Blog 7 And 8 - Freestyle Blog

Concept Art And The Making Of Mirrors Edge

Research and Images reference: http://www.1up.com/do/feature?cId=3170015

Mirrors Edge is a first person action adventure game developed by DICE and published by EA, for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3 systems. You play as the main female character, Faith, and she is a messenger in a world where communications are heavily monitored by the Government. To evade the Government Surveillance, Faith uses her free-running skills to leap across buildings, shimmy across walls, hang from pipes etc and get away from the corrupt Government.

The initial concept of Mirrors Edge started as early as 2006, where ideas were just in the pencil and paper stage. Because the game is first person, the developers had to figure out the perception of the environment from this view, because it is going to be different from, say, if the game was in third person. The early prototyping for the game was in the Battlefield 2 games engine, because they wanted to see what the game was like within an urban environment, and they wanted to test out the first person view.



They found out that the controls with first person weren't good enough, and that there were issues such as it not being smooth enough; being too irritating and not giving the user enough control over the main character, which is what is needed, especially in this game. So they added their own mechanics and objects such as zip lines, grappling hooks, hang bars, ladders etc so the environment was more challenging to get around. As the concept was being developed, the company decided that because of the games nature and environment, vehicles wouldn't really work in it. The movement needed to be quick and the addition of vehicles would have slowed the gameplay down a lot. The inclusion of weapons was also changed during the development. At first they were to be heavily used in the game, now you can go through the whole game without picking up a weapon.

The main character also changed a lot during production. She first started out as a multiplayer character, but the developers like this character so much they scrapped every other idea they had and built the game around her. In a different version of the game, the main character was a male, but this version of the game is so different from the final version you wouldn't recognise it as a Mirrors Edge concept anymore. To make sure the game was as realistic as possible, they had to look at different ways of capturing the parkour elements of the game, because of the first person perspective. They couldn't use the regular motion capture that is used in third person games. So they had to study lots of first person videos and try and get a feel of what its actually like. They thought that it felt jerky and floaty, so they had to design a highly advanced physics program to capture this feel. This made the movements and animations that they thought had been completed be redesigned to fit in with the rest of the game. They had to be hand-drawn, edited into Maya and then hand-animated so that they looked right, and not like an FMV.

People had to be convinced the game could actually be made, before they started to make it. They thought the idea was too difficult and that it would be easier to make it in third person. So DICE had to show them the concept demo and the design process to prove that it could be done.

The physics also had to be designed so it would be realistic. They wanted the main character to not appear as a superhuman, but actually quite normal. So she can only jump, run, vault and slide a bit higher, further and faster than a normal person, and she can't do all the parkour maneuvers with a rocket launcher or a shotgun in her hands, for example. They didn't put explosive weaponry in the game because they thought it wouldn't feel right. Running around rooftops with a rocket launcher in your hand was not the vision they had in mind.

The main character was based on Jason Bourne, from the Bourne Conspiracy films and games. He doesn't take weapons and he isn't superhuman, so they wanted to portray something like this with Faith.

The Floating Camera really helped them to include everything that they possibly could in the experience. For example they played other FPS games and felt that it didn't feel as real as it could have done. So they spent a long time refining the body parts and the movements to get them just right. When designing the game, the developers felt it was important to bring fresh perspective into the office to make sure they wouldn't get stuck on a part for too long. If the new person had an alternative idea, it could be the correct way around the problem at hand.

Blog 6 - Concept Art

4. The sections of my report that I think would benefit from concept art would be the level/scene designs. There can be lots of different ideas for settings so it would be a good idea to draft a few and get some ideas onto paper.

It would also be useful to draw come concept art based on what the main character looks like, because I am still in the game concept phase for the game and I am not sure what they are going to look like. Implementing a few ideas onto paper will hopefully form an image in my mind about what kind of character they are going to be.

The weapons and items would also be good things to produce concept art for because there can potentially be so many ideas for them. They can take on so many different styles that you need to be careful that they fit in with the rest of the game.

