So to start off my project I am re-creating a scene from a concept piece by one of my tutors; Lothar Zhou. Although I will be using his piece I won't be copying it exactly how it is. To better explain my project for BA7/8 I have included below what I wrote for my learning agreement:
Studio
The design mechanics of ‘horror’ in video games use
different methods to that of other media, it will still keep you on the edge of
your seat, biting your nails and potentially scaring you but due to the
interaction you have with a video game the mechanics of a horror game is
different to other mediums. This is what intrigues me, what types of mechanics
whether this be the visual design, interaction or even sound work within
‘horror’ video games. How do they work and the different methods they use to
scare the user. This is why I am researching into horror and it’s methods used
in video games. I want to develop a deeper understanding of the genre and how
the visual components, game mechanics and design processes support the illusion
of fearful scenarios.
What am I doing?
Environment assets
I will be creating a tense, uneasy and atmospheric scene
that could be found in a horror game. The scene will be based on one of Lothar
Zhou’s work, the piece that he has created is perfect in helping me to get a
starting point in the creation of the scene. Sharing concept art and then
working from it is common in game studio pipelines. Although it may not be my
own work I won’t be creating an exact design, I will be using the layout to
create the scene and then using skills that I have learnt in the past and ones
that I will learn I will design an environment that is my own and unique. I
intend to create something that is innovative to what you might find in a
horror game.
To make this project unique I am looking at how I can make
the environment have its own story, own character and through research in
visual storytelling, pull the persons eye into the scene instead of just
dismissing it for another render. I want the person to notice assets within the
scene that otherwise may go unnoticed, these subtle hints of something unusual
is what I feel will make it partially unique. The project won’t take the
typical road of becoming an unsaturated piece that’s dark and dingy but rather
take a play on the visual design. I want the scene to have a history, one in
which somebody can question it, read it as if it’s a real place.
I want it to convey a feeling of being anxious and on edge. There
is potentially a possibility of exploiting phobias with the visual design but
this needs further research. I have already been reading into phobias and how
they work through a book called ‘Phobias or The way of the worrier’ – Weinberg,
T (2010) London: Marshall Cavendish Editions. The fear of collapsing buildings
is one that could be achieved in my scene by leaning a building so much so that
it seem as if it’s unstable. Having both of the buildings in the scene shadow
over where a person may stand could trigger claustrophobia, being trapped
between two buildings. I want to employ a similar design ethic to the one H.R.
Giger used in the creation of the Alien creature from the Alien franchise,
nearly all visual elements of the beast are inspired by existing fears of
insects and reptiles. The various phobias people might encounter could
implemented within the scene to play with the persons mind. This will help to push my scene the right level
of innovation and creativity and also in the direction I want it to go.
BA8
For BA8 I intend to create the scene using the research and new skills gathered in BA7 and also on going research in the subject of horror. By engaging in this research it will help me to get a clearer understanding of the different design elements and methods used in horror environments. Through using the concept piece from Lothar it will help me to visualise and create something that will be unique to my existing body of work. The genre of horror is broad and so I will be researching horror within the environment; what is used to create an atmospheric scene and how the different methods work with each other. Both of these areas are vital in producing a scene that enables me to communicate my ideas and research visually. An area in which I will be exploring is psychological methods used within horror game environments. I have been researching in this subject from books such as Danse Macabre by Stephen King, Wheeler Winston Dixon and various other authors in which they write about either the ‘Origins’ of horror or in particular ‘how horror works on many levels’ – King, S. (2012) Danse Macabre . UK: Hodder.
The outcomes for this project are:
- A better knowledge and deeper understanding in what methods and design elements are used within video games
- A design document outlining the areas of research I have and body of work that is to a professional standard
- A fully polished scene with a night time lit render
- If I have time by the end of finishing the assets I intend to take my scene into UDK and create a water system that will run through the scene.
- Learning new methods in how to produce better quality textures
- A better understanding of lighting and render settings to make the scene up to the best quality
- This project will enable me to further progress my skills into becoming a 3D environment artist and help create a portfolio that will be unique and stand out to an employer within this field of work. Through the research and the learning of new techniques and systems I hope to create something that will show my progression as a 3D artist and help me stand out above the rest.
