My Concept
Throughout the many games I have previously played, "Adventure" games have always stood out to me and was always the most enjoyable. One of those games that stand out the most because of its originality and that it has never been seem before is Grounded (Grounded 2020) in which you must survive in a garden with many insects. I'm taking a similar approach with my concept.
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This whole concept all evolves around the idea of a abandoned kitchen, due to the lack of upkeep within the kitchen, its now been over run by cockroaches, rats and spiders. As the player, you must find materials to create strong weapons to defeat these creatures while exploring the kitchen. There is a massive emphasis on detail now due to how close the environment is going to be to the player. So the textures are going to have to mesh really well with the objects as you are going to see cracks a lot easier. Weapons are also going to be discovered as you find new materials. By making certain weapons, you now gain the right amount of power to visit harder areas as you progress through the game.
I haven't thought of a storyline yet, but I might think about that later down the line.
SWOT Analysis
Strengths
So far during this course, I feel confident in texturing more than anything else, this is because I fell that I can get the image I want, across a lot better if I texture it correctly and how I want it. Making the model produced, look so much better.
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There is a couple of resources that are available to me, such as 3DS Max, Sketchbook and many other drawing tools to aid me in my product. Overall, I feel that 3DS Max is the best tool to use when it comes to my product. Mainly because it allows me all of the freedom I could have to design and create whatever shapes and what ever textures I like.
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When it comes to Games Design, I'm passionate in the design and texture element, not the drawing. This is mainly because i have never really been good at drawing, compared to the designing. I picked it up instantly. Having a good imagination is also a huge factor. So when it comes to developing concepts, its a lot easier to manage and achieve by design over drawing. But there is some exceptions, for example in this project, I'm going to need to draw to be able to plan effectively. I may be outside of my comfort zone, but it is going to make me better in the long run when it comes to that aspect of design.
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Adapting this product idea to my current strengths is very easy as I am very drawn to "Realism" and creating environments that look as realistic as possible to the player.
Weaknesses
My main weakness and the part of this course I'm not so good at is the drawing aspect, using the sketchpad and using pencils and pens. Its something that I've never been good at. So my drawings aren't going to be as strong as my 3DS Max models, this is because I can explore my imagination more using the program than using a pen and paper. My point is harder to get across by drawing, mainly because it isn't going to look exactly how I want it to due to my skills in it currently
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The most evident trait that's in my personality, which has not only given me struggles with games development, but with games and other activities outside of the course. Which is me being a big perfectionist, I will not submit or start any project without thinking it fully through. Or making sure everything is exactly where it should be. That's why I always submit all of my projects last minute, because I get paranoid at it being where it should be. Or changing little details which aren't that major. But to me it is.
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There is always going to be gaps in your knowledge, to me personally, rendering is 100% the biggest gap in my knowledge, mainly because I still don't fully understand it. Its the part of this course that to me, takes the longest and the most time consuming thing to do. Because of the lighting and the angles you can use. Plus the different types of textures, which show up differently under different lights or rendering types such as "Arnold" which is different to the others and how much it effects the shine and the appearance of different colours and textures
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But im taking a different approach when it comes to this project as I am starting to learn Substance Painter and Unreal Engine to texture and render my project
Oppotunities
By eliminating my weakness of drawing, it instantly makes designing and concepts so much easier to plan and develop. This is because, if I can get the drawing to the quality and appearance of what I want it to look like to the exact details and colors. I know exactly what my 3DS Max model should look like, every single part would of been thought out properly. By failing at drawing in the first place, I'm developing my trial and error skills. Keeping on trying will help with my endurance and trying even though I'm not so strong at it. Further on past this course, that skill is very valuable.
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I believe there is a decent size gap in the market currently for survival and adventure games. I believe this because I have experience in both genres. There is only about 5 current games that fit the joint genres, all of the others have went un noticed. This could be down to design or gameplay. But what could separate that genre from the others is a multiplayer. For example, the game "Grounded" (which I have previously completed). Giving the player a better gaming experience if they can play with there friends, surviving and creating bases with materials you find
Threats
There is many things I cant control around me, such as the weather, other people. That's why finishing the project can be unpredictable. Many factors are out of your hands, which can change in a instant. I cant control other people, so anything is possible.
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If i have certain problems, such as a medical emergency, nobody is going to be able to help, as they don't have a medical degree.
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This work needs to be done by April, I feel that I will be able to hit this deadline by ease, this is because the amount of work i have done recently. The amount of detail im going into. I feel that if i but all of my time into this final product, no doubt. This deadline will be easy to hit at the current rate i am going at.
Items Found In a Kitchen
Starting my idea for this project is obviously going to take some heavy planning to find the right idea. Considering my initial idea is to create a kitchen in which you explore. I'm going to have to research them to give me a better understanding of hospitality. To start with I've created a mind map which implies what you can find within a ordinary kitchen with basic machines and equipment
Within every kitchen you will ALWAYS find key equipment which is crucial to cooking. Such as knives pans and pots. To further show what I may need to create in the future, this mind map shows as a kind of plan which I can keep referring to so that I don't miss any items to place around my level
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On the Food and Drink section, I kept it very generic, meaning I stated "Bottle" or "Can" so that I can explore what drink I choose to create. Even with meat, kitchens have many types of meat. So it all depends on the storage areas i create so that contextually makes sense in a kitchen.
Examples and Grading
This task included groups to look at certain sites from previous students and grading their sites to the criteria for this project.
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The exercise seemed extremely helpful as we got to see actual examples of distinction level work. So that I can help develop my work to that level knowing that I need to add certain pieces of work or write to a certain level
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But not only did I get to see what distinction level work looked like i got to see pass level work. So now i know what to aim for and what to avoid when it comes to content.
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A pattern that is evident throughout each pass and merit that I came across, one section lets the whole project down. This for further implies how important it is that I make sure every piece of work is up to the same standard.
