Inspiration- San Andreas

   Whilst working on my design doc I thought of another game that is influential on some of the interactive elements of my environment. Once again I am looking at a game from the GTA series, this time San Andreas. Most of the helpful details come from the dating elements and the ability to have a girlfriend, that was introduced in this game.

The game introduces several elements that I want to include within the gameplay for my own scene. The ability to go on dates that isn't compulsory as part of the narrative. Also that factors outside the date, in the picture offering flowers- in my game getting drunk, could have a positive or negative outcome.

Another feature is the the measurable statistic of factors that could effect dating success. In this case we see that levels of muscle, fat and sex appeal affect character CJs luck with the ladies. When I was planning out my scene before I discussed how alcohol could be used to boost character confidence which would then affect dating success. The system in GTA seems to perfectly demonstrate how this could work.

What stuck out to me most was the disco minigame that was used to influence dating success. This seems the perfect influence as the dancefloor is one of the major interactive areas in my scene, and the area where the dating action would happen.

In my design document I discuss how whilst these interactive features will not be evident when I am simply building my scene, however they are an important factor in the whole process of planning out the design and function of the areas of my environment. Therefore I feel they are definitely details that should be included. 

Design Doc- Style

   Before starting to put information in my design document I needed to choose the theme design that I would use throughout it. The design doc would be an important opportunity to sell the design of the environment therefore this is just as important when it comes to making the document aesthetically pleasing. I was inspired by the heist board that appears in GTA V when they are planning a job.

   I want a similar set up in my game via a business board in the office section of the bar. As this will be the central control point of the game I decided to base my document design on this.

   Whilst the design was appropriate to the setup I had planned it the corkboard was really horrible to look at as a background. It needed to be big enough to place all the information on but this left only a small amount of the wood behind it showing. Discarding this wood and making the board full screen looked awful so I ditched it altogether and had the paper pinned to a wood clad wall which I much preferred.
 

Again this doesn't look particularly nice however with the slide information laid out on it, it perfectly describes the details I have set out for the design of my bar- rough, cheap and unpleasant.

Having decided on the design I can now lay out all the information upon it so it is aesthetically pleasing and save myself from having to adjust it all again later.

UDK Neons and Mirrors

   A particularly important design element of my scene is in the neon lighting that surrounds the strip club area. As I have already said lighting has not been a strong point in my previous works, so a specific type of lighting like neon is definitely not something I am overly familiar with. As it is such an integral part of my scene I decided this was something I should definitely research first.
   I found a very helpful site http://udn.epicgames.com/Two/ExampleMapsAdvLighting.html which among some other tutorials which may likely come in useful (particle effects etc.) detailed how to create an effective neon effect. This guide broke down the process into three fairly simple steps.

   First I need the shape of the static mesh that will function as the source of the neon lighting. This could be either strip lighting or shaped writing like below.


   
      This mesh would be set to the colour of the light that it is supposes to be emitting.
   Next I will need to create a projector that emits a blurred version of the shape of the mesh onto the surface upon which it is attached.

   The final stage is to set up lights of the same colour with low intensity and radius to emit the colour of the neon to anything close within the vicinity.


   Another important factor that occurred to me was that in my head I expected  the bathroom to have mirrors but I had never payed any thought as to how this effect was achieved. Whilst this is not the most important detail in my scene I considered that it would be a good thing to include if possible. I found this tutorial online that gave an easy to follow example of how to achieve this effect. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arOtKrvT0F4 The only complaint would be that the mirrored result was particularly low in its pixel quality. However a brief look through the comments section explained how this could be quickly altered in the settings to achieve a much more desirable result.

   After looking at some of these guides and having completed my prep work I decided it was appropriate at this point to begin working on my design document.

