Unit 78 - Platform Game Concept Art/Storyboard

Computer Game Graphics Recap

What are computer game graphics?

 

Computer game graphics are the way a game is displayed. A game could be presented in various ways. For example, a game could be made in a first/third-person, top-down, side-scrolling or simply 2D or 3D. There are also techniques that can be used such as: the lighting and shadows of objects, the animations of objects and maybe a heads up display.

 

 

What is Graphics Specification?

 

Client Needs

The brief from the client will outline requirements, which must be implemented into the game. This may be about characters, how the game would work, such as advancement of levels, or about a collectable which must be picked up.

Audience

The genre, theme and content of a game would be suitable for the target audience. Developers wouldn't make a gruesome horror game, with a target audience of young children.


Thumbnail Sketching

Thumbnails are images that are of a smaller size than the original image. They allow more images to be displayed on a page. Search engines use image thumbnails to display more search results of the page.


Visual Style

Photorealism - Games that are designed to be as realistic as possible, whether fictional or non-fictional. Photorealism is difficult and time-consuming to create, and takes a lot of skill to get the textures and scaling of the world to look realistic.

Notable games that use photorealism include all of the Call Of Duty games, as well as the many Rockstar games.

 

Cel-Shaded - Designed to look like it was drawn by hand, and is used to represent a cartoon or comic book. Cel-shaded is primarily used by Japanese developers, in games such as Yu-Gi-Oh! and the Dragon Ball Z series.

 

Exaggerated - Games which are loosely based on Photorealism, but the style is modified, giving the graphics an overdone look. The graphics of the game can make it seem like it is not a serious game, because the characters are outrageously muscular, or features are not proportional, for example: large eyes. Japanese game developers also exaggerate the hair on their characters in anime games, such as Tekken.

 

Abstract -Games that use geometrical shapes and lines to create a unique visual style. Abstract does not take much skill to create compared to other styles. Abstract games can use both bright colours for fast-paced action, whilst others might use softer colours, which makes the player feel relaxed. An example of an Abstract art style designed game is Geometry Wars.

 

Military - Usually designed from first person perspective, military games simulate the physics and looks of a battlefield in a war. Characters are designed to look like soldiers, whether present, historic or futuristic. Medal of Honor is a Military game, set in Historic wars, and the more recent conflicts.

 

 

Composition

In the visual styles, in particular graphic design composition is the placement or arrangement of visual elements or ingredients in a work of art, as distinct from the subject of a work. It can also be thought of as the organization of the elements of art according to the principles of art. The term composition means 'putting together,' and can apply to any work of art, from music to writing to photography, that is arranged or put together using conscious thought

 

Typography

An artistic way of arranging words on a page, and can involve both letters and symbols. The typography used in the game and on advertising of the game will link to the theme and genre of the game. The typography used in The Walking Dead is designed to look like it has decayed.

 

Technical considerations

Compression - Files can be compressed into smaller folders using ZipFile, which allows several different files to be placed into a small folder, which requires to be unzipped before any of the contents can be accessed. This feature makes sharing files through the internet or through a file sharing program, such as an FTP much quicker and simpler.

Optimisation - Optimizing an image file consists of saving the image as a suitable graphic
compression format. Saving an image as a PNG will reduce the file size without losing any data, therefore the photo file has been optimized.

File naming conventions - When you have multiple versions of a file, such as an object, different file names will be helpful in identifying which file name corresponds to each version. For example, a first draft of the main characters might be named "Main character V1.0" and a later version might have a slightly larger number in the name such as "Main character V1.11" because there are 11 different versions.

Unit 78 - Exercise

Unit 78

What is Copyright Law?

A legal right for work to be solely owned by the author. Copyright became public law in October 1976, taking effect in January 1978. Penalties for Copyright infringement vary from $250 to $150,000 for every infringing copy, however, if the court deems the infringement “willingly”, higher damages could be awarded.

 

What is Libel?

The Oxford dictionary definition of Libel is “A false publication that is damaging to a person’s reputation”

How are female characters represented in video games?

Females do not play a large part in majority of video games. Female characters are usually represented as a damsel in distress, in need of a man to rescue and take care of them.
When female characters are the Protagonist of a video game, such as Tomb Raider, or Soul Calibur, they are often sexualised. They usually feature large breasts, wide hips, and a large bum, paired with clothes that reveal the skin of the character.