(Downsizing, 2017)
Inspiration
(Honey I shrunk the Kids, 2015)
My whole game is all based off of perspective and size. So to be able to immerse the player into the game in which everything is a lot more detailed due to scale. I needed to look at some actually real life examples so that the perspective is as good as possible.
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Its all well and good to say that I'm going to have your character be extremely small, but you clearly have to have a exact size in mind, so that your surroundings are the right size you are looking for. That's why I have chosen to research a couple of films that use this exact principle.
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In downsizing, you follow a character that has decided to take a treatment that allows him to be shrunk to a small size, this also makes all of his money become more valuable as for example a house is cheaper to make if its small. But not everything goes to plan leaving the main protagonist with no money and really small. What stands out about this film though is the exact size the characters are. They are very easily seen. Yet they are still really tiny.
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The way this links to my game is that they follow the idea that they are repurposing items that may be larger to turn them, into smaller items to be used such as tables and other things that are used in daily lives. Weapons are a key example of this such as shards of glass and maybe even cocktail sticks that are sharp but to someone who happens to be that small it may look like a devastating weapon
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Down sizing is a different type of film compared to honey I shrunk the kids in a sense that you choose top become that small and have a better when of life because of it. Due to the inflation of their assets. Because of this there is a lot more safety around someone being that size as houses and other items are normal size to you. But honey I shrunk the kids definitely has that aspect of survival due to the pests around the house being bigger and more dangerous
(Books that shaped the 1950s, 2020)
(The Borrowers, 2011)
My next piece of inspiration is the Book "The Borrowers" this book was released in 1952 and follows the story of little people who are living in a family house without anyone knowing. What caught my eye in this film and gave me some good ideas for my project is the idea of re purposing items such as jam jars for tables and buttons for plates.
(The Borrowers, 1993)
In this screenshot you can see the characters using smaller items in a more practical way such as protection and using paper clips to hold onto things. I'm going to take a different approach items wise as my kitchen is a lot different to a kitchen you would find in a home. But the idea still stays the same, in this case I may use pins and ingredients to explore the map
In this photo you can clearly see that the characters are using magnets to scale up the fridge, showing how practical a game like this should be. But this also adds that extra touch of creativeness. This really ties into what I'm trying to achieve as it makes the game a lot more practical. Causing the player to think more and look for ways to climb up to certain places such as on top of the fryers using the dials that control the heat. Or using the handles too.
In this scene you get a really good look at how these characters are using items found around a house but for a different use. One of the key ones that stand out to me happen to be the bottle caps used as seats as well as bowls and plates. As well as OXO cubes just sat about. This type of creativity is perfect when taking inspiration for my project. Using smaller items but re using them to adapt to certain situations.
A big part of this film is taking alot of items from a dolls house. Which of course has mini versions of household items such as chairs, instead of having to create them using other items that can be found.
(Gullivers Travels, 2010)
(Gullivers Travels, 1726)
Gulliver's Travels follows a guy who stumbles across islands that contain animals of "Un Usual" sizes and behaviours. In the 2010 film Lemuel Gulliver ends up going to the Bermuda Triangle. In which he encounters tiny people that want to use his ginormous size to help defend the land of Lilliput from their rivals.
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The way this film and book relate to my project is of course the size of the characters but also the proportions. By watching this film I am able to see a perspective that can help me choose the right size for the character.
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When looking into how small the characters are compared to modern day items, I had a look at Lemuel's clothes compared to the smaller characters.
In this scene Lemuel is shown being captured by the smaller people, as you can see the size of the smaller characters compared to his foot for example is a little smaller than what I was thinking about doing. As a kitchen doesn't exactly have anywhere to hide if you happen to be on the open floor, It just makes travel across the kitchen take way longer
Weapon Research
When starting my context and research for this project, the first thing im going to research are weapons that may be available. Although this game may be a walking simulator, I still want the player to be able to hold some sort of weapon to add more depth to the game. As of course, there are going to be enemies throughout. To give me inspiration for what type of weapons i may want to create, I looked into the game Grounded.
(Grounded, 2020)
This game follows 4 characters that are the size of insects in a garden. In which they must survive. To to this, you must craft weapons from materials and fight off insects. Because of the rustic style of this game, I love the idea of the weapons actually looking like they have been created by the environment. Such as grass being used as rope and small pieces of wood as the basis to most
(Grounded, 2020)
(grounded guide list all weapons and tools, 2021)
Twig Bow
Ant Club
Spider Fang Dagger
Above are the 2 basic weapons in this game, a Twig Bow, Ant Club and a Spider Fang Dagger. From this simple design you can clearly see my previous point that the weapons are clearly made from scraps that can be found. To start, the bow has been made by a twig and a small piece of rope that has been created from grass. Not only is the material recognisable, the placement and shape of it is also very well made. Such as in the middle of the bow, a piece of grass is tied around it to show where the arrow should be placed once it has been loaded.
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The second weapon visible, is a Ant Club. The design is obviously a ant leg held up by some rope. The overall rustic design of this weapon is exactly what im going for, using the shape and size of certain parts to help damage enemies. Such as the ant legs having spikes on them. Making the weapon a lot more powerful. Also, there is rope tied to the handle to show where the player will be holding this item from.
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That leaves the last weapon above, the Spider Fang Dagger. As the name suggests, this weapon is created by using spider fangs to create a sharp blade for the player to use. Further showing the idea that I want to replicate. This weapon indicates that as you progress throughout the game, by eliminating bigger enemies, you are able to create better weapons. Exactly the system I would like to use. Making this game a good inspiration to what im trying to achieve.
(How high must you sing to shatter a wine glass, 2018)
Looking for items within a kitchen that fit the scale that m looking for has proven to be extremely hard. They must be sharp and actually be capable of doing damage to a enemy. But then I realised that glass could be the key to that problem. The player could be able to wrap a piece of cloth around the glass shard to turn it into a weapon. It could be used in many circumstances when making sharp objects. But this also means that it will have to have some sort of durability.