UDK- Lighting

   I have used UDK previously but all that was required on this occasion was to get a working model and its relevant textures imported correctly. Therefore I have not had a huge amount of practice working with other features such as lighting. I have been looking at a useful website (worldofleveldesign.com) particularly this page: http://www.worldofleveldesign.com/categories/udk/udk-how-add-lights-dominant-directional-light-point-light.php  which goes over the basic priniciples of lighting in UDK with a video guide to help. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yF_xnGo8azU I will use this as a guide to prepare myself ready for BA8.
   The guide starts off by pointing out two major types of lighting commonly used. Point lighting and Dominant Directional lighting. The images below show the latter being set up for a scene.
 

     The guide then states that dominant directional lighting is generally used to depict sunlight in an environment, whereas point lights are used for light sources in interiors. As my 3D scene is a completely internal environment I guess this means that point lighting will be of greater use to me.

   Point lighting is added by right clicking and selecting the options pictured below:


   This will then add a point light to the scene. The important thing to remember is that I must consider the source of every light in the scene. Having light floating around for no reason will do nothing to make my environment look authentic. On this note I can also change the details of the lighting such as colour, intensity, diffuse rate etc. to make it as appropriate for the light source as possible.



   The guide also details the possibility to adjust the colour of shadows in a scene within the world properties. This is also essential to making the scene look realistic. Colour theory dictates that the lighting of the scene will cast shadows on the other side of the colour wheel. Warm casts cold shadows and vice versa. The picture below demonstrates a correct attempt at this.



   After setting up lighting it is possible to play test the environment to see how this lighting would look in game.


 
   This guide will help me when it comes to setting up my scene in UDK, I now feel much more confident about the idea of lighting my environment.

CS- More Research

     I have now received feedback on what I have written so for my Research Report. The good news is that I appear to be heading in the right direction with what I have done so far. The comparisons to fairytale in Django seems to be a strong area in which to begin my essay.
     One of my points which I have made change to since the feedback regards the flamboyant blue suit Django wears in the scene where he is whipping the slaver. I remembered reading about how this suit was featured in a famous painting "The blue boy".

     I wanted to look at the subject of the painting as a way of exploring how further storytelling was emerging from the costumes used however research since has shown that there is mixed opinion on the identity of the character in the painting therefore I could not use it to support this argument effectively. In my feedback however we discussed the almost pantomime nature of the costume, and the fact that it is his choice to wear this garment. I am tying this in with the previous points in my essay comparing the deliberate humour of his costume choice to the extreme graphical violence.

     These types of contrasts are something I am looking at a lot in the form of Levi Straus's binary opposition. Particularly when flashback scenes are being used to contrast with the present situation.

     Whilst it is too old to have any reflection on Django, I have borrowed a book on Tarantino from the library "King Pulp".
This is useful for helping me to write my intro and plan some of the other chapters in my research report. I decided first that it was important to jot down the ideas for my other chapters so I could effectively build up to it within the intro. Most of my ideas for the other chapters have been influenced by the reading I have done when trying to find the initial direction for my essay.
      Chapter 2- Controversy
Controversy is often existent in Tarantino's work, usually due to violence or profanity. In a film like Django where huge focus is upon racial prejudice, we have the holy trinity of potentially offensive material. As such when researching the film it was easy to find many examples of complaint against these elements within the film. A strong example can be found here http://newsone.com/2150768/jamie-foxx-spike-lee/ where director Spike Lee speaks out against the film. rather than just identifying this kind of controversy I will be examining its relationship to the previous chapter and the reasons it has been included/effect it has had. I strongly suspect that, relating to the childish innocence/ extreme violence opposition uncovered in the fairytale chapter, these more "controversial" scenes make these contrasts that much more shocking to the audience- a pretty appropriate response when trying to convey the horror of the slave trade in this particular time period.

     Chapter 3- Genre Relationships
Tarantino places a huge amount of value in the history of cinema, with frequent references to previous films. In this chapter I will be dissecting other Western related media I believe may have inspired some areas of Django. Linking into chapter 2s discussion on controversy I will discuss how this was also a relevant feature within Red Dead Redemption, and how this can accompany publicity and marketing. Another important element of Django is humour. After my feedback session I was advised to look at the film blazing Saddles and compare some of the similarities between the two. Once again I will be identifying where Django may have been inspired by these other medias but also why this is important and what kind of effect it has.