The levels and environments would also be a good idea to develop concept for because original ideas can be formed on paper that you hadn't thought of before, and may find their way into the final version of the game.

Blog 5 - Exploring Playability - Applying Conceptual Frameworks Concerning Playability To Instances Of Gameplay

Applying Conceptual Frameworks Concerning Playability To Instances Of Gameplay
The 5 types of fun when playing a game are:
1 Flow
2 Easy Fun
3 Hard Fun
4 Serious Fun
5 People Fun

Game Title: Blueprint - http://www.teagames.com/games/blueprint/play.php?start=1
The kind of fun Blueprint has would be hard fun because it it a puzzle game where you have to direct the ball to the goal using objects like springs, treadmills, blocks, ramps etc. As I observed Steven playing the game I noted that it is fun but it can get a little frustrating when it takes ages to complete the level you are currently on. It has levels of progression as you go through the levels, such as adding new objects and different time durations to complete it. I also observed that it is good fun to play this game because of the physics involved, it takes a bit of thinking to solve the puzzles, so perhaps the game contains a bit of serious fun as well. There is a sense of achievement as I noticed from the person playing the game when you complete each level and go on to the next one. It can get a bit tedious and boring if you are finding the game too easy or if you are stuck and can't do a certain level.

This excercise was useful because it helped improve certain skills such as observation, game playing skills, problem solving skills and summarising skills. It also let you interact with other people within a group, share ideas and take tasks in turns.

If I was going to do this kind of research again, I would improve the methodology by observing people playing console or PC games rather than flash games on the Internet, because you will have the chance to observe and analyse with more depth and detail when it comes to the types of fun, because these games are more challenging and detailed than flash games. It would also be better if people were playing multiplayer games against each other. This way there might be more interaction and reactions to the game that the observers can pick up on, such as if people are getting frustrated with other players or if they are feeling a sense of happiness.

Blog 4 - Exploring Playability

2) Speed summary of Phil Co: Level Design For Games - the level designer plays a key role in the overall process of game development. How do the ideas move from paper, into development and onto the shelves. Every game development project is unique and it all depends on the aspects of the game itself. Some games can be limited to short development times, whereas some can take as long as they need. Project creation and length can depend on the teams budget. The game creation world is constantly changing, team members might change positions or jobs, or change from project to project. Games contain a pre-production and post-production phase. An initial plan can save time and money later on. An asset pipeline and resources are key to game development, i.e. the workforce, computers etc. The team is split up into three areas: programming, art and design. Each team has a project leader. Designers must have an overall vision before the game goes into production, for example what the type of the game is, who is the game aimed at etc. The high concept can change through the design process. The design document is the blueprint for the game. It contains input from the entire team. There needs to be communication between the producers, the workers and the lead person to work around problems. Game designers are level designers and vice versa. The design document contains a menu diagram and a world diagram. The world diagram contains levels, hubs, cinematics and warps. World diagrams map out changes in the game very early on, for example scenery changes, objective changes etc. Plot points and locations have to match the games story, for example if certain changes in the story take place at specific locations. Level designers have to take into account lighting, puzzle elements, enemy placement and balanced gameplay, among other things. Level designers can break up the world diagram into a level diagram for each environment. These describe events that take place in the level and be as detailed or vague as the designer wants. Potential problems need to be identified before the levels are designed, for example is it consistent with the high concept, and can it actually be implemented. The artists need to look at reference materials from books and movies to make sure the visuals are accurate with the genre of the game. Concept art helps to get artists ideas across. These can be verbal and graphical descriptions of the backgrounds and characters in the game. The directors take charge of the leaders, which in turn take charge of the workforce. The engine needs to be created to run the game and display the visuals. The engine grows as the game gets further into development, for example new features are added. Assets are things like development tools, and art, animation, effects and levels in a game. The pipeline is where the rules and standards by which all content is referred have a consistent set of tools for the workforce to use. The pipeline should be established early on in the development cycle so that the workforce can start creating content. Games nowadays are developed by one company and published by another. Everything in the levels need to come together in the production phase. The core gameplay, which describes how the user plays the game, is first built in a prototype so that the rest of the game can follow on from that. Scripters help the level designers create sequences which take place in the level. The art style and the visuals of the game are important as it helps to sell the game. The character designer creates the characters in the game. Character and background artists base their work on the concept art. Animators animate the characters and backgrounds with things like making them run, fight and taking damage. Textures take up a lot of memory so the designer has to budget between creating different textures and how much memory they are taking up. The audio then has to be implemented into the game, and these help with the mood of the game. There are two types of sound, ambient and triggered. The game then enters the alpha phase. This is where the game can be played from beginning to end, but it is not perfect and a lot of things still need to be fixed. The Quality Assurance testers (QA) test different parts of the game to test if they are bug-free. Any errors found are submitted into the Bug Database. The lockout date indicates when no new art can be added to the game, to make sure production is on time. The Beta stage is where the assets are locked down and where the game is nearly complete, but there are still some errors to fix. There are different stages of bugs (A,B,C,D) which are more serious as they progress. Sometimes, not all bugs can be fixed so the game must ship with them still included. The last stage is the Final Candidate, and this is where there is a final build of the game and where final errors are fixed. The game is then Gold Master, which is the version shipped to stores.

