Learning Agreement: Time Plan

Week One 06.10.11
Research and refine the self-initiated area of study.

Week Two 10.10.11
Continue to research into the chosen area of study and complete an appropriate Learning Agreement in cooperation with course leaders.

Week Three 17.10.11
Continue to create and gather any conceptual work including a Game Design Document (GDD) and the beginnings of a Game Design Log (GDL) and all visual work relevant to the specific portion of the game. Begin to finalise these as sprites/objects which can be used in GM. Begin applying basic plans to GM.

Week Four 24.10.11
All conceptual work for the demonstration section completed for the and finalised, some applied to the GM document with the basic structure in place. Begin early prototypes to work out game physics etc.

Week Five 31.10.11
A portion of the GM document should be playable by this point, whether all finalised images are in place or not. This may mean that the game is still mainly in prototype condition. Make sure that there are some sound effects and music, even if this is not used in the final outcome. Don’t leave this until last…

Week Six 7.11.11
Continue to work on the finer details such as sprite animations and background elements as well as the main playing level. Start to create code to act for interactions between in game elements.

Week Seven 14.11.11
Gain feedback on the project by allowing others to participate. Rework anything that does not work and continue. Think of ways to visualise other sections of the game

Week Eight 21.11.11
Continue to code the demo section of the game, and make sure to have some good representations of the rest of the game, even if these are not fully playable. Begin writing 1500 word essay.

Week Nine 28.11.1
All musical elements should be in place and the demo portion of the final result should be finished using all final imagery, sounds and gameplay elements. Finish 1500 word essay.

Week Ten 5.11.11
Final Critique and hand-in date for completed project.

Tree Concept

All inspirations and ideas in place, this is where I’ve brought the tree character so far:

Quick Biro ideas

Structure Development

My first thoughts on the first sketch were that it looked like an abstract Christmas card. The spiral branches and bauble-like leaves make the design look like a doodle. Bearing in mind this “character” has also got to act as a playable level, I felt this was not a strong enough design, and my direction needed changing. I decided to drop the leaves and focus on the main structure of the tree. This will be very important when it comes to applying a path for the character to traverse. The second sketch is a result of this. I started off by drawing the main snake-like winding structure, which I wanted to keep in place. I then added some extra branches, so that this shape wasn’t so prominent. It already started to look much more like a tree- but not just something you’d find in everyone’s garden. I finished the design by adding the Ginseng style roots and started to consider how the leaves would look on the tree. Instead of each leaf stemming from the tree individually, I want some of the leaves to be bunched together. Some will act as a foreground image, creating a sense of depth into the 2D world. I happened to be using a black pencil for this drawing, and used blue to make the leaves stand out. Coincidentally, I really like the look of this colour scheme. It would be nice to add a sense of fantasy to the design by using very unnatural colours.

My main experience in pixel-art creation is making small characters and objects, so making an object which is essentially a game level will be quite a challenge for me. When created pixel-art I usually start with sketches and pencil, however bad these may be! I then scan these or just draw them straight onto the computer. The result of the first digital drawings are usually as basic as the sketches they were based on. I then try to adapt the images for the screen and the size they will become. This is where the final pixels are put in place. During this project, I want to be able to continue to use this formula for all major elements of the game, whether these are animated objects or static backgrounds. Some simple objects can be sketched straight onto the computer! The next step in the tree creation process will be to get a digital version of the tree. This will probably be rough and out of proportion for now, but easy to edit once it is in digital form.

Ficus Ginseng

Here are two picture of my Ginseng tree. The first is from an old picture called all the plants I own, which I painted when I was bored, and the other is the close-up I recently drew of the roots. It’s one of those trees where the roots make up the majority of the base of the tree above the soil, acting more like the tree’s trunk. I’m just gathering up ideas to use for a fantasy tree concept.

Fox Retro by Punga

I believe this is an Italian channel, showing Fox shows from years gone by? Well, whatever it is, I came across this video which perfectly demonstrates how pixel art can be modernised. The art-style is reminiscent of retro video games, yet the outcome is a representation rather than a reproduction. Technology could not have produced this 20 years ago.