Here's the concept piece by Lothar Zhou:
First step was to create a basic layout from the concept
art. To do this an important detail was needed, that was to change the camera
focal length to that of which was similar to the focal point in the concept
art. The best focal point I found (and with the help of Lothar Zhou was 21mm),
after having set up a new camera with this focal length I then locked all the
movement nodes so that the camera wouldn’t be accidentally moved. To do this I
simply highlight all the nodes and then right clicked and selected ‘lock
selected’.
Here’s a screenshot of what the layout looks
like at the moment, you’ll notice that my church is in the background; in the
final render my church will be there.
Next step was to sort out some sort of rope bridge asset.
Thankfully from a previous direct study project I made a rope bridge, so with
some simple tweaking and editing I managed to import it into the scene.
Just as a way to test out what the water would like I used a river texture from CG Textures, applied it to a plane in Maya and changed some of the Blinn settings. Of course this won’t be the final outcome for BA8.
(Water texture) -
http://www.cgtextures.com/texview.php?id=41892&PHPSESSID=o9qkjeun6rquakecim6blr5iq0
This screenshot shows a quick render of using some different
lights to replicate a rough night-time scene.
Another using the ‘physical sun and sky’ option in Mayas
render settings.
(A tutorial to look at for a moonlight render; http://www.floze.org/2008/07/six-tuts-on-light-and-shade-part-iii.html)
Manipulating my still render to create a desired effect of a
smaller focal length. There are few ways in which I can give the effect that
the buildings are not quite right, somewhat leaning over too much, one way of
doing this is take a still image render into After Effects and add an effect
called ‘Spherize’, then using the slider on the ratio and increasing it to the
desired effect. Doing this promised good result and ones in which I could
always take a video of the render with the running water and add this effect
afterwards therefore being able to achieve the desired effect. Below is a
screenshot of the result:
Other ways of doing this is to take the still image into
Photoshop and manipulate the distortion in there, this provides another way but
isn’t as accurate as I would like it to be.
The idea behind the scene is create it using subtle hints that
the buildings don’t look or feel right in their proportion, changing the focal
length on the camera or distorting the image will help to create this desired
outcome. After this I then changed the
proportion of the tower on the church to be higher. This was needed after a
discussion in a group tutorial and was brought up about the proportions of the
church not looking right. Thankfully when I did build the church I built it
being modular, this in context means that I can select different parts of the tower
and change the way it looks. After changing the tower I then changed the
position of the church in the scene, again another change that was brought up
in the tutorial. Changing the position of the church has helped to make the
scene less ‘boxy’ and more pleasing on the eye.
This
by all means is not the finished product but here is a render to show the
revised edition:
After this, a simple tool for creating a nice depth of field
is in Photoshop, opening up the render I selected the area around the church
and rocks underneath the bridge and applied a lens blur filter to it. This
result is quite pleasing however I don’t feel that this will be the right
direction for the final outcome of the scene.
A screenshot of UDK experimenting with the water and building that created in Maya.
8/11/13
After having a tutorial with mark and my group,
it was pointed out that the bridge should not only have two walls instead of
the one but could be broken too. This idea is brilliant and one that I had not
thought of before. Rather than creating another full wall is not what I
potentially want, so instead I will look into creating it broken down and only
a small percentage will be left, this then will evoke the feeling of not being
safe. If the viewer were to imagine that they were in the scene they may not feel
comfortable walking across a bridge that is broken and tattered. This will then
in turn meet the outcome of what I envision for the scene.
Before
After
I have taken the camera down so that you can see the rocks
through the bridge archways so that you can get a better idea of where the
river is running. I then added a second wall to the bridge just I know roughly
what it looks like however this will be all broken down in the final outcome. I
also adjusted the tower on the church so it is higher and fits more
proportionally and moved it back and away from the buildings. I am very happy
with the positions of what the buildings and church are. In the final outcome I
hope to have the buildings leaning in more to try and create an uncomfortable
atmosphere.
In this image I am showing what the actual scene looks like
behind the camera, I have added a pathway going from the bridge in both
directions and a floor/wall near the church to get an idea of the actual
surroundings. This in term helps me visualise my scene better for proportions
and also in creating assets for it.
Another render of the latest build at night:
 |
| the lighting is far from set-up in this render |
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