Let’s Reflect: Game Production

Well the first semester has been a bit of a rollercoaster because I certainly underestimated the amount I needed to absorb, yet the more time that progresses the more I am starting to realise it’s not as difficult as it is time consuming. As the first semester year began we were given the task to model a Dalek from the famous Doctor Who show, at the time I was pretty shocked as to how complex this thing was and we only had a week to do it, nothing but a basic tutorial on modelling was what I had to work with. However looking back at it now I understand that that is all I really needed know to model pretty much anything. In 3ds Max it’s not so much how well you know the software but how well you know the subject your modelling, after all its only another tool/software. I learned quite a bit in terms of speeding up the process of modelling this Dalek as I made it multiple times, starting again and again until I got it right. 

The week after we were given the task to model our own wheelie bins. This was interesting because this time it involved texturing the model with photographic reference. Looking back at this task I underestimated the modelling part being quite confident after the Dalek, I left it a little late and ended up leaving too little time for the texturing process, which wasn’t very clever at all simply because it was everyone’s first time texturing. I then redid the model, using the tri’s more efficiently and also spent a lot more time on the texturing; I added detail onto the texture sheet in Photoshop in an attempt to surpass my previous, not so good version.

Right, after 3 weeks of the bin project we were given the Architecture project, the tri limit was 1500 tri’s and the texture limit was 8mb which is decent but we were told to be very efficient with what we use. So I began searching for reference and found something in the city centre of Peterborough (my hometown), like a town square building which was very interesting and old. I knew from the start this would be a challenge because it was very tall with old, damaged bricks, we were told to use “tiled textures” where you take a repetitive pattern and loop it around the model for things such as bricks, roof tiles and floor slabs. I really struggled in modelling this accurately because I felt I need more tri’s to get out all the detail, in addition I didn’t like the final outcome so much because my brick textures became too clean thus differentiating too much from the original reference. Though next time I would choose something more simplistic I learned a lot about efficient texturing and modelling architectural assets

The final thing from semester one we were set to do was trees. This time the new thing being taught was “alpha textures” great for grass, leaves, hair, and other finite things that only need to be displayed in a 2D form using planes. I enjoyed this task because it was very simply taught to us so I managed to pick it up very quickly, although If I were to change anything of this project I would use more planes in smaller size to add to the larger branches as this would have made it more realistic.

To conclude this semester I was very pleased with what the course was setting us, the tasks were very challenging and each time I found myself working out how to do things after spending hours on 3ds Max without any teacher or other student to explain it to me, this way as I was half teaching myself I tend to remember things a lot better. Although there are also always other students to help us first years which makes it more reassuring that what we are doing is not impossible.

Lets Reflect: Visual Design

So first semester in my Game Art Design Degree, I have progressed massively and have to say these have been some of the most productive months of my life! Although there’s ALWAYS time for more to do and learn so here I am going to go through my progress from the first week to the Christmas break.

The first week: One Point Perspective

We were told to produce 12 thumbnail sketches and one final of this Canal very close to our Faculty building, so there we sat doodling away in a damp, windy environment. Treating every line like it’s our last with a sense that we are here because we have got something to prove, well that’s what I was thinking, but today I must say my state of mind is very different.

The second week: The Archway

So here it was the same idea, same fundamentals but a different place. I was kind of adapt to one point perspective having a Product Design background in A-level but to apply to something with intense detail and no symmetry did prove to be something of a challenge. I found myself struggling to convince materials such as stone, rock, leaves, or grass and had to attempt different techniques some of which were very tedious but educational to complete my final. 

Week Three: 2 point perspective

Ok so week three came along with the assignment of going into the city centre and sketching buildings in two point perspective. Before hand our visual design tutor Chris gave us a brief explanation of what was expected and how to do it. I found this a very educational task because to break down architecture onto paper is not easy, in fact anything man made has measurements, repetitive structures/forms, as well as parallel/symmetrical shapes so accuracy was quite difficult here.

Week Four: Cars

Right, so cars were something I have had an interest in since a kid. Though I hadn’t drawn many up till this point I really wanted to understand vehicles to the extent at which I could break them down on paper without reference. I really enjoyed this assignment but was not too happy with the final piece, it felt too squashed in its width but the wheels were what made me cringe the most. However it was progress and soon enough I will probably attempt a few more finals for personal practise.