Watch it all, it’s only a few seconds long:

Indie Developing and Bedroom Coding

Why go Indie?
From reading career advanced aimed at games industry potentials, it seems that there are two ways to break in to the whole making games business. One way is to apply for a low position at a large development company. These companies dominate the games market, so securing yourself a place within one of these companies means you could end up being right at the top of your game. This could mean years of working your way up a company, from QA or testing to actually developing.
The second option is to go into Indie development, where a small team of individuals group together to create a small, low budget, niche game. The outcome of the second option is very uncertain, and although this will get you developing right from the word go, it could be a risky endeavour. There are benefits, however. Indie studios are under no pressure to create a sure-fire-hit, and are therefore open to take big risks and experiment a little.

It is easy for Indie developers to publish onto the web and various app stores. The costs of publishing onto these platforms are minimum, so developers have little to lose. There are also events such as the Independent Games Festival (IGF) and Indie Game Jam which open small studios to larger public and commercial audiences. A successful game or concept could potentially become a huge success if adopted by a larger developer.

Being a Bedroom Coder
This is where I currently appear in the game development scene. A so-called bedroom coder is a one-man team (or very small group) who takes on every role of an Indie studio. This is a safe and rewarding way to work, and a great deal can be learned about the whole process of making a game this way. Being multi-skilled can be very appealing to an employer. As with Indie developing, there are certain disadvantages to this method.
Pros

You reap all the reward if the game is successful

Take all the risks you want, and be as off the wall as you like

No compromises, long meetings or interferences

No ‘fixed’ working hours- work when you like, for as long as you like!

Cons

No fixed income

Lots and lots of competition

It’s difficult to make people aware of your game, even if it’s good and original

It’s hard to do any game requiring a large budget or team

One very successful example of a bedroom-coded game and one of my favourite Indies is Geometry Wars, a multi-directional shooter originally published on the Xbox Live Arcade. The success of this game came from its simplistic concept matched with vibrant visuals. The game progressed into many versions including a varied version of the original concept for XBLA, versions for PC, Nintendo Wii and DS and even an iOS version.

Geometry Wars on XBLA

Trees

The first creation I am making for this game is the big tree character which is the first character to appear in the game. This will also act as the first “level” or stage of the game. I’ve been looking at banzai trees because the weird shapes created by the poor confined little things would make for really great level design, with interesting ups and downs which other trees lack. The image above is of just one of the many banzai inhabiting my student house. This one decided to spiral outwards rather than growing up like a normal tree. I created this artist’s impression to tidy up some of the wild areas and simplify the image:

Because my game world is round, I want all the imagery to seem very rounded, and use as few straight lines as possible. I want circles in general to be a strong theme throughout the game for continuity. This tree forms a spiral shape, other banzais form a very snake-like weaving effect. Taking this into consideration, I felt very inspired by the tree paintings of Katie Sevigny and the way she uses circles, spirals and curves in a lot of her art.

The colour schemes in these images are also very unnatural in places, giving an impression of an abstract place somewhere between reality and fantasy. After reading the Matsuda & Takai interview in Game Worlds, it seems important to create a world which seems real yet unlike anything that currently exists.

Insider Secrets: Final Fantasy X-2

I came across this interview while I was reading a book called The Art Of Game Worlds, and it stuck out to me as I’m a huge Final Fantasy fan (despite X-2 being my least favourite…) Spira is one of the most beautiful and intricate fantasy worlds I have ever experienced as a gamer, so it was interesting to read what art director Shintaro Takai and conceptual art director Toshikatta Matsuda had to say about the creative process behind creating the game world.
I won’t copy out the interview word for word, but I’ll give you abridged and paraphrased version, which I feel is relevant to me as an aspiring developer and game world creator.

Are there any other games that have particularly inspired you?
Takai Vagrant Story, Ico, and more recently Half Life 2.

What about other media other than games-such as novels, music or films?
Takai Films are especially inspirational, films set in fantasy worlds are most influential.

What influences you when creating an involving game world? Do you set out to create a world that you’d want to visit-or even live in?
Matsuda The game world is not inspired by any existing place. It attempts to provide ideas, dreams and qualities which can be seen as part of the player’s own world.

Can you tell us about the concepts around which you based the actual creative process?
Matsuda By creating a game world, you are creating an “imaginary reality.” Light is very important, and should always be used with meaning, whether strong or weak.
The colour choices for the game represent somewhere between a real colour scheme and a fantasy range.
The architecture of Final Fantasy X-2 is made for form over function, trying to create beautiful forms which the player would never have experienced before. This is the same for the clothing, customs and the way of life of the world’s inhabitants.