3) The similarities between these two articles are that they both thoroughly explain the games design document. They go through each of the separate stages which tells you how to write it, what it should include etc. Both articles have subheadings breaking up each of the different sections of the design document, e.g. defining the game, setting the mood, core gameplay etc. They both make use of diagrams to illustrate their points such as level design, control mappings and in-game HUD's. They both have little sections throughout the articles where they explain important bits such as examples of the work or highlighted points. Both articles also give an introduction at the start about what a games design document is.

4) The differences between these two articles are that the Phil Co document focuses more on the level design aspect of games design, rather than generalising over all areas, like in the Bethke document. The articles ask different questions in the subtitles, such as "what should go into the game design document?" and "how do you make a game?" The Phil Co document explains more about inside their own company and gives examples of games they have made themselves. For example they talk about Avanging Angel and the piepline in their company, but Bethke only talks about things in general, although he does talk about his companies projects as well. The Phil Co document goes on about job roles more, such as level designers, project managers and character designers, but Bethke goes on more about the actual jobs within games design such as game mechanics, multiplayer mechanics, the in-game GUI, the story etc

Blog 3 - Use Cases

5. 5.1) The player input in Gears Of War are that first the game has to be loaded up. This is done by turning the Xbox 360 on, signing in to your gamer profile, opening the disc tray and inserting the game, closing it again and then waiting for it to load up. Once you see the title screen, the game asks you to press start and a menu is then displayed. The options that come up are single player campaign mode, multiplayer, options and other things. What you choose depends on the player input required. For example if you go to the options menu then you have to move option bars around and change settings, but if you choose campaign mode you will actually be playing the game. The options menu is navigated using the analog or directional buttons, and the B and A buttons to confirm your selections or to go back to a previous screen.

The player input is fairly simple in GoW. The left analog stick (LS) is used to move the character around, and the right analog (RS) is used to move the camera around the character and for a precise aim with some weapons when you press it in. The left trigger (LT) enables you to go into aim mode, the right trigger (RT) shoots your gun or throws your grenade, the right bumper (RB) is used to reload your weapon, start pauses the game, the directional buttons let you choose a weapon from the ones you are carrying, the Y button focuses the camera on and lets you see where your other team members are or if they have been injured; the B button performs a melee attack on your enemy or chainsaws them if you are equipped with the lancer; the A button lets you take cover, recover from a bleed-out, jump over obstacles, go into sprint mode and perform a roll; and the X button lets you pick objects up, such as Cogtags and ammo and also lets you heal team-mates if stood near them. Combinations of buttons pressed enable you to do other things as well, such as pressing LT and Y at the same time gives your team orders, and pressing the RS with the RT button will let you shoot with a more precise aim.



