#aaroncostello

 Aaron Costello

XB2001

Assignment #2

Stephen Morris

Game Development Project

 Project Development-

 Original concepts-

 The art style is aimed towards realism. This is shown through the geometry and textures of models (their whole appearance).

As the prop artist (modeller) within the team, I had to create various props for the levels that would act as physics objects and/ or background assets. The aim was to create quite old-fashioned, generic-looking models for general props (furniture, environmental assets, and any background props) and to create quite unique/ more complex models that stand out that will be important in gameplay. For example, the cube used to open the door in the second level is very different in its style compared to all other models in the second level because it looks strange and it is not clear as to its general purpose within the level (meaning it is questioned by the player and therefore viewed as more important generally).

In order to decide what models to create for the game levels, I had gathered many various reference images and created categorized mood boards using the most relevant (relevant in terms of how close their designs appear to the desired look for models in the level) images. These mood boards are found below...

 Reference imagery-

 Futuristic props-

   This mood board contains various reference images that    have a futuristic theme. Initially, this theme was considered for part of    the first level, but was not used in the final version of the levels. The    images show various piece of furniture that could be placed within a    futuristic office. Shelves, a chair, a lamp, and a table were all modelled    using these images as references (but then were not used due to changes in    the level’s aesthetic theme).

                        House/ Furniture props-

   This mood board contains various reference images of    furniture that can be placed in the house. Generic, worn, and simplicity    are all seen in the designs of these props. The simplicity of these props    is intentional as to show that the main character is average (financially)    in terms of his lifestyle and possessions. The house will look a little    modern, but also somewhat old-fashioned, which works well with some of the    worn/ old-looking designs of some of these props.

Environmental props-

   This mood board contains various reference images of environmental    props that could be made for the third level. Generally, these props are    not stylised for any purpose than creating a realistic-looking environment    of a simple street/ suburban scene.

Research-

 When deciding upon prop styles for the levels, I had to look at reference images to give me a better idea of what might be more realistically seen in the scenes found in the game levels. I also tried to find information regarding interior design to see how a room can be made to look messy (what props can make a room look messier? How can I use props in the scene to create the messy effect/ appearance in the room?).

(Faiella, 2015) says that organisation is the key to creating and maintaining tidiness within the household. So, based on this, if that is the case, then the way of creating more mess in interiors would be through a lack of organisation. To create a lack of organisation in a level, props can be misplaced intentionally, or perhaps even modelling with dents and chips to show they are not well-kept.

(LaBianca, 2016) says that not only is organisation key to keeping a house tidy, but in order to also keep it clean, one must avoid high-maintenance furniture or décor if they do not prioritise cleaning. In the game we are building, highly-detailed, well-polished walls could be used to create the illusion that a ‘high-maintenance’ material is being used, and then a dirt effect could be overlaid onto the polished texture to show the lack of cleanliness.

 Development-

 Asset list-

 ·         Platform

·         Old shelf

·         Bookshelf with books

·         Futuristic lamp

·         Futuristic table

·         Futuristic shelf

·         Street lamp

·         Cube object

·         Door

·         Road (with lowered curbs and speed humps)

.          Floorboard

  Platform-

The platform 3D model was designed to be simple, flat, and easy for the player to stand on, so that it could be used for platforming elements of gameplay. The platform has spikes around the edges to make the platform appear somewhat more dangerous, with an intention of adding tension to the gameplay.

 Old Shelf-

The old shelf was modelled with cracks and chips which I added to make the model seem worn and older. Also, the rails are quite bent. I made the rails look bent in order to give a more appealing design to the shelf rails so that they do not look too unrealistic, and also to make the model overall look generally more worn.