Kitchen Research
The map for my game is going to be a kitchen, but not a normal kitchen you would find in your home, but a restaurant kitchen. Of course to make the games environment as realistic as possible, I am going to research the equipment you would find in one of these kitchens and try and find materials that can be used to craft items within the games.
(Industrial Kitchen, 2020)
This is a layout of a kitchen side, which includes some of the equipment you may find in a restaurant kitchen.
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In Blue, you can see ovens, this could potentially be a "dangerous" area. Meaning the player will need to have certain level gear to be able to survive around this area. But this could also be a area to find stronger materials for gear to advance in the game.
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In Red, there are vents above all of the ovens and fryers. The idea behind them is to take the smoke and steam from around the kitchen and force it outside. Meaning that as you player, you could get stuck in these vents. Making it a dangerous area. Once you have the correct gear to adventure to these vents, it could be a way to travel around the map with ease. Making it a valuable area to visit.
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In Green, when adventuring around the kitchen you of course are going to have shelves. Within the pots on them, I might add loot boxes or chests that give you materials. Instead of farming enemies, you can find normal loot just hiding around items.
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In Yellow, every kitchen has a sink, its a key part to any kitchen. Providing a place to wash pots and pans. As well as allowing water to the chefs to clean sides and use water in making stocks and sauces. The way I'm going to utilise it is by allowing the player to quench their thirst every once and a while in a emergency. This is because a infinite water source in a game like this is so impractical and makes that element of the game that easy that it might as well not be a mechanic.
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Lastly in Black the bulletin board. This is only really going be used to display objectives and quests the player will have to complete. Such as visiting certain areas and eliminating certain bosses or smaller enemies.
(Pantry Of a Kitchen, n.d.)
The whole idea behind a restaurant is clearly its food. You cant have good food without good ingredients and fresh produce. So the next area I'm going to have to research is a Pantry, This place stores all of the produce for the restaurant to use. Such as proteins, vegetables and dry ingredients. Making this area in particular the biggest cheat I could possibly have because the player is able to go to this place and take whatever items they want without having to grind for them. Causing the game to have no depth and be boring. Clearly I don't want that to happen, so to combat this, I'm going to make this pantry have a select amount of base items in so that the fun of finding the items and grinding is still there. You might be thinking "what about all the other items that should be in the pantry?" well I'm going to place them around the kitchen hidden on shelves. Mainly because I don't need to fill the kitchen with every ingredient known to man, just base ingredients that you use in 99% of dishes.
Ingredients
The next topic I need to research for obvious purposes is Ingredients. The key to this game is crafting, that means you need materials that able to be turned into other times. Such as fruits, vegetables and cutlery. Put also loot from killing enemies and bosses.
I'm going to need to make sure that I include a good amount of crafting materials in this game so that the player can make the base weapons in the demo. So I started looking into the base vegetables used in normal cooking. Which includes Cucumber, Sweetcorn, Tomatoes and Broccoli.
Cucumbers can be used for hydration. I know you are in fact able to eat them. But I want the vegetables to be distinct to their purpose. Meaning cucumbers will only be able to be consumed for water. Crafting on the other hand, the hard shell around it could be used for armour. Sweetcorn only really has one use in my mind, that's ammo for a slingshot. Due to its reasonably small size compared to the player, I cant see any other use for it other than using it for the base weapon for the game. As you need to start somewhere right? you don't want to die off the start of the game instantly to small enemies.
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Tomatoes are a tricky one to think of a use for it. You don't have to use the tomato as a vegetable, I'm thinking I can use the stem for rope. Potentially to make a bow or the initial slingshot. Then for the tomato itself, I might use it as a cushion. Being able to make the player take less fall damage if landed on. Maybe the player could be able to throw it down to the floor before jumping off high places.
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Finally with broccoli, the players perspective of these objects play a huge part in making this game stay true to its nature and create the environment that I'm looking for. For example, the strength of the items around them are going be 1000 times stronger. As you are small compared to it. This makes broccoli a perfect material to make a base out of.
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Enemies
Giving this game a good amount of difficulty I'm going to be adding some enemies that you would find in a kitchen. With successful kitchens, you wouldn't find Cockroaches, Spiders or Rats. Because of this, context wise, it wouldn't make sense for these enemies to exist in a clean kitchen. To get around this obstacle I'm going to give this kitchen a dirty element. Making sense of everything that I eventually add. I've already said that I'm going to be using cockroaches and potentially spiders or rats for enemies. Making those models are going to be the hard part.
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To get a accurate design, I'm going to have to research certain insects and spiders you may find in a dirty kitchen to get a good view on what I should take inspiration from.
(The 5 common Pests in resturants, n.d.)
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Rodents, known as mice or rats, are quite common in restaurants. Obviously because of food being around. As buildings always have entrances, rats are able to get into the establishment through many pathways. Drains and sewers are quite common, the less common ways are through holes or cracks in the walls. Searching for food. Because of their acute sense of smell, they essentially are able to smell through walls boxes and pantries. Making them one of the biggest problems that kitchens must get rid of.
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With rats, the main reason for them not being allowed near food is the amount of diseases they carry.
- Leptospirosis
- Toxoplasmosis
- Salmonella
- Lyme disease
- Hantavirus
Rats
Cockroaches
Out of all of the pests that can be found throughout a kitchen, cockroaches are one of the most common. First off, they breed rapidly in many tiny spaces, as there is a lot of small gaps within kitchens. That makes them the best place for cockroaches to breed. They also can eat pretty much EVERYTHING within a kitchen. Any food you can think of, they probably can eat it no problem. Making them extremely annoying if they make their way into a pantry.
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As they are nocturnal, you will most likely not even realise they are there until you have too many to deal with. In the daytimes specifically, they hid in really small places and pockets. Such as behind machines and appliances and drains. Causing them to be out of reach to a normal person. Furthermore, they crawl on everything, so you must sanitise every item you think they may of stumbled across. Spreading diseases such as E Coli and Salmonella.