Week Five: New Walk Museum

After progressing a little with observational drawing we went to the local museum that had dinosaur bones, skulls, insects and stuffed wildlife. I think for anyone wanting to become a creature artist studying skeletal structures of existing or pre historic animals is fundamental. I used this type of thinking to motivate me into going there many times throughout the week. It was also a breath of fresh air away from all the man made buildings and cars.

Week Six: Bradgate Park

This was a very interesting trip; it was foggy, wet and cold. We found ourselves in a huge, isolated park outside of the city with wildlife and historical ruins. I didn’t get a chance to even draw because it felt so uncomfortable in the cold weather, also the rain didn’t help. However, I managed to take a lot of pictures of the place, as many as I could because I knew building something of a reference library is very important for any game artist. I was happy with the progression and final although I think I may head back there in the summer for more photos as well as for personal drawing.

Week Seven: Still Life    

So this week we had the Pumping Station in Leicester on the list but it was not booked and our tutor decided to stay inside to draw objects as well as a full size skeleton. It was relaxing to do and I found it easy going compared to the previous weeks. Studying the human skeleton inspired me to look at anatomy, muscle groups and gesture. Definitely a easier week, which are rare to come by.

Week Eight: Space Centre

I went in my own time on a Saturday; it just so happens a sci-fi film based event was going was and there were dressed up star wars characters, comic book heroes, and monkeys... hah. I enjoyed studying technology meant for space exploration because it was completely different to designs we embrace in our daily lives. For example even the colours on a satellite are dominant whites or greys, only with a hint of red or blue to distinguish a simple logo and directional signs. Time well spent I think, it was definitely one of the better weekly assignments. What I did learn around half way was just because the brief suggests a minimum body of work, for example 12 thumbnails and 1 final, it is more of a “do more than” mark. Most creative things are progressive which means the more you do, the better you get so limiting myself in the earlier weeks by hitting the bare minimum I was not doing myself any favours, so this is why definitely for next semester I am working with more of a “how much can I do in a week” state of mind.

 So far I have really enjoyed this class, it’s not restricting at all and it is amazing seeing everyone’s take on the projects. I have progressed well but still believe there is a long way to go and all this is just the beginning. I will try from now on to keep updating my blog every time I complete work and try reflect on it as productively as possible; I hope doing this helps me in my learning, the idea of detaching myself from my work when trying to improve it. Just to note most of the work I put on this is post is not all of the work, instead most are finals and only a few prep sketch pages, also from now I will try put everything from each project on here. 

My Personal Gaming History

Well... where to begin?! Let’s start with something called TV boy. I must have been around six or seven years old when one day my dad bought home this thing. It was a remote you plug into the TV, with several games on it. It was the most basic gaming system with no ability to save; games like pong; as well as other pick up & play stuff. Looking back at it now it seems so uninteresting not to mention repetitive, however at the time as my mind or technology hadn’t evolved I found myself spending so many hours in front of the TV fighting off turns with my brother to play these random games. I, and an old neighbour of mine would always be around each other’s almost all day playing video games, he had a PC with similar, very basic and repetitive games; he also had a Super Nintendo which was my introduction to Street Fighter 2! We would button bash the whole day away into this game, it was like a never ending circle rotating between the 4 of us, (my brother and his brother would pretty much always be present).

I can’t quite remember when but around a year into the SNES my neighbours dad bought a Sega Mega Drive! We must have been 7 or 8 years old, and then it got a little more serious... Mortal Kombat, Sonic, Bomber Man, Streets of Rage, and so many others I can’t recall all the names. At this point I still had my TV Boy of lameness, around the same time he had purchased a Gameboy and Pokémon Red; at this point it does seem like his parents were very nice and mine were horrible for not buying me any proper game consoles BUT I assure you it was literally because they wanted us to focus in school, hah! One of my fond memories of the Mega Drive was this one came with a small original controller, and a GIANT one with turbo buttons, a huge joystick and it was almost as big as the console itself. Oh the how fun it was to button bash with full blown fists on Mortal Kombat not thinking at all that the thing might break.