     Chapter 4-Blaxploitation
Whilst my studio work and my research report don't really hold much relevance to each other, save for my film based essay and the lead inspiration game for my studio work being Max Payne, a particularly cinematic game. Howevever this is probably the only other area they cross over. Like with my cross culture examination of Afro Samurai for studio, Blaxploitation is also relevant in Django.  Tarantino has stated that he is a fan of the genre and that it has been the inspiration for previous character such as "Jules Winnfield" in Pulp fiction. My book "King Pulp" has been useful in supporting these statements within my essay. This kind of influence defininitely contributes to the aesthetics and style of a character, so for now I am looking at how making Django as "cool" or iconic a character as "Jules" or Issac Haye's "Shaft", Tarantino has created a character the audience admire and engage with. This I will argue makes his trials much more important and meaningful to us.


     I will make sure that my intro builds up to all of these in some way by mentioning Tarantino's frequent dabbling with Blaxploitation and controversy.
     I have also got hold of the copies of "Empire" and "Toatal Film" Magazine from when Django came out. Having given these a brief look I am not sure just how useful they will be for the completion of my first chapter on fairytale however I am sure they will come into play when it is time to complete my report in BA8

 Below are some of the references I have made use of for this stage of my essay

Boston Globe. 2009.Quentin Tarantino’s most fractured fairy tale. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2009/08/30/tarantinos_most_fractured_fairy_tale/. [Accessed 05 November 13].

IMDB. 2013.Quentin Tarantino. [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000233/?ref_=nv_sr_1. [Accessed 05 November 13].

Woods, P.A, 1996. King Pulp: The Wild World of Quentin Tarantino. 1st ed. London: Plexus Publishing.  

   

Blocking out

      I decided to start blocking out a very basic version of my scene within Maya so as to get a starting idea of what I can expect it to look like.
      An interesting site I came across whilst looking at some of the features of safehouses/bases in gaming was this one http://www.gamedev.net/topic/477645-safe-house-features/. It is a forum asking gamers what functions they appreciate from a safe house and this gave me some interesting ideas for things I could include like customizable music/radio options, visible mission trophies and different types of minigames. I kept this in mind as I began to block out the environment.

      This  first picture would be the bar area. I have deliberately made the drink selection limited, with only one brand of beer and a selection of spirits being available. My idea at the moment would be to have all this setup on a shelf as opposed to having any kind of refrigeration but I am not completely decided on this. In the game the player would be able to purchase drinks at the bar which would give them health, however, like they introduced in GTA 4, this would result in the character getting drunk. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nBl0FBoweic demonstrated here 4.54 onwards). However I would make this continue into subsequent game missions- in GTA it was quite a short lasting effect.
     In the background (gap in the wall indicates doorway) you can see a little of the office/back room set up. From here players will be able to manage the various business ventures the character may be involved with, sleep (to fill some kind of energy/health stat or perhaps to progress the timeline), and access personal items they may have collected through the course of the game.

      These images depict the "adult entertainment" area. This basically consists of a stripper pole and two sofa areas for lap dances. I think this is a particularly important area of the bar as it spawn all the sordidness and a lot of the grimy undertone of the bar, at the same time however I find the idea of just getting a strip dance from a virtual character, like in some games, to be a little tragic. Therefore I want this to have some kind of function. For example you could buy dances for business associates to help negotiate deals, or getting a dance would give character a confidence stat boost that may make it easier/harder for him to try and chat up potential dates later. Either way I just think it is important that it performs a function within the game. I feel that lighting is a really important part of this area, especially with different kinds of lights such as neon, and I will pay much attention to this when planning this section. I will also need to focus on the range of materials and how this will affect things like reflection, the chrome stripper pole would be a prominent example of this.

