Design Doc- Finishing Up

    I am now coming towards the end of my design document and preparing for hand in. My documents consists of the following contents.

-Introduction to Environment

-Nature of the Scene

-Inspirational Material

-Concepts

-Areas & Functions

-Characteristic Details

-Game Engine

-Technical Process

-Sound/ In Game Example

-Bibliography

   For the introduction to the environment I briefly outlined, like I did at the start of the term the kind of environment I am trying to create and its purpose within the game. From looking at the comic book influence in GTA  and Max Payne I decided a good way to convey the nature of the scene would be in a short narrative which read:

 He was awoken by a stinging pain up his left arm. Looking to the floor he could see the glistening mosaic of broken glass, and as he began to pluck the corresponding shards that adorned his preferred beverage holder, He pondered whether there were better places to pass out then at work.

He looked around to assess the damage from the night before. The beauty of such a dilapidated environment was that you barely noticed when something else broke. As far as he could tell the pool table wasn't jammed, there were no fresh stains on the sofa, the toilets were no more disgusting than normal (although the fresh blood would indicate a fight), and the stripper pole would probably remain fastened to the ceiling for at least one more night.

   I followed this by talking about all the inspirational media I have looked at like Max Payne, GTA, Once Were Warriors etc that have influenced me on this project. I then explain what details of these games I would try to emulate in my own environment.

     I then show my concept designs and the block modeled version of the scene explaining the different areas and their interactive functions within the game. 

   I discussed how I will be using UDK, Maya and Zbrush to create this scene and then discuss the technical processes such as as lighting and textures that will affect my work throughout this project.

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.

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.

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.

Studio work- Bar- Inspirations

     Since our session last week I have been spending time thinking about what I would like to do for my studio project. As stated before I was already considering a 3D environment such as a bar. I started to think about the kind of bars that I prefer to go to. Generally I prefer somewhere with a sense of character, often accompanied I find by a reasonable amount of deterioration, and adorned with various artifacts that have been picked up over the years. I feel I would find it preferable to create this kind of scene then an immaculately clean and well looked after building with no real atmosphere to it.
     Whilst I don't have an exact idea for the game setting my environment would fall into, I have an idea for what the scene should be like. I think I will pick a foreign location for my building, somewhere where health and safety would not be an issue, fights would break out regularly, with a seedy atmosphere and a plentiful amount of illegal activity.
     My first step was to get as much inspiration for my idea as possible. A strong example of this kind of scene that I particularly enjoyed is in one of the levels of Max Payne 3. Much like the criteria I had for my own idea this takes place in a lawless slum in Brazil where safety regulations in public buildings would be the least of anyone's worries.

     One of major things that appeal to me is the sense that rich Western culture has infiltrated the location. This attempt to appeal to tourists with merchandise, such as the gaudy shirt max is sporting in this image, is something I feel I should include in my scene to add character to the environment. I would also like to show this by having big name brands, or knock off versions, of food, drink, clothing etc within the scene. Obviously I cannot use existing brand but it should still be possible to emulate this.

     The sense of dilapidation is also something I want in my scene. Whilst this image does not quite capture the same mood as my bar, it is from the previous Max Payne set in American, it does give a idea of the grime and disrepair I would like to put forward in certain areas of my game. My main intention is to get the impression across that this is a no frills kind of establishment where the decor and general cleanliness are thoroughly ignored by patrons who are there purely to satisfy their vices by any means necessary

     Lighting has often been a weak point in the final presentation of my work, and one of the points raised by my tutors when deciding on the project was the opportunities for lighting within this piece. Being a bar/club there will be many variances of shiny materials, chrome, glass bottles, polished wood etc which will all reflect light differently.
     In keeping with the seedy atmosphere I also intend to include an "adult entertainment area" within my scene. As before this is where people will be coming to satisfy their various urges and therefore rather then trying to dress it up as a "classy establishment" it will consist of cheap fluorescent lighting and grubby furniture. This lighting around the snooker table in this area gives a fair example of how I would like this to come across.  
      Some other relevant features of the image would be the snooker table and the posters on the wall. If this was somewhere people were spending a lot of time I imagine pub games would be a popular choice. Posters on the wall I can imagine would be an alternative to putting fresh paint on the walls. It would also be another example of rich Western media infiltration where American music and cinema that may appeal to tourists.

     This image shows far too grand a scene for what I have in mind however I did want an example of the set up behind the bar, and to some extent the style I am trying to avoid.

Overall the Max Payne series also sets a benchmark for the type of realism I would like to achieve in my 3D piece when it is finished.




Another, if somewhat indirect, source of inspiration is the anime series and subsequent game adaption "Afro Samurai". The art style is far too comic book for what I have intended however it is a brilliant example of the "Western influence/infiltration" I have mentioned before. Whilst the series is typical of Japanese Manga in many ways the use of Samuel L Jackson, a very Western icon, as a character voice subverts this somewhat.
The protagonist himself is clearly inspired by Blaxploitation characters such as the ones below.


This cross of cultures I will try to infuse slightly with my own work, cheapening the aesthetics of the bar even more with its tacky tourist appeal. My next step is to start formulating my ideas and deciding on the layout of my actual scene. I will begin this now and then update.