In multiplayer games over Xbox Live you can use your headset to communicate with other players. This is also a form of player input.

5.2) The game object interaction in GoW can be seen all around the enviromnent. Weapons and ammo are strewn over the floor for you to pick up and use, doors can be opened or smashed open, team-mates need to be healed if they get shot and be ordered around to tactical positions, almost every surface in the game can be used as some sort of cover if you press A near it; Cogtags of fallen soldiers can be collected for achievement points; grenades can be used to blow objects and enemies up; levers can be activiated; the specialised car can be driven in one of the levels; lifts can be activated and used in certain levels; the Hammer of Dawn can be used when you call up Anya on the radio and tell her to activate it; the main character can push certain objects such as cars to use as moving cover; multiplayer characters over Xbox Live can team up with you and be your enemies; in Annex, a multiplayer game mode, you have to secure areas of the map by standing at specific points. You are interacting with this specified area when you are standing in it.

5.3) The display system in GoW provides a good visual display for the user when they are playing the game. The main menus are simple and easy to understand, the HUD in-game is basic; you have your life bar, your ammo count, your crosshairs, your inventory when you press the direction buttons, the line which the grenade will be thrown when you equip it; the use of red when you are dying/bleeding out; the way it goes grey and freezes when you press Y to view your team-mates; the little tutorial pointers that tell you tips about the game; the indicators that tell you what button to press; and the way there is no mini map to show where the Locusts are adds to the drama.







5.4) The Audio Interaction in GoW is especially good because of all the sounds of war that have been captured. When you are in the middle of a firefight you can hear bullets flying past your head, unseen explosions occuring all over the level, things flying in the air and bits of building being destroyed. The character audio is good too, with the Locust's heavy breathing and Marcus' war chants. The eerir music adds to the suspense, both in the main menus and in quiet and dark parts of the game. The user can also add their own audio by playing on Xbox Live and using the headset. The NPC's also tell you things if you are not sure where to go next, like "shouldn't we check over there?" or something along those lines.

Reading Week 2

What Makes Game Development Hard?

• Before you start to make the game you must have a good plan to make sure you have covered everything and so everyone has a role in the development.
• Games aren't always profitable, you need to sell a huge number of games in order to make decent money on it, although 15% of sales go to the developers.
• You have to have a reason before you make a game. It might be for a hobby, for an assignment of for profit in a company. You have to set a target of how much money you expect to make from it. Make sure you know what the expectations of your game are.
• If your game is part of a company, then is it expected to profit hugely? Will it give the business a bad name if it doesn't?
• Time and Money are of the essence when creating a game.
• Make sure your game delivers in the genre that it is placed in. Your game can't be everything and include everything so it has to be a good representation of it's genre. For example if it's an FPS then it has to be a good FPS, and not try and be an RPG as well.
• You have to take game creation step by step when you are first starting out, you are not going to be head of a company or a millionaire with your first game.
• Use the software that you are familiar with, for example 3DSMAX or C++.
• Make sure your game can run on different hardware types, for example on a Core 2 Duo Processor or an 8800GT Graphics Card.
• Don't spend too long developing the game, development costs may run high and you may never make them back.
• Your company and publisher will get annoyed if you take too long to finish the game, and may even cancel the project so that their reputation isn't destroyed.
• Constraints in your game development may help you focus on the task more.
• If there are bugs in your game the quality will be low and it might not run on some consumers computers. The bugs need to be patched when they are found.
• Set Goals and meet them and you have future success, so if you set a specific deadline for the release of a game and meet it then the company and publisher will be pleased.
• Send out a playable demo in preproduction to generate hype about the game, and to show people what to expect from the full version.
• The hardware vendors decide whether or not a console game gets published; it may get sent back to the developer a dozen times to be improved, but the profits are greater than for PC games.
• Green-Light Meetings are where a decision is made on whether a game should be published or not. The best bits of the game, "eye candy" are presented in these meetings.
• Make sure you organise your project carefully.
• Make the tasks clear to your team and try to motivate them so they don't lose track of the goal. Keep the tasks regularly updated.
• If your game is a success, listen to what your fans say about it and what they would like to see included in a sequel, maybe.
• Hardware and Software for a console won't change, unless a new console is released, whereas PC's are changing all the time.
  