      This image show the steps up to the strip area, the speakers mark the area where the dance floor will be. After looking at the site I mentioned earlier I quite like the idea that player could use this to input there own music. I am not entirely sure what the rules are on being able to feed your own music into a game like this but I am sure it is something I have seen before. The dance floor will also be an area where the character can meet dates, the success based on the characters personality/confidence can be affected by factors mentioned before like alcohol intake or receiving lap dances. You can also see the corner of the pool table in the corner, this will be one of several minigames in the bar, including card games at the tables and a dartboard.

      This picture shows the drinking area. The player could interact with customers at this point. This will be where the card games take place as well, different groups will be playing different games. On table Poker, one Blackjack etc. This would also be an area where random events such as bar fights might break out. As the owner of the bar it would be the character's responsibility to stop this and evict unruly customers.

     This final picture shows the bathroom. Further establishing the low cost and low regulation nature of the establishment it is unisex and shows evidence of the various scuffles and fights that have occurred within its 

walls.

     With these areas planned out a little I can focus on some of the technical processes that will help me build this scene. After speaking to my tutor I decided I will be using UDK. My next step now will be to look at processes such as lighting and get familiar with them before BA8. Work on this to follow

Bar Scene- Once were warriors

     Whilst I was looking over my concept designs I remembered a New Zealand film called "Once were Warriors" that I watched some time ago. I remembered that much of the film features the father  character "Jake Heke" in his local bar, which is very similar to the kind of environment I am creating.




There are not a huge number of images I can find that depict the scene however I have also located this video which help gives a better idea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZSv4HlyfIo

This just gives me another source I can look at for ideas when building my own scene.

CS Research

     I am about 2/3 weeks away from the hand in for our cs work and so this week have been preparing my first draft version to be looked at. We have the option for our hand in to fully write a chapter of the essay and summarise the rest., or to do a more detailed summary of each chapter. In my mind it seemed more beneficial to use this first term to get a section of the essay to its completed standard, even though I can make changes for BA8, therefore I opted for the first choice. A very strong direction of my work so far has been the use of fairytale/folktale in "Django Unchained" and based on my research I had so much to say about it I considered that this should be the basis of my first chapter.
     This website http://elodieedjang.wordpress.com/essays/essay-one/ kickstarted a huge amount of the ideas I discussed within this first chapter. I began talking about visual references to fairytale in Django and other Tarnatino works such as "Inglourious Basterds".


     These images are used to draw comparison to the story "Cinderella" where Prince Charming identifies Cinderella with her abandoned shoe, the Nazi officer from "Inglourious" in this scene identifies a woman in much the same manner.

      These next images discuss this relationship further with the disfigurement of Nazis by Brad Pitts character in Inglourious being compared to the eye gouging of Cinderella's sisters in the Grimm's version of the tale. With both examples being a visible penance for the subjects misdeeds.
     This last example was particularly important to me as in Django there is a strong similarity within the "Mandingo" (slave fighting) scene where one slave is "punished" for his loss with the same eye gouging.





      Another visual reference to fairytales can be found in the use of intertitles within the films.




This gives the audience a sense of a story being told. In my essay I have begun to look out how the calming innocent effect of this fairytale structure is being used to create strong contrasts with the violence and horror of the film, which in turn amplifies the effect it has upon the audience.


   












     I have also been looking back at some of the work we did last year regarding narrative theory in folktale, such as Propp's action spheres. In order to properly comment on the relationship between these theories and the narrative structure of Django I have borrowed "Morphology of the Folktale" (V. Propp) from the Uni library.


     I have started to draw strong comparisons to the character functions found in Django, where Django is the hero, Dr King the donor, Broomhilda the princess etc. I have furthered this by showing how the folktale structure of characters is mirrored by a folktale told within Django itself by Dr King. This folktale happens to be the legend of "Seigfried and Brunhilde" (who represent Django and Broomhilda). The full story can be found here http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?customid=712

     I have also found a very good site here (http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-django-unchained-siegfried-20130413,0,4870063.story#axzz2jFcyJqLc.) that compares Django and Seigfried further comparing villain "Calvin Candie's" imprisonment of Broomhilda in the hotbox to the dragons similar imprisonment of Bunhilde in the castle.

