm1KyE
Wednesday, 20 March 2013
Edmund McMillen -
Looking at Edmund McMillen because I recognize that he makes games about things that are very meaningful to him. He's really passionate about the stories and what the games represent personally to him. Although his games are very personal he does a good job of presenting them to wide audience. I like the emotion that he brings to his games.
Jenova Chen -
Love what he's doing in the industry. The boundary's he pushes within the industry are incredible. I love his more off the wall ideas within the industry, his games are almost poetic in the way they challenge real world circumstances and problems. However they're much more abstract than traditional games that challenge these problems or occurrences - Which i prefer as the interpretive side of games design really appeals to me.
^^ I'd be looking to eventually have a Job like Jenova Chen or Edmund Mcmillen owning a small studio making very high quality, circumstantially relevant games. Games that everyone can relate to in someway, but are open to interpretation.
Looking at Edmund McMillen because I recognize that he makes games about things that are very meaningful to him. He's really passionate about the stories and what the games represent personally to him. Although his games are very personal he does a good job of presenting them to wide audience. I like the emotion that he brings to his games.
Jenova Chen -
Love what he's doing in the industry. The boundary's he pushes within the industry are incredible. I love his more off the wall ideas within the industry, his games are almost poetic in the way they challenge real world circumstances and problems. However they're much more abstract than traditional games that challenge these problems or occurrences - Which i prefer as the interpretive side of games design really appeals to me.
^^ I'd be looking to eventually have a Job like Jenova Chen or Edmund Mcmillen owning a small studio making very high quality, circumstantially relevant games. Games that everyone can relate to in someway, but are open to interpretation.
Level & Game Design Research
I've found this to be one of the best video's i've watched in terms of understanding the industry. It's also great since Naughty Dog is a company that I aspire to work for. I have a lot of respect for the way they run the company and think it would be a great place to work.
http://www.gnomonschool.com/events/naughty_dog/naughty_dog.php
http://www.gnomonschool.com/events/naughty_dog/naughty_dog.php
Wednesday, 16 January 2013
Updraft (6 week game)
Below is a piece of 30 minute concept art for the game I'm making over the next 5 weeks.
The game is called Updraft, it's a 2D side scrolling game that would be suitable for both the PC and Mobile platforms. In updraft you take upon the role of a stray leaf, that's falling of a tree in autumn. You have to try to catch the "wind flows" that populate the different environments that the leaf passes through.
The art-style will be watercolor based, which should be challenging but ultimately rewarding as it's a style that seldom gets used in many games today. The game will be rendered in 3D but be played from a 2D perspective.
I want the game to feed the player information but in a way that doesn't neccessarily involve an on screen HUD all the time. An example can be seen below;
As you can see the TV's in the shop window show that the prevailing wind is at 6 and it's a sunny day. The player will be able to use this information to inform how they play the game. In this example a wind speed of 6 is quite high so they'll be able to move quickly through the level and since it's a sunny day the foot traffic on the pavements will be higher which means they'll have to dodge more obstacles. I plan for the game to have many of these types of information ports, coming in a variety of different forms.
I want the game to feed the player information but in a way that doesn't neccessarily involve an on screen HUD all the time. An example can be seen below;
As you can see the TV's in the shop window show that the prevailing wind is at 6 and it's a sunny day. The player will be able to use this information to inform how they play the game. In this example a wind speed of 6 is quite high so they'll be able to move quickly through the level and since it's a sunny day the foot traffic on the pavements will be higher which means they'll have to dodge more obstacles. I plan for the game to have many of these types of information ports, coming in a variety of different forms.
Constitutive Rules
Above is our mathematical break down of the constitutive rules of the card game 'War'
War infinite shuffle
Player 1: 10S JS KD 6C 6D 2S 7S AC 3S 8D 5C 5D 8H AD KH 2D 4S 7C 3H 3D 10C 4D KC 4H 6H 7D
Player 2: 9H 4C QC 9S 10D QH 5H QS 10H 8C AH 8S JH QD JD 2C KS 9D 3C 5S 6S 7H 9C AS JC 2H
If this hand is dealt to each player then the game war will never end providing that the hands are dealt and player 1's cards are always added before player 2's cards to the bottom of the winner's stack.