Flies
Where there is food, there will almost always be flies. You of course don't want flies on your food when you go into a restaurant. So restaurants try their best to make sure that doesn't happen. Types of flies exist in kitchens such as fruit flies, house flies and drain flies.
These creatures also have many diseases they carry such as E coli, salmonella, cryptosporidium, campylobacter and many parasitic worms.
Again, these things can breed very rapidly like cockroaches. They are mostly found in rotten food and rubbish. As they will attempt to eat almost anything them find.
Spiders
Where there is food, there will almost always be flies. You of course don't want flies on your food when you go into a restaurant. So restaurants try their best to make sure that doesn't happen. Types of flies exist in kitchens such as fruit flies, house flies and drain flies.
These creatures also have many diseases they carry such as E coli, salmonella, cryptosporidium, campylobacter and many parasitic worms.
Again, these things can breed very rapidly like cockroaches. They are mostly found in rotten food and rubbish. As they will attempt to eat almost anything them find.
Arachnophobia
Arachnophobia is when someone seems un easy at the site of spiders, also if they seem to think there may be spiders about but may not be able to see them, they become un easy also. This can lead to panic attacks, which can elevate someone heart rate and make them feel very ill. Some people also experience things such as emotional distress and having trouble breathing. Following on to screaming and crying at the sight of spiders.
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In some extreme cases, some people may feel fear at the sight of toys paintings and drawings of spiders. Giving me the good opportunity to add some fear to my game such as adding spiders so that people may get jump scared by suddenly being rushed by a creature that size. It also adds some depth to the game knowing that you aren't safe no matter where you go.
UK Kitchen Spiders
Due to this game being set in a British kitchen, I need to make sure that everything you may find in it makes sense. So my first step is to look at some common house spiders. (A Giant Woodlouse Spider, 2016)
Due to this game being set in a British kitchen, I need to make sure that everything you may find in it makes sense. So my first step is to look at some common house spiders.
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The one you see here is called a Woodlouse Spider, they only have one prey and that happens to be woodlouse. Instead of using webs to hunt like other spiders, they search around homes for damp and warm places to find bunches of woodlice. A very effective tactic. To hide they line holes that they find with webbing to make sure they aren't found.
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Where can they be found?
Spiders like this can often be found under logs, rocks, bricks, plant pots and other places that are damaged and damp. Making a kitchen of my design a perfect home for these sorts of creatures. Due to them creating their own hiding places with webbing, crevices are the perfect place to find them.
Behaviour
These spiders are fairly basic, I referenced them only hunting woodlice as that's what they primarily eat. But as my research shows, they also like to hunt silverfish, earwigs, millipedes, burying beetles and crickets if they are able to. Yet if they feel threatened they are able to attack other spiders around them. As you can see on the front of the spider, they have 2 fangs that are able to inject venom into their pray. Although this will easily take out smaller pray that I have previously stated, if you happen to be bit by this spider as a human, you will only get some redness and a potential itch on the effected area.
These 2 spiders below are some of the other spiders that is researched when looking into common house spiders, the first one happens to be called a Lace Weaver, this spider in particularly, happens to be extremely stocky and have a shiny head if seen up close. Adults can be 5-15mm long. But these can be found all year round mostly around the outside but you can find them in kitchens if they enter through windows.
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This is a spitting spider. They happen to have 6 eyes. These spiders hunt by spitting venom into the way of their prey hoping for contact and slowly kills them. By immobilizing the target it allows the spider to advance without consequence.
Preparation For My Pitch
There is a couple of factors that effect if your pitch is going to be good or not. For example how you present the pitch can make a ton of difference. Such as staying clear and making sure that you cover all of the areas in detail.
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Research is also a key element, making sure you cover the areas that you want to cover.
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So starting that research I'm going to look into other games like mine such as small land and grounded. Grounded has been a massive in inspiration when it comes to making this game as the proportions of your character is extremely small compared to the map. As well as small bugs and spiders for example that I'm going to have to add to my game.
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Doing research into the actual genre of the game that I'm looking to create. Mainly so that I can find a target audience and make sure that the game is suited to them. So when looking into finding the genre that I want to do for my game I looked to adventure and survival
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With every game there is most likely going to be something controversial, yet in my game I don't see anything like that happening. Mostly because there isn't anything political in my idea. The only thing that may come across as controversial Is that Im including only one character and that character is male.
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I need one good mechanic to work on so I looked into making some sort of crafting system to make things a lot easier for myself to design
Advertisement and Colour Scheme
Every game must have a matching colour scheme to make sure all the colours flow and the game looks good. I experimented with a lot of colour matching for my game to make sure that everything fits. If some colours seem un even compared to the rest of the level, It wont "flow" properly. Causing the players experience to be lower quality
When looking at colours to match my game I looked at darker and dirtier colours due to my game being run down and abandoned. Greys are used frequently and also browns and greens to simulate dirt and greenery.
Throughout the level these colours may change but they stick to the darkness and colour routes so that they match.
Logo
As I cant think of a exact logo off the top of my head, I will have to research elements around my game to get a good item to base it around, like a olive oil bottle.
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As I already have a good colour scheme made, I can match everything to it.
I did some experimentation into logos so that I could find a good colour pallet. This logo is quite bright for the game I'm going for.
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It may be decently basic, yet you can see just off the cockroach alone that this game is supposed to be dirty, I may change the colour scheme a bit as I can dim down all the colours to match a more dirty look
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I stuck with the name fried because of 2 reasons, chips are fried and also the first asset that I made was a fryer.
Feedback
To be able to identify my target audience I needed to make a good survey for people to use so that I can access the information to make sure that my game comes out tending to my customers needs.
To start off this form I wanted to know the age and gender of the market that I was aiming for. In which the data that I received was exactly what I expected. Most of the people that I expected to take my survey was people that happen to be around my age.
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Then when looking at what gender they are, it is clear that is very male dominated. Mainly because I gave this survey to friends that happen to be male. But I did put this on a reddit thread. But even so there is a lot of male people still completing the survey.