     This is about as far as I have taken my research at this point I have included my references here:

David Ng. 2013.'Django Unchained' pays homage to Wagner's 'Siegfried'. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/arts/culture/la-et-cm-django-unchained-siegfried-20130413,0,4870063.story#axzz2jFcyJqLc. [Accessed 18 November 13].

Jerome Magazine. Undated. TARANTINO’S FAIRYTALE: WHAT YOU DID NA-ZI, THE GRIMM TRUTH ABOUT INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS. [ONLINE] Available at: http://elodieedjang.wordpress.com/essays/essay-one/. [Accessed 05 November 13].

Metoperafamily. Undated Synopsis Siegfried. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.metoperafamily.org/metopera/history/stories/synopsis.aspx?customid=712. [Accessed 06 November 13].

Propp, V, 1928.Morphology of the Folktale. 2nd ed. USA: The American Folklore Society and Indiana University .

Django Unchained, 2012. [DVD] Tarantino, USA: Columbia Pictures, The Weinstein Company

Inglourious Basterds, 2012. [DVD] Tarantino, USA/ Germany: Universal Pictures, The Weinstein Company, A Band Apart, Zehnte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Visiona Romantica

I will continue to add to my essay following its review by my tutor.

Comic Influence

     Reflecting on my past research has encouraged me to think a little on the story and style of my game outside this one particular scene. I have always quite enjoyed comic book style art and to see this influence in the artwork for my inspiration game has encouraged me to consider this style around my project, even if we do not see this directly in my scene. I considered the possibility that my character would be joined on specific dates of their life when significant events are occurring. We would join the character as they awake and each time there would be perhaps a written or spoken narrative bringing the player up to speed. I feel like this additional story element would be the perfect accompaniment to the character I am trying to entwine within this environment.
     A good indication of the kind of effect this would have can be found in this video compiling the narration of Max Payne 3. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CeEmGqmQ5FM
     As I said whilst this feature wouldn't be easy to highlight when building my 3D environment I think it may lend itself as artistic influence towards things such as my design document.

I thought of some more things!

     I have now completed the concepts for my bar scene. However before I got on to this I started thinking about the function of my environment, as in why would the player be there, what would be the point. This made me think that unlike Max Payne, I don't want my bar to be a level that you walk though, but more like a base or home location in an open world game. As this idea came into my mind I started thinking of other inspirational sources that were more similar in their function and I felt it was important to mention them here.
 
  GTA- The Lost and Damned- Whilst GTA IV did have bar scenes within it L&D's storyline focused upon a biker gang who's base was located in a dirty, rundown, old bar much like what I have in mind.

     The stripper pole on the right ties in with the more seedy kind or atmosphere of this location. The necessity of the cage has presented a grim outlook on some of the more unsavory customers you could expect to find here.
This functions as a hideout for the player and as a place where the game can be saved etc, as well as being the location of several missions and storyline events. This particular expansion of GTA did not permit the player to change outfits, the character was expected to be wearing gang uniform, however a wardrobe option would normally be available at safehouses within this series. Importantly the location also includes minigame options for the player like snooker and cards. This is something I would like to prepare for in my scene as I feel the more interactive the base is the more appreciative the player is of it. Furthermore minigames like this are sometimes even my favourite part, the checkers tables in Assassins Creed 3 are an example of. They can also provide a nice variation in the gameplay from time to time which can be refreshing, particularly if you were perhaps stuck on a certain level in the storyline missions and fancied a break.


     GTA V
Another GTA example this time the most recent release. I found this to be particularly useful as one of the bases later in the game happens to be a strip club.


    The location as it is happens to be much better kept and much more well funded than what I have in mind however it is useful to me to see what my environment will be a cheap imitation of. Strip clubs already have a reputation of being pretty tacky, garish colours, neon lights etc. so I am hoping that my example of an impoverished attempt at recreating it will really have an unpleasant seedy quality that will effectively give the player a strong sense of the kind of environment their character is surrounded by.