The possibility that the game cannot end means that the game system is broken. Despite the probability of this being minuscule it's still a possibility. For the cards to loop back to the hand that you see above the players must "war over 30,000 times"
If this hand is dealt to each player then the game war will never end providing that the hands are dealt and player 1's cards are always added before player 2's cards to the bottom of the winner's stack.
The possibility that the game cannot end means that the game system is broken. Despite the probability of this being minuscule it's still a possibility. For the cards to loop back to the hand that you see above the players must "war over 30,000 times"
Tuesday, 15 January 2013
In war
The sum of the deck is worth 416 this is because
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5
6 = 6
7 = 7
8 = 8
9 = 9
10 = 10
J = 11
Q = 12
K = 13
A = 14
So if you add all those together you get 104 which is the sum of one suit. Since theirs 4 suits in a deck you multiply it by 4 and you get 416, the sum of the deck.
The game ends when one player's deck is the sum of 416 and their opponents is 0.
However when you break down the mathematics of war into simple number it quickly becomes apparent that the game is ENTIRELY predetermined since the players draw all the cards from the TOP of the deck. Providing if player 1's cards are always added before player 2's card to the bottom of the winners stack or vise versa the game will remain predetermined. It changes when the cards are readded to the deck in a different order.
The sum of the deck is worth 416 this is because
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5
6 = 6
7 = 7
8 = 8
9 = 9
10 = 10
J = 11
Q = 12
K = 13
A = 14
So if you add all those together you get 104 which is the sum of one suit. Since theirs 4 suits in a deck you multiply it by 4 and you get 416, the sum of the deck.
The game ends when one player's deck is the sum of 416 and their opponents is 0.
However when you break down the mathematics of war into simple number it quickly becomes apparent that the game is ENTIRELY predetermined since the players draw all the cards from the TOP of the deck. Providing if player 1's cards are always added before player 2's card to the bottom of the winners stack or vise versa the game will remain predetermined. It changes when the cards are readded to the deck in a different order.
Monday, 14 January 2013
Implied rules of war
Implied Rules of War;
Do not hit your opponent
Do not take too long showing your card.
Only play with other humans (Other Animals may not grasp the concept)
Do not lick the cards.
Do not claim your opponents card is your card if theirs is higher.
Do not play war on the outside lane of the M6
Do not play inside the large hadron collider.
Friday, 11 January 2013
Enviroment Research
When it comes to level design, I've found that the way I like to work is too get a comprehensive understanding of the environment to help inform my designs. This will allow me to create and sculpt belivable environments that look functional and real. This will hopefully help to immerse the player in the playable universe.
The way I've approached this for my current project is by researching how land formations have been formed. An understanding of how the land is formed can greatly help to create belivable natural environments. When this is coulpled with an understanding of how you want the climate in your level works then you can build up very belivable lands capes and then populate them accordingly.
You can decifer what types of rock will be found in your environment, the tree & plant genus's and even the types of wildlife that will roam the enviroment. For my project which is set in a fully natural enviroment devoid of humans development this becomes very important. Despite my game being slightly fantasy based I still belive these fundamental constructs are important to good levels.
This research will hopefully make me avoid cluttering the enviroment with a mish mash of landmarks and scenery that doesn't really flow very well. Since the world will be "designed" rather than naturally formed some deviation from the constructs will obviously occur but this has to happen to create an interesting gameplay enviroment that meet the needs of my game.
I've found that studying topographic maps that show river flow has been a huge help in understanding landformations. This should help to create better, more realistic landscapes in my game.
The way I've approached this for my current project is by researching how land formations have been formed. An understanding of how the land is formed can greatly help to create belivable natural environments. When this is coulpled with an understanding of how you want the climate in your level works then you can build up very belivable lands capes and then populate them accordingly.
You can decifer what types of rock will be found in your environment, the tree & plant genus's and even the types of wildlife that will roam the enviroment. For my project which is set in a fully natural enviroment devoid of humans development this becomes very important. Despite my game being slightly fantasy based I still belive these fundamental constructs are important to good levels.
This research will hopefully make me avoid cluttering the enviroment with a mish mash of landmarks and scenery that doesn't really flow very well. Since the world will be "designed" rather than naturally formed some deviation from the constructs will obviously occur but this has to happen to create an interesting gameplay enviroment that meet the needs of my game.
I've found that studying topographic maps that show river flow has been a huge help in understanding landformations. This should help to create better, more realistic landscapes in my game.
Thursday, 10 January 2013
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