Concept Visualisation: Final Piece and Extra

Here is my final piece of Western Zork! I had so much fun doing this piece because I really began getting a feel for the personality of the character. With the Western theme, i also had fine deriving an environment that represented the Cowboy's home world. I didn't want the environment to be too busy, but I wanted it to display assets of western culture that I think are most important. From completing a previous western environment, I learned that the use of empty spaces and silhouette/shadow type shapes really add to the authenticity of the theme. So within this piece I focused on a mountain range that added that depth and vastness. Also from a previous composition lecture, I decided to think carefully about how the piece should be set out. I deliberately made it so there was a gradient of action that narrowed to the main character, but could also reverse to get a perspective of the environment. From the mountains, to the cactus and to the figure. Different depths of action draw you to and from different points of the piece, which I think not only adds to the atmosphere of the theme and environment, but the character's nature. I also focused on the position and attitude of Zork, because I wanted him to really represent that 'cool' approach in his Cowboy form. I think combined with his facial expression and posture, you can clearly see that Zork has attitude in this piece, giving the audience a greater perspective of what to expect with him.

Here is just a little extra piece I did for fun. It was extremely simple, but I thought it would be comical to have western Zork on a traditional 'Wanted' poster.

Concept Visualisation: Features and Expressions

For character development, I wanted the western Zork to have a lot of attitude, to be 'cool' but authentic. I really want Zork to have the right appeal within the genres he imagines himself within, so I decided experimenting with different hair styles and other features like beards, would being creating that personality. In the image above I tried 8 different hair styles from references to my silhouettes  to see which suited the 'style' of Western culture and that of Zork. In all honesty, I became pretty attached to all of them, but out of a mixed combination of all, I decided to choose the very last hair style. The reason for this is because it doesn't look too modern, but it still has the edginess and personality that I wanted.  It also still relates to the original Zork's style, which is a bonus to keep the element of him within each new character.

After looking into hairstyles, I decided to the look at what beard/mustache the Western Zork should have. It is vitally important that the original essence of Zork is shown throw his iconic features, such as the colour of hair, glasses and beard. Even if there is a slight variation, it still should be present. So to keep to the western theme, I experimented with various types of facial hair that could potentially work for the new Hero. The beard  I decided on was the third on top row, because although it is a little 'modern' it represents that personality I want Zork to have, when he is in this character. I think this is the most suitable for that!

 

Finally! here is my character sheet for the Western Zork, showing this different facial expressions through the game. For this in particular, I had recently learned a lot more about facial anatomy and decided to enhance my cell shading to define certain bones/muscle within the face. I think I did well to highlight cheekbones, jaw, nose and eye sockets here. Making the character still looking cartoon like, but have more realistic features. This all adds more character to the expressions in which Zork pulls, it is a lot more believable.

Concept Visualisation: Models and Colours

 From the development of my Silhouettes, I chose two models and clothing ideas to progress into colour and a final product. The above image shows the figure and clothing I chose appropriate, However, to experiment with what I would prefer best, I did a colour palette to look at the variety of ways the clothing could be presented. Over the choice above, I decided to chose the last colour variety, on the basis of traditional western colours. The other examples didn't seem to fit the role as much as the final because of the vibrancy, so I decided to add tonal work and texture to it to see if I still like the model.

Here is the first sketch of the model and the finalized product after going through a relative colour palette. I continued my cell shading method and applied various patterns to bring depth and style to the model. I am pretty happy with how this turned out because I believe the colours are appropriate for the western theme. However, I cannot help but think there is not enough 'Cowboy' element in the model's pose, emotion or choice of clothing. After all those silhouettes and thinking I;d be happy with this, I have decided it just is not right.

Here is the other figure I have been pretty confident with since the silhouette stage. The reason for this is I really like the clothing and think it perfectly represents western culture. So I had to complete another colour palette to see which variations worked best with the outfit. In all honesty, I quite liked all of the colour choices, but based on relativity to the theme. I chose the model third one in because I think it compliments all the colours very well. To complete this, I applied my cell shading tonal work and added patterns to bring texture to the model.

Here is the finalized model with cell shading, tone and patterns. I really am pleased with how this turned out. I think the colours and clothing are absolutely perfect for the character and the theme. It is keeping traditional to the era and also looks suitable for a cowboy type Hero.