     Like in the Lost and Damned this base has functions the player can perform. On top of those listed already (game saves, outfits etc.) Players can plan missions, save vehicles in parking spaces, consume food/drink, and obviously interact with strippers. The last option can also then allow them to date the said stripper if they wish. These are all ideas which like the sound of. I only plan to create the interior of my environment for this project so the parking situation is less important however I particularly like the idea that, a little like GTA, the character could be running multiple operations which could all be managed from a particular location within the bar. I also like the idea that players could, retool, refuel, and rest should they need to at this location.
      These games have given me a little more to consider in the planning of my environment. With this in mind I will now start to put together some ideas of what it should look like.

Bar concepts.

     I was a little concerned about starting my concept drawings for the 3D work I am doing. There is always the worry that my drawing style wont be in keeping with my work once I start modeling. For this reason I had a look first at some of the artwork surrounding my inspiration games.

GTA5


     Max Payne 3

   
     When I look at these images the art style isn't necessarily reflective of what we see in game. I would say that these picture are all slightly comic-esque whereas the games themselves seem to revel in realism. The comic style is perhaps a particularly appropriate feature for Max Payne, considering the strong Film Noir theme that accompanied the early installments of the series. However all these images effectively convey the kind of atmosphere we see within their corresponding game and it occurs to me that achieving this, regardless of art style, is the more important thing.
   
   

          I decided that first I should have an idea of my layout, even if I choose to deviate from this later on. I have made sure that there will be different areas to accompany the various "functions" of the location. Players will be able to consume food drink from the bar for example, the cellar will likely hold some kind of office set up (mission management) and a mattress for sleeping on. The bottom left corner has a pool table and I will try to include other games by having a dartboard on the wall, card decks on tables etc. The top left corner will be the "adult entertainment area" (although I think this would apply to the entire bar anyway) and just tucked in from the bar would be the dance floor where like in games such as GTA or Sims, players could meet potential girlfriends/dates.

     An important idea to me, again to show just what kind of place this environment is. would be to make sure the player feels some kind of separation between these areas. People would be visiting the place for different reasons and have next to no interest in what the other customers are doing there. People in the strip club aren't interested in hanging out with the pool player, who likewise don't care if you came in just to play some cards, or to try your luck on the dance floor. This again will make lighting important I feel- in this case securing an invisible kind or partition to show that this area of the bar is quite different from the next. Once again this shows the true nature of the venue. Whilst a more established building may have different rooms VIP, Bar and Dance areas, we are seeing a small pokey building try to encompass all of these with its low cost all in one set up. 

     The adult entertainment area I think will be one of the most noticeable parts of the bar. With its loud, unignorable lighting an general griminess I think it will catch the eye of the player wherever they are in the bar. I have tried to get this griminess across by making sure that from the walls to the sofas to the tables, every surface looks as though it is still dirty from years of dirt, mud, and spilt drinks that have never been cleared up. It has been raised up a level and a railing put round to give the impression of some kind of modest/privacy however, as with most of the bar, no real effort has been taken to ensure this.

    

     This gives a quick overview of what I would call the general area of the bar where customers would sit and drink. You can see the general unkempt nature and the lack of effort to make sure that bottles are cleared away, or even just picked up so they don't spill all over the floor.

     

     

     This image show the bar as I picture it. The main details to focus on here are the general deterioration of the place eg. holes in the bar where the wood has been kicked through, the lack of a freezer to chill any drinks. The extremely limited choice of drinks, one brand of beer and a small assortment of spirits and the weapon on the lowest shelf, indicating the bar owner may frequently be required to defend themself.

     

     I am still a little undecided on what the toilet area will look like. I decided the bar would only have one bathroom for men and women but I am not sure whether I will keep the lighting as it is, with quite a lot of the disco light shining through, or to use stong but cold lighting to make it quite an unfriendly almost clinical looking area, a bit like the bathroom in the opening scene of "Saw". I will continue as I am and review this later. 

Saw- Bathroom Scene

     I decided now that my next step is to do a very simple block out version of this scene in Maya as I feel this will allow me to settle on particular feature before I begin my major research into I will achieve all my desired effects.