weapons

I thought I needed to design weapons which will result in A more detailed mechanics section of the game document. There are a number of different weapons in the game, which each have different attributes.

 

Guards baton:

The guards baton isn't very powerful but it can be used for hand to hand combat which gives the player an advantage over the guards.

 

Semi automatic machineguns:

The machine guns in the game range in power and size. The heavier guns are more powerful but fire at a slower rate and the player will move slower.

Pistols:

Pistols can be used as a primary or secondary weapon. They aren't as powerful as machine guns but they can be found easier and more ammunition can be found for them.

 

Mechanics

Physics:

Gravity and weight applies in the game world much like our own. Objects have weight which is reflected if the player picks them up. For example if something is heavy the player will walk slower. The character may also lose his breath if he Is carrying the object fro a long period of time. Objects that are too large or too heavy cannot be moved by the player such as cars or trains. The characters abilities will reflect real life to a certain extent such as the height for the character too jump and the speed he can run. These abilities can be exaggerated but not to the point of being unrealistic.

Time moves faster in the game world for example an hour could be a minute, or a day could be an hour for example. This means more can happen in the game world over a long period of time in the game but the progression for the player will be faster.

Movement:

The character has three different movement cycles which are changed by how hard the analogue controller is pushed by the player consisting of creep, Jog and sprint. These different movements are necessary for the interactivity of the game. The player may need to sneak up on a guard and creeping is the only way of doing this, or he may need to escape from a guard which is when sprint will be used. Sprint can only be used for a certain amount of time before the character becomes tired. Jog will be used for general movement in the game.

The character can also lunge from side to side by a press of a button. This will be useful to avoid obstacles or traffic for example. It will mainly being used when being chased or in a combat situation. 

Hand to hand Combat: 

The characters movement will change when he enters a combat situation. He will automatically target the closest enemy and face them. The character will then side step to face the enemy at all times. Buttons that were used for shooting now become close combat buttons. The player can punch and kick and grapple the enemies. Flicking the analogue will allow for the player to choose which enemy to face. A button will also be used for the player to escape the combat situation and run.

If the player is not facing an enemy they are more likely to attack or grab the character. If the player is grabbed he can kick other enemies that attack him but he will have less accuracy. The player will then have to break from the guard holding him.

The hand to hand combat situation will only occur if no weapon is selected and the player wishes to fight that way.

Gun combat:

If a character has a gun selected it can be aimed using the back left button on the controller. This will move the camera into the first person view where the player has a better view of the enemy. Often the gun will have a sight which makes aiming easier such as a red dot. When aiming if it is near an enemy the gun will focus automatically on the nearest enemy. The player can then aim using the right analogue stick.

The choice of weapon will change the distance that it can fire, rate of fire and the power. When the player goes into the selection menu they can view these properties of the guns that they have. These properties are shown by percentages. For example the m16 has 50% fire rate but has 90% power. The player can always have a primary weapon selected and a secondary which they can change to by a press of a button. This change is faster than reloading which is a good tactic to use if you are low on ammo with enemies approaching. 

music

I have been looking forward to choosing audio and music for the game that I have concieved because I am so passionate about musical. I have decided to create some pieces by recording my guitar. Usually I wouldnt but I thought that it adds a personality and depth to the game concept rather than just picking songs that I like. I also wanted to add a cinematic quality to the game by choosing three songs that represent each chapter.

The future:

Clint Mansell; Dead Reckoning

This is a brillaint piece written by Clint Mansell. I think it will work well in the game because it is so epic. It creates a level of tension that will carry into the next chapter. I was considering using Charlie Clouser's Shithole theme which is similar but suggests a horror theme more so than Dead Reckoning because of its association with the saw films.

The past:

Rolling stones; Gimme shelter

I decided to choose this song because it creates a sense of nostalgia which is fitting for the idea of going back in time. The song is also quite fast paced which makes it suitable for an action adventure game. 

The present:

The XX; crystalised

I decided to use this song for the present because it is so different from the other two songs and it is modern so the audience may appreciate it more than the other two songs.

For sound effects I used a pedal on my guitar to create a megaphone sound which will be used as the voice over when the president is talking on the megaphone pillars around the city.

I also recorded cars going past my window and found some videos of trains on youtube. I converted these files into mp3s so they can be used as sound files. These sounds will represent the transport around the city. I found horn noises from trains that speed past the camera which will create a sense of speed and movement in the game even if the player cannot see the train.

 I used Cubase to edit the sounds that I created as well as the recordings I found of the trains. This gave me the chance to remove any unwanted noises, talking ect.

Detailed narrative

For the game document I needed to go into more depth with the narrative for each chapter. This was hard because I had to think of the entire narrative, which I dont have. I have basic ideas which form the narrative but I will try to keep te narrative open with some specifics.

Overview of Chapter 1

Throughout the first chapter Aaron looks for a way to get back to the Drayton city that he knows. He must gather information about what happened to the city and try to survive long enough to do so. As he becomes more familiar with the future he realises he needs to change the past so this future will never happen. He needs to go to the past to kill the president and change the world that he knew. This would stop the future that he went into and he would never lose his family.

At the end of the first chapter Aaron leaves the future and goes to the year of the first riots.

Overview of Chapter 2 

Aaron must find out how to get to the president. He also must find ways of killing the president and an opportunity to do so. Aaron must save his family from the first riot that leads to his apartment being destroyed. At the end of chapter two Aaron is given the opportunity to kill the president or let him live and then travel back to the present. This decision will be made by the player based on the information that they found in chapter 1. The choice here will change the narrative of the next chapter.