I remember very well that I was always the person who would get the “new” game console or game LONG AFTER everyone else, possibly because I wasn’t spoilt at all at birthday’s or Christmas. So summers and weekends were all spent at my neighbours and somewhere between 9 or 10 we both bought Nintendo 64’s, Perhaps the most fun I have ever had out of a console. Though he bought it way before me and my brother the real epicness began when we could play 4 players. Games like Golden Eye, Mario Kart, Mario 64, F-zero X, Bomber man Hero, Banjo Kazooie, as well as so many more were all spammed to the point at which the cartridges had to be blown in order to work. I also recall Pokémon Stadium (mainly because I forced my parents to pay £50 for it, which they didn’t let me forget easily) as an awesome game because of the multi player high score based mini games that never got boring. It also came along with a adaptor you insert into the N64 controller, which allowed you to play your Gameboy games on the TV, at the time to us this was the best invention we had ever seen.

After having some awesome times with the N64 it was only a matter of time before the Playstation came along, once again my neighbour and most of my friends had it at least a year before me... >_>. I managed to obtain the PS1 (small white one) soon enough with Street Fighter EX2 Plus, which was so much fun as I could recall almost all the characters from playing it earlier on the SNES. I remember Tomb Raider quite well although I don’t think I ever completed it, Driver & Driver 2 were both also amazing games, almost like the GTA before GTA decided to move into a full 3D platform. When you could get out of the car and get into another in Driver 2, I was more than amazed at how free I felt in game, ha...ha. Metal Gear Solid has to be one of my favourite PS1 games, the comic like exclamation marks and box disguises alongside a lengthy, detailed storyline. There was also a game called “Jackie Chan Stuntmaster” which was a beat em up single player where you basically went around kicking ass around New York. I remember renting many times although I never bought it. One strange thing I did as a kid was rent games I would never end up buying, instead I would just rend familiar titles over and over again.

Considering handheld gaming I did have my fair share of Nintendo’s Gameboys, beginning with of course the colourless Gameboy. The main game I spammed on there was like I mentioned before, Pokémon Red, just to clarify, my Megadrive and Gameboy were once my neighbours and he actually gave both to me when he bought himself a Nintendo 64, I still own the Megadrive which till this day works ^__^ . Later on as time progressed with the PS1, I purchased a Gameboy Advance, games like the Tony Hawk Pro Skater series and Pokémon Crystal do are the ones I remember most with this console, although I didn’t spend too much time on it; it was something you would bust out when you had friends round to give to whoever isn’t on the console, aha.

After around a year into secondary school my parents bought me and my brother a PS2 for our birthday (yes, I have a twin) which came with GTA 3. I must say that game was VERY awesome because you could steal cars, kill people and be rewarded in game!! Ok joking aside, as desensitising as it sounds it was very enjoyable to play bringing a strong escapism. Personally I enjoyed the easy going games like the Gran Turismo series where it wasn’t something you took seriously, something where you could have a laugh. I did however, have my fair share of RPG games such as Boulders Gate 2 alongside a few from the Lord of the Rings series. As someone who used to play a lot of football I also loved the good old footy games and Pro Evolution Soccer on PS2 was something a lot of my friends also played so it was always fun to enjoy in a group.

As far as PC gaming goes, I didn’t really play any at all, except the one mostly everyone else has played, World of Warcraft, (don’t judge me, I was young). Seriously though up till this day I still think WoW was one of those games I have most enjoyed yet most hated. Personally I think the MMORPG idea is genius as it allows everyone to compete equally to enjoy the experience as a community but at the same time it can be a breeding ground for addictions that distance people from reality. I was also one to spend more than six hours a day on this game, starting at around 15 years old, I quit by the time I was 17 as I saw it almost leeching away my life! Games such as this I would probably never go back to, but at the same time I am always interested in what new content it has to offer each time a expansion hits the stores because I am still interested in the concept. It seems games like these are very hard to play casually as it’s a never ending psychological reward system, similar to a rat in a maze being given a piece of cheese each time it figures out the way; but the maze is never ending and the rewards become very repetitive. I think WoW and other MMO’s can only be enjoyed to their potential if many of your real life friends are online with you, but still something I wouldn’t personally go back to.