I then made a pie chart after asking the question "What creature would you prefer to see" I got a range of results that have became very useful. As I can choose one creature to make which was voted for the most. That happens to be a spider. Its going to be a challenge to create a good model that may have to be rigged. This may be hard to do due to the amount of work it may take and the small amount of rigging experience I have
I rather make one weapon when designing a demo to this game as it allows me to make a asset that can be used by a player without having to make another one. Out of all 4 weapons that I included in my survey the most detailed and more time consuming to make happens to be the bow as I will need to make a arrows and the bow. But what also follows that Is a animation that can be used for shooting and reloading. Then again I may need to m make a actual enemy for this mechanic to even make sense. Although the majority voted for the bow, I may end up having to make a different weapon if it is too complicated and time consuming
As this is only a demo I have to choose a way to end it such as having a end goal. I could only think of 4 different scenarios such as reach a certain height collect a item. After reviewing the survey to find the most voted for ending, reach a certain height and defeat a enemy had the same amount of votes.
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So this becomes a choice down to personal preference, but the choice rasher do has got to be reach a certain height. This allows me to play about with movement and other mechanics. To do this I can do research into Dying Light which is a game based around parkour and movement. Finding more efficient ways to venture around the kitchen
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I wanted to implement a certain part of a adventure game into mine of my audience choice, yet I couldn't think of a idea. So this question is good because I can get a raw answer on what my audience wants to see. The 2 that stuck out for me is Realism and The Gathering Systems. Because I was thinking about putting a collection system into the game anyway, now I have a bigger reason to put it in.
Primary Research in a Kitchen
The best way to get reference images and perspective images of kitchens, is to get the photos yourself. Due to my college having more than one kitchen, I requested to visit them and take photos personally to get the right perspective to the player. Doing this expands my knowledge of my idea and allows me to test certain heights and perspectives of the player to make a better experience.
Smaller Items
The hardest part of creating a kitchen to the design that I'm hoping to create is that filling extra space and shelves with things that aren't pots and pans. Such as blenders and other smaller items. So to see personally what types of machines are the bets to fill these gaps. I took photos of them first
I actually completely forgot about a blender or food processor when looking for items to design, so this jolted my memory and also gave me a design to style off of. The relative size of this blender is also perfect for what I'm looking for. Thinking forward for when I do start to put this level together, due to the size of this object compared to the player, you will be able to climb up it fairly easily.
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The next item I saw was a iron press, used to grill sandwiches and other products. The beauty of this product is that it can be used to hurt the player. So that they will need to jump across it without getting burned. Perfect for making a harder area for the player to explore. Its also relatively simple to make as its mainly rectangles.
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The third photo shows the size of all of these previous assets next to each other so I can see a size comparison. Then underneath you can see trays that can be used for steaming or cooking meats in the oven. These are PERFECT to fill up space because they can be stacked and they are fairly big. I may be able to hide certain items within some of them as due to the players point of view, they cant see inside of it unless they jump in it.
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In the last photo is a smaller grill, that can be used quickly to cook smaller items without using the big main grill. Again it can be used as a obstacle to the player. having to potentially go inside of it with a special type or armour to collect rare materials. As it takes up a decent amount of space, I can place it on a kitchen side very easily.
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Shelf Items
Shelves of course have the most space to fill in the entire kitchen, if some are empty it makes the level look boring and un finished so I needed something to switch it up. Pots and pans take up a ton of space, even when stacked due to their handles. To make everything seem more realistic, making versions of these pots and pans in smaller or bigger sizes is key. As well as mixing bowls, using the same principle of making smaller and bigger versions.
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Plates are a key part to any restaurant, but they are extremely boring. That's why I might reserve ONE shelf to them as putting them on different shelves might make the level instantly boring and repetitive. Plus when stacking them, they a can be symmetrical as it looks too organised for the theme I'm going for.
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I thing I didn't think about was items to do with desserts, such as tins and trays. Then tools such as ladles and whisks will also have to be modelled. I'm going to also reserve a shelf that should have all dessert related items on them. Rolling pins have given me a creative idea. If placed correctly, I could make a trap that causes them to roll towards the player making them jump over them. Adding more depth to my level.
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The last thing is tubs and boxes, of course spices and other produce has to be kept in seal boxes to stop them from going off. These containers are extremely simple to make. Then I can just duplicate them with different labels.
Large Items
To keep meats cool and other products, obviously a fridge is going to be used. They come in many different shapes and sizes, a key rule when it comes to cooking is to never place raw and cooked product near each other let alone in the same fridge so I'm going to have to place more than one around the kitchen. But I might make a layout plan, as a walk in fridge or freezer might be a good option. But this takes away some adventure from the player.
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A steamer is seen in almost every kitchen but they aren't easily identified. That's why I might need to make a model that is easily identifiable. Where the trays are placed are where I'm going to put them myself as you may be able to climb them to get into the machine
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The Hot Plate is a item that is in EVERY kitchen, this allows the plates be kept warm and food to be placed before being taken out to the customer. They can be large small or medium, depending on how much space I have to fill, I will change the size accordingly.
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Player Perspective
Perspective is the main part of my game giving closer items better detail. So getting good inspiration and references is going to be a boost when it comes to making assets the right size so that the player can see everything how its supposed to be seen.
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The photo on the far left is the exact perspective that I want the player to experience, even the pots are the exact size I'm hoping to make. This is the perfect reference for me.
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Although its not taken a player like perspective the last 2 photos were taken so that I can see the size of each machine and asset next to each other, so that I can see what size to match. Such as jumping across sides and other places can be a lot easier now I know the right sizes to use
Player Perspective In Games
Grounded
As mentioned before perspective is the main part of this game, allowing the player to feel immersed and can experience the map to the best they can.
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To make sure that I figure out a good size and perspective for the player, I again took inspiration from grounded as it follows the same basic idea as my project. In the picture above
In "Small Land" as you can see by this perspective, textures become a lot more detailed up close also, considering its going for a more realistic approach. By seeing the view, I may also be able to create this effect by adding fog in the distance so that the player can never reach that area due to how far away it is.