The choice of side missions in chapter two reveal different parts of the narrative to the player.

SET 1: The player believes the president is evil. He is corrupt and the reason the city of the future is in that state. (This is incorrect.) This information will lead to the player killing the president.

SET 2:The president is being forced by a group that control Tranium industries. He is the face of the company being forced to fulfil their wishes just like the other employees in the company. This will result in the player letting the president live.

Overview of chapter 3: the president dies

If the player decided to kill the president Aaron would be arrested when he travels back to the future. He then escapes and discovers a group are controlling Tranium industries. He then must destroy the company itself to ever change the future.

Overview of chapter 3: the president lives 

If the player lets the president live he travels back to the future and finds out the president is assassinated anyway. He discovers his family have been imprisoned. He must break into the prison and save his family. After doing so he must destroy Tranium industries to change the future.

No matter what choices the player makes throughout the game the result is always the same. The company must be destroyed to change the future of Drayton city. How the player gets to this conclusion changes through the game. 

 

The design document

I have started the game document and have realised how many holes there are in the narrative that I have for the game so far. I have concentrated so much on the concept work that all the other aspects of the project I begun to forget about. I now have to incorporate the designs into a narrative that works for the gae idea, and also consider all the other aspects of the game such as levels, characters, objects, weapons and most importantly the game mechanics.

I have found it hard to think of every aspect of the game. I also dont know how much information I need to put down to explain each aspect of the game. I have come to realise that I have been over ambitious with my game idea because there are so many things to consider with the game document, however I have started now and I dont want to change mmy idea because I believe it is quite strong.

I first created the design document. I wanted to keep the identification of the game the same as the last project so I used the same background as the presentation. I created the game document in powerpoint but I changed the layout to portrait. 

I had the basis idea for the narrative of the game but I decided t change it because it wasnt flowing properly;

The city of Drayton has reached a state of recession. The city was bought by Tranium industries, a company that takes advantage of the cities state of weakness for its own financial gain. The CEO calls himself ‘the President’.  Careers are assigned at birth for the people that live in the city with no concern for their welfare. The people begin to find strength in each other. They begin to riot to overpower Tranium Industries to change the quality of their lives. Tranium retaliates with force. Guards in riot gear patrol the streets of Drayton looking for people that ignore the curfew. Alarms ring across the city as the rebels are controlled and imprisoned for their actions. Cameras are set at every corner. The city is watched by a power that has realised fear works better than respect. The city becomes a prison for the occupants; their only choice is to lead the life that the company wants them to. Those who disobey are humiliated and killed. The rebels still exist, forever growing, waiting for a time to overpower their enemies.

Aaron is the main character in the game who the player controls throughout. He is looking for his wife and daughter when the riots begin. As he reaches for the handle if his apartment building it explodes from the other side. He is knocked unconscious and awakes watching the TV. The president is speaking. “the curfew will start at 8pm, this is your 10 minute warning”. Aaron looks around the room not recognising his surroundings. He looks out the window viewing a world that he does not Understand. It is Drayton city but in the future.

Aaron reads the note that sits next to him.

‘You must adapt, and adapt fast. You have travelled to the future to complete an objective that we have given to you. Saving your life came at a cost Aaron. You must find a man named Luth, he will know what to do next.’

The storyboard

I wanted to create a stroyboard with more detail than the animation that I have created to explain the narrative of the start sequence of the game. I started by writing out what images I want to create to show the narrative in the best way. these are;

The president making the speech about going to war.
Aaron watching the speech on tv.
The riots that the speech causes.
Aaron looking for his family.
Something that sends Aaron back in time.
The presidents speech on the tv for second time.
Aaron walking out the door to get to the president.

Possibly have a gun shooting the president as well but I am not sure how I feel about that idea.

These are the designs that I created for the storyboard.

boom

eyes

gun

man running close

man running

president

president 2

listening to silhouette (president is going to make speech)

These are just the basic designs that I have created. The style was influenced by the metal gear solid concept art that I have. I wanted to keep the images gestural with grey scale block colours forming the shape.

I then layed the images out in the order that I wanted. It ended up being put across three pages because it flowed better that way.

 These are the three finished pieces. I wanted the first two to be in black with the greyscale because it is known as the linear part of the narrative, basically he cannot travel in time at this point. In the third piece it moves into red because he has travelled back in time. This is not reflective of the game but rather a technique of showing it is in the past. I like the red more than the grey, which is annoying because I would like to make the first two red as well.

Digital painting lesson

I need a tutorial with Nigel in digital painting using Photoshop. This is the weakest part of my portfolio so it really helped. I learnt to use basic tools in Photoshop that I have never used before.

An important tool I learnt to use was the History brush. This really helped me because I have alwasy used the magic wand to select parts in the same layer. The history brush and the eraser allow for areas to be painted and removed with precision.

I also learnt how to manipulate an image and apply it to a screenshot of A Maya file. This is extremely helpful because I do not have the time to texture A concept in Maya. 

This is the first image I created using an image of a building in new york. I altered it to fit the building using the distort tool. I also painted over the image to apply lights.

Here I changed the images hue and saturation. Also I changed the brightness/contrast. I think the image looks good but it is not relevant for the concept. The image is meant to be a prison so a skyscraper is not the right aesthetic. I used this image just to see if I could create something from what I learnt from Nigel.

Here i changed the image to try and make it look more like a traditional building.

I then changed the brightness/contrast and applied paint on a new layer to darken the image.I cannot finish the image because I need to start working on the game document. I created this design to show the idea rather than have a finished concept.