Ok, WOW that’s a lot of words on my gaming history, although there’s still a little bit more to go! What do I play today? Am I a gamer? I don’t think so, not at all. Not 4ish years ago I purchased a 40GB PS3 with GTA 4; I have also been through Call of Duty 4 and MW2 although I only played both online with friends. Casually I find myself on Fifa 12 online just for a few games during breaks from university work and the last game I completed was Assassin’s Creed 2 which I must say is somewhat of a masterpiece, I found the game kept luring me into wanting more and when I finally completed it, I was satisfied with it. The most recent game I bought was Gran Turismo 5 over the Christmas break; coincidently I was working on a vehicle project; although an interest in cars is something I’ve had for a very long time. Personally when it came to games I have always considered myself somewhat of a “light weight” especially these last few years I haven’t seen myself get attached to anything nor was I interested greatly in one single game where I could proudly brag about how awesome I am at it. On the other hand, I am very interested in what the future has to hold especially a decade from now where gaming as we know it may have completely evolved into something my generation may consider alien. As for a game I would like to play today? Star Wars: The Old Republic looks really cool, as I am also interested in MMO’s I think it’s something I could enjoy, but it would possibly mean ending/failing my degree, aha but seriously it does seem like a overall, solid, in depth and interesting game as it is backed by a strong and almost every lasting franchise.

A history of computer games: The Next Generation

As we begin to address the present time of gaming with the powerful consoles of today we also notice many evolutionary steps in gaming that were not of concern before such as Blu Ray and High Definition gaming, 3D technology; as well as the massive increase in both cost development and marketing to produce top of the range content but most of all, to make the greatest overturn. Considering video games there have always been two power structures at play, the game “publishing” companies and “game development companies” appear as very different flip sides to a single coin. Game development companies for example; Bioware, Naughty Dog, Infinity Ward, are all highly motivated by the love for high end gaming, entertainment, and experience. However the publishing companies for example; Activision, Sony Computer Entertainment, Electronic Arts, are all in it for profit, the product itself is not of first priority. 

So, from these next generation consoles, we kick start it off with the Xbox 360 (2005/2006), also known as one of the ‘seventh’ generation consoles. It has reached very great success, its features include a portable hard drive of 20gb which would leave behind the idea of ‘memory cards’ in history. Not to mention its awesome online capabilities with “Xbox live” which is actually one of its greatest attractions when it comes to choosing a console in present day? Although customers have to pay for a yearly subscription it is very stable and polished in comparison to its competitor (PSN, which we will get to soon), it also hold many more features alongside a very ‘sometimes too serious’ gamer community hah, although I have never owned a Xbox 360 myself its online gaming does appear vastly more efficient to the PS3. Up till today, Microsoft have produced many variations of the 360 with many promising larger hard drive space such as the ‘Elite’ (120gb) as well as design variants in aesthetics such as the Xbox 360 S (250gb).  

Right, so the Playstation 3 (2006) decided to come along embracing new technology, full on internet compatibility, and nicely polished aesthetics, but was this sleek, shiny machine able to fulfil as promised? Considering sales, not so much, it aligns itself slightly below the Xbox in terms of units but this could be because it was the first Blu ray player to hit the market, with Bluetooth controllers and free online gaming; its cost was also almost double Microsoft’s 360. Though it has kept a good reputation with its exclusive titles such as the Uncharted series, God of War, the Little Big Planet series, Kill zone series alongside many more though not all amazing, many allowed it to make greater use of its technology with very high quality graphics. Although I must mention the embarrassing crash of PSN in April 2011, Sony claimed an ‘external intrusion’ which led on to customer information and credit card details possibly being vulnerable. The whole online network was down globally (to my knowledge) for around a month. This left customers including ME very unsure of this “free” online thing although Sony did give a few free perks once everything was all back online as a apology to its customers. The PS3 has also followed up with a slim line version with 250gb. 