 Bookshelf with Books-

The bookshelf has a very simple generic design. I designed the bookshelf to look like a common modern bookshelf (for instance, a bookshelf that can be found in a public library). I added an outer lining detail around the edges of the inside and outside of the front faces of the bookshelf. I did this to make the bookshelf appear to be a bit more valuable. The books are all aligned quite messily on the shelves in order to add to the narrative illusion that the main character is not able to tidy due to what he is going through (allows the player to sympathise more with the main character and thus care more for them). Whilst quite simple, this is one way of incorporating minor narrative details into a scene even if in a minor way. The books are designed to be low-poly and be easy to edit the proportions in order to create multiple books for the shelves quickly.

 Futuristic Lamps-

I created two different, yet similar designs for the futuristic lamp 3D model. One of the lamp models has a differently-positioned lamp cube (which sticks out of the top of the stand to give a more futuristic look). Both lamps have a simple round stand above and below the cube lamp in the centre. The other futuristic lamp model has a cube lamp that does not stick out of the lamp stand which adds a sense of uniformity to the overall model (a different way of creating a simple yet futuristic appearance)

 Futuristic Table-

The futuristic table, another one of the futuristic props, was designed with complete simplicity being the key. The model is two cubes that have been bent, extruded, and then bridged together to form the basic shape. The detail added to the front and back faces is a simple extrusion of the centre faces around the table.

 Futuristic Shelf-

The design of the futuristic shelf is shown through its interesting inner shape. Whilst the model is four sided, the inside has a strange shape to the shelves and this is done with the intention of making the shelf look unique and interesting when compared to a standard or common shelf.

  Street Lamp-

The street lamp model is aimed to look similar to a real street lamp. The rounded lamp head on the model is quite exaggerated, to make it look bolder. The simple details on it through its little box and the stand at the bottom of the pole are based on a realistic idea of a street lamp also.

 Cube object-

The cube object is designed to look quite complex and intricate with square patterns on each face. This is done to make the cube stand out. This is done intentionally for gameplay purposes, as the player will need to approach this model and pick it up to proceed in the second level of the game.

  Door-

The door model was designed to appear similarly to a standard household door. The door handle has additional detail in order to add some sort of personalisation to the level, making the environment seem more meaningful for the player.

 Road-

The road model has two parts. Firstly, there is the road hump section of the road and the second part is the section of the road with a lowered curb. The road has a pavement at either side and a slight dip at either side of the road. The model is based on real roads/ pavements.

  Floorboard- 

I wanted to design the floorboard model to look very worn and damaged to show signs that the house was somewhat old. I also modelled the shape of this asset to be as ‘square’ as possible, so that it could be used in the game engine with more ease as all of the floorboards will align correctly. 

 Reflective log-

 What would I do differently?

 If I were to repeat this project, I would do various things differently. Firstly, I would make sure to improve my communication skills within the team, as to make more of an influence within the project, and to understand the vision of the game concept more. Another thing I would do is produce more complex models. I believe many of the models I created were somewhat simple, and so not doing this wasn’t helpful as a learning experience.

I would ensure that I contributed towards texturing models within the game as to help other team members. I think this would have benefited the overall project greatly and would help with understanding the overall art style of the game.

 What was successful?

 I am pleased with the models that were created. Models were created for multiple purposes, including gameplay, narrative, and aesthetic purposes. Required models for the game have been created and completed but not all of the models have been textured as necessary.

 What was unsuccessful?

 Some of the modelling software was not always available, which was a slight hindrance to the overall project. Also, I don’t think I produced enough models for the role I was given and the time I had, whilst I did produce work, I feel more could have been done, and thus this was an unsuccessful factor of the project.

 What did I learn?

 In this module, I learnt more about modular modelling in level design through modelling simple props. This will help in the next assignment which will focus on level design. I also learnt more about communicating as a team and understanding concepts amongst several people when working together for one project.

  Bibliography-

 Faiella, A. (2015, November 04). Organizing mistakes that make your house look messy. Retrieved December 15, 2016, from HGTV, http://www.hgtv.com/design/decorating/clean-and-organize/organizing-mistakes-that-make-your-house-look-messy-pictures