Blog 2 - Exploring Games and Identifiying Games Concepts 2

Games Concept For Gears Of War

4) Action/Adventure – use of dialogue, graphics, mood and gameplay. Survival Horror/Soldier Concept where you take on the role of lead character Marcus Fenix, who leads an elite human group, the COGS, on a series of missions in an attempt to save humanity and drive out the Locust Hordes. This makes the game good because without such a good story and character development, it would probably be just another average third person shooter. The mood and story of the game makes it seem darker than other third person shooters because of the survival horror element.

Gears Of War is distinctive because of the settings the game takes place in. They are modelled so well they look life-like and this encapsulates you as you take a 360 degree look around the level. The level designer makes the landscape look bigger than it actually is with the use of horizons and buildings in the background. The environment is also destructible so as bullets hit a wall, for example, bits of the wall will fly off. The use of lighting in the settings also adds to the feel of it. If the lighting is darker you will approach the level a bit more slowly and cautiously than if it was a well-lit area.

It is also distinctive and original because of the characters and sound. The characters are given a thorough design and are detailed down to the last eyelash. Their weapons and armour are also beautifully made and this makes the characters look big and bad. The enemies are just as detailed, with their different textured skin, ugly faces and dirty, ripped clothing. They also come with the latest weapons and armour, and if you look really close they have accessories such as a torch and sniper goggles.

The character's stories are told in such detail, for example Dom is looking for his wife and the game depicts him dealing with his emotions as he fights on the battlefield. People everywhere are desperately trying to stay away from the Locusts and survive on what food, water and fuel they have. The Locust Horde have built a network of underground tunnels and are now coming up to street level via emergence holes. They are controlled by The Queen, and she gives the orders to go and wipe out humanity. Although you never actually see the Queen, in fact you only hear her voice at the end, you know she is their leader because of the dialogue between the main characters.

The dialogue is beautifully written and it fits in well with the characters appearance. General Kim talks in an aggressive, leadership tone, and comes across as someone who has experience on the battlefield. The same can be said for the game's protagonist, Marcus Fenix, who is appointed leader of the team sent in to deal with the Locusts. There is also a lot of humour in the dialogue, for example another character, Augustus Cole, constantly remarks how he is the "Cole-Train" and how he could take on the Locusts on his own. There is also a sombre tone in the dialogue, for example when they come across dead soldiers Marcus will say "remember the fallen" or something along those lines.

The dialogue of the Locusts has also been thought out. The main difference between them and the COG's is that when they run they breathe heavily, and this kind of gives them away if they are hiding and you can't see them. They also talk, but don't say many lines; they only say things like "Frag Out!" or "Get Behind Cover!". They mostly make monstrous noises to add to the idea that they are repulsive creatures.

The sound of the game mixes between dark and scary and all out action. For example if you are walking into a dark place, the creepy music will start and the sound effects of something unseen, e.g footsteps will begin to get louder and louder as you progress through the level. If you are in the middle of a firefight the sound will be greatly increased as gunshots, explosions, cries for help and tactical orders fly left, right and centre from both the COG's and the Locusts. This is distinctive because you never know when to stick your head out from behind cover and run to the next objective.

5) Gears Of War features realistic human characters and incredibly detailed but unrealistic Monster-like characters. They need to be extensively modelled and animated, so you need concept art, 3D modelling and animation for it. The characters also have their own distinct movements, such as the crouched run and the reload animation, so motion-capture is also needed. The settings and levels are also detailed so again, 3D modelling and concept art is needed. This then needs to be bought to life by the programmers who will implement it so it becomes an environment.