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By the character standing next to the ant to his right, it allows me to see the type of perspective I could go for compared to the creatures around it. These proportions are perfect as the ant isn't exactly bigger than the character. Compared to lets say a spider that is a lot larger
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Movement
Movement is one of the key elements in this game, as the player needs to explore this kitchen by jumping and climbing out of place objects to get on top of the appliances. In order to achieve this, I explored practical ways to climb and venture using common things found in a kitchen.
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This photo depicts some ideas to do with moving around the map. To start off, a foot stall is used by the payer to get some height of the bat. Then as they progress they jump across some creates onto a wooden plank. Allowing the player to jump across to a side. The shelves are lower in the drawing but as you can see high up is a couple cook books that can be used as a way to climb. Keeping with the kitchens nature. By stacking up items like this, accessibility is a lot more practical and natural
This second drawing shows some obstacles you might come against, such as the hobs on the stove and the needle that can be found the pierce tickets on the hotplate. Again a broom is highlighted to show a easy way to climb. Once you are cross these 2 appliances, you are able to jump down onto some pots and pans then eventually down to the floor. At the bottom there is a puddle that they player couple potentially slip on.
(Ratatouille, 2007)
When I was looking into movement, I needed to find a good reference that is as close to the style of game that I'm going for as possible. That's when I stumbled across the ratatouille the game that was available on the DS in 2007. This happens to be the perfect thing to research when it comes to movement in a game like mine. It uses items around a kitchen to allow the payer to move around freely but also with a little bit of unpredictability. In the first photo a cardboard box is used to fill up a lot of space and to allow the character to move across kitchen sides but also tying into the environment around them
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This game has given me a lot of ideas for assets, that fill up space and allow the character to have movement across them. Such as sponges, these allow the character in this game to jump on them and get more height up to different spaces. On the first photo you can clearly see bags of ingredients such as sugar and other items like that can fill up shelves. Which is what I'm in need of. Stacks of plates are also visible as you can climb up different stacks to get to different heights.
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This becomes very valuable to my game, as I am now able to fill up a lot of the empty space that I had no ideas for before.
Unit 12 Visual Code Research
This is research that I did for my Unit 12 Specialist Study
Above from the start of the trailer, you get to see the scale of your character and some items around you in comparison. Such as grass stalks and a leaf. Straight away telling the player that this game is going to be from a shrunken point of view.
In the photo above and in the trailer, a spider can be seen. As said before, for comparison, you are seen running away from a spider. Instantly grabbing the person watching the trailer something to focus on and grab their attention. Due to the spider's red eyes, it really exaggerates that the spider is in fact after you. Letting the player know that it is in fact an enemy. But of course, you can run and avoid it. In which we as a player now know due to the trailer showing us you can. As your environment entails, you can move in any direction. This is implied throughout the trailer as you see many different environments such as ponds, trees, and science lairs. Because of the freedom allowed, it encourages the player to explore. Which could mean that these certain destinations may be the key in getting better weapons and progressing throughout the game.
The weather isn't really touched on much but can be easily picked up on as a simple day and night cycle. In the photo above, you can clearly see that it is currently daytime in game. But as you watch the trailer, you see a player creating a base out of grass in the night. Hinting at something to protect from at night. This could be a spider or a different more dangerous creature.
Throughout game history there has visual codes that indicate what the idea is without telling the player. In this game for example, you can see a small robot and a “Alien” like base. This is indicated by the purple lights and machines. But also, because the smashed glass and destroyed rooms, it seems like there was an attack or crash. To someone watching this trailer, they may assume that this lab may be something to do with the narrative of the game and that it may be the reason for you being the size you are.
The very first thing that is presented to you in the game trailer is a watch, based off the icons on it and that you aren’t “full” on 2 of them, suggesting that you need food and water to survive in this game. Now you must fight off animals and hunt for food throughout your adventure. Then, on the left and right side of this watch, there is a blue and red bar. The left may indicate stamina and the right most definitely represents the health of the player.
A detail that someone may have missed is that the character in the Grounded photo is holding a bow as a weapon, that uses grass as a rope and spikes as arrows. Implying that this game has a crafting mechanic. Which allows the player to create weapons to protect themselves?
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From this......
Audio Code Research
Throughout games, there are a set of core audio types that are constantly played. Such as music jingles and sound effects that may or not be re used from previous games or hit songs. For an example to analyse audio codes, I’m going to use the game Subnautica Below Zero. Mostly because it includes a story line, adventure and music that can convey mood to the player.
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In Subnautica Below Zero, many different pieces of music are used throughout to convey the mood or represent the importance of what you may be doing. Such as being attacked or finding something rare.
When the game starts, you are faced with a ship crash but throughout you hear fire, beeping and fast music, conveying to the player that you are in danger and that something bad is about to happen. The same thing goes for many different games. This creates an anxious and emergency mood that causes the player to look for an exit of the wreckage straight away. This is due to the audio codes. This isn’t the only time that music is used to convey a certain feeling. Throughout your adventure, you must research and scan certain parts of items scattered around wreckages and sand. Once scanned, you get a cheerful piece of music which indicates that you as a player have discovered something that can be used. An upbeat and cheerful sound can be heard once the blueprint is created. Which can feel rewarding to a player as you go deeper into cave and unknown waters, the music gets slower and more ambient, meaning you are in a much harder area with more enemies around you. For example, when completing the main story of Subnautica Below Zero, you must visit many alien bases. While exploring the final alien base, you must cross a lava pool protected by a Lava Dragon. Once this enemy is visible, you suddenly hear fast pace and deep music, indicating that you are being watched. Causing the player to potentially panic.