When designing the look of the game world, what elements do you usually begin with?
Matsuda Parts of buildings. An entire building can be created from just a hinge.

Have any significant problems arisen over owing to advances in hardware, developments in 3D technology and so on?
Takai Obviously cost, but also the subdivision of every part of the process of creation.

What do you think about the increasing trend for realism in game graphics?
Matsuda Realism should be strived for, as nothing has more impact on the player. However, this should not compromise the playability and responsiveness of the game. It is possible that the balance is shifting due to technological advances.

In recent years, the Final Fantasy games have developed an amazing level of realism but have still managed to retain the flamboyant style of the series. Where do you think this particular style comes from?
Matsuda Standard are high because the staff are aware of the pressure they are under! “Style” can also mean “direction”, the directors and scenario writers have a certain sensitivity for the series.

Orbis Ideas Generation

The first proper visualisation of the world of Orbis, giving a rough idea of the planetary structure. I’m currently looking for interesting and meaningful names based on history, mythology etc.

Orbis Freewriting

I recently discovered this technique called Free Writing, which I think is generally used by authors with writer’s block. The concept of free writing is to pick a subject and just write about it for an allotted time. The writer should never stop writing, whether to correct spelling mistakes or because they have nothing to write, the point is just to come out with whatever is in your head. So before moving on to the proper Game Design Document, I thought I’d give it a go to get a rough guide of what the GDD will say. My first topic is about the world and setting of Orbis. I gave myself 10 minutes to write and I literally did not stop once. Here’s the strange, ramblings of my subconscious:

Orbis takes place on a small planet which orbits our world. Or something like that, I don’t know much about space and things that orbit other things…but it is quite close to us, just really small and unnoticeable. The planet was formed by…well actually I don’t know what the planet was actually formed by…but it wasn’t always there. It has only been there since people began to dream, and to ignore dreams. And by dreams I don’t just mean dreams that you have at night, I think this is knid of like the aspirations you used to have when you were little, or good intentions to be something that never really happened. And what happens to these aspirations and stuff? They’re like energy (in this example, not in relity) so they cannot be created or disappear. I mean destroyed. So when they are not used up, like you don’t follow your heart or you forget your youthful aspirations, that sort of things, then the dream energy floats up into outer space. Previously this energy would be lost, but something happened that made this planet appear in space. On top of this planet is a tree, but because the planet I really small it’s a bit like an enlarged banzai tree. Its roots go right through the centre of the planet and come out the other side, so it looks like a tree in a spherical flower pot with all the roots coming down from underneath which floats through space. The roots look a bit like roots and a bit like dream catchers. I don’t know whether it would be cool if there were actually drea catchers, or if they just looked like dream catchers. But anyway, they catch this dream energy and feed it to the tree. Then the tree makes pretty flowers and stuff, and p;lants and flowers grow on the whole planet and then it gets all overgrown and this is the planet which appears in the game. The tree also dreates conscious life from really vivd dreams aspirations etc. These creatures, whatever they are, are born from tree buds just like the flowers would be, and develop attached to the tree. Everntually they break off and are allowed to go to the rest of the world, which is filled with all this dream energy and the plants they’ve created. The journey around the planet is like gaining enlightenment, and once the creatures are enlightened they can turn back to conscious dream energy and head back to earth to inspure more people. So it’s a happy eneding really, no dreams or aspirations wasted…well a few which turn into plants and stuff so not really wasted because plants are all good. Maybe they can have a higher purpose too, I don’t know. So that’s how the planet works, and people don’t know about it. All they know is that sometimes something just clicks in their head s and they are inspired, without good reason. I’ve mentioned that the planet looks like an overgrown garden. I don’t know if I actually mentioned this, but that’s it.

Defining “Orbis”

For me, this morning was spent sleepily typing various words into Google Translate until I came up with a cool word I can use as a codename for my upcoming project! The name it currently holds is Orbis and is Latin for “World”. This will eventually change, despite previous advice not to change project names…
So from now until then, when I refer to Orbis I’m referring to the game as a whole in its production state. My first step to the finalised concept is to create the basis the world of Orbis, which takes the form of a small circular planet.