Concept Visualisation: Developing Silhouettes

After experimenting with the silhouettes, I decided to pick some that stood out for me to develop a little further with some tonal sketching. This practice helped me again to imagine what each part of the silhouette could represent, making it exciting to explore and see what you come out with! From my initial sketches, I decided I wanted a more basic looking character for the basis of traditional 'Western' attire. Too much kit on the other silhouettes made the figures look less western themed and more futuristic, so I diverted back to basics for developments. As you can see from the tonal sketches above, I have worked into them to bring out different areas of clothing and accessories using tonal work. Layering over with greys and whites to bring definition to shapes within either fabric or bodily proportions. From this I have already decided a figure I think will work perfectly for the development of Zork's western themed Hero!

Concept Visualisation: Silhouettes

Here are the silhouettes for my concept visualization of 'Western' Zork. I really enjoyed playing with these for the sake of having the freedom to let your imagine do the talking! With all the different western elements I have come across during this project, it was an experience to play around with each figure and see what I could visualize. Trying different hairstyles, clothing and accessories really did develop and got better as I went along with the drawing. Some admittedly are a little too far fetched for the particular theme, as in steering closer to a more modern era, than a historic one. I definitely took multiple elements from these sketches for further development.

Concept Visualisation: Research

For my concept visualization, I wanted to take the Western themed Zork character and adapt him with better references. From previous video games I have played and movies that I have seen in the past, I noticed how important it was to be as accurate to the theme as possible, with it, the targeted audience would feel lost or detached from the concept. It is crucial that the genre is represented correctly, in my case for a western adaptation, elements such as traditional clothing and colours will need to be taken into account for my character to look authentic. The two primary pieces I wanted to refer to, were 'Red Dead Redemption' as a successful, recent western video game and 'The Good, The Bad and The Ugly' movie from the late 1960's. I believe these two pieces of media brilliantly show attention to detail for western culture and traditional. From clothing, environments, personalities and colour palettes, these two examples are a perfect representation of that. The images above show equally the theme chosen, the colours and the attitude of the characters. I want to replicate this idea with those elements, so that Western Zork looks authentic and believable within his environment.

Lighting

 

 Distorted Reflection:

 In this image the light projected from the sky is reflecting off the water, giving a mirror like affect to it's surroundings. You can see the trees and other foliage reflecting into the water based from the reflected light off that surface. However, the slight distortion is related to the surface in which the light is reflecting off of. In this case, the water is not a flat surface, it has ripples and waves which distort the light that reflects off of it. Making the mirror image not so accurate.

 

 Bounced Light:

In this image you can see light reflecting on the floor's surface. This light changes depending on the surface on which it is reflecting from. Within this image the surface of the floor is solid and gives off that 'shiny' appeal. With the intensity of that light, it then bounces off other objects or surfaces within the room. You can see this happening in multiple areas of the scene, such as the frame of the window, the walls to the left and the arches of the seats. Bounced light is being projected across the entire room.

Subsurface Scattering:

In this image, light is being absorbed by this leaf because of it's properties. The light inside the structure is then scattered across every part of it, transferring light to every pinnacle. Because of the way the leaf is made, it's properties, surface and density will depend on how much light can be absorbed.

Composition

 Halo 3: Cross Composition.

For this piece it is evident that it is using the 'Cross' composition. I notice this for a number of different elements represented in the pieces. Firstly the way the figure is positioned within the center of the piece, acts a as a vertical degree. Whereas, the larger figure's left arm, acts as the horizontal point of the cross, not exactly but close enough. Also the way in which the lighting is presented also shows that division on the horizontal line: The top section is much lighter than the bottom half. For this specific composition, the piece is very dynamic and appealing.

Jamie Hewlett: Iconic Composition.

This piece is also very simple to read for the composition. Usually with any figure represented in this way, will fall under the 'Iconic' composition, where points of the character fall in line with the diamond shaped guidelines, making the piece more visually appealing. Drawing over the piece shows how the Iconic composition works. The center point is actually at the stomach of the character and this line follows up to the top of the head to the bottom of the toes, almost exactly! Although there isn't really any horizontal matches, it is evident vertically, that the iconic composition works.

Hokusai: The 'L'.

This piece can actually work either way within it's 'L' composition. It has two focus elements that can be dominated by the 'L' method. For example, the top image I have select is framing the 'Great Wave' as the primary focus of the piece, but then again with that being such a huge part of the scene...You cannot help but be drawn to Mount Fuji in the background. I personally believe, the second image above represents the correct method of 'L' composition, because although the great wave is the primary focus, it's the simplicity and space around Fuji that draws you to it. Also the way in which the waves practically frame the mountain, it is almost acting as a view point! Making this the ideal composition for this piece. Drawing the eye towards the focal point.