Now that we have gone through the big hitters for those veteran gamers it’s time to talk about Nintendo, though it offers much less quality in terms of graphics and gaming variety the Nintendo Wii (2006) has been the most successful next generation console. Its innovative controller brought motion sensitivity where player’s movement could produce the outcome on the screen. Due to its easy going, more “friendlier” games its demographic reaches vastly wider that Microsoft or Sony, the Wii console is seen more of a party piece to utilise with a group of people and it also asks for less commitment from users, a very pick up and play system. Both Microsoft and Sony have since added motion controllers to their consoles, Playstations ‘move’ controller and Microsoft’s ‘Kinnect’ both give users motion based game play, however the Xbox’s Kinnect system does not need any controller to use, similar to Playstation 2s Eyetoy. Although the Nintendo Wii isn’t the first to make use of motion control it sure is the most popular in terms of sales, though I don’t think serious gamers will be buying into it anytime soon. The future does a little cloudy though as game production costs constantly rise & Game publishers rather push on prequels and sequels and not invest in new titles. 

Nintendo’s DS is also a big name in this next generation war as it has become very popular in its own right for its stylus based touch screen interface as well as dual screen display. In competition with Sony’s PSP it has proved to be a lot more popular again in terms of sales as Nintendo, just like there Wii console decided to aim it towards a vast demographic of young kids, middle aged adults and even the old & retired. Titles like ‘Brain Training’ were very popular with parents for children as the DS provided an educational system of gaming. Nintendo have released many DS’s variation such as the DS Lite, DSi, DSi XL, and now the Nintendo 3DS (2011) which provides 3D viewing of games without any sort of glasses, though opinions may differ whether people want their games 3D or not, it is apparent that the technology is being used today.

A history of computer games: 2000's

Right, so now we come to the 21^st century. After exploring the past of the games and computing industry although I may not have mentioned in the previous post, PC gaming was also developing; especially in this period its popularity rivals the consoles. Today PC’s are considered for sake of a better word ‘hardcore’ simply because of their output in CPU and GPU can be far greater than a standardised console, primarily because they are customisable or be built from scratch. Another thing to note in this decade is the idea of “mods”. Customisable content in games that could be done by people outside the content creating circle and a great example is one of the most popular online first person shooter Counter-Strike (1999), originally created independently by programmers as a mod for the game Half-Life. However, let’s track back a little more towards where we left off. 

Before the millennium hit, Sega released there soon to be last console before exiting the market entirely with the Dreamcast which some now consider ahead of its time. This was because it was the first console to have a built-in modem for internet support as well as online gameplay. I still remember spamming Power Stone 2 (release: 2000) round a friend’s house and just never getting bored of it, another thing to notice was its very primitive screen on the controller where memory cards etc would go in, very unique as no console to date as adopted this idea. As mentioned before, whilst Sega’s reputation was declining the Playstation was gaining much attention as fans could not wait for Sony’s Playstation 2. Nintendo faded into the distance although it did dominate the hand held market with its Game Boy Color (1998) followed by the Game Boy Advance (2001), till this day the company plays a dominate role with handhelds now competing with mobile phone gaming (also skyrocketing in the early 2000’s), but we will get to that.

The second release of the sixth generation consoles would be the massively successful Playstation 2 (2000). It followed its predecessor in its ability to play audio CD’s but this time Sony also added the ability to view DVD’s. This was great design strategy because now those who weren’t so much into gaming could purchase themselves a DVD player that played games; thus appealing to very broad audience and market. Nintendo followed with the Gamecube (2001) but shortly fell behind once again due to lacking variety in the games being development for the console, it was seen as the “kids console” soon enough as it didn’t put out mature games compared to its rival.  Microsoft soon joined to make the rivalled console trinity, ultimately taking Sega’s place with the Xbox; however as both other consoles had a history for gratifying its audience Microsoft suffered financial loss at the beginning because to compete they had to beat their competitors on price.

 

 

Grand Theft Auto III. This game really presented 21^st century gaming perfectly with its open world style and highly mature gameplay, (lols). I remember when I bought the Playstation 2 I got GTA 3 with it (which was amazing because I was like 10) however there was no memory card! So I would play and play all day until I had to turn the thing off, which meant new game... >_<! Moving on, the Halo franchise was also born growing quickly as the successful, growing face of the Xbox, which put Microsoft on a level playing field with the other 2 consoles. As well as exclusive games for particular consoles we would also see rise of multi-platform gaming where companies would simply create a game that would cross every platform including PC and Handheld as this would gross a greater profit and broaden the marketed audience. The cost of re-programming or coding would be made back by the success of the product itself.