After a string of fairly non productive days I have finally got round to the future potential section of our game design document. An important piece of artwork to produce for this was a page full of examples of avatar items.
To help me with this I had a look at my own avatar on Xbox Live and some of the items that were available to him. Interestingly after some research I came across a couple of sites such as this
http://www.examiner.com/article/no-guns-for-xbox-live-avatars-2012-means-bye-bye-gears-of-war-rifles which have stated that since 1st Jan 2012 guns will not be available as avatar items, although people who have already purchased them may keep them. This was important as, considering we are designing a WW2 game, guns would have been a likely choice.
The picture above shows a fairly basic avatar form which I will use to create some sort of template. The picture to the right shows a prime example of game related avatar items. Here we have the King's Attire (crown, clothes and boots) which are all earned by getting to a certain point (being crowned king) in "Fable 3".
I used the basic image of my avatar to help me create templates. On top of these I added the features seen below. I considered that for an item to be important enough for someone to want to purchase it should probably be relevant to some of the more iconic elements or characters of the game. This also contributes to some of the player's personal identification with the characters. Some of the avatar items I picked include Georges makeshift attire, Nancy's camera and the Juggernaut uniform
The following is the final edited version of what I have contributed for the Future Potential section: "
One of the
major elements for the future potential of our game is DLC or “downloadable
content”. As with many other games a large portion of this will be dedicated to
sustaining the enjoyment of player’s online/multiplayer experience. The ability
for players to access new maps and locations for their games to take place in
will keep their online play original and exciting. Furthermore, as mentioned in
the multiplayer section, characters and weapons will be customisable, with the ability
to add changes such as new skins and attachments. Being able to personalise how
your character and his/her equipment looks has proven to be a major appeal to
online players, as opposed to a large group of players from across the globe
all meeting up with the same default equipment. Additionally being able to
choose the manner in which you handle a combat situation was something we
considered to be important within our main gameplay, therefore it makes sense
that we should carry this through, where possible, to the online play, by
allowing players to adapt equipment and modify how it functions for them. This
also becomes a major enhancement of a player’s personal identification with
their character which is surely one of the major pros of first person perspective
gameplay.
This personal identification and
representation through characters carries through to another element of DLC-
avatar items. A major disappointment is that due to the Xbox Live rule brought
in at the start of 2012, gun accessories are no longer allowed, which sadly
rules out any of the multiplayer weapon skins as avatar items. Examples of
accessories that have been included are George’s makeshift uniform, Nazi juggernaut
armour, Nancy’s camera and the French Resistance uniform. Again online players
seem to appreciate the ability to alter the way their avatar represents them,
especially as avatars can feature in some Xbox Live games. It was a conscious
decision to include some of the features of the more iconic characters, as
these are the ones that players will most likely want their avatars to emulate.
There are also downloadable missions for
both George and William which have been listed in the mission descriptions
within this document. For the George mission this will act as something of a
prequel to the invasion, explaining how Britain reached the point where it
could be occupied. There is also the option at a later date to create further
DLC, possibly further missions for the male characters, or new features that
modify the open world gameplay for Nancy. Availability
of any additional missions for George and William, that are set after the
events of the game will be dependent on which one has died as a result of the
player’s decisions. These missions will
function within a campaign of their own, furthering the narrative of the game.
At some point after the release of the
game and it’s DLC, there will be a “full edition” version that combines all of
these for players to purchase at once. This version will be released with an
alternate cover distinguishing it from the original.
The remaining further potential for the
game would rely somewhat on its success. If characters prove to be popular and
iconic, as with many other franchises they could be made into
statues/figurines. If fans of the game wish to see the narrative explored in
further depth, animated shorts and web comics could be created featuring the
characters backgrounds or side stories. Should the game really catch on, a good
idea would be to open websites where followers of the game can indulge in
discussion forums and fan art, and generally just get more involved in the game."
This is certainly not my finest work however at the moment it is very much about getting the idea across as quickly as possible. I have tried to emulate the same visual style as the artwork being produced by the other members of our group, particularly relating to the line work and the almost sepia overall colour of the piece. I am reasonably pleased with it as a representation of how stealth kills, potentially a key part of the game mechanics depending on the players personal style, would appear in game.