Early Tomb Raiders featured Lara Croft with a large chest. As sequels were released, Lara was slowly remodeled with a smaller chest, but her bum was enlarged too. Her clothes were often a simple tank top, clinging to her breasts, and shorts, giving the player a view of her legs and bottom. The 2013 remake of Tomb Raider featured a remodel of Lara, said to have been “completely remodeled to make her look less sexualized”

http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Real-appeal/2005/05/21/1116533572111.html

 

 

Unit 1 - Pre-Production techniques for Creative Media Industries - Documentation

BTEC Extended Diploma in Games Design

Unit 1 Pre-Production techniques for Creative Media Industries

Documentation

 

Production – Mood board: https://animoto.com/play/Elo7NfG2HNryyE10OKgT1Q  

Storyboard:

Budget –

Clearances – Simple sample contract:

A written agreement, between ________ (Client) and _________ (Contractor)

Contractor will produce work for the client, before a predetermined deadline. Contractor will be compensated for (his/her) work at a rate of £150 per day.

Once the agreement ends, all work created by Contractor for the Client is the sole property of the Client.

In the event of unforeseen circumstances involving the Contractor (such as an injury), and the deadline is not met, no legal action can be taken against the Contractor.

Signed __________________ (Client)   Date ______________

Signed __________________ (Contractor)   Date ______________

Plans – The deadline for making this game is 4 weeks, to start to finish. For the 1^st week, I will conduct research, brainstorm ideas, and produce concept designs, whether by myself or with a hired contractor. For the 2^nd week, I will create any sprites, objects and backgrounds I will need, using Adobe Photoshop. Week 3, I will create the levels in GameMaker, and import any Photoshop sprites, objects etc I wish to use, as well as add the coding to the game. Week 4 will be used to add sound, whether taken from a free website, or recorded by myself or hired contractor(s). I will also test the game, to ensure it works correctly, fixing any issues if there are some.

 

Health and Safety Assessment Checklist –

Food and Drink near PCs	/
Equipment PAT tested to prevent electrical fires	/
Frequent breaks to prevent eye strain	/
Frequent breaks to prevent headaches	/
Correct posture chairs to prevent backache	/

 

Contingency plans –

What can go wrong:	How to avoid
Data loss/corrupt files	Backup files with different name, send via e-mail, or save onto HDD or memory stick
Preferred contributors unavailable	Look into alternative contractors. May cost more, or be less talented.
Contributor not delivering agreed work	Sign a contract between Client and Contractor. Join a Trade Union.
Injury preventing you from working	Sign a contract between Client and Contractor, which will include unforeseen circumstances. Join a Trade Union, who will fight for your cause.

 

Pre-production techniques for Creative Media industries - Procedure

Pre-Production techniques for Creative Media Industries

 Procedure

Identify Finance:
The client (College Tutor) has given me £1000, which can be used at any stage of the game.
 
Prepare Budget:
As a high spec PC, GameMaker and Adobe Photoshop is already available, I do not have to spend any money from the budget buying these. I can therefore use the available money to hire specialists to work on my project, such as artists for graphic design, and musicians for any sounds.
 
Resources:
Adobe Photoshop and GameMaker are the primary programs I will use throughout. Photoshop to design any backgrounds, sprites and objects. Photoshop is a high quality program, with plenty of tools at the users disposal to create highly detailed sprites etc. GameMaker is game development software, in which I can import sprites/objects from photoshop, and design levels for 2D games, making it ideal for a simple game.
 
Personnel:
As I have a budget of £1000 to play with, I can consider hiring other people to create work for the game. For example, as I am not artistic, I can hire someone who is to create concept designs, which I can use. I can also hire a musician to record music and sounds, which I can use when creating the game. I expect the hire of a specialist to be around £150 per day.
 
Contracts:
If I hire an artist, or a musician to work on my game, I should draw up a written agreement, protecting both myself and any hired help. A contract will state what the contractor will produce to the client, and that the client will compensate the contractor, and a date the contractor must produce the work. The contract must be signed by both the contractor and the client.
 
Schedule:
I will have 4 weeks to complete this game. For the 1^st week, I will conduct research, brainstorm ideas, and produce concept designs, whether myself or with hired help. For the 2^nd week, I will create any sprites, objects and backgrounds I will need, using Adobe Photoshop. Week 3, I will create the levels in GameMaker, and import any Photoshop sprites, objects etc I wish to use. Week 4 will be used to add sound, whether taken from a free website, or recorded by myself or hired help. I will also test the game, to ensure it works correctly, fixing any issues if there are some.
 
Health and Safety Assessment:
We have health and safety assessments to ensure that everyone is working in a safe environment. When working in a computer environment, never take food or drink near the computer. In the event of an accident, the food/drink will damage the computer, and work will be lost.
 
Legal Aspects:
I must ensure that none of the sprites, backgrounds, objects, music and sound I use in my game does not violate any existing Copyright laws. I must make sure any characters that have been inspired by existing characters have clear differences, and are products of my own work.