Project 1: Artist Reference

 

Jamie Hewlett is one of my biggest inspirations in terms of artistic style. Primarily for his focus on character development and the colour palette in which he experiments with. His particular style is quite cartoon like for the use of cell shading techniques. I have always admired different ways cell shading is achieved and wanted to use this style for my own concepts. I also like the way Hewlett focuses on character development within his concepts. For example, Gorillaz, a popular series of work he produced shows how his characters change depending on the environments that they're presented with. I admire this focus because it makes each character develop a personality, and stay in tune with whatever world they appear in. I really like this because it is similar to my game design idea, where Zork changes into different characters depending on the genre or theme he imagines himself within. Like hewlett, depending on the theme within the story of 'Gorillaz', the characters adapt to that change accordingly. This technique adds not only personality to the characters, but makes them coherent to the world around them.

Another artist that caught my attention was Murakami.  A very popular Japanese artist who's primary focus is with the use of pattern and colour.  I really admire the colour palette amongst all of Kami's work, because it really adds personality to a piece. For example, the image above has repetition of flowers, bright colours and every extreme expressions. This image literally screams excitement and 'cute' simply by the attention to pattern and colour. Considering I want to use a cell shaded method within my concepts, I was really taken to make my drawings a similar vibrancy. The reason for this is because I want the worlds of Zork to feel a little imaginary, to replicate the thoughts within Zork's mind. If it was too realistic, it wouldn't match up to his personality and interests.

Project 1: Sound

Within 'The Adventures of Zork', I wanted Audio to be a very important focus within the concept. Considering the consistent amount of environment and theme changes, I believe it is crucial to create sound that replicate those worlds in a way that is the most authentic and believable. Using sound to your advantage within environments especially, adds mood and personality to the story or action, making the entire world seem more authentic, original and exciting.

Within current successful Video game titles, Sound is used cleverly and authentically depending on the theme/genre. One of my personal favourites 'Red Dead Redemption' is one of the most impressive Video games for sound, that I have ever encountered. It focuses on creating atmosphere for every element of the game, such as character emotions, action, story progression, lighting and primarily environment. The game feels so authentic to the genre  because of the way sound is used. The instruments are relative to the era, such as harmonicas, guitars and violins are all used according to the action taking place. Whether it's ambiance, an emotion from a character or to display action, the relative instruments are used accordingly to represent those expressions. Making the whole experience immersive and captivating for the player.

Here is a sound example of ambiance that plays during free roam within the environment:

Without evening witnessing the game play from this moment, the music is so expressive, that you begin visualizing what the surroundings would look and feel like. It's with that attention, you can add emotion and personality to the game, that still ties in within the theme AND genre.

Another example is that of Halo. Halo already has a high reputation for sound within all of it's releases, primarily because it captivates the player into a authentic world, that enhances every element of the game. The concept of Halo, being a war based game set on an alien universe, the mixed emotions are expressed through different sounds. The survival war type element is replicated through different tempos of tribal drums and chants, the other aspect of an alien type world is expressed with unusual synthase and ambiances. It's combining those elements together, that create coherent world for the player that will always be immersive.

Here is an example of how Halo uses all those elements to express a particular action sequence. In this case, this audio track is from when you explore structures where the enemy is unaware of you presence. So you have to be sneaky. You can literally feel that sense, without every playing the game.

Bibliography:

. http://www.youtube.com

. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Evfk0fG7Apc 

. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cXsoRRYf5A

Project 1: 3D Models

To further develop my concepts, I decided to have a go at making my very first 3D character model, along with some in game assets. I decided to creating Zork's Manga styled Hero, for the simplicity of design and also the proportional elements. I wanted to try something simple to start with, as I have never made a figure with Maya before.

In all honesty, although this was my first 3D character, I really enjoyed constructing the different aesthetics of the figure. Such as the  hair, cloak, scarf, glasses, mouth and ears. I also liked playing with different materials to gain more authenticity, such as a Blinn material on the earrings and glasses of the character, making them shinier and more realistic. I think I succeeded on the basis of the style of character and how proportionally, nothing really had to be too accurate apart from that, to replicate my initial concept drawing. I also enjoyed playing around with simple shapes to make areas such as the hair, where I experimented with different edge loops to create more dynamic structures. I also used this for the effect on the scarf and cloak.

 Here are also some basic 3D models of some assets within the game. Such as 'The Games Master' book and the inventory system component, 'The Label Gun'. I wanted to create this assets because of their relevance within the game's story. Such as the importance of 'The Games Master' being the primary goal for the entire game. Also 'The Label Gun' for it's primary use within interaction in the worlds, being the inventory system. Both of these objects were easy to build, but exciting to construct for the sake of bringing my game to life.