The game features a really good story, so you need a good creative department who will provide a good narrative for the game. This is especially important to create the mood in the game. You also need a good sound team/orchestra to give the characters and story a voice, and who will also create the realistic sound effects and music that can be found in the game. An audio programmer then needs to fit this into the game so that it goes with the story.

6) The team members that would be needed for this would be:

• A Lead Designer to make sure the characters get designed properly.
• A Lead Programmer to implement all of the ideas.
• A 3D Graphics Programmer to make sure the game is realistic.
• An AI Programmer to make sure the characters act in the way they are supposed to.
• An Audio Programmer to make sure all the sound fits in the right places.
• An Art Director to make sure the characters and levels are drawn in the right sense.
• A Concept Artist to sketch out the first ideas and present them to the programmers and designers.
• A 3D/Character modeller to make sure the models of the game are how they are supposed to be.
  

Reading Week 1

The Reasons For Making Games:

• Artists, Programmers and Designers want to get across their ideas, thoughts and emotions and display it to a worldwide audience.
• Games can recreate real life situations, for example a classic card game or a flight simulator and people can make their own add ons or extensions, or play online in a community with each other. Games can bring people together.
• Games tell a story, as realistic or unrealistic as the storyteller wants, and it is brought to life by the visuals, the gameplay and the sound of the game.
• By creating games you can learn something, such as how to implement an idea in terms of programming, or how to create a realistic character.
• Games can teach people how to use different skills, such as hand-eye co-ordination, or strategic skills.
  

Group Exercise

213CR- Concept Development For Games Design

· Gears Of War – Action/Adventure – 2: because of dialogue, graphics, mood and gameplay. Survival Horror/Soldier Concept and you take on the role of lead character Marcus Fenix, who leads an elite human group, the COGS, on a series of missions in an attempt to save humanity and drive out the Locust Hordes. This makes the game good because without such a good story and character development, it would probably be just another average third person shooter. The mood of the game makes it seem darker than other third person shooters because of the survival horror element.

· Call Of Duty 4 – FPS

· Metal Gear Solid 4 – Action/Adventure

· Guitar Hero – Music/Rhythm Simulation

· Rock Band – Music/Rhythm Simulation

· FIFA - Sports

· Pro Evolution Soccer – Sports – 3: because of unrealism and non-existing licensing of teams and players, but good gameplay and online community. Fast paced football sim where you can take charge of your favourite team and lead them to victory in a range of cups, leagues and tournaments. The implementation of the games concept for Pro Evo makes the game good because of the smooth gameplay that is seen in real life football. There are also tons of skill moves and trademark tricks that make the game even more realistic. The online play also makes the game have a longer lasting life, as does the master league mode. It can also make it bad because of the sometimes unrealistic movements of the players. The sounds of the stadium and the fans make the game sound good as well as look good because they are recorded straight from an actual football ground.

· Oblivion – RPG – 1 because of massive setting, replayability, graphics, dialogue and story. Fantasy World action oriented setting where you can roam around the huge world and trade, upgrade and sell various items such as armour and potions. You also battle huge mythical beasts and attempt to shut down the 15 Oblivion Gates that have opened up across the land. The free roaming concept of this game makes it an excellent game because without this, you wouldn’t get the feeling that there is so much to see, unlock and explore. It would be just another generic RPG if it was too linear in the levels. The story makes the game a great concept because it can branch out depending on how you play the game. Also there is a lot of characterisation that can affect how you play the game.

· Rainbow Six - FPS

· World Of Warcraft - MMORPG

· Street Fighter – Beat em up

· Mortal Kombat – Beat em up

· Little Big Planet – Sandbox/RPG

· Resistance: Fall Of Man - FPS

· Devil May Cry – Action/Adventure

· FEAR - FPS

· Civilisation - Strategy

· Flight Simulator – Simulation

· Ro llercoaster Tycoon – Simulation/Strategy