Blog Update!

The tumbleweeds on my blog got a bit out of hand, but have no fear, I have vanquished them and have returned to continue my research! (Disclaimer: I didn't really get attacked by tumbleweeds, my dissertation got buried under other modules and ongoing health problems, both of which can be just as time-consuming as angry tumbleweeds!) No matter the cause of the distraction, the academic clock waits for no one - it still ticks on, so I must move forward with it!

The teachers still have quite a few questions about the artefact I will be creating, so this post will aim to clear up any uncertainties that the teachers may still have.


What is the Volume of the Artefact?

I don't have an exact number in my head of how many pictures the style guide will contain, but the following is an example index of the rough numbers I am aiming for:

1) Village at point A in storyline: 20-30 images
2) Village at point B in storyline: 20-30 images
3) Characters (player and non-player): 5-10 images, plus a small description for the main character and each tribe or group featured in the game. So for example, the villagers that live in the village mentioned above will have a small paragraph describing the village's backstory as a whole, rather than a paragraph for each person. The main character of the game will get their own paragraph, as they feature much more heavily in the game.
4) General World Overview: 5-10 images. Just a few images of the area around the village, so game artists know what kind of world the village exists in.

I am not sure how big the artefact needs to be to get a good grade, as a lot of this project is about researching the techniques behind the pictures themselves, so I am open to feedback on increasing or decreasing the quantity of images in each section. Parts (1) and (2) in the index are the main focus, but I will want some artwork for the world and the people in it, to give game artists more scope when creating the villages.


How long is the section of gameplay that the style guide will be for?

The first time the main character visits the village, it will be about 15-30 minutes of gameplay. The village is there to act as a small break from the current quest and from combat. The second time the main character visits the village it will be a much shorter section of gameplay, as the village has been destroyed, so the return is just there to evoke emotion in the player.


How big is the village?

The village will be small, with only a handful of buildings, and no more than a few dozen inhabitants. The village is small because it is supposed to be a cosy and safe environment. A small population also allows the player to become attached to the inhabitants more easily - if it was a massive city, then the people just become nameless faces.


How will I build up knowledge?

The main way to build up knowledge will be to blog the books and articles that I am reading, and then to apply the techniques to artwork, to test the theories in practice. I can draw a basic picture, and then apply different techniques to each picture, to see how they can change the aesthetic and overall feel of the picture.


Marking the artefact:

I want to be marked on the contrast between the village at point A in storyline, and the village at point B in storyline. I want to be able to use the knowledge and skills I have gained to make the same location have an entirely different look and feel.

In one of Dave's lessons, he showed us a picture of an abandoned room. It was supposed to be an eerie/gloomy room - it didn't look quite right, but I couldn't put my finger on what was wrong with it. Dave pointed out a whole list of things that ruined the atmosphere of the scene:

- The view through the window is sunny and clear, not eerie and gloomy.
- The door has a door knob, but no latch on the door, or strike plate on the wall.
- The cracks on the wall are too uniform. What caused the cracks?
- The textures are stretched and streaky.
- The rocking chair doesn't match the rest of the room, the colour and texture stands out too much.
- How/why is the place abandoned? How long has it been abandoned? Normally there are signs of this, i.e. boarded-up windows, warning signs, etc.
- The room in general is too bright, it isn't that eerie, it just has dull colours.
- The scene needs to be given a light/tint, to unify the colours.
- What materials were used for the floor/walls/bed/etc? The textures need to look like the material they are supposed to be.
- The radiator looks like a tiny fence, the model looks rushed and takes away from the atmosphere of the scene.

- The mattress looks very neat and plain - if it's an abandoned building then where are the broken springs, stains, etc?
- Why has the other bed got a broken leg? It seems broken for the sake of it, it's not rotted and worn down.
- The room looks like an asylum, but the door has a window - doors wouldn't have windows in that kind of room.
- No thought was given to the visual narrative - objects shouldn't be placed arbitrarily.



Another thing that was pointed out in a lesson, was an example of someone drawing a picture of a library. They had been tasked with drawing a library. They just drew lots of basic square shelves with books on, and just placed them in a line. Nothing about it said that it was actually a library.


Once the errors of the abandoned room scene were pointed out to me, it seemed so obvious! The number of factors that affect a scene in a game or film fascinates me, and I am eager to learn the techniques involved. I want to be able to design a scene that really fits the intended aesthetic/atmosphere, rather than a scene that vaguely matches it. I want someone to be able to look at the two scenes that I design, and be able to recognise the contrast between those scenes, e.g. a sad scene and a happy scene, or a relaxed scene and a frantic scene.


Village at point A in storyline: this scene will be happy, relaxed, cosy, and safe.
Village at point B in storyline: this scene will be the contrast to point A - the cosy and safe atmosphere will be stripped away, leaving panic and disorder.



Hopefully that has cleared up some of the questions that the teachers have about this dissertation! My next posts will be about perspective and colour theory.