Music isn’t the only audio example that can imply what you as a player are doing the right thing. The main enemy to the player throughout your playthrough is the water. As you progress, you unlock and craft different oxygen tanks to support you on deeper explorations. But that isn’t a key to all your problems as it can run out and run out fast. So, when you start to run out, a bubble-like noise can be heard when you have less than 30 seconds of oxygen remaining. Alerting the player to look at filling up. Then, if you are unable to get another source of oxygen, you hear drowning noises as your health bar starts to deplete. Mainly to give the player an idea of urgency or you may lose your items. Causing panic. The theme of having sounds play when the player is damaged, has become almost normalised in the game industry. 9 times out of 10, you are aware of your character taking damage from audio alone.
Audio can’t be described as 1 class, its split up into many different subcategories. One of these are Diegetic and Non-Diegetic sound. Diegetic is when there is something presented to the player on the screen, yet you can hear the audio from it. An example is the drowning mechanic, you can see that you are drowning, so the audio links to the event. But Non-Diegetic is music and ambient sound as you can’t see a source of where the audio is coming from. Narration is a prime example of Diegetic sound in this games case. During your search for aliens, you are presented with a set of audio logs through research samples that can be found in wreckages and on the sea floor. By collecting these, you are shown logs of characters talking. These hints give valuable information which is used to complete the game. Including detailed descriptions of places around the map that may have parts to be scanned to create blueprints for better items and vehicle mods. In the industry, this idea is used a lot. As it’s a way of adapting instructions to the player, but in a more realistic way. These conventions are often found in adventure games no matter what age.
Finally, I’m going to touch on instrument use. When crafting items and food in your base, a chime. Which is clearly an audio indicator to collect the crafted item. Little sounds like these can be very versatile. Meaning that it can be used for any small icon of task that has been completed. Even collecting the items. You can hear a small tap to show that you have in fact picked it up and that it’s in your inventory.
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Technical Code Research
Technical Codes are used in games to give information to the player through different mechanics. A prime example of this, is perspective. My idea is to create an environment that you don’t know what may come next or what may be behind you. Hints the First-Person view that will be used. The reason this viewpoint has been chosen is that it enables the player to be more prone to scares and surprises that they might come across while adventuring through my game. This may be a slight bit of horror, yet it’s still deemed adventure. Take Subnautica Below Zero for example, as it’s from a first person view you can’t see the creatures behind you. Including the Reaper Leviathan, if this creature happens to find you and you run away, its able to grasp you and give you a jump scare. The exact mechanic I’m going to attempt to replicate. This idea isn’t as effective with a 2D or Third Person perspective. Which is a very important aspect to this game.
Being in the middle or immersed into the experience of first-person realistic games, environments around you play a key part in making a good experience for the player. It creates a world in which you can take in your surroundings and feel like you are there.
As immersion is a key part to any game like this, there are things and mechanics that would take away from the experience. You could class this game as a somewhat walking simulator. So, for example, a HUD is important in many different genres as you can see your health bar and maybe the mini map to see where you are. But in an adventure game like mine, you don’t have any luxuries like that. Yet you may still be able to have something like that available but “disguised” as something different. In this case, the perfect game for this type of solution is Stranded Deep
Above is Stranded Deep’s version of a HUD. As you can see, a couple stats are visible, Food Water and Health can be shown represented by blocks on the watch, as well as special stats such as speed. What makes this idea brilliant is that it takes a clunky HUD which may not match to the game in its intended design. Which is a mini map in a top corner and a Health bar at the bottom of the screen. That poses the question, how do you know you are taking damage? There is a simple answer, which is when you take damage. Blood may show round the edges of the screen and slowly covers the entire screen. At least until you create a healing item.
Stranded Deep also does a great job at conveying what state of health you are without even looking at your watch. The way they do this is that they add a system which can turn your arm sunburnt for example, again it gets progressively worse until cured. As a player, who is on an adventure. It’s a very good indicator that you need help. Without ending the immersive experience and keeping the player interested in the looks of the game without having to look anywhere else off topic.
As I’ve explained, the POV of the player can drastically change the experience and the way they are created. But realistically, the gaming industry and gaming market, has their sights mostly aimed at first person games. This is due to the amount of detail the creators can add that the player will be able to see from a more realistic view. But first person is also the most known camera angle.
Narrative Codes
In games, the story is just as important as anything else. This may be because it’s based off a book or a film. Maybe even a real-world experience. Maybe with a few twists. That’s why it’s so important to convey and tell the story in the best and most efficient way to get across the emotions or severity of certain events. This can really impact how successful some games are. I’m going to be using The Forest as an example. (The Forest, 2014)
The Forests narrative is shown by using secret tapes that can be found in secret caves throughout. Although, throughout the game, you can discover a ton of the story line by just finding the secret lab beneath the island. Not only using the camcorder. But my point still stands, this is one of the most creative ways to show the narrative out of many of the games researched. There are 6 tapes that can be found throughout The Forests map. Each one gets closer and closer to the end place. The tapes once played also show 6 of the main parts of the game. Such as the creation of the final boss. The lab that you find at the end of the game, the machine that revives people. A breakout of a mutant that you encounter in the lab and finally the machine that can disable planes and make them crash. Which you find out at the end of the game. So, this means that you can find the entire narrative in the caves before you even attempt to play the story out yourself. Which is a good way to do it as you are rewarded as a player for exploring as much as possible. The overall idea of you piercing together the story as you go along, is the most effective way to do it as you can discover small details through photos and recordings that may not make sense until you complete the story yourself.
In games, the story is just as important as anything else. This may be because it’s based off a book or a film. Maybe even a real-world experience. Maybe with a few twists. That’s why it’s so important to convey and tell the story in the best and most efficient way to get across the emotions or severity of certain events. This can really impact how successful some games are. I’m going to be using The Forest as an example. (The Forest, 2014)
The Forests narrative is shown by using secret tapes that can be found in secret caves throughout. Although, throughout the game, you can discover a ton of the story line by just finding the secret lab beneath the island. Not only using the camcorder. But my point still stands, this is one of the most creative ways to show the narrative out of many of the games researched. There are 6 tapes that can be found throughout The Forests map. Each one gets closer and closer to the end place. The tapes once played also show 6 of the main parts of the game. Such as the creation of the final boss. The lab that you find at the end of the game, the machine that revives people. A breakout of a mutant that you encounter in the lab and finally the machine that can disable planes and make them crash. Which you find out at the end of the game. So, this means that you can find the entire narrative in the caves before you even attempt to play the story out yourself. Which is a good way to do it as you are rewarded as a player for exploring as much as possible. The overall idea of you piercing together the story as you go along, is the most effective way to do it as you can discover small details through photos and recordings that may not make sense until you complete the story yourself.
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As The Forest is a very good example of the a game with a lot of adventure, merging with grounded, developing a good narrative in games like this becomes a lot easier to create.
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Play Test 1
I needed to get some feedback on my project so far, so the only way to do that is to create a demo that will be able to be play test. As my goal is to only create a working map and not a full blown game.
The first question i asked, was does this scale suit. This essentially means "Does the size of the player look good to the size of the assets" Every person that did this play test said yes. Which is a really good sign as clearly what I have been trying to get across is actually working. So I'm very happy with he feedback on this question
My next question was does the items match the theme that I've been going for, this is crucial as my entire map should have this certain feel that it is run down and damaged. To see that there was no negative opinions on this question means I'm atleast doing something right
To help me with my evaluation, I needed to find a way to get good suggestions that I can add to my map. The answer that stuck out the most for me has got to be "Judt make the place look dirty" I was thinking about doing this anyway but now ive fortified the idea. This change will really help my map come together.
This question directly links to one of my previous questions about if the assets fit the theme I'm looking for. Everyone seems to like the texture's I have applied. Because of this I can keep going with what I was doing as I'm obviously going in the right direction
Asking a question like this can get you some very good feedback as the person taking the survey will attempt to think of something either way. Getting me some very good answers. Again dirt on the floor was mentioned as well as adding some personality with labels and branding. That I may implement.
Colour Theory
What is colour theory?
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Colour theory is when designers of games use a appealing colour scheme to get the attention of the players. To aid them in choosing the right colour matches, they use a chart that shows the opposites of each colour.
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Colours are split into 3 categories. Primary, Secondary and Tertiary. Primary colours are the colours that are used in everything such as Red Blue and Yellow. Secondary colours are colours that are created by mixing some of the primary colours. Lastly Tertiary is a mix of both primary and secondary colours.
Colours aren't just as simple as primary and secondary though, advanced colour properties are things like Hue, Chroma and Lighting. Which can effects tints and subtle changes in the overall look of colours, Lighting can make the colour look more pale a saturated.
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Why use colour theory?
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The main reason creators use colour theory is to get the audience attention by mixing colour schemes that look good to people. Brighter doesn't always mean better as it may not fit the theme you may be going for. Maybe a darker scene with lost of greys and blacks. These also help humans have emotional responses to these colours as they may play through this game or map.
(Color Theory, 2017)
Designers use Colour Schemes and Colour Temperature to help pair colours in their projects. There is many techniques that they may use. A few of these include "Monochromatic" which is one they take one hue and then create other shades and tints out of it and repurposing the colour. Analogous is when you use 3 colours that are exactly next to each other on the colour wheel. It may be outside the box but its a known technique. Lastly the third technique that I'm looking into is complementary. That's when you use 2 opposite colours on the colour wheel so that you can see a maximum contrast. This technique works a lot with very high tempo games with a lot of colours
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As my projects environment is supposed to be very dark and grimy, the primary colour wheel doesn't really make sense for the colours I am going for. So to help with this, I'm going to have to use only shades of dark as bright colours would ruin the aesthetic
Ratatouille Movement
In Ratatouille, Remy is seen adventuring through pipes and walls of a building as he discovers Paris, this scene is very good at focusing on small details from Remy's POV
Level Design Theory
Throughout this scene, you are able to see a lot of things from Remy's POV and it helps me recognise a scale that I can use for my game. In which it lines up very well with that I have already decided. But it also showcases how detailed items can be from that up close. Lighting is also focused on a lot as you are able to see through cracks in the floor board. This is good inspiration for my game as i need to work on lighting to make sure that the game comes out the best as possible with the shadows adding more depth to my levels. The cracks in the celling are very good at getting a good look on everything above and the light stares up through
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Level design theory is when the player sees certain aspects of a game and takes it as a hint to do something or go towards something. Good level design allows the player to have more fun when navigating the map.
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Another way that level design can be showcased well is by not telling the story through words but through design and assets. Maybe by blocking off 2 of 3 exits which forces the player to go towards the open exit. When looing into narrative design in games, I came across 3 main principles. "Explicit" is when something is called out by speech or some text. For example a cut scene or a objective being given to the player.
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"Implicit" is when the story is being told through the environment such as notes or recordings that may be presented to the player as they adventure around the level. This is my favorite type of level design as there is a lot of attention to detail when designing these nots and little hints.
(Poppy Playtime Chapter 2 Notes Guide – Where to Find All Note Locations, 2020)
In "Poppy Playtime Chapter 2" you are able to piece together there lore and story of the game by finding notes throughout the game from the creators of the enemies. Slowly you story to develop a timeline of notes that can explain the game without you even playing it. But these ideas are reinforced by actually playing the game and looking at the environment. As throughout the game you venture through a ran down factory that had been over run by the monsters that it had previously created.
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This links to my project because I'm still going for the ran down look. Poppy Playtime is a goldmine for ambience and aesthetic visuals.
In the photo above, you enter the final cutscene from the end of the game, clearly you can see that the game emphasises the "Poppy" in Poppy Playtime to lure the player towards this entrance. Around the poppy there are scriptures that read turn back and don't enter, as the player you fee that you need to enter this doorway to continue on with the game, This is a key example of level design theory and leading the player without having to tell them anything but sending them visual codes
The ideas above is what I implemented into my work from my research into game theory. By putting green ivy around the vents, it will grab the attention of the player to go towards the vents and attempt to explore them. Really making my research matter and have purpose in my project. This also allows easy passage for the player to get